Day Two Hundred Ninety-Four: Museo del Area Fundacional

Jeff's school had an outing to a local museum scheduled this afternoon, and I decided to join Jeff there after his classes, even though the kids weren't interested in going. Therefore, my first First of the day was wandering around the city by myself on this cold, wet day looking for a cab. There were plenty around, but either they weren't available or they were on the other side of the street and super hard to hail. I had no luck, so I was just generally heading in the direction of the museum when Jeff called to say that his driver and our guide for the afternoon would pick me up if I would just stay where I was. I was directly across the street from a Shell station, which seemed like a good place for them to meet me. I didn't count on having to play a live version of Frogger to get over there, but that just added to the adventure. When Jeff and Maggie picked me up, I found out that it is "impossible" to get a cab at that time of day (12:30) because it's rush hour. Interesting.

The museum commemorates the birth of the city and actually sits atop the original governor's palace, which was buried by an earthquake at some point. The museum itself seems to be a working excavation site for the palace and the original plaza, which was pretty cool. I somehow managed to follow most of the Spanish tour until the very end when it became like drinking from a fire hose. I was glad to hear later that it felt the same to Jeff. My favorite exhibit was the "Water Room," which explained how Mendoza would be nothing but dry desert if it weren't for the irrigation systems that were developed to divert water from the Mendoza River, which is one of several that flows down from the Andes. This city seems lush, with gorgeous tree-lined streets and so many large parks, but all that is basically fake. Everything has been planted and absolutely nothing grows here naturally. I loved the photo of the installation of the first fountain which showed a background that looks very similar to our family's ranch in west Texas. We have been to the park that houses that fountain, and I can assure you you would never guess it was originally a desert.

The most hilarious part of the tour was near the end of the fire hose speech when our guide (and ride) suddenly said she was leaving and wished us luck with finding a taxi to get back home. Jeff and I kind of looked at each other to see if we were understanding correctly, and the next thing we knew, we were receiving our customary cheek kisses and a wave. Thankfully, the rain had let up, but it was still pretty cold, and of course, we had to walk quite a distance before finding a cab. We got a good laugh out of the situation, and I told Jeff I was kind of glad for it since it meant I actually got to walk the entire route to/from the museum.

Museo del Area Fundacional

A mural of the original plaza faces the new plaza,
which has been built over the original.

The entrance to the museum reveals
 the ongoing excavation.

A fountain in the desert

The same park now

Day Two Hundred Ninety-Three: Olive Oil Factory

This afternoon, Jeff and I got to go on a very cool tour arranged by his school. It included two wineries, an olive oil factory, and a chocolate shop. (You can read about the whole tour over on our family blog.) The olive oil factory was a new experience for me, and very enjoyable. We got to see the olives before processing and during processing, and then we were able to sample the many variations of extra virgin olive oils produced by this facility, all of which were delicious.

Olives on the tree

Olives ready for processing

Processing

So many wonderful products to chose from

Day Two Hundred Ninety-Two: Mom to a 16-Year-Old

My oldest turned 16 today, which seems unreal to me. She is the last of my children to have a birthday during my Year of Firsts but the first one to become an age that our household hasn't already experienced. (Not that any of them experience the same ages in the same ways!) I have never been the mother of a sixteen-year-old before, and I'd be lying if I said I knew what I was doing at this point any more than I ever have, but I love it and am excited to see how it goes. There were other things I could have counted as my First for today (like answering the door to a woman selling oregano out of a baby stroller but with no baby), but I felt it was only fitting to honor my first child, who has given me so many firsts during these last 16 years.

Celebrating my first child!

Day Two Hundred Ninety-One: Making a List of Media-Based Education Sources

We are not really screen people, but we are wanting to incorporate more media-based learning into our homeschool for next year. So my project for today was to look at and make a list of options for us. I looked at Amazon Prime documentaries, You Tube education channels, and TED talks, as well as Audible and Kindle books. The latter two we have used in our homeschool previously, but the others are relatively new for us. We've used them outside of school but have never really specifically  integrated them into our formal learning environment, so it was the first such list I've made. We will certainly not have an entirely screen-based learning environment, but I'm excited to add a few new resources to our bag of tricks.

Day Two Hundred Ninety: Buying Movie Tickets in a Foreign Country

We had promised the kids a viewing of the new Star Wars movie, Solo, this weekend, and today was the day. After wandering around the city for a while looking for a couple of cabs (because there is no Uber here and because there is no such thing as a taxi big enough to carry all of us in this city), we finally all arrived at the theater across town. Since my group arrived first, it fell to me to buy the tickets. Obviously, this is a bit of a stretch for a First, but it truly was my first time to buy movie tickets in a foreign country and not in my native language, so I'm going to count it. (Admittedly, it was not my first time to see a movie, or even a Star Wars movie, or even a Star Wars movie with Spanish subtitles in a foreign country!)

