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Today we are celebrating Art's first book launch of Northern Albanian Folk Tales, Myths and Legends. It is a collection of short stories inspired by tales shared by his grandfather Gjeto. A special thanks to our dear friend, Sarah Boyd, she took the time to help with the edits and we were able to publish via Amazon. All book sale proceeds will go toward our Stock the Library Project, to learn more check out the post below: https://www.homesteadalbania.com/post/bajze-library-and-school-project The paperback version includes artwork and photos available on Amazon now! <-- The ebook is also available on Amazon for the Kindle. (minus the artwork) -->

Yesterday Art and I had the pleasure of taking a group from Tirana. Northern Albania is covered in amazing hiking trails, one of our favorites is the hills of Mokset in Gashaj (42.283025, 19.387027). The trail borders Lake Shkoder, a spring called the Black Eye, several old communist bunkers along the path and an old army post with several out buildings. From the post elevation capture 360° panoramic views of the mountains of Albania, the valley town Bajze and Montenegro Mountains. It is a beginner/intermediate hike, 2-4 hours depending on the routes. Do you want to join us for a day hike as we document the trails of northern Albania? We hope to document a new trail every two weeks.

After three trips with countless photos and videos I have finally uploaded a video that shows the pieces that are the magic of the Albanian Alps. Planning for some serious hiking this summer near Tamare, Ostrici, Lepushe and Vermosh. Are you planning a trip to Albania? Consider the wonder of the Albanian Alps.

My memories from about four years old are pretty visibly clear about a lot of events throughout my life to now, my husband can only remember small blips of anything before his early teens. His recall void has started to blossom a bit after being back on his home turf. Yesterday we hiked the land beyond the mount behind the house. The land is covered in trees, shrubs, rocks and wild flowers, flashback to the eighties, only rocks and herb bushes, no trees. The communist chopped all trees and vines, not in communist orchards, in the north lands for firewood to bake bread. A pear tree the width of my husbands arm span once stood near where our house stands today. Now, I can circle my hands around most of our pear trees. A cavern called the 'Horse Cave', named after a horse once fell into the deep cavern was rescued by locals via ropes. A narrow entry to this cavern were white like crystals that his brother and him played with as kids. The landscape changes made navigating a little challenging so we tackled this with a drone. He flew passes over the areas we had not covered already on foot and found a possible location, we tore our way through the heavy growth to a cavern but no shiny crystals. His remark, "If I had a memory like yours we would have walked right to it! Can you hypnotize me?" I laughed but wonder what else is locked behind the veil? The area has several caves and caverns so there is likely more to discover. The joy etched on my husband's face during the hunt was worth the scratches and face plant with near twisted ankle.

Snow capped mountains added a pretty stunning backdrop to the footage of our town. Check out the latest video tour of Bajzë,

Finding the balance and pace of what we could accomplish in one day to the next was less complicated than I expected. New furniture was delivered, additional pieces ordered, figuring out the routine for remote work (installed back-up batteries for power outage support for modem), enjoyed our meals on our front porch and the never ending game of pick up from our yard kept us busy during the first few weeks. The home and land had not been maintained for over a decade and when I mentioned in a previous post that new windows and doors were installed, I failed to mention the old ones were still in the backyard along with loads of other materials and rubbish. My husband started on what is now part of our massive garden with cabbage, onion, and garlic. During our weekends we explored the lake, nearby towns, hiked the land behind the house collecting wild pears, matter for tea and pomegranates and harvested the persimmons. We acquired some bikes from family in the area, bought and tried out new fishing gear, went on a very long hike with his sister and her family that was supposedly for fishing but it was more like over the mountain and through the woods and explored a few castles. The weather in the fall is ideal, warm sunny low 70s, perfect for exploring. And since we were receiving a bucket of fresh cows milk a few times a week, from the neighbor, we even tried our hand at making homemade cream cheese, because why not. The texture and taste turned out pretty good. We also picked the last of the grapes for wine and eventually raki. The art of making homemade wine was fun, messy and delicious. Once we sorted most of the leaves from the grapes we placed them a large plastic container after manually hand mashing the grapes, like I said fun but messy!! He promised our first harvest the following year I could feet smash the grapes, gitty excited! And now the waiting part and twice daily smash begins. After 7 days, we were able siphon the liquid and sift the grape mush. At this stage it is DELICIOUS!!! We continue to siphon and sift the mixture for another 2 to 4 days. We funnel the liquid into 5 gallon glass jars and after a few days of rest we sift and transfer to wine bottles and cork. Supplies for this are available at most stores around the area as it is tradition to make homemade wine and raki. Ok, some of you may or may not know what raki is so let me explain. Raki, pronounced Rah Key in English, is the Albanian equivalence to moonshine in America. It is distilled liquor from fermented fruit. It is very strong and can still be felt for a few minutes after each swallow. We made our first batch together from the grapes post wine. We were blissfully aware and overwhelmed with how happy we were to be living together and free from the what if conversations that plagued our year.

