Here in Uruguay

Finally, toes in the sand

2012-01-18T14:31:00.000-02:00

We are having a weird summer.

I suppose this (unidentified) woman might be having one as well.

Some plausible reasons for the weirdness:

There is this small issue of our newly started business. It must be nurtured; constant updating or refining and simply attended to almost every day. Ok, no problem.

Next, factor in the particular beast that is summer in Montevideo.

Most people go somewhere for some amount of time between Christmas and the end of February.

So anyone's two weeks (most common amount of time) can fall anywhere therein, which leave those holding down the fort in Montevideo a little lonely.

So fate finds us in a very quiet city this summer.
I gotta say, it is serene. I would highly recommend any summer visit to include some languid days in the neighborhoods of Mvd. including Palermo, Parque Rodo, Pocitos or even Malvin or Carrasco.

So many nice places here. Cute townhouses from around 1900 (left).
New Yorkers would call grand apartments in buildings like the one below "pre-war". I'm not sure anymore what wars anyone is talking about, but I bet these flats are gems.

I am always drawn to this geometrical block style and I see it all over. Long horizontal lines with the second story overhang. Me likey.

This facade is one of the most ornate I've seen, but not at all an uncommon sight here. The craftsmanship of old gets me every time.

Ah, toes in the sand.
So we made it to a friends' family home in Las Toscas. It's somewhere between Mvd. and the Atlantic coast official, but it's good enough. It's been hot and the water was great.

Agostin chats with Janine. Vincent with the ball, waits.

Mono, Valeria

This guy is Theo (say Tay-Oh). Disarmingly gentle, don't be surprised when you find yourself doing exactly what he's asked of you. Tust me, you'll do it.

Add your own caption to this one of Mono.

If talking were an olympic event, these two might have a chance on the Uruguayan Team. I can not understand it. Can't.

It was pretty nice laying around. Had a swim, all good.

The kids had some sandboard action.
Notice the long shadows. The beach is good until at least 7. Freaky.


Jeronimo!

That's our visit to the beach. Okay.

Holiday 'taint

2011-12-27T20:12:00.000-02:00

It aint Christmas any longer and it aint New Year yet. That's why this week seems to be the taint of the holidays; a sort of in between if you will.

For the big night, we had par-tay at our place, deciding it was big enough for everyone and easiest for me to escape in case I become suddenly "out of charm" as the always charming Mathew Rosenberg has been known to say. Big shout out to Matty and Sally, I do miss those guys.
Anyway, it's easily debated whether I had the charm to begin with, but here it was held and there were no surprises.

Flopa was great and looked fab all while keeping things on a low boil. Keep up the good work.

Luca has made peace with what passes for a Christmas Tree here. He was pleased with his gifts and talk of some days at the beach. Cross fingers and toes kids.

Ama was holding up well. I shuttled her home after midnight (I saw dozens of people just like me doing the same), but for 90 not a bad night.

Ceci and Matius. No fuss from this guy, he was enjoying the party or asking questions all night. Well, in his own way.

Ama (caught off guard but alert) with daughter Janine and grandaughter Florencia.

Vincent was super excited about the whole thing. As soon as the fireworks were finished he was doing something else.

I loved Jani's groovy Christmas outfit. Hope to see more of that, rrrrahhhhr!

Here, Ximena is also amazed

at something. Maybe those canapes are frightening her.

Merry Christmas everyone and to all a good fight.

Summer's here

2011-11-24T09:32:00.000-02:00

It's nicer every day, school is winding down, warm clothing packed away....ahhh, it's summer again.

This kiosko is in 'Ciudad Vieja' the most downtown you can get I suppose. There is 'El Centro' too, which is city center, but it's more for everyday shops and offices. The old city has the port, Teatro Solis and lots of high end and specialty stores. It's the most visited by tourists. The 'peatonal' is a small thoroughfare just for walking that winds it's way around all the shops, bars and points of interest.

I know a guy who sells jewlery and tokens from a small set up on the peatonal. I like to give him a visit every couple of weeks you know.

Not just rare, odd and beautiful, it's working! I saw this thing again the other day and with those wheels so 'tucked under' it looks like it's gliding around on a track or something. If it wasn't cute enough, how about the colors?

Friday, I was off to the graphic artist to work up the final details of our signs. Marcello hooked me up (see the results on Coffee Shop) and it was an easy bus connection back.

Waiting, I happened to be just in front of another Montevideo beauty. These single family townhouses are getting harder to find each year. Restored, sure there are a few, but if you want to fix one up yourself, better get crackin'.

Shaping up nicely

2011-10-17T10:38:00.000-02:00

Spring has sprung Here in Uruguay just as our friends and family in the north are preparing for their turn at bundling up. Lots of relief as people head out to parks or the Rambla on sunny days to take it all in.
The only drag is that it's allergy season and some days it can really slow me down. A tree or the nut? of a tree here called Platanos is everywhere. About the size of a cherry, it explodes into a powder of pollen that looks something like a dandilion. I hear everyone cursing these things, so for while allergy pills will be a necessity.

It's been a while since my last post. Just too busy these days as we are coming close to finishing up the renovation on our new venture Coffee Shop.

Meanwhile, life goes on as usual. Luca turned 14 on Sept. 18th. Here he is with a few friends for cake and coke. No request for a field this year. The kids are preferring a movie and big sleep over these days. It seems they play enough futbol during the week. Girls are entering the picture lately; he's already been to a few dances.
Oh boy.

The two big teams in town are Penarol and Nacional. Something like Yankees and Mets. You must be one or the other. Only an 'estranjero' like me can go to either. Seriously, I offered a spare cap to a friend to cover his head for painting. He refused. Wear a Nacional cap? Are you serious?

Luca is Penarol and we go to games when he's not there with friends. I will add some footage of the loyal cheering section from a game. You won't believe the singing, it's impressive.
Black and Yellow is Penarol or 'Manya' (pronounced man-cha) or Carboneros. Don't forget it.

Naturally Vincent is red, blue and white of Nacional. Naturally.

Vincent has been plenty busy too. Most weekends are sleepovers both nights and mostly away. We only step in when he looks like the walking dead. To much protest he gets a quiet night at home to catch up on rest.

This weekend he went of to Tacuarembo with his new rugby team. That's right, RUGBY.
Some friends play and now he's got the bug. With only a practice or two under his belt, he was tapped to come on this road trip as two players were sick.

Here he is with the new garb including mouthgard.

It was a long trip, six or so hours, so to save money they left at 2:00am Friday, played Saturday and returned around midnight. Exhausted, bruised and slightly sunburned.

He told us of a touchtown, yeah! and taking down a much bigger guy. He was asleep before he hit the pillow.

We are weeks away from opening Coffee Shop. Check it out if you can. Saludos to our family spread out across the globe and thanks for reading.

C-c-c-c-cold down here!

2011-08-28T11:51:00.000-03:00

What heat we've got is working full time these days.

Sumo gets toasty

As I've posted, many houses have no heating systems. Fancy homes may have hot water radiators with a gas furnace, some oil burners may still be kicking around.
Most, use any combination of space heaters (electric or gas) and a type of wood burning 'stove' that is incredibly effecient. Those heaters are iron boxes that take a small cut of split wood. It's kept closed off and I think the restricted air influx keeps it burning a long time. A friend has one and says it's eccomical and efficient.
No small concern considering we pay around $3 pesos per kilo for wood, buying the minimum 300 kg for a delivery. This price has risen steadily since we've been keeping track, so we try to use it wisely. $900 pesos is about $45 dollars and depending on how cold it is, lasts us from 3 weeks to a month.
Working in concert with the fireplace is our handy 'estufa'. It's a little wheeled appliance that carries it's 13kg. tank of gas around behind it. We have two of these and it's the same type of tank that powers the stove. We groan and order a new 'garrafa' or tank every week (or few days) or few minutes it would seem. They are around $320 pesos or U$16.
I don't know what this all adds up to, but we juggle cost and comfort for what feels like a very long winter.
First order of the morning is to fire up some heat so the family can wake up slightly more comfortable than I did.

Our kitchen

Feisty Uruguay
Here's a link to a great article about Uruguay and it's prospects for the future. No sales job here, I'm just saying that as the US credit rating slips, tiny Uruguay is on the rise. I'm just saying.

Coffee Shop
Life is a little whacky these days as Janine and I are super busy attempting to start a new business Here in Uruguay. If you follow that blog, you've witnessed some of the process.
We are exhausted, nervous and excited. When will it be finished? How will it be received? Will we make a decent living? How will I manage with my Spanish?
Everything is falling into place. So soon we will see.

We hear the Eastern Seaboard is experiencing a rare hurricane. Good luck to all our US friends and family on riding out the storm.

Our niece Natalie is out in the world again, this time learning how to teach and polishing her Spanish in Peru! You can keep track of her travels on her latest blog. She's in Arequipa and fighting to stay positive.
First world, meet the rest of the world. Rock on Natalie.

That's all.

