200 Miles + a life together

Crawling In and Out

2012-01-19T16:07:00.006-06:00

Oliver crawls in and out of things regularly now. He is definitely in exploratory mode!

His bath tub...(yes, he is doing a push up on top of the bathtub, which led to the next picture)
"Mom, I'm kind of in a predicament here."

What a smiler!

"Hi Mom, whatcha doin? I'd like to check out that camera..."

Loves suitcases...a traveler at heart already!

Found the tag right away. (Still no teeth! I'm in love with that gummy smile.)
Getting a closer look...

The BOB

2011-12-19T19:12:00.000-06:00

Oliver enjoys going for rides/runs in the BOB.

Even more so, though, he likes to play with the wheels, pushing it around the house.

Laundry

2011-12-13T18:22:00.002-06:00

New discovery and loads of fun: the laundry basket. Who would've thought?!

We've been told to save our large cardboard boxes too. Getting ready!

Trimming the Tree

2011-12-05T20:30:00.008-06:00

We bought our first Christmas tree this year, and are thrilled to have a few decorations up. Oliver enjoyed the process too!

Picking a tree with Daddy (Oliver carefully examined the tree's needles):

Being introduced to his first ornament (gift from Christmas 2010):

Putting it on the tree:

The finished product!

Bundled up...

...to go outside and see the lights!

Happy Eight Months!

2011-12-02T20:30:00.001-06:00

Happy 8-month birthday, Oliver! You're growing up so fast!

New area of interest: the washing machine...

An Official Crawler!

2011-11-28T15:36:00.003-06:00

Oliver officially crawled today! He has been jumping his legs and dropping flat on his belly, but today, he moved one arm forward, then the other, as he moved his legs. Yeah! He's on the move!

Inch Worm...Rock n Roll...Da da da da

2011-11-22T18:30:00.000-06:00

I couldn't decide on the name for this blog post because Oliver is moving in fun new ways and making new sounds all right now!

Oliver is still not crawling, but is mimicking an inch worm. He gets up on his hands and knees, rocks, moves one arm, one leg, then lays flat. He then pulls his legs up forward, and jumps them even more forward, then lays flat. Incorporating a bit of rolling into the movements, Oliver has no problem getting that attractive shiny object that he has spotted across the room.

Today, Oliver started making "da da"-like sounds in the morning and by evening, he was repeating it over and over again. He will now say "da da da da" when it is quiet, or he is tired or frustrated (getting his diaper changed, etc.).

Baby Proofing

2011-11-15T14:22:00.001-06:00

Oliver is so close to crawling. He rocks and scoots himself frontwards and backwards. He also rolls wherever he needs to go to get what he has his eye on (even if that means it's across the room. Today, he was rolling, scooting, rocking on our floor, he made his way over to Mark's dresser and unscrewed one of the drawer knobs. He got it in his mouth about the time I noticed pulling the knob off left a sharp screw sticking out of the drawer!! Ah! Now, about baby-proofing...

New toy

2011-11-13T20:49:00.004-06:00

We were told that babies will enjoy their toys, but that random kitchen objects would most likely be their favorite. This holds true for Oliver, as his new favorite toy is the kitchen sink sprayer. He loves pulling it out and examining the hose. One day, he's going to spray himself!

Seven Months!

2011-11-02T23:19:00.005-05:00

He is developing quite the personality. Focus, determination, and laughter are all incorporated in his sweet little demeanor.

Storytime with Daddy:

First visit to have an Ethiopian dinner with Mommy and Daddy (he loved slapping the plastic tablecloth more than anything else):

Now-a-days, he's a pretty steady independent sitter:

And is regularly up on all fours, rocking:

Such a joyful guy especially when he has something to put into his mouth:

Quack Tweet Quack Tweet

2011-11-01T15:17:00.009-05:00

Oliver was a duck bird for Halloween (partially in honor of his cousin, Doug the Duck).

We met our playgroup for a picnic lunch and they were dressed quite fun:
Then, we went to hear our neighbors' band (The Rotten Rose) play a few streets over:

Afterwards, we handed out candy, and Oliver hit the sack. It had been a long day. Good night!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-11-01T14:41:00.005-05:00

We visited a pumpkin patch, and Oliver wasn't sure what he thought of the pumpkins. Clearly, he loved the stem...

He was having a great time getting his picture taken!
And just checking out the scene...

Daddy joined us...

...and we picked a pumpkin, which became...our Jack O Lantern!

The one on the left has its tongue sticking out and the one on the right is getting its baby teeth.

Four, Five, Six Months and Counting!

2011-10-19T10:13:00.010-05:00

We're a bit behind on posting pics, but don't worry, we have taken plenty! Now, just selecting a few to show Oliver's growth as he turned 4, 5, and 6 months!

- - MONTH 4 - -

Taking it all in!

"Supported sitter"

*Loves* when I greet him after a nap:

- - MONTH 5 - -

Lifting himself up on his arms. Loves his playmat, especially the mirror:

Wondering what I'm doing, and getting sleepy:

- - MONTH 6 - -

Started solid food! He did really well (no tongue thrust reflex). He was so excited, it was hard to get a clear picture:

He even thought prunes were delicious: (pictured wearing his girl cousin's pink bib)

Looking *so* much like Daddy:

And showing off Mommy's personality:

His paci must have fallen out of his crib because it was right below his little hand. He must have given up. Good effort!
On his 6-month birthday, Oliver had his first beach vacation in North Carolina.

He loved the beach, but even more so...he loved time with Daddy:

On October 15th, Oliver got up on hands and knees for the first time and was rocking. Good job, sweet pea!

Morning playtime in the big bed:

Playtime instead of naptime...mmm...he's thinking, "What's up, Mom. I'm just playing with my bird friends."

It's Fall!

2011-10-18T13:29:00.004-05:00

There is so much to blog about since our last post, but for now, I have to share a sweet moment Oliver and I had today.

It is a beautiful, 70-degree, windy day in Austin, so we have our windows open. Gusts of wind blow in Oliver's windows, causing his bright yellow curtains to billow with air. Oliver was winding down for his afternoon nap, so we were reading in his rocking chair next to his window. Oliver regularly became distracted by the moving yellow fabric and would turn his head with a look of fascination. Sometimes, the curtains would blow over his head and he would touch the fabric in wonder. It was so fun to observe his exploration of something so common to us as wind.

I didn't get a picture of us in the chair, but this is the scene:

Roly Poly

2011-08-31T18:14:00.013-05:00

We are excited for the day when Oliver discovers Roly Poly bugs, but for now, we are enjoying our little Roly Poly!

Oliver has begun to roll all around. So much so that I purchased a bumper for his crib because he knocks his head into the slats. Each morning, we greet our little guy, who has nuzzled his head into the top corner of his crib.

He also sleeps with his butt in the air. Precious!

This past week, he officially began rolling front to back, adding to his skill of rolling back to front. We love our wiggle worm!

Growing Like a Weed

2011-07-14T14:22:00.007-05:00

It's amazing how kids can grow before your eyes! Literally. One day, Oliver's onesie will fit just fine and two days later, I wonder if it shrunk in the wash. Oliver's Mimi Schwarz said her mom took a picture of her each month. This is more common now with digital cameras, but back in her day, that seems like a pretty special thing to do! Along those lines, here are a few of Oliver over the past few months...

April 3rd:

April 10th:

April 20th:

May 18th:

May 28th:

June 9th (*loves* to read with Daddy, even if it is about Excel):

June 13th (loves his mobile):

June 24th:

July 3rd:

New thing (July 1st): loves to have a blanket (or his favorite lovie) over his face when he is going to sleep...

And the latest news? Oliver turned over by himself on Tuesday night (July 12th). He was almost over in the morning.

And that night at dinner, he made the full turn, except for that poor arm :(

Oliver also loves to read like his dad:

And we're not sure which school Oliver will attend: A&M or UVA. We have proponents for both. He does have a roommate lined up for A&M:

And he has a cute outfit for A&M too:

...but he doesn't look so sure. We'll wait just a bit on that decision...

A New Addition

2011-06-12T17:24:00.003-05:00

Only a few months after settling into our new house, our baby boy, Oliver Matthew Schwarz was born in April!

It has been a joy to kiss on the little guy and welcome him into our family.

A New Home

2011-06-12T17:00:00.006-05:00

In traveling, it can be unsettling to not have a home base. Because we had put everything in a 5x5 storage unit, we didn't really have a place we could return to as "home." Thus, as we traveled in 2010, we continually affirmed that our home was where each other were.

When we moved back to Austin in late November, we started looking for a house or apartment, a place to settle and raise our son. Our first meeting with our Realtor was on Tuesday, November 30th and six weeks later, we were moving into our first home! (temporary home, eternally-speaking)

God truly blessed our search and our find, as the house is larger than we need right now. We are excited to share it and for others to be blessed by it.

Our two favorite aspects of the house are:

1) the big backyard with a deck and mature oak and pecan trees

*For local friends, expect to come by for pecan pie in the fall!

2) the dining room location: in the center of the house

(We want our home to center around fellowship and meals with friends and family.)

If you are in Austin or traveling through, please know we welcome your visit!

New Beginnings

2010-12-23T10:14:00.006-06:00

Upon our return to Austin, we hit the ground running. Mark started his job on Dec 1st. Lindsay started looking for housing (apartments or a house) and researching doctors and midwives in Austin because, well, we're expecting a boy in April!

We have been blessed enormously in the past few weeks. Last night we celebrated our own family Christmas with a night out at our favorite restaurant: Z-Tejas.

We anticipate more big updates in the New Year, so will post upon returning from travels to visit family in Dallas and Virginia. Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year!

Back in Black

2010-11-22T14:02:00.000-06:00

Nov 22, 2010

We're headed back to Austin!

After several long weeks of job searching, I've found the job for me. I'll be working with a small company in downtown Austin. My group is doing strategy consulting for the automotive industry. The position is data intensive, and plays to my technical strengths and career direction very well. At this point, it seems to be the most perfect fit I could have hoped for.

My first day is Dec 1, and I can't wait to get started!

New Addition

2010-10-29T11:42:00.005-05:00

October 15, 2010

Lindsay's sister had a precious little girl by C-section on Friday, October 15th.

We were thrilled to be in town during this momentous event and Lindsay looks forward to helping take care of her new niece as much as possible while we are here.

This new addition is named after our Granny, Cecelia, who has Alzheimer's Disease. Granny would be deeply touched to know of the name selection.

Cecelia's "big" brother, Ashton (3), is quite sweet with his little sister. He kisses her head often and likes to play with her tiny fingers and toes.

