If necessity is the mother of invention, in this case it was a hot day in the country with nary a ride to the beach. After lunch I let Ishtar frolic for a good while in the nearby stream before heading up to the main house and announcing to the Brazilians that it was time to get weird. It was time, once and for all, to jump into the canal. The canal is basically this part of the Alentejo's water source, originating at a dam and going on for kilometers and kilometers past this property, through tunnels, over aqueducts, and along the hillsides. I'd scoped this adventure out to some extent, I at least knew where the final exit ladder was located before the point if no return. We walked along the usual path I take the dog on before deciding to just jump in from the top of the tunnel Tiê deemed "too dark and too long" to climb in prior to. Yet again, what would otherwise be a bad idea elsewhere seems like a good one in Portugal - the answer is always yes! We all jumped in, first Tiê, then Gabi and I. And risk paid off. Perfectly cool water on a sweltering Saturday, floating along with the current, laughing and watching the countryside go by. It seemed to go on forever. We got out at the ladder and walked all the way back barefoot across rocks and thorns for our clothing. Tomorrow's strategy: two pairs of shoes, one at each end, and to bravely tackle the dark, long tunnel.
