Getting Out of Dodge!

I'm finishing up a myriad of minute issues, readying myself for departure tomorrow morning from Sacramento to Guatemala City.  I'll be back in Antigua tomorrow night, where Lacy and Eleanor are waiting for my return.  This has been a most productive five weeks in California.

I have:

• Put my Roseville house on the market to be sold - and it's supposed to be a good sellers' market
• Sold my Smart Car to my son's family- Jeff will use it as a commute car
• Put both the Toyota Dolphin and the Fleetwood Flair on the market to be sold by my nephew and grand nephew - I'm going to miss them both, but now is not the time to have them sitting
• Had two estate / garage sales - Profits of over $4000!!! Lots of help from Sharan
• Sold multiple belongings on Craigslist
• furniture
• refrigerator
• freezer
• washer and dryer
• Oriental carpet
• enough yarn, knitting needles, crochet hooks, knitting books, and equipment and supplies to open a yarn shop!
• hundreds of cook- and other books
• dinnerware
• silverware
• cooking implements and supplies
• pots, pans, bake ware
• microwave
• All Clad slow cooker
• counter top oven
• dishes - China and everyday
• more
• more
• more

I invited a relatively new Canadian friend, Sharan, who lives in Guatemala, to come up to California to help me with, upon arrival October 1st, what seemed like an overwhelming and impossible job to complete in the two weeks Sharan was to be here.  Well, folks, she's a human dynamo!  I can't say how much I appreciated her help and unrelenting encouragement.  I could not have done it without her.  And, my daughter-in-law, Alice, continues to be so gracious with her time and effort.  She'll arrive later this afternoon and will drive me to the airport early tomorrow morning.  Kari, David, Jeff, Alice, and even world-traveling son, Spencer, have all been so supportive.  Thank you all!

I haven't been able to spend the time I would have liked visiting with many relatives and friends.  I'm especially sad that I didn't see my brother, Jim; but, it just wasn't in the cards that I could drive down to Santa Cruz to see him; and, he wasn't able to come up here.  It's one long drive through the San Francisco Bay Area and then also through the San Jose area - both difficult to navigate through commute traffic spots.  Jim and I try to stay in touch through email; so we'll continue that when I return to Antigua.

I've just emailed my Orthopedic Surgeon here in Sacramento to start arranging my second total knee surgery, hopefully for January 2016.  This knee is not as severely damaged by arthritis as my right knee was last year; but, it is ready for the replacement and I'm so looking forward to being pain every day.  Fortunately, this knee only hurts severely when I walk!  But, I like to walk a lot, which has been impossible for almost a year.

Kari and David's home in El Dorado Hills

L to R:  Samantha and Malia, son Jeff's twins - almost 16

I'm going to be very busy as soon as I get to Antigua.  I've been asked to write a syllabus for an English teaching program, then develop a teaching plan, and 'hire' volunteer teachers for a foundation I volunteer for CasaSito, Antigua, Guatemala.  I also have four English students, each of whom I tutor four hours each week .  One is 18, two are 19, and one is 20 .  They're all excited to learn and very conscientious about homework, etc.  I can't wait to see them all again.  I've also collected all kinds of arts and crafts supplies to share with a group I belong to called Los Amigos del Arte; we get together for about 4-5 hours each week and do crafts projects that we then sell to raise money for CasaSito.

Check out the website for CasaSito - a scholarship program for underprivileged Guatemalan kids from primary school through university - ages about 8 - 25.  It's a wonderful organization and I'm happy to be a part of it.

I'll also be involved with my Guatemalan family:  Carlos (my current Spanish teacher), his wife Nancy, daughter Shirley (my Guatemalan granddaughter), and daughter Heisell and her husband and baby.  I have some gifts for them that I know they'll appreciate; it's rewarding to be able to help them out; they are wonderful people, as are most of the Guatemalans I know.

Heisell and Fernando on wedding day
Spring 2015

L to R:  Fernando, Nancy, Heisell, Carlos, Shirley
Wedding Day Spring 2015

Of course it will be wonderful to see Cousin Linda - remember, we met in Antigua almost four years ago and found out we're actually related - her grandfather and my grandmother were cousins in Plattsburgh, New York.  Small world - Linda was born in Rhode Island and has lived most of her life in Chicago.  I'm essentially a west coast girl - and we met in Antigua!!!

