This admittedly esoteric title, "Giving up on the Mermaids," refers to my memory of the paintings of Surrealist artist, Paul Delvaux, in Chicago's Art Institute. His canvases invariably had mermaids in them, often depicted in Mediterranean villages like this one, sitting in front of doorways on streets winding down to the sea. Marvao is an old walled village in Portugal and all the doors were painted red. I was setting up my tripod when a villager turned the corner and of course he was wearing a red shirt. I set up in time to make one exposure before he disappeared down the cobblestone street. He clearly had "given up on the mermaids."