Where Three Mountain Ranges Come Together

2010-10-29T10:26:00.003-05:00

October 13, 2010

Though Asheville boasts being the largest city (pop. ~77,000) in Western North Carolina, it is more famous for its breath-taking scenery than it is for its "largest" categorization. With the Appalachian, Great Smokey, and Blue Ridge mountain ranges gathering here, its no wonder Asheville was named one of the "Best Outside Towns'' by Outside Magazine in 2006.

Traveling to Asheville had been on our list of cities to visit since learning that Lindsay's Aunt Joyce and Uncle Bill moved there five years ago.

Their hospitality did not cease to amaze us. We had a full itinerary, which included hiking part of the Appalachian Trail (2175-mile long trail from Maine to Georgia) with their hiking group,

touring Asheville, and chatting with the wild turkeys that "grace" their mountain neighborhood (and their front yard at times!).

In addition, we enjoyed travel-friendly conversation, ate deliciously-prepared meals by Joyce who has trained with chefs across the country and we savored homemade truffles that greeted us on our pillows. It felt like a true retreat and we were sad to start the 8-hour trek back to Williamsburg.

While in Asheville, we did visit the largest privately-owned home in the United States: the Biltmore Estate. It is 135,000 square feet with 250 rooms. (I wouldn't want to sign up to clean a house like that!)

Each of William Henry Vanderbilt's eight children inherited money from their father. The youngest child, George Washington Vanderbilt, chose to build a summer estate in the beautiful mountains of Asheville, NC where he had visited with his mother for years. George considered the Vanderbilt Estate his "little mountain escape." To read more on the history, please see theBiltmore Estate website or the Wiki link.

North Carolina's Largest City

2010-10-28T15:39:00.005-05:00

October 10, 2010

Charlotte, NC (pop. 750,000) is North Carolina's largest city and is located in southern North Carolina, about 30 miles north of South Carolina. (Boy is that a mouthful!)

Though Charlotte boasts loads of green space and entertainment options, the biggest attraction for us is Lindsay's brother and wife: Matthew and Denise, and their dog: Jackson.

Our weekend with Matthew and Denise was well-spent walking, cooking, playing cards, and routing for Virginia Tech's football team. A little Guitar Hero was thrown in for kicks as well. We see Matthew and Denise about once/year, so this extra visit was a special treat!

Big Tex / Big Family

2010-10-15T09:38:00.000-05:00

Oct 3, 2010

We were in Dallas to celebrate birthdays last week. My brother and mom both celebrated one. We flew in for Daniel's surprise party. He was actually surprised! We got to spend lots of good time with family cooking meals and catching up.

We went to the State Fair of Texas as part of my mom's birthday. It was Lindsay's first time at any state fair. She had her share of fried food, car exhibits, and Ferris Wheel riding, so it was a success. The view from the Star of Texas Ferris Wheel looking over Downtown Dallas is below.

The Sounds of Silence

2010-10-15T09:17:00.000-05:00

Sept 19, 2010

We spent time with Duke and Jan out west of Williamsburg. We met all the neighbors at the small church they attend, before sitting down to a healthy lunch.

After lunch, Duke took Lindsay, Jeb the brittany spaniel, and me out for a walk in the woods. When in woods in Virginia, two moods strike me: 1. I listen to how silent the trees are. It's positively peaceful. 2. I imagine Revolutionary War and Civil War soldiers marching over the slow rolling hills through the trees. I imagine what it would have been like to be in their shoes.

I picked cotton! My grandmother had been asking if we planned on adding picking cotton to our list of adventures. She remembers countless hours of picking on her family farm growing up. I thought it was a long-shot, but we found some cotton to harvest. Picking one tuft in slacks is different than harvesting all week, but it counts!

Richmond is Beautiful

2010-09-14T16:01:00.000-05:00

Sep 14, 2010

We spent time in Richmond the last two days, exploring that town as a possible place to settle. It's close to Lindsay's side of the family, which is important to us.

Aunt Janet put us up for the night, and showed us how lively and peaceful the town is. Colonial-style houses abound, and I hear there are even some Class 4 rapids nearby for kyaking!

Hoos there in Charlottesville?

2010-09-14T15:54:00.000-05:00

Sep 8, 2010

Lindsay's always wanted me to see Charlottesville, VA, so we visited there for a few days. I got to see her college town, and spent a lot of time admiring the work of Thomas Jefferson from several angles. His design of the University of Virginia lawn still stands today, and he's very highly regarded by the student population as well. I liked Monticello even more than UVA's campus. Jefferson boasted it was a place for the experimentation of all things, which mainly meant agricultural, mechanical things at that time. One of his relatives spoke of Jefferson going to many ends to create comfort, which I don't fault him for. The man wrote 19,000 letters during his life time, in addition to the wealth of other things he created. That's an average of almost one letter written a day for seventy years. I'll say a little comfort is called for.

We also hiked in the Blue Ridge Mountains a little. We met up with James from Ireland, who's 65 and has had a dream to travel across the U.S. by train over the next two weeks. He left his wife at home, who's more into playing bridge at home then traveling. He figures he might as well make a go of living out his dream while he has the time now!, Spending time with him felt just like a part of “The World's Fastest Indian”, one of my favorite movies. Jasper, a young talented Dutchman, joined us as well for a short hike in the Blue Ridge Mountains. They were beautiful. He's traveling down the eastern U.S. In his fast car, and definitely made the conversations more interesting.

Appendix 1:

Thomas Jefferson's Iphone. Jefferson used these ivory slips to record notes during the day (including detailed daily weather records daily for decades) then he had a process to back the notes up in a more permanent paper notebook before erasing the slip and starting over.

Appendix 2: Jefferson's recipe for Vanilla Ice Cream. Also, the typewritten version of the recipe. It sounds from the type that the ice cream came out a little hard when it was finished: "to withdraw it, immerse the mould in warm water, turning it well till it will come out & turn it into a plate."

Appendix 3:
Jefferson was a big fan of Sir Francis Bacon's organization of human knowledge. Jefferson's library collections in both the Library of Congress display in D.C. and at Monticello in Charlottesville are organized in this fashion. It's an interesting way to organize things. It certainly gives it street credibility that one of the country's most well read men found it useful. I may try it with my own books once they're back on a proper shelf:

2010-09-14T15:07:00.000-05:00

An Asia update:

We'd planned the third third of our year to be spent in China, possibly India, and perhaps the Philippines. I'd wanted to see China before its influence grew much further. Now, there are two major developments of note: a birth of a baby on Lindsay's side of the family that we'd like to attend, and my brother David's wedding that we're both in. David's marrying a rock-star in Amy, by the way...

We're postponing that last part of our trip now to attend to the business of rejoining regular life.

I'm starting a job search again. If you know of any good work for a dedicated worker doing programmer tech lead work in any number of technologies, especially involving data analysis, let me know and I'll send you a resume!

Home again, home again, jiggity, jig.

2010-09-10T20:34:00.000-05:00

Aug 30, 2010

We made it to Lindsay's parents house in Williamsburg for Labor Day. Everyone was there. Brad, Amy and Ashton are staying there for a time while their new house is fixed up, so there were seven of us at most meals. Matt and Denise came in for the holiday weekend as well, and we made a big time of it.. Home cooked meals were popular, as were naps. We slept in the same bed for nine days in a row – the first time we'd done that since June, and in June it was without air conditioning in Texas. We'd looked forward to this many a time on the long treks east across the nation. We were finally at our semi-final destination.

If George could see this place now...

2010-09-10T20:24:00.000-05:00

Aug 26, 2010

Lindsay and I picked up the pace again in Washington D.C. We were welcomed by the smell of fresh bread inside the empty house of our friend Molly's house. She came expectantly home from work, and whipped up a quick meal including fresh bread and a plum tart with rosemary crust! She pulled out all the stops for dinner, and we had a great meal.

We spent time at the Smithsonian in the Museum of American History. We watched a woman give a demonstration on how to stage a peaceful protest successfully. I read a lot about efforts to create an automated driving machine. Lindsay and I looked at Julia Child's kitchen, and admired the lightheartedness that burst from her presentation style.

We spent time with Joey and Grace at their new home. They took us out to see Annapolis and have some of the world's best crab cakes at a restaurant there.

We checked out a private home with elevator, just for fun.

Leslie let us go to church with her,then she took us to a tiny Latin American restaurant attached to the front of a motel. It was small, tasty, and quite friendly. We loved it.

Josh and Becca had us over, among a host of other activities they had going on, and we talked about new marriages, kids, and homes over thai food. It was one of our most fun conversations all year, and we hope to

do it again.

Appendix A:

We went by the rally titled "Restoring Honor" on Saturday as well. I listened to Glenn Beck speak briefly, while 10's of thousands of middle-class Americans from a wide range of states listened on. It was my first time to see a huge gathering on the National Mall – pictures below.

Appendix B:

Annapolis Ice Cream. Perhaps my favorite ice cream store in the entire world. It's a small, clean, creative, family run place in the middle of town. They whip up 55 flavors that are inventive, interesting, and very well made. If I ever open an ice cream store, it will be like this one...

Miss the beach? Try the Jersey Shores.

2010-09-10T20:07:00.001-05:00

Aug 25, 2010

Lindsay and I spent some relaxing time with our friends Brian and Piper in New Jersey. This was the second of my shaping experiences around Jersey.

The first was when I visited a beautiful section of a state park on the border of Jersey and Pennselvania. It was one of the most peaceful spots I think I've been in the world. I spent 2 hours hiking along a small trout stream along a soft, quiet ridge of the mountain.

This second experience was totally different. Brian was excited about taking us to the beach. We walked out on the peaceful beach, watching surfers try their hand at the waves along the jetty, while the sun set behind us. The water was not cold, and not warm, but just about right for a quick swim. I was impressed. Those guys showed us their new place and shared a good meal with us, while we got to spend some time with their kids, who are engaging, well mannered, and growing quickly. They're proud parents, and we can see why!

Brooklyn

2010-09-07T20:01:00.000-05:00

Aug 24, 2010

After New Paltz, we drove into Brooklyn to visit our friends Chris and Lee. Those guys have a busy, creative life there in the New York area. We spent some time at the Met, and saw the bamboo exhibit on the roof there. There was also some interesting art from India.

Lindsay and I spent good time in the kitchen with Chris and Lee. Lobster (yes, a homemade lobster dinner) and homemade pizza were a hit, as was the craft beer that Chris normally has on tap. This time they had a seltzer water (rosemary seltzer if I remember right) and a lavender beer that I really liked. We were in such a cooking mood, that once those guys took off for work, and we made some great French toast from a French baguette that was in the kitchen. The New York stereotype is one of eating out, so it's fantastic to spend time with them at home so much -- we loved it.