Cousin Linda Champagne with baby
Danna Sofia Fernanda Lopez 1 week old

Going to miss Quinn, with whom I shared
a great grandmother / granddaughter lunch
last Saturday.  She's doing so well after her
sad cancellation of her wedding last month.
I so love this young lady!

Rear: old photo of Addison, Quinn, Avery
Front:  Holland, Spencer, Tate
They're all so grown up.

M-P's Antigua casita - my own slice of paradise.

More of Linda's Home . . .

Sorry for the interrupted presentation of these beautiful photos.  If anyone has tips on posting series of photos, please let me know.  When I try to maneuver them, they jump to the beginning of the post and don't stay where I put them!

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I didn't bring a camera with me on this four month adventure; all photos are taken using my iPhone!

Another yard garden off the living room and
dining room.  See the wall that encloses the entire house
and yard

Not huge, but oh-so-workable kitchen with modern interspersed with
traditional Mayan decor

This was taken at 2 in the afternoon - love it!

View of front doors from courtyard

Linda's bedroom with a commissioned oil painting by
Lauro Salas, a Guatemalan artist

Walkway from entry to all rooms of the house

Linda's office and sometimes 2nd guest bedroom

Door from walkway into kitchen

Official guest bedroom - mine while I'm here!

I'm Back!!!

Monday, February 1, 2015

Long overdue in posting, I'll try to connect the dots of my traveling adventure of a life for the past few months.  For now, here's the story of my day Sunday.  Then, I'll make an effort to at lest make some sense of my adventures.

For now, I'll say that I left California in mid-November for Cozumel, Fort Lauderdale, Celebrity cruise ship Infinity, points in between, and Valparaíso, Chile, and Antigua, Guatemala.

Valparaíso, Chile to Antigua, Guatemala

Up before the crack of dawn yesterday, I was leaving the beautiful city of Valparaíso, Chile; truth be told it was 3:50 am to be exact, which is called the “madrugada” in Spanish.  I’d bought a bus ticket for the trip directly to the airport in Santiago; the only direct bus each day leaves the bus terminal in Valparaíso at 5:20 am!  My flight wasn’t until 12:20 pm but it was worth the effort not to have to go into Santiago and then hire a taxi, or whatever, to get to the airport on time for departure.  I arrived at the beautifully modern airport at about 7 hoping that the Copa Airlines check in would be open.  No such luck!  So, I schlepped my two bags around while I had breakfast and sat in the main airport waiting area.  Copa Airlines opened at about 9, and even though I’d been there so early, there was an instantaneously-formed long line for the ticket-check-in counter.  This is the time when I’m always happy I arrived with time to spare; that part of the day lasted over an hour!

From there I was happily unencumbered and walked through the many duty-free and airport concession stores.  I’d been reading a novel (in Spanish) at Santiago’s, but left it there unfinished, so I bought a novel to continue what I’ve found to be an immeasurable aid to learning Spanish vocabulary - especially slang.  Again, let me say this airport is about as modern as any I’ve seen; it’s a pleasure to simply walk around and enjoy the sights.

Both of my flights were on Copa Airlines, and each was on a brand new plane, both of which were gorgeous.  Both flights included free snacks drinks, and meals that were tasty and well presented.  On the 7-hour flight from Chile to Panama there were TV /  movie screens at each seat with ongoing programs during the entire flight.  I guess I’m really learning that even though I believe I live in the world’s greatest country, other countries are catching up rapidly.  Copa Airlines is just one such proof.

On the two-hour layover in Panama City, which by the way, I hardly recognized from my visit there a little over ten years ago, I sauntered through the shopping arcade with the likes of Ferragamo, Valentino, MAC, Prada, Chanel, Hermes, etc. boutiques.  No, I didn’t buy anything but I certainly had a great time looking.  I’d been very impressed with the looks of Panama City as we circled around to land at the airport; I’d visited there a little over ten years ago and had found the metropolis bedraggled, crumbling, and dirty.  Now, it appears to be loaded with fancy skyscrapers, clean, white sandy beaches, and its really spectacular airport.

