Technology to the rescue!

I wish I were as good as my friend Amy at capturing the sweet moments of life on camera. I try. With the purchase of a digital camera, I can say I have taken a ridiculous amount of pictures, knowing I can delete and repeat over and over. I got to see Amy and Pat, Maddie, Mia, and Monica today. Whenever I am around these girls, I can't help but want to capture every moment for savoring later, like when I am a thousand miles away. I lucked out again and got to bath time. This is a special treat because Mia and Monica follow Maddie's cue to be comfortable around me. They are so at ease in the warm, bubbly water. I even got to wash their hair! We told stories and listened attentively.

So sweet! I dressed them up for Christmas - a couple hours before the family mass, but Amy assured me they wouldn't get them so mussed. We had so much fun, and they were so beautiful. Reading and playing and showing off! Then I got the invitation to come back and stay at the house while Monica napped. Happily, I raced back to the house, so they could get going. There was a little too much excitement in the house, and I heard Monica wake before they left. I waited a bit to see if she would just cry herself to sleep, but I think we all know when the crying gets to distress. She was not happy to see me. She was enraged that I was the only other person in the house - how dare her mother leave her in such incapable hands as this stranger's. She didn't want out of my arms, but she didn't want them either. A tough decision for a 17 month old!

I don't claim brilliance, but resourcefulness. With my laptop open to my pictures of South America, I quickly switched the screen to the pictures I had taken earlier of Monica and her sisters. I even had a little video footage. She recognized the faces, and we just let that slideshow run and run. Later I changed the pictures to an album my uncles put together of my grandpa. Despite this great save, she managed to cry herself into the coughing gagging thing and ralphed on Ducky, her blankie. She was not amused to have to give it up to the washing machine. What a relief when Grammy came for her that she was not still a wreck!

I got home and did what I could to pitch in with dinner, help get ready for the after-mass party of hot buttered rum and Auggie's bourbon brie. I dressed up in a combination of clothes from my sister's closet and the top of my bins still in the basement of the Columbine house. Gratefully I found my big heels, the ones essential to "fitting in" with my six-foot family, but ended up sitting next to Grandma and dwarfing her. Ooops! The party was fun. I was glad my older goddaughters could make it, though we kept them off of the sauce. A late night...wasn't going to get my beauty rest for Santa...and family breakfast.

Happy St. Victoria Day!

An obscure saint, but a very real tradition: my mom, Grandma, and I celebrate the feast of St. Victoria on December 23rd every year. We usually take in lunch somewhere, and recently Miki has started joining us. Last night Erik prepared dinner for me, and we celebrated Christmas a little early. He took me to the airport early this morning so I could fight the hordes of travelers before Christmas. I prefer Alaska Airlines, since they do not have many flights out, thus having a shorter check-in line. After last year's blizzards and stranded travelers, this year was like a walk in the park. The lines for check-in and security moved so quickly, I had a ridiculous amount of time to hang around. It was busier in July when I flew home for my birthday! I certainly was not going to complain, though I was a bit grumbly that our flight was late leaving Denver...I didn't want to keep my mom, Grandma, and sister waiting in Portland. They would be hungry, too! My bags weren't the last, and my sister helped me carry them. I was glad to have her, since my mom got a new car in my absence, and I had no clue what to look for. Renaults, pick-ups, and anything old and rusting were the typical fare where I was in Argentina, so the SUVs and flashy new cars were a bit foreign. Lunch was delicious - vegetarian Thai food. We laughed much and caught up with each other. I feel like my stories are old news having been sending them out into the world via blog. But I know nothing of what is going on with everyone else. Quick to catch me up, my family had lots to share. We snuck in movie, The Kite Runner, as quickly as I set my bags down. Walking out to the bathroom from the theatre, I heard my name, whipped around, and found my older brother waiting for his girlfriend against the wall. What a treat to get to meet her before she headed to Eugene for Christmas! A very pleasant surprise! It's good to be in Portland with my family again!

Back on track?

After my nightmare of a night, I spent the day on the phone...talking to the insurance company...talking to my lawyer...talking to my rolfer...talking to my mom...talking to auto mechanics...talking to Kaiser. All I wanted was to have a restful week of getting together with friends before heading to Portland for three weeks, maybe ski. I actually had an invitation to ski today, but turned it down before fate could change my plans. This was not how I hoped to spend the day. Cathy got me in for more body work, the best thing to try to put the accident behind me physically, though I had an appointment for Wednesday to see a doctor at Kaiser. Nothing to do but steady myself.

A bad ending to my first full day back in the USA

I'm not big on unpacking or putting things away, so my backpacks of gear and dirty clothes and gifts made it to the futon in my room and not much further. Last night I moved my bed closer to the door, further away from the cold windows. Erik helped me swap the futon and bed around and shove my bags even further from my sight. I did have to pull a few things out today, but I was excited to have other things to do, like a rolfing appointment with Cathy in the evening. It took me twenty minutes to get on Hwy 6 from the house! Alarming! Granted, I haven't driven in months, and the driving in South America is more of a weave, less linear. Though I didn't drive down there, it affected me as I tried to get to Golden in forty minutes, generally plenty of time. I did make it and had a great reunion, as well as some great work on the kinks of my body. Happy to see Cathy, I was just as happy to go because I had a dinner date with Nikki at her house. We gabbed for hours, could have gone much longer, but a Monday night for her meant an early rise in the morning, so I mosied on home. Mary called wondering if she should worry that I wasn't home. Nah! I was on my way and promised to come say good night when I got home. That thirty minute drive took an hour and a half. Waiting at the red light before Colfax on Park Avenue West, a car smashed into me from behind. I was stunned, I was rolling forward, I couldn't see anything, I was screaming, and then I realized the sound, the movement, the darkness...I'd been rear-ended. I didn't see him coming. The rear-view mirror was askew and failing to reflect light. My foot slipped off the break; the car absorbing the impact and rolling forward. I braked, adjusted the mirror, and recognized that I was okay. The other vehicle was no longer behind me. As he passed me on the right, I started calling out his license plate number over and over, committing it to memory until I could tell someone. The car headed into an alley. I didn't know what to do. My phone had flown into the back of the car, and I needed to call the police. And I needed to call Mary to say not to worry, I wouldn't be home yet. A mile from home...I was so close. I rounded onto Colfax to see if I could catch the vehicle exiting the alley, but there was no one there. I called the police, passed on information, calmed myself down. I filed a claim with my insurance. My low back stung, my head was swirling. I managed to get out of the car, relieved that all my muscles knew what to do. The damage didn't look crippling, and the car was still drivable. I went home, slid in next to our landlord's house in the alley, and made my way for some ibuprofen. First full day here. Ending the day in a daze.

A pensive return

I am sitting in "my room". I am "home". These words are confusing to me as I transition into a former life. As the plane closed in on the airport in Denver, I was intrigued by the fields of snow. All around were patches of white cut into bits by dark lines of pavement. These lines of life are always visible, but the other lines, the lines of shadows from walking through the snow, were more interesting. In a field of white, another shade of white wandered and meandered and crossed over itself. Having been in the mountains where goats and llama wander, I recognized these erratic patterns, and I wondered if there is another level of cosmos where someone else is looking down to see the errant path I have wandered in the last months. First my job, and then Portland, a return to Denver, and many beautiful places on the other side of the equator! Pensive, indeed! My Sunday, my typical day of rest, began in the Lima airport, boarding around midnight. I slept my way to Houston, not even staying awake for the movie! Travelocity was not generous enough in layover time, and after waiting too long for my luggage and secondary screening at customs, I missed my connection to Denver. I hopped the next flight, though I stewed for over an hour over the stupid rules that prohibit carrying beverages on airplanes because vendors mark up the prices so dramatically. I slept all the way from Houston to the snowfields around the airport. I had sent a page to Erik to let him know where to find me, so I figured we would meet by my baggage carousel. It was a slow and long walk over the skyway, as I realized that once I "touchdown" in Denver, I am back. I am once again a part of the fray. I am no longer anonymous. I am no longer a tourist. After a pleasant surprise by Erik's parents at the airport, they dropped me off to an empty and cold home on Columbine Street. That first step into the house was so quiet. My room is empty. My bed naked, my drawers hollow, my footsteps echoing for nobody. It is strange to be a part of a home and not feel it. I think the culture shock of my return will be felt for another month until I can settle into life again. It feels so weird to be here. So I need to find towels and clothes to clean up for my first Christmas party before dinner with Erik's family. Christmas feels so foreign, as the commercialism has not infected the places I visited. I heard my first Christmas song in Spanish yesterday. The Christmas lights and decor are relaly for the tourists and quite comical. Now that I have a good signal, I will try to backdate some of my posts from the last week! Feliz navidad! tori

Coming home!

Erik is till packing his bags, but we are nearly ready to check out of the hostel.  I hope we can visit briefly with Gloria and Freddie before we head to the airport.  I will be stateside in 24 hours!  Oh my goodness...time has flown.  See you all sooner than later, I hope!  peace, tori

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WE MADE IT!!!