New Paltz and Mohonk

2010-09-07T19:25:00.001-05:00

Aug 21, 2010

We spent some great time with family in New Paltz. Faire, my mother in-law-in-law, welcomed us with a very comfortable room and fine meals. We were treated to a lively, rainy day at Mohonk, too. Faire worked there throughout the 1980's, where among other things, she planned murder mysteries that were offered popular Neiman Marcus fantasy gifts. She has fond memories of the retreat, and we were interested to see what it was like!

A Four Course Breakfast

2010-09-07T11:28:00.000-05:00

Aug 20, 2010
We were headed east when we stopped in North East, PA at a nice B&B we found called Grape Arbor. I thought the room looked nice, and was affordable, so we decided to stop there. When we went down to breakfast in the morning, the innkeeper let us know that they were serving a four course breakfast. I'd missed that on the website, and it was a welcome surprise. This crispy egg and ham dish was my favorite. We'd definitely recommend the bed and breakfast to anyone else!

Not windy, but we learned a lot!

2010-09-07T10:48:00.000-05:00

Aug 17, 2010

About three hours up the road from Indianapolis (and in the Central Standard Time Zone) is Chicago.

We stayed just south of the University of Chicago campus, spent two whole days at the Museum of Science and Industry. A good friend of ours was in town for business, so we met Amy for dinner our first night in town. Amy introduced us to Chicago's famous "Bean"...and to double-stuffed pizza. Yum!

The Museum of Science and Industry was something we enjoyed for hours. We'd gotten a room that was close enough to walk from, to get a good walk in the morning. Once inside, there was a live tornado there, a captured German U-Boat, a demonstration of how farmers use GPS to raise crop yields, and a display of how the understanding of the up an atom is evolving over time. There was a picture of the adventurous museum moving the U-Boat in from the beach of Lake Michigan on the wall near the bathrooms. You can see the train tracks they built across a busy road to move it inside one night! On the way home from the museums at night, we got to eat at places like http://www.zhmarketcafe.com/ or http://www.snailthai.com/.

Mark spent some time at the Robie House. It was strange how iconic the house itself is. It's credited with being the "House of the Century" in the United States, the best example of "Prarie Style", and the leading edge of the "open floor plan". It was only inhabited by an actual nuclear family for 16 years of its 100 year history, though. The original owners only lived there two years -- less time than many people live in an apartment. Despite the fact that it didn't have a family in it for much of its history, it is beautiful and interesting.

Indie

2010-08-19T09:36:00.000-05:00

We spent last weekend visiting Austin friends, Daniel and Amy near Indianapolis, IN. Daniel just finished his Ph. D., and so they've moved up there for his new job. Those guys are expecting a healthy new child in a few weeks, so we got to see Amy getting excited to stop being pushed and kicked from the inside :).

We had a great time grilling out with those guys, playing cards, and going to church with them. Their town of Zionsville has a lively downtown, and certainly seemed to be a fine place to live!

Badlands

2010-08-15T18:01:00.005-05:00

Aug 12, 2010

And that's what they are, more or less: bad lands.

Although, Lindsay did like the hike in the Badlands better than most hikes Mark and Lindsay have done so far. The hike was directly on the earth formations.

The combination of a windy, stormy night of camping,

hot weather during the day, and few hike options, we decided to move on from the Badlands after an hour of hiking in the morning.

Stone Heads

2010-08-15T16:12:00.004-05:00

Aug 11, 2010

From Cody, WY we headed East towards Sturgis, SD with hundreds of motorcyclists. Our plan was to visit Mount Rushmore and then camp in the Badlands National Park.

Mount Rushmore, a 60-ft carving of the Presidential heads of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln, was pretty impressive. We would recommend the information on the NPS website if you have a chance.

In 1924, historian, Doane Robinson, presented the idea of creating Mount Rushmore for the purpose of increasing tourism in South Dakota's Black Hills. Robinson convinced sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, to take on the project. Borglum was a well-known sculptor who had been commissioned to carve Stone Mountain in Georgia; however, he ended up leaving the Stone Mountain job unfinished because of disagreements over design and money.

Though Borglum was behind the design, the project involved the efforts of nearly 400 men and women using dynamite to carve 90% of the mountain:

"The workers had to endure conditions that varied from blazing hot to bitter cold and windy. Each day they climbed 700 stairs to the top of the mountain to punch-in on the time clock. Then 3/8 inch thick steel cables lowered them over the front of the 500 foot face of the mountain in a "bosun chair". Some of the workers admitted being uneasy with heights, but during the Depression, any job was a good job."

The Memorial's construction lasted from 1927 to 1941, during which time, not one fatality occurred.

Catch Up Day #2

2010-08-10T19:58:00.003-05:00

Aug 10, 2010

After so much activity, we definitely needed another catch-up/rest day. We camped in Cody, WY (about 60 miles East of Yellowstone) along a peaceful river outside the town center.

Staying in one place for two nights is certainly a gift!

Tomorrow, we head EAST(!) to South Dakota to join the over 6000 Harley riders at the annual Sturgis Biker Rally.

Well, we do expect to see many bikers, but our focus will be more on the National Monuments/Parks: Devil's Tower (WY), Mt. Rushmore (SD), and the Badlands (SD). Look for pictures soon!

Old Faithful

2010-08-10T19:33:00.006-05:00

Aug 8, 2010

Yes, the famous geyser that spews steaming water up to 100 feet in the air every 45 minutes to 1.5 hours and attracts 25,000 tourists DAILY!

We drove the 2 hours to nearby Yellowstone and were met by the sulfur aroma of the mud volcanoes, geyser pools, and hot springs (Mammoth springs shown below).

Of course, Yellowstone did not fail to impress with it's wide variety of wildlife and panoramic views.

We stayed in the nearly 100-year old Historic Madison Inn in West Yellowstone and slept well!

Grand Tetons

2010-08-10T18:47:00.010-05:00

Aug 5, 2010

We had another magnificent 9-hr drive from Glacier National Park (Northern Montana) to Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming).

We stayed one night at "The Hostel" right in Teton Village,

and woke up to hot air balloons out our window.

Heading into the park, the towering Tetons appeared before us,

challenging us to hike. We did hike, but failed to take pictures because, like Glacier, the rain presented itself every afternoon.

Glacier provided us with time to check in with the folks

4 relaxing days camping

(with a mule deer nearby)

on Lake Jackson.

Glacier National Park

2010-08-10T17:53:00.003-05:00

Aug 2, 2010

It hails a lot in Glacier, or it did while we where there. We tried a couple hikes and were thunder-stormed and hailed out of each.

It took us until the third day to finish an entire day hike.

The landscape and the climate are both harsh and fantastically beautiful. Pictures enclosed below.

We spent time with Jeremy, a Californian Israeli, and Pat, an Australian undergraduate. Jeremy has a long resume, and recently traded in a big corporate life for an academic life. Pat is traveling the US by Amtrak, on his way to study at Cornell. The four of us made up some lively conversation in the hail.

Yep, there was still snow on the ground!

Big Skies Montana

2010-08-10T17:24:00.001-05:00

July 31, 2010

We had a beautiful 9-hour drive today through Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana.

We finally reached our home (Brownies Hostel)

in Glacier National Park at 10 pm.

We are looking forward to waking up to daylight and to exploring this beautiful land in the Northern US.

Catch Up Day

2010-08-10T17:11:00.005-05:00

July 30, 2010

We were blessed to have a day to visit with friends in Portland who we had previously missed, and to have some time to catch up on email/blogging. We had met Jen and Alex on the farm in Wimberley, TX.

From the Southwest, each couple had gone separate ways, so it was wonderful to catch up on the last month of travel adventures in person. They welcomed us into their artsy Portland apartment

and we spent hours playing games and in discussion around the dinner table.

We said "hasta luego" (until later). Heading EAST(!), Lindsay's smile grew...

1980

2010-08-10T16:58:00.004-05:00

July 29, 2010

1980 is the year Lindsay was born, but is also the year Mount St. Helens volcano erupted violently, creating damage and chaos, while also expanding the information about eruptions available to scientists.

On the recommendation of our friends, Ashley and Gooch in Seattle, we decided to add in a visit to this monstrous explosive mountain.

A walk around, an observance of pictures, and a reading of survivor stories showed us volcanic power.

Mt St Helens on/before May 17, 1980:

Mt St Helens on/after May 18, 1980:

Tree blown over by the blast:

Trees scattered by the blast:

Seattle

2010-08-10T16:41:00.006-05:00

July 26, 2010

Lindsay and I started slowing down in Seattle. We'd been moving from place to place for several weeks straight, and our pace seemed to catch up with us.

First, we had a night full of good stories, spending time with Gooch and Ashley. They rolled out the red carpet for us in the form of salmon, Brussel sprouts, sweet corn, and copious dessert. We stayed up late trading our stories from traveling for their stories of adventures in remodeling.

After that, we slowed down some. We stayed in Seattle with Lindsay's friend Adrianna, in a house full of doctors in their residency. They were very friendly, and worked very hard at their new jobs, seemingly around the clock, while we slept in.

While we were not sleeping, we did lots of things we enjoyed. Adrianna and Heather (Lindsay's friends from study abroad)

were fine company while eating Cuban sandwiches at the beach.

We visited Bastyr University, went past Microsoft's expansive campus in Redmond.

We saw spawning salmon jumping upstream. We drank cups of coffee. Mark got a haircut. We spent time in the downtown library.

We visited the Boeing factory, which was impressive by several measures. Boeing owns the biggest building in the world, which they use to hold assembly lines of Boeing 767, 787, and 777 planes side by side while being built. The company also makes a case for (1) being a major factor our world getting smaller – moving people and goods around the world's airports so quickly, cheaply, and (2) having one of the most impressive supply chains in the world. I'm willing to concede both points quickly. The tour was well worth the time.

Seattle's downtown library was a highlight of the town for us. Very good, very new architecture can just be, simply, fun. Seattle recently spent money rebuilding or rejuvenating all of it's libraries simultaneously. The flagship is the new downtown library, architected by Rem Koolhaas. From the outside the it looks like a shifting stack of glass. From the inside it's amazing.

The library stacks are laid out in an ascending spiral. You can walk most of the stacks without touching stairs or an elevator – sort of like an adventure of knowledge, or sort of like learning is for those who seem to enjoy it. The fourth floor is a meeting area, and it's painted entirely fire-engine red, every square inch of it. The walls of the fourth floor seem to say, “Why not?”. The middle of the library is eight stories of empty space, with an eight story structural wall both helps hold up the spiral, and that stands on giant squares of carpet with grassland patterns on them. From the bottom, you feel like you're in an indoor forest of books. “Why not?”.

