Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Pirquitas Dam and other sights

We took a little drive north of Catamarca on our P-day to see the other dam, Las Pirquitas, providing water for the city and loved the sights we saw.  We saw green fields and WATER (it's very, very, very dry here).







It was a cloudy day so the water doesn't look blue but we still thought it was very beautiful.








It was so refreshing to see so much green.  AND...it was much cooler, which was such a nice change from the 98-102^ weather we're enjoying daily in the city.  I'm not sure how cool it was but the car window didn't feel like it was in the oven. 







           

             Green is such a pretty color...

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Our Thanksgiving Feast

Happy Thanksgiving! We celebrated down here as well with our little zone.  Doug and I found a couple frozen turkeys - imported from Brazil for $30 U$S each - and decided we had to have our own Thanksgiving.  The pictures will tell the story:


Waiting for the butter to soften and the finished product.  The miracle?  They didn't burn!  The ovens can't be regulated other than low, medium, and high.








The making of stuffing/dressing.  And where do you mix that much dressing?  Why in the kitchen sink!  See our little turkeys on the counter?  They were yummy.  See my great helpers?  Sisters Brown/UT and Adair/AZ are temporarily living with us while waiting for a pension to become available. 


  

They look ready to dig in!

Elder Nitta/CA gives it a thumbs up and Elder Adams/TX seems mighty pleased, too.  He also made the delicious gravy.  The drink is what we called Lawsonelli's in honor of the Martinelli's we usually have back home.  It consisted of soda water and apple juice and was actually tasty. 








Looks like everyone is enjoying their feast.


                                                          Not bad, wouldn't you say?

The Catamarca Zone
First row:  Elder Nitta/CA, Elder Gossling/GA, Doug and Nancy, Sister Brown/UT, Sister Adair/AZ
Middle row:  Elder Kindt/Canada, Elder Richter/LA, Elder Crespin/El Salvador, Elder Adams/TX, Elder Perez/CA, Elder Valdes/Chile
Back row:  Elder Critchlow/UT, Elder Gonzalez/Chile, Elder Auma/Peru, Elder Burton/CA, Elder Winger/UT, Elder Guymon/UT

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Fun pictures...

You know, sometimes you just love what you're seeing and absolutely have to take a picture of it.  Here are a few of those times in photos:

Now that's what I call a pack of dogs!  I think there are 7 resting there enjoying their siesta.  They're napping in front of a restaurant.  The sign says: Leo's Bar and Dining Room.  Then it tells you that they serve:  sandwiches, milanesas (breaded beef or chicken or veal that's fried - very traditional and tasty), chicken, hot dogs (and you thought a pancho was something you'd wear...), and finally food.  And as you can see, they also serve Cokes.  During siesta time, the restaurants are usually closed and the dogs took full advantage of it.


We also loved this picture as the top sign says Gold's Gym and actually looks like the logo of that gym in Colorado.  Then there's another sign below that also says Gold's Gym with Ginasio (gymnasium) below it.  This is in a neighborhood where we're working - very peaceful and calm.  We just loved the sign!

This one isn't so much fun as just amazing (at least to us).

There are 2 things that are done daily - getting and eating your bread and sweeping up the dust.  We always refer them as the "pan de cada dia" (daily bread) and "el polvo todos los dias" (daily dust/dirt).  Does it amaze you as much as it does us that this much travels in through the windows and doors each day?!!  Never fails to amaze us how much we're able to accumulate. 

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

A Blood Drive Program and the Córdoba Temple site

Last Friday we went to LaRioja (100 miles south of Catamarca) to attend a program put on by people involved with a citywide blood drive, which will take place in December. 

Sister Ledesma, the stake public affairs chairman, President Valdez, stake president, yours truly, President Daniel Villafañe, president of the Antártida branch, Bishop Alvarez of the Los Incas ward, and Doug.

Doug and President Villafañe (they're great pals), President Valdez, Bishop Alvarez, and President Fuentes, president of the Universidad branch.

The program consisted of a variety show and these little witches danced for us.


Some ladies came out and danced around this sleeping lady.

Then a man joined them in their dancing.

Then she was awakened and out came vampires.  This main vampire danced with her for awhile then bit her on the neck.  Next came the blood people who saved the day!  This was the highlight of the show for the part that we saw before we had to leave to return to Catamarca.  The Church will do their blood drive in December and they love having our church donate blood because they're able to use all of the donations as it's healthy blood.

Behind us is the land where the future Córdoba Temple will be built.  The final approval for building permits is about done and they'll begin the construction.  There was a church building there and it was torn down to accommodate the new temple.  This is behind the Córdoba Mission home and office. 

View from an upstairs bedroom window in the mission home.  Everyone is very anxious for the temple to be built as the closest temple now is in Buenos Aires and it has been closed for over 2 years for renovations.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

A snake and Catamarca elders

We found a snake in our living room this week...  It wasn't that big but still...a snake?...in our house?  Believe me, it didn't last very long inside before it was swept out.  How did it get there?  Well, it just crawled right in under the front door, as does dirt, other bugs, you name it.
Does it look very big?  Naw, it wasn't (thank heavens!!) but still...a snake in MY house? 

Today we had the elders from the Catamarca Zone over for panqueques con dulce de leche (pancakes with dulce de leche).  Yum!  Dulce de leche is a carmelized sauce - think carmelized Eagle Brand condensed milk.  Yum again!!



Here's the group from the back row:  Elders Valdes/Chile, Kindt/Canada, Guymon/UT, Crespin/El Salvador, Perez/CA, Critchlow/UT, Adams/TX, Nitta/CA, Gossling/GA.  Front row:  Winger/UT, Burton/CA, Richter/LA, Gonzalez/Chile, Auma/Peru.  What a great group of hardworking missionaries!!

We have a family tradition where after we've taken a very nice, serious picture, we then take a silly face picture.  Weren't they great?!!

Elder Flake was transferred this week back to Córdoba.  We'll miss him.  He was riding along in our car and we were able to take this picture.

Look - we didn't even have to tell him to make a funny face!  Goodbye Elders Flake, Gil, Barraclough, and Griffith.  You'll be missed.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Another ward party

Last Friday was a party for the women in the ward to commemorate Mother's Day (3rd Sunday in October). There was a great turnout!

Back row:  Sister Nievas and her sister, Sister Rojas.  Front row:  Sister Elvita Alduncin, RS president, Sister Ana Marie Lemos and her sister, Sister Gladys Brandan.  In the church, all the women are called Sister and then their last name.

Back row:  Sister Carmen Rasgido and her sister.  Front row:  Sister Imelda Ovejero (mother of 11 children), Sister Rasgido's mother and niece.
                                           The cake sister Rojas made - beautiful AND delicious!

                                                  Sister Monica Sachetti on the right with her niece.

Cute little Virginia Sachetti, Mónica's daughter.  She was busy writing Happy Mother's Day on the chalkboard.

 Sister Rosana Guerrero joined the group this time.

Another sweet group of sisters.  Wish I knew all their names...  The one on the right is Sister Mabel Moreno holding her granddaughter.