It's All Good

2011-05-14T10:11:00.001-03:00

Just cresting this latest hill and with no time to rest, we are poised to start up the next incline.
I've just finished with a large closet and shelf unit (squeezed into a tiny hallway) and can now begin in earnest on our long awaited COFFEE SHOP. You can keep track of that adventure by clicking the link above.
We are all very happy about finally securing a space. Here's Janine looking satisfied. Let's see how long until opening day.

I had to head into City Center (El Centro) to a specific Abitab to score some of the few remaining tickets to a big Penarol match. They are in the quarter finals in something called 'Libertadores' against a team from Chile and the stadium sells out for things like this.
I found myself right in the middle of a protest march. I think it's the sanitation workers. It was loud, but peaceful and completely snarled traffic for a while.
People take to the streets often here when they need to make a point.
Right On.

This impossible looking jalopy is a Ford Consul, made in Great Britain in the 50's and 60's. Yikes, it's odd but beautiful. I checked collectors on-line and naturally there's a whole society and when restored they are quite impressive. Meanwhile, here in Uruguay, this is just someone's car. Es lo que hay.

Lastly, here's Vincent (self portrait) attempting to prove some win or high score to his gaming buddies.
I can see a little "In Your Face!" in his face here.

That's the latest from us. Thanks for reading.

Fall, girls

2011-05-03T17:50:00.002-03:00

I had the chance to go to La Pedrera a few days this past week. It's a beach town, but we're a bit passed beach weather right now. My friend and fellow carpenter Chero needed a hand with a small project. It was warm and sunny and despite the hard work, was a nice respite from routine life a.k.a. Daily Uruguay.

These are the ladies of La Pe, artist unknown. Who's your favorite?

Since my last post I've managed to secure my Uruguayan Drivers License. Some other ex-pats living here had blogged about the old switcheroo; turning in their current US license for the R.O.U. kind. Thanks to Denise and Wally Glass writing 'Retired in Uruguay' for this tip. I started the process a little late, my New York license expiring on April 29th, but made an appointment for a necessary check up just after Tourismo week. I needed a hearing and sight test only.
The hearing test was very low tech. I stood in the corner, facing left then right, trying to hear the doctor whisper numbers. The doctor was really nice and we all laughed a little at the procedure, but it works. I didn't do well with the vision test and my 'reading' glasses will be required for driving.
When city hall opened up again, Janine and I went first thing Monday morning. We were afraid they give me an appointment and I would expire. I mean the license would expire. I brought everything just in case, but it was super easy and fast. We made it with a one hour bus ticket (unlimited rides with in 1hr. and 5 min. for $18 pesos, less than a dollar!).
I was pretty happy with that. This thing is good for 10 years and they forgot to include the glasses restriction. Just as well, I never wear them, driving I mean. Hell, until we manage to buy a car, where I am I driving anyway?

Vincent, he's 12

2011-04-04T10:08:00.001-03:00

Although Vincent turned 12 on March 26th, his party was this past Saturday.
Standard operating procedure: secure futbol field, invite all the boys from his class, make a zillion burgers.
It went well with the exception of one injury.

Balta recovers bravely.

Baltazar took an elbow to the nose. We have word that it was indeed broken. He handled it like a champ and was right back on the field the next day at another party.

Gabriela and Amalia were there to help out.

We cooked burgers on the parrilla and Janine had some great cakes, but the real star was the field. We celebrated at Defensor Sporting our club, where the kids do their sports. The field is large and lit for night playing and as usual they couldn't get enough.

You can hardly talk to Janie when she's working a party.

Can you notice how sweaty some of the kids are?

Fun for all and another one in the books.

Rocha

2011-03-14T09:01:00.000-03:00

We lucked into a friend's house in Valizas for the last half of Tourism Week here in Uruguay.

We'd had a great time in La Paloma, but Valizas is way up into Rocha, the department (or county, sort of) that holds all the really good beaches.

The farthest town in Rocha, before Brazil, is Chuy a border town that's know for duty free shops and deep discounts. A kind of SA Tijuana. I haven't been that far yet.

We have made it to Punta del Diablo which is nearly as far and awesome. This blog's cover shot is from there. We checked out the old fortress of 'Santa Teresa'. Built by the Portuguese, taken by the Spanish and eventually dealt to whomever the waring powers favored during the land divides of the mid 19th century, it ended being abandoned and covered over by sand. Check the link for more.

This groovy street sign even had a map.

But Valizas has always held a special charm for us. We've been coming here since I was brought to Uruguay in 1995 and for Janine, uh, I probably shouldn't say when she started coming, but it was a long, long time ago.

It's very quaint and decidedly unpolished. Homes range from really decent places that would be nice anywhere, to cute little get-a-ways like the one here.

There are a few ramshackle dwellings to round things out.

However, one of our first orders of business (after the direct path to the ocean) was a trip to the Dunes. This unmistakable landmark is what's unique about this part of Uruguay.

These huge sand dunes front the ocean and are accessible by foot, but it's no stroll in the park. You'll feel it by the time you reach the top.

While walking up, I was imagining those guys reaching the top of Everest. You can see your companions, but with the wind you can't really hear anything and the blowing sand seemed like snow.

It was very cool, but all that sand killed the camera so these were the last shots I have from this trip.

On the way we spotted this likely sick Sea Turtle. The sea animal rescue squad was on their way, we were told. Something like 35 had come ashore for reasons unknown.

These guys were ready for the trek, but by weeks end they will have walked enough.

Later in the week we walked the shore to Cabo Polonio: just 4 hours! Cabo is my favorite beach here, accessible only by four wheel drive trucks, it's a rare place. I wouldn't venture there in January though; apparently it's special to a lot of jet-setters too.

Climbing.

So off we went to climb the dunes.

They feel a lot bigger than they look here.


Yes, it was surreal.

Vincent had his pal Manuel and Luca brought Santiago, whom you may recognize from our La Paloma vacations.

They were wild, but mostly well behaved. Throwing water balloons around town at night and running home for cover when they got caught, things like that.

Hey, we asked for it.

Up at the top the view was spectacular and the back slope was very steep. The kids tried to sand board, but that was a tall order for these inexperienced sand surfers. Plenty of fun sliding around though.

The back slope was serious.

So they had to jump. They had to.

I wish I could show some of that walk to Cabo Polonio. I've been asked about a million times how many kilometers it was, so I'll have to find that out. It was a lot, just ask my barking dogs.

I am still tired from this trip, but in the best way.

Today is Luca's first day, back for his second year of High School. This 6:00 am is gonna take some getting used to.

Later.

Eighty Nine

2011-03-03T16:06:00.000-02:00

We had a little get together for Ama's Birthday and with all the vacationing and coffee business, it was somehow passed by.

Here we are at Don Pepperoni's. It's a big Argentinean chain, maybe like our version of TGIF's.

Paulina stole the show as usual. Xime, Matias (of course) with Jose Luis stopping by near the end. We met quite early really. Joaquin and Magdalena, Tia Flo shown here with Pauli.

This would not be her only party. Amalia's pals took her to lunch another day as well. Can you be 89 and still have pals? I guess you can.

More La Paloma

2011-02-26T16:53:00.000-02:00

This Summer was full of fun for everyone.

Black Bikini Club

As you can see, nobody had any fun before I arrived.

I don't know about that highlighting move, it's supposed to be blue type with, eh whatever.

good view from the porch

Claudia has still got it. She's single you know.

I like Cacho because he's worn, like me.

'El Emi' is Emilio

Gabriela can still bring it too.

Gabriela Darre is responsible for most of these photos, not for instance this one of her. She always says her photos are not so good, but as you can see she can use the camera as well as anyone. That's her son El Emi.

Where's the fire?

If you're getting sick of these two and their fabulous tans, your not alone. They did make fire, I mean, a fire. Oops.

The beach was always the place to be.

It seems so long ago already. It's been just a month and the world seems different. Vincent goes back to school next week, Luca shortly thereafter.

Onward and upward. If we take our progress in the slow doses our suffering was ingested, we should be just fine.

Thanks for reading.

Vacation - La Paloma

2011-02-04T16:33:00.000-02:00

We wait all year for these weeks. Thoughts of languid days, rough furniture and very few showers help us to last out the frigid winds of winter in Uruguay. If not for Rocha I don't know that we'd have made it.

We weren't disappointed.

Amalia came for a few days. She had a great time with the exception of that one arrest which was huge misunderstanding, charges she's likely to beat.

Jani, Mora, Clo

Gonzalo

Claudia Carambula swung by too. We entertained the idea of going to La Pedreda for a day, but in the end couldn't. We won't likely see Chero and family until they're back in town.

Two asados the week I was there. I did ok at my turn, for the other a friend took over and showed me a few new tricks. Watch me next time.

Cacho worked the mussels.

Pass the er....

Me make fire.

The kids were drawn to the town fair; crafts, henna tattoos, crazy t-shirts. We had to go a few times and hang out, but it was easy.

It was an easy evening at the fair.