I spent time reading some of Benjamin Franklin's letters, while Lindsay walked up the spiral of bookcases from bottom to top. It was a perfect way to spend an afternoon.

Friends Far Afield

2010-07-30T20:16:00.004-05:00

July 23, 2010

We spent time in Bellingham, WA with TX friends, Ryan and Julie. We felt like we were in our own home, or one as hometown-relaxing as we could dream up, anyway. We talked to neighbors who maintain wildflower gardens for a living. We watched sea otters roll around in the tides. We went, with everyone else in the town it seemed, to sit on the grass in the town square and watch Casablanca, curled up in sleeping bags. We ate incredibly good ice cream. We talked about life while we played “Life” the board game (which Mark had never played before, incidentally). All in all, we'd say that we'd do it again in a heartbeat!

The Grind

2010-07-30T20:11:00.007-05:00

July 22, 2010

We did a challenging hike in Vancouver. The Grouse Grind, as or “The Grind”, as it was called by the disc jockey on the radio, is a Vancouver staple. It's a 1.5 mile hike, straight up, to the top of Grouse Mountain.

Lindsay and I hiked straight up it, and straight down it. I was proud to make it to the top in 60 minutes. The Grind is an interesting way to see the city. At the top, there's a perfect view of the city, and the wide expanses of water that surround the city on each side.

On the way up, though, there's a fairly even mix of intense exercise buffs in spandex, locals who bring their friends from out of town, and tourists.

While we were there, we stayed in the biggest hostel we've been to, with around 200 spots for travelers. HI Jericho Beach was a big enterprise.

The nice part, it was right by the beach and the water. The last night we were there, the city was beginning an international fireworks “competition” downtown. Fireworks teams from the US, Canada, France, and China were putting on weekly shows. We'd missed fireworks on the 4^th of July because we'd been camping in a national forest. Almost exactly one month later, we ended up listening to swing music and seeing a huge fireworks show over Vancouver, synchronized to the swing music and just a 5 minute walk from our hostel. We loved it.

A bit of trivia: One of our main aims was to see downtown, see the harbor, and see Stanley Park. We ended up having to pay $29 for a single day of parking – the most either of us had ever paid.

And finally, a building Mark liked. The soil and the grass create fine insulation, and look beautiful. A leak in the roof could create a bit of work, though :).

Back to Austin

2010-07-30T19:36:00.008-05:00

July 19, 2010

Well, not really, but Porltand certainly felt like Austin! The two major differences were the weather (it's at least 20 degrees cooler in Portland), and the lack of smiling faces of friends to greet us. We know three folks who live in Portland, but they all happened to be out of town during our two-day visit. So, we stayed in Portland's Hawthorne hostel.

This old "green" house welcomed us warmly Sunday evening (July 18th). When we say "green", we mean it literally...the roof has plants growing on it (to moderate the temperature within and to aid in the collection of rainwater, which they use for the toilets within!).

During our short time in Portland, we spend several hours in the famous city block-sized bookstore: Powell's bookstore.

From their website, here are a few facts about the bookstore:

• 68,000 square feet packed with books.

• We buy 3,000 used books over the counter every day.

• Approximately 3,000 people walk in and buy something every day.

• Another 3,000 people just browse and drink coffee.

Crazy, eh??

After having lunch at the wide variety of street vendors in downtown Portland ($5 for a whole tub of mango coconut chicken curry!), we headed to the Rose Garden, which is home to an international test garden (testing site for new varieties of roses). Wandering through the garden, you will see all colors and smell varying scents. With the sun setting, and the city below as a backdrop, photographers take advantage of the perfect lighting while locals perused the various types of roses.

After a relaxing stroll, we headed to Laurelwood Public House for dinner, where Mark discovered one of his favorite brews: Space Stout. From the website: "Space Stout is dominated by rich coffee and chocolate malt flavors. Nearly opaque, his is a creamy full-bodied ale. Our stout finishes dry and roasty." It won a gold medal in the 2004 World Beer Cup, and was an excellent finish to our day.

The next morning, we headed to the Columbia River Gorge, just east of Portland. The 80-mile stretch forms the border between Oregon and Washington. History says that glacial floods carved the 1200-mile Columbian River. On either side, cliffs rise as high as 4000 feet. Along the way are breath-taking waterfalls, pouring into the river. Oregon's beauty gave us a nice farewell, as we headed north.

Technology: -2

2010-07-30T19:09:00.003-05:00

The story of the lost laptops is not as dramatic as it could be to justify losing technological instruments. None-the-less, here it is:

Mark and Lindsay were sharing a campsite with newly-met friends. One afternoon, while packing the car for a trip to the library, Lindsay placed the laptop bag next to her new friend's SUV and informed her of its position. Conversation with this new friend was quite engaging, and continued, as the sun heated up the campsite. Prior to departure in the SUV, Lindsay requested to move her car into the shade so that it didn't get too hot during the outing. (Temperatures in the park reached the 100's during the day.) Her friend offered to move the SUV so Lindsay had more room for her car. Lindsay pulled her car up, and watched as her friend reversed, bumping extensively. Lindsay thought: "Gosh, I hope her nice offer didn't result in her driving into a ditch." Shortly after, Lindsay's friend walked over to her, carrying the laptop bag, which had a few extra tire marks.

Mark's laptop held up relatively well, considering. It turns on, but the screen is destroyed. Lindsay's laptop, on the other hand, is kaput. Fortunately, we found a temporary replacement in the form of an Acer notebook. With Taiwan doing 70% of its manufacturing, Acer keeps their prices low, which suited us perfectly.

Now, we're on to Portland!

Lindsay's Favorite Stop

2010-07-30T13:21:00.004-05:00

We said farewell to our cushy bed and headed up California Route 1: a winding road up the coast. It was beautiful, and although we snapped pictures, the crisp humid air and chilly breeze simply could not be caught on film.

Along the way, we stopped at a road-side BBQ tent for a sandwich for Mark, which he nicely shared with Lindsay. The juicy meat ran down the sandwich (and our arms), dripping onto the paper wrapper. The crisp bread was crunchy on top, having been brushed with water before placed in the oven - an interesting idea, with a tasty result. The sandwich was an unexpected, delightful treat.

The Redwoods National Forest was a planned stopped, but it's experiencing its intense magnificence was not planned or expected. Walking through the Lady Bird Johnson Grove (just north of Orick, CA), we felt like dwarfs beneath the towering trees. These Coastal Redwoods were narrower and taller than their family-members, the Sequoiadendron giganteum (Giant Sequoias) that we had enjoyed in Southern Yosemite, and appeared to climb higher than any other tree we had seen. Giant Sequoias are the largest trees in terms of mass in the world, and Coastal Redwoods are one of the tallest.

Our last stop before departing California was Fern Canyon. The link provided describes it as "a narrow canyon where the walls are completely covered by luxuriant ferns. and mosses and are dripping with moisture," which is pretty accurate. The Lost World: Jurassic Park was filmed there. For Star Wars fans, it is rumored that part of the Ewok village was also filmed there. At any moment, we anticipated seeing a dinosaur turn the corner, or Luke Skywalker go flying by.

Moving north...but before we do, the laptop story is up next...

Wine Country

2010-07-30T12:48:00.003-05:00

Heading towards the Pacific Northwest, we stopped in the San Francisco area and enjoyed an authentic, delicious lunch at Vik's, a recommended Indian restaurant in Berkeley. In a cafeteria setting, surrounded by Indian folks, and listening to music in Hindi, Mark felt like he was back in India.

After lunch, we walked around the UC Berkeley campus where we read a few international newspapers that they had displayed outside the Student Center. It was fascinating to see what was happening in the world on Friday, July 16th.

In the afternoon, we headed to the Wine Country Inn, a precious bed and breakfast in Somona County (Napa Valley-wine country). As a generous gift, we had received a night stay there, and the wine-tasting and appetizers welcomed us warmly! We were so relaxed, we forgot to take any pictures, but you can get a feel for the place by clicking on the "Wine Country Inn" link above.

Half Dome

2010-07-26T21:15:00.005-05:00

If you saw the title ("Half Dome") of this blog entry and did not know to what we were referring, let us introduce you to magnificent Yosemite Valley.

Yosemite National Park is complete with waterfalls,

the Giant Sequoias,

and beautiful hikes.

Mark's folks had flown out for a vacation in California and met us in Yosemite for 4 relaxing days. We rented a cabin in the woods

and hiked each day. Mark's mom's favorite end-of-the-hike activity was a stop at a nearby stream to soak our tired feet. It was bliss!

After saying farewell to Mark's folks, we headed out to the backcountry in Yosemite to camp in solitude for 4 days.

Alive in Death Valley

2010-07-26T21:10:00.003-05:00

California is amazing because in a mere 80-mile stretch are the lowest (Death Valley) and highest (Mount Whitney) points in the continental U.S. We were blessed to see both from the road.

We reached a negative 41-foot altitude as we crossed Death Valley. Then we climbed to around 4ooo feet and observed the 14, 505 foot-peak of Mount Whitney. Incredible!

We found a National Forest land campsite, which was free. The downside was the fact that we failed to noticed the stagnant pool about 10 feet away. Needless-to-say, the mosquitoes were numerous and persistent; however, we learned new ways to avoid them and dive into our tent before they had too much time to follow.

The Quietest 4th of July

2010-07-26T20:49:00.008-05:00

After adventures in Zion, we headed to Bryce Canyon National Park to camp in a nearby National Forest and rest for a view days. Our first morning was the 4th of July and was the most silent 4th of July each of us had ever experienced. Though, we greatly appreciated the rest time!

Bryce Canyon with all of the Hoodoos, was amazing!

No, Lindsay! Don't push it!

After a few days, relaxing, followed by hiking, we headed to Nevada

for a quick stop at the Hoover Dam,

Then, it was off to Las Vegas, where we cleaned up and enjoyed an evening out.

Where Are We Now?

2010-07-18T12:15:00.002-05:00

We suppose you have been wondering this...We have so many fun adventures about which to blog, but we had a bit of a snafu with our laptops...they got run over. We'll divulge the story another time, but for now, we simply wanted to let everyone know that we are visiting the Redwoods National Forest today (Sunday), then head north. Over the next two weeks, we are off to Portland, Vancouver (BC), Bellingham, and Seattle. Then it's off to Glacier and Yellowstone! We'll update with pictures and stories as soon as possible. Hasta pronto!

Zion (in Utah)

2010-07-02T18:34:00.005-05:00

Zion National Park is so breath-taking, we thought it deserved a post of its own. We headed into Utah, knowing that the Zion Canyon and a short back-country trip awaited us.

