Last weekend Gaby emailed to say she was going to her parents beach shack at Las Toninnas for the weekend - "Did I want to come?" I packed my bags with a swimsuit, suncreen, two yoga mats and a hat. It was perfect timing to get away from the smokey city and get a final hit of summertime warm (the weather predicted low to mid 70s). We left Friday night, sipping mate all the 5 hour drive and stopped at a roadside parrilla for dinner. I feasted on the best grilled chicken I've ever had and Gaby ate "lechon" - a kind of pork that comes from baby pigs): I tried it and it was tender. She also told me about a cut of pork that comes from pigs that are still suckling their mothers milk - it's the ultimate delicacy. Poor baby piggies is all I can think.
Both nights I slept 10 1/2 hours. It was completely silent a the beach shack. Its off season now so the town of Las Toninnas was nearly deserted except for a few "viejos" (old people) that live there year round. We had the beach to ourselves and spent the days chatting and dozing in the warm sol. I finished rereading Joan Didion's The Year of Miracle Thinking and did a lot of writing too. Saturday night I took a power walk at sunset while Gaby ran. I filled my pockets with the most beautiful coral, plum, indigo and pumpkin stripped sea shells. I couldn't stop collecting them once I started though haven't had the urge to gather ocean trinkets since I was about 9 years old. That night we ate out at a nearby more populated town called Santa Teresita. I tried a local fish called "Lisa" and Gaby had octopus spagetti. My fish was prepared castellian style in a paella-like pan with sauteed tomatoes, potatoes, red peppers, onion, olive oil and lots of fresh herbs. Both days we did yoga on the sand just 10 feet from the water.
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