Our home, built by my husband, his brother and his late father in the mid 90's. It is a rock and cement home, most of the building materials for this home came from the land and mountain behind the home. His childhood home is no longer standing, it was a large multi-family home where his grandparents, two uncles and their families, and his family resided. Homes in Albania tend to accommodate multi-family/generations, our home was built for a single family, although originally it was discussed to add a second floor but it remained a single floor home with two bedrooms, one formal living room and a kitchen family room combo, and a bathroom. When his family immigrated to the states in the late 90's it was left as is for almost two decades minus a brief stay by his sister and her in-law's family while they were building their home. Some improvements were done during that time such as new windows, roof, doors, kitchen cabinets, and tile. My husband arrived in September to start the process of getting the house ready to be occupied. Some furniture, dishes, linens and other odds and ends were left by his family and his sisters so he had some sorting to do and some deep cleaning. By the time I arrived in October he had new custom furniture and closets made and set up in our bedroom, washer and dryer installed, gravel poured for an actual driveway, buried the water line, gas and electric up and running, fiber internet installed, acquired two pigs Bacon and Sausage and deep cleaned (mostly his sister) the entire home. We did sort through the rest of the linens and furniture after I arrived and kept the dining room table and chairs, coffee table and a box of linens, the rest of the furniture and linens were given to a local family in need. It was a wonderful homecoming after 6 months and two continents apart. We took our time exploring the hill, land, caves and views behind the house. It was fall so the colors were magical and we collected wild pomegranates, tea and pears from the trees and land. And I got my first lesson on the vines in our vineyard and garden. We have variety of fruit trees in our garden two varieties of persimmons, quinces, pears, plums, dates, thanas, olives, three varieties of mulberries, figs, pomegranates, four varieties of apples, cherry, peach, bobes and several blackberry and blueberry bushes. Growing up the closest I ever got to gardening at home was when we left out pumpkins on the side of the house and the next year we had vines with pumpkins, beyond that my aunt and grandma had gardens. I had zero experience with the planting, maintenance or harvesting. We finished up my first week with a bit of shopping for new custom furniture for the living rooms and second bedroom. And I started to work from home in the early mornings and late evenings to keep in contact with the correct time zones for New Zealand.

After four months living apart from my husband, me in New Zealand and him in Albania, I made a trip back to Albania to visit and discuss our future. We thought New Zealand was perfect timing but it appears that with one delay comes additional delays in the land of visas. I had 10 days in Albania, we took a beautiful three day trip to southern Albania along the Adriatic Sea, it was magical. During this road trip my heart started to expand with love and admiration for this country. We also took some time to explore the northern mountains and his hometown Bajze. By day 9, I was totally smitten with all that was Albania and after we walked his family home and land I knew we were home. Many factors weighed decisions on how to execute this and if it was even possible including work, finances, transportation and moving two continents in one year. My lease in New Zealand ended in September 30 so we had a time frame to figure out logistics. My career, ended up taking a temporary contract when I left New Zealand extending my employment until the end of 2018. Transportation, we were able to sell my New Zealand car back and purchase a new car in Albania and finances were secured with our savings and a little lady luck. The move, packing up our Florida house in February, packing up my Auckland apartment in September, jail breaking my clothes out of customs (the bags weighed too much) and reuniting with my husband was 100% all worth it!! Fast forward recap: Plan A and B - Consider mission complete Plan C - We now live and work my husband's home and land that has been in his family for ten generations. We have experienced the loss of my father-in-law and his mother is now living with us full time. In my next series, I will take you through our home and land on what we have done to get it up and running after we arrived.