After securing our back-country pass, we headed into the Canyon to hike two trails:
Angels Landing (pictures to come) - involved hiking a very narrow rim to the summit
Emerald Pools (pictures to come)

The next day, we were off with newly-met friends (Bob and Dawn) to hike into the back-country. We chose to hike The Narrows from the top (a 2-day trip). We had reserved campsites a 1/2 mile apart (#5 & #8), so each couple slept to the sound of a rushing river, chilly canyon weather, and solitude.

Day #1 was wet to our waists. Day #2 involved swimming with our packs on. As the tallest in the group, Mark often went first to test the depths, and in several cases, simply decided to float his pack as he waded through the water.

After two very long days, energized by Mountain House meals and peanut butter & jelly, Lindsay started to think she was smelling chocolate. To her, the red and green pebbles beneath the water began to look like tiny M&Ms. So, after a celebratory dinner out, we ended our day with a piece of rich, chocolate cake. Yum!

We cannot wait to share pictures because the trip was wet, narrow, and thrilling! For now, please click on The Narrows for Zion National Park pictures of The Narrows.

On Friday (July 2), Mark went rappelling with Bob, while Dawn and I rested. It was a great day for all of us!

Saturday (July 3), we depart Zion so that we may explore several of Utah's many fine parks (Bryce Canyon, Capital Reef, Arches, etc.), then it's off for a night in Las Vegas. Stay tuned!

Grand Things in Arizona

2010-07-02T18:20:00.003-05:00

After our NM stops, we headed to Mesa, Arizona where we visited with Mark's Uncle Harold. Uncle Harold welcomed us graciously into his home. We shared conversation and learned that we had quite a lot in common with this fit great uncle, from healthful eating habits to staying physically fit (although Uncle Harold has us beat right now because he lifts weights regularly, including dips!). Mark assisted Uncle Harold with several computer questions he had, and Uncle Harold shared stories about his life in Arizona. We were fascinated to learn about his being a vegetarian for over 50 years, his time as a Marine, his work in construction, his life as a father, among many more topics. Needless-to-say, we were reluctant to leave, but the Grand Canyon awaited, and we headed on.

We camped for two nights at the South Rim, which we enjoyed. We hiked the Hermit Trail and the South Kaibab Trail.

Our favorite, though, was the North Rim, where we had booked a short 1-night stay. Lindsay's favorite hike became the North Kaibab Trail. Pictures to come!

We headed to Lake Powell (on the Arizona-Utah border) for one night because we had booked a flight lesson to get a bird's eye view of this unbelievable landscape. On Monday morning, Lindsay was back in the left seat of a Cessna 172. Our flight instructor (Dan) from American Aviation was kind enough to take pictures, so Lindsay could fly the whole time. Pictures to come...

Roadtrip, Off to NM

2010-07-02T18:06:00.004-05:00

We have finally headed out on the U.S. portion of our travels. First stop: Carlsbad, NM where we hiked into the immense caverns.

Then, it was off to White Sands, NM, with an overnight camping trip in the National Forest around chilly 8000' Cloudcroft, NM. It was an amazingly beautiful spot, complete with serenity. Of course, the wildlife (coyotes) made themselves known with a few howls in the middle of the night, making us feel a part of nature!

Our morning visit to White Sands was a take-your-breath-away experience. The white sand with the mountain backdrop was surreal.

We have not been able to upload pictures, or get on internet very frequently, so please click on the links above to see pictures of these amazing creations.

Back to the US

2010-05-20T12:24:00.006-05:00

Back to the US! (We were excited.)

We returned to the US a bit earlier than anticipated to attend Mark's brother's graduation from Texas A&M (whoop!). It was a joy to visit with family, celebrate, enjoy American cuisine, and sleep well. Our first meal back (famous pork loin recipe from Aunt Cherie, sweet potatoes, salad with fruit, and steamed broccoli):

Then, we headed to Virginia to spend some time at the beach with our Virginia family. Building sand castles with our little nephew, Ashton:

After the beach, we spent a day at Busch Gardens, where Lindsay went almost every summer when she was in high school. Ashton got to meet Grover:

And Mark and Lindsay got to ride some rides:

Thank you to all of our family who welcomed us back warmly.

Volcan Poas

2010-05-20T12:20:00.005-05:00

Continuing with our volcano theme, we decided to make one last trip to a volcano before returning to the US. We headed to Alajuela, and visited nearby Poas Volcano. Normally, we read up on the sites we visit, but this time, we failed to review the write-up, and the note that said, "Dress warmly, because the area around Volcan Poas can be quite windy and wet, and can drop to freezing temperatures at night. Oops! We thoroughly enjoyed the sites, but were rather chilly in the venture. Hope you enjoy the pics!

Information about the various areas of the main crater:

Main crater, with sulfur smoke billowing out; old crater that is now filled with a lake (two bottom pictures):

White-water Rafting

2010-05-11T11:15:00.005-05:00

Costa Rica is known for some of the best white water rafting in the Americas, and Turrialba is a main hub. Thus, we took a day after the wedding to take advantage of our location and experience white water in Costa Rica. Enjoy the pics!

Go teams!

Hold on tight!

Where did Mark´s body go?
Way to paddle Mark!
And, we´re pulling out:

Lunch break:

Amazing view of the gorge we floated through:
Where did the boat go?

Flotation and a great guide are wonderful things:

We made it! Go teams!

I Do

2010-05-11T10:31:00.010-05:00

When we worked at the first farm, we blogged (title: "Minus One") about having met a few locals, one of which Lindsay worked with regularly: Raquel. In April, Raquel invited us to her Saturday church, and we attended. We were welcomed warmly by her family and had the opportunity to meet Raquel´s fiance. They invited us to their wedding in May, but we did not think we would be able to return for it. God had other plans. Our schedule worked out that we had to pass through Turrialba on the way to Alajuela for our flight this week, and we were able to visit the Jimenez family once more and celebrate with them at the wedding!

Soccer game day before the wedding:

We stayed at Raquel and David´s house, built by Raquel´s dad. (when we first visited it in April, it had only the framework complete):

Now, it was furnished! Main room downstairs:

ONTO THE WEDDING ON SUNDAY!

The reception hall, waiting to be filled with smiling guests:

The cake:

Everyone waiting outside, expectantly:

David, with his parents, about to enter the church:

Raquel and her father:

The beautiful bride, Raquel:

The service (Raquel´s dad is the pastor, so he performed the service.):

The overflow of folks looking in from outside the church:

The exchanging of the Bibles: (Raquel explained to me that in their tradition, they exchange Bibles, instead of rings.)

The kiss!

The (TWO!) happy NEWlywed couple(s):

For lunch, we had mixed rice with chicken and veggies, salad, and juice or soda. (no pic)

The cutting of the cake:

The opening of the gifts:

Animal House

2010-05-11T10:03:00.007-05:00

After a relaxing few days celebrating our anniversary in Punta Uva, we reunited with our German friend, Markus, in Puerto Viejo. The hostel (Rocking J´s) was huge...and a little like Animal House, having a party atmostphere. Complete with a "hammock hotel" and "rent-a-tent" area, more people slept in hammocks and tents than in actual beds. We selected to sleep in beds, and though the accommodations were very basic, we enjoyed the direct beach access, hammocks, and artsy surroundings. Pictures below.

Entrance:

Communal area:

More hang-out/communal areas:

A main shared shower/toilet area:

Shared shower:

Shared toilet:
Part of the hammock hotel, with lockers in the rear:

Shared hammocks, with ocean breeze blowing through:

Walkway to the beach:

The beach:

Path to the center of Puerto Viejo:

On to the Caribbean Coast

2010-05-03T12:25:00.003-05:00

Today, we head to a little beach (Punta Uva) just south of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, where we will celebrate our 1st anniversary. We cannot believe a year has passed since our wedding, and we are looking forward to a few days of relaxation on white sand beaches.

We rented an "eco-friendly" house that was up on a hill, overlooking the jungle and beach. Needless-to-say, we felt rejuvenated afterwards. Pictures below.

View from the deck of the house:

Mark relaxing on the deck:

Lindsay relaxing on the deck:

The beach:

View of Mark on the beach from the ocean:

La Playa en el Pacifico

2010-05-03T12:23:00.002-05:00

We spent 2 days at the beach near Manuel Antonio (on the Pacific side of Costa Rica) after our first full week on the farm. It was our first beach experience since we began our travels and it was a relaxing time. Will post pictures in the next two weeks.

Our Time at Villas Mastatal

2010-05-03T12:12:00.012-05:00

Aside from practicing our Spanish with the lovely owners (Javier and Raquel), talking with the dogs, pigs,

geese,

turkey,

and cows, and avoiding the large grasshopper like insects,

we have engaged in various projects on the farm. We have milked Lucrecia (the vaca),

Lucrecia gives almost 3 liters of milk every day!!

mixed manure to create a more nutritious environment for plants, cleaned the pig pen

to help foster the biodigestor (as the poop decomposes, it creates a gas with which you can cook!),

planted pineapple tops, (peeling back to expose the roots)

(digging and planting the top right into the ground)

harvested bananas, re-planted banana trees (that had fallen),

cleared and planted a field with corn (maiz), planted orange and guayabana trees, cut bamboo,

cleared and created terrazas for planting chayote,

harvested and replanted yucca roots, cleaned the yucca to make yucca cakes,

cleared a garden and planted mustard and cucumbers,

and built a bus stop for Villas Mastatal complete with a green roof (plants on the roof tend to moderate the temperatures below the roof - its a permaculture idea).

To keep us energized, Raquel has made amazing food from delicious gallo pinto (rice and beans mixed) to arroz con leche. Other food: mustard greens with fresh farm eggs, empanadas, salads, platanos, yucca cakes, pancakes (for breakfast), ...the list goes on... (but we did NOT starve).

Beans and rice are a staple for almost every meal, and we helped to pick the rocks out of this huge bag. The orange bag lasts the family for about 6 months! They planted them in Sept-Oct, harvested in Jan, and dried them until April, when we arrived to eat them!

Rice and beans, meat skewers, and delicious yucca cakes:

We had pineapples coming out of our ears: Can you find the pineapples in these pineapple plants?

Here they are:

Yum!

All this food has to go somewhere, so we greatly enjoyed contributing to compost via the compost toilet, with an amazing view:

In the afternoons, we have rested on the hammocks (hamacas) with or without precious Miguel the dog,

read, played games,

hiked, and told stories. It has been a wonderful two weeks!

Plus One

2010-04-19T15:30:00.007-05:00

We have found a farm that we love! Villas Mastatal is Costa Rican-owned and is located about 3 hours from San Jose, in a little town called Mastatal.

The owners, Javier and Raquel (and Raquel's parents: Mario and Lucia) have welcomed us like family.

