Sheep are very important to the Basque people as a source of meat and milk, and shepherding was a major activity for immigrants of the
Basque diaspora. A lot of people put sheep stickers on their cars.
Most families seem to have someone who farms on land that has usually been passed down to the oldest child in the family, and the majority of the countryside is in active production-the suburbs as we know them don't really exist here. Here is a Sagardotegi, or cider house. Apples are a major crop here, and in the early parts of the year after the fall harvest has fermented (they drink their cider hard), these places host festivals where people eat (ham and sausage) and drink hard cider. These festivals, as well as agroturismo (agricultural tourism) are an important source of income for growers, who face similar economic pressures as farmers in the U.S. I have yet to see a corn maze, but the growers here host guests, have on-site restaurants, and all kinds of other non-farming activities to make ends meet. Yesterday I met a woman who works for the local government to promote agri-tourism projects.
A lot of people have "perros peligrosos"
(dangerous dogs). No joke, right? Not sure if there is some sort of Rin Tin Tin fixation but there is a preponderance of ginormous German Shepherds. And on the right, I present The Mega Monster Slug that Fell to Earth..eat your heart out, banana slugs. And yes, that would be Prince in that there graffiti. American pop music is really popular here-you hear the same stuff everywhere th
at you hear on KDON, and in the grocery stores, you hear the same Muzak as in grocery stores in the U.S. (they must buy the same packages or something), including Ricky Martin-in English. I don't think people really understand what they're hearing, but the power of American Top 40 marketing is strong.
Sheep are very important to the Basque people as a source of meat and milk, and shepherding was a major activity for immigrants of the Basque diaspora. A lot of people put sheep stickers on their cars.
Most families seem to have someone who farms on land that has usually been passed down to the oldest child in the family, and the majority of the countryside is in active production-the suburbs as we know them don't really exist here. Here is a Sagardotegi, or cider house. Apples are a major crop here, and in the early parts of the year after the fall harvest has fermented (they drink their cider hard), these places host festivals where people eat (ham and sausage) and drink hard cider. These festivals, as well as agroturismo (agricultural tourism) are an important source of income for growers, who face similar economic pressures as farmers in the U.S. I have yet to see a corn maze, but the growers here host guests, have on-site restaurants, and all kinds of other non-farming activities to make ends meet. Yesterday I met a woman who works for the local government to promote agri-tourism projects.
A lot of people have "perros peligrosos" 
(dangerous dogs). No joke, right? Not sure if there is some sort of Rin Tin Tin fixation but there is a preponderance of ginormous German Shepherds. And on the right, I present The Mega Monster Slug that Fell to Earth..eat your heart out, banana slugs. And yes, that would be Prince in that there graffiti. American pop music is really popular here-you hear the same stuff everywhere th
at you hear on KDON, and in the grocery stores, you hear the same Muzak as in grocery stores in the U.S. (they must buy the same packages or something), including Ricky Martin-in English. I don't think people really understand what they're hearing, but the power of American Top 40 marketing is strong.
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