The Wonder Years

No... this is not about Fred Savage. Caroline turned 1 on 28 April 2011. We had some cake. We invited some friends. We had some homemade ice cream. We watched Caroline look at the cake. We watched Caroline poke at the cake. We saw Caroline go headfirst at the cake. We saw Caroline take the cake in both hands and go to town. We saw Caroline be overwhelmed by sugary goodness. And then she went to bed. So fun.

This week, we also went to dinner with some new friends we found via Claire's after school cooking class. They are from Louisiana and are down here working for Exxon. At our seafood dinner (delicious, by the way), they told us of the family business of harvesting alligators. It was Steve Irwin close up. Now I'm just as afraid of alligators as I am of sharks... and clowns (just kidding about the alligators).

Running out of Land

Happy Mother's Day! It would be easy for me to say that we had a good Mother's Day here, but since I'm no Mother, it wouldn't mean much. Argentine Mother's Day is in October so we had to make due with what we had. Thank goodness we had a Mother to honor.

Earlier this week, I was able to see some of Mother Earth's beauty. Have you ever thought that you would make it to the end of the world? What is the end of the world, or in Spanish, el fin del mundo? In Christopher Columbus's time, it meant something entirely different than it means now... and what exactly does it mean now? Is it a tall cliff? Is it natural disasters?

Well, this past week, in my case, it was pretty much running out of land. The southernmost province in Argentina is called Tierra del Fuego ("Land of Fire") and there is a city on that island-province called Ushuaia. I spent a few days in Ushuaia. The city sits on the Beagle Channel separating the island of Tierra del Fuego with some outlying Chilean islands before the south Atlantic ocean where the next stop is Antarctica.

It was cold. You can see from the pictures and video that the city is on the water with imposing mountains behind it.

I've been very fortunate in that I've been able to explore some of the more exotic parts of the country. So far, they are all places worth bringing my family back to see. Ushuaia certainly fits that bill. Tourism at the end of the world.

Easter and the Devil's Throat

We had a great Easter. It was low-key, and I think that we were all pleased that the Easter Bunny remembered that we were no longer in Colorado. We had a nice egg hunt in our upstairs and the kids were sporting their new Easter duds.

Each holiday brings with it both the pain of missing a family member, and the knowledge that we will all be together again. Our kids are so sweet, and we are often reminded of the extra incentive we have to be good. Our life in Argentina is good.

As for the second part of the title, La Garganta del Diablo, or Devil's Throat, is the largest of 200-plus distinct waterfalls at Iguazu Falls National Park in northern Argentina (on the border with Brazil). It is on our list for a future family trip, but I was able to make it up there for work, so don't be surprised if some images appear in the future with Candace and I. While I'm warning you in advance for the duplication, I think it will be worth the double look.

The Devil's Throat:

Other views along the upper trail:

It was a special treat since the water levels are particularly high this time of year. Making the flow that much more impressive.

For Claire's Quote of the Week, she said: "Mommy, Coca-Cola (spoken with an Argentine accent) is Spanish for Coke."

She is hilarious.