We are thrilled to be here, work hard, practice Spanish, and learn more about the Costa Rican culture. Today, we made a cilantro garden,

shoveled manure, planted pineapples, and harvested bananas.

The week has started off well!

Where we are sleeping...the volunteer house:

View from the inside:

Our bed:

The view from our bed!

¡Eruptions!

2010-04-19T15:19:00.004-05:00

From Monteverde, we headed to La Fortuna to hike to Costa Rica's most active volcano: Arenal Volcano. (I know, we seem to be attracted to areas with volcanos...)

We first cooled off in the locals' swimming hole, which was complete with a long rope swing. Refreshing and fun!

Towards evening, we took a volcano tour and hiked to a look-out point. There, we watched the volcanic rock pour from the cone and roll down the mountain, leaving burning red deposits in it's path. As it became evening, the bright red color of the burning rock became much more distinctive.

We then headed to a natural hot spring where we sipped a rum and coke and soaked along our fellow hikers. It was another exciting day!

Reserva Monteverde

2010-04-19T15:09:00.004-05:00

The day after our zip-lining adventure, we visited the Monteverde Reserve, and hiked up to the Continental Divide. From there (on a clear day), you can see the Caribbean and Pacific Oceans on either side of the point. The wildlife within the reserve is stunning. The best part was walking through, listening to the sounds of animals flying and scrambling through the forest.

Peaceful!

Flying Through the Costa Rican Jungle

2010-04-14T19:06:00.007-05:00

On we moved to Monteverde, a Costa Rican cloud forrest, and immediately made a reservation with a local zip-lining tour company. You fly through the Costa Rican rainforest on 14 zip lines through the jungle. We do have video, which we'll upload upon our return to the US. Needless-to-say, it was a thrilling adventure and we hope you'll be able to live a bit of us through these pictures.

Breakfast beforehand at the hostel:
Zip-lining!

After our pulses had slowed and we returned to our social hostel, enjoyed lunch, then headed to a local coffee shop to learn about the coffee roasting process.
The roasted coffee being released for cooling:

Minus One

2010-04-14T17:34:00.014-05:00

A close friend of Mark's said that we shouldn't write about only the positive because what travel adventure is solely positive? All travel involves "bumps in the road". Well, here is our latest "bump", complete with a happy ending.

We arrived at Finca Quijote de Esperanza outside of Turrialba, Costa Rica two weeks ago and not long after our arrival, our experience turned negative. We decided to leave earlier than we had planned. Departing a volunteer commitment is a first for us because having volunteered many places, we are used to differences in personalities; however, the emotional environment at the farm was more unhealthy than we considered reasonable. As you can see below, the work, the accommodations, and the food were agreeable, but they did not outweigh the attitudes of the farm owners, resulting in our decision to move on.

Highlights from the farm are as follows. Enjoy!

Our cute room in the volunteer house:
Using a compost toilet. We do our business in the bucket (within a box, which has a toilet seat on top). Then, we throw the toilet paper in, and cover our business with a scoop of saw dust. When the bucket becomes full, it is taken outside, covered, and left to ferment, before it is thrown with other composting materials for use as fertilizer. It does not smell. In fact, the weirdest thing about it is that you don't have anything to flush. So the whole process is quiet, with background sounds of flowing river water and birds singing.
Delicious left-overs for breakfast:
Mark in the woodshop, using a router for the first time, sawing, contructing a bunk bed for which he had drawn the plans!

Chatting with the Tico neighbors.
Lindsay working with sweet Raquel in the nursery, speaking Spanish and learning about life in the Costa Rica countryside. Mark, Lindsay, Raquel, and her little sister:
Our fellow volunteer (Markus) from Germany who loved chewing on sugarcane!
Visiting Raquel's church in her home town of Jimenez. We were toured around the small town, invited for lunch and afternoon coffee (in people's homes!), and were treated seriously like their family. They did not know our complete belief system or history, but sincerely expressed Christ's love to us.
Meeting Raquel's finance, David, and learning about their wedding plans, hearing about their meeting story, and seeing the 2-story (rare!) house that Raquel's father is building for them with his bare hands.
We were invited to play soccer with everyone on Sunday, but it rained hard all day. Instead, we fed the baby cows!
Mark and I learned about the process of putting shoes on horses, then Mark and I (alone!) moved the herd one field to another.

(Soon after the above picture was taken, Mark lengthened his stir-ups so they would be the proper length.)

Going with the Tico neighbors to Turrialba and having to disembark the bus to cross the shaky bridge. Everyone was happily compliant, as it was a normal occurrence for them.
Mark witnessed the birth of puppies to one of the dogs, Girafa ("Giraffe") or Girlfriend (she has two names). Mark got a towel for her to keep her and her new puppies warm. Also, as Girafa was giving birth to each additional puppy, other newly-born puppies were crawling around (they are blind upon birth), so Mark helped them to Girafa's belly so they could stay warm and eat. (No pics)

We are sorry we had to leave this farm early, but as you can see we did not waste any time moving on, as the entry above shows!

Screens

2010-03-30T08:49:00.001-05:00

There's no glass on the windows, but screens everywhere, to keep the bugs out. We're safely on the farm. It's green and lush all around (of course) and the weather is perfect here. It rained hard last night for about 5 minutes, like it does most days. There's a sizable river 200m away -- we had the sound of water to fall asleep to last night. Phil and Ginnee are great, and we think we're going to like it here a lot!

Today is exactly like the first day (first two weeks?) on a new job. The regulars are not sure what you're good at yet, and you're not sure what the plan is yet, so everyone seems to make things up.

Pura Vida

2010-03-28T23:06:00.003-05:00

Pura Vida (pure life, good day, cool, etc.) is a commonly used expression in Costa Rica.

We have arrived safely in Costa Rica and head to Turrialba and the farm tomorrow. We look forward to sharing details about the farm as soon as possible. For now, you can read about it here.

Pisco Sours

2010-03-27T15:12:00.001-05:00

Last night we met up with our friends Luis and Ximena from Austin for dinner and drinks. They are here in Lima at the same time for a wedding and to visit family. They made great hosts, and we had a fine time out with them.

I really liked the bar we went to -- a converted enormous old house with huge rooms and 20' ceilings filled with people, noise, and huge, simple art on the walls.

Tired legs, smiles

2010-03-27T15:00:00.001-05:00

We're back from our trek! Lindsay and I went hiking to Choquequirao this week -- a 4 day demanding hike. The city is high up in the Andes over the Apurímac River, a river that's 3,000m below the surrounding peaks at times -- twice as deep as the Grand Canyon in the US. The city hasn't been excavated for long, and is 30% uncovered to date. The tour was interesting, because lots of questions about origins and uses of the buidings in the city were answered with "we really don't know....".

We had a memorable time, and got a workout in the process.

Editorial note: The day before the hike, I got a little sick. I'm fine now, but it worried us for a couple hours. Let's just say I lost my lunch violently. I spent that evening in a local clinic having simple tests done to see what I had. The doctor said I didn't have anything crazy, just a significant bacterial problem, probably from food. He put me on antibiotics to fix things up. Lindsay and I realized later that it was probably a tomato I ate for breakfast that I failed to wash well enough. I'm fine. On to the hike.

Day 1:
Up at 4AM for a 4 hour drive, then a 15 mile hike, with about 1,500' of elevation change, first down to the river, and then back up again.

Day 2:
Up at 6, for a short 3.5 hour hike into the ruins themselves. We explored the upper ruins before lunch. The ruins are large and well thought out, with sweeping views of the mountains from every perspective.

After lunch we explored the agricultural terraces below -- about a 45 minute hike down switchbacks from the ruins above.

Day 3:
We headed home. We were up early, and hiked about 15 miles back. First flat, then down a long way, then up a long way, then flat again to camp.

Day 4:
It rained all night the night before. We slept well, though. The night before, we were in a bit of a makeshift campsite on the side of the trail. There were cows and mules walking past our tent all evening. The mosquitos (which bite HARD by the way, and leave a mark on you for 5 days afterwards) were persistant. Once we built a tiny fire, the mosquitos and the cows stayed a little farther away.

The views the night before had been incredible, but it also rained from about 2AM all the way through day 4. We had been camped at the bottom of a steep slope. We woke up in the morning with wet beds from all the runoff coming down the slope, under our tents, and into our backs. It wasn't totally comfortable, but not bad, either.

The hike the last day was simple enough -- just 2.5 hours back into town.

Good-bye Ecuador, Hello Peru

2010-03-18T17:54:00.004-05:00

We wrapped up things yesterday in Quito (Ecuador´s capital city) and early this morning, we said farewell (for now) to Ecuador as we departed for Peru.

We are currently staying at an airport hostel

for a brief stay in Lima before departing for Cusco early tomorrow morning (5:45 AM!) for our hike amid the mountains. (view from our hostal - Hospedaje Inka)

As you may have heard, Machu Picchu is closed due to terrible flooding in January, so we will no longer hike the infamous Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Instead, we will do an alternate hike in the area. Starting Monday (to Friday) of next week, we will not have access to internet or phones. We look forward to sharing our hiking adventures with you when we next have access to internet!

Papallacta and Thermal Pools

2010-03-17T18:26:00.003-05:00

From the humid, hot jungle, we headed to the cool mountainous Papallacta, where you can enjoy over 30 thermal pools, all different temperatures. The chilly air, view of the surrounding mountains and volcano, and rising steam as night falls adds a nice romantic touch too. This environment is similar to what we expect we will enjoy in the jungle thermal pools in Costa Rica for our one-year anniversary in May. The benefit of Ecuador, though, is that here, the entrance fee is only $7/person (Costa Rica runs $20-$45/person). We relaxed, met new friends from various countries (Columbia, France, Ecuador, US), and watched the night fall and the hot steam rise over the pools. An excellent way to say farewell to Ecuador!

Until we are able to post pictures, you can see pictures here.

Monos (Monkeys)

2010-03-17T17:04:00.008-05:00

After departing Baños, we decided to go to Misahaullí, which is further into the Amazon than a larger, nearby city (Tena). In Misahuallí, monkeys live alongside humans in the town square. Check out these amazing pics of the town and the monkeys. Also, below are videos of the monkeys in action!
Our hostel room:
View out onto el Río Napo from our hostel room:Looking out from Misahuallí as the two rivers (Río Latas y Río Napo) come together at the Misahuallí point:

View up el Río Latas:

A mural in the town that depicts the rivers, the folks in canoes, and the monkeys:

Monkey walking across one of the electrical wires. (reminds us of squirrels)

Monkeys communicating in tree, with a baby on one of their backs!

This particular monkey (female) had a crush on a dog (male), and she is watching the dog here.

