Inside the Crater...

Veronica loved the big tree at the bottom of the crater.

Not only did she pose for photos up in the tree, but she, Jimmy and David ate lunch in it while the rest of us picnicked with our feet on the ground.

John was fairly confident that his last name is derived from this flowering plant, which grew in abundance around the island.

Along the Hike...

There were lots of interesting things to see on the hike down into the volcanic crater.

Hiking into the Crater...

One of the highlights of our week was our day at the volcanic crater, Caldera de la Bandama (named after Dutch businessman Daniel van Damme who introduced the cultivation of grapes in the nutrient-rich soil of the caldera in the 16th century). Luckily we found it without any wrong turns.

There was a path along the rim of the 3,300 foot wide crater, but we opted for the easier hike via a series of switchbacks down the 700 feet to the bottom. The views along the way were breathtaking.

A Quick Geocache...

We had good intentions of geocaching around the island, but actually only searched for this easy one at the beach.

Ashlynn was the first to notice the large out of place rock that was actually made out of plastic and housed a scroll to record the names of those that found this cache.

Unusual Reflections in the Sand...

As the sun set, we did get some pretty cool shots of reflections in the sand.

As usual, while Veronica took photos of Ashlynn, I took photos of her.

Las Canteras Beach....

While John and Sally headed to the airport to talk to the rental car company about their poorly performing car, we went in search of the beach. After many more wrong turns, we finally found Las Canteras Beach Promenade.

It was a good setting for a photo shoot, but I wasn’t impressed with this highly commercial area and was relieved that we hadn’t opted to stay at a hotel there.

Las Palmas...

Las Palmas is the co-capital as well as the largest city of the Canary Islands. Despite having a navigation system in our car, we still managed to miss every possible turn into the city. We also ended up separated, but eventually we all made our way into the historic district.

After getting so mixed up, we decided we deserved some ice cream before a lunch of traditional Spanish omelettes.

While the parents visited the cathedral, the kids relaxed in the sun on the square.

Then they joined us to go to the top of the tower where we had a great view of the congested hills.

Before Dinner in Agaete...

Veronica has begun to take photography very seriously, so it was finally time to upgrade her camera. Just after Christmas, we bought her a new Nikon that she rarely goes anywhere without. She shot a lot of time lapses, but unfortunately hasn’t had the time to edit them into a movie.

Not sure why Jimmy and I failed to remember to take advantage of her photography skills. Sally and John, however, were happy to pose for me.

And, of course, I took a lot of photos of the four kids.

This was the best decorated of Agaete’s white and blue buildings.

Agaete, A Small Fishing Village...

Since we’d arrived at the house late on Saturday, Sunday was our first real day of vacation. All of us were happy to just spend the day hanging out at the house. Eventually, we made our way into the nearby fishing village of Agaete, with a population of around 6,000.  

Although Sally’s guidebook had warned us that there weren’t many safe places to swim along the northern coast of the island, we saw the power of the Atlantic Ocean for ourselves.

The main coastal walkway was closed due to the powerful waves, but the overlook was open. We managed to stay dry, but there was clearly rain in the distance.

The Views...

There were views from every window and from every angle of the yard, which resulted in Veronica and me taking a lot of photos.

Check out the cloud bank sitting on the hills behind the pool.

We ate several meals on the terrace, where we could see down to the village of Agaete.

The same Atlantic storms that battered the UK in January, brought enough rainfall to the northern part of Gran Canaria for several waterfalls to flow for the first time in five years.

After seeing this view every day, the kids were determined to hike up to the falls.

Casa Rural Asomadita...

When we presented the girls the choice of going skiing or seeking some sunshine for the February half term, they chose the sun. Luckily for us, Sally, John, David and Andrew also were in need of some sun, so we worked together to decide where to go. We eventually settled on Gran Canaria, one of the Canary Islands, located 150 miles from Morocco. 

There weren’t a lot of vacation rentals on the island that slept at least eight, but I managed to find Casa Rural Asomadita just outside the fishing village of Agaete. The photos don’t do this charming and spacious house justice. Built in 1950, it has been modernized with a lot of care.

We ate breakfast in the eat-in kitchen, but dinner in the dining room, which Veronica also used for studying.

We spent several evenings in the living room watching movies in front of a fire. While Sally investigated day trips, Jimmy worked on editing the panto video.

No doubt that the boys’ favorite room was the games room.

Ashlynn and Andrew took advantage of this wall to practice their juggling.

Back into Braces...

When Ashlynn was nine, she got braces on four top teeth to correct a Nanny McPhee tooth that stuck out past her lip. She’s said for awhile that her teeth are too unusually straight and the dentist finally confirmed that her bite does need adjusting. So, here’s her last photo before getting braces, again.

She wouldn’t let me take a photo of her braces, so these will have to suffice.

Mr. Sociable...

Jimmy is now the leader of the agency’s social committee. He started Thirsty Thursday, which typically involves a visit to the local pool hall. No surprise that he made a toast to his colleagues at the dinner dance.

After being married for four years, Davinder and Roohi finally came to their first dinner dance. Instead of getting a photo of the four of us, only the boys posed together.

Agency Dinner Dance...

This year’s agency dinner dance was back at the Carlton Beach for the second year. I was disappointed that Jimmy didn’t arrange for us to sit with his friends, but we managed to have fun anyways with lots of time on the dance floor.