In 2016, our goal was to pay off as much debt as possible and still save 20% or more of our yearly income. I had student loans (over 35k), car loan (16k) and my niece's braces (less than 1k) to pay off, my husband had zero debt minus our home that we shared. We managed to pay off my debt minus our home before the end of the year with careful budgeting and a side hustle of AirBNB. And we had finally saved enough that we could discuss options for Plan B, my goal to live and work abroad. My first thought was Australia, his was New Zealand. My career in Health IT made either country an option but after research, weighing the pros and cons of each country and further discussion, New Zealand seem to be a better fit. I booked an exploratory trip to New Zealand for fall of 2016 to see if it was indeed as clean, friendly and beautiful as all of our research indicated. It checked all the right boxes. We knew that could be a great option but we were still working on Plan A. Fast forward recap: Plan A - Debt minus house erased and savings growing every month Plan B - Live and work abroad possible option New Zealand Plan C - Live in family home in Bajze, Albania

We have spent the last month harvesting and juicing the domestic pomegranates from our garden and have collected wild pomegranates from this hill side to make a syrup concentrate for the winter. This year the domestic pomegranates were sweet and refreshing and even some of the wild pomegranates were not too tart. So why pomegranate juice? It is rich in antioxidant polyphenols, which can reverse atherosclerosis as well as vascular inflammation, and thereby lower blood pressure. In addition to antioxidants, pomegranates are a source of fiber, B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin K and potassium. And it has other anti-inflammatory effects. We love our pomegranates, do you?

My husband and I had the pleasure of spending some quality time with our nephew visiting from Michigan and took the day to drive to the northern tip of Albania in the Albanian Accursed Alps. We have taken this trip at various times during the year and we are always amazed how the change of season enhances the landscape in various beautiful ways. The day was a clear bright blue sky day and although chilly the Alps did not disappoint. Standing near at the large cross in the hillside looking out over the town of Hot is a stunning view of Lake Shkodra, the mountains in Montenegro and the Malesi e Madhe countryside. As you ride further north you will pass a small valley town in a bowl, Stare, flat valley town Rrapshë and then the opening to the canyon with a lookout point over looking the river, Montenegro crossing and S curve highway down in to the canyon. The views are quite stunning. As we made our way down into the valley the waterfalls that looked like frozen lines on the face of the mountain were alive and roaring. I am a huge sucker for the natural beauty of a waterfall however big or small. We made a few short stops to take a few photos and then a longer stop in Tamarë. We often make a stop here, this village has newly constructed buildings with stone exteriors in the likes of a town square. It is made up of many bar restaurants, information site, a few small shops and still growing with what looks like a small hotel. We always visit the Producte Natyrale shop, they sale various organic blueberry, grape, juniper, cornel, pomegranate and plum raki, liquor, juice, jams, and tea; we usually pick up a kilogram of dried blueberries for tea for my mother-in-law but we also walked away with four bottles bitter (juniper) raki (good medicinal remedy), pomegranate syrup, thana (cornel) raki, and rose raki . The town also has a hydro station for power nearby and the town is bordered by the river and a few waterfalls. When we visited in March we discovered a few trails near this town so it could be a great place to stay for a night or two and discover more of this idealistic valley town. The landscape as you leave and head north towards Vermosh has various elevations and the road follows along side a river and through a few small towns. In the spring the town of Selcë has lovely blooming plum trees that are very picturesque. There are also several waterfalls that seem to cry from the clouds down the surface of the mountain. And one valley town of Ostrici has a backdrop of a large waterfall that traces high into the peaks. We know of some trails that go up to the two buildings overlooking the town, and have added to our summer to do list. We made a small stop at Restaurant Bar Luka Mkushit for a few small plates and coffee, the food and service were great as well. And then we pushed on to Lëpushë, they had fresh snow on the road entrance to the town and we were in a car with out snow chains so we didn't chance leaving the main motor way. But we did stop to breathe in the ever stunning views. Taken in March Taken in June Taken in December Vermosh was our last stop on the tour and the valley is home to several cabins, camp sites, hotels, hostels and a few bar restaurants. This valley town surrounded by the Albanian Alps is the northern tip of Albania and borders Montenegro. It also has two rivers that cross and intersect with a large blue waterfall. As we made our way back to Bajze we did make a few photo stops as the lighting had changed and brought a new perspective. And as we rounded the corner to the spot of our first photo stops the sun was setting over the mountains in Montenegro. In 2020, we plan to spend a week or so between Lepushe and Vermosh to hike the many trails in the area. Leave a comment below if you would like to know when and tag along!