Along with 12 new friends, 2 guides, and our porters, Erik and I made it to Machu Picchu on foot yesterday.  We just arrived in Cuzco, and I don´t think we even have twenty-four hours left here.  So we´re off for some Christmas shopping...I will right more.  And I have a ton more pictures!  loveyoumeanit...feliz navidad...tori

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Delinquent writer reports in...

It has been too long since I posted last, but for my brother´s birthday, I will write.  I don´t think it is what he wants for his birthday, but he´ll have to wait.  I have posts when I have wifi, but the quick version is that I survived 24 hours on the bus.  I watched four movies on Thursday!  A record, maybe.  I didn´t miss my flight, and the hour between the announcement of Erik´s landing in Lima and the first sight of him after customs was demasiado mucho largo!!!  I kept hopping up to see over the mass of people waiting for other arrivals.  One couple must have had twenty people come out to greet them.  Talk about an entourage - I´ve never been so lucky.  (Actually, I think it is a little much.)

 

Erik and I had a great reunion yesterday and tried to take it easy.  We made it to the office to confirm our reservation for the trek.  We also enjoyed wandering through the market at San Pedro and purchased garlic, onion, eggs, potatoes, and bread.  Such a lucky girl, I got to have Erik´s breakfast for dinner last night!  I was so content.

 

Today we traveled by bus and taxi to Chinchero to go to the market.  It was fun.  We made it back to town in time to meet Willaru for a chat about life - politics, spirituality, and the like.  What an amazing man!  There may be a possibility to see him in Denver this Spring.  That would be awesome!  Erik and I also headed to Sacsayhuaman for some sightseeing and chill time before getting down to business of getting ready for the trail.  Our backpacks are packed, and mine doesn´t feel to heavy.  Tomorrow the company picks us up at 5:20 am.  So it is off to sleep for me!  Say an extra prayer or two for us, and we´ll be back in Cuzco next Friday afternoon!  loveyoumeanit...tori

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Part II

I woke up this morning, and I remembered my dreams. Grandma was picking something off my face like a monkey, but with tweezers, and then I had a vision of myself with these gnarly eyebrows that needed plucking. Not so warm and fuzzy. My feet were really quite swollen from sitting so long, so I made a point to make more trips to the bathroom and walk around. The snack pack got passed around again, and I passed. My apple and oatmeal cookies seemed healthier. There were music videos and an Argentine movie today, so I was less entertained. This was a good thing, I hope, because I studied some Spanish instead. I made faces at the little girl some more and slept a little, too. Gratefully, the morning seemed to fly by a little faster. It took me forever, once in Cordoba, to find where I could check my backpack. Once liberated from its weight, I walked towards the center to do some shopping and walking. I contemplated seeing a movie, since I knew where the cineplex is, but I guessed I might get some on my next flights. No helado. A first. I had a lovely conversation with the taxi driver on the way to the airport. He thought I was from Alemania, but no. I didn’t think we would ever get to the airport, convinced he was taking the extra long route for the big fare, but we made it, and I had enough time to rearrange my bags – can’t carry my knife on the plane or the beer! I cleaned up a little in the bathroom. I have been homeless for a while – in total two days and nights. The Andes looked a whole lot different on my way to Santiago (layover). I kept waiting for the massive mountains of snow, but there isn’t so much snow six weeks later. Hard to believe so much could melt in six weeks! Wow!! Once again, they didn't have a veggie meal for me, which upset me because I was hungry. Instead I had a couple glasses of wine. I watched "No Reservations" and "Gracie" (great soccer movie that made me think of Claire!) along with a little sleep. I couldn't really sleep because I was excited to be seeing Erik soon. Once in Lima I was familiar with the cusotms routine and re-checked my bags. I debated about making a trip to the bathroom or the snack line. I made neither before I heard that Erik's flight landed. It may have been the longest hour I can remember. Waiting and waiting...the people ahead of me got upset with the other people who kept standing in front of them and the cord behind which we were supposed to wait for arrivals. Typically in foreign airports, people cannot come into the baggage area and have to wait in the front hall. Everyone in Lima was there Friday night. One woman, who seemed to be newly engaged, had at least twenty people come out to greet her. After we got Erik checked in to his morning flight, we made our way to the waiting area. He had goodies for me: a song to listen to, apples, sesame sticks, wasabi peas, and trail mix! What a delight! Plus he found a great travel cribbage set, which we didn't actually pull out. It was tough to sleep in those chairs, but I was tired and happy. On to Cuzco...tori

The first half of my 24 hour ride

What a near waste of a day! If it wasn’t for four movies, I would not have much to show for my day. I got up at a decent hour and packed up what I didn’t yesterday. I had my last breakfast with the crew and said my goodbyes. I bought alfajores to share with Erik, but they are really soft and goopy. They may not make it to Lima. (Alfajores are a specialty of the area. They are typically two delicious cookies with dulce de leche in the middle – a local version of an oreo. The cookies can range from biscuity goodness to a crispier cookie. The creamy goodness is sometimes flavored with other stuff, and generally not as delicious.) I shared a taxi in to town with my friend Alana from Australia and checked mi mochilla grande at the bus stop. The feria was pretty well set up, so I wandered through a couple times for souvenirs and un litre de cerveza for Erik and I to share. I love the beer and wine in Argentina, all the products of the land really, and Peru just doesn’t hold a candle to it. I got my last helado, this time from Mony, because the guy I talked with yesterday told me it is less famous, but much older than Jauja: manzana con canela y roseta musquetta (apple with cinnamon and wild rose hip). Delicious! And it wasn’t the ice cream’s fault at all, but there were a million and one people in the baggage office. Gratefully, the guy who complimented me on my Spanish yesterday came and pulled me aside and got my bag for me. I did not want to miss that bus!!! The first twelve hours on the bus: so I am always grateful for packing snacks because the snack tray was pretty lousy, and the full meal didn’t come for ten hours. I saw four movies: The Contract, Disturbia, Four Brothers, and The Shooter. The Shooter played on my way to El Bolson, but it was in Spanish without subtitles, so I didn’t pay attention. This time I did pay attention because it was in English with Spanish subtitiles, but there still wasn’t volume. Bummer! I didn’t really read and write a ton like I hoped, but I did finish a bunch of sudoku. It was mostly uneventful. In Bariloche we had to disembark for twenty minutes. I went to call Erik to make sure all was in order for our rendezvous, and when I came back, the bus was gone! There were more than a few things going through my head, but I kept cool and went to the ticket office to ask which platform to wait at. They sent me to another counter where a line had formed. I waited, looked out the window, waited, and looked. I have no concept of twenty minutes. I thought it had only been ten, but the crowd had dispersed from my bus, and I couldn’t see the guy who sat next to me. The woman at the counter looked really confused, which didn’t settle my nerves, but then she reassured me it would come back in 10 minutes. I waited long enough that it did arrive, and I didn’t lose my seat. Phew! My neighbors changed in Neuquen, and a mother and baby sat down in front of me. I wasn’t especially pleased at first because the baby was really fussy. The mom kept pouring 7-up into her bottle, and when it emptied, the crying and refilling began. I started to think about how judgmental I was being. I was thinking if it were a mom I know, a baby I know, I would be more understanding that sometimes it is tough to quiet a child who cannot speak and reason with you. I was still a bit edgy about this noisy girl. In the end we made faces and shook hands a lot. She was really quite sweet and probably thoroughly upset that her mom was taking her on the bus for 14 hours. In Cippoletti we switched buses, which meant a bit of time waiting in between, but this time I didn’t leave sight of the bus. Dinner was tasty: a cucumber and tomato salad, amended with the rest of the red pepper I had, flan, and for hot dinner, a potato and cream stuffed squash. It is the shape of a pumpkin, green in color, and about four inches across. It was really tasty. Sadly no wine this time, but I passed on the coffee. No caffeine at night necessary! Twelve more hours to go...tori

My last day in El Bolson

I am so forgetful when I sit in front of the computer.  I tell myself throughout the day all the things I want to share, and then after I post, I remember all the things I forgot.  For example, I really wanted to share that yesterday I received a very nice compliment from the man at the bus station.  He said, and is the first Argentinean to say, I speak Spanish very well.  I have had foreigners laugh at my Spanish, and Luis and the man from the kiosko both said described me as the girl who doesn´t speak well.  So this was really nice.  And Barry witnessed it and made a big deal of it.  I was quite flattered.  In reality the other travellers who speak less than I think my Spanish is fabulous.  And I have picked up four rides hitchhiking now and had no problem speaking with the driver.  (I really love hitchhiking...two times a day for the last three days.)  Anyhow, this I forgot to mention yesterday, that I have been complimented.

