Giving Thanks

One of my goals in this blog is to be humble and unpretentious.  Crises are entertaining to read about, and in all actuality, our anniversary was hectic and stressful, but overall our life here is peaceful and an absolute joy.  This year is truly a gift in our lives.  It is a treasure, and we are hoarding every moment of it.

Some of the things I love most are that the sky never ends.  I love the smell of the ocean inside my house when the windows are open.  I love the whales dancing in the sea with their calves.  I love the rustic gravel roads.  I love the kiss and embrace as we greet new and old friends.  I love the crispy fresh bread in the panaderia.  I love shopping at different stores for meat, produce, dried goods, and dairy. I love walking along the coast every day under sunny skies.  I love the dogs that join me on my morning runs and sometimes follow me home for a treat.  I love the spectrum of blues that fill the sky just before sunrise.  I love the people who are warm, welcoming and patient even when I don’t understand.

We can not continue without giving credit to the people who made our transition so smooth and seamless.

Mariana.– Those of you in Seattle may remember Mariana from our party at the Burke two years ago.  If you had a mojito and loved it – she made it!  Mariana has been our lifeline in Patagonia.  She has done everything from finding our home, our children’s school, arranging our cell phone, imbuing our senses with chori-pan, and answering every crazy question I send via WhatsApp at random times of the day.  She greeted us at the airport with a kiss, smile, and the most delicious loaf of homemade banana bread, and her kindness has not waned.  She is our Patagonian angel.

Dancing at the Burke

Mariana and Adam at the Numbers Party - 2015

.

Luciano at his desk at work.

Luciano.– Is Mariana’s husband and equally fabulous.  Without his help and connections we could never have purchased our car.  In fact – it is his car because we can not legally own a car in Argentina.  He has done hours of paperwork, and has met with officials and agents to ensure everything happened properly, and that we can drive the car legally. When the alarm system shut down the car, he came to the rescue and did not leave until everything was back to normal.  In addition to auto support he has taken us on outings for a personal view of the whales. 

Clyde.– is Mariana’s mom.  I am enamored with her.  She is vivacious, friendly, and loquacious.  Every day we spend an hour together chatting.  She is a tremendous help with my Spanish, and she is a hoot.  Not only do I learn Spanish, but we talk about culture, the government, health insurance, newspaper reporters, family…  Our conversations never lack for words and are always quite entertaining.  Her dynamic personality keeps us both entertained! 

We savored a spring time chori pan asada in Mariana's gorgeous yard with her son Tadeo and parents Luis and Clyde.  What a beautiful and delicious afternoon as we admired the blooming fruit trees and bright tulips and daffodils.