Manzano Historico

The Manzano Historico is 1 hour and 20 min. south of Mendoza by way of the Valle de Uco. When the pavement ends there is still a road that goes as deep into the Andes as your car, horse or feet will take you. The road starts out fine (for a gravel mountain road) but soon degrades into a bumpy jeep road that requires a 4X4 if you are wise or a small station wagon with very little horsepower if you lack common sense and you just want to keep going (that would be us).



Click on the slide show if you wish to go to our web album

We did not go too far this time however. We just stopped anytime we saw something interesting or beautiful. The was an international parapente (para-sailing) competition going on while we were there. Further up the road there was plenty of snow-melt cruising down the river and wildflowers among the cacti.

Hail!

About 10 days ago we saw the biggest pieces of hail in our lives! These things were huge. In a neighboring area they got as big as golf balls and smashed 100s of windshields. The kids were in the pool when it hit. We found out they can move really fast when they want too!

Aconcagua

Here are some photos from our recent daytrip to Aconcagua National Park. The mountain doesn't look like it but it is the highest peak outside of the Himalayas! We didn't climb it but it was incredible to see it and all the surrounding mountains. Aconcagua is 22,840 ft above sea level. We were only slightly above 10,000 feet above sea level in these pictures.

We have a few new pictures to share with you. The one below is from Halloween. Halloween is not as widely celebrated in Argentina, but there are a few places if you know where to look.

Product Naming

Alright, we have run across some interestingly named products here in Argentina. Don't get me wrong we love it here. But when products get marketed with English names in this country sometimes things can go terribly wrong. This last one was so good we had to take a picture for all of you! Barfy is made of frozen meatballs of meat and soy gluten...yum yum good. They are in our freezer now waiting for us to work up the courage to have these Barfy meatballs for dinner.

Day hike with the Principals! These are the foothills behind Cacheuta.

Getting ready for a Halloween Fiesta.

Hiking Vallecitos

A Great Vist with some Great Friends...

In the last couple of weeks Mendoza has been showing it's best side with a burst of Spring! The weather is beautiful, the flowers are blooming, the trees are leafing out and we had a fast, fun visit from Kara and Laura!

We started in Buenos Aires where we all flew in on the same morning. We headed to an apartment that we have rented before, dropped our bags and took off running. We would stop long enough to snack and drink fabulous Malbecs before taking off to see another part of the city. Three girls and lots of endurance can see many sights in four days....

The new experiences kept coming with the return trip to Mendoza on the CocheCama (bus with seats that convert to beds), where they served us wine and meals, showed us movies, and let us sleep through the night while we travelled across the country.

Kara and Lara were able to see our life in Chacras and Mendoza and try out some of our restaurants. We hiked, we ran, we tried more Malbecs and Torrontes, we relaxed by the pool....

It came to an end much too soon....

Thanks girls. You are missed...

Karren

50th post!!!!

Yahoo! We have officially posted 50 times in the last 9 months (the anniversary was yesterday; we have lived here for 9 months!!!) I think this deserves a cheer. Go ahead, cheer.
...
I'm serious.
Ok, well, if you're not in a cheery mood, then I'll share some more news. My birthday party was a success!!! Here is a picture of me and Flor before the party:


There were 35 people, more or less, and we had a really fun time!!!
-Izzy

Valle Grande

Our Cabin for the night
The grounds and the canyons behind the cabin
Isabella in the hills
The view from the dam Embalse Valle Grande

We had a quick get-away last weekend to Valle Grande in San Rafael, Mendoza. We had warm Spring weather, and found a totally funky (good funky) place to stay. The kids enjoyed/ endured a 5 hour hike that had all the great elements: bushwacking, scrambling, cross-country without a trail and finally a horse trail to bring us back. It is gorgeous canyon country with a river and several dams/lakes. Plenty of things to do...can't wait to go back.

This weekend we have another big event which is Isabella's Birthday Bash. With a true Argentine schedule of 9 PM- 1AM we hope it is a blast for Izzi and all of her friends!

September Birthdays

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BRAVE, AMAZING CHILDREN!

DANIEL TURNS 11 ON SEPTEMBER 15TH

ISABELLA TURNS 13 ON SEPTEMBER 22ND

YOU ARE SMART, FUNNY, AND I FEEL SO LUCKY TO BE YOUR MOM!

Hey Friends!

It has been such a long time since I have contributed to the blog, that I thought I would give it another go - SO.....