The basic question "Where are you from?" has been constant in my life for the last 20 years. My response, "Lawson is a small commuter town northeast of Kansas City on the Missouri side." A few follow it up with more questions, but it is often the first and only impression I give in regards to Lawson. So this is my chance to make a first or second impression about the who, what, and where of Lawson Missouri. Lawson has two blinking lights at the intersection of 69 Highway and D Highway to D and C Highway, otherwise known as three mile. It has one main drag, the main street is called Pennsylvania Street with a church, the newspaper office, one law office, post office, bank, diner, video store, drug store, small clinic, small grocery store, hair salons, tavern, water service office, tax office, police department, city office, funeral home and small hardware store and the town square with a gazebo and playground equipment. This has all changed or evolved during my 20 year absence so each time I am home I tend to go out of my way to drive down this strip to see what's new or gone since my last visit. Population during my youth was maybe 1,800 people mostly caucasian and nearly all second or third generation Lawson residents. A large number of the residents worked and commuted to the Ford factory in Claycomo, worked at the local school or farmed. Today the population has grown to 2,400 people, bit more diverse but the largest employer for the Lawson residents, I think is still the Ford factory and local school. When you grow up small you know all. A town this small comes with perks as a kid, scrape a knee while out raising hell on your bike in town, no problem knock on the nearest door and the door is answered with a familiar face. Trick or treat was never a concern of safety, home after dark little concern because it was a small town if you did something you shouldn't the news traveled home quickly. We had the freedom in the summers to ride our bikes to the pool, to friends or family homes unsupervised, uptown for the best vanilla Dr. Pepper or butterscotch milkshake from the drug store, evenings filled with the sounds of engines revving at the local Sand Drag race strip, and the occasional tornado after a wonderfully loud thunderstorm. And one long weekend a year the Annual Lawson Picnic kicks off with a parade, highly sought after and delicious funnel cakes from the Boy Scout stand, competitive fishing tournament at the city lake (otherwise known to locals as the Tank Pond), cutest baby contest, bingo games, and carnival rides (favorites were always the tilt or wheel and the scrambler, today both would likely make me ill). August to May our town revolved around the sports, plays or concerts, the town coming out in large numbers to cheer for and support the local students. We were small but mighty when it came to community unity and support. Funerals and visitations were exhausting for any family as the entire town came to support and share mournful respect for the departed. Funerals were more common in my youth than weddings or birthday parties. Sadly I never realized that wasn't the norm until college when a dorm mate had to return home for their first funeral ever; college, they made it 18 years with out a funeral? When I ask the others on my floor the average number of funerals they had attended was around 3 and usually only direct family members. When I call home every week we still discuss the latest departed. My Old Union church family and youth group were EPIC. In the mid to late 90s we had one of two of the largest youth groups in town. Wednesday nights were loud but amazing especially when we had Brent and Diana B leading the youth. They were even were brave enough to host an all night lock in at their home which always resulted in the largest and longest outdoor sardines/hide and seek game because they lived out in the sticks. Our group also had a great mission to serve with visits to the local nursing homes, mission trips to Haiti and services at the youth detention centers out at Watkins Mill. The youth at Old Union also spent two weeks a summer at Jr Camp as camper or counselor depending on your age and/or Tri-State plus 1 Camp (MO, IA, OK and Arkansas was added late hints the plus 1) for kids 13 and older. Both camps hold hilarious and fun memories, we loss two beautiful souls we cherished from these times way to soon, Kris M and Ben P. I found a notebook from the last camp I attended while packing to move abroad and spent about an hour reading, laughing and crying recalling the memories and loss. I was blessed with a large loving church family that I could always count on since I was waddling around the church nursery playing with Ronnie A, piano lessons with the late great Margie B, tall George B with his giant bass and his meaningful words of wisdom, Roy and Ralph B giving me a hard time for never wearing shoes in church, and wonderful memories of weekend float trips with Toby and Angie, guess who is coming to dinner with Garland and Patsy, the infamous Ernie, for hitting every skunk on the way to Colorado for a church retreat, his hugs and Easter morning eggs, Dick T with his pocket full of suckers and so many more lovely souls including the ones that have left our family for their eternal rest Norma, Beverly S, Sue B, Bill B, Doris Kay, Jesse, Marvin D, and Harry (I still hear his beautiful distinct baritone voice every time I hear an old hymn). To my Old Union family thank you for supporting and loving my family for the last five decades. To the Lawson Senior Services committee, local sororities, TOPS group, woman's weekly prayer group, senior transportation service, and other weekly groups that set up card parties, events and entertainment for our seniors, THANK YOU!!! The weekly conversations with my Grandma Rexena, 86 this Saturday, who has the busiest social calendar I know, is in large part to the community and locals that serve. My appreciation and admiration for all that you do for this beautiful generation makes my heart so full. To the latch key kids that my mother, Candy, took care of before and after school thank you for entertaining her for nearly 20 years, and to the city of Lawson and local Park Board, bless your heart for employing my 'retired' father, Mark and his get it done now and right the first time stubborn work ethic, he is our bear we know he can be grizzly and soft. And to the community of Lawson, thank you for making it a wonderful, happy, safe and charming childhood for my generation we had it made!! If you are living or relocating to the Kansas City area and want a small charming town with great schools, amazing community support, loving church families and more consider Lawson. How does your hometown compare? Let me know in the comments below.

