Westward Wanderings

My brother worked on a cattle ranch in Montana for the summer. When my summer job took an unexpected downhill turn (they closed our branch), I seized the opportunity to do a Westward bound road trip. We had two weeks and a lot of destinations to hit, and we did a pretty good job at seeing most everything we set out to see.

Beartooth Cattle

This is a slideshow of many of the places we explored:

Rocky Coast

Every other summer, my mother’s side of the family heads to Maine for a two-week getaway. My grandmother grew up in Maine, and her brother and 106-and-counting year old mother both still live there. My mom is one of five children, so the house is always packed and the tables overflowing.

The best part of these biannual trips is the food. We are a “cooking” family, blessed with more than a few talented chefs. Each year is a mini Iron Chef competition, each branch working to wow the crowd. I am a happily designated food-eater and dish-washer.

Beach by our house

After dinner comes a round of card games, Clue, or—the group favorite—charades. We are a competitive family. Our mother taught us young to “breast our cards” as she handily guessed all of our cards in Go Fish. Charades always brings out this playful competition…each team trying generating increasingly difficult or embarrasing clues.  The game that will always go down in infamy is when fourteen-year-old me tried unsuccessfully to act out “Debbie Does Dallas” to my confused team of my father, grandmother, nine year old brother, and uncle….the FULL two minutes. Needless to say, Maine is always full of good family fun, but it’s not necessarily always wholesome.

This year in Maine was slightly shorter due to increasing grown-up responisbilities and limted time schedule; however, our retreat to the rocky coast had all the restorative powers I remember from my childhood. Each year the cousins get taller, but the food always stays fantastic.

Fruit Pizza: Always the kids' favorite dessert to make

Graduation

My sister graduated from college this May, soon after I arrive back home. Her graduation provided a perfect excuse for a big family reunion right after my arrival: perfect timing! Family was one of my biggest motivations to come back to my home state, and I had a great time seeing and re-connecting with everyone. We had a crowd of 16 cheering her across the stage.

The family

Sister and pony Castine

Ginormous new addition to the family: an F-250 Super Duty with an 

extended bed....hot new wheels for the pony.

New Beginnings

I arrived back to the states in May. Since my arrival, my life has been a whirlwind of travelling, family, friends, and general summertime gallivanting. My blog fell to the wayside as I began transitioning back to living in the states and getting busy seeing all of the wonderful people that I’ve been missing for so long. Now, I’m giving my blog a slight face-lift: a new look for a new stage of life.  And here I will also chronicle my summer exploring new areas around the states.

The things that make my heart smile

The time has finally come for me to leave Argentina. Preparing for my trip back, I've made a list of the things that I love—the things that I will miss—about living in Argentina. 

·      Asados: First and foremost. Asados are not only a fantastic excuse to eat an inadvisable amount of delicious red meat and cow bits, but they are an opportunity for friends to gather and spend the day together.

·      All things sweet: dulce de leche, chocotorta, alfajores, panaderias in general....mmmm

·      Fernet

·      Dogs that don't need leashes and loyally follow their masters around or wait patiently outside shops

·      Greeting everyone with a kiss

·      The wait staff at Sarkis (and, of course, the comida)

·      Jacaranda trees

·      Long walks through the city

·      Dancing

·      Saying "hello" and "goodbye" to every person individually

·      Shopping on the subte (One day, I was making a mental “to do” list on my commute on the subte. As soon as I remembered that I had to pick up a sewing kit before going home, someone put one on my lap: amazing!)

·      Mate: As with many Argentine traditions and rituals, sharing mate is social in nature and can be oh-so addicting

·      Meriendas

·      The hours: I'm a pre-programmed night owl

·      Long dinners with lots of wine that turn into your night out

·      Talking to the fruit and vegetable guy to find out what's the freshest of the day, hearing about the butcher's latest concert, and generally having personal relationships w the people you get your food from

·      Empanadas

·      It's OK to show up late

·      Spending quality time with friends without binge drinking (or even drinking at all)

·      Your job is not your life or identity

·      Cafe cortados

·      Less materialism

·      Snack food: frutigran, marroc, 3D chips, Paso de los Toros Pomelo, sandwiches de miga, twistos

·      Free delivery...for EVERYTHING (pizza, ice cream, McDonalds, booze)

·      Patience and understanding for those learning Spanish

·      Friend's Day: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%ADa_del_Amigo

·      The parks, especially the Bosques de Palermo

·      The waiter will not bother you or try and rush you through your lunch or dinner

·      There's always a kiosko open somewhere...and they probably have it

·      Bold fashion choices

·      I got to be "exotic"....being a blondie (and a foreigner) in Argentina was a lot of fun

·      Embracing creative outlets (release your inner artist!!!)

·      Beautiful gene pool

·      It's a highly social city: There's always something going on, and someone to go to it with (cumple, asado, despedida, 2x1 mondays at freddo...always something on the agenda!)

·      Roof terraces with parillas

·      Interesting graffiti/art

·      Public transportation that goes everywhere (at pretty much anytime)

·      Ice cream

…and finally of course…

·      The people I've met here, Argies and extranjeros alike: YOU are the reason I fell head-over-heels for this crazy place