Week 33, Project 365

I like the symmetry of Week 33. I'm weird like that.

Project 365 keeps rolling along, and I don't know if I'm alone in this feeling, but it seems to me like TOO MANY OF MY PHOTOS ARE THE SAME. Mainly because I don't think to take photos except on our walks... once in a blue moon when we're actually doing something, and very seldom when we're together with people. I'm too busy concentrating on Spanish to have time to think about taking pictures. *sigh*

Last Sunday night as we were waiting outside Centro Esperanza and talking, I thought it would be fun to take a few shots of the traffic along the costanera. On weekends it is a very busy street! During the week there are almost no cars on this road, but that all changes when Friday rolls around. Then they come out in droves. One of Ivan's projects this week was building a small podium to use at Centro Esperanza. I asked him to take a few photos before he took it over so I could share one with you. As always he did a fine job. We like wood! All kinds of wood. I'm very thankful for a husband who has the know how (and the tools) to build some of the furniture we need. He found a place this week that sells a variety of very interesting wood, much of it from the northeast part of the country (Misiones). He took a picture of some samples lining one wall. Isn't that stuff gorgeous?! On windy days (and we've had a few this week) activity on the lake picks up. Sailboats, sailboards, kayaks... Here's one guy getting his sail up... ...UP... ...and UP! I cannot believe how things are starting to green up already. Flowers are popping up on bushes... ...and in trees... What cracks me up is that this is sort of like the equivalent of February in the U.S. We sure didn't have flowers like this in Michigan in February!

Ivan decided to hire professionals to trim and spray the peach tree this year. We've never had one and weren't sure exactly how to go about doing it ourselves. Especially since it's not really our tree, and the landlady might not appreciate our amateur efforts if they were to cause harm to the tree. Anyway, here are the two guys who showed up to do it. Again, didn't think to take a photo while they were doing it...only after they were done. Just thinking about nice big luscious juicy fresh-from-the-tree peaches in January makes my my water. And this year they should not be so bug infested.

The men put up the new signs at Centro Esperanza yesterday. This young man was here for three weeks on a short-term missions trip; he knew our co-workers from their days in Chicago. He worked hard, right up until it was time to go catch his plane after this final task. We're trying to talk him into coming back -- we'd love to have some young'uns on the team! Centro Esperanza can be seen from the costanera, so we not only put a sign out front but also on the side of the building. All the traffic you saw in the first photo will see this whenever they drive by now. So anyone have ideas for getting out of my photo rut? Maybe it would help to see what others are taking pictures of...let's go check out everyone who linked up to Sara's!

Week 31, Project 365 - Part 1

We had so many photos and video clips from the Festival de Destreza Gaucha last Sunday that I decided to devote a whole Project 365 post just to it. Hence we have Week 31, Part 1 (I don't think Sara, our Project 365 hostess, will mind).

This festival was similar to a western rodeo, with gauchos (cowboys) competing in barrel racing, bronco busting and other traditional events. Plus one I'd never seen before.

At the beginning of the festival there was a parade of all the gauchos on their horses, some carrying banners and flags. Even the gauchos-in-training were on hand. Although the traditional gaucho wears a rimmed hat, these berets are also perfectly acceptable and quite popular. The barrel racing was quite intense and you could almost sense the crowd holding their breath until the horses finished the course. The funniest event of the day was Musical Chairs with horses. I knew you wouldn't believe me unless I included a video clip :-)

Time for a little bronco busting! Here's a shot of a few men getting ready. Off came the traditional boots with heels, and on went multiple layers of socks and finally a "sock" of leather that was securely lashed down with what looked like leather cords. Also double layers of pants and either a long piece of fabric wrapped tightly around the rib cage under their shirt or an apparatus that looked like a medical sling used after rotator cuff surgery. Plus special gloves that I'm guessing helped them hang onto the reins tightly. Obviously a lot of thought and care goes into choosing appropriate attire for this event. Here you see why.

A little scary! I was very glad there were two fences between :-) I don't think that rider received a very high grade, do you? But the next one sure did! And did you notice how carefully each gaucho gets ready, hands and feet just so, all the equipment on the horse just so. [Note: if a rider manages to stay on for 10 seconds, other gauchos move in and remove the bronco buster before he gets tossed.]

We enjoyed front row seats at the fence in chairs we'd taken along and, of course, passed around the mate (traditional Argentine hot tea). "Here, would you like some?" "Of course! Thank you." At lunch time there was a break so folks could grab a bite, maybe do a little folk dancing to the live band on a nearby stage, or just sit around and talk like we did. It was a fabulous day! The weather was perfect and the entertainment most enjoyable.

Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to come back later for Part 2 with "regular" photos from the week.

Week 29, Project 365

I am feeling pretty tired today so I'll be keeping this week's Project 365 post short (yes, I really CAN make it short).