As we head into the spring season here in Argentina there are so many things that we look forward to! We have now been in Argentina 8 months and still so much to see, so this weekend we take another road trip to Merlo and Cordoba to see what this region has to offer. The kids seem to have a holiday from school every other week (was it like this in the states?) so we are taking advantage of Dia Del Maestro and hitting the road.....

The day-to-day life here seemed so strange in the beginning and it is a little sad now that all of those strange things are normal now. The guinea pigs that run around wild in our back yard, the horse-drawn carts on the major roads, the amazing bread we buy out of the back of a broken-down old car at the round-a-bout..... It is so great when someone new comes to town with the fresh perspective so we can be reminded how funny or unique some of these things are. When the family of five rides by on the scooter, I try to remind myself that this is a special thing here, and when I return, I won't (hopefully) see this in the United States....

We love to laugh about the somewhat odd (to us) habits here but I have grown to appreciate them as well. The ten minute conversation we are obligated to have with the egg woman before she will hand over our purchase is no longer the strain that it used to be, our beloved Mirta (who helps us with the house chores) insisting on ironing Randy's underwear, and the restaurants never opening before 10:00pm....well - that one is a little hard still.

We are also looking forward to a visit from two of the kids' previous teachers (who are both now Principals), who will be arriving in October, heavily laden with a few luxuries we have been living without. There are so many things to be grateful for in the States. One major one - U.S. Postal service, another one - Ziplocs (Thank you Lisa, for my lifetime supply). Count your blessings.....

Hopefully this latest blog finds you happy and healthy, and possibly considering a big adventure in South America, or even better - in Argentina. Just let us know!

Besos y abrazos a todos!

Karren

Hot and Cold in Chacras

It has been a crazy week in Chacras (our little town). The temperature was in the mid 80's on Monday with the dreaded hot wind from the Andes called "El Zonda" and snow falling from the sky on Thursday. Here are a couple of pictures. One is Daniel up in Vallecitos (an old ski area) and the second is one of our fruit trees in full bloom with the snow falling all around.

Update!(Izzy)

So, I don't know how many of you know Smilé, our Rent-a-Dog, but I am just going to have to tell you all again because we finally got her to sit still for pictures.
Smilé (pronounced SMEE-lay,) was originally the pet of the neighbors two doors down. When she started hanging out at our house, she was very shy. But mom won her over with love (and steak) and she eventually became attached to us. Now she is here 23/7, spending about an hour a day at her own house. Every once and a while we run into her owners and they want her back, but then she comes back through the irrigation ditch. I guess we're stuck with her. Here are some pictures:


She's a Cocker Spaniel.Oh, so cute. We love her. I just hope her owners don't mind...

I love you all,
Izzy

Our house! (Izzy)

Hello, all! I have missed you guys a lot!!! How are things? Daniel and I both have birthday parties coming up! Daniel is planing on going to a fun place called Espanta Pajaros with his friends, and I am going to have a dance party with mine! My friend Macarena and I are both having the party together in my house and we are going to try to take lots of pictures. We are renting a mirror ball and everything! I hope it goes well. And that nobody brings confetti (it can get a bit hard to clean out of the grass...)

Also, I cut my hair again! Well, Mom did, but I decided on the style. If you've seen Bridge to Tarabithia, it's like the girl's hair, only not blonde. Here is a picture:









Well, I have to go, but I promise I'll blog again soon, because we finally have internet again (it goes on and off...)
-Izzy

Road Trip-

Well, it has been a couple of weeks since our last post and we were traveling like crazy. After our friends the Crenshaws left we still had some vacation before the kids returned to school. We decided to take a road trip throughout northern Argentina. We drove over 3,000 kilometers in 8 days! Along the way we saw desert canyons, jungle mountains, colonial architecture, lots of llamas, more indigenous culture and salt flats that went almost as far as the eye can see. And though at times we may have been pushed to the edge of killing each other (i.e. while driving on a bumpy gravel road at 12,000 feet of elevation)...we survived! Our favorite city was Salta (could live there in a minute) and I think our favorite vista was along the Quebrada de las Conchas. Favorite sign was the "watch out for loose llamas" sign. Here is a link to see a few of the pictures we took along the way!

Click on this picture to see the web album:

Road Trip- Salta and Beyond

From Road Trip- Sa...

All the kids seated together.

