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!

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