Summertime visit to the states...

A short recap on our summer visit to the states; different kind of "road trip" and set of adventures state-side with family...than ES (roads, nature, parks, etc...).

We went to Colorado on the front end and the back end. Cole went to a week-long summer camp the second week of June ~ Rainbow Day Camp at our church/spiritual center in Lakewood. He had a really great time (see pics!) ~ singing songs; doing karate, yoga, and archery; going to Pine Top to learn/experience native american traditions; art and music projects; and building a collective matrix of cardboard creations in the Dome Zone. We were also able to see a few precious friends and we are thankful for that time together. There was also precious family time - Cole fishin' (w/gma + gpa) and crawdad fishin' (w/gma)! Cole w/ various combos of gma/pa, cousin, uncle, mom/dad) also went to museums, zoos, movies, hikes, playgrounds, etc... We celebrated birthdays and witnessed the first drive of my nephew Jacob in the white subie...



Next we were off to North Carolina....and had a nice week-long summer vacation in a house off Lake Lure in the mountains with Sinclair-Crowel-French family members! It was a wonderful and relaxed time with family and the cousins (Maddie-10, Cole-6, Robin-6, Henry-3, Jack - 6mo) had a great time swimming in the pool and lake, hiking, playing in nearby interactive children's museums, and hanging out in the house we all rented together. A good place/time to have fun and catch up.



NC - Delaware, Ohio to spend time with the Pasters and experience a "small town" Fourth of July parade (complete with large tractors) and the OWU campus symphony-concert and fireworks. OH - Long Island, New York to visit with Martin (Rich's stepfather) and Jeannette where we took a trip out to Fire Island and then took a ferry boat to Connecticut where we made our way to Maine.


Bar Harbor, Maine is a great place to spend the middle of the summer - not too hot - and Acadia National Park is an inter-connected and GREAT part of being in Bar Harbor (wonderful city next to the sea). Alan (Rich's brother) and his son Hayden joined us for part of the time and we had fun bike riding and hanging out (no pics w/Alan-Hayden?). We took advantage of the great transportation system in the park and Cole earned his Junior Park Ranger badge. A highlight was the Dive-In Theatre with Diver-Ed nature program on a boat (mini-Ed is a small plastic diver "buddy" of Diver Ed) where you experience sea-life in real time with Diver Ed via video and audio and then hands-on with things brought on board (spiny urchins, sea stars, sea cucumbers, lobster...) http://divered.com/ All around a VERY good time - grateful for these times with family and close friends & a nice road trip for our family.

Back in time...to Cole's birthday

Hola! We left in June for the States and came back in late July...and this last post was in April - so there is a bit of catching up to do.

The big event in May was Cole's birthday - he turned 6 years old and had a party at his favorite place - Tin Marin! (shared in other posts - children's museum http://tinmarin.org/museo/ ) There were 13 kids and lucky for us the museum was actually closed to the public that day b/c of a Gazillion Bubble event happening at another location. Cole had great fun with his friends --- an Eco-Volcano theme party (eco-centers, volcano cake and piñata).

Five main elements of any "piñata" or birthday party here in ES: 1) entertainer (typically a clown/s or person dressed in furry creature with a side kick) - for Cole 2 "party guides" of the museum; 2) sound equipment with music, dancing, and games (check, but less); 3) food and cake (check); 4) main kid activity (check - interactive museum centers!); and 5) piñata (along with goodie bags - check - volcano!). Cole used to be more on the sidelines at piñatas and as the year progressed he got right in there with the rest of them, Español and all!





I will let the pictures speak for themselves. It certainly is a kilometer marker for how far Cole has come in his cultural and language transition to El Salvador; and the good friends he has made here. We are blessed.

Guatemala ~ Lake Atitlan

Not a week later on Saturday, April 16th we left by car with our dog Chloe to Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, a couple of hours beyond Antigua, but a very different environment. Both of these areas are in the Highlands of Guatemala and the climate is cool for this part of the world ~ in our cooler months of December and January, it gets cold enough in the Highlands (including Guatemala City) to wear real jackets and sleep with down comforters.

The Lake was beautiful and climate fresco, which is why we chose to come here. By boat, we arrived in the small community of Jaibalito along the lake where we stayed in a 2 bedroom house on the same compound as an American there with his wife who is from Costa Rica, son, and dog named Negra (a real sweetie). Mostly, we enjoyed the cooler weather, being by the water (for Cole the dock with fishing), relaxing in a quiet and nice home and surroundings, and exploring different communities (small and medium) around the lake by boat. Chloe enjoyed swimming in the water. Cole made some friends, of course, and on the first day there he went along with the owner's son and a couple other local boys to the village to get some eggs and other things. He was feeling rather "big" - and of course he is almost 6 years old.

Remember how I talked about tourism infrastructure? Well, Guatemala definitely has it in areas and has the making and selling of stuff down. The Mayan women make beautiful cloths and in the highlands areas I saw many who dressed in these traditional cloths. I didn't get the chance to visit a women's cooperative, but I am glad to know they are in place and hopefully assisting women to make a decent income from their wares. There are many gringos in the area too - amazing how many - so much so that you see a gringo on the street selling local and imported stuff (such as toy mice that wind up and go); and there was a health-food store with things that I cannot even find in San Salvador! Funny. So, I can also now appreciate the non-tourism infrastrucutre of El Salvador and it's low key vibe even more.

Guatemala ~ Antigua

Greetings! I am behind on my postings...so let my mantra be brief and concise for this one (and next) ~ a challenge because there were so many interesting things...but my real motivator is Cole's birthday party Sat, May 7th (actual birth day May 8th) and I am excited to share that with y'all.

Antigua, Guatemala

We travelled there by double-decker bus (rode up top and in front) on April 7th and came back on April 11th - nice long weekend. Rich had an Upper School Director's conference with other bilingual, independent schools in Central America. Antigua has quite a rich colonial history and architecture, which makes it a real destination for this area of the world. The hotel we stayed at was amazing - Museo y Hotel Casa Santo Domingo was so lovely ~ it is literally built on and around the ruins of a monastery and beautifully restored and preserved. Take a look:
https://www.casasantodomingo.com.gt/en because I didn't get too many pictures of this incredible hotel (with art and archeological museums, ruins, chocolate factory, candle-making and pottery workshops...).

In Antigua, we enjoyed the cobblestone streets and colonial architecture, exploring the various churches and ruins of the town, cool climate, and eating good food. If you were to ask Cole, his favorite part was the warm pool and the friends he made along the way (Leonardo, Sophia, and Isabella). Lastly, we were able to get a taste of the incredible processions and extravaganza that is a part of Antigua during the Semana Santa (holy week) - INCREDIBLE with the alfrombras (rugs) created out of sawdust, petals, flowers, plants, fruits, vegetables... (Cole helped out); the men (dressed in purple robes) and women (dressed in black) carrying large wooden "floats" with the statue of Jesus and then Mary...; the incense that covers the city as these processions go by; and the uniquely distinguishable fragrant flowers from pods that envelope it all.... The streets are closed off while the alfrombas are being made the same day (finished hours or minutes before) the procession walks-over/stomps-on these beautiful alfrombas - that are then cleaned up and it begins again...until Easter Sunday. It was good fortune that we were able to be here during this time. One gringo (or mzungu:KiSwahili) said upon seeing an alfromba with JHS: what does that JHS stand for - Jesuit High School? Hmmm...what could that JHS stand for in a Christian holy week?