Jake and Sina

Paul and Lisa

Here are some pictures of our great guests the Crenshaws and a photo of the kids together. Thank for you all the peanut butter, the Advil and the adventures. We would also like to thank Paul and Lisa for helping us try out so many great Argentine wines in such a short amount of time. We will continue sampling to honor your visit.

Here is a quick video of just one part of Iguazu Falls!

Has it really been a month since we put our last blog entry in? Unbelievable! So much as been happening here that has distracted us! We just finished up hosting our first visitors from the States, The Crenshaw Family, who just left after two very full weeks of sightseeing. We started right away with their first Argentine style "Asado" accompanied by lots of Argentine wine. After everyone was caught up on much needed sleep, we set off horseback riding along (and through) the Rio Mendoza, through Malbec vineyards, and olive orchards with our guide Cesar. We did some wine tasting, took a (luxurious) overnight bus to Buenos Aires (where they even serve you wine and the seats fold flat into beds), enjoyed the key sights of the city, headed into Uruguay for a full day of food and sights, and back to Argentina so we could catch our flight to Iquazu Falls....

Iquazu Falls deserves a paragraph of it's own! This tropical forest area is a true paradise in the Winter. The falls are a spectacular display and it is very hard to capture the magnitude of it in photos but we will try. Even when away from the falls on the trails you can still enjoy Toucans flying overhead, Cuatis (kind of like a racoon) underfoot , and zillions of tropical plants and vines all around. We had two very full days in the park, and both families experienced the boat ride that takes you right under two different sections of the falls! Wet, but worth it! Puerto Iquazu, the town, is also home to the Tres Fronteras, where you can stand in Argentina, and look out over to the banks of Brazil, and Paraguay, just across where two rivers intersect. Check it out on a map sometime.....

Flying back to Mendoza was easy and after a little more sightseeing (and a crazy day of skiing in the Andes for Paul and Jake), our visiting time with the Crenshaws came to a close. A big thank you to them for making the effort to get to us, bringing us a duffle bag of ziplocs (I think I am set for a year), and for being such great and flexible travelers!

We look forward to our next visitors from the States....

The Feldhaus Family

Didja miss me? (Izzy)

Well, what do you know, I'm back! And no, I didn't forget about you, I just forgot about the blog, there's a difference. I'm sorry, I know, I'm a terrible blogger, I am ashamed.
But I have news!!!!
Those of you who remember the day that I proclaimed I was starting field hockey will be quite happy to know that I bought a stick and ball, they are lovely and awesome. I am getting a lot better at this sport that has now become my new favorite and I hope to amaze you with my sweet skills when I return.
I have been e-mailing a lot of people about parties, and there have been some suspicions. Allow me to clear them up:
1. No, they are not on school nights.
2. Yes, there is usually, like, 50 kids there (OMG!!! I know, I know, It's a lot, but you have to invite both classes or else someone gets jealous.)
3. Yes, they go from 9 pm-1 am, but everyone is usually gone by two ( in the morning.)
4. No, there is not more than one a weekend!
5. No, I don't know if I'm going to do one for my birthday!
I love my school and my friends are doing fine, I recently got a 9 (90%) on a biology oral exam, and I got an over-all 9 in geografia (geography). We just finished the first trimester and I didn't get any over-all grades less than a 7 (which is a C, more or less.) (!!!) Daniel is doing great and rocking in math. I still have to do any and all homework in Spanish, so the Spanish-English diccionary is always near. I think we will have at least 9s and 10s at the end of he year.
We have visitors coming in June, December, some other month and some other month. I am so happy that people are visiting! I am super-excited to see people that I haven't seen in 6 months.
BIG NEWS!!!! On June 10th, Daniel and I will have been vegetarians for a whole year. And to think people were saying I couldn't last a week. Ha! In your faces, people (but I say this lovingly.)
Well, It seems to me that I have used up both all of the colors of the rainbow and the news, so I will have to say a painful goodbye.
(Sob.)
au revoir and adios.
...and adeus and до свидания.
In other words (English, not French or Spanish or Portuguese or Russian,)
Bye- bye!!
-Izzy

Getting Hot Where U Are?

Winter has begun in Argentina. As we hear from our friends in Modesto of the temperature breaking 100 we are heading the opposite direction. We had our first snow the other day and now have settled into 20's at night but still up to 40's and 50's by mid-afternoon. It has brought us closer as we all huddle on the couch at night to stay warm and watch anything that is in English on the TV.

