Much of the summer has been too hot for comfort. When the rains started coming, it quickly got too humid, as well. The weather was horrendous the last week or so. It was so hot and humid that one could barely breathe. It all came to a culmination with several days of storms and heavy rain. There was a brief spell of southwesterly wind yesterday evening that was surprising in its severity. Motovun was spared the worst, but quite a few places in Istria and Dalmatia were hit by inclement weather. It all changed overnight, when the bora came to the rescue. By the morning, it was much cooler, but the sky was as clear as clear could ever get. The sea sparkled blue to the west of the hilltown. Ever since waking up, I am overtaken by thankfulness to the savior wind. And I am not exaggerating. The longer I live in Istria, the greater is my appreciation for this northeasterly wind. The great bora! And there is no better term than thankfulness to express it. Its many synonyms say it all: admiration, affection, commendation, esteem, gratefulness, gratitude, love, recognition, regard, respect…