Cañada

So there is this restaurant in my neighborhood called Cañada. It is a quaint no thrills restaurant. The type of Spanish restaurant where you picture that all of the regulars are used to sitting at there own table, everyday. There is a big screen TV playing either the news or the Simpsons that keeps the solo diners company.

In this place, the conversation stops when they hear English and resumes again when I switch to Spanish. The room is all white washed walls, dark wooden beams and a swath of mosaic tile on the wall. The food is good, cheap and comforting, and the staff are friendly. 

I have always translated the word "Cañada" into a more familiar "Canada" in my head. I laugh to myself or my husband about the name "The Canada", how silly is that?

 I do not know why I do this, maybe I am trying to find the familiar in the unfamiliar environs? I think that my husband has told me 100 times that "Cañada" means the "trail that sheep follow". You would think, given how obsessed with sheep I am, that I could remember that. So this last time we ate there (our second time dining there) I had my husband snap a few pictures of the goodies on the wall. I had forgotten that they were there too!

This next picture is of a "rueca" which means both distaff and spinning wheel in Spanish. It is a very traditional one. (I have seen one simular in museums here.) The wool is wrapped around that little bit of basket weave at the top end. They would have probably tucked the long end under their arm and spun with a hand held spindle on the oposite side.

Like in this painting I found on the internet (not in the restaurant).

Source

There are also other sheep-y items. Like one of this lovely hay forks that are carved out of one tree.

And hiding above the rueca? A shepherd's crook!

Speaking of sheep, I have been doing some dying and playing around with gradients. These are not as dark as I would like them to be. These are more water color than vibrant. Perhaps I should spin one, just to...test it out?