Day Two Hundred Eighty-Nine: Locro and Malbec Gelato

Today was full of Firsts, but I'll just focus on the new foods I tried. (If you want to see more details from the day, you can visit our family blog.) Yesterday, we found out about a food called locro, which is a bean and squash stew traditionally served on Independence Day since people have time off work and have more time to prepare it at that time. We meant to pick some up at the festival yesterday, but the crowd and lines and loud music were a bit overwhelming, and we simply forgot to order it. So, we were pleased to find that the little food counter/grocery store across the street from our house had some in stock today. (They haven't had it any of the other days we've been here, confirming that it's something of a specialty item that is only served occasionally.) It has a unique flavor, which I can't really describe. I would say we liked it but didn't love it.

Locro

Later, we took Weston out for gelato to celebrate his half-birthday, and Jeff boldly ordered one of the three Malbec gelatos on the menu. Because when in Mendoza... It was my first time to try a wine-based ice cream, and I was not a huge fan, though I was glad for the experience. I think I'll stick to having my Malbecs poured rather than scooped.

Malbec gelato with cherries

Day Two Hundred Eighty-Eight: Celebrating Argentina's Independence Day

We were fortunate to be here for a national holiday, which, as far as we can tell, is akin to Independence Day. Many businesses and all schools, including Jeff's Spanish school, were closed, so we joined in the festivities at one of the major plazas. We heard some speeches and patriotic music and enjoyed some yummy foods and fun entertainment. And we appreciated how similar people are regardless of where they are from. (For more pictures, check out our family blog.)

Happy Independence Day, Argentina!

Day Two Hundred Eighty-Seven: Pull-ups (Modified)

I admit that I have basically no upper body strength. I'm not sure if I've ever been able to do a proper pull-up, even at the height of my athletic prowess back in high school. But this evening, I decided to try the modified version, and I managed to get through four. Woohoo!

Modified pull-ups

Day Two Hundred Eighty-Six: El Parque General San Martin

Just four blocks from our house here in Mendoza there is an amazing park that seems to go on forever. Jeff and the boys and I visited on this beautiful evening, and we already know we will be spending lots of time there during our month here. I impressed the boys tremendously by climbing a big tree with them. When I mentioned that they seemed surprised, Clay exclaimed, "Well, moms don't usually come in trees!" I have obviously climbed tress before, but I admit, it has been quite a long time. So long, in fact, that I might as well count it as a First.

El Parque General San Martin

Fountain of the Continents

Tree climbing with my guys

Two Hundred Eighty-Five: Many Blog Posts

Compared to the last couple of weeks, this day was a very normal one. I took at hot shower; I did laundry; I went to the grocery store; I washed dishes. I also took advantage of our excellent Internet connection and caught up on my blogging, both here and on my family blog. Ultimately, I made ten postings--now eleven-- which was definitely more postings than I've ever made in a single day!

Day Two Hundred Eighty-Four: International Bus Trip

We arrived in Santiago, Chile last night and hopped on a bus bound for Mendoza, Argentina this morning. We have rarely traveled by bus and certainly not for long trips and especially not for international trips, but we wanted to have the opportunity to get a good look at the Andes, and we thought this was the best way to do it. The seven-hour ride passed very pleasantly and quickly, and the border stop was not difficult at all. It was quite a nice experience, and the scenery was absolutely breathtaking!

First international bus trip

The road through the Andes

Potrerillos Lake

Day Two Hundred Eighty-Three: Steak Dinner on a Plane

We were sad to leave Rapa Nui, but the service and perks awaiting us in the first class cabin of our flight back to the mainland made it a little easier to say goodbye. While we enjoyed the sleeping arrangements the most on the way to Easter Island, we probably enjoyed the dining the most on the way back. It was truly the first time I have had a steak dinner--complete with real silverware, cloth napkins, and my choice of complementary wine--on a plane, and it felt pretty fancy!

Day Two Hundred Eighty-Two: Wild Horses in the Backyard

Rapa Nui is full of wild horses that roam freely around the island. After exploring for several hours and seeing many of the horses, we arrived back at our cabin to find two of them taking shelter from the rain under one of our trees. It was very exciting, though I imagine we were too loud for them as they only stayed a short time.