Every week all of us speak Spanish a little better. Karren and I have been especially proud of how much Spanish the kids have learned in the time we have been here.

Walking in Chacras

We are heading into Autumn here in Argentina. Mornings are cold and crisp but the afternoons are still warm. Soon we will be into our first South American Winter. 2 of these pictures are from the backyard and the other is from 45 minutes south of us driving along the Cordon de Plata.

Hola Chile!

Playing at the beach at Vina Del Mar

Home Again.....

Hey Family and Friends! We are home again after a week of travel! While Randy and the kids went off to vacation on the beaches of Vina Del Mar in Chile, I was visiting the U.S. to retrieve our winter clothing and the very much missed road bikes! (O.K. Only I was really missing the road bike but Randy has benefited).... Let me just use this blog to say "Thank You" to Sandra for a place to crash, a car to use to gather endless things, and many yummy meals that I am, to this day, busy working off! Thank goodness I have the bike now...and the mountains to ride in. Thank you Dad-Ron, for all of your help with storage! Thanks Mom & Dad for taking such good care of the bikes! To all whom I had the pleasure of seeing on my whirlwind trip - You made it fun and exhausting and I hope my liver recovers soon.....

In Vina Del Mar, Chile, Randy and the kids enjoyed sunny days at the beach, vegetarian fare, and nice hotels without me. They have now been to seven different countries and are looking forward to their next passport stamp!

Routine, as we know it, has begun again and it is officially fall here with leaves on the ground, chilly nights and beautiful sunny days...

Horses! (Izzy)

Well, I am back again!
And with news! We went horseback riding today!
And yes, it was really really fun! I tried to speak Spanish to my horse (they were rental horses who went with us and a Gaucho, an Argentinian cowboy, up into the Andies,) and we all had a great time.
We went with some owners of a winery and their 11-year-old daughter Lauren. They are experienced horseback riders and so is Dad, so Mom, Daniel and I were the only first-time riders! We got on the horses, started walking and hoped for the best!
When we had gotten comfortable with the walking, we started making them trot a little every now and then. In the second half, my horse started trotting, got to the front and decided to start galloping! It was scary at first but fun! We all survived.
The horses were so used to going on the same path all of the time (they always went the same way,) That I hardly ever had to choose where to go. If there were two paths, they ended up meeting again in a few meters, so it didn't matter where you went! We walked through the wonderful Andies and got some beautiful views!
Until the next exciting thing,
Izzy

Parque Ischigualasto- AKA Valley of the Moon

Parque Ischigualasto is in Northern Argentina. Home of desert landscapes and lots of dinosaur fossils. We drove through hours of desert to get to this outpost of paleantology. Lots of gorgeous vistas and way too much dust! We drove back through the biggest lightning storm of our lives. A little flash flood slowed our return but eventually we plowed through the flood waters in our very not 4 wheel drive car. We made it through and all heaved a sigh of relief except Daniel who just continued to snore.

Shrine (izzy)

Hello, hello, hello!
It's Easter, so I am doing easter colors. I hope all are well, and I have the weirdest news!!!
We went to the Shrine of Difunta Corea. Difunta was a lady who's husband was drafted for a war (dunno which one,) and they had to walk through a desert, or a really dry patch at least, and they didn't have any water. She dropped dead of dehydration and her baby was with her.They found her three days later, and her baby had been kept alive by breast-feeding even though she was dead. So, they declared her a saint for her baby-keeping-aliveness.
She has the most visited shrine in the country and everyone comes to her for wishes they need granted. They built a market around it where you can buy everything from hanging chairs to candles to bread. Truck drivers have come for years and years to ask for a safe trip home, so there are these really old license plates lining the stairs up to her shrine. The people bring offerings of water bottles because she died of thirst. There are little buildings plastered in donated plaques with the peoples' names and stuff, and each building is for a separate thing, like sports or weddings or kids. Some people donated their wedding dresses because they got to get married and kids that survived diseases make little offerings.
We were watching around and taking pictures when we got out of the car, and we saw a guy crawling on his back. He was using his feet and his shoulder blades to go up the road, to the stairs, up the stairs, and to the shrine in a form of thanks. It was bizarre. There were a few people doing that. Our theory is that because she died on her back they crawl on their backs (all the paintings show her on her back.)
Well, that is all! I hope we get some more highly-appreciated comments on this one (hint-hint...)
Until next blog,
Izzy
P.s. Here are some pictures!

