It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new.
But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful.
There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.
Alan Cohen
"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
Groucho Marx
The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.

Monday, January 31, 2011

Rain washed skies





Is that blurry ?



I need new glasses. I am holding books farther away. I sit farther away from the computer. I am no longer able to just look at a map, I have to put my glasses on first. That is after I take off the sunglasses. Which probably need a new prescription too. I am wearing my "driving" glasses to watch television now .. and I find that I need them at the movie theatre.
I refuse to stick anything in my eye so contacts are not going to happen, so I am doomed to carry around a pair of reading glasses, a pair of distance glasses and wear my sunglasses.
Once I forgot to bring the distance glasses and ended up trying to watch a movie with my sunglasses on. The people around me probably thought I was blind, I was almost, it was all a bit dark.
And even if I don't need new reading glass prescriptions, I need new glasses. I fear mine are old fashioned. I see the women walking around here and they look much cooler than I do. I am not going to get those very big framed ones, I would look like Mr Magoo or something, but I do need to update my eyeglass wardrobe.
The sunglasses are still good. I have a pair of big black framed movie star glasses.. will just be sure the lenses are black , no seeing my eyes !
I also have a vintage pair of Armani sunglasses that I want to get new lenses in, mirrored. They will be there for me when I am feeling "cool" .. Like when we go to Palermo Soho and I want to blend in with the natives.
It is pouring rain and has cooled off about 10- 15 degrees.
If it stops raining, I will be happy to go out... otherwise, I am in the house again. Thinking about what to make for dinner. (this is not good.) I should be thinking about what shoes to buy that will go with my new glasses.
Have a Good Monday ! I hope your weather is tolerable and that you are able to see what I have said here .. if not, I can recommend a great eye doctor .. and you can have a nice vacation at the same time ! Nothing wrong with that !



Monday .. Look at This Blog !


Vintage Victuals

The title says it all. Great looking blog, great recipes, all the stuff that a lot of us grew up on.
I grew up in North Carolina. My grandmother made Everything from "scratch" .. In the summer, she would hand my cousin and I buckets and send us out to pick blackberries and she would make cobblers. We would come back, hands and faces stained purple and chigger bites all over us, we would sit outside in the yard and wait for our prize while we sat and scratched our bites.
So now I can practice making things that , if not actually old fashioned and from scratch, they will taste like it. I might even try that with my hair ..
Go look, say hello, let me know if you found a recipe you like.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Summer Green

After spending some time in a dark well air-conditioned movie theater, we took Pup to the park. It seems to be peaking in summer beauty. There are trees flowering, huge bees buzzing around and the birds seem to be ecstatically happy. Pup is content to wander, sniff, wander.
I don't know the names of most of these trees but the flowers are like huge pink lilies.They make walking under the trees almost dangerous at times, the dead flowers on the ground are slippery.




I have no idea what kind of trees these are, in English or in Spanish, but they are my favorites. The way their branches wind and tangle and the beautiful graceful shapes.
I hope you enjoyed a tiny taste of summer and greenness .

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Today and the Weekend

Today was lunch at the Evita Museum Cafe with friends who are visiting.
It remains hot and sticky, I remain mostly cranky and sleepy.
Lunch was nice though, we had Sidre and salads and I probably still carry the slight aroma of garlic from the Calamari that I had. I should have followed it with something densely chocolate but it slipped my mind.
So now, while I wait for dinner to be delivered, I am fantasizing over those Molten Chocolate cakes they serve in restaurants here. Why didn't I just order chocolate cake for dinner ?
Why do I always think of these things Too Late?
I have high hopes that the temperatures will not be so dreadfully high and we can go antiquing. I am looking forward to a day at the Flea Market, stumbling onto some old hidden treasure. I know, dream on, but it is fun anyway.
We actually found our lights that hang in the living room in a flea market. They are crystal, antique and wonderful and it takes very close examination to see that they are not exactly matched. But no one is climbing a ladder to get a closer look .
I was thinking that someday it will be Winter again and I was liking the idea of having some old "real" China teacups for our afternoon tea, rather than the big mug type cups we use. That would be fun to search for at the Marché ..
I was also wishing I had bought that Bentwood rocker we saw a few years ago so maybe there will be another one. I have all sorts of redecorating plans, which will go into effect, IF it ever cools off.
I also want to go to Palermo and visit my favorite shop, Paul and have lunch in my favorite Mexican place , Xalapa ..
I can't say it now and I can't say it after having one of their amazing Margaritas.
I might even buy shoes. Who knows, stranger things have happened.
So that is the plan, if you can call my vague mental meanderings a plan .. the heat has gotten to me. Where is dinner?