August is wedding season here in northern Albania and it is a popular month for Albanian's living outside of country to return to visit family. We received 5 wedding reception invites, one which included two receptions. Now, I have loads of experience attending weddings and even a bridesmaid/maid of honor a few, 7+, times, but this was a whole new world. I consulted my wardrobe choices ahead of time with my niece and sister-in-law because I was told these are more formal than casual so with six dresses chosen I had hope of blending in. The first date we had two scheduled, one reception at 12 pm and the next at 8 pm. The first one of the day was my husband's first cousin's daughter on his dad's side. We arrived on time but waited for additional family before approaching to venue which was a large three story commercial building from the outside with some fancy fountains, large lit letters that spelled LOVE and a guitar shaped walk/pool. When we entered the building on the second floor it was fully immersed in the cocktail hour with small tables set up and larger table towards the center with an assortment of beverages, juices, soda, water, beer, and wine. We had assigned seating on a chart that was to the left of the beverage table. We were ushered to the third floor and were greeted by additional family members at the door to a very fancy ballroom and unexpected based on the rest of the building I had seen so far. After finding our table and shaking a few more hands we sat a large white clothed table covered in an assortment of food, beverages, glass and dining ware. The food choices included a plate of yogurt like sauce they call Kos, grilled vegetables, olives, and baskets fresh fruit and bread, drinks included an ice bucket with an assortment of soda, beer, waters flat and sparkling and on the table two wine choices red or white and bottle of Raki. The ballroom had a large open dance floor in the middle, the band at one end and the bride and groom at the other, the tables and chairs for guests were tiered so the second layer sat a bit higher so no views were blocked and ran on each side of the dance floor. Once the ballroom was filled and most were seated the bride's family was announced as they entered with the bride. The music was intense and very loud from beginning to end and the brides family danced before sitting down to honor the bride. At this time the first round of seven dishes were served. The first plate consisted two different types of cheese, three different types of fried meat and a pickled salad in the middle. The music and dancing continued in full swing and the second dish was served which was more like a kebab, skewered grilled chicken and veggies. At first the escort with the bride I thought was the groom only to have the groom and his family announced about an hour or so into the reception (I was so confused). This is when I learned that the newer tradition here is to have a reception in honor of the bride and the groom's family and selected few friends attend as honored guests...at this point the couple is not married yet. Are you still with me?? I was attending a wedding reception for a wedding that had not actually happened yet. Back to the food, the third dish was a chicken cordon bleu, fourth steak and potatoes, fifth assortment of roasted lamb, sixth tortellini and a white sauce covered meat and seventh would have been the dessert but it was 6 pm and we had another reception to attend. Overall the dresses were extremely fancy lots of glitter and super glam and the bride's gown was princess dress with a fitted bodice and a large layered skirt. The dancing was non-stop with a simple side step and a fancier hand holding circle with a couple of steps depending on the music. The music was all traditional songs and even had a small round table set up at one point the singers sat down and a few men with raki joined them and most sang along at the table. We made our apologies for leaving early but we had to return home and pick up additional family to head to the second reception. So if you are counting that was a 6 hour reception and still going, we left before the cake and when we had to drive by the venue on the way to the next reception it was still going strong at nearly 8 pm. Reception two was for my husband's first cousin on his mom's side. It was held in a large white building with an outdoor cocktail hour with small tables and a table for drinks on the side. We arrived right before they began to usher people inside, this venue was a round ballroom, with a dance floor cleared in the middle and the tables set up on all sides with a designated head table for the bride and groom and a small DJ set up in the corner. The table and food/drink setup were very similar to the first wedding just a few small changes to the meat choice and rice instead of pasta. The music was very different more current Albanian music and not a live singer and the sound quality was much less intense which we appreciated because our ears were still ringing from the first wedding. Dancing wise I took my first trip around the hand held fancy step dance and kept up with the crowd. There is a version of this dance that is the same steps to 'Cotton Eye Joe' took me back to my college days for a minute. The dresses were a mix of super glam and semi formal and the bride had a wardrobe change from a sparkly princess gown to a lace mermaid right before the cake cutting. The cake was not American traditional cake it was dulce de leche with caramel topping. The couple was married earlier that day and didn't have a prior reception so this was the one and done. Difference in the age of the bride's tends to dictate on where they fall tradition wise. This couple was mid 20s/early 30s so they did what and how they wanted, the first bride was 19 so followed the parent or new traditions. We stayed at this one until the very end which ended at 330 am, 6+ hour long receptions are a normal thing here. Wedding three was a four part series, we were part of the groom's honored guests at the bride's reception on a Saturday night, this was at small venue with a similar set up with a small dance floor and tables on either side but it had lots of pillars which gave line of sight some challenges. We danced a lot this evening, they had a good DJ. The food and beverage choices were very similar to the previous weddings nothing new maybe one or two less courses. One tradition at the end of the reception is the dollar dance, depending on the reception it is a song or two for the family first and then a song for the friends but there is typically a large circle dance with the bride and groom in the center, couples will dance with the bride and groom and place a dollar bills on there head and wish them luck and congratulations. The cake cutting is usually done before these last dances. Cake this time was half cake half pudding middle. We left near 4 am. And the next day we had a dinner party with groom's family at the groom's house late Sunday evening followed by an early wake up call at 7 am. As part of the honored guests we carpooled to the bride's home to pick her up, this is quite the production. The videographer records the entire parade of cars and the cars are decorated with bows and ribbons. Once we arrived at the bride's home we are greeted by the bride's family and then ushered to a table covered in small plates of nuts, fruit, beverages, petla (like mini donuts), honey and raki. The brides family comes down the line to toast the guests and then after a half hour or so the singing begins. There is a song that calls for the bride and tradition wise the bride is to come out for a hidden nook, with veil and crying (LIKE REALLY CRYING). The family then exits the home and we the groom's family and honored guest throw candy at the couple as a wish of sweet blessings. The parade of cars makes the way back with horns blaring, music and yelling from the car and throwing candy to passerby pedestrians. The tradition is to deliver the bride to the groom's home by noon. We ran into some traffic on the way back and had to speed the last leg but once we arrived back in Bajze, the groom's hometown, we slowed down and tossed more candy and A LOT of noise. We arrived at the groom's home and another tradition is singing the bride in to the home and throwing more candy, followed by a photo with a young male baby again sweet blessings and fertility. We all departed back to our perspective homes until wedding at 1 pm. The wedding was held in the town's Catholic church. Pause, the bride is now with the groom's family so NO ONE from the bride's family was present when they actually got married. But they said their I Do followed by a few photos and then we all went home to nap. The groom's reception started later that evening and like the other venues there was a cocktail hour outside before going inside, this venue was large with tables on the right and then on the left a dance floor with tables on either side with a DJ and bar in the middle. No pillars which was great for line of sight and the table's were set up with similar food and beverages. We had some of the best food at this venue and danced basically the whole night they had a mix of DJ and live singers. A few new traditions with the bride dancing for her groom and the groom dancing with a burning white cloth. It was another late late night 330 am, after our day started at 7 am. Our fourth invite led us to another venue, this was for my husband's second cousin's son on his dad's side. There was an outdoor cocktail hour and once ushered inside they announced the groom's family and friends it was around 12 couples deep. The set up of this ball room was different pretty narrow with columns and for some tables it was hard to see or get to the dance floor. The food and beverage selection was much like the others but this one was followed by ice cream instead of cake. This was the groom's reception so the couple were married early that day. The music was mostly done by a DJ which had a good bit of up tempo current Albanian music blended with some traditional songs. The glam was off the charts for this event and the bride's princess gown was also very nice. Another long one we left just before 4 am. And our last wedding was at the first venue we attended and it was for his first cousin's wife's brother on his dad's side. There was a cocktail hour outside and the bride and groom arrived via horse and carriage followed by fireworks and then we were ushered inside to the ballroom. The first time we came to this venue I didn't know that the middle of the ceiling came down but that is exactly how the couple entered the ballroom after the groom's family and the bridal party were announced and entered the dance floor. The party started off at full swing and the music was loud and intense with a live band. The food was similar to the first time we came and the beverage selection the same. After the groom's grandfather gave his thanks and blessing to the couple another family member did a traditional call song, it was done back in the Ottoman Empire, shepherds would sing this call until he heard another shepherd and so on to pass word that there were enemy soldiers approaching. The couple did have a pair of traditional Albanian dancers perform but the bride and groom didn't dance until the end of the reception after the cake cutting and the dollar dance. They also served ice cream instead of cake, no complaints from me. Cheers and congrats to all the happy couples!

