Ashley Gets Lost

First things first: A couple weeks ago Felix called me from his dog walk to tell me his most exciting news- he saw a hedgehog! I was not at all jealous because the only hedgehogs I’ve seen so far have been dead on the high way. Not even a little bit. Then the next night I went with him on a walk, and he as he was telling me where exactly he saw it, BMO was sniffing something in the road. It was pretty dark, and I thought it was a rock. Then I realized that hog territory was not just up the hill, it was right where we were standing!

The one Felix saw was huge, and this one was the size my brain thought a hedgehog should be. A car was coming, so I blocked the little fella with my body and used the flashlight to alert the car to our presence. I tried to move it off the road. At first touch, those spikes aren’t that sharp, but once you actually try to pick it up, they start to dig in. I was hoping it was just frozen out of fear from us and BMO and would make its way to safety, and it was gone on our way back.

Olya invited me to a digital nomad dinner a couple weeks ago, and it was so much fun! I love how I am staring longingly at cake in this group shot. That is very appropriate.

The wine came in these fancy bottles! And you can probably tell by my eyes in most of these pictures that I drank plenty of it. Ooops! I have since gotten better at drinking wine at a more leisurely pace. Haha!

Speaking of cake, I complimented the waiter on the deliciousness of the cake in Greek, and he brought me my own plate out with two pieces just for me. I was like “No, I shouldn’t!” But my dear friends and greatest enemies, I did! I’m also holding a glass of wine and a shot of Raki, the devil’s own garbage booze.

These lovely ladies and I share a physical trait that I will not divulge. I’d tell you if it was just me, but I need to keep their confidence. Maribeth (in the middle) has another secret I can’t tell you, and Madison is a soprano opera singer from New Zealand. Unfortunately Madison was leaving the next day, but I got to spend more time with Maribeth at karaoke last week. She is leaving soon as well, but we are making plans to spend more time together when she gets back.

Not yesterday but last Sunday, Joshua and I went on a little drive. I thought it would be longer, but I forget how small this place is sometimes. We ended up at Aptera, which is an ancient Minoan city state. This is the view from the Venetian Fortress right up the hill. Our house is on that hill in the background!

The ancient theater was really cool!

Our favorite part is this cistern. It’s huge and it felt a little eerie in there.

Also apparently some ancient bad bitch had a titty statue in her tomb, so I have upgraded my death plan to include something like this. Maybe a head stone with boobs on it? Perhaps in bronze so that they’ll stay shiny from everyone copping a feel?!

I do not have a picture of me on my scooter, so please gaze upon this kitty romance and then imagine me cruising around the hill at low to medium speed, which is what I did yesterday afternoon. I was taking the long way (like the extra long way) to the village down the hill. There were stunning views of the ocean, and I pulled over when I saw some goats down the road. Then one of them jumped/climbed/performed ancient goat magic to get into an olive tree for some snacks! It was such a funny sight.

When I got to the village, where I had planned on buying milk for ranch dressing, I saw my friends Fiona, Samantha, and Stuart pulling up to the square. Turns out they were stopping into the bar for a drink, so I joined them. I had leftover beef stew at home and didn’t NEED to make a new dinner, so I scooted home and returned with Joshua in the car for another round with friends.

Also I think it’s new strange fruit season here. I’m going to have to give a dragon fruit a try. I think that’s what those pink ones are? The yellow ones are quinces, which I’ve had in jam but haven’t tried on their own yet.

In other news, my weekly Greek classes are going well. Unfortunately Greek doesn’t have a SH sound, so my teacher told me we’re gonna have to change my name to something like ASSley. Which is fine. I am now strong enough to carry the name and skilled enough to shake my actual ass with confidence.

Happy Monday!