She is still watching the dog, and pays no attention to the fact that Mark is sitting there. (See the monkey at Mark´s feet.)

Still watching the dog...we could get SO close to her. She was mesmerized by the dog!

While in Misahaullí, we learned that the humans share a home with monkeys! When we return to the US, we will upload a video of the monkeys trying to drink a soda.

Another video to be uploaded is of a monkey trying to get into our huge jug of water. Intelligent monkeys!

La Selva (Jungle)

2010-03-17T14:42:00.002-05:00

Into the jungle we went with a guide and...tubes. ... What? Tubes? Yes! We tubed down the Napo River in the Amazon, just like we do in New Braunfels, TX. We also learned much about the various plants in the jungle. (Uploading pics upon our return to the US.)

Biking and Hiking in Baños

2010-03-14T10:32:00.009-05:00

As many of you know, we love to bike and hike, and Baños was the perfect city to enjoy both of these passtimes.

We biked the ``Ruta de las Cascadas´´, which took us to several of the well-known waterfalls in the area.
Off the right side, we had a view of el Manto de la Novia waterfalls:
Then, we stopped for a ride on the tarabita (cable car):

View down the valley from the cable car:
Next stop: La cascada ``El Pailón del Diablo´´
Hiking down, there were several signs about taking care of nature:
(English: ``God loves you. Look for Him in nature.´´)
We loved the solitude of the trail!
Right before reaching the waterfall, the sign said the following:
(English: ``Are you prepared for a surprise?? God exists!!!´´)
Then, we heard the roar of the waterfall, and crossed the bridge to get a better look:We then crawled up this passageway and up these stairs to reach the back of the waterfall.
It is difficult to capture the power of this waterfall with still pictures, so we took several videos, which we will have to upload another time.
Next up: LUNCH!
In Ecuador, you can typically find set lunches (almuerzos) for about $2. This day, we enjoyed a soup, followed by a full plate of rice, potatoes, meat, and salad. Topped off with a small glass of cola.
Energized, we rode to La Cascada del Machay:
You can swim up to the smaller of the two waterfalls, but we had not brought our bathing suits, and still needed to ride back to Baños. Mark decided to quitar sus zapatos and climb the rocks a bit.
On the way back, we caught a ride in one of the trucks meant for picking up cyclists on the route and shared the ride with about 10 other people. Crammed into the back of a truck with our bikes, we shared stories with about 10 folks from Norway, Germany, the US, Argentina, and Ecuador. It was one of our favorite memories.

About our HIKES...

We have completed several long hikes around Baños and one of our favorites was hiking to La Casa del Arbol (the ``treehouse´´ you see below), which has an amazing view of Volcano Turaguahua.
Above is a picture of us with a muy amable family we met there. They ended up giving us a ride down from the mountain back to Baños since they were heading that way. We hit it off really well with all the members and plan to stay in touch.

Off the tree house is a long swing that swings out over the cliff. I would not recommend it if you are scared of heights. For those who want a great view and the feeling of flying, it is a definite must!

Another hike we enjoyed was to the mountain that faces the volcano. It is considered the ``Hike to the
Antennas.´´ Right before beginning the hike, we saw this huge gorge into which folks were zip-lining. If you look carefully in the picture, you can see a tiny person flying toward the rock. It was amazing, but we have plans to do it in Costa Rica, so we bypassed this opportunity.

After starting up the mountain, it started to rain, so we took a break here and enjoyed nutritious oreos:
Of course, all the rain was worth the view from the top!

A Difference Between Mark and Lindsay

2010-03-14T10:18:00.004-05:00

I (Lindsay) am not going to generalize and say that this is an inherent difference between men and women, but I will say it is a difference between Mark and me.
Mark´s philosophy: When there is not an obvious way across a stream, build one!
Lindsay´s philosophy: When there is not an obvious way across a stream, search for one in another location.

I will admit...Mark´s philosophy can be more fun at times.

THE STORY
Several times, we have crossed this ``stream.´´ We have had several days of rain, though, and so the stream became more full and harder to cross. We crossed it one way to work on the WWOOF farm, and to visit the thermal baths, but when we returned to cross back to our hostal, there was no longer a clear walkway. I suggested that we look for another way up the stream, but Mark decided to create one. I realized I married an engineer, and a great one he is, because we made it across the Mark-made stone bridge with no problems.

Yeah...across!

Change of Schedule

2010-03-13T21:32:00.003-06:00

We wanted to update our schedule for the year, in the event your path crosses ours or our path crosses yours.

We have learned that the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu have been closed by the Peruvian government, so we are no longer able to keep our reservations to visit. Of course, we are disappointed, but we will still be able to visit beautiful Cusco and participate in an alternative hike.

We have also learned that neither of us received positions on the fall 2010 voyage of Semester at Sea. This means that our fall travel is up in the air, but we are looking to travel to India and China for some time during the fall. Please email us if you will be in either location, so that we might meet up.

We have applied for the Spring 2011 voyage of Semester at Sea, which would extend our ``year´´ of travel. This means that we may travel until May 2011, or we may keep our end time frame of December 2010. We will post as soon as we have any additional information.

Tomorrow (Sunday), we head to El Oriente in Ecuador, then Peru on Thursday for one week, then to Costa Rica. Thus, we are not sure how much internet we will have from here on out, but we will respond to emails, and post on the blog as often as possible (with pictures!).

Juntos

2010-03-10T20:06:00.003-06:00

juntos = together

Another question(s) we have been asked: ``So how is it traveling together all the time?´´ ``Do you ever get tired of each other and need a break?´´

The answer(s) is (are): It´s great! And yes, we do need breaks here and there, but we have noticed it more when we are tired and hungry. Of course, that happens with just about anyone.

This past weekend, we actually rested (watched TV!) for three straight days! Lindsay was getting over being sick, and Mark was just getting a cold (resfriado). These three days in the midst of ``Go go go!´´ were a well-received gift.

Leaving Cuenca...Trip & Language Snafus; Beautiful Baños

2010-03-05T17:21:00.006-06:00

Lindsay´s volunteer work wrapped up nicely. She began to connect with several of the older women who could communicate and looked forward to visiting with them in the mornings at the Hogar (home). In the afternoons, she was working with one little girl in English specifically and had a hard time saying goodbye to her. Our American housemate will take over the English tutoring and we´ll continue praying for her as we travel.

Mark completed his Spanish classes and ended up learning all the Spanish verb tenses in his six weeks of study! His language skills have improved immensely and comments from our host family and teachers indicate that his language ability is impressive. Though advanced, language mistakes are always likely to occur, and one happened the other day.
Mark: ¿Usted tiene huevos? (Do you have eggs?)
Shop Attendant: Sí. (Yes)
Mark: ¿Cuánto cuestan los huevos? (How much do they cost?)
Shop Attendant: Doce centavos cada uno. ¿Quiere? (12 cents per egg. Do you want?)
Mark: Nunca ahora... (Never now.)
Shop Attendant: [facial expression appears disturbed]
Mark: Después. (After.)
Shop Attendant: [facial expression returns to gentle smile]
*Mark wonders about the facial expression change, and then realizes that he should have used ``Nada ahora.´´ (nothing now) in place of ``Nunca ahora.´´ (never now) and begins to laugh.

On Tuesday, we departed Cuenca for Riobamba where we hoped to ride on La Nariz del Diablo train that switch-backs up a mountain and has beautiful views. Tourists have been known to ride on top of the train, which (of course) we wanted to do. We had heard you could buy tickets the day before so we departed Cuenca a day before schedule to get tickets. As it turns out, you can now email ahead of time to reserve tickets, so tickets have been sold out for weeks. Oops...should have looked into that more. We also learned that people have been unable to ride on the top of the train for over two years now. We will be emailing Lonely Planet and Footprints (travel guides) to update them on both parts of the information learned.
*Lesson learned: Do not rely completely on travel guide information that could be several years out of date. Always double check any important schedule/travel information!

After learning that we could no longer ride the train, AND Mark learned that Parque Nacional Sanguay access points were almost 2 hours away by bus, we decided to depart Riobamba (an industrial town) for picturesque Baños. Two hours by bus and we were in nature-lovers paradise: Baños. In the shadow of active volcano Tungurahua, Baños is located in a valley, completed encased by green mountains all around. These three pictures are views from our hostal (name: Llanovientos) room windows.

About the volcano,
don´t worry...Baños is protected by a hill between the 5000 meter volcano, so we expect to have time to evacuate if necessary. While here, we are enjoying the amazing hikes, mountain biking, cascadas (waterfalls), food(!), and baños (thermal baths heated by the ground beneath the volcano) that Baños has to offer! See pictures below.

A view of our hostal from above. Our room was the one on the far right corner, top floor (pinkish building in the center-right of the picture).

We had two huge windows through which strong mountain breezes blew.

Another view of our hostal room. We had a TV for the first time in over a year!!!

To start our day, we typically headed to Mark´s favorite breakfast spot: Rico Pan. We had eggs or fruit salad, freshly-baked bread, a freshly-squeezed juice of our choice, coffee/tea/hot chocolate, and jelly to go with our bread. It was a great start to a hiking day!
Off to hike...
Break during a hike to La Casa del Arbol, up the hill that shadows Baños from the volcano.
Mark looking up another mountain we hiked. After a long hike, the best thing for sore legs was a dip in the thermal baths...

Shown above is the bigger warm pool in Piscinas El Salado.

The Piscinas El Salado had five pools total, all different temperatures. The blue pool is regular water (not a thermal pool) and was quite chilly with the strong valley breezes blowing through.

A note about food. Lindsay has missed having loads of vegetables and Mark has missed a good steak. For our 10-month anniversary, we headed to Mariane´s where Lindsay enjoyed a beautiful salad, and shared Mark´s steak dinner with him. For dessert: chocolate & mora (blackberry) crepe. Yum!

Happy 10 month!
Yummy steak!
Beautiful salad!

Last week, we volunteered for a day on a WWOOFing farm at the base of Tungurahua and they had several avocado trees. Take a look at this HUGE avocado!! (Notice: It is filling BOTH Lindsay´s hands.)
Another common thing here in Ecuador is roast pig (chancho a la plancha). The one catch is that they roast the WHOLE pig and eat the skin and all. Look at the size of this thing, compared to 6´1´´ Mark!

The Least of These

2010-02-22T19:40:00.009-06:00

[I (Lindsay) have now completed my Spanish language review and am volunteering during the day.]

Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'

Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?'

And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'

- Matthew 25:34-40 (ESV)

The past few days, I have experienced a touch of what He meant by``the least of these´´ in my volunteer work at a Catholic-run home for girls and older folks. In the morning specifically, I have been working with folks who are older, who do not have much money, and who do not have much mobility or control over their bodies. This means that they own very little, have to wear a diaper, have to be washed, and have to be fed. Basically, these folks have been taken in by a group of nuns and are cared for daily.