 

Today Barry took off for El Bolson, and the last of the Irish, too.  The place was clearing out until at least half a dozen arrived today, too.  I was looking forward to a laid back day, especially hoping to visit the lake.  I am really quite keen on the lake, so I thought I Would go again.  I also wanted to see the hidden waterfalls on this end of town.  The trail was pretty close to the hostel, so I thought I could start with it and catch a bus to the lake after.  Things change, such is life.  The cascada escondido were amazing!!  The trail to them has officially initiated me into rock climbing, and a few times I thought I might just fall off the edge.  Barry would have hated it because he doesn´t do heights.  I bet Angela would have loved it.  Anyway, I went by myself and took lots of pictures.  A couple German girls caught up to me, and we hiked together for a while.  They had a map, but went the wrong way anyway.  I followed them and felt very useful getting them back on the right track.  My toe, darn it, split open yesterday after a kid stepped on my foot on the bus back from the lake (just my luck that a day of hiking would be safe and the bus would not be).  It was a bit tender for the trail, but I wore my boots to keep it clean.  I had a delicious avacado and cheese sandwich and watched the waterfall.  I read a little, and not too long after Alana, another chica from the hostel, arrived from a different trail.  We had a great conversation about Australia and life and work and plants on the hike back down together.  We took the road in hopes of a ride.  The third time was the charm, and I felt elated to hitchhike again.  I sat next to an old man in the back seat, his son was driving, and he asked me all sorts of questions and wanted a picture with us.  He was so cute.  They stopped to pick lupines when they picked us up, so we talked about the flowers and the city and all the mountains.  Sweet!  They dropped us off in the center, so we could get ice cream and groceries before returning to the hostel.  I had lemon pie and mascarpone with raspberries.  Delicious!  Tomorrow will be my last one.  Alana and I split ways, and I ended up having a half hour conversation with an Argentinean man.  We talked about the mountains and small town life and how beautiful El Bolson is.  I am so content here, and if there was nothing to return for, I could see myself settling down.  As it stands, I am returning because I do have much to return for.  Marcel and I talked about how he looked a long time for a place to be, and he fell in love with El Bolson.  He has been running the hostel for three years, and his friend Julian joined him a year ago.  The owner retired, so they rent it from her and run it with other friends.  It makes me so happy, and I think I want to do the same thing somewhere like this.  Just the idea of the day.  Carbondale, anyone?  Any friends that want to open a hostel with me? 

 

I need to go pack up my bags.  I didn´t really unpack, except for my dirty clothes.  Tomorrow I catch a bus at 11:45 am from El Bolson and arrive in Cordoba on Friday at 12:15 pm.  Wish me luck!  That´s a long day and night on a bus.  Hope for me that I get good movies!  And good food!  It won´t be long...tori

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An even better Tuesday?

Angela left this morning, which was sad.  But I also did laundry for the first time since October!  (I washed underwear by hand on the farm, but my other clothes were starting to smell.)  Laundry is exciting, but it left me with a skirt and short sleeve shirt today.  Un poco frio!!  I planned to meet Peggy and Tatiana, but I didn´t know if it was only to say goodbye or to do something.  In the end I went off with Barry, a new friend from Ireland.  He is also traveling alone, and as he only had one day in El Bolson, which I learned is names because the mountains in every direction make the town like a bag - un bolsa, we went off together to walk to the cabeza del indio y mirador del rio azul.  This was quite fun.  I already had my ice cream in the morning - Andean chocolate with peanut butter.  We hitched a ride down to catch a bus to the lake, lago puelo.  The views were amazing.  We also hitched a ride into the park.  The mirador was amazing, and luckily we happened upon a shortcut, better luck than hiking with Angela at cerro amigo.  We had lunch together and enjoyed much conversation.  Barry arrived from  the south today and affirmed for me that I made the right decision to stay here instead of traveling to Puerta Madryn to see penguins and whales.  I am lucky to be in such a beautiful place.  We caught the next bus, and on our way back to the hostel, I cought my ticket for Cordoba.  I leave on Thursday - 24 hours on a bus!!!  We´ll see if I can hack it.  There won´t really be much choice in the matter, but we´ll see all the same.  I splurged the extra ten bucks for a bigger seat, una cama.

 

Barry leaves tomorrow for Bariloche, so tonight we went to the Cerveceria El Bolson and tried many flavors of beer- con trigo, chocolate, aji, frambuesa, cassis, miel, y una negra doble y una negra ahumada.  Everything was delicious.  It was a lot of fun, but now I need to shower and go to bed.  Tomorrow will be a laid back day.  Maybe I will go back to the lake by myself and chill out.  Suerte!  tori

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My best Monday!

Holy cow!  Just wait till I can post pictures.  I took over 180 today.  Yesterday I don´t remember what I posted, but I am sure I mentioned running into Tatiana and Peggy at the Jazz Festival.  I probably didn´t mention all the Argentinean haircuts that make me want to laugh and take pictures.  The best was a fauxhawk-mullet.  I did get a picture of that one, and gratefully I can say it isn´t hereditary.  His son was quite cute.  I also saw a String Cheese Incident t-shirt which made me happy.  Jonny was they guy´s name, a kid from BC who is a big fan and lived in Colorado for 9 months.  And I hope I mentioned the delicious cinnamon ice cream. 

 

Anyway, today I got up later than I wanted, but I still made it out of the house at a reasonable time to meet Peggy and Tatiana from the farm.  We planned to hike Cerro Piltriquiltron.  It is a mouthful to say once or three times fast.  It is only 2200 meters or so, but coming from about 500 to 800 meters, it is a pretty good climb.  I took a taxi to meet the girls, and then after talking about hitchhiking, I said we needed a truck.  And the next car was a truck and picked us up.  This was great because it is about a three hour climb to the refugio, but it is mostly dirt road.  So we got the lift up, and after hiking for about 40 minutes, we came to the bosque tallado, a forest of totems.  Mostly just carved tree trunks, but all quite fascinating.  I took many pictures of these.  Then another twenty minutes to the refugio, a small little cabin where someone lives year round to provide shelter for hikers, as well as delicious homebrew and pizza.  We signed in to hike a la cumbre - to the top, though the clouds were so dense Peggy thought we would only climb to the mirador, a twenty-five minute climb.  We did that, and afterwards it was hard to choose not to keep hiking.  The vistas were amazing!!  It was my first time in boots in over a week, and my toe was mas o menos.  I was convinced it was bleeding in my boot, but I didn´t need to take it off.  We hiked through a lot of wind and a lot of snow.  As we got closer to the top, there was a lot of loose rock and steep grades.  I had a little fear of being blown off, but we all persevered together.  It took about two and a half hours to summit, and I was freezing.  There was bits of snow and ice coming out of the clouds at us periodically.  More photos...a video...a few bites of banana and apple, and then we were out of there!  The trek down made me nervous because it was so steep, but I found a rhythm and made each step last two feet or so.  It made the descent easier on my knees, sliding out each step in the loose rocks.  And on the snow it was a fake skiing, similar to cross country.  It was a lot of fun, and the descent was no more than an hour and a half.  I was grateful for the flat spot, though it was super windy in the valley, but it was easier on my right knee.  Lots of photos!  Stunning to see into Chile!  Stunning mountains in every single direction!  If I was more stable on the top, I would have taken a three-sixty of photos, but safety first! 

 

Back in the warm cabin, we ate snacks we brought and bought a beer.  It was a delight to rest for a bit in the warmth, though it got cold after a while.  We made friends with other people and headed off with a guy from Colombia.  Peggy and I snagged a ride from a truck, which actually took me all the way in to town after she got out.  I was grateful to be rescued from the hike downhill.  I went to Jauja for ice cream and a submarino, hot milk with a chocolate bar inside.  Stir it up for a version of hot chocolate!  They had been wuite built up for me, and it didn´t meet expectations, but it was still really good.  I grabbed a few groceries and walked back to the hostel.  I read along the non-main road, and I felt so at home.  It was nice.  I am staying till my flight.  No sense trying to rush away from a place that feels so comfortable.  Angela was here when I got back, so we made dinner, drank homebrew, and talked.  Her birthday is in a week, so it was a pre-birthday treat for her.  We talked with a couple guys that work here, and everything was so comfortable.  I really enjoy this space, so welcoming and cozy and comfortable.  I think it is better now that some of the rowdy people have left.  Tomorrow I MUST do laundry because I stink!!  I am off to take a shower and get ready for bed.  Tomorrow I will sleep in, do laundry, meet the girls in twon when I go in to send off Angela, and the rest will be abother adventure!  Suerte!  tori

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What a day!!

I couldn´t help but get up this morning because there was a little girl screaming in the common area directly below my bed.  Not very nice.  I got up and had breakfast.  It is so tasty, even if it was a complete repeat.  Tim and I chatted a bit, and Angela, too.  Hans offered to share a cab in half an hour, so I busted a move.  Angela, Tim, and I were heading in for jazz, but Hans was catching a bus to Bariloche.  We all had a gerat chat in front of the tourist booth killing time before Hans´ bus.  So funny, these guys!  I wanted to stretch my legs a bit, and Angela joined me for a hike up to Cerro Amigo.  It was supposed to be half an hour up, though we took a little longer.  I think it was because we stopped for lots of pictures.  Then we summited and took more pictures.  A couple guys from the hostel were up there, and they shared their mate with us, quite nice.  Our walk down should have been shorter, but we chose a different path down and got lost.  We ended up heading in the wrong direction and missed the road back in to town.  As we tried to cut back, we crossed into someone´s property and had to break trail in some wild rose-y areas.  There was a little river to cross on a 2x6.  Gratefully, we both crossed without falling in.  It at least brought us in to town, instead of back to the road to hike down. 