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Buenos Aires with Music

I am hiding inside, from the stultifying heat and humidity and occasional storms. Listening to music and reading and relaxing. None of which are anything to Blog about .. so , I have these for you to watch and listen to.
Enjoy a little mini visit to my town, see where I live , see where we play,
see "our " parks and enjoy the music.
Chau, besos ~





Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Happiness

What makes a person happy ?
Aside from being well fed , having a home and someone to love.
What is it that really makes them get up in the morning and look forward to the day?
I thought I knew a long time ago... but as the years have gone by, the things that make me happy have changed.
Waking up and looking at that new husband. Unforgettable happiness.
Waking up and looking at that new baby. Unforgettable happiness.
I would no longer be happy living in the right area so we could send our children to the best school.
I would no longer be happy living in that part of town because the commute to work for my husband was 5 minutes.
New clothes make me happy - for a short time . Staying thin thrills me.
Finding the perfect pair of shoes makes me cheerful for days.
If the weather Ever cools off, that will make me happy.

Actually, Autumn has always made me happy.
photo credit : A.F.
When I arrived in New York, from Los Angeles, 100 years ago, it was the end of summer.
As the weeks went by, I was treated to my first Autumn in New York.
With the trees blazing with color, the sunny cool days and crisp evenings.. trips Upstate to look at the colors, pick apples, buy pumpkins, it was all new and wonderful.
Who would think, all these years later, that is what I am missing.

Fall here is pleasant, but lacks the beauty and drama of Fall in NY. It even smells different.
Here there will be the scent of wood smoke, from all the parillas and fireplaces.. taking a walk on a crisp evening, smelling that scent, wonderful.

Winters here are mild but last year it lasted too long. The end was too wet and dreary.
If I lived in London or Paris, I would expect that, but not here.
If I lived in London or Paris, I would be hopping on trains for warmer , sunnier places to visit.

But these days, I am feeling vaguely restless, not getting really excited about things.
This leads me to find myself looking at Real Estate. In different countries. Now my husband is doing the same thing.
Pup is resting in the cool hall, ignoring the carrying on about 'look at this one !' and 'come look what I found ! '...
He knows he isn't going anywhere, he is staying just where he is.
He likes it. He likes his park. We are here with him. He is happy.





Monday .. Look at This Blog ! A day late !


Skona Hem

This is a case of not understanding anything I am reading but I love to look at the pictures !
Go see for yourself .. enjoy.


Monday, January 24, 2011

Get up and Dance

It is too hot to go outside.
We are hiding in darkened rooms with the air-conditioning on full blast.
Good books, music and fresh plums, cherries and special videos are keeping us busy.
Pup is napping.
Nothing like a good nap on a hot day. Or a cold day. We are big on naps here.
So I am posting this because I think you all need to get up and dance. It is too hot for me to dance, so it is up to you.
Go ahead, I want you to go out and Dance.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Whining

This is Pup Before.
He was hot, he smelled almost like a dog and he had to be uncomfortable with all that hair. I know we ( he and I ) didn't enjoy our time spent trying to comb out snarls in long ears that tend to drag into food dishes and such.
And here is our new boy, all light and bouncy and smelling like a flower .. or at least like a really clean dog. Shhhh.. don't let him know I called him a d o g .
This is what it looks like at the park. Hot. Green and hot. Birds are lying around panting. Dogs sniff around a little then lie in the grass and wait for the humans who should know better to take them home to rooms that are darkened and air-conditioned. We will be like vampires, only coming out after dark. Even after dark it has remained hot. I am really looking forward to the end of Summer. Autumn here is lovely. I will not promise but if I can remember how boring this heat is, I can say I will not complain about Winter. But ... well, sometimes a good whine is fun. Everyone likes a good whine now and then. Have a glass of wine and have a good whine.

We wanted to go to the Feria .. it is right there, next to the park, but walking in the sun was brutal. The streets were deserted, except for the occasional sighting of a couple walking their dog. .. crazy people.
Tomorrow is supposed to be worse. I bet you can't wait to hear about that ! Maybe there will be a new movie at the theatre, in English. Maybe we will just go to a mall and wander .. have lunch .. or maybe we will just stay in, listen to music and read. That is appealing. Pup likes that one.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Where I live ...

