We Are No Longer In Chandler

A few reminders that Diane and I are no longer living in Chandler...

1. The piece of lint on the carpet was really a piece of lint and not a scorpion.

2. 6:30 am finally feels like 6:30 am and not 2:30 am.

3. It definitely is NOT a dry heat.

4. There is no road construction...2 lane roads have been, are and will always be 2 lane roads.

5. Sewer water is re-used, but not re-treated.

6. Dog owners do not walk behind their animals with spatulas and plastic baggies...most dogs don't have owners.

7. No high school football teams, rivalries (can you really call it a rivalry when one of the schools has never won the game?) or winning streaks.

8. No such thing as a retirement community...no such thing as retirement.

9. This is one place where Tex Earnhart does not have a car dealership!

10. And, we can barely survive this way for 3 years, but there is no "Guedo's Taco Shop"!

Out Takes

This past week was filled with interviews. The next couple weeks we will be traveling, so I thought I would treat you to some blog out takes!

I have a camera on my Blackberry and iPad. Diane has an iPad and our nice Canon camera. So, as we are about, if we see something worthwhile, we snap a picture...or someone else will do it for us. It takes no time at all. At the end of the day if something blog-worthy has taken place we take a few minutes and put the photos together with the story on the blog. Here are some of the photos that did not quite make the grade for the blog.






Directly across the street from our home is a law office...nice photo of the sign...not.







Whatever I am trying to sell, Diane is not buying...






This is the famous Argentine actress that was with us at Iguazu Falls. At least this is the back of her...





Remember the owl in Bella Vista? This is what it looks like when you are so excited to see it that you do not focus the camera before you take a picture...






And this is what a hawk looks like with a catch in its mouth when you are so excited to see it you don't focus the camera...






Diane actually deserves a Pulitzer Prize for this one...we just couldn't figure out until now how to work a pig scratching itself into our blog...






This one almost had tragic results for the photographer!...






This is a great photo of us at McDonalds for the first time except no matter what we did, we could not get it right side up...






I was trying to put some perspective on to what it takes to buy groceries when you are feeding 30 missionaries at a dinner, but the receipt would not cooperate...






This is how I really felt about the prospect of eating Yacaré before I tasted it and found out it really does taste like chicken...

And, the out take of out takes...needs an explanation first. I said, "Let's take a picture of us kissing on the balcony with Iguazu Falls in the background." Diane asked, "How are you going to do that?" I responded, "Easy. I'll extend my arm as far as I can and take it with my Blackberry". So, I got everything lined up, Diane looked through the Blackberry to make sure we would be framed by the falls and then just as she walked up to me said, "You know, the kids are going to die when they see this picture..." which caused us both to laugh and me to move my arm out of position...the result of which is this memorable but regrettably captured moment...






Sorry kids...

Dishin' on Doug

We met a great couple in the new Mission President's Seminar, Doug and Debbie Carter. They are presiding over the Buenos Aires West Mission. About 10 years ago, they lived in Buenos Aires while Doug worked as the CFO for DirectTV in Latin America. This week we discovered just how he was able to always meet his sales projections...





















And our favorite...



Bien hecho, Presidente Carter!

Yacaré

Diane and I are in Ibarreta in the Province of Formosa for the weekend. We met with the District President and his wife for a while and then invited them to have dinner with us at a local restaurant. This was on the menu...



It is called a Yacaré...this is what it looks like au natural...



This is what it looks like in the restaurant...






This is what Diane and I look like eating Yacaré for the first time...






This is what it tastes like...

Bella Vista Revisited

Last Sunday Diane and I went back to Bella Vista where I dedicated the new Chapel there. Last month I posted photos of the house the Church was renting until the Chapel was completed. Now there is a little Chapel on a large parcel of land (planning ahead). It was a great time and the people there were very excited to have a new building in their town.

Here is the Church, here is the steeple...



Open the door and see all the people...If you look all the way at the front of the room to the right, you will see someone who looks like Diane facing the people...she filled in at the last minute as the organist on a small keyboard!





Here is the Branch President's office...





And the clerk's office, with a computer, of course...






I had to check out the baptismal font...I am waiving from inside the font to those outside of it via the mirror that is hanging on the wall...





And here are the children in their Primary room...cute kids...




This Chapel has something unique...an alarm owl...




The workers said that all during construction and to this very day, the owl perches itself on the fenceposts around the Chapel lot and screeches when people enter onto the land. We witnessed that as it swooped around us.

Now, this is why the town is called Bella Vista...















It was a privilege for Diane and me to be there and an honor to be able to dedicate the building.

A Walk Down Memory Lane

When I was in elementary school, I used to walk from my home there and back. Let's just say that while the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, I quickly found out that a few detours were more interesting. That is until I had to go to the Principal's office for being tardy (that is the word they used, I was never late, just always tardy).

Today was such a beautiful day that I decided to walk to the office.



Diane gave me the simple directions, "Take a left out the gate, another left on Linears and your office is on the right in a couple of blocks".


But on MY walk to the office, I saw a fly-fishing shop...



A gym where they were working out to 70's disco music...


A little fine art...


A few motos on the sidewalk...


I even saw a law office...I instinctively reached in my suit pocket for a red pen before I came to my senses and kept walking...


I walked by a children's park and did not stop...



After dodging a little bit of traffic, I made it to the office...



And I was not even tardy!

Happy Birthday, Mi Amor!

August 25th is Diane's birthday. It is probably going to be low key here on the mission, right?

WRONG!

Something is definitely different about yesterday and today...



Good-bye Resistencia...



Hello and good-bye Corrientes...


Monte Carlo, where our son Chris served in the province of Misiones, hola y chau...




Yes, we celebrated Diane's birthday at Iguazu Falls!



The view from our room...






This is real jungle...



The trail through the jungle to the falls...


The falls...we'll just let them speak for themselves...
























How close were we?












So close that when Diane walked back down for this shot...



She came back soaking wet!



Afterwards we had a great dinner and in the morning, the chef delivered a birthday lemon pie for Diane's birthday!



So, we did ok for Diane's birthday this year...and I still have a few surprises left for 2012 and 2013!!!