Vincent, Joaquin, Emilio check out the fair.

Afternoon break means WAR!

I introduced fly strips to La Paloma.

It was nice to be out of doors, all the time. And better usually, the flies were pretty bad. I killed many, but there's still more work to be done.

I got crazy trying to capture the sunset with my digital camera.

Cacho and Janine get the fish night going.

A moment of peace.

A week spent very chummy.

We have news of the unrelenting snows in the Northeast. Of course, we miss the snow, but that sounds wrong when you have too much that just won't quit. So for now we are in glorious summer and that ain't bad.

Thanks for reading.

This New Year

2011-01-03T11:15:00.001-02:00

2011 arrived with the usual noise that accompanies the holidays here in Uruguay; loads of fireworks. We fired off our share after a fairly smooth performance at the parrilla by yours truly. Standard operating procedure: chorizo, home made flat bread, melted provolone and pork ribs, yeah!

Our flat bread is like Pita, made on a pizza stone over the fire.

The kids had two close friends over for the night. They are also brothers of around the same ages. They kept it lively until around 4:00 to the best of my recollection.

Most of our group was away at the beach or in Punta del Este already, so it was just us, the kids and Amalia who held up nicely even at 88.


The real party crowd; Vincent, Santiago, Nicolas and Luca kept things interesting.

Our friend Virginia stopped over with her son later on, so there was yet another round of explosions. No one seemed to mind, the city was lit up and loud all night long.
Another year in the books. No complaints here.
Thanks for reading.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-29T11:36:00.000-02:00

We had a lovely night with a minimum of family drama at the house of Jose-Luis and Ximena. Paulina was so excited and handled the evening perfectly. Matias slept mostly.
The fireworks display was spectacular and we had a surprise great view straight down Blvd. Artigas to the Rambla. Plenty of local explosions around us that were none too shabby either.

from left front: Ceci, Juan, Pili, Ximena, Joaco, Flopa, Ama y Marta

Paulina on the move, Luca chills.

Joaquin handles Matias.

Florencia looked gorgeous.

We did get a chance to experience 'tiny baby' in case you've forgotten how precious they are.
Paulina was incredible; growing happier as each of the guests arrived. She knows everyone's name, which I think is remarkable for a 2 year old.
I heard her exclaim excitedly "the whole family is here, only Papa Noel is missing !"
Tell us about your Christmas.

Feliz Navidad

2010-12-24T14:23:00.000-02:00

Christmas time in Uruguay (I'm not sure how wide spread in South America) has some particular customs. Not the least of which being FIREWORKS ! They are legal here and nearly out of control during Christmas and New Year's. This is our batch for tonight.

Everything happens on Christmas Eve, the parties,
families gather and open gifts, an asado (por supuesto)
and of course fireworks. Lots of them.
This modest cache is about U$25.00 worth ($550 pesos) and is hopefully an optimal selection; lots of small blasts for the kids to handle that will last a while and a decent amount of rockets and explosions of which I'll do the honors.

Since the original idea for this holiday has long ago succumbed to the corrosive forces of commercialism, we are pretty happy with this type of celebration. There are still mobs at the shopping centers, odd gifts from/for people who don't know what else to do, and way, way too much food, but we have each other and that's not bad.

We do miss the snow.

Happy Christmas Everyone

Jacaranda and away we go

2010-12-18T21:10:00.001-02:00

November is the the month for the peak bloom and the overpowering enchantment of this beautiful tree.
Jacaranda (hoc-a-ron-DA) starts the summer with these fabulous violet flowers, stunning enough. What I can't provide here is the fragrance that comes with. As they say R.O.U. "impresionante".
You can find them all over with some lucky bastards having one in the yard or nearby, but there are a few streets LINED with them and when they bloom well, it's hard to describe. A very strong scent, a beautiful scent as nice as any perfume. It's like an outdoor pot-pour i dispenser. Then there's the color; bright, no vibrant and when there's a row of 'em well, it's to die for.
Last, but not least, the killer is when petals litter the ground and a light wind carries still more, falling all around- it's like snow, a violet snow fall. Crazy.

I didn't get anything as spectacular as the photo above. I will try again next year, but the shot above gives you some idea.
That's a moment from Montevideo, thanks for reading.

It's a Boy!

2010-12-04T16:07:00.000-02:00

Ximena and Jose Luis have increased their family size by just a bit.
The cutest little bit you could ever hope for!


I'm new

Matias Pardinas Altieri came into this world a screaming 3.2 kilos, Thursday December 2nd.

I've only seen him sleeping, but the word is he's alert, calm and no surprise, beautiful.

Ximena makes it look easy

I blurred what would have been the better shot.

Aunt Janine with Paulina

Campamento y Feria

2010-11-10T11:11:00.000-02:00

Street fairs, or 'ferias' are somewhere, every day in Montevideo.
Each neighborhood has a version of a Farmers' Market on the same day of the week. If you get out early, (by lunch they are winding down) you can get all of your fruit, vegetables, some dry goods, fresh fish and there's even a butcher. It's a big savings from the supermarket, more eco-friendly and a good way to get some fresh air and exorcise.
A morning stroll through the bustling market, vendors calling for your attention, beautiful smells and sights everywhere is a great start to your day.

Feria Biarritz

Additionally the weekend has some big fairs that set up. Tristan Nirvaja is an old neighborhood in el Centro and has everything and has more booksellers and antiques than the others.
Feria Biarritz in posh Punta Carretas assembles Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Janine, Vincent and I went this past Saturday. Vincent was looking for a PlayStation game (found it) plus a groovy beaded bracelet caught his eye.
I found leather laces for my boots (40 pesos-about 2 bucks) and a new cell phone holder (50 pesos-$2.50).

Vincent buys

Game Stop

Mate supplies

Luca was away on a school trip called 'Campamento'. The class goes for two nights and three days, west to Colonia, just across the Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires.

Here's a glimpse of Luca as he heads out.

Thanks for reading.

Day of the Dead

2010-11-02T19:23:00.004-02:00

A double cabin VW bus pick-up. I want one.

Today is 'Dia de la Muerte' and everybody is taking it easy. We had Cecelia and Gabriela along with some of the kids' friends. I made an Asado and we just relaxed a few hours on the patio. Not bad for a Tuesday.

Saludos to our dear friend Samantha and congratulations on the new apartment!

A move is a big deal for anyone. Sam who is a single parent and on the short list for a heart transplant, yes you read that correctly, is a tornado and may be studying to do the operation herself. We're glad the move is done and hope to have some photos to share with everyone soon. Read all about her amazing journey and keep up with our miracle in Brooklyn here.

13 AGAIN

2010-11-01T09:39:00.002-02:00

Luca's birthday (Sept. 18th) arrives each year just as does Spring vacation. We postponed the party to make sure too many friends were not away. Then the schedule for the Club was problematic and finally Janine's trip to the states. It finally took place on Oct. 24. It was loads of fun and a record number of kids showed up.
It was 3+ hours of sweating, soccer and horsing around.

After our scheduled time, the local team needed the field to warm up for a game. The boys got front row seats. An unexpected bonus.

Coke break

Camilo "Que te pasa?"

all eyes on the cake

Luca, Emilio and Vincent

Que lo cumple feliz.....


Will there be an explosion?

We had a nice turn out from family members, (Cecelia, Amalia, Ximena, Jose Luis and Paulina, Joaquin all made it) but I didn't end with many good shots. I found myself with no battery charge in the camera and had to make due with Emilio's cell phone. Thanks Emi!
My apologies for that.
All in all, it went just the way it should.

Holding Steady

2010-10-14T09:02:00.001-02:00

As we near the end of 'Mom's trip away', I'd have to say that it went alright.

Janine left behind all kinds of help. Like these frozen Milanesas ready to cook. I especially like that they're labeled.

The boys have been great. Luca is helping plenty and Vincent is, well ok Vincent takes a little convincing, but he's been good. I know they miss their mother a lot, I'm grateful for so little whining.

Even Sofie has been on her best behavior. Here she is expressing herself, woof.

Things have changed a bit regarding our plans, but we are forging ahead.
Next time: The jobs I'm finding.

Wet and Cold

2010-09-01T14:28:00.001-03:00

I know one day soon, I'll miss having all this time to work on my own house. If there is a more neglected item on your list than 'work on your own house', I'd like to know about it.

There are as many benefits as distractions and my stamina is not what it used to be, but still, it won't be long until I'll be wishing I could paint a room or grout something.

The days feel a bit longer; that little bit of light as I get up is huge. If it's sunny and dry, I can get things outside ready. The roof is only about 75% scraped and I still have to decide on what to cover it with.

Good thing Sumo is always right there while I'm doing it. And I mean always and right there.

Correte Sumo, Dale.

Today it's stormy, windy and a bit cold. It rained all last night. Two appointments canceled, rain will do that here.

