What Winter ?

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Spring has officially sprung, and flowers are in blossom all over the city. The outdoor cafes are bustling with people relaxing, conversing, and demonstrating why Argentines are some of the most social people on the planet.

This past winter, unlike the winter of 2007, was so pleasant and mild that its end has gone un-noticed for the most part. There was probably 4 or 5 three day periods where the skies were cold and gray. The winter rains were barely enough to keep the grass green.

This July and August Shannon and Steve Commers helped us out by running the household and helping Andy while Rich was in the States. They did a great job with everything! In September, Steve and Shannon embarked on a one month trip that took them to fishing villages in Chile, and mountain towns in Patagonia. They made it to Peru where they trekked in the Andes and visited Machu Picchu. They are now back in Idaho preparing for their upcoming 2 years in the Peace Corp in the Caribbean.

These past three months everyone has been very productive musically. Both music workstations have been constantly operating and all of us have been making progress toward producing our own personal CDs as well as an Argentina Pathways compilation CD that should be completed soon.

This winter the guys took a group of children from the Brazos Abiertos Shelter to the zoo. They also have hosted numerous chorizo asados for the shelter and the Brazos Abiertos community in Las Heras as well as played with the children at the Casa Kuna Orphanage.

Some of the accompanying photos in this blog show pictures of our trips this winter to Cordon Del Plata, Uspallata, and San Rafael. The final 4 photos were taken at the World Food Fair at The Intercultural Institute where Connor and Nate helped Pepe cook the chivo (goat) for the Argentine Food Booth.

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