We are finished harvesting our fruits and plants for the year so now we are working on the clean up. We are pruning and trimming the vines and trees. Pruning is crucial for most fruit producing trees and can effect production the following year. Our olive tree had not produced any olives for almost three years but last year we trimmed it back before spring and were able to harvest nearly 6 kg. The vines are trimmed back to a Y shaped form and the supporting trees are trimmed back as well to create a distinct path or the vines to grow with room to produce. Art has worked on winterizing the plumbing that runs from our reserve tanks to the house and the water pump. He also worked on cutting more wood, we installed a small wood burning stove in the kitchen for non-windy days. We had used the fireplace last year but decided the amount of wood for the fireplace compared to the wood stove consumption was a better alternative and less of a mess. Our fireplace now holds the firewood for the wood stove and blocks any kind of draft. The rainy November and December was not so kind to our chickens we lost two to illness and out of the 13 baby chicks we had five roosters plus our head rooster Jack so the garden has become battle ground of dominance and we sacrificed one rooster to start to decrease the hostile environment. We also have a few new hens laying eggs so that is a positive. Our two piglets, Stewy and Chewy are fenced in various areas of the front garden with the vines and I hope their rooting will lessen my dig time around the vines come spring. So we are down to 2 pigs, 5 roosters, and 12 hens. Weather wise we are holding near 50 for the high and mid-30 for the low and the rain seems to have disappeared from the 10 day forecast. We definitely have some super windy days, the two major wind patterns come from the south Shiroku winds, usually very warm but makes the air dusty and the northern Mulani i Hotit winds are cold and strong but clear the air and make our views crystal clear. A few peaks that surround our valley are barely showing some snow and so far no snow or flurries in the valley so far. We are working on our garden plans for next year as we now know what to expect and what needs more love, attention and WATER. We have a very dry and hot summer so if it requires vast amounts of water it will be planted in smaller portions. We will not be planting nearly as many potatoes, squash, peppers or beans as we could not eat, can or freeze fast enough to keep up with harvest. Eggplants were probably the most disappointing crop from this year, my mother-in-law grills and then pickles these in large quantities and our garden barely produced five good size ones from about 15 plants. Watermelons are a staple in this house and our seedlings only produced small round watermelons so we will be planting different seedlings and a lot more of them! Projects for 2020 include waterproofing the cellar for wine and food storage, tear down and rebuild of the back stone building for tools, livestock and possibly living quarters on a second floor so we can host again via AirBNB and paving the driveway and parking spaces. And adventure agenda includes the Theth to Valbona pass, possibly cycling from home to the starting point in Theth and further exploration of the caves and trails in the surrounding areas. We hope to have more visitors in 2020 as well, are you adding travel to your budget in 2020?? Because if you haven't maybe consider joining us for a week or two next year. Did I mention I LOVE ALBANIA!