Saludos

Montevideo Coffee Shop

2010-08-22T11:03:00.001-03:00

As we anxiously await a closing on San Salvador, we must ponder our options. What is the correct posture between patiently waiting for the 'right' time and seizing the moment?
In one way, there isn't a moment to spare regarding our new business. We need to begin this part of our journey and start earning as soon as possible.
On the other hand, I can't escape the feeling that we'll be spending the money too fast. Like kids who can't hold on to their earnings for even a day.
Since we've been planning this business for nearly forever and have been sizing up the market almost since we got here, I would say we have put in the time.
It's such a plunge, any amount of time would probably feel rushed.
Here's our latest, best hope.....

Keep up with the process on Coffee Shop blog.
Cheers

New York state of mind

2010-08-06T11:05:00.000-03:00

A bit more of my trip to the States:

W.10th Street

Although it was surreal to be plucked from the daily routine of life in Montevideo, I couldn't help but be awestruck by how beautiful NYC can be.
It's not hard to see how America developed it's sense of superiority, magnificent accomplishments abound. You can almost overlook the wretched excess and oppression that created it.

Farmers Market

Bonneville beauty

The Boivin's

I had a few chances to connect with friends and family during my stay. The trip to the Hamptons was great, but in some cases a visit was bestowed upon me.
My brother-in-law Gabriel and his wife Rebecca came down from Westchester to visit. This was kind enough, but they also brought a huge cache of gifts for Luca and Vincent. We had a great night of catching up with a side of reminiscence about the neighborhood. They had both lived in Greenwich Village many, many, many years ago (kidding) and met while working together at the West Village landmark; Chumley's, just two blocks from Holly's place. I was treated to a nice dinner, gellato and sincere well wishes on my travels and group back home.

Grant Neale

My long time friend, Grant also took me out on the town. He's a fellow carpenter and talented actor somehow still managing to do both, successfully! He's been a friend to Holly for years and also stopped by to check on her recovery. I'll probably see him on TV before I see him in Uruguay. Well......?

Yes, he looks a little like Roman Polanski. He's performing a one man show about the very same. Topical, nutty.

Our dear friend Samantha was on the must-see list. I had a couple of nice visits to our old neighborhood in Park Slope to see her and her son Aidan. Not enough time, I need more time for crying out loud! Well, they are likely candidates to visit us (again) and as always, we all hope for another visit to the US soon.


Aidan

The days passed quickly and as always, there's not enough time to do all you'd like. Still, it was amazing and refreshing. I stocked up on design ideas and the sheer magnitude of incredible business ventures gave me an inspirational boost to take home.

The 'Friends' building was in our neighborhood.

Subway tile art, wow!

Bagels with the works at Murray's

Thanks for reading.
Peace

The Hamptons - Under the Knife

2010-07-29T18:51:00.000-03:00

I got a chance to see my sister Louise and her husband Larry my first weekend in New York. My friend Holly was scheduled to have surgery Monday and was more or less pushing me to give her some time before everything got complicated. OK, I guess I can go to Amagansett for a couple of days. It was something like 90 degrees out.

Deck Party

Larry and I play lawn golf? or something, it was fun.

The Rosenbergs

I suppose, I could have had a worse couple of days, but it's hard to hang long where even the dogs live better than most people.

Petey

Staying in the West Village is a bubble of New York Serenity. Everybody is well heeled, good looking and the streets are beautiful and chock full of nice places to shop or just gawk at. I was having a pretty good time pretending I belonged there.

Somewhere in the bubble

C.O. Bigalow's Apothecary

Holly and Jim - West Side Pier

the best patient ever

The surgery went perfectly (couldn't have done a better job myself) and by some luck she got a private room. The staff was great, food OK, they let me stay as much as I wanted; It was sort of like a spa. A spa that cuts you open. The insurance must have given the 'eject' order, because she was unceremoniously released Tuesday night after I was already downtown. That was the only bump, that and the pain I suppose.

Uruguay-Florida-New York

2010-07-23T13:07:00.001-03:00

Not easy saying goodbye to my wonderful family here in Uruguay.

Our new airport is spectacular and the country in general is in good spirits following the fantastic 4th place in the World Cup.

Here's a huge photo of our team I spotted at the airport.

My trip has been rewarding and successful on almost every count.

I was able to swim some and spent lots of time with my dad. He's doing well and seems content. I wish could show my folks how much they've done for me.

Here I am filling up dad's car. Those clothes and some borrowed would have to do for my stay. My suitcase went on to NY without me.

The few days in with my family in Florida was wonderful. I am grateful this trip has allowed me to see them again. Parting was not easy there either.

Not having my suitcase was all my fault. I brought home the wrong one from the airport. Well, it looked like mine! That took some time and it wasn't until I was leaving for NY that I received news that it was waiting for me there. The security jack-boots ripped it apart, so now I've got to buy a replacement for the return home.

This is one of the cheap-o bags I'm considering. I hope it makes it.

Lots of presents to bring, lots.

Next post: Holly's good as new (almost), the beautiful West Village and my trip to the Hamptons.

Fancy!

Thanks for reading

Traveling

2010-07-12T13:09:00.001-03:00

It is with mixed emotions I set out for the US this week. I am going chiefly to help a friend, but will try to get in as much visiting as time allows.

I've got plenty of hard-to-find or super expensive household items and gifts to bring back too. I will do my best to satisfy everyone, but travel for me is no easy business.

I'll miss my family a lot. We take great pains (and boy can it be painful, ta-dum) to spend a lot of time with the kids. I don't easily take time away from that.
I'll miss my routine too; cooking, guiding the kids to do what they should, assisting my wife. All the little things that make up a day.
We are (and have been the last couple of weeks) dangerously close to selling San Salvador. It's too much to go into here, but it looks like we will have to confer through Skype or something while I'm away. Ironically, Janine had to close on this very house while I was in NY the last time I went. Weird right?
I am glad to get away from winter for a bit, although guilty that we all can't. It's fffffu-reezin' out now.
Just the other day it was beautiful. Go figure.

I will be glad to find some better jobs upon my return.

Here's a door, broken in by robbers, I repaired last month.

Today I will be adding a cabinet to a friend's kitchen that will hide the water heater. I'll put up a shelf if I'm asked. Things will pick up, just gotta be patient.

Also, if it gets a little warmer, I can resume work on that awful roof.
As you can see, we've go most of that insulating foam scraped off. Yikes, what a killer job this one was, is. The super thick part by the parapet is gonna have to stay. WTF? I can't get that off, not this year!

Okay, last post before I travel, probably.

Next: the view from a sweltering (and probably stinking) New York City.

Thanks for reading.

Futbol and (not) Smoking

2010-06-22T20:31:00.000-03:00

Uruguay is looking good. Their impressive win against South Africa was made a little sweeter when those stupid horns finally fell silent for a minute. And now with today's win over Mexico, it seems our boys in light blue are on a roll.

Here's Forlán doing what he does best.

Quit smoking. Seriously. Check this story from Slate, it mentions Uruguay's awesome 'kid smoking' ad.
The tobacco companies are playing their usual games, but reason is gaining on them.

Cheers

Eating in Uruguay and Futbol

2010-05-28T20:15:00.001-03:00

I read a blog with some criticism of Uruguay's sometimes repetitious culinary fare, praising of all things, the sushi here. Wow! Sorry, but what passes for sushi here is nothing to crow about. I know there are few Japanese or authentic Asian practitioners in this small country. It's an expensive dish when most people here are quite careful about luxuries. This is true for even those with some expendable income to throw around. Uruguayans can appear quite cheap at a glance, but there's much more to it. The social ethos is vastly different from countries who have long gorged on an abundance of everything with the easy credit to get even more. People here are careful about how they spend, it's ingrained.
That said, sushi can be somewhat affordable. People do eat out, but alas the Uruguayan is not very adventurous with food, it's true. The writer of the post doesn't need to see another milenesa, but that I think says something about their willingness to be creative in the kitchen. But praising the sushi here, really?
We've found a few spots, including the new 'take out' mentioned and found the quality fine. It was the alarming lack of variety that left me unsatisfied. Tuna, Salmon, various white fish and Sweet Shrimp was all we got. Some rolls, most include Philadelphia Cream cheese, something that I thought only belonged in a Philadelphia Roll. I miss the roe, the eel, Unagi. Mackerel is my favorite, I miss it. Yellow Fin Tuna maybe? There wasn't much and for the price I'll make my visits sparse.

Both of the boys had soccer matches this weekend.
Luca's was a bit disappointing. Not that he and his classmates didn't play well, but they kinda got sandbagged- again. LatinoAmericano has a bad history of not really organizing their weekend games against other schools. It's a somewhat informal thing, not a league or anything, but they could ramp up the effort a little. This is not the first time the kids didn't know the location and time until the morning of, no transportation was discussed and it was none too close (Carrasco) and worst of all, since it was 1st and 2nd year high school participating, making sure some of the older kids went was fairly important. They were up against older, mostly larger kids on a big field, one it looks like the other team was used to. It ended up a lopsided victory. It breaks your heart to see those guys busting their asses to compete. They played with a lot of heart. Luca did well and worked hard and as he said, it's a benefit to play against better players. It helps you improve.