The plaques The back-crawler

The New School

Here is the kids' new School- San Nicolas. It is a private secular bi-lingual school. The kids have been doing a great job making new friends and getting used to learning in Spanish. Some of the kids speak a fair amount of English so they do have some help translating the assignments.

Casa Familia Feldhaus

Here is the new pad! Plenty of room to roam.

Almost Settled

Well friends and family, it has happened....We have settled into a routine (somewhat) and have our internet connection, our cable, and our phone working all at the same time! We are making friends and meeting people in Chacras, and we are trying very hard to eat dinner after 8pm (which is not easy for us, but we want to fit in). Isabella and Daniel have school most days until 5:30 pm, so the later dinner time is somewhat necessary.

Everyday we are amazed that we have managed to pull off this adventure to this point. The stresses that we left behind in the states are sometimes replaced by new ones (such as driving, as the rules of the road are often still a mystery to us) but we continue on, still believing it is all worth it. Living within walking distance from several wineries makes life here a little more special, as well.

In a few weeks, we head into Chile, to renew passports and give the kids a chance to see a little bit of another South American country. We will keep you posted!

Randy celebrates a birthday on the 14th of this month, so wish him well if you get the chance!

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

Hey to all! I made a smilebox about my new friends and I hope it loads onto your computer (it may take a second.) It took me a while and I hope you like it!

Starting Over in Chacras De Coria

Hola friends and family in Los Estados Unidos! We have had a rough time trying to get set up with internet and various other services but we DO have a Wi-Fi cafe right acoss the street from the school...

We do have a house now, the kids have started school and sports, we are making friends, and getting to know the area pretty well....

We are hoping you will find time to make comments on our blog or check in with email....We still miss all of you very much and want to know how things are going for all of you...

Ciao for now, K

Hola.......(Izzy)

Hola, mi amigos!

I am back yet again, with news! Daniel is starting... (drum roll, please...)

RUGBY!!!

Yay, Daniel! As he has already told some of you, it is a great opportunity for learning the language, and getting friends, and all that jazz. I think that it will be fun for him.
How is life in the glamorous California (and all the other places you might be reading this from?)? We miss your lovely comments on our lovely blog..
For those in school, how is school? For those at work, how is work? My school is going great, but i am very glad that it is finally the weekend. I was getting tired from going to new friends´ houses all week. They are all so nice, but I need a break!
Here are their names:
Elena
Bianca
Valentina (spanish for valentine)
Maria
Clara
Clara (again)
Macarena (yes, like the dance,)
Hannah
Ana
And then all the rest that I can´t quite remember (sad, I know.)
Until the next time we find this internet place again,
Izzy

We´re back! (izzy)

Wow, it´s been a while!
Hey there, and i have the best news ever!!!!!!
1. We have a house!!!!!!
2. I started school and have lots of friends.
3. Daniel is starting school on monday.
4. We are having a great time but miss everybody!!!
We are doing great, and I hope all of you are! Our address is:
The Feldhaus Family
Pedro Diaz 3404
Chacras do Coria, Mendoza CP 5505
Argentina
South America
I hope that the letters make it through.
Love to all,
Izzy

On to Mendoza!(Izzy)

Hey people!
We are here in Mendoza! For the moment we are renting an apartment and searching very hard for a place to live. Tomorrow we are going to see a house that is a possibility. Because we are staying for a reasonably short time, we have decided to rent instead of buy a house. The only large purchase we have made is the car. It is too hard and long a process to sell these things, so renting makes more sense.
I will update you on our progress as we search!
-Izzy

New car issues (izzy)

Hello, hello, hello!
If you don't know already, we have bought a car and all the necessary emergency stuff, like a little fire extinguisher and an emergency triangle. It has manually locking doors and you have to turn a handle to open the windows, plus it's a stick-shift, but nonetheless it runs and the air conditioning works (yay!!!!)
We left it sitting on the opposite side of the street (locked) with all the other cars, it blended in, it was a neutral color, etc. How do you think we felt when we woke up only to discover that someone had smashed the lock and stolen a tire? Of course, everyone said, "Well, no wonder it got broken into. You left it out." Yeah, and so did at least ten other people on the block!
It's fixed, we bought a storage thingy for the top to hold some larger luggage (the car turned out to be a little smaller than we thought. Everything is set.
And then we figure out that all the luggage doesn't fit. Yahoo. So we rearrange the bags, scoot everyone a little closer to each other (not so fun) and eliminate a suitcase. Woo, time to go! Nope, it's too late in the day, we have to wait until tomorrow. That is going to turn out a little harder, because we just packed the car.
Deep breath.
It will all work out in the end, but I am really hoping that this is the last thing that goes wrong. Maybe this little car is cursed. Well, too bad, we already bought it. We have to live with what we've got.
Grr.
Ah, well. At least we have a car.
Moving tomorrow, and I don't know that next time I will get to blog, so bye-bye to everyone until the next time!
Love,
Izzy

