Suronda, Art and Bob

[Bob]

Our members might be interested in knowing that I had never met Suronda or Art in person until last week, when they visited Evelyn and me our home in Rockport, Massachusetts. I was not at all astonished to find that their internet personalities were identical to how they come across in person. It was more like meeting old friends than meeting people for the first time. I have been a member of an online discussion group for 20 years, and have met most of the members in person after knowing them online for years. Without exception, they were the same in person as they were on the internet.

Our short time together was an experiment in sleep deprivation. We stayed up most of the night talking, and had one of our dinners at our favorite restaurant, My Place by the Sea in Rockport. It's not Asturian, but the food is excellent and imaginative. Evelyn and I were able to have some Asturian and other Spanish food on hand for the weekend--chorizos, jamon serrano, lomo embuchado, sidra, a good red wine from Ribera del Duero, arbequina olives, drunken goat cheese, Cabrales, pickled caper berries, etc. The fabes, garbazos, oricios, angulas and piquillo peppers will have to wait for their next visit. There just wasn't enough time to do everything.

We had a very good time, but I never knew a weekend could be so short.

One topic of discusion, of course, was the website. Art has already begun implementing our decision to post thumbnail photos of the three of us and other members who wish to do so with our forum posts. If you have a photo that you would like to appear with your posts, please send it to Art.

Bob Martinez