We finished harvesting the persimmons last week and are saving a three crates to eat and a large barrel of cut and smashed for fermentation. We will make Raki in the late spring from the persimmons. What are persimmons? Persimmons are a late fall harvest fruit here in Malesi e Madhe, the fruit flowers from green to ruby orange when ripe. We have two varieties, one has a seed and the other seedless, the texture mushy like a tomato and honey sweet. Great for baking and topping to rice pudding. The key to eating a persimmon is patience. If you pick and attempt to eat too soon your mouth is invaded by a filmy tannin. You have to wait for the entire fruit to change from a golden orange to a dark ruby orange and soft exterior. You can eat the peel with both varieties but I prefer without a peel. A second option is to pick them before they are a ripe, wipe them down with raki and store in a plastic bag in a dark place for a week, they come out ready to eat without the tannin and some even slightly firmer like a peach. Also the worse they look the better they taste! Liquor from persimmons, we have a small batch of ripened persimmons fermenting with sugar and raki in small jars and will strain in about 10 days. The large batch featured below is for the Raki. Stay tuned for the outcome in 2020. Why do we eat Persimmons? Persimmons are rich in dietary fiber and many nutrients such as manganese, beta-carotene, vitamin C, and iron. They also contain several other health-promoting phytonutrients, such as catechin (a natural phenol and antioxidant), gallocatechin (also an antioxidant) and betulinic acid. Betulinic acid has been shown to have antiretroviral, antimalarial, and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as potential as an anticancer agent.

We awoke in the early hours to a 6.4 earthquake rumble. We are about 2 hours by car from the center of the quake so no physical damage to our home or the town but others did not fair as well with casualties and injury numbers climbing each hour. Please pray for the families, the workers and the Albanian people as the recover from this event. It comes only a few months after a large quake hit the coastal town of Durres. Many buildings damaged in and near the capital city of Tirane which is the epicenter of the population of Albania, so a lot of frightened people and a lot of tall buildings. Our family here has all checked in and so far so good.

