iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Yesterday we visited three châteaus, including Des Milandes, the former home of Missouri-born artist Josephine Baker. We didn’t know much about her before going there, but she dedicated her life to freedom and equality, against racism, and she fought for France during World War II. A true heroine.

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The largest reflecting pool in the world in Bordeaux, France, on the banks of the Garonne River. Trump could take a tip from the French on this. The pool is drained and filled every half hour. It has no algae.

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

The northern coast of Spain is wildly gorgeous and the town of Comillas is beautifully quirky, although it closes up earlier than we’ve gotten used to. Misty rain today and lots of tourists. Tomorrow we’re going to see the caves of Altamira. I’m so excited I don’t know whether I’ll be able to sleep!

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Just spent $84 USD to fill the tank with ~10 gallons of gas. And this was at a cheap gas station!

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

More signs of respect for Trump in Europe

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Came across some young adults kicking this statue earlier today and realized - once again - how well respected Donnie is throughout the world. 🙄

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

We took an easy drive to A Coruña, a nice coastal city, stopping along the way in Betanzos for a look around, a glass of wine and a pintxo. The rental car agent who’s from Venezuela told us that the police in Spain are nice and not like the ones in the US, so we just smiled & waved when we saw them.

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Wow…Santiago de Compostela is filled with tourists and pilgrims right now in overwhelming numbers. The normal rules for business open and closure times don’t seem to apply here. Restaurants, tabernas and bars are all packed and souvenir stores are full of shell memorabilia and motifs.

The Scallop Shell (the Concha) is the primary symbol of the Camino de Santiago for both historical and legendary reasons.

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Lugo, Spain is an interesting World Heritage site. There are no WW II or Spanish Civil War artifacts here. Instead, the city wall was built by the Romans in the third century AD and there are some amazing Roman ruins along with the largest collection of sundials in Galicia.

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Up early so we can have coffee and toast at our hostal before we hop on a bus for a day trip to nearby Ávila. Segovia is such a beautiful town but it's so small we've almost seen all of it already. Here's a photo outside our hostal after dinner last night. We're loving Spain.

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

At the botanical garden today in Madrid, in front of an American Osage Orange tree we caught this sign. It was the only time we’ve seen it. We didn’t see it in front of the ginkgo biloba tree, which was the first plant to regrow in Hiroshima after the atomic bomb,…(1)

The American Footprint in Madrid: The 250th Anniversary Commemorative Route
In 2026, the United States of America celebrates the 250th anniversary of its independence.
In honor of that historic milestone, the U.S. Embassy, in collaboration with the Madrid City Council, designed "The American Footprint in Madrid: The 250th Anniversary Commemorative Route" to offer a selection of places throughout Madrid that highlight ties between Spain and the United States, telling the story of our shared history through the people and locations that have left an indelible mark on the city.

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

After 3 days of taking the bus into town and walking around in extreme heat and humidity, we’re staying at the resort today. Pool time with a book at the beach, a popup seafood cafe and a couple of happy hour drinks are all that’s planned. The sea is calmer since the storm blew away. #lifeinMexico

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Walking through town the past couple of afternoons has been interesting as the streets and sidewalks have been eerily empty while we could hear the game being broadcast everywhere and see people huddled around in every restaurant and taco stand watching the World Cup games.

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

The weather is warm and we went on a nice long hike today along Cold Creek. Lots of wildflowers popping out and we saw an adult bear with two cubs near the trailhead. Seems on every hike we’ve taken thus far there are far more mountain bike riders than hikers on the trail. Maybe it’s a Tahoe thing.

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Since the weather is still not conducive to outdoor recreation today, once the snow melts off our car we’ll be driving to Carson City to see the new Star Wars movie. There are no movie theaters in South Lake Tahoe any more; they’ve all closed.

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

In between shopping, prepping and packing for our next trip we’ve had a few outings and several social engagements featuring pizza. We’ve a dinner party to go to this evening where the hosts will serve, once again, pizza. This will be our third pizza this week. It may be time to take a break.

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

I'm not registered to vote in Louisiana but I'm glad this is happening.

