11-8 through 11-22-09: Luke and Mike's birthday fiesta, Patty's glamour shot

11-8 through 11-22-09: The kids continue their studies at Fenix and their comfort level with Spanish and their ability to speak it is growing exponentially now. Gaby even remarked to Dad that she could hear Luke using spontaneous words in Spanish while he played with his Lego figures. The big event during this period, though, was a joint birthday fiesta for Luke and Mike held 11-14 at the park (Parque del Arroyo de la Plata). With my cousin Chuy's help (he oversees the park operations), we reserved a palapa (an open air structure with a roof, a table and benches underneath, and a grill). Chuy also made sure we had electricity hooked up since we had rented an inflatable, jumping thingamajig. Mike's fellow students and teachers from Fenix arrived on time bearing dishes to share while Patty's family arrived somewhat later (Mexico time). It was a beautiful, sunny day to enjoy outside. We grilled hamburgers and chicken breasts with barbeque sauce (to treat our family to an American picnic). Luke had picked out a cow pinata (he liked the horns on it) and all the kids enjoyed hitting it to get to the candy/toys inside.

A couple of picture captions: 2nd pic: Luke and Gaby with their cousins Andrea and Cristina, 5th pic: cousin Chuy, niece Paty, cousin Licha, cousin Lucy, and cousin Jorge, 6th pic: group pic of the students and teachers from Fenix.

On 11-15, we went to my cousin Sara's house to celebrate my tia Eva's birthday. There was plenty of excellent food, drink, and live music. A tarp had been set up in the backyard with table and chairs underneath; again another pleasant day to enjoy outside!

On 11-20, I (Patty) took a makeup class for the heck of it with my nephew Jorge Adrian. He is a hair stylist/makeup artist with lots of experience. He recently worked with lots of gorgeous models at an international silver festival held in Zacatecas a few weeks back; it showcased silver jewelry designs. He taught me how to apply foundation, rouge, eye shadow, and lipstick for the max advantage. He even applied false eyelashes for my glamour look! It was a fun experience overall!

11-1 through 11-7-09 Dia del Muerto and Swim Lessons

11-1-09 through 11-7-09: Our return week from the beach was fairly uneventful except for the Dia del Muerto (Day of the Dead) celebration. The kids learned about the tradition of honoring deceased loved ones with shrines decorated with the deceased's photos, favorite foods, and other mementos. Gaby and Luke went trick-or-tricking on All Saints Day, the first of November (also Mike's birthday). My niece Paty, her husband, and their 2 kids along with some of their friends and kids stopped by our place so we joined their group. Gaby and Luke learned the song that is sung at each house to ask for treats which then ends with a chant declaring either that the house is blessed or bewitched depending if treats were given out or not (a more detailed interaction than just saying 'trick-or-treat'!). Their baskets were full within 1-1/2 hours and everyone was ready for some hot chocolate and pan de muerto (a special bread made for this celebration). On Nov. 2nd, Dia del Muerto, Mike and the kids went to a local cemetery, called a panteon, with their spanish school to witness the local traditions. Tons of people come and clean their ser queridos tombas (loved ones tombs). They put food and drinks as well as toys (for deceased children) on the graves. Children are running around and musicians come to play songs at the graves of the dead. In general there's a lot of celebrating, very different than in the US. Gaby and Luke had the opportunity to go out for treats again in the evening but they said they had collected enough candy the previous night and they would rather just stay home and play.

On 11-7, the kids began swim lessons from 9-10 am on Saturdays at the Olympic Pool of Zacatecas. I stayed by the instructor at poolside to help translate any relevant instructions. Gaby and Luke swam laps the entire hour; they practiced swimming with a board, on their backs with and without use of their arms, the crawl stroke, and swimming below the water's surface for as long as they could hold their breath before popping up then repeating the sequence. They actually do more swimming, more strokes than with the lessons in Colorado.