From Panama I flew to Guatemala City on another new, but smaller, Copa jet, arriving in Guatemala City exactly on time.  As I walked off the plane and through the international airport to the customs and baggage area, I quickly knew I was in Guatemala, a poor country.  The airport is functional but severely without decor and / or the accoutrements of the earlier described Latin American facilities.  Because telephones aren’t available in the airport, I only hoped my ride to Antigua would be outside when I walked out.  For several minutes I searched the crowd that is always congregated outside, but I couldn’t see Eldín, my friend from my last sojourn in Antigua.  Then, all of a sudden there he was, all smiles and ‘holas.’  His new van was parked only a short distance away; in less than 10 minutes we were on our way to Antigua, some 25-30 miles.

One of the first things I noticed, both in the airport and with Eldín, was that my Spanish starting coming back very quickly.  Although I’d loved my stay in Chile, the language was difficult for me to understand and my ability to go back and forth between English and Spanish isn’t so good.  Additionally, many, many people in Chile speak English to varying degrees of fluency, so I didn’t get the practice I would have liked.  So many other aspects of life in Chile were pleasant, I left the language improvement for Guatemala!

I encountered lots of practice time right from the get go.  Airport employees, etc. do not often speak English; when we have to, Spanish abilities come back rapidly!  I’d even given Eldín English lessons when I lived here two years ago, but, of course he’s forgotten most of it and I wanted to Speak Spanish.  By the time we arrived at Linda’s new house in Antigua, I was beginning to think in Spanish, always a good sign in terms of getting back into it!  

We arrived at about 10:30 pm, ending a very long travel day of almost 20 hours, including a three-hour difference in time.  Linda is in El Salvador, returning home tonight; but her friend, Nancy, a Canadian lady who has lived here for years, was kitty-sitting for Honey, Linda’s beloved cat.  I remember when Linda picked Honey out of a litter of kittens at Bodagona, Antigua’s only sudo-supermarket.  Like many supermarket-style stores in Latin America, Bodagona sells everything but the kitchen sink, so to speak.  In the animal feed department there’s often kittens and puppies for sale and often for give away.  Linda picked Honey out and has loved her in the way only an American lady can for the last almost three years.  Honey was here with Nancy to greet me, and spent most of my first night sniffing all the wonderful aromas of my two bags - lots of Lacy and Eleanor odors, in addition to whiffs of Mexico, Florida, the cruise ship and Santiago’s condo.  It really kept her busy, and I enjoyed having a pet around me, although it reminded me how much I miss Lacy and Eleanor.

Linda’s new house is spectacular, a truly authentic Antigua casa; each room of the house is located off a central garden / patio, in the traditional indoor-outdoor living people enjoy here in the “Land of the Eternal Spring.”  The weather is essentially the same throughout the year, except that there is a rainy season that lasts for about 3-4 months, when it rains every single afternoon, then returns to the lovely 70s the rest of the day.  The evening and night temperatures are usually in the 60s.

I’ve missed Guatemala; I guess we never know how much we love a place until we go away and then come back.  The air smells like flowers, the humidity brings out the curls (and frizz) in my hair, Antigua’s cobblestone streets with its buildings’ plain facades, opening to untold beauty of the compound-like homes.  Linda’s home is loaded with authentic Guatemala furnishings and art work, including a plethora of her own magnificent photography work adorning walls throughout.  Of course, one of the proofs that Linda and I are actually cousins is that when I wandered into her kitchen, there, displayed prominently, are her cookbooks, so many of which I have in my own collection.  I’ve not had access to mine since I’ve been living my nomadic life, so I spent a couple of hours this morning just refreshing my memory with some of my favorite cookbooks.  Neither Linda nor I use cookbooks only for cooking;  we both totally enjoy simply reading them from cover to cover; during that time, we can mentally ‘taste’ the wonderful concoctions the author has developed in his / her printed recipe.