I posted about this photo already but I'm including it again... because it is the one and only Monday photo! Besides, I'm pretty sure I have some traffic on Sundays I don't get the rest of the week. Anyway, for those who haven't seen it yet, those aren't clouds, that's smoke. We've had a problem with wild fires in the area because it's been so dry. Has made breathing a bit of a challenge at times. I've mentioned my husband's new friend who has designed and built a few planes over the years. This week Ivan had the opportunity to help him work on the current project. When Ivan and Abraham went to install a new gas line at Sta. Rosa, they took time to make an asado. After all, a man's gotta eat! The next few photos feature the baby quilts I finished this week. All the photos were taken on the same day but, believe me, they filled several of my days this week! I was working until late at night for three days running but I FINISHED 'EM! Here's the front of the quilts... ...and here's the backs. I backed the "envelope" quilt with fleece in a fun teddy bear print and the other in pink flannel with gold stars with a pieced panel featuring appliqued flowers. I just felt it needed a little extra pizzazz. Close-up of the envelope quilt so you can see how easy it is to slide small items into the envelopes. Close-up of the appliqued flower panel. Our co-workers had a garage sale this weekend. I think we were their first customers :-) I picked up a few things, including this big bag of buttons. I have a thing for buttons; you have no idea how happy these make me :-) After having a couple of weeks "off", I have a feeling it's going to be hard to buckle down and get back to work (i.e., Spanish). *sigh* But I sure have enjoyed it and feel pretty good about how much we were able to get done too.

Hope y'all have a great week and Sara, hope you start feeling better!

Week 27, Project 365

I have a lot of photos for Project 365 this week so I'll keep my commentary to a minimum.

I've already written about our adventure last weekend and included some photos with that post, but here are a few more from our trip to Villa de Las Rosas. Upon arrival at the B&B we were impressed with the spacious casas, not small cabañas that we had expected. Seriously, this place was almost as big as our house here in Carlos Paz. This is taken from just inside the front door and doesn't really show it all, just the dining area and kitchen. It's a HUGE room. Each house also has two large bedrooms and a really big bath. They did not skimp on space! Our bedroom had a king size bed although a double bed would have sufficed. We were so cold even with every.single.blanket we could find that we huddled as close as possible all night! Y'all know I'm a fan of the dessert and who could resist?! I didn't see this table until we'd finished breakfast the next morning so I was already full but I indulged in one bite of my hubby's piece of chocolate cake. Absolutely decadent! Before heading home we drove around a few of the little towns in the area. San Javier had the cutest little shopping plaza. It was a really old sprawling house they'd converted into tiny shops. Get a look at that old roof. And behind the plaza was this view. Breathtaking! Since we had to wait for the pass over the mountain to re-open after an accident, we went into the town of Mina Clavero. Last Sunday was the mid-term elections here and just about every store in town was closed. We're guessing it's usually a pretty busy place on weekends, but it was like a ghost town that day. Here are a couple of photos as we traveled back over the mountain. It was VERY windy and pretty barren on top.
My fondness for home improvement stores is no secret. Thought y'all might like to see the Argentine equivalent to Lowe's or Home Depot. Just like them, Easy has a garden center too. In my quest for Most Elaborate Fence Ever, I'm always on the lookout for beauties like this one. Love those curves! Our seasons are opposite. It is the dead of winter here. Somebody maybe should tell the flowers that. I thought the porch looked mighty inviting, too :-)

This coming week we'll be in Sta. Rosa to finish the bathroom. I'll have limited internet access as always. But we'll be home by next Sunday so I'll see you here then, if not sooner.

Espero que tengas una buena semana! (I hope that you have a great week!)

Week 26, Project 365

Woohoo! We're halfway there! How exciting is that :-)

It sure doesn't seem possible that half the year is already gone. It's doubly weird because I'm still adjusting to having the seasons be opposite of what I'm used to and my mind hasn't quite wrapped itself around the idea that it's June and WINTER. I feel sorta stuck in a time warp.

Especially when I look at photos others are posting on Project 365 and y'all are in shorts and swimsuits (well, the kids are anyway) and obviously sweltering in the heat.