Vincent had a better situation. His mates organized themselves for the annual Dannon Little World Cup. Luca played in it last year. The kids had only practiced once, but did really well. They won all of their games and qualified for the finals. Yeah, we were there from 9am until about 5, but it was nice. Not too cold and very exciting. They couldn't overcome their rivals in the qualification round, but for a while it looked like they might. A great effort and much to be proud of.

Vincent was goalie and was amazing. Here he is with Mom.

Vincent Party No. 11

2010-04-25T12:31:00.002-03:00

Almost a month after the day proper, we had the party. A tough place to schedule apparently and now I can see why. The field was incredible. As usual the grown ups hung out and handled the asado. We made something like 60 hamburgers, buns fresh from a nearby bakery - they were fab. Janine's two cakes were incredible as always. Most of the family was there; Cecilia, Joaquin, Ama with Ximena and Jose Luis bringing extra special news. Let's just say Paulina is not going to be the littlest one for long, eh? Know what I mean?? You didn't read it here.
Enjoy the photos

Our House

2010-04-22T13:53:00.000-03:00

I am trying to scrape my roof.
Most roofs here are flat and usually have a roll type membrane on top. The membrane can cover or fix just about any roof. Most of the estimates we got for this work include adding the membrane.
We've got whats called 'chapa'. The term used for all sheet metals.
Ours is a scalloped, aluminum panel that has been sprayed with a polyurethane foam insulation. On top is a tar-type coating topped with gritty pebbles. Perhaps 20 years of neglect and the valleys of the roof panels are full of leaves, dirt, sticks. Plants are growing, moss is everywhere

I never had a look at the roof when we bought the house. There wasn't really any access at the time and it was really undervalued.
Estimates have been rising with each visiting contractor. What started at $10,000 (about U$500) appears to be heading north of $35,000.
None of that matters now.
I've started the cleaning myself. The tiny bald patch is what I managed the first two visits. Whoopee!
At this rate I'll still be scraping and hauling away flakes of foam, dirt and moss until August. This is only about 5 bags worth. OMG.
It is seriously one of the
hardest jobs I can remember.

Yet another Blog. Why?

2010-04-13T16:58:00.005-03:00

Check out an even more exciting account of life in Uruguay "Daily Uruguay". Less family friendly news, the site could possibly grow into a message board with lots of opinions, all of which will be wrong.
I'll try to post each day for at least a year.
My singular approach to illuminating the mysteries of life in general all told through the prism of being a stranger in a strange land. Really, loads of complaining and contemplating. No actual answers, so set your expectations accordingly.
Until I can graduate to a web site and message board enjoy photographs and anecdotes from the southern cone.
As always my usual links, like the one for a beautiful early century townhouse restoration, click here or follow the link called 'San Salvador' on the left margin.
I will post links to my sources of information, maps, tourism tips if I think them worthy.

American visitors, look out!

2010-04-10T15:13:00.000-03:00

I had made some contact with an American couple toying with the idea of Uruguay as a retirement spot. I like to check out Expat Blogs, sometimes even throwing in a comment or two. When I heard they were coming at the end of March, I offered to show them around a bit.
We drove out east to see Casapueblo in Punta Baillena, Punta del Este glamor and the famous Playa Brava fingers sculpture (above). I was trying to get a shot of our guests, but this adorable tourist from England kept getting in the frame.
We also went to check out a gated community development marketed toward expats that they found on the internet. Spectacular views, some pretty nice homes under construction near Pan de Azucar. The developer has promised golf membership in a ritzy Pt. del Este club, a Healing Center and a Heliport to justify the hefty price tag. $250-$400,000 USD with some financing if you pony up now. The area is beautiful, quite near beautiful Piripolis beaches and just an hour and a half from Montevideo, but I'd think twice about throwing in with this guy. Our new friends want to be here for (our) winter to escape Atlanta's summer heat. This part of Uruguay will be cold, windy and almost deserted that time of year. Plus I wouldn't be so sure the developer can make good on all promised.
Where's the heliport?

I think they are enjoying the trip and are starting to appreciate Uruguay. However, like many of their countrymen with the nerve to venture out into the world, they are trying to force their square peg into this round hole and wondering why it doesn't fit. I don't think they'll be back, there's a lot of world to search for a place that really speaks to them. Good Luck on the quest and thanks for the visit.

High School?

2010-03-30T09:14:00.002-03:00

Can it be? I was just carrying him around the other day. Due to a computer-related, slow to post period, Luca's first day of High School was not mentioned. Until now.
Fortunately, it all takes place at the same familiar Latinoamericano, but everything else is new. We were all nervous about this new phase of life, but it went off without a hitch.

Here he is with his pal Emilio.
The new schedule is a bit hard to get used to. Luca is a natural early riser and we've worked out a nice morning routine to keep things sane. Alarms ring at 6:00 am, Luca tosses and turns while I stretch. We head downstairs together and share some responsibilities; he can feed the cat, I'll walk the dog or visa versa. There's a little breakfast to have and we head out to the bus stop at 7:20. By some miracle, he's got a classmate who's home is in front of the bus stop. Most mornings they are pulling out the car just while we are waiting there. They graciously and with out fail offer a ride, which he reluctantly accepts on many mornings. He's painfully shy at this age and the classmate is a girl, so you get the picture. A ride to school with absolutely no talking.

All these previously 'little kids' now have a schedule to keep track of; class changes every 40 minutes, things like physics to decipher and some days even coming home for lunch and returning later for gym class. Most ride the bus alone to and from school as well as to each others homes.
Look at them. Clueless and having the time of their lives.

Vincent turns 11

2010-03-29T21:09:00.001-03:00

We had a little party for Vincent's birthday Friday. He has an official party which will take place next month as per his chosen venue's availability, but this night was a little eats at one of the kid's favorite, Don Pepperoni. Just like a Friday's, it keeps the kids happy with an easy menu and video games.
The grown ups got a chance to catch up and have a few laughs.

After we came back to the house for cake. Janine made the requested chocolate cake with cream icing and filling and shaved chocolate on top. Vincent was happy as a clam and the cake was outstanding.

This is just the best. Forever young, may I stay forever young.
Peace.

Renata's Sweet 15

2010-03-09T21:09:00.001-02:00

Our friend Iliana's daughter had her sweet 15 this past weekend and it was great. Nice to see all those fresh faces gabbing, eating and dancing, full of promise.

That's no teenager in the blurry photo,it's my beautiful Janine.

I felt lucky to catch a glimpse of all that innocence.
Live it up kids, it's all downhill from here!

Tristan Narvaja

2010-03-02T10:44:00.001-02:00

We checked out the big Sunday fair known as Tristan Narvaja this weekend. Vincent was at a friends (as usual), but we had our nephew Joaquin in tow. Luca had some PS games to look for, as for the rest, well there's just too much to believe. You will always come away with something. The weather was splendid and it's just a short walk from our neighborhood. I picked up some boot laces (30 pesos) and some fruit and veggies, but the real benefit is a chance to practice my Spanish.

Summer winding down

2010-02-17T13:13:00.003-02:00

All is well Here in Uruguay. The summer is winding down and school is just two weeks away. Yea.

Lots of looks, but no sale so far on our renovated house, but with a newly adjusted price and some very enthusiastic prospects we remain hopeful.
As it likely that our new business will be a while before serving the first customer, we press on with making our daily bread. Janine has tested the waters by sending out some resumes (curriculum vitae), one for an English speaking nanny. We'll have to see if the pay, traditionally low here, compensates for the time away from home responsibilities. This trade off will become even more acute when we have to spend much of the day at work together. Yeah, I know.

Luca starts high school this year, which means he goes in the morning while Vincent continues the 1:30 to 6:30 schedule. In the end, it looks like there will have to be some help;
either at home or at the store.

I helped Jani with her CV, which always require a photo here, something that seems off to me. We decided on this cheerful and pretty one that says "let me take care of your kids". This one on the right is maybe a little too sexy and seemed to say "let me take care of your husband", so we ditched it. We're not that desperate....... yet.

The kids have been great this summer. They've had plenty of trips to the beach, invited by friends mostly. They have our local club as many hours as they want every day for futbol, swimming and whatever. It can be crowded at times, but it beats staying home. Hey, they have that too on some days.

Hair has been trimmed, the supplies are being accumulated and we're counting down the days.

Fortunately, the weather remains nice for another two months. By April there's not too much chance for the beach but for me, spring and fall is the best weather. Montevideo has so many trees it's just gorgeous.

I've been building some screens for our windows upstairs. A surprisingly complicated task. All windows have bars or some shutters that make inserting screens while not disturbing the space for setting the windows in place a real challenge. I've got a few almost ready, just in time for next season.
Dale!