Best Museum EVER!!! (Daniel)

yesterday, we went to the museum of natural science. i, daniel, have never been to one before and have only been to some art museums which can get REALLY boring after a while. also, i've never seen a fully assembled giganto dino before. it was REALLY COOOOOOOL! here are some pictures.

spanish class

Hi, it's Daniel, posting for the first time. Our spanish class that Izzy and i got in Bs As was taught by a person named Laura. It was dificult, but we learned lots, i filling at least 10 pages of my large notebook, Izzy filling about 20 in her small one. We learned lots of Argentinian games such as Ta Te Ti which is a lot like Tic Tac To. The hardest part about learning spanish is the way that you pronounce the words. Not rolling the rs in a lot of words is very difficult, ending in you trying to say the word multiple times until finally getting it right. The funnest parts of the classes are the tongue twisters that Laura gives us, because we don't feel bad when we goof up, knowing that even people that speak perfect spanish have trouble with them.
posted by Daniel.

Storms! (Izzy)

Hey there!
Well, we are evidently in the rainy season. The storms that go through here are amazing, complete with sheets of lightning and rolling thunder. Plus the occasional flood. We fall asleep to pounding rain and wake up to clear skies and clean air. It doesn't help the dog poop on the streets, however; it simply softens it. Yes, eww. The tile paving the sidewalks gets slippery and dangerous, and the streets become raging rivers. It is quite exciting. And it is very beautiful if slightly scary. Miss everyone and their cold weather (okay, maybe not the cold weather.)
-Izzy

With Regards To The MALL

The largest mall in S.A. also has an amusement park! It is quite the teen and preteen's delight. While there, we saw Enchanted IN SPANISH!

The challenge of this week is to buy a car....

The largest mall in South America! (izzy)

Hello friends!
We just went to the LARGEST MALL IN SOUTH AMERICA. Awesome, yeah? It had a full-sized 14-movie movie theater, and it was three gigantic stories high. So cool.

It has been a while!( Izzy)

Hey people!
I am so sorry that I have not been blogging! We were in Uruguay for the last few days and it was beautiful! We went to this awesome Four-Seasons resort because our friends were staying there, and it was amazingly luxurious. We stayed in a two-story apartment-like room that had a separate room for the shower! It was also right on the river (second largest in the WORLD) so you could go to the perfectly white sandy beach. The river looks like it has sludge on it for the first few yards, but it is actually rock that you can walk on. Very cool.
We also went to a cute little riverside town called Colonia. It Was also on the beach. It is so perfect and small and quiet and cute! I loved it so much. It looks like it's on the Atlantic beach but the river is just really big. We went to the beach and you can walk out amazingly far and just be up to your thighs. A guy was so far out that you could hardly see him and he was still walking. A-mazing!!! We collected sea glass and put it in a blue-green water bottle with the label torn off and it looks wonderfully pretty.
We are learning Spanish fast and I am starting to figure out what the heck everyone is saying. Miss the lot of you,
Izzy

Vamos a Uruguay

A simple matter of transportation...get up at the crack of dawn, walk until you find a taxi, take taxi to train, take train an hour to boat, take boat 2.5 hours across the Rio De La Plata to the Uruguayan border town of Carmelo. Negotiate with next taxi driver and then arrive after a few more kilometers at the 4 Seasons Resort Carmelo. All the travel grit instantly vanishes as we are greated at the massive front entrance...hello Feldhausfamily.

It was a Modesto Summit in Uruguay honoring the birthday of Ted Rosen. Even though it was a vacation around Ted's birthday we felt totally spoiled and lucky to be there. Joining Ted and Teri were also Jeff and Lorie Hogan and Don and Julie Storer. The white wine was chilled and brought pool side and it was great kicking back with good company in some serious luxury. The dinner at a local restaurant/ winery call La Narbona was incredible.

Needless to say Isabella and Daniel adjusted instantly to the gorgeous room with TV, the huge pool, the beach along the river and room service.