A wild visitor

Day Two Hundred Eighty-One: Rapa Nui

We actually arrived on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) yesterday morning, but we did not start exploring in earnest until today. This is another huge bucket list place for us, and we are so thrilled to have the opportunity to visit, especially during my Year of Firsts! It is a magical place and contains a spot atop a volcano that we all agree may be one of our very favorite places on Planet Earth. From that spot, you have a view of the crater of the volcano, which contains a freshwater lagoon; a window to the Pacific Ocean, where the volcano once blew out the side of the mountain; a 180 degree view of the ocean; a mysterious village used by former inhabitants of the island; and a couple of tiny islands that house a species of bird that were especially important to those same former inhabitants. And when facing south, you have the knowledge that there is absolutely nothing between you and Antarctica except the deep, blue sea. In addition to this dream spot atop Rano Kau, we have been enamored with the Moai statues and the breathtaking landscapes of this small island.

Moai statues on the slopes of Rano Raraku, the volcano which is
believed to be the birthplace of all 887 Moai statues on the island.

Favorite place on Planet Earth with my favorite people on Planet Earth.
(Atop the volcano Rano Kau with the crater and "window to the sea" in the background.)

Day Two Hundred Eighty: First Class Flight

We have flown business class before but have never had a true first class experience until now. Jeff and I decided to spring for the upgrade for our trip out to Easter Island because it was a long flight, at 5:30 am, after a long day and night of flying and waiting around in airports. It was well worth the splurge to get to lay out flat and get several hours of quality sleep with "real comforters and pillows," which greatly impressed the kids! There were several other nice perks as well, and we had a wonderful and easy trip.

I could get used to this!

Day Two Hundred Seventy-Nine: Wool to Textile Demo

While exploring the area around Cusco today, we stopped at a textile market. Among other things, we were treated to a demonstration of how wool (from alpaca, llama, and sheep) becomes textiles. It was fascinating! I especially loved the way the yarns were washed and dyed using local plants. Once dyed, the color never fades or bleeds, and some truly stunning textiles can be produced from them.

First, the wool must be washed.

The yarn is dyed using a variety of local plants.

An almost-complete table runner, which will ultimately take a month of 6-hour days to produce

Day Two Hundred Seventy-Eight: Machu Picchu

We checked off a huge bucket list item today by visiting Machu Picchu. It is a place I have been fascinated with since I was a kid, but for the longest time I never even imagined it was a place people actually visited. It seemed like it was a sort of made up place created only for the pages of National Geographic. But we went there today and stood in a National Geographic photo, and it was amazing! It was also special to me because when I hurt my knee, I told my physical therapist that hiking Machu Picchu was my goal. It felt good to know that I had strengthened my knee enough to be able to do it! I would have been glad to visit anytime, but I love that I got to go there during my Year of Firsts, and I'm thankful I got to share the experience with all my people!

Machu Picchu

Sharing a special experience with my people!

Day Two Hundred Seventy-Seven: Alpaca and Guinea Pig

We had an absolutely crazy travel day, but we finally made it to Cusco. We had dinner at Chicha, where we got to try some more new-to-us foods, including alpaca and guinea pig. The alpaca meat was wonderful, and the cuy (guinea pig) was pretty good, though it took a bit more mental preapation to eat. We were just so thankful they didn't serve the guinea pig whole, as it is done in many places, but rather as strips of meat.

Guinea pig with purple corn crepes

Alpaca carpaccio

Alpaca curry

Day Two Hundred Seventy-Six: Juane

We spent the day exploring some markets in Iquitos and then took to the water to explore a small portion of the Amazon and one of its tribitaries. Our tour included a lunch of a typical Amonzonian dish: juane. It consists of chicken, an egg, and an olive, hidden in a ball of rice and wrapped in some sort of leaf and then baked for hours. The taste was somewhat similar to a tamale, though of course, the texture was quite different. I thought it was really good, and it was made even better by the surroundings in which it was consumed!

Juane

Day Two Hundred Seventy-Five: Where the Desert Meets the Sea

We got to visit the Paracas National Reseve today, which is a fascinating national park where the desert meets the sea. I have never seen a more desolate landscape and was struck by the intense contrast between the sandy desert land and the blue ocean water. It was almost eerie in its barrenness but beautiful nonetheless. I never cease to be amazed at all the wonders of this amazing world!

Where the ocean meets the desert

Day Two Hundred Seventy-Four: Dune Buggy and Sandboarding

Oh what a fun day! After an amazing aerial tour of the Nazca lines and a wonderful lunch at Hotel El Huacachinero, we hopped in a dune buggy and headed off into the massive dunes of the Atacama Desert in Ica. Bumping over the dunes was a grand adventure, but it got even better when our driver stopped and got the sandboards out. We cruised down massive hills, sometimes on our rears and sometimes head first, covering ourselves from head to toe with sand and making memories that will last a life time!