Las Toscas

2010-01-28T11:32:00.011-02:00

The beaches, which here means the Atlantic Ocean, don't really start until Piriopolis.
Montevideo is at the mouth of the Rio de La Plata, a large bay I guess, that separates us from Buenos Aires. This means the city has essentially river beaches, although sometimes it's hard to tell. The vast expanse (nothing visable across the way), the sandy beaches with sometimes decent waves all add to the effect. If you can't make it any farther, it's not a bad way to pass the day. The water ranges from brownish on bad days, to greenish when the currents bring new and slightly salty water to freshen things up.
All along the coast, heading east to the Atlantic are small towns where people have been summering for years. My friend has a family home in Las Toscas, which is quite close to Atlantida, maybe the largest of this type. There are plenty of year round residents, but during the summer these towns fill up with folks trying to escape the heat.
I'm not sure if I've been in January before, but it was a little on the crowded side. The water, somewhat half-way in between salt and fresh water, is an even better imitator than those city beaches. Beautiful sand, some dunes, waves; it's a pretty reasonable facsimile.
We've been taking what chances we have to get to some water. Vincent spent two weeks with a friend and family in La Paloma. Luca is still in Colonia with friends. Janine will likely go with Vincent to Valizas Friday. In the absence of a solid rental for all of us, this will have to do. Not bad, not bad at all.

Rocha again

2010-01-14T12:02:00.005-02:00

I had the pleasure of another trip east to the beaches the first days of this new year. My friend 'Mono', his son Emilio and I visited a friend's small beach cabin in Punta Rubia. This is a tiny (developing) town, just passed La Pedreda, which is just passing La Paloma. A long ways out, but worth the trip. Claudia's "ranchito" was a little rough but homey. The beach is wild and nearly deserted. I had one of the best swims I can remember. The water was the perfect temperature, the waves strong, but not overwhelming and NO ONE around. It was divine.

We also got a chance to check out La Pedreda and man is it a scene. The main drag is full of shops and restaurants. I'm told it's one of the hottest beaches now. Loads of people, tons of beautiful girls (and guys). A bit much for me, but it was nice to hang a while. We have a friend with a house there. He's been a life guard in La Pe for many years and can still handle that surf. The beach has strong waves, rocks and wicked rip-tide that pulls out probably two people each day. Chero really earns his pay. We had a nice visit to his guest cabin, the main house is rented out. We made pizzas on the fire. It was great.

That's wife Mariajose tending to the pizzas with a headband flashlight. Chero is just behind his son Nacho.

Hollywood Moore Visit's Uruguay

2009-12-15T13:35:00.011-02:00

We had a nice visit from one of my oldest friends these past two weeks. Holly is a world traveler and has hit Mexico, Jamaica, San Fransisco and Montevideo all this year! A fine artist and union scenic in New York's film and tv industry, she handled time in the southern cone with ease.
We went to the beaches of Rocha; Valizas and Cabo Polonio. Had a gourmet meal in Punt del Este. We had lunch at the famed Mercado del Puerto in Montevideo's Old City and took a trip to our oldest settlement Colonia de Sacremento.
I have some nice shots from both of our cameras as well as some of her recent work. That's Burning Spear, mon.

Pepe and Danillo are in!

2009-12-14T11:53:00.006-02:00

Frente Amplio wins the Ballotage run-off and has another 5 year term. Historic for a party that has been conspired against by the entrenched powers. FA was outlawed following the end of the military dictatorship in 1984 for being the political wing of the Tupamaros, the guerilla group fighting for social justice and for it's socialist, communist and left wing members. It was the goverments battle against the Tupamaros that help convince the populace that military rule was necessary to defeat these "terrorists" who threatened law and order.
The party fought it's way back to the ballots and the people found a democratic way to fight elitist two party rule.
Our new president, humble and plain spoken is a hero to many. Perhaps not everyone's choice and not as eloquent as some heads of state, he has earned his new job the hard way.
Jose 'Pepe' Mujica spent some 15 years in prison, many in an abandoned well shaft, at the hands of the military "goverment".
We wish him luck, on unifying the different interests and leading this tiny country in peace and prosperity.

Election confusion

2009-10-27T20:46:00.011-02:00

Spirits among Frente Amplio supporters seemed high leading up to the elections here Sunday. I was able to attended a rally for the party although I didn't get close enough to see 'Pepe' speak.
It was a large and enthusiastic crowd, maybe 10,ooo people we guessed. The night before I had been to a march to support another issue on the ballot, repeal of the amnesty law protecting crimes committed around the time of the military dictatorship (1973 to 1985, I think).
It's taken a lot to get it on the ballot again and it's an emotional issue here. Many of the most passionate supporters were not old enough to vote the last time.
At this point I don't think it passed. The outcome of the general election isn't even so clear to me. With about 48% of the vote, Frente Amplio didn't win outright, so as it's now ballotage (sp?), there'll be a run off between the first and second place. This favors the right and super right parties, which is probably why this system was put in. Incidentally, these two parties announced hours after the election and when it was clear they'd lost, that they'd be pooling their support to defeat the unpopular populist Jose 'Pepe' Mujica. Even with the FA, many think him not the best #1 guy and the finger pointing will really crank up if this goes the way it's heading.
It would be an historic second term for the lefties here and I'm hoping all the "splitters" can come together and give these guys a boost. We need this. The world is getting meaner, not nicer.
Here's why; The guys on the right are clearly and unabashadly aligned with the rich, the powerful and influential 'class' of people in this country. An alignment that is more or less universal. This is not a bold or outrages claim, most would aknowlege. So, for the most advanced societies and leaders of the world, an argument could be made that it's not working so well. On many levels.
Uruguyans have a place that's actually fixable and I just don't trust the polo set to fix it anytime soon.
Give the unrefined rubes more time to even things up. That's right, take all the hard earned money from the rich and give to the selfish poor. You know, it just might be the most profitable thing yet.

KERMESSE

2009-10-10T10:19:00.010-02:00

Latino Americano's fund raising fair,the "kermesse", went off without a hitch. It was a great time, really. Most families and some friends showed up. The weather was ideal.
Janine was on the food committee and was kept hopping serving it all up. Some dads handled the parrilla, dishing out around 650 burgers!

Crazy games to win back a bunch of junk that we had all just donated for the event, but it was a blast.
I know it sounds corny, but it was pure enjoyment. Real wholesome fun can be sort of a shock with the world as it is. A pleasant feeling just washed over me, sitting watching an uncomplicated good time. Nice.

Luca's Party 4 Real

2009-10-07T21:53:00.008-02:00

A little late, but worth the wait. Luca's 12th birthday party is now officially in books and the word on the street is all good. This was one of the best so far. Vincent has requested the same for his next. Everybody had a good time

.

The night field, full of friends and more or less 3 hrs. of futbol was just out of control. They ran in a pack for a hamburger break and dissappeared in a cloud of dust minutes later.
It was the same at cake time and they even managed a little play time after that as kids started going home.
The grown ups did well cooking and hanging out. Janine caught here eating. Amalia holding her own. That's Luca in the light blue shirt. Vincent is the matching shirt/shorts, long white sleeve under. Outfitted by Nike (of course).
Enjoy.

Twelve

2009-09-21T08:36:00.005-03:00

Luca turned 12, Friday, Sept. 18th 2009. We are so proud of him.
We had to postpone his party planned for that evening due to weather. We'll have a soccer field for the boys (no girls this year) and a parrilla for everyone else on October 2nd.
We had a cake and went out for dinner for a mini celebration. All good.
See 'ya.

Package Secured

2009-09-17T19:26:00.004-03:00

We've had a bit of an adventure retrieving a package sent from the states. Gifts, requests for some things we've been missing were finally on their way.
I was happy when UPS showed up, but confused when they had me sign for just the paperwork.
We would need to visit customs at the airport to pick up our package.
So off we went to Carrasco Airport, visit customs and take home our little bundle. Not-so-fast, there would be charges to pay; a tariff, taxes, extortion whatever, but that wouldn't be the worst news. We'd need a handler of such things. A licensed guy who deals with customs; a "despayante de aduana". Great let's look for one of those.
We now have an idea that the 'tax' will be at least 100% of the value of the items, plus some arrival at the port, clearing customs bs tax and whatever fee some handler wants. This can vary we were told.
Back at home we called UPS, their guy could pick it up for around U$200. Huh? This is getting out of control. It was kind of heavy (around 16 kilos), but how much to send it back? They can't say, the sender has to request it.
In the end the best plan was to pay and learn a lesson. My friend has a friend who does this sort or thing. We went to his office by the port, they looked over the paperwork and declared it shouldn't be more than U$400 in total. You know, when you think you're looking at life, 10 to 15 doesn't sound so bad when you hear it after all.
Thanks for the stuff.
Pancakes anyone?
Oh that? It's a 1971 Jensen Interceptor I spotted on the street back in Brooklyn.

Still Cold in the Southern Cone

2009-08-06T14:49:00.005-03:00

We had a brief respite from the cold the other day.
It was just enough to remind us there's much to do before spring is upon us. Vincent recently captured this South American looking milanesa. Just one of the ways we are keeping warm and happy until the weather perks up for good.
Here's what's going on.

