Arms of the Ocean

Sorry for not posting in so long.  I told my mom I was literally starting to have internet withdrawls; I've never gone this long without it!  I hope the wait will have been worth it.  I have tons of photos to share, and this is just the beginning!

We've spent quite a bit of time around Quatro Riberias and Biscoitos, visiting all the most beautiful spots and the places significant to our family.  We started at the bathing place of Quatro Riberias, down many steps and past a beautiful old mill (but not the one belonging to our family).  I wanted to walk around a bit, through the easy to navigate, man-made staircases around the rocks, but while I did poor grandma was certain I would be swallowed in the sea.

This is the church in Quatro Riberiras, where my grandfather married my mother's mother, and where my mom and godfather were baptized. 

 

I think this was the first place where all the family history really started to sink in for me; as I walked down the center aisle, I imagined my biological grandmother doing the same on her wedding day.  This church is my favorite that I've seen so far on the island.  Although the island's churches have all been constructed in extremely similar, consistent styles, especially the exteriors, this one is very humble and intimate inside.

Just outside the church were the sites where my mother and godfather were born.  The first photo, Padrinho, is of the reconstructed house, previously belonging to Tia Maria Charua, on the site where you were born, just below the church.  And mom, both photos are taken more or less from the site where you were born, although there is no house there anymore.  The second photo has Tio Daniel's old house in the center (his son Marco is remodeling it for his family) and Tio Fernando's house is perched high up on the hill, nearly invisible in this photo.

This might be a good time to explain that we have a lot of tios.  My mother's mother's mother, my great-grandmother, had a disputed 16-17 children over her lifetime, many of whom she outlived.  My mom, the oldest of all the cousins, even has an uncle that is younger than her.  As far as I can count, there are eight aunts and uncles (my great-aunts and -uncles) still very much alive and kicking: two here, two in Canada, and four in California.  Someone please correct me if I am mistaken.

Saturday, we went to Tio Jose's house in Biscoitos for a BBQ.  It's neat to meet "new" cousins, especially when they make you feel like family right away, which, of course, you are.  Tio and Tia were there, along with their children, Luciano and Cristina, and their respective spouses and small children, who are my generation.  The food was delicious, but the conversation was even better as we tried to sort out all the family members, with their birth order, current locations, etc.

Here's our family-reunion type photos, taken right after lunch.  Before you start trying to Where's Waldo everyone, I'm missing from the first photo, and Cristina is missing from the second!

After lunch, Tio Jose' took us around his property, showing us all the land he cultivates.  He produces all the fruits and vegetables that the family eats, including bananas, figs, potatoes, and passion fruit.

 

This is the view from atop the garage, from where Luciano says they have a great view of the sunset over the sea.  It's easy to see the reasons why this part of the family has decided not to move to California!

 

Later, we went down to the bathing place of Biscoitos for coffee and to walk around the water. 

 

 

Before Grandma and I headed to the bullfight (more on that later!), Luciano and Tio Jose' took us around Quatro Riberas to show us more significant family houses and sites.  The following house, high up in town, is where Great-grandmother Francisca (the one with all the children) was born and lived until she was married.

This is the spot where there used to be the Costa Family Mills, where all the aunts and uncles were born.  The structures no longer exist, but the stories do.  Luciano was telling me that one day, this great woman walked up to one of the mills to do something and went into labor there.  She was unable to climb back down the hill in her state, so by the time she made it back to the house, she was carrying her newborn baby with her.

There were so many questions I wanted to ask Tio Jose', questions about the family, and especially about my grandmother, his sister.  But honestly, I was very emotional about the whole thing, especially when he showed me the following plot of land previously belonging to my mom's dad, which was the site of the house where my grandmother died during childbirth.  I decided to hold my questions for fear of causing quite the scene!

I don't want to end on such a sad note, so I will leave you with my favorite photo so far of the whole trip: Tio Jose' looking out on the ocean in Biscoitos.  You can tell he is a man of the sea.