First dune buggy experience

Sandboarding in style

Day Two Hundred Seventy-Three: Stoplight Entertainment

As we rode in our Uber over to the Gold Museum today, we got to see a truly unique spectacle. When we stopped at a traffic light, a man dressed as a clown jumped up on the flatbed truck stopped in front of us and began juggling machetes. At the end of his act, before the light changed, he even balanced one of the machetes on his tongue. His timing was perfect, and he hopped down just in time to solicit donations from a few onlookers before we all started moving with the flow of the crazy traffic again. I have honestly never seen anything like it!

Stoplight Entertainment

Day Two Hundred Seventy-Two: Ponderacion

Following an after-dinner walk along the malecon, we  popped into a restaurant called "Popular" for drinks. An item on the menu called "Ponderacion" caught our attention, as the only description was: "traditional Peruvian dessert. Order it!" We were intrigued with the surprise factor and ordered one to share. We truly didn't know what to expect, but it turned out to be a lovely surprise! It is a spiral of crispy pastry covered with caramel sauce and topped with ice cream and fruit. It was delicious!

Ponderacion

Day Two Hundred Seventy-One: Pisco Sour

Today was actually full of Firsts! First time to Peru. First time to survive Lima traffic during rush hour. First walk along the malecon in the Miraflores district. I'll go into more details and share pictures of our trip over on my regular family blog, but here I'll just focus on one. Tonight, during a lovely dinner at Mangos, overlooking the Pacific, I had my first Pisco Sour, which is sort of the national drink of Peru. It's kind of like a slightly sweeter margarita but with foam and bitters on top and no salt around the rim. We thought they were really good and a fun way to jump into Peruvian culture!

Pisco Sour

Day Two Hundred Seventy: Not Homeless

We are off to South America, and this is the first time we've taken an extended international trip without selling our house and not knowing where we would live upon our return to the States. It feels a little weird. In fact Clay asked me today, "Do you think we'll come back to this house when we're through traveling in South America?" He wasn't even concerned, just curious. But this time around we'll have one less thing to think about upon our return, so I guess that's a good thing.

Day Two Hundred Sixty-Nine: Trivia at Grapevine Craft Brewery

Jeff and I have been wanting to participate in a pub trivia night for a while now, and this evening we finally got our chance. We headed over to Grapevine Craft Brewery (also a First for us!) and got in on the Geeks Who Drink trivia night. I can tell you we stink at songs/artists, but otherwise we did pretty well. Most importantly, we had a wonderful time! I'm sure we'll be doing this again when we get back from our trip.

Geeks Who Drink

Day Two Hundred Sixty-Eight: Unique Birthday Activities

Months ago, Clay made out a birthday agenda for his big day. It included some items you would expect for a birthday party and a few truly unique items like "Wake up as early as possible," "Building Contest," "Draw a wolf," and "When I go to bed, everyone goes to bed." I can honestly say I have never been to a birthday party where I participated in a wolf drawing contest or a building contest, but it was super fun!

Wolf Drawings
(Top left: Me, Top right: Jeff
Bottom left: Ruth, Bottom right: Clay)

Day Two Hundred Sixty-Seven: Taking the Kids to Les Mis

Jeff and I have seen Les Mis a couple of times, but we finally had the chance to take all the kids to see it, and it was a wonderful experience! They have seen a T.V. version, and they have long been fans of the sound track, but it was fun for us to all get dressed up and go see it live.

All dressed up for the performance

Day Two Hundred Sixty-Six: Government Issued Physical

Jeff and anyone who might potentially travel with him to one of his postings, should he become a diplomat, has to pass a pretty rigorous physical. So, we loaded everyone up and spent a couple of hours at the clinic today. I can't really say it was fun or completely painless, but it could have been worse, and it's good to have it over with. Just one more step toward the goal!

Day Two Hundred Sixty-Five: Baby Bunny

Our neighborhood is full of rabbits. We see them everywhere, and my boys are always devising plans to try to catch them, though they have not yet been successful. Recently one has taken up residence in our yard, and we scare it just about every time we pull into the driveway. But even though we've seen tons of full-grown rabbits, this evening was the first time we saw a baby. Clay was beside himself with excitement and begged me to snap some pics.

I think he thought we couldn't see him, or maybe he just hoped we wouldn't!

Day Two Hundred Sixty-Four: 1418 Coffeehouse

While the kids were testing today in Plano, I took myself over to 1418 Coffeehouse. It was a cozy space with yummy coffee and a good place to work on my writing projects. I also tried a Protein Puck while I was there, which was delicious despite having a somewhat off-putting name.