 

The jazz today was fabulous.  The first group was really lovely, and the second was afroperuano beats, which I couldn´t sit still to listen.  Ice cream was particularly tasty today - calafate (a local berry) and crema de canela.  I will go back for that tomorrow.  We made sandwiches with avocado, cheese, and tomatoes - so delicious!  The flavors are so rich.  The third and fourth bands were okay, though I was less interested.  I did have to laugh when the fourth, a brass band, played "friend in Jesus".  It was during this band that I ran in to Peggy and Tatiana from the farm.  We chatted and agreed to get beers after the show.  Two Canadians from Montreal made it back from a trek and joined us for jazz and beers, too.  They are really quite funny, and better yet they shared beers during jazz.  Tomorrow I will hike with Tatiana and Peggy.  It should be a treat.  Now I am just so tired, I need to shower and go to bed.  It is a Monday tomorrow, and while I do not have work, I kind of need to get up and get going!  love you....tori

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Tired girl...

I made a new friend last night. Angela is from Tasmania. She is a vegetarian, too, and traveling without her boyfriend. We hung out today. Breakfast was really nice. I had cereal with milk, a first in two months. I also had a roll with dulce de leche and raspberry jam. Delicious! Just what I needed before going into town for the big market. It is similar to Saturday market, but smaller. I enjoyed looking at all the neat-o crafts, and better yet, enjoyed drinking some of the artesanal beers. The porter was my favorite and what I ordered. The cerveceria has too many choiceÑ double dark, porter, honey, strawberry, cassis, cherry, raspberry, aji (red chile), for celiacs, with trigo, chocolate, and so many more. Really going to spend a lot of time there, and it is good it is so close to the hostal. Not much else is. I also bought a bag of strawberries, which were so flavorful. Angela and I walked down to a bar patio for the first of the free music for the jazz festival. Afterwards we walked back and sat in the park with the last of the berries and a bag of peanuts for some good conversation before the second band started. The wind picked up, so we decided to call it a day. Of course we got ice cream first - super samboyan and cardamomo. I think better than my choices yesterday. Tonight is an asado at the house, but Angela and I are making a tortilla con espinache, cebollas, ajo, y queso. It should be tasty. Tomorrow there is more music, and I think more beer. I can´t decide what to do.I would like to see more than El Bolson, but I also love El Bolson. I could spend the rest of the week here easily, but I can´t shake the curiousity of seeing other mountains. They are so amazing!! I want to eat them whole. My pictures of this week will be quite boring if all I do is take pictures of every mountain I see. And another one. And another. I also love all the lupines in bloom. And the wild rose blossom I picked to day from a rosehip bush smelled like apples. Wow!!! I just feel so at ease here. Anyway...I think I better go give Angela a hand with dinner. And I need to refill my glass of wine. love to all, tori

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Thank God I can walk!

I was on the bus for a long time...Phew! It is good to walk again! So after I blogged yesterday, I wandered around Mendoza before I had to meet up with Sean and Myrna. I found myself in another ice cream shop, but caught myself before I ordered any. My goodness those cravings are strong. It might be because ice cream is famously delicious and cheap here in Argentina. I did have some today. I will probably have some everyday, since it is only a dollar a cone, and I have to try all the flavors. Anyway, I wandered around and then wandered into Myrna and Sean. We picked up some avocado and bread to go with the tomato sauce from Azucena. I got some apricots and facturas for dessert. We had a little picnic until the sprinklers came on. The bus was pretty empty, so it was like a private party up top and in front. We had the first rows of seat above the driver, so the views were great. I took way too many pictures of the sunset, but with a digital camera, it is not a problem, right? We watch a move called El Ex. It was pretty funny. We also got tortillas and flan and other stuff for dinner. Tasty! The enxt bus was even ritzier for me, bt we went separate ways, so it was a little more lonely. My lunch was vegetarian and came with red wine...classy. I took a bunch more pictures when we got close to mountains again. In the middle of Argentina around Neuquén, it is so flat you can see for kilometers. It kind of reminded me of eastern Colorado and Kansas. But once the peaks came into view again, I was in love all over again. El Bolson is where I am hanging out for a bunch of days. It reminds me of Carbondale a little bit. And lucky me, the jazz festival is this weekend, so I have some fun free things to do, too. The hostal is nice and cozy. I enjoyed sitting on something with a cushion again. It is a bit of a walk out of town, but as I mentioned, I was happy to walk after being on the bus for so long. I made dinner at the hostal and drank some wine as I journaled, and thrill of all thrills, the shower was hot, and I didn´t even have to build a fire! I think the grease has finally come out of my hair. Now if I can just get the rest of the dirt out from my nails. Blessings on December! tori

changes all around

The weather here feels a lot like summer, though it isn't official for another few weeks. The afternoon mugginess if no fun, though it is a good excuse for doing nothing and eating ice cream. Sean and Myrna and I packed our bags this morning and waited for a ride into town. We waited some more and some more. I don't know if Azucena was trying to time our arrival with a bus's departure, but we waited beyond an hour. It meant Patch and Kaitlyn weren't too productive this morning. Azucena did sleep in, so even though they were ready, the work day began at 9 am and will only last a couple hours in the heat. Saying good-bye was tough. It wasn't like it was a surprise that we were leaving, that we weren't staying forever. We wandered around, taking pictures, kissing cheeks, talking with the children. Despite abandoning my work clothes, a couple gifts for the kids, and my Spanish lesson book from Cuzco, my bag fel heavier. And even worse for weight, though super generous, Azucena gave us each jars of tomatoes and garlic sauces. Great! Well, we just barely caught the bus to Mendoza, but it was made better by over an hour of 90s dance party music videos. When we got to Mendoza, we bought tickets to take us south. I imagine we may part ways in Neuquen, but it will be fun all the same to travel a little ways with Myrna and Sean. We had pizza and beer for lunch, even though pizza is on the outs with me. While they look for a new camera, I am chilling out in the squares. I might need another ice cream in an hour or so. Argentina makes exceptional ice cream! I have posted more photos in a second album called "Rincon Madre Tierra" and hope you won't have any trouble finding them. I have been taking lots of pictures before I go! Enjoy...loveyoumeanit...tori

My last day on the farm!!!

My last day of work – four week anniversary on the farm – Wednesday! I am notorious for cramming, but I can’t seem to motivate myself to get stuff done during siesta. It is so hot. I think it has been in the nineties regularly, and even in the hundreds maybe. These days I don’t have much to measure by except sunset and sunrise. Everything is relative to the day before, the last task we didn’t finish, the meal we just ate, and so on. Azucena, for our last day of work ironically, told us last night to be ready at 8 am, not getting out of bed at 8 am. So we all were, but she wasn’t here. We ended up in the huerta planting and weeding. For the third day in a row we planted lettuces in the same spots. Some wither, and some are eaten by slugs and caterpillars. Patch sprayed tomatoes with a water and sulfur mixture to try to keep bugs away. More are living. This is good. I am learning all sorts of life lessons on the farm: - it is more fun to weed by hand with someone else for conversation, but the zapa makes it go much faster, - organic means weeding over and over and over again, as well as planting over and over and over again, - your hands will never be clean again (though I love the gloves Susie gave me so much that I have worn holes in the fingers!), - if you work hard enough, you won’t mind that the shower is cold, - whether or not you work smarter or harder, there will always be more work, - nothing is ever finished! Projects I have helped complete (though nothing is ever finished because we run out of time, materials, or the bugs eat the plants; there is always more time later, but having the people and materials at the same time is the trick. Sadly, there ): - planting tomatoes, melons, butternut squash, lettuce, spinach, and beans - weeding much - mulching much - sustainable buildings: a chicken coop, the new dormitorio, and two little sustainably built shops for farm products; harvesting trees to weave, weaving trees into walls, building wine bottle windows, making mud, and throwing mud - packaging products for the shop in Mendoza - preparing the shop in Mendoza for opening night - drying herbs - harvesting herbs, beans, and strawberries - weeding and mulching around the house - a bridge to the pit toilet (got to talk about the composting toilet) - an irrigation ditch and transplanting irises - cleaning house and around the house So much fun, all these things, and I can hardly think to leave. I could stay and keep learning, but it is time. This afternoon the mudding continued. Myrna, Kaitlyn, and I talked about relationships and family. It is amazing to become so close to these people whose lives just happened to cross paths. It is such a different level of intimacy when you volunteer to participate in a life other than your own. After I put the goat in and the others started a fire for hot showers, we all ate leftover pasta out of the bowl with the same spoon. And the bombilla in Argentina is passed from person to person without thought of whose mouth was on it last. We share a pit toilet and all our secrets. It strikes me so funny how we all have become friends. So tonight Azucena made us sandwiches, a bit too much mayonnaise, but really delicious. Megan and Vida brought back a couple movies: Perfume and Spice of Love. Gratefully, they are both in English. My toe is going to be okay, and my bags are nearly packed. Tomorrow the journey continues. tori

Dreams come true...