I just know I’m going to have a fabulous time here.  Today is only the beginning.  The Mayan housekeeper was here today, working quietly and cheerfully throughout the morning and early afternoon.  Also, the fish monger came after noon on his weekly visit to offer the most delectable  treats from the Pacific; each week he offers the freshest and most beautiful fish and seafood that the ocean has to offer.  Today I purchased a beautiful white fish, the name of which escapes me at this moment, and ten of the most incredibly large, fresh and delectable giant shrimp you’ve ever seen.  The only place I’ve ever seen the likes of these has been in San Francisco Chinatown, and there only very rarely.  Now, I have to return to cookbook perusing to come up with some fabulous creations with my purchases.

Looking Forward To - And Excited Very Excited About . . .

I'm excited to share my Fall through Winter travel and adventure plans.

My daughter, Kari, and I will leave Oakland to fly to Cozumel, Mexico on Saturday, November 22nd, where we will get the rental house ready for other family members who will be flying in the following day.  The reason for this family jaunt is that Kari and her older brother, Jeff, will be competing in the Cozumel Ironman on Sunday, November 30th.  I've shared some stories about both Jeff and Kari and their fetes of considerable athletic competition.  This Ironman will be the 4th for each of them, but will be the first they'll do together as a brother - sister team. 

Ironman Cozumel Logo

The entire Ironman event will take place in the waters off the island and on the island itself

A water paradise - we'll surely do some snorkeling

We've rented a large house with enough bathrooms, forks, spoons, chairs, and floor to room and board at least 10:  Jeff, Alice and their twin girls, Malia and Samantha; and, Kari, David and their triplets, Spencer, Tate and Avery; and, me, I'm Mimi.  Jeff and Kari's dad and his wife may be in Cozumel for the race and visits to the house and their brother, Spencer, may be able to fly in from the Dominican Republic, his current domicile.  Many of you are familiar with blog posts about his long international-traveling lifestyle.  So, when the time actually arrives, there may be 11 members of the family in that one house, and a couple in hotels.

The week before the race we're hoping to take in some of the sites and attractions; although, the main event will dictate how much galavanting we all do.  Jeff and Kari will be saving their enthusiasm and energy for the big day; I'll be the chief chef; David and Alice will be chief kid-managers; and you can bet the five cousins will be into having a ball the entire time.  It should be quite a party!

I'm thrilled to see my children wanting to take on this a wonderful experience and fabulous memory-maker, together.  Not only is it an incredible accomplishment for them, but it sends such an important message to those five young people [twins and triplets] who are all Freshmen in high school this year.  Both Jeff and Kari are avid about their dedication to health and the sport of triathlon; they set the bar high for their kids, who all seem to be interested in sports and fitness.  For those who aren't too familiar, the Ironman competition consists of a 2.4 mile swim in the ocean, followed by a 112 mile bike ride, and finally a marathon run of 26.2 miles - in one day!  They are NOT competing with one another, but are planning to be a support for each other; is all goes well, they'll cross the finish line hand-in-hand.  Jeff is the elder, who, on race day, will be 53 years, 7 months, and 14 days old.  Kari will be 52 years, 7 months, and 5 days of age - pretty impressive to be an Ironman at any age, but I'm a very proud mama of these two.

I'll post more about Kari and Jeff in future posts.  This post is meant to share my upcoming travel plans . . .

On December 1st, the day after the race, I'll board a flight from Cozumel to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where I'll meet up with a friend and the two of us will hop on a Celebrity cruise ship December 4th for a 16-day cruise through the Caribbean, traversing the Panama Canal from East to West, and then South to Valparaiso, Chile.  There will be lots of stops for interesting visits to fascinating locales all along the way.  We'll arrive in Chile on December 20th, just in time to take part in yet another country's Christmas and holiday season. As you know, I'm a people person.  I love to study cultures and learn as much as I can about how others live, love, laugh and enjoy life on this planet.  

Departing from:  Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Sailing to:  Cartagena, Colombia; Colon, Panama; Panama Canal, Panama; Manta, Ecuador; Lima, Peru; Arica, Chile; Valparaiso, Chile

Valparaiso, Chile skyline

More Latin American music, dancing and fun

Can't wait to see the colors, taste the food, meet the people

I currently have reservations and tickets for the adventure up to this point - Valparaiso.  From here on my timing and plans will blossom as they may.  My travel partner is planning to remain in South America for the entire Winter (that is, Winter in the US); of course it'll be Summer in the southern hemisphere.  My reading and web-surfing research indicates that Valparaiso will have a climate commensurate with San Francisco's Summer; so I'm feeling pretty comfortable with what to expect weather-wise.  I visited Santiago, Chile in 2003, but didn't make it to the coast on that trip and am looking forward to new horizons.  Where else I go in Chile - or other South American locales, I know not at this time.  Any recommendations form old-hand Chilean and South American visitors are welcome.

