Coming home! (Izzy)

Why, hello!

Lots of people have been asking about when we're planning on coming home. So I've decided to tell you!

We're getting on a plane at about 7 pm on Friday, May 29th. We'll travel all night and most of Saturday until we finally land somewhere in California. Then we'll drive to Modesto! 

I'll keep you posted on the places we'll stay and for how long, but for now, this is about as much as I know.

Ciao for now!

-Izzy

P.S. The blog has a new look! 

:)

Guess what our latest adventure was? (Izzy)

Dun-duh-duh-duh...

WE USED THE BIDET!!!

We, meaning Natalie and Izzy! Yaaaaaay!

I've been here for a year and a half, and I had never used the bidet for fear of... well, I'm not exactly sure. But then Natalie came to town, and used it after 4 days, so I guess she's the more adventurous of the two. 

Needless to say, she soon got me to join the Bidet Club, also known as the Soggy Bottom Kids. So now you know what we do in our free time.

Love to California!

-Izzy

P.S. It's never too late to join the club...

Smilé's Puppies (daniel and izzy)

Hello again!

As you might not have known, our Rent-a-Dog Smilé was pregnant; but she isn't anymore! 6 adorable puppies were born in our front yard

under our falling-over pine tree 3 or 4 days ago. We weren't home at the time, so we're not sure

exactly when...

4 black ones with small white belly- and paw-markings, a light blonde one, and one almost exactly

the same color as Smilé! The biggest one is a black boy, and the smallest is the white-blonde one,

a girl. We have relocated them from their dirt cave under the tree to a towel, newspaper, and 

cardboard nest on our back patio. Two chairs hold up her towel roof.

So far, they haven't begun walking, but when they do, we'll have lots to deal with! For starters, our

gate has puppy-sized holes right at puppy height so we'll need to cover those. Then, our flood

irrigation ditches are big enough for them to escape easily. On top of all that, we 

have chain-link

fences they could hop through on all four sides.

We'll see how it goes!

Travels in patagonia

A not so long time ago, in a continent far far away, there lived a family who missed their friends from the States. So their friends came to them. The Cashes came December 28, to travel across the magical land of Argentina, in a place called Patagonia. 

<-- (not this).

   First they met up with their friends, the Feldhauses, and some other visitors, the Blaquieres, in the Feldhaus residence. Then, they left with the Feldhauses to a place in Patagonia called Neoquen, while the Blaquieres went home, back to Eugene, Oregon. The two families split up, one half in a magnificent not-so shiny bus, and the other in a small, unfortunate vw station wagon. Those in the car arrived first to a small hotel, booking a room with 3 beds, while 

the 

others slept 

in the overnight bus, dreaming of the journey that lay ahead. When the car riders rose from their beds, the other half arrived and ate breakfast with the 1st half, and then continued on another bus while the car riders packed and jumped right back into the car again. They traveled to Bariloche, (Ba- ree-low-chey) where they met again and rented a cabin, or cabaña near an 

extremely clear lake called Lago Moreno (more-ain-oh).

The lake was beautiful, and it was easy to see 10 feet into the water because it was so cristal clear. 

   3 days we stayed 

in that cabin, exploring the town, canoeing on the lake, hiking around, playing on the rocky beach, avoiding swimming in the freezing water, etc. Then, the Cashes left, needing to return to the United States. 

   The Feldhaus Family turned north, seeking the town of El Bolson (Bowl-sone),the home of the best ice cream store in the continent, with what seemed like a thousand flavors, all possibly dipped in chocolate and covered in nuts. That night was the first night that they pulled out the ol' camping tent, just big enough for the four of them, all comfortable in their sleeping bags and thermarests, happy and content.

    Thus began a month long travel through patagonia, passing through places like Rio Gallegos, Calafate (where we saw Glacier Perito Moreno, which is one of the only glaciers that continues to grow instead of shrink), Puerto Deseado (home to many penguins and dolphins), El Chalten (home to la montana Fitz Roy), and a lot of windy, bare, open space dotted with Rheas, Nandus.....

Reñaca, Chile

I know it has been a long time since our last blog entry. We have been busy! When our great friends the Blacquiere's came to visit we all spent a few days on the beach in Reñaca, Chile. Reñaca lies next to Viña del Mar. This area is a favorite for vacationing Chilenos and Argentinos alike. We had a great time! Here are a couple of pictures of the view from the apartment that we rented. The apartment building is up a steep hillside from the beach and so there is an escalator/ elevator (ascensor or funicular in Spanish) that brings you up the steep hill.

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!