We are on day 10 of rain, with another 10 days in the forecast. Benefits of rain our winter garlic and onions are already pushing up, cabbage and leeks are thriving and squash still blooming. Our pig, Sausage, escaped the back yard to the front garden this last week which happened mid rain shower, funny but messy. He went for the beets and the okra. The fall colors are popping through more and more each day. The quince trees only have about 6 left in the tree and the rest are picked up and we have even starting canning some for the winter. The persimmons are starting to ripen, small tip to reduce the tannin aka that filmy covering the inside of your mouth, wipe the fruits down with raki, store in a plastic bag in a dark cabinet for a week and they are tannin free and delicous! The pomegranates are still very sweet and juicy, Art squeezes fresh juice for us about every other day (yes I am spoiled). We did make a day trip to Laç . A small town with an infamous cave, Cave of Saint Vlash Martyr, and church, Kisha e Shna Ndout or St. Anthony's Church. The church was first built around year 1300, and dedicated to St. Mary, then renamed after Anthony of Padua in 1557. In 1971 it was destroyed by the communist regime, and eventually was rebuilt in the 1990s. During the communist era there was a priest that lived in the cave below the church site that was destroyed in 1971, many stories of miraculous healing from his blessings he provided to the ill. We have been there once before in the evening hours so this was my first trip to truly take it all in, very peaceful and beautiful. We drove to the coastline in Laç after leaving the church to explore a bit more as the rain had cleared. As we crossed the marsh lands we found a few restaurants with mini huts on the water in this area, bunkers and even a small island with a restaurant. The road dead ended with a new restaurant, large in ground pool and small cabins, it could be a great stop for anyone wanting a seaside stay away from heavy beach traffic. What questions do you have about Albania or our homestead? Leave a comment below.

We are nearing the end of fig season with a few trees still producing but the quality has decreased with added rainfall we received in September. Art's tree pruning early this spring has shown results, The olive tree had not produced in the last two to three years and we have black olives, pitted and soaking, close to 4 gallons worth so far. The pruned pomegranate trees also turned out some large, sweet and very juicy poms this year. We juice a few about every other day. Great source of vitamins C and anti inflammatory which are great for the fall in this household. Jujubes are still coming in and ripening and we have picked close to 50 pounds worth so far and the tree is still full. Persimmons are getting closer to picking but only one so far this season has been ready to eat, it was pretty tasty. Quince tree is heavy and full this season, I have even peeled and poached a few they were very tasty. Plenty more to come with how we process for canning, jam and possibly quince butter (like apple butter). Our herb garden has been very generous with basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary and mint. No shortage of peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes and climbing vine beans, they are still going strong. We have cabbage starting to fold in, beets and leeks coming up and even got one very good size sweet potato. We have started to prep the ground for the winter garlic and onion where we grew watermelon and cantaloupe this summer. The vines have a few fall grapes coming in post grape harvest. We are still in the process of fermentation for this year's wine and raki. We will have another updated post about this once we start the transfer of the wine from barrels to smaller containers, saving the mush for raki and how we prep for bottling. Below is one shopping trip for additional containers for raki and corks for the bottles. Do you have recipes for any of the above? If so please comment and share below, I will need all the suggestions.

We have explored many trails and paths around the back mount of our homestead but today we found a new cave entrance, new path to us and ended up with some rock climbing. Thankfully the fall temperatures have arrived and we are starting get the cool evenings and the sunny days without the blistering heat. We collected some kaca, a fruit we dry for tea, along the way. I have a challenge, the small green mounts in the video below, we would like to climb but want an additional hiking partner(s), first come first hike to claim your peak. Pictures from today's discovery and climb. And an update on the September harvest, we are collecting jujubes and kaca, the olives, persimmons and pomegranates are starting to ripen, fig season is slowing down, cabbage and beets are coming in nicely and our beautiful grapes are nearly ready for harvesting!

We had made plans to attend the annual Rec Music Festival on Sunday September 1, it's about a six mile drive to Rec but we decided to ride our bikes. Beautiful sunny day, it was HOT, little shade on the gradual incline on the trip there but we made it one piece. The festival had several areas set up near two restaurants in the chestnut tree forest. Carnival ring toss games, stage, tents, trinket vendors, roasted lamb and chickens, and beverage stations set up around the area and loads of picnic style tables and benches. We parked our bikes and ourselves in the shade to take in the festival and catch our breath from the ride. We ended up with a beer each and split a roasted chicken and each took a stroll around the festival to take it all in, performers were playing traditional music in one area and down on the main stage was a famous artist Fifi, she drew the largest crowd. We took our go pro along for this adventure and it's a little shaky in spots but it captures our trip from our home to Rec and the beautiful scenery. Enjoy!