Mendoza Autumn

It has been a busy and creative fall for us here. So much that we've gotten a bit behind with publishing our blogs. In early April, Ed, Will, Nicole and Rich traveled to the Chilean Coast for 3 days of exploring Valparaiso, Vina del Mar, Renaca, and Con Con. We all loved the seaport city of Valparaiso with its multi-colored houses and the maze of alleys winding up the steep hills. It has a very bohemian feel to it and there are lots of artists and musicians who live there. We spent some time watching the waves in Renaca and rode horses on the beach in Con Con before sampling their famous seafood empanadas.

Meanwhile 5 weeks ago, we were joined by Alex who brought his violin and a great sense of humor with him from Kansas. He was feeling extra good after watching Kansas win the NCAA basketball tournament just before he arrived. We spent a weekend at a refugio next to Cordon del Plata, one of the highest mountains in the region. Although it was sunny and warm in Mendoza, it was cloudy and cool up in the mountains. Hiking up to the base camp and beyond, we were able to feel the effects of the high altitude. We were approximately 12,000 feet above sea level. We took frequent breaks, walked slower, and thought about how much harder it would be if we were up around the 20,000 level.

All month Rene has been putting in hours and hours of work in the studio. She has recently completed 5 wonderful original compositions which are very different from anything that she has done before. They are haunting and beautiful but the best thing about them is that Rene sings on them having just discovered that she has an amazing voice and the ability to craft stunning vocal lines. You can hear a few examples of Rene's recent work on our website plus 9 other entire songs of the music that we've been recording here in Argentina. You can hear them by going to: www.pathwaysedu.net

Over the past few weeks we've been able to hear Scott wailing away in his upstairs studio going over and over the lead vocal to his newest song co-written with Rene. Ed's been filming the kids at the Brazos Abiertos Center where we have been volunteering. He is now doing the final edits on a short version that will be up on the website soon.

Alex and Will have been doing well with their private Spanish lessons. Their teacher said that they are both naturals who have an amazing ability to retain the content of their lessons. Recently that have been putting their lessons to good use chatting with numerous Argentine chicas.

Last month we completed the renovations in the girl’s dormitory at Brazos Abiertos. We tore out the old broken cement floor and had a new tile floor put in. We painted the beds, brought in new sheets and blankets and had new cabinets made. It was satisfying to see such a positive difference since now there is one completely clean and organized room in the entire place. We also painted the outside of the building in the courtyard at Brazos. Every time we work there, we get endless photo ops with the kids. They are fascinated by our cameras and are always happy to ham it up for pictures.

Earlier this month we said goodbye to Rene. We had an enjoyable farewell asado for her before she took off for Buenos Aires. We all wish her the best and look forward to keeping in touch with her over the years.

(There are extra photos on this blog. In order to see them all click on to page 2 at the bottom of this page)

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