I never appreciated my ability to chew, to bathe myself, to have privacy, or simply to move around on my own. Take a moment, rub your tongue over your teeth, and appreciate these beautiful bones that help you chew your food. Aren´t they wonderful gifts?!

Last Thursday, I was asked to assist in bathing these older folks and it was one of the hardest things I´ve had to do in my life because I was forced to face this difficult phase in life. Why do the nuns do this each day? Perhaps to improve the last phase of life that these older folks live and to love these people that maybe are forgotten. Honestly, I did not want to face this difficult life phase. It made/makes me very sad. But I also realize that these people have lived long lives, and still are present, living. They simply don´t have their faculties about them as much any more. To love on them and treat them like people, like God´s children is a responsibility. Just because I have abilities and have my faculties about me shouldn´t mean that I deserve more respect or love.

Through this work, I am gaining a better understanding of LOVE. I have understood that it can be tough to love someone who is difficult or irritable emotionally. But is loving those who are physically challenged or incapable also difficult at times? It was difficult for me because I did not want to think about this phase of life. (I know, selfish thought.) But even this phase is still life. How much have I been loved and am loved every day? Do I appreciate this love or recognize it enough to allow it to overflow from me in difficult situations? Do you?

I so eagerly wanted to know these folks´stories; however, many of them do not have their mental capacities any more, so they cannot hold a conversation. BUT, I could care for them, love them, touch them, look into their eyes and see their history, and pray that they would experience the Lord´s LOVE still.

It is not pleasant, it is not pretty, but it is life, and we all have to live it. This past week, I faced ``the least of these´´ and I can´t say I enjoyed every moment, but I did hear my Lord say, ``This is what I mean by `the least of these´.´´ I was saddened at not being more honored to show love to them. I am confident that I am a child of God like all of you, but I certainly did not feel like the ``righteous´´ to which the scripture above refers. However, I am learning and pray that God is making me more humble, appreciative, and loving through each of these experiences.

Cuy (Guinea Pig)

2010-02-22T19:00:00.007-06:00

Cuy (Guinea Pig) is a food here.

Yes, I know, it is also that little cuddly animal that lived in a cage in your house when you were 10, but here, it is a food, and we tried it this past Friday night. It is roasted and it often appears as though it was caught in mid-stride, and cooked just like that.

It tastes like salty chicken, and because you pick its body apart to eat it, it was tough for me to eat easily. Mark enjoyed it, and even tried the brain, which was not as tasty as the body...

Lindsay´s uncertain...

La mesa entera (the whole table)

La gente (the folks)

Mark is ready, head and all!

Afterwards...pile of bones.

Well, bones and meat in Mark´s stomach.

We then, went to Turi, which is a mountain overlooking the beautiful city where we live. ¡Viva Cuenca!

Parque Nacional Cajas

2010-02-22T18:55:00.007-06:00

This past Sunday, we hiked...again, and this time, our legs were not sore. In fact, we feel great today-Monday (the day after). Perhaps, this is a sign that we are accustomed to the altitude finally...or the hike was simply easier than last time.

Parque Nacional Cajas was indescribable. Mark continously stopped, looked around, and said, ``This is beautiful!´´ We did hike #3 (estimated at 6 hrs, 55 minutes). We began at 9:10 and ended about 3 pm, with several breaks along the way. Hopefully, the pictures (below) will give you some idea as to how beautiful it truly was. We saw various people on horses or donkeys for the first hour and then we saw NO ONE for the next 4 hours. It was peaceful, romantic, memorable! We would both love to return, if we have time.

Video of our lunch break may be seen here.

Looking forward at the start of the trail.

Looking back at our start: the tiny ranger station in the distance.

We were to follow a very long trail, marked by these little blue markers on rocks. It was actually VERY easy to follow and we did not need a guide in any way.

Need I say more...we were in God´s country.

Following the trail...

Can you spot Mark? He is wearing a gray jacket.

Deep breath...(it was cold, hence the hat)

Waterfalls surrounded us throughout the hike.

More waterfalls.

Lindsay feels insignificant among these towering mountains.

These trees were like those from the Brothers Grimm fairytales.

Up close, you could see the red bark peeling off...incredible!

Almost finished!

The last sign, indicating the starting point, if we wanted to have another go!

#30

2010-02-19T11:55:00.004-06:00

Folks have asked what has been the hardest adjustment so far, and for me, it has been being away from family and friends. I definitely took for granted the ease of picking up my US cell phone and calling anyone at any time.

So I have to admit, I was nervous about spending my 30th away from family and friends. Our Schwarz family gave me a beautiful birthday celebration in January before our departure, and I can still see the smiles of the family and taste the smooth chocolate cake on my tongue (one of the best cakes I have had). Our Hauser family will celebrate when we visit in August, which I look forward to immensely!

To my surprise, I actually was more sad a week before my birthday than on my actual birthday. I anticipated feeling lonely, but Mark decided to cook dinner for not just me, but the entire family of 20.

Mark and cuñado (brother-in-law) peeling avocados.

The final product: tuna salad-stuffed avocado on a bed of lettuce with a side a achote-spiced rice. YUM!

Thus, I was surrounded by the family with whom we are living and the smiles, (Happy Birthday song, in Spanish) was a nice taste of home.

To see a video of the family singing to me, please click here to be linked to youtube. I love Mark´s expressions in the video!

One thing that is a little unusual is that after they sing Feliz Cumpleanos, they then sing a song (``Te estas poniendo viejita...), which roughly translates into,``You are becoming an old person...´´ A different culture, but with a sense of humor! Of course, I don´t get hung up on age, unless it prevents me from doing something fun. The number 30 is actually quite a fun number.

Vilcabamba During Carnival

2010-02-19T10:47:00.008-06:00

Our time in Vilcabamba, Ecuador. First of all, for both of us, it was one of our most favorite places in the world!! A city of about 1000 people (about 4200 when including the surrounding valleys), it is an excellent option for those wanting to relax.

It is known for having some of the best water in the world and so is home to numerous centennials (folks over the age of 100!). Although, you can not drink the water from the tap, the rivers apparently give long life if you bathe in them.

Outside the dates of Carnival, Vilcabamba is a sleepy town. However, during Carnival, thousands of people pour into the city to celebrate the holiday. In fact, they hold a desfile (parade) the first day.

I love that this float says, ``Fuera Gripe Porcina´´ (``Away Swine Flu´´) Here´s to Lisette in the ISA office for that one :)

This is Wilson. He works with the owner of the horseback-riding company through whom we rented horses. He was in the parade and apparently is well-known in the town because he was on the posters for Carnival.

We avoided getting bombarded with bombas most of the time, but we did receive carioca (foam spray) in the face a couple of times. The first day, we rode horses through the mountains, starting off in the center of town.

Once we got to the mountains, the view was breath-taking...

Looking down into the valley.

Yes, moms, we were that close to the edge, but it was beautiful. We kept telling ourselves that the horses wouldn´t want to fall, so they are careful.

Lindsay in the left-hand corner.

We hiked down to a beautiful waterfall. Can you find Lindsay in the picture? (I´m wearing a green jacket.)

Mark was bold enough to take a shower in the frigid water!

The last day, we decided to rent bikes (no pics because we were mojados-soaked). The first part of the ride was fun, with a few buckets (baldes) of agua being thrown at us. The second part of the ride was not as tranquil. We chose a route that was filled with people and their very large buckets of water, which they poured on us (and everyone else) over and over and over and over. Needless-to-say, we took a shower on bikes.

We returned to the hostal to shower and replace our ropa mojada (soaked clothing) with dry apparel. There, we met a really cool couple from Idaho who has been living in Guayaquil, Ecuador teaching at an English school. They were married, in their early thirties, and had normal jobs (teaching, and sales) in the US, when they decided to move abroad to teach, after attending an international teaching fair. They said the pay is pretty good, and it is a way to travel for free. In the next four months, they will be moving to Vietnam to teach at an English school there. Pretty cool!

Culture...Shock?

2010-02-11T20:09:00.002-06:00

There are many things about the Cuencan/Ecuadorian culture to which we have had to become accustomed, but the hardest thing is the continuous fear of being hit with water balloons...yes, water balloons.

Since our arrival, the community has been preparing for Carnival, where stores close, and people pour into the streets to have a gigantic water / water balloon fight. Oftentimes, folks will throw some flour, raw eggs, instant coffee into the mix too. And if you don´t want to participate, well, too bad.

Walking calmly down the street one Sunday afternoon, we were looking for a panaderia (bread shop) when WHAM / SPLASH! A water balloon splashed onto my back. It was thrown from a passing car, and well, I, as the gringa (foreigner), was a target.

Carnival technically begins this Sat, but for Cuencanos, it begins in early January...

This weekend, we head to Vilcabamba where we will engage in friendly water balloon warfare. Prayers are greatly appreciated!

In Shape

2010-02-11T20:02:00.015-06:00

In shape? We thought we were! We hiked in the mountains about two hours from Cuenca this past Sunday with the outdoors group Club Sanguay. It was beautiful!! (See pictures below.)

About being in shape...our legs are still sore (Thurs) from the 4-hr hike on Sunday. We climbed about 1000 meters of the Cerro San Pablo near San Fernando, in the state of Azuay, Ecuador. Much of it was like stairs of steep rock. Our legs were burning and we were out of breath like everyone else, including a 70-year-old man who went with the group. We are still recovering and expect to be in great shape by the time we hit the Rockies in the US.

We hiked to the top of this mountain.

Mid-hiking, Lindsay´s hair had a mind of its own

During lunch-time break, Mark found a cozy bed for a siesta.

Martin (host brother), Lindsay, Mark break with the group for lunch.

We were to hike to the very top via a rope, but it was too wet.

What goes up must come down...it was a steep walk on the way up, so a ``butt race´´ on the way back down.

View from above, and zoomed in of our starting point: the building with our bus awaiting our return.

Poco a Poco

2010-02-06T16:30:00.001-06:00

I played Mafia in Spanish last night!

Lindsay and I are making friends with a fairly large group from the local church. The're all professionals or students in town, and we like them a lot. The church is very similar to the one we attend in the US. We both talked in Spanish for almost the entire night. My Spanish was limited, but I could understand most things, ask questions, and answer simple questions. Telling stories is still beyond me at the moment, I found. At about 11:30, we started up a game of Mafia, and played for a couple hours. If you haven't played it before, it's a simple game that requires a great deal of talking. I accused people, defended myself, and almost won once.

I keep telling the family we're staying with that I'm understanding, poco a poco. Last night was a good one for practice!