None of us slept really well, and I had a mini-belly ache. I had been thinking all night about cutting up one of my apples and adding it to the leftover gingery white rice, along with some cinnamon and sugar and butter. Therefore, I made it! It was so delicious, though nobody else wanted any. Jorge had already showed up, but I didn’t rush. I really wanted my rice, and the day looked pretty grey, so I figured no hurry. It did warm up, and at one point I was too hot. I planted…(drum roll, please)…tomatoes. Every time we plant them, it is the last time. Still replanting, too. I also got to plant lettuce, help Nacho harvest moras, and take pictures. Moras are blackberries, but they grow in trees. The black ones aren’t ripe, but the white ones are – I know! White blackberries!?!? Who would have thunk? I was grateful for a day with yoga, again. We haven’t had it for a week because Jorge’s foot has been really bothering him. Lunch was one of Patch’s creations, and evidently the polenta I was enjoying wasn’t quite done yet. It didn’t stop me from digging in. This afternoon I wrapped my big toe, stuck my foot in the rubber boot, and jumped in to the mud with one shoe on and one shoe off. It felt pretty silly, and I really did want to get mud squishing in all my toes, but I knew better. Kaitlyn and I mashed away, mixing the clay from the bottom with the wet stuff on top. Then we added sand and straw. Water, clay, sand, and straw. Unfortunately there are rocks and sticks in there, too, and they don’t feel as good under your feet. Sadly, my right foot, the bare one, still feels really rough and calloused. I also got to throw mud because we were moving a little slowly in the afternoon. And when I say afternoon, I don’t mean four o’clock. We don’t start work until 4:30 or 5 pm, and then quitting time is darkish, typically around 8:30 or 9 pm. Thus getting dinner at 10 pm doesn’t feel late. I don’t like going to bed with a full belly, though, yet I want a full night’s rest. Such a problem for me: to be hungry after working and not want a full belly before going to bed! Spoiled, I know! Kaitlyn and I walked to the first kiosko to buy cookies for everyone. I was just happy to stretch my legs, and Kaitlyn and I have great girl-talk. We like to talk about our dreams from the night before, relationships, and plans for the future. We plan to meet up in Portland after Christmas, so we can catch up on the next month. It feels weird to be leaving here. I like it here. Change, change, change…only constant, eh? tori

It did it again...

I didn’t try to jinx myself. Mondays just happen to me. I was hoeing straw, so we can get the mud good and thick for construction this morning. It was not even a hard swing, just a little duffer, but I hit my big toe. I looked down and saw that the skin pulled off. Shoot!!! I worked a little more because it wasn’t bothering me, but I decided to bandage and clean it. Once I did that, it bled a bunch. I ended up adding another bandage or paper towels and some plastic from an old bread bag over the old one and going back to work. I didn’t think to bring in my work clothes last night, so this morning they were cold and dewey. Thus, I was wearing my chacos instead of my boots! Goodness!! Somethings can be prevented, but you never know when. Poor Kaitlyn is a bit taller than I am, and she hit her head on the roof of the open-air building by the drying racks. Even worse, she did it a second time walking into the roof. She stopped and held her head, but I was really worried because she walked into the end of the corrugated metal! At first it seemed there was no cut, but I found it right along her hairline. It wasn’t deep, so she just chilled while I collected more straw. We came up with a story about a hoe-fight, though it played out more like an episode of Scooby-Do: Scooby and Shaggy are slowly walking back along a corridor, and approaching the corner, Daphne backs in to them; they think it is a ghost and run. But in our story, we both spin around with our hoes, Kaitlyn catching me in the foot, and I catch her in the head. It is definitely a better story than the truth. We switched jobs to mudding the tienda and adding more bottles. I also got to go into the trees to collect some more palos with the cloppers, which meant getting to use the machete again! No injuries, either! We ran out of mud right about quitting time, so I came back to clean up breakfast dishes. I also changed the bandage in total and have elevated it almost the whole time of our siesta, and it hasn’t bled through the band-aid yet. We will do more mudding this afternoon, but now we are trying to catch a nice breeze to relieve of us of the heat. We made more mud than this morning, so it took a little longer. We all shared a lot of laughs and teasing as we mudded the inside of the tienda. Patch tried to get us singing, but I really prefer just to listen to him. Last week he disclosed he was in musicals in high school, so we all know he can sing; the trouble is whether he remembers the words. Jorge got the car running again. It has been almost a week since it broke down in Mendoza. Azucena had work to do and left us to our mudding. I did pick up the hoe again, and there were no more injuries for the afternoon. We started dinner for ourselves because Azucena usually returns late when she goes to El Peregrino, but she returned and brought Nacho back with her. We laughed quite a lot at dinner, and I shot a video of Nacho. I am realizing how sad it will be for me to leave, and how I wish I could take so much of this place with me. We played cards after dinner, and all went to bed feeling a bit restless and tired, I think. A difficult contradiction – the rain began and put us too sleep, but also made us all have to get up and pee! Happy birthday to Todd and Mark and Michelle! A belated happy birthday to Johnson! Paz afuera - tori

My last Sunday on the farm...

I think I am leaving on Wednesday with Sean and Myrna. They have delayed their departure once again, and I think we will travel south together. I have much to say, but I have to go. We wlaked in for ice cream, and a quick e-mail check. Just have to say we had a delicious Thanksgiving feast. And last night we had a great party! More to come...tori

The real Sunday blog

Oh my goodness!!! We had a late Saturday night of partying, but the family and their friends who were here also stayed up late. Nonetheless, they were up early and turned Moby on. There is no door, so on our one day off to sleep in, we didn’t have much choice. Alas, Antoine and the other volunteers brought crêpe fixings, so I didn’t mind getting up and eating crêpes. As the morning wore on, we all moved into the shade at Vida’s and played cards and listened to music some more. The heat was really getting to all of us, and we were hungry for something heavier than crêpes. Lunch is always so late, and there were so many people to feed. We still didn’t have the energy to walk into town. The heat was too much. We played a lot more cards. Sean, Myrna, Kaitlyn, Patch, and I get along really well: two Canadians, a Californian, a Coloradoan, and an Oregonian. We have a nine year spread, and I get teased for no longer being in my twenties. But we just laugh and tease. Though some of us want the practice, we usually don’t speak in Spanish. We did end up walking in later to get ice cream and e-mail, but it wasn’t until after 7:30 pm. It is still so bright here that late!! We hitched a ride in Luis’ truck, and though he charged me solo, he didn’t charge the five of us. I figure I already paid enough. The internet place was full, so I didn’t get to write much, but I will post again soon. A highlight for the night was reading El Principito. Patch had said he loved the story, too, so we talked about having a nightly read aloud. Now with less than a week left, we started reading. I read so slowly out loud, but it will probably help my Spanish. Can’t wait for more tomorrow. tori

SATURDAY NIGHT PARTY!!!

Half day! I was thrilled to do construction this morning. My first job was stomping around in the mud. I am not sure which day we are using it for construction on the tienda, but it was a fun morning workout for my quads. Myrna likes to say everything is practice for Machu Picchu. We had added a lot of water to the mud a couple days earlier, but needed to mix it up and add a lot more water. Azucena gave me a pair of orange rubber boots. They kept making farting sounds and getting stuck in the mud. When I sufficiently stomped around – and without falling in, Azucena asked me to make the window. I lined up glass bottles and used twine to secure them. They all lined up pretty nicely side by side, a blend of colors. The second level was a bit more difficult because I was trying to balance the bottles on a long stick. Kaitlyn and I teamed up to make a really nice window. Myrna helped us mud it up. When we finished, there was not much left to do, and our shift was mostly up. Let the weekend begin!! Actually, it was pretty cool in the shade in the morning, so I wasn’t warm enough for a cold shower. I offered to help Vida with some work with her trees to warm up. It helped. For Sean and Myrna’s last supper, we asked Vida about having an asado at her place. An asado is a typical meal in Argentina, barbecuing lots of meat and chowing down. There are parks along the highway and all over the place with big cement barbecues for people to pull up in their trucks and start a fire. There is often lots of wine involved. I found some milanesa de soja at the grocery store, along with an onion and green pepper. My choices of flavor were original (ajo y cebolla), zanahoria, queso o jamón. I chose queso, as the thought of ham flavored veggie patties seemed ridiculous. Sean bought 4 kilos (8.8 pounds) of meat, which seemed like a lot to me for five people, but that’s the meal. We bought wine on the way back, too: 3 bottles for 12 pesos ($4). Crazy, huh? Three volunteers ended up coming from El Peregrino, so I shared my goods with the two vegetarians, and there was another meat eater. We got the fire going right away, and Sean fashioned a grill with wire and a grate. I pulled out the leftover pasta from lunch and a bag of bread, too. It looked like we had all the ingredients for a great party. Patch arrived a bit later with the beer. Kaitlyn took a little longer to arrive; she walked home alone in the dark for the first time, and she got lost twice and got rides twice. She was so close, second-guessed herself, and turned back. Dinner was great. The chorizos ended up a bit ashy, since they were smaller than the grill. We vegetarians ate from a cast iron pan, so not to worry for us. We moved inside for some music and dancing. It was tons of fun. A great party, though not the last supper because Sean and Myrna are enjoying themselves so well, they are staying till Wednesday. If they don’t delay again, we will travel south together. Hooray for music and dancing!!! tori

TGIF!