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

We spent the day in Eunice, LA. We started with plate lunches at Ruby’s and then toured KBON 101.1, one of our favorite radio stations. Next we saw a movie of the Acadian history of mass deportation at the Prairie Acadian Cultural Center. Later, we bought some traditional smoked boudin and sausage.

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

I connected with one of our favorite Cajun artists yesterday before his show at the crawfish festival and thanked him for speaking out. Give Horace Trahan a listen whennyou get a chance. #cajunsagainstmassdeportation thecurrentla.com/2026/in-caju...

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

Yesterday we saw a bluegrass band from South Korea perform, called Country Gongbang. They were the only Korean band ever to play at the Grand Old Opry. We had never heard of them before and they were outstanding! #festivalinternational

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

Today will be a full day at Festival International as soon as we can get out there. Our fridge is empty and the trash can is filled with empty takeout containers so today will also be the day I get a bowl of tuna poké “to geaux.” Here’s a sampling of the creole goodness we’ve been enjoying.

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

There’s the Louisiana I know and love. Almost 80 degrees and it’s pouring down rain. Thunderstorms expected later. ☔️

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

Thinking about Budapest today and hoping that Hungary can set an example for the USA and rid themselves of their far right leaning fascist dictator.

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

How I feel about going back to the US today. Trump's war in Iran has already driven up the price of gas so much that we're unable to find flights to Europe for the dates we want later in the year and the amount of points we need for flights if we could locate them has doubled.

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

I do kinda miss those St. Patrick’s Day pub crawls in Sacramento eating corned beef and drinking Jamesons and then heading home when our allergies got the best of us. Instead, we’re spending the day hanging some new art. Check it out.

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

Me looking at the news this morning.

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

I can’t wait to pay for gas in a couple of weeks so that I can help move a family member across California. When does it freeking end with this guy? #TrumpsGasProblem

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

At Dodie’s Place Cajun Bar & Grill in Allen, TX (permanently closed per Google so 🤷‍♀️)

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

Leaving the huasteca area today. While tourism is one of its 3 main industries (the other are ag related) the locals aren’t super friendly to tourists. We’ve been mocked in disbelief more than once when we responded to the “where are you from?” question that we’re visiting from Guadalajara.

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Between this and the *Trump dump detector* it could be fun. But I’m still not watching. Going to eat pozole and drink mezcal. #sotu

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 22/02/2026

We’ve gone to four incredible Zacatecas museums in three days, all of which have outstanding collections and now we’re in a restaurant that bills itself as a museum. The respect here for the arts - visual, music and the written word - is deep. Even the streets are named after artists. #lifeinMexico

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

A couple of pics from Zacatecas. After a long (but comfy) bus ride yesterday we slid into a nice restaurant for dinner last night without a reservation. We’ll go out exploring today once we finish coffee. Hoping to take a ride on the teleférico.

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 07/02/2026

Timely information about the upcoming game. #GOPSuperbowl

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

Today we got up early to tour the Pantheon Belén, the cemetery where the Cuervo and Sauza families are buried along with many other Jalisco historical figures. The tour was promised in English but was actually in Spanish so we had to pay attention and/or ask our tapatío friends to translate.

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 01/02/2026

A couple of photos from our last art event today (it’s actually just “art weekend”). Had a lovely outing viewing the exhibits and then having free drinks provided by one of the show sponsors in a very nice restaurant space across the plaza. Next week is the Serie de Caribe - the games start today!

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

Here’s a couple of pieces from art week. We made it to 5 art shows last night. Today we’re meeting friends for brunch and then going to see Marty Supreme at the movie theater in English with Spanish subtitles. We’re binge watching as many movies as we can before this year’s Oscars. #lifeinMexico

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

Sergio Romo is going to throw out the first ball at the second game of the Serie de Caribe on Feb 1. Unfortunately, our tickets are for Feb 2!

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

Shared this with the hubs who's perseverating over a comment made to him by a friend. Me: You're overthinking this. Him: Is that a bad thing?

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Debbie Cole @liddledeeb.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

We’d planned to make a Costco run this morning so we can pick up something for our book club this evening but after we got these three pieces home yesterday we noticed one of them has some paint peeling off the canvas. Now waiting for the artist to pick it up and take it for repair. #lifeinMexico

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