Janine and I are busy searching real estate. Much is required to find something of value. Our COFFEE BAR plans are at the top of the list, but a good find could turn out to be better for some other project. Vamos aver.

Colds are intermittent this winter as usual. We never really get rid of anything, we just pass it around the house.

The newest member of our family, Paulina Pardinas Altieri had her first birthday party last week. It was a smashing success with no crying (the children at least) and no untoward behavior. Again, I can't be certain about the adults. But ah, they were a handsome bunch. Jose-Luis and Ximena's friends look ready for Punte del Este even if their baby schedules say otherwise. There was a guy making pizzas on the parrilla! It was a tasty affair.

We are hoping for a care package from the states soon. We have a tradition of making "American Style" pancakes on the weekends and so far, we haven't found Maple Syrup.
So, keep those boxes coming!

Thanks for reading.

Enrique Hackenbruch R.I.P.

2009-07-26T11:52:00.007-03:00

Thursday, we lost a dear friend. Enrique Hackenbruch was just 44 years old when he lost his life in a motorcycle accident.
We had unusually strong winds and an advisory for a few days. Bikes and light weight vehicles are supposed to avoid the Rambla. He was blown by a gust, we are told, just as he was turning from the Rambla onto Sarmiento. Probably coming from his apartment in the old city. He may have been heading to his parents for lunch or to see his girlfiend, Francisca. The accident occured around 1:30 in the afternoon, Thurdsay July 23. He was apparently thrown fataly into a concrete column. He was wearing his helmet.
The news was spread through friends and relatives quickly. We are still in shock.
Services were held Friday afternoon and it was a grim affair as you can imagine. I could not bring myself to have a last look. I do not want to remember him that way.
Quique was a bit of an imp. He had spent years addicted to drugs and alcohol, but was clean for the last few. He could not shake his need to be excessive and his strong personality was not for the feignt of heart. He laughed, talked, drank coffee, smoked, excorsied and was a friend excessivly. He tried hard to improve his relationship with his two children and was always ready to repair any damage he may have caused in his wilder years. He was outlandish and humble all at once.
We hadn't been speaking for the last few months over a minor misunderstanding between us. I tried hard to reconnect, but he had temporarily shut me out. He was like that, easily offended he would go off in another direction until, well until he was ready to talk again.
Sadly, now we won't have that chance. I will miss him, we all will.

accident
Montevideo

Swine Flu?

2009-06-19T11:45:00.003-03:00

There have been reported cases of the H1N1 flu virus here along with a lot of confusion. Our children's school, Latino-Americano, closed for a week after a surge in absentees in some grades. One of the sixth grade classes had all but 4 kids out sick. This prompted a call to the health ministry which suggested the closing. Another private school in the area, who did not want to reveal their identity, was rumored to have a similar situation and would close too. Although plenty of people were speculating, a week after we're still not sure which school, if any, closed.
A friend who's son goes to a parochial school nearby said yesterday they were closing Thursday for possibly 5 days. Taking advantage of today's holiday (birthday of Artigas) and the weekend, they will open again Tuesday. We had heard the incubation period is one week, so I'm not sure what 5 days accomplishes.
Our youngest, Vincent spent the week off with what seemed like a flu. A doctor's visit confirmed it, but they did not say it was Swine Flu and indeed the symptoms seem milder than what's been reported. Some parents said initially the health ministry was sending people in bio-hazard suits to test kids thought to be infected.
We were told of the kids tested from the school, only 3 had the swind flu. No one has died and from what we see and hear, no one is getting very ill.
What's confusing is that this flu is reported to have been deadly. People are nervous about it and in some cases acting irrationally because of what's been reported. There has been influenza this season, maybe more than usual. Maybe just more caution that usual, keeping kids home just in case?
Hard to say. Vincent was sick for a week and is doing fine now. Seems like we know as little now as before.

I'm legal

2009-05-31T13:47:00.003-03:00

I got my cedula last week. I am a legal resident of Uruguay at last. In reality this hasn't changed much regarding daily life, but it is a milestone. I can flash that thing if I have to. Here, you are asked for this document constantly, but for extranjero like me, you can just say that you don't have one. Clerks and officials alike are stumped. They just don't know what to do, so they let you do whatever it is you're doing anyway; using a credit card or signing for something. Now, I will have the option to show my new card or fall back on "sorry, I don't have one".
It's been cold and rainy lately and last night didn't dissapoint. We had some friends over anyway.
Our fireplace is working well and often these days and sometimes we cook in it. Our friends came; Claudia with her children, also Mono and son. We made two pizzas from scratch (in the oven with a great pizza 'stone'), chorizos and a colita de cuadril in the fireplace. Janine had made some awesome chocolate chip cookies to seal our fate. Our house is alcohol free for a couple of months now, so many of our friends are working on this issue. The parties are just as good, better if you ask me. We lucked into something unusual for Mvd.; a high quality flower that was a delight. We cooked, ate, talked, ate some more. It was as good as it gets.
I have made some progress with my technology problems. I have a new phone, but no camera. I am still weighing my options, but a phone/camera just won't do for my needs.
The internet is working again at home and I finally removed and reinstalled Nero and can successfully burn the movies I've been downloading. I'm loving it.
Bye for now.
CORRECTION: A good site to get news and information on Uruguay is called 'Small State'. However the address is http://benjamingedan.blogspot.com/. I guess Small State at blogspot was taken. Sorry for the error, but please visit the site when you can.
JD

Latineada

2009-05-23T11:08:00.007-03:00

Last night was Luca's latineada. Both 6th grade classes have a sleep-over at the school. They cook hamburgers outside, play games and get very little sleep. Every class has one each year. Vincent's turn is next week. The next morning is a breakfast for the parents.
We are experiencing unusually warm weather lately. It got cold for maybe a week or so (it should be much colder by now) and boom, we're back to summer. It was something like 80 yesterday. Great for the Latineada I suppose.
The weather here is already pretty great. The summer is long, winter short and very little in between. It's more like six months of summer weather, two fall/spring months and 4 of cold, rainy weather which nobody likes. I think it's a fantastic deal.
If only there was a little more business going on here. Just a little more would be nice, you know?
More next time.....

It's Cool

2009-05-05T09:26:00.002-03:00

The weather is turning cooler now as we head toward winter. This is mild compared to what we're used to, but everybody groans anyway. Most days are still quite warm and I still marvel at the blue of the sky here. Seriously, it's beyond blue.
Everyone is doing alright. Vincent has a slight cold. The hardest part is to keep him inactive long enough to get completely well. Luca is having a 'pijamada' or slumber party this weekend. Six kids plus our two, and a long night for the parents.
Still plugging away on our house project (click this link http://sansalvadorhouse.blogspot.com/ for details) while starting some of the planning for our next project; Coffee Bar.
I have recently been relieved of my camera ( I thought I was being careful), so there will be few, if any pictures for a while.
Stay tuned please, get your "what's going on in Uruguay news" right here. For actual information beyond what the DeLalla's are doing, see http://smallstate.blogspot.com/.
For now, it's cool. The weather, the life and what's up the road.
thanks for reading,
Ciao

Janine and the Boys visit U.S.

2009-04-23T15:43:00.004-03:00

The family took advantage of their flier miles and had booked a trip to NY a while back. They had about 12 days visiting friends and from all I've heard it went well.
A few snapshots of some museum trips and general hanging around.

Our House

2009-04-04T12:23:00.013-03:00

Here are some pictures of our house "Villa Punk". That's our sporty little car parked out front. It's a bit of an industrial facade, but in a way it's perfect for here. Not inviting to robbers in appearance or access. On the inside it's comfortable and homey. Perhaps in the near future we can remodel a bit. I have some ideas.

Starting below left, then clockwise;
1.Top of the stairs landing. 2.The playroom. 3.Patio parilla. 4. Up the street. 5. Our Bedroom. 6. The kitchen. 7. The kid's room. 8. The guest room. 9. Frontage. 10. Down the street. 11. The galpon. 12. Kid's playing. 13. The bathroom. 14.Entrance 15. Garage door 16.Kid's beds. 17. Kid's closet. 18. Kitchen. 19. Patio again, kitchen and side entrance. 20.The dining area, stairs and the living room. 21. Patio toward front. 22. Upstairs landing.

The galpon, the huge space behind the house, is a part of the parking garage next door. The original lot included both the house and the garage. When it was divided, the city required the split off lot to be a minimum size, so the house got the 'galpon'. The kids are happy with a field to play a variety of sports.
They will have to give it up for a short time though. I am taking a little less than half for my new workshop and right now its' full of my stuff. When I slow down on San Salvador, I will build a wall separating the two areas and give the kids back some space. Yeah, yeah, I'll get to it.

So, that's it. Our house.

