I only met him a few times, in Seattle, in Boise, in Homedale, but he made a lasting impression. Always with a smile and with his txistu at hand, Aita Martxel Tillous always added something special to any Basque gathering, even if it was a bunch of northwesterners gathered in a hay barn, doing their […]
A new tattoo has been added to the Tattoo Gallery. This one comes from Michael Bengoa of Susanville, California. He says it took him a long time to locate someone who could do the type of job he was looking for. Looks like he found the right person. Thanks Michael!
I just got a note from Roslyn Frank, a researcher into Basque prehistory. She found this podcast featuring Mikel Morris, who I recently interviewed. Thanks Roz!
Wouldn’t all our ancestors be proud! Lisa sent me this great video of what sheepherders can accomplish when they put their mind to it. Enjoy!
Fresco Tours, based in Spain, is a tour company that offers tours of Spain. One of their tours, Basque in the Glory Tour, is centered on that part of the Camino de Santiago that passes through the Basque Country. Going from Hondarribia, through San Sebastian, Orio, Zumaia, and Deba to end at Bilbao and the […]
A while ago (I’m still way behind on answering emails), Jose Antonio Alcayaga III wrote me. He had just gone to Donostia, Euskal Herria as part of the University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC) via the University of Nevada to learn euskara. Born and raised in Stamford, Connecticut, his father, from whom he gets his Basque […]
Andy Franco recently learned of his Basque roots and, since then, he has really immersed himself into all things Basque he could. A blacksmith, who owns Calico Forge in Nampa, Idaho, he was an integral part of the recent exhibit at the Basque Museum in Boise on Basque whaling. Andy forged the harpoons and other […]
This past week, there have been two major events in the Basque Country. First, on Sunday, March 1, elections where held in the Basque Country (as well as other parts of Spain) for the Basque Parliament, the body that governs in the Basque Autonomous Community (BAC) comprised of Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa, and Araba. Since the formation […]
The other day, my wife and I were in Trader Joe’s and saw this display. As a good ol’ Vasco who loves chorizo (see my previous post), it just felt wrong to see soy chorizo.
(At left, chorizo filler meat.) If you go to any Basque event in the US, one thing you will always find is chorizo. In Boise, instead of hotdog vendors, they sell chorizo on the street corners. And there are a number of meat packers that mass produce Basque-style chorizo. But, in my opinion, nothing beats […]