Last weekend I missed posting photos for Project 365 because we were in Sta. Rosa and the internet was completely uncooperative. We were there so Ivan could install the bathroom floor. As you may remember, he'd torn it all up in the process of replacing the pipes the week before. Before he could put the tile down though, he had to grind, grind, grind the cement slab until it was smooth and level, apply a thin coat of cement-like stuff (that's the scientific term) and then FINALLY lay the tiles. Using glue that didn't come with directions. It was a long and sometimes frustrating day for him. Here he is during the grinding process. The photo isn't fuzzy, that's the cement dust creating a haze. Let me tell you that was fun to clean off every.single.surface in the house the next day. NOT! My husband is a man of many talents. He's also growing a winter garden which is a source of great enjoyment as we watch green things grow. I feel like I should paste a warning in the corner of this photo: "Objects may be closer than they appear." This is CLOSE-UP people, these lettuce plants are only about 2-3" tall. Monday was our monthly marathon shopping day in Cordoba. While we were downtown checking on our D.N.I.s, I noticed this pharmacy (or farmacia) that just tickled my fancy. We went here to check out baseboard options to finish off the bathroom in Sta. Rosa. I could spend hours in this place! Because it's full of great little stores selling every kind of construction material you can imagine. A mall of home improvement -- whoever thought this up was a genius! Ivan snapped this photo along the costanera. Wild parrots are actually rather pesky birds and leave a mess everywhere they go. But they sure are a pretty green. We skyped with both kids when they got together for dinner one night. I was trying to take a photo of the screen with my camera when my son explained I could just take a screen shot with the computer. Duh! I've only had this computer a year and a half. Can there be anyone more technically challenged than me? Anyway, here's the candid shot I took while he was still explaining the finer points. LOL On the left are photos he'd sent of his new haircut and which I'd opened in another window. Or something. I'm not really sure how they're up there along with the video shot of the kids. I'm sure he could explain it to you though. Did you know that fresh mozzarella is almost impossible to shred? We found it's easier to just slice thinly with a cheese slicer. Ivan has gotten to know a man who has designed and built several planes over the years, and Friday I met him and his wife. She's an artist so we took this photo of her with one of her sculptures that's currently in front of their house. Would you believe she actually created it in her living room?! It was a commissioned piece for a plaza in our city but the new mayor reneged on the deal. Meanwhile she provides a little extra pizazz to the neighborhood. Magdalena was telling us she's seen complete strangers stop and take pictures with it. Reminds me of the time we stopped at Wall Drugs in the middle of South Dakota and proceeded to take our photos with everything from a dinosaur to a cowboy sitting on a bench. Does everyone have this odd human compulsion to take photos with any inanimate object as big as (or bigger than) us?

So what's the weirdest thing you've ever had your photo taken with?

Week 23, Project 365

Right up front, I apologize for my lack of interesting photos this week. A bad head cold kept me cooped up for five days with only minimal forays into the back yard to hang up laundry. Life within these walls has been a tad bit boring, but I'm so happy to say I'm on the mend -- I can BREATHE this morning through my nose. Mostly. Sort of. Okay, minimally, but it IS an improvement.

But boring or not, these photos pretty much represent my life this week. This has been my location for the past 134 hours...but who's counting? I have been very grateful for the two heaters we have in the house (remember, no central heat). This is the one in the kitchen, a ventless gas log heater. It fits perfectly in the little corner. I didn't take a photo of it, but the hubby installed a small fan on the wall higher up to blow the warm air into the living room. Otherwise it has a tendency to stay in the kitchen and rise up the vaulted ceiling. I made a great discovery at Walmart a while back and forgot to share my lovely find with you. We always used flavored creamers in our coffee in the U.S. and there's nothing like that here. I miss my Hazelnut flavoring! But was excited to find (on the rack of international foods, of course) this bottle of amaretto coffee flavoring. I've been enjoying it occasionally...like dessert in a cup. Yum! You know things are desperate when I start taking photos of potatoes! But isn't this an interesting shaped spud? Despite its odd shape, it made splendiferous oven fries! I never showed you the one shopping bag I finished during our weekend in Sta. Rosa. Well, here it is all packed with things for my art class. (LOL -- Just realized I managed to get my stacks of Fine Homebuilding in Project 365 without even trying! That's what's in the background.) Final measurements are 14" high, 12" across and 7" deep. You can fit a LOT into this bag! Yesterday I started working on another bag, same pattern, and have the outside sewn but not the lining yet. I used leftover fabric bits of various lengths and widths to create a scrappy look to the front and back, and some funky paisley (that coordinates well with the colors) for the sides and bottom. I'm going to line it with the same dark green flannel as the handles. These go together quite fast and will make great shopping (or craft) bags.

FINALLY managed to load the 2-1/2 minute video of the school kids folk dancing. Here it is for your viewing enjoyment ☺


Hopefully this week will be back to normal and I'll have more opportunities to take interesting shots ☺ Meanwhile you can enjoy lots of great photos from the others participating in Project 365. Hop on over to Sara's and check them out!

Thanks for indulging me my "mama bragging rights" yesterday. I don't fall into the "mommy blogger" category but I am a mom! I wish there had been blogging when they were little because it would have been great to record all those cute things they used to say and do. Like how our son always called helicopters "holly hoppers". Or when our daughter was two and, after falling asleep while running errands, informed us quite seriously that she had "used up" all her sleep in the car and therefore could not take a nap.

At 27 and 22, I'm not sure they say cute things any more but even if they do, we're not around to hear them. Sometimes I miss my kids a whole, big bunch and it helps to talk about 'em.