Sometime after the first of the new year I'll jump on another flight and head to Guatemala for a long-awaited visit to my cousin, Linda, who lives there, and all the wonderful friends I made while I was living there in 2011 and 2012.  I can't wait to see my Spanish teachers and their families,  my knitting / crocheting students, both adults and children, and all the wonderful kids and adults in the various foundations I grew to love.  And, I have three very important, to me, young people who are continuing to work / study very diligently to possibly be able to head to the United States for further education, after which they'll return to their Guatemalan homes and families with skills to really make a difference in their communities and families' lives.  I'm very excited to see them again:  Isai, Shirli and Hazel - be ready for me!  

Oh, how I love this country, the land of the eternal Spring,  the home of the Maya and volcanoes

Cobblestone streets, flowers, colors, lovely people

I'm tentatively planning to stay in Guatemala for about a month; but, who knows?  The first time I went with the plan to stay for 3 weeks - and stayed for a year and a half!  Seriously, though, I am planning to return to California, Floribunda, Lacy and Eleanor sometime in February.

So, that's the plan for Winter this year.  I'm already giving thought to next Spring, too.  More about that as it materializes . . .

Recently Found Cousin and New Friends .....

How do a 'recent' cousin and 'new' friends go together.  Here's the story:

I've mentioned several times that I went to Guatemala in 2011, ostensibly for three weeks of Spanish lessons.  Well, by the end of week two I knew darn well I was not going to be able to speak Spanish in three weeks.  And, because I had retired the week I left for Antigua, I realized I didn't HAVE to go home right away.  I kind of promised myself I'd 'stay until I could speak with some semblance of knowledge.  Well, I stayed for almost a year and a half!

During my extended learning process I also did lots of volunteer work, which I'll talk more about in a later blog; suffice it to say, Guatemala is an economically very poor country with lots of need for volunteers to help bring them into the 21st century.  However, it's very rich in many ways and I loved my time there.

Back to my story ....  I was invited to attend a Christmas party (2011) at one of the Foundations for which I volunteered.  I went with my good Guatemala friend, Deet.  She's a Gringo whose lived in Antigua for 20 years and knows everybody, so she's introduced me to lots of ex-pats, Guatemalans and others.  My curiosity was peaked when she presented me to her friend, Linda C.  Why?  Because Linda's last name is the family name of my long-since-deceased mother.  She explained to me that it was her maiden name.  Long story short, we're cousins who'd never met before that introduction in Guatemala!  

Linda and I became instantaneously BFFs; she now lives permanently in Antigua but travels all over the World from there.  We found that we're not only kin but kindred spirits too.  We share the love of anything having to do with food:  reading about and studying, cooking, baking, entertaining.  We also both love to read and have varied but similar tastes in reading.  And, we're both swimmers.  Linda is a treasure in my life.

How does this story relate to my stay in Ashland, Oregon?  I've shared about my new friends, Richard and Joyce; I originally met them in Antigua at Linda's beautiful home at a dinner party given in their honor.  They were in Guatemala in November 2012 working with the Foundation they founded in the 80s and continue to direct, Legacy Foundation www.legacyfound.org/‎,  a wonderful non-profit organization helping people and communities, through teaching and support, in, I think, 65 countries around the World.  They're friends of Linda's, and now friends of mine too.

So, shortly before I left Guatemala for home Linda hosted a delightful dinner party for them and I was invited.  Voila!  A month ago, Linda let them know I'd be traveling through Ashland; Joyce emailed an invitation and the rest is contained in the posts and photos of their wonderful hospitality and beautiful Ashland aurroundings.

A 'staged' photo op for MP and Cuz Linda, both wearing shoes Linda had bought in Chicago, while she was 'home' a month earlier.  The setting is her magnificent Colonial home in Antigua.