10-24 through 10-31-09: Trip to Guayabitos

10-24-09: We took a 1 week vacation (from Spanish school for Mike and the kids) and headed to hot weather, beaches, jungles, and the warm Pacific Ocean! It was a 9 hour road trip from Zacatecas with our dog Sasha in tow. We dropped her off at a dog kennel (Beach Dog in Mexico) run by an American lady named Melanie. It was located in a little town called Lo de Marcos about an hour N of Puerto Vallarta. We decided to avoid the touristy Puerto Vallarta in favor of a small town (also an hour N of PV) called Rincon de Guayabitos. It wasn't high season yet so we had our pick of hotels. We decided on the Casablanca Resort which was reasonable; $85 U.S. per night for a suite/kitchenette. The best thing about the hotel was that it was on the beach and all the rooms had a private balcony with awesome views of the ocean! It reminded Mike of the original Casablanca from the movie with Bogart and Bacall. It was built in the Mediterranean style; all white with an open lobby. You could see and walk all the way through the lobby out to the ocean from the street side of the hotel without encountering a door! We saw lots of pelicans in the water and on the beach. They would hang out near the food vendors waiting for scraps as the vendors prepared fish for sale. We frequently would eat delicious, grilled Mahi-Mahi on skewers for lunch on the beach. Lunch for four cost about 6 or 7 dollars. There were vendors traveling up and down the beach selling their wares but they weren't an incessant stream.

10-26-09: The family was on the beach at dusk when Mike ran into a man from a local conservation group called Grupo Ecologista de Nayarit who wanted volunteers to help release baby sea turtles that hatched that morning. The group digs up turtle eggs and put them in incubators to prevent raccoons and other land animals from making tasty snacks of them. He said that the release was planned for dusk to prevent birds from snatching turtles as they head toward the ocean; they have enough predators and mishaps ahead of them that the vast majority don't make it to adulthood. He also educated the group on the dangers of plastic debris that makes its way into the ocean; turtles can eat it accidentally and die because they are unable to digest it and it occludes their intestines. The volunteers were asked to take turtles out of a large tin and place them on the beach and to wait until the waves lapped near the turtles which would cause them to walk forward them swim into the ocean. Mike and Luke were in heaven because they love sea turtles! The baby turtles were too cute!!!

10-27-09: The family took a boat ride to search for dolphins and sea turtles in the open water. We missed seeing dolphins but Mike did spot a large sea turtle swimming by. We were then dropped off at Coral Island for a couple hours of snorkeling. Unfortunately, all our masks kept leaking (Wal-mart specials it looked like) despite adjusting but Mike and the kids still managed to see some neat fish since the water visibilty was good.

10-28-09: We took a combination tour of La Tovera Park and San Blas, Nayarit. The La Tovera Park trip consisted of a guided boat ride through an estuary and mangrove swamps which ended at a natural springs pool. The diverse fauna located in the park includes crocodiles, turtles, jaguars, ocelots, coatimundi, spider monkeys, iguanas, boa constrictors, and a great variety of birds (e.g. ibis, egrets, herons, ...) and fish. The amazing thing that surprised us was watching an iguana jump into the water and swim quickly to safety (We didn't know they could swim!).

Next we toured the ruins of the Fort of the Conteduria and Temple of the Virgin of the Rosary located in San Blas. The fort is located on the steep-sided Hill of St. Basilio. Luke was impressed with the cannons located along the fort walls. There was also a statue of Father Juniper Serra in recogniton of his role in the 1st missions to evangelize the peninsula of Baja California; the port of San Blas was the permanent base for these expeditions). While Mexico fought Spain for its independence (early 1800s), the port of San Blas was witness to the heroic defense realized against Spanish dominion by the insurgent Father Jose Maria Mercado who captured the fort without a single shot fired.

To ensure safe passage for sailors, a church dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary was built between 1769-1788 on the Hill of St. Basilio. The bells of the church were referred to in a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (The Bells of San Blas). Longfellow never visited San Blas but an article in Harper's Magazine about the bells sparked his poetic imagination; it was the last poem he wrote before his death.

10-29-09: Mike and the kids took advantage of the big waves that appeared on the ocean in the morning. Equipped with a boogie board, they took a pounding from the waves as they attempted to catch waves. We left the hotel the morning of the 31st which was great timing on our part since the hotel was suddenly teeming with tourists overnight. There were mostly Mexican nationals vacationing in Guayabitos during our stay; we were told that an influx of mostly Canadian tourists would begin in December (the American tourists mostly prefer Puerto Vallarta).

10-22-09 Museum and Street Theater

10-22-09: We visited the Museo Zacatecano which houses a tribute to the Huichol Indian art as well as other elements of popular Mexican art. The Huichol claim that they originated in the state of San Luis Potosi but later migrated westward to parts of Nayarit, Jalisco, Zacatecas, and Durango. The craftsmanship of the Huichol includes embroidery, beadwork, hats (sombreros), weaving, and woven/embroidered bags. Their beaded art is truly beautiful; it is constructed of glass, plastic, or metal beads pressed onto a wooden frame covered in beeswax. Beadwork objects depict prominent patterns and symbols featured in the Huichol religion. We also saw detailed and elaborate yarn paintings that serve the purpose of preserving the ancient beliefs of the Huichol.