Vincent turns 10

2009-03-30T10:13:00.008-03:00

Vincent had his 10th birthday this past weekend and the party was a success. One of our usual places was chosen; Wimbledon. They have a large covered field for futbol and another paved court for everything else.
Vincent invited both 4th grade classes and almost everybody came. Add a few friends of Luca and we had quite a crowd.

The teenage 'helpers' were great as usual keeping everybody active and we could hardly clear the place out after three hours of craziness. It was a blast. OK, for me it was a bit less than blasty, but we did watch an important futbol match btw. Uruguay and Paraguay. Uruguay won two, almost three nil and it was a really good game.

La Paloma

2009-03-17T11:01:00.011-03:00

I have a few more pictures from our vacation to La Paloma in January.
It's still a favorite beach destination of mine, all things considered.
I wouldn't rule out trying our hand at a summer business there someday.

Here's both Luca and Vincent catching a wave!

Janine looks

the part in that wetsuit.

The boys have a refreshing smoothie by the beach.

Our friend Claudia has vertigo,
but went to the top of the lighthouse anyway.

"El Grillo" gives the kids their first instruction on surfing.

La Paloma Futbol Club (LPFC) portrait.

El Campo

2009-03-11T10:51:00.011-03:00

In November of '07 we were invited to a friends small ranch somewhere in the countryside. It was a gorgeous five, count em, 5 hour ride, at times we drove an hour between any road or driveway break at all.

We had a couple of great days riding and relaxing. There was a caretaker couple that cooked and kept the place up.

As cows are too big to be butchered often, we ate only lamb, sheep really, in everything. I don't really like lamb, but it was the only the only meat on the menu and there was no snacking. Like camp, the only food was at mealtime. So everybody built up quite an appetite. A very old refrigerator was able to keep butter and milk cool enough not to spoil, but everything else was farm to table. It was great. We made an asado with a kind of screen lean-to, gaucho style. It was simple and natural.

The best was the riding. It was new for our kids to ride wherever they pleased 'out on the range', but our friends were really familiar with the land. Their oldest son Pedro was a natural on a horse.
The horses were gentle for the most part. No one had put the one stallion in the pen, before the girls mounted up to ride and there was an incident. Janine's horse became the object of affection and there was a ruckus. I wasn't there, but Jani said she jumped from her horse to get out of the way, injuring herself a bit on the fence. That was all for her.
The men had better luck. I'm not any great rider, but was galloping like a cowboy. We went for hours, running when we wanted, passing through fields and fields. Lots of cattle, some windmills. It was amazing.
I snapped a few pictures. I can be conflicted about taking pictures. It's nice to have the image/ memories and of course handy when trying to share the experience, but stopping to capture an experience interupts it and sometimes spoils it.
It's a conundrum, no?
I hope we get the chance to go again sometime.

Post Options

Morning Club starts well

2009-03-11T10:42:00.007-03:00

The kids and I got off to any early start and they seem to like their club Defensor's other location and the indoor pool. Luca didn't partake in the swim lesson, but I think he'll be in before week's end.
Some color tests on the facade at San Salvador......It's so hard to decide on the accents.
A lot of visits to the job this week. I am happy to show off the house a little. Can't wait for the party when it's done.

First day of School Delayed

2009-03-07T11:20:00.003-02:00

There was a meteorolgical alert or something that cancelled the first day of school Wednesday. It was nothing more than rain. Oops. Then we heard from a friend that the real storm is still coming on Thursday. It didn't and the kids went off. A day late but no less enthusiastic.
Everybody came home with rave revues and homework. Luca has kept the same classmates, but the two 4th grade classes needed to be mixed up a bit. Too many high energy chatty cathy's in one group is not good. Plus there's a new, young teacher for that grade. He'll need every break possible. They may devour him anyway.
Check out Janine making a pasqualina.
cheers

Carnival (week) is over. Thank God.

2009-03-01T17:10:00.005-02:00

I worked this week, but a lot of folks didn't. A lot of stores were closed. I've got plenty to do.
Monday I go for my immigration appointment. I don't think I have anything to worry about. It should be mostly about getting the documentation started.
The kids are having a little strep throat just now. Vincent was with fever for 4 or 5 days. It's Luca's turn. He started antibiotics yesterday.
The first day of school is Wednesday and I'm hoping everyone can make it.
I started the finish on the cabinets for San Salvador. Looking good so far. Next week we work on the facade. Yeah.
Heavy rain here in Mvd. Seems to be getting more and more frequent. It's that time of year. Wow, the drought this summer was rough. Fruit and veggitebles will go through the roof. High food prices here and everywhere are tough to combat. What can we do, eat less? Shop smarter is all.
I spotted this Nash in some stage of restoration. Check the rag top system.
later.

Making progress

2009-02-09T11:41:00.013-02:00

We are progressing on most fronts.

This past year, we have realized some of our original goals:
I have a workshop set up. We bought a house to renovate and sell and one to live in (the drab orange facade shown here). We have health care. I did manage to have some surgery that went alright, the long wait aside and we have a car. All in all, not too shabby.
The kids are doing great with school and their 'club' afterwards. Here they are getting dropped off at "Defensor Sporting".

They play lots of futbal, swim. To see them in action, you wouldn't know they weren't born here.

My Spanish is still pretty weak. I am petrified to speak much.This year I'm committed to making some major advances. Let's see.

The house renovation project is at around 10 months.

It's an old gem and it's getting a total restoration. The front, shown here, is getting cleaned and painted next week.
There have been delays. A hernia slowed me down a bit. Plus it's quite hard to find any help, let alone competent help. While some weeks had 4 or 5 workers, it's been mostly me and a friend. He's a capable painter and helps me with almost everything, including a lot of translating. I don't know how this would have gone with out him.
I am cramming now to finish the kitchen and get it out of the shop. I have negotiated ending my lease there a bit early (a major accomplishment) and I'd like to be out by the end of March. More savings, yeah.

Next for us is our long awaited coffee shop. How exactly we can fuse our dream of a coffee bar with what will work here, isn't completely clear just yet. We have a lot of ideas and we've been watching the market closely. Some of it depends on the location we can secure. Where it is (what kind of traffic?) and how much space we have to work with.

Right now, we are working on getting my immigration worked out. After that is squared away, I'll get a cedula (the main ID here) and will have legal residency status.

We are having a great summer so far. the photos below are from our vacation last month. We went to Rocha for a couple of weeks. I managed only a week, but that's me.
Happy and safe, things are looking good. All we have to do is lock in some consistent way to earn a living and then it's, well, I don't know, downhill like everyone else I guess.

peace.

Our trip to the States

2008-03-17T12:25:00.016-03:00

Eduardo atop 68 Jay St.

Grant at 12th St. Bar

Jani, Dom and Julie in Prospect Park
check the video of this encounter at the page bottom.

Luca, Aidan and Vincent

Sam at Blue Ribbon

Luca

Inge and Janine

Christmas 2007 in Florida

2008-03-16T15:00:00.003-03:00

We headed back to the states for the first time since arriving last February. Taking advantage of the availability and lower cost we flew on Christmas day.
Direct to Miami it was a nice flight. That was our last easy day for nearly a month.
We spent around 10 days in the busom of my family around Boca Raton. It was great to see everyone, but difficult to witness the dysfunction. I felt a little helpless, but tried to intervene none the less. One nice result is that my older sister decided to come with us to NY for a few days visit. I was happy to reconnect with her. She's supportive of our move and we had a nice time.
The time in New York was hectic. Costing more than I had expected and being strangely unsatisfying. We never seemed to be able to see enough of anyone and we were always heading to or back from somewhere, staying in Manhattan and our friends being mostly in Brooklyn.
In the end I was glad to return to easy going Uruguay. I hope it was worth the trouble.
Pictures to follow.

Montevideo Real Estate Follies

2008-03-14T20:39:00.000-03:00

It's a new and exciting experience, shopping for a house here. That is if it's not raining. No one shows their house when it rains. And last week that was 10 days straight. I'm talking about the owners, the realtors are largely ornamental when the house is being shown. They almost never have keys so an appointment has to be coordinated to fit the owners whim, er I mean schedule.
This is a bit dopey, but 'es lo que hay'. Much more disturbing is the loose relationship realtors have with the owners. I guess since they get only half the commission from the owner, the other half from the buyer-ouch, they are ok with so little control. They could all use a little spit and polish.
Some of the homes here are just incredible. Beautiful and old. What to do with them and what are they worth. This is the job, for now.

Let's get started

2008-03-09T19:35:00.003-03:00

We are a family of four living in Montevideo, Uruguay. It's a big change from the US and for the better most of the time. There's a lot to get used to. I'll do my best to convey what it's like living here and why we came.
Sometimes it's like going back in time. Sure most modern conveniences are here, but there are ways of living and advances we've taken for granted that bring you back. Well, more like force you back, but sometimes it's a welcome retreat.
Last February we made the move and we've made some progress since. My wife is from here and grew up just a few blocks from the neighborhood we live in. My children are fluent in Spanish as they've heard it since birth. Me, well this is gonna be some challenge.