I was not sure about waking up today. I had incredibly vivid dreams last night. I was working in a store/restaurant, but everyone spoke another language. I tried to be helpful, and there were some really nice people who smiled at me. I mostly felt like I was on the outside. They were mostly older, and I started crying because I wanted my grandpa. Then I got tickets for a boat, so Sean and Myrna came with me. There were orca whales jumping and dancing. There were really big whales holding little baby orcas in their right fins as they danced through the world. There were others swimming under water, and then the boat wasn’t so large. Sean and I were at the front talking, and I felt like I had to get away, so then the helm of the boat became an elevated plaza off a mall with a movie theatre. There was a dam close to us that was coming apart. And then we were driving down this street that was a mix of Denver and Portland. I remember thinking, as Myrna drove, that I was wondering how to get to these streets. It was dark in the shadows of the big trees, and Sr. Marianne Mistech (Grandma’s classmate) was standing on the sidewalk, and I was now alone as I approached her on foot. She tried to tell me everything was okay, but I was crying again for my grandpa. I couldn’t explain to her how hard it is have the holidays without Grandpa. I just kept walking into the darkness of the street, into the light of today, and woke up crying. Oh sometimes dreams seem a little too close to reality.

Last week Myrna and I were talking as we worked, and I hit a chord when I asked about her dad because she hadn’t said anything about him. He died a month before she and her boyfriend left for South America, so it still feels pretty raw. We talked about death and grief. I am not through with my grief yet. Living so far away and now traveling, I am not around to live how it feels for life to keep going. I was thinking yesterday how thankful I am that I went home for our birthday this summer, though early on I hadn’t planned on it. Moreover, I am grateful Erik could meet him, too. A pensive morning for me…the sky is cloudy and gray. It rained last night, so the fields were especially wet. I planted spinach all morning, but I think the weather subdued all of us and quieted us. We were all working in separate parts, too. We got a late start, but it didn’t get hot, so we were able to work later. Patch revived the pumpkin soup and some other leftovers. My potatoes didn’t make it past breakfast. We all agreed that this is perfect weather for chocolate caliente y una pelicula (plus a blanket fort). I think they have movies at the other house, so maybe we’ll try for one later tonight. No movie, but we did sneak some drinks out since we were not having company. Azucena was not expected until much later, and Jorge and Paloma were eating when I walked over for matches for the stove. It was lots of fun playing games and enjoying beverages. Azucena did walk up while Vida and I were at the kiosko buying a bottle of wine and a couple bottles of beer. Because there is a deposit on the bottles, the man poured them into empty plastic soda bottles. We walked and talked on the way home, and Azucena didn’t make a fuss. We are all having so much fun. To good times!! tori

Dia de Gracias!

I woke up to Azucena knocking on Vida’s door to pass on a message that Mickey called. Vida wants to buy some property from him that is adjacent to her property, but he won’t sell for a reasonable price. She has a collection of candles and prayer cards for intercession with the sale, so we were hopeful that was why he called. Sadly, no. I collected my things and headed across the fields back to the cabana to get breakfast and get to work. Patch was reading a Thanksgiving card his mom packed for him. Azucena gave us our work for the day – weeding. Kaitlyn and I worked a row over together. It wasn’t too bad, though neither of us wanted to use the zapa. We made great progress until the sun came back out – it had been warm and overcast until about 10:30 am. Our other obstacle was the water that started coming down the irrigation ditch. Bummer! At lunch, which was tasty leftover polenta with quinoa greens and fried eggs on top, Azucena talked about Thanksgiving. We invited her family’s farm and volunteers to come over for dinner. She took a list of items we wanted and planned to go to the store to buy our groceries. We weren’t going to work really long in the afternoon. I was thrilled to get to make mashed potato casserole – papas famosos, as Patch called them. I tried napping in the hammock during our break, but it wasn’t great. The flies bother me, and I just couldn’t get super comfy. I wrote a bit, and then it was already time to get back to work. We “cleaned the floor” of the mud-construction building. This involved hoeing up the leaves and sticks because it is currently a dirt floor. It was amusing. We also filled the mud beds with water to prepare the mud for tomorrow. There was a mini-water fight between Sean and Myrna, but I was happy to stay dry, if not clean. That didn’t take long, so we collected firewood. Gratefully, Azucena returned with the vegetables, so I could get started on cleaning potatoes and getting them boiling. She forgot cream cheese and sour cream, but a bunch of people can’t eat dairy, so I figured I would just use lots of garlic and rosemary. I had a wooden spatula to mash potatoes, which I thought would be terribly difficult, but it worked quite well. No pyrex in these parts, but I did have a big rectangular metal pan charred with lots of past dishes. The oven is a metal drum sideways in the wall. There is a door on our side with two racks and rocks on the bottom. Outside there is a space underneath to build a fire. It works great, but changing the temperature means having a fire of different sizes. I wasn’t exactly sure how hot it was, but I wasn’t about to fret about that. Halfway though prep Azucena said the other farm wasn’t coming, but they surprised us and showed up anyway. It was a confusing night for us in the kitchen. Thanksgiving was not the same for Patch without college football, and most were really missing the turkey. I enjoyed myself, didn’t gorge myself, and washed a lot of dishes! There were 14 of us. We had mulled apple cider with spices and oranges with apple juice from the other farm. I made a big pan of mashed potatoes, and the other farm made a layered dish of potatoes and vegetables. There were roasted sweet potatoes, garlic, fennel, and carrots. Patch made a huge pot of pumpkin soup, which we will be eating for a while. There was a group effort on stuffing that was a little mushy, but none of us make it the same way. It tasted great, much to the surprise of the meat eaters, who doubted stuffing existed without meat juices. We had salad from lettuce, as opposed to the typical bitter greens we pick from the yard (maybe dandelions?). It felt like a great feast, but I missed pumpkin pie. I was imagining that if Gail and Mike were with my family in Portland, Gail might have made amazing pumpkin pie. And homemade whip cream? I guess there are a few things I missed. We don’t eat much in the way of desserts here, mostly just bread with cinnamon and sugar for me. The cider was pretty darn dessert-y for me. I washed a lot dishes before heading back to Vida’s to sleep. I am so thankful for so much! What a privilege for me to be here! Peace, tori

The rest of Wednesday

So the rest of the day went pretty well. I didn’t need to leave the gas station so early because when I got to the grocery store to buy wine and some cinnamon and butter for bread in the mornings, it didn’t open for twenty minutes!! Siestas here are for everyone, and the store closes from 1 – 4:30 pm. Pretty nice, eh? I found some butter, cinnamon, and three boxes of wine (1L each), and my total was less than 12 pesos - $4 dollars. Unbelievable!! The ride back on the horrible bike wasn’t too bad, though slowing down was tricky and necessary a couple times. I made it back in time to get instructions from Jorge and tell the others. No rest for me! We planted spinach all afternoon. It was fun poking the little plugs of soil out of the tray. We got a lot done and even got some weeding done, too. Nobody knew who was supposed to take the mare down to the end of the huerta to eat, so Sean and I went. The chain was missing because Luis never took it off yesterday. We looked and looked, but the horse was not only in the corral; she had full access of the the bosque. I tried to talk to Jorge about it, but my Spanish failed me. I didn’t understand completely, and I am sure he was just as frustrated that I didn’t know what he was saying. I heard tree and cabin (volunteer house). Around the tree with the hammock, I found some plastic stripping. I guessed that maybe the horse doesn’t pull hard enough to break it when there is plenty of food around the stake. I invented some new knots and tied her up down at the end. Five minutes and four pieces of plastic later, Manteca, as she is called, was free. Sean and Myrna walked her back to the corral and looked harder and longer for the chain. There success was obvious when thy returned with Manteca. Silly me! Sean, Myrna, and Match walked into Ya Ce for some meat. Vida, Kaitlyn, and I started cooking. We had lentils, polenta, onions, and salsas to work with. I wanted to try to make patties to fry, but it didn’t work out that way. Nonetheless, our crispy polenta with mashed lentils and sautéed onions and spices was more delicious than imaginable. We had red wine with bread, vinegar, and rosemary infused oil. What a feast!! When the other three returned, we placed some cards and drank more wine. It felt a little like family dinner or something – cooking, wine, talking, and music. Key ingredients to life! Vida’s friends were in town (as opposed to out of town, but not on the farm), so I went over for a sleepover. It was a lot of fun. We layed in our sleeping bags and talked for a while before dreaming…ah, dreaming…tori

Hooray for Wednesdays!