After the museum, we caught a parade downtown. It was part of the Teatro de Calle (street theater) festival that was in Zacatecas for a week. Theater groups from different countries put on a variety of shows on several outdoor stages in the downtown area. The parade was called Marcha de los Munecones (March of the Dolls/Puppets) and was performed by a group from Peru. The performers wore large heads with a mesh screen to allow them to see out while others looked like they were riding on animals but were in fact walking on stilts. At the end of the parade they performed a little skit for the appreciative crowd.

10-5-09 Kids switch to Fenix Language Institute; 10-20-09 Fenix school social

10-5-09: Gaby and Luke began a trial week at Fenix Language Institute (Mike's school) to focus solely on learning Spanish. We noticed that they were very frustrated at their other school because all the subjects were taught in Spanish and they had a hard time keeping up. Mike has them using an excellent computer program for mathematics on weekends to help them progress in math skills so we decided to focus more on Spanish language skills. Their teacher at Fenix (Lolita) has a Master's in Language Development/2nd Language Acquisition. She is giving them personalized lessons to help increase their Spanish language vocabulary as well as learn the grammatical rules. They are a lot happier now and get to see Dad during their breaks.

10-20-09: Students and teachers from the Fenix Language Institute gathered for a Spanish night social at a hostal where one of the students resided. There was a patio on the top level where we could enjoy spectacular views of downtown Zacatecas. We ordered pizza from Domino's (the kids were thrilled of course) and we all enjoyed a pleasant evening under the stars. (Pictures include the kids and I with their teacher Lolita, the Cathedral lit up at night, and a group shot).

I also included some pictures of the kids performing a chimney climbing technique in the doorway between the dining room and kitchen in our house. They would use both their hands and feet to shimmy to the top of the doorway then they would support their body weight using solely their arms or legs; quite impressive feats for our rugrats!

10-4-09 A hike to remember (pics from the onset of the hike with the hill behind us to the views from the top of the hill)

10-4-09: Today the family hiked up a mountain located behind our subdivision and it turned into quite the adventure. We climbed 1,100 feet which took about 2 hours; we picked out the best route possible since there wasn't an established trail and there were many cacti and scrub brush around. The top of the mountain consisted of a flat expanse covered with green grass. There were a couple of large radio antennae, cattle, and homes/maintenance structures? We walked around on top for about 1/2 hour trying to find the easiest way down but there were a lot of vertical cliff faces. The descent actually took longer than the climb (2.5 hours) due to having to traverse small cliffs and go through/under thick brush; there were plenty of spiderwebs and prickly shrubs that our fearless leader (Mike) tried to clear to allow his family an easier passage. Everyone was worn out (Sasha included) when we finally arrived at our house. After a 1/2 hour rest, we walked to the park so the kids could paint plaster figurines. A family sets up a tent, chairs, and tables each Sunday and sells figurines for 10 to 20 pesos (0.75 cents to $1.50) depending on the size of the figurine; they supply the paint and brushes and the kids enjoy themselves for 1-2 hours! Then we picked them up McDonald's happy meals as a recompense for a long day!

9-20-09

9-20-09: Here's a little info about the city of Zacatecas. It is located in central Mexico so we are not by the ocean or beaches which are the popular sites to vacation for Americanos coming to Mexico. The name Zacatecas comes from the Aztec word "Zacatl" for grasses (Zacate in Spanish); thus Zacatecas refers to a place where grass is abundant. The city is situated at a height of 2496 meters or 8189 feet and was founded in 1546. Our hometown of Monte Vista, CO is at an altitude of 7663 feet so Zacatecas is 526 feet higher!

9-19-09 (1st 5 pics of the fair, next 3 of the kids' in uniform/their school, last 2 of Mike's Spanish language school)

9-19-09: Hello everyone! We are very tardy with our blog. We’ve been busy setting up our new homestead in Zacatecas, Zacatecas Mexico. We arrived late on the 3rd after a marathon drive south from Roswell, New Mexico. The neat thing about driving from midnight to dawn toward the border was Mike and I getting to see a ring-tailed cat, a javelina, and some roadrunners (of course the kiddos were asleep). We crossed at Presidio, Texas which is a dusty small town in southern Texas. We missed our registration point located at the border crossing where you have to get your Mexican tourist visas and register your car (when we had previously crossed in El Paso, this registration spot was 20-30 km after the border crossing thus we expected the same at this crossing-OOPS!). This caused us a one hour delay as we didn’t realize our error until reaching the first military checkpoint about thirty minutes into the country.