I always liked Wednesdays at work. Today has been no exception. It was much warmer this morning, which was nice, but we didn't have much food in the house - never do. I woke to Jorge's voice because Patch wasn't here to get up first. We went to plant more spinach, and guess who got to finish the tomatoes!! Always more! The sun started beating down pretty badly pretty early. It wasn't even eleven before the sweat began dripping into my eyes. When the wind picked up it was better, but it was a hot morning. The afternoon is not much different, but Jorge gave us enough time for siesta, I thought I would come into town, upload photos, and blog. I am adding photos from the weekend. Take a look at them. A Saint Bernard just walked into the gas station...pretty funny sight down here. Iam also on a mission to buy wine for a little down time at Vida's house after work tonight. I rode the red bike in because my experience with the other bike wasn't winning. This is a straight handle mountain bike. None of the tires around here are ever full, but it seemed to be a better option anyway. Until...it doesn't have brakes, which I knew, but I also knew I wouldn't be going very fast. It also has a funky chain. You can't stop pedaling, even to try to get off the seat on a bump. This might be training for mountain biking with Nikki. The ride home will be lots of fun with the extra weight of wine on my back. Well, we're supposed to plant more spinach when it cools. I will have to tell you about the rest of my day later. loveyoumeanit...tori

Uh-oh!!

I woke up this morning feeling like barfing again! Argh!!! I think maybe it was the chocolate milk. I might have indulged in too much, but it was so good! I took the morning a little slow. We were surrounding the tomatoes with dried garlic, so it was an easy slow job for me. Patch went into Mendoza to help Azucena with the shop. He was also going to buy Sancho Panza, a pet mouse. Katie didn't end up leaving yesterday because she didn't have a ride, but this morning she did - ciao! As the morning progressed, my stomach started feeling better, so I ate some crackers I bought last sick-o time, crackers I hoped I wouldn't really need again. A new volunteer also arrived. Caitlin is from Dundee, Oregon, so we had much to talk about. Yoga felt nice. With Azucena gone, Jorge is running the show, and I really love that afternoon yoga before lunch. Rest was also good, though I never nap well. In the afternoon we got to weave all the poplars we stripped yesterday into what will be a new dormitorio for volunteers. Myrna, Caitlin and I enjoyed talking about lots, even about some of you. The heat has been getting to be too much, so it was nice to not be out in the fields, but wouldn't you know, when we finished that project (not completed, just used up all our palos), we planted spinach in the fields. It was much cooler. I wanted to wrap up and clean up because Luis was picking me up at 8:30 pm. He has two horses that come to graze in the fields during the day, and he asked if I wanted a ride. I thought that would be fun. We had a bit of difficulty communicating, but these older Argentinean men are always so nice to us young women. Anyhow, he picked me up in his truck, and we drove to the city. We made small talk, but I was really confused. We stopped at a store, so I bought a couple pieces of fruit, a new toothbrush, and some soap. He was trying to practice his English, but I didn't understand it at all. He brought me back to the finca and asked for five pesos. What?? I was so confused that whole time, but he asked if I wanted a ride. He uses his truck as a taxi, so there will be no horseback riding. What a misunderstanding! I didn't need a ride into town, and if I knew that is what I was getting, I would have gotten ice cream, used the phone, etc. The others laughed when I returned. We played cards and ate soup. Azucena and Patch are stuck in Mendoza with a brokedown car, so it was a quiet night. Ciao! victoria

Monday, Monday...

I need to start working on my Monday luck with a new mantra. Today we planted more tomatoes…again. We almost finished, but the last tray will have to wait a couple days because someone left them in the huerta for a few days in the sun without water. They weren’t tostadas, but they need some time to recuperate. We all pitched in and got lunch on the table – mashed potatoes (from a bag) and the quinoa tortillas I missed last week (eggs and the quinoa leaves – not seed). Everything was tasty, but it took so long that I didn’t have enough time to walk into town like I wanted. I guess I will keep waiting to post these and get more ice cream. Alas…at least I had enough time to wash my undies, my pjs, and a couple tops. We have great afternoon sun for drying. In the end, the laundry didn’t dry, but I think it will finish in the house. This afternoon we mulched around the tomatoes and then, AND THEN, they let me use the machete!! We were stripping the little limbs off of poplars. It sounds like tomorrow will be a construction day. I forgot to write yesterday that when we finished work, we sat at the table waiting for supper, and Azucena made us fruit smoothies! They were so delicious!! Strawberries and quince and peaches and cherries and oranges...I had a couple helpings. Fruit is such a treat here. Tonight, however, because Peggy and Tatiana left in the morning (hitchhiking to Patagonia), we North Americans rented a movie. I biked into town with Katie to pick up the movies, sodas, cookies, and chocolate. I had been craving chocolate milk in the morning when we were working, so I bought a box of it, too. We don't get much dairy on the farm, though we did get to sample some of the goat's milk tonight. Anyhow, the bike I rode was a bit too small, and the seat wouldn't stay in one position. It is hard plastic, and when I hit a bump, it would bend back and jab me in the bum with the front of the seat. I would jam it back down with my hand, but it was tricky. The road is just dirt, so you can imagine there were a lot of bumps. Our headlamps did not sufficiently illuminate the road, so I didn't even get to them coming. Ouch! We watched Idiocracy, a movie to inspire reading, learning, and smart people having babies. It was pretty funny, but it was well after midnight before we went to bed. Tuesday morning may not be as great as Monday! Sweet dreams! tori W

A working Sabbath

So last night there was no fiesta. When Peggy and I got back to the house, it was mostly dark. The volunteers were just playing cards. Dunia, the volunteer from Germany, didn’t stay long and left while everyone was napping in the afternoon. We speculated about why she left, not in record time as the two girls a week ago, but for much the same reasons: uncomfortable bed and too chilly for her sleeping bag, the pit toilet, cold showers, volunteers not speaking Spanish, everyone being sick, not wanting to work Sunday on her birthday…and the list goes on. She had farmed somewhere else, and she did work a day and a half, though she didn’t get much done. Ah well…one person she invited to our bonfire showed up, but he left with understanding. Who knows if anyone else got close and turned around when they saw the darkness? Peggy ended up making popcorn, and we ate a bit of Patch’s dessert. I was tired, so I didn’t mind going to bed before midnight on a Saturday. The funniest was when we asked for more papel higenico for the bathroom. Azucena said she just bought a four pack for us Saturday morning, but we never saw it. Paloma repeatedly affirmed that she brought it over to our house. About five minutes after they left, she came back in with her head down and set the toilet paper on the table and walked back out. Are you sure you brought it? It meant nobody had to use the paper flour bag, though there was creative alternatives to TP. Today is a work day, not a day of rest this week, though we did get to sleep in. And our wonderful foreman, as I am calling Patch, made papas fritas norteamericanas (when you dice the potatoes and fry them). The Canadians didn’t dice yesterday, but they did contribute their ketchup again today. What an aroma, but no eggs today. Can’t quite get the combination down! I went “to the mountains” with Sean, Myrna, Paloma, Patch, and Azucena to pick “tea”. I was excited we might have tea in the house again, but really they were just these wild yellow flowers along the side of a road perpendicular to the mountains. So I did get to see the mountains, but we didn’t go to them. It was so hot, too. Azucena asked me to build a fire when we returned. I was never a boy scout, and my brothers would probably say it’s a waste of time to even let me try, but try I did. I had great success, and then it went out. In the end I made a go of it and got the potatoes cut and boiled. We had boiled potatoes and sauces for lunch, plus the usual salad of bitter greens and olives and anything leftover from a past meal. Azucena is usually pretty good about reinventing leftovers, particularly turning something into a soup. There was a great dilemma because we had no oil. These guys put oil on everything, though I usually don’t care much. Patch biked to a kiosko with no luck. Alas…it was good to me anyway. We didn’t get much time to rest before going to work. The moon was in the right position for planting, so we planted tomatoes and tomatoes and tomatoes. We mostly replanted, didn’t even get into new rows. We planted until it was too dark and too cold to be in the rows with the water coming down. Dinner was tasty polenta soup, a recreation of the recreated leftover polenta from lunch – that was really tasty, too. We enjoyed cards and conversation about Thanksgiving. We talked about foods and traditions, Peggy constantly asking why and what because they don’t have Thanksgiving in France. I joked that they don’t say thanks in France. Azucena said we will have Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday here, which excites me, though I don’t know if I will be able to make mashed potato casserole or not. There will be a lot of people here, and we don’t have the proper dishes for trying to bake it. We’ll see… I had such great conversations with Katie tonight. She is heading to El Peregrino tomorrow afternoon, so we may not have a chance for another good chat. We talked for a long time. I wish her luck and am excited for her to continue her adventure – maybe here or maybe Chile. Peggy, Tatiana, and Katie leaving tomorrow…Sean and Myrna on Wednesday…solo Patch y mio…ciao

Un gran aventura!!!