The kids and Mike started school the next Monday on Sept. 7. The kids’ school is unbelievably in the same house where Patty’s grandparents lived; she has memories of visiting her grandparents there when she was about 10 years old. The name of their school is Instituto Pedagogico Anthropos de Zacatecas. It is based on the Montessori teaching philosphy. Gaby and Luke wear uniforms that look like Harry Potter uniforms at Hogwarts. Luke is having the most trouble adjusting to an all-Spanish school. Mike’s school is called Fenix Language Institute and is two blocks away from Gaby and Luke's school. After two weeks, Mike is also wondering if he’s making any progress with his Spanish either.

There have already been several fiestas, Sept. 16 was Mexican Independence Day, and at least three cumpleanos (birthdays). When you have a family numbering in the three digits there is always a birthday or another fiesta. There was also a state fair (Feria) running for several weeks so the kids enjoyed a jumping-bungee cord apparatus, a climbing wall, and various rides.

We are thinking that we will stay here until the end of the school semester (about the third week of December) and maybe through the holidays. Then we’ll be off on the road again (God willing) to Chile and Patagonia!!

9-3-09: Zacatecas, Zacatecas Mexico (pics of our house and of surrounding neighborhood + park within walking distance)

9-3-09: Hi all! We made it safely to Zacatecas, Zacatecas Mexico (no problems during our drive down) and have transitioned getting Mike and the kids into their respective schools. We will be getting internet hook-up at our place around 9-17 so we will be updating our blog shortly thereafter.

We are staying at my parents' (Patty's) house in Guadalupe which is a growing town adjoining the city of Zacatecas. The 1st picture is of the house with our minivan parked in front. As you can see from the neighborhood shots, the town is built in the hills thus the roads can have steep grades to climb both by foot or vehicle. The park picture shows the park that is within walking distance from our house; it covers an amazing amount of miles!

We've already attended 2 huge bday parties for an uncle and a cousin (held in a hall due to the size of the family; estimate 120 people!). We've also been invited to a couple of dinners at my cousin Raul's house and tonight we will be going to my cousin Sara's house for a gran fiesta to celebrate Mexico's Independence Day (the official holiday begins tonight and runs through tomorrow). So as you can see we have been busy socializing too!

8-24-09 through 9-1-09: A week to regroup in CO then 9-1 through 9-2 in Roswell, NM

8-24-09 through 9-1-09: We happily arrived back to our home in Monte Vista, CO and spent a week unpacking and storing our camping gear, getting errands done (Mike checked on our business; our new, 18 apt complex is full and doing well with our manager's help), and repacking again. The family renting our house was gracious enough to make room for us there during this regrouping period.

9-1-09 through 9-2-09: We headed out 9-1-09 and stopped in Roswell, NM for 2 days where Mike had arranged to work 2 shifts at Eastern New Mexico Medical Center before continuing our journey to Mexico. On 9-2-09 while Mike worked his 2nd shift in Roswell, the kids and I made a visit to the International UFO Museum and Research Center. We learned about the Roswell Incident in 1947 in which a rancher stated he found fragments of a UFO that the military allegedly covered up. The museum/research center is dedicated to the collection and preservation of materials and info relevant to the Roswell Incident and other unexplained phenomena related to UFO research. The museum houses a Research Library which is the largest and most comprehensive collection of UFO related info in the world. I bought the kids 2 souvenir alien T-shirts that were super-cool.

8-21-09 through 8-23-09: Calgary, AB; Great Falls, MT; Buffalo, WY; Fort Collins, CO (pics of Luke on moving climbing wall & pillow fight in tent)

8-21-09: We traveled from Banff to Calgary, AB and stopped at the TELUS World of Science (a kids' science center). Gaby and Luke liked the moving climbing wall and LEGO racecar-building areas.

We crossed back into the U.S. at Sweetgrass, Montana. We spent nights at Great Falls, MT, Buffalo, WY, Fort Collins, CO before arriving back home. We had enough camping during our travels (we estimate 30 out of 50 days traveling) that we 'moteled' it the rest of the way home.

Since we made our way quickly back, I am posting some pictures of the kids having a pillow fight in our tent at one of our campsites to make this post more interesting.