Holy shirt! This morning I didn´t want to get out of bed. Peggy planned to visit Manzano Historico, a town at the foothills. It is our day off, so last night I went into the city with a few others for dinner (not that great) and ice cream (delicioso). They were trying to convince me to sleep, but I wanted to get away from the farm, and I am healthy again. So when Peggy woke me, I was undecided. I got ready, and that was decision enough. We walked into town to the bus station and learned the times changed and we had half an hour. This was a blessing because we stopped for fruit and vegetables at a shop close to the station. I fell asleep on the bus to awake at a dusty stop. There were lots of campgrounds, half occupied. There were a couple little cafes, closed. The information booth and museum, closed. Nada! So lucky we bought food in Tunuyan because we planned to buy lunch in Manzano. We decided just to walk up the road into the mountains and see where it led us. A couple guys heading into town told us there was a path a couple kilometers ahead and great views 40 kilometers ahead. Yeah right!! We found the park and walked through a lovely area of rose plants and streams. We were debating about the hunger tugging at us because we didn´t exactly have a destination. It seemed to be a good place to return for an afternoon nap. The trail wandered aimlessly up the little river. The road was not far to our left - just a dirt road. We ended up on the road when the path turned really wet. Pegy doesn´t have waterprrof boots. One part was so amazing. It was like a floating lawn. The grass and mud rippled like water as we walked across. Really bizarre, but fun. We passed a hotel that burned down. Evidently, it was better just to rebuild behind it, so the old tangled metal and stone frame stands on display like outdoor art. We came to a sign for Cruz del San Pedro. This seemed a good place to hike to and eat. Along the way we spoke only Spanish. Peggy is French and speaks Spanish better than English. We talked about much, and I really enjoyed the practice. We had a great discussion about religion on our way to the cross. The trail kept going up, up, and away. I lamented we would never make it, but it really wasn´t that bad. There were pretty cactus flowering and occasional butterflies. The sun warmed us, and the cloud cover cooled us, and the wind refreshed us. It was perfect!! We reached the top, a vista of the the valley and more snow-capped peaks. I was in love. Me encanta mucho! Even better, it was lunch time! We pulled out our crackers and produce. I ate crackers with palta y pimiento rojo y pasas de uvas y una banana y un mandarin. I think it is one of my favorite meals. The views, the fresh produce - especially fruit! Surprisingly, there isn´t a lot of good fresh fruit here. This is in part because it is Spring here, and they don´t import produce from all over the world like the US. our peaceful lunch was interupted by a cuatro cyclos, an ATV. Neither of us were terribly pleased, but he left quickly. Then he returned and came closer. We talked briefly, and before long, we made friends with Carlos, a man in his fifties who is a member of a paragliding club. He was picking something up, I think. In the end Carlos contributed greatly to our adventure. The trail was really steep in places and just loose rock and dust. Neither of us wanted to walk back down that way, but we didn´t have to. Carlos strapped our backpacks on the front, and we hopped on behind him. There were a few times I thought the 4x4 would slide out under us because it was so steep, but it was lots of fun. When we reached the bottom, he asked us if we knew the rest of the road. Arriving on foot, we hadn´t really made it that far, so he took us to the end of the road. We saw a beautiful waterfall, lots more snow, beautiful vistas from new directions, and some rock climbers. At the end of the road, well not really the end, but the military has a station set up because it is close to Chile. They are just trying to control the border. Anyway, we talked with Jose for a while. He pointed out the rock climbers, and we talked about his post at the end of the road - a month long assignment. The return was beautiful, too, and I didn´t know where he would leave us. We returned to the building for the papagliders, just an open air building, and he invited us to barbecue. We needed to catch the bus in two hours, so we thought it would be too late for us. So instead we got back on and went to his house. He is actually building the house, but we went to his land and had maté, the tea everyone drinks here. I actually liked it because he added sugar. He asked hard questions, like what my opinion was of Argentina before I came and now, particularly aboput the people. In truth, the people I have met are few because I am almost always at the farm and because my Spanish isn´t the best. But everyone extends such amazing hospitality. Doors are always open, and people are so happy to be helpful or offer their time. I couldn´t have an adventure like today´s in the States, I think. I wouldn´t accept a ride from a stranger, let alone go to his house. It is so wonderful how people are trusting and can be trusted. This is a very special place. We enjoyed discussions about much more - travel and family and my need for a new adapter for my computer charger. He said we are welcome back anytime - in the near or not so new future. When I get my photos online, you can see. His wife Miriam works close to Azucena in Tunuyan, so he knows the finca. So fun! We watched one bus come and go, so we thought we might have to hitchhike back to town or the other farm. In the end they have actually added a bus to the route. While we waited, we visited the museum, now open. On the road we met a local guy selling this and that. He was quite fun to talk with and told us about dulce de leche from goat´s milk. We ended up buying a couple jars. So delicious! The bus showed up just in time, and now we need to walk back to the finca from town. We have a bonfire tonight for two birthdays. Tomorrow we work planting in the afternoon because the moon will be in the right phase for planting again. (Thus we had today off.) If I can find an adapter, I will try to return in the morning to upload all the other things I wrote this week. With much sun in my smile, tori

Ketchup!!

Bummer, my converter broke, so I can write until this battery dies! It feels good to feel good! And guess what! This morning I had a fried egg and some fried potatoes!!! So exciting!! It wasn’t anything like the delicious ones I am used to back in Denver, but just the idea of it was tasty enough. And when Sean pulled out ketchup…wow!! It is something little like this that makes me smile. The sun is so hot these days, though when we wake, the morning is dreadfully cold. Doesn’t make the first trip to the pit very inviting when it is cold and the grass is wet. But I will admit that having to go really early in the morning meant watching the sun rising on the mountains. They don’t usually have shadows, so to see them in the morning shadow was a treat. I might try to get up early another day to take pictures. Shocking, I know, that I might get up early! These little things that make me hold my breath for just a minute bring a smile from ear to ear…mountains…eggs and potatoes…being able to work! I was back out planting tomatoes in the field this morning. I made peace with tomatoes yesterday when I ate some sun-dried tomatoes, so working in the field was refreshing. I hadn’t been out working in the field for a full week. Who knows what we’ll get to do this afternoon? I am hoping we will start some serious work on the baño seco because we are going to end up with pits all over the place if we don’t. ooopps...didn't finish. Here it is anyway! tori

A fun party night...

Though I am not really a sick kid anymore, I still got the easy assignment, but I didn’t argue. I had a fried egg with toast, good protein for strength. Azucena got Myrna and I working on packaging products for the store. We packaged a lot! The house was freezing, so we moved our operation into the sun. The whole set-up is not that great, and Azucena couldn’t tell you what she has where. A supply shelf would be useful, but then it would probably just get used for something else. Today is Katie’s birthday, and we have been talking about walking into town for ice cream during the afternoon. In the evening the plan was to have a bonfire and some wine at Vida’s house. There wouldn’t be room for everyone to go into Mendoza for the grand opening, but we could all have fun. The production line was stressful because Azucena is never organized. She always manages, but she works with that cloud of stress around her that I am all too familiar with. We packaged at least half a dozen herbs, soups, salts, dried tomatoes, and more. She was still making things, too. Gratefully, we were working pretty efficiently, but I couldn’t help but think how much easier it would have been to be packaging the herbs she had days earlier. Alas! I could hardly wait for lunch because she handed me a zapallo, butternut squash, to take to our kitchen. When we found a stopping place, she sent us to our house for lunch, while she went to pick up a new volunteer from the bus station. Instead of roasting the squash, it was boiled with potatoes. I made a mash for myself, quite tasty. Azucena said she had room for one more in the car for the grand opening, but it meant leaving an hour after lunch. Katie and I had our plans for ice cream, and I was kind of the ringleader of getting the bonfire at Vida’s, but I wanted to go. I imagined Katie would want to go, too, if we weren’t keeping our plans. In the end we were both able to go, and it was a lot of fun. The shop is really quite small and cute. We filled drawers with our herbs and the shelves with the soups. I got to write labels for the herbs, which was a good job for me, and we still had time to walk down and get ice cream! For four pesos (a buck thirty), we got a waffle cone with three flavors and a drizzle of chocolate or caramel The scoops aren’t huge, but three flavors was a deal! I had bombon rocher, chocolate, y pistacho with a drizzle of caramel! Oooh – I’m making myself hungry for more! It was tastilicious. The grand opening attracted a small crowd, some of whom I knew already. We set out bread and sauces for tasting, dried fruit, wine, and apple juice. Everything was from the two farms, except for the wine and figs from another farm. All was organic and homemade – delicious! I enjoyed the wine a bunch, but not nearly as much as Katie, who got sauced for her birthday. It made for an entertaining evening and ride home. It took a couple hours with a couple stops for her health, a stop for a volunteer from the other farm to get a sandwich, and problems with the truck from the other farm. Instead of returning around 11 pm, it was about 2 am. The bonfire was still going on, but I was tuckered out. I had Katie sleeping on my shoulder and Nacho sleeping in my lap. He was so sweet, and with his fingers wrapped around my thumb, I felt so content. What a sweet child he is asleep! I was glad I went to the grand opening, for though I missed a lot of what was said, I really enjoyed watching Azucena talking to everyone about organic foods, cooperatives, and a higher consciousness about what we put into our bellies, on our backs, and into the earth. It was an “AMEN” moment for me. Listening to the questions people asked made me realize how different I am to know so much about food systems, farming, organics, and policy. What a gift Metro CareRing gave me – an avenue for learning more about some of this. Dunya (probably spelled wrong) is the volunteer who arrived today. She is from Germany and celebrates her birthday on Sunday. More fiestas to come! tori