We slept late and recovered from the trauma of having gotten up so early yesterday, with the additional strain of still staying up past midnight .. feeling slightly lazy we stayed around the house a while, then took a couple of trips to various markets and brought in foods to keep us until we feel like leaving the house again. ( Tomorrow).
I thought I would share some photos ( some have already been posted but hey, they are good enough to look at twice !) You can see what it is like where I live. My neighborhood and those where we are often found, browsing, shopping, window licking and generally wandering and enjoying the town.
This is the Biblioteca Nacional .. you can also have lunch in a cafe up high overlooking the park around the library, you can listen to concerts on weekend nights.
This is a statue in our neighborhood. It is close by the Faculty of Rights building, I have no idea who they are. They are Indians and it most likely has something to do with Indians who may have lived here long ago? It is a wonderful sculpture, very life-like.
A street in Palermo. Typical street in Palermo. Great, isn't it ?
Shops in Palermo Soho. Tons of character and mighty fine shopping.
Looking down at the Gardens of the Hyatt Hotel Palacio Duhau . The original building was the French Palacio Duhua, built in 1932. We had tea one afternoon with a friend. It was wonderful .
More of the incredible buildings in the city.
And this is Pup, pre-haircut, hanging out in the Belle Artes Museum Park , admiring what he calls Art Schmart

Nice, isn't it ? You can see why we decided to move here after a 2 week visit, right ? When I start getting homesick, I think of these places and the people here and remember what made us want to move here. And I am glad we did it .

Friday, January 21, 2011

Friday ! Joy !! Joy !!

I remember when Friday's were so full of excitement, making plans for the weekend, sleeping late, going out with friends to concerts or the ballet or away for the weekend.
Just get in the car and take off ... Run Away !!Summer weekends at the beach , Autumn weekends in upstate NY when the leaves were changing, apples were there to be picked, a country place perfect to Run Away to for a few days.
Some weekends were so manic, with so many things to do, by Monday or Tuesday, we were happy to see the week ahead with earlier nights, less running around, calm, not so manic.
photos Paul Walker UK
Now , Friday is the same as Tuesday or Thursday .. we stay up late, every night. We eat out whenever , we shop, go to movies, whenever we feel like it. But the City changes , we might be the same but on Friday you can hear and see and feel the Difference.
The traffic calms down as people leave for the countryside and beaches. The stores are less crowded, but then, there are many tourists here. We are hearing more English wherever we go.. see more people on the street studying their maps.
We often go to a movie on Friday afternoon. Today we saw The Tourist. Venice looked good. We went to the bookstore and struck gold, Two ! count 'em , two books we had not read yet ! Grabbed those up fast! Home after the movie to walk Pup.
Pup mosied around the park, had to fend off an overly interested male Vizsla and he got to go to the pet shop to pick up a bag of food... where he was able to say hello to the cat that allows him to nuzzle it, where he was snapped at and reprimanded by the Vets own dog who is very territorial about Pup coming into His shop. Only here would there be a pet shop where the owners dog wants to attack all the dogs that come in.
Our family in the park has moved on I think .. I have not seen them in days and the puppy is never there. Pup looks for him, sniffs around but there is no sign of them. I am hoping they were able to "go home" and not have to be on the street.
So this weekend lies before us .. an empty slate. What will it be ? What will you do ? I hope it is good , whatever your weekend happens to be .. Ours has all the possibilities of good .. after all, look where we are !




Thursday, January 20, 2011

A Visit to The US Embassy

Today we went to the US Embassy. We had to get some information and give some information. We got up too early and then found out that we have to go back tomorrow, even earlier. This is so painful for me .... ( she whines) .
But the good news is that we have an appointment so we won't have to wait as long as we did today. And the cool thing is that when you arrive at the Embassy, there is a mile long line down the street, but we walk up to a window and show them our passports and they open the door. Once inside, there is the handing over of cell phones, walking through metal detectors and smiling at lot at all the well armed guards. They are all extremely polite and nice.
When we leave, they give us a big smile and say goodbye .
It is not a pretty building but I hear it is very fortified and the Ambassador who lives a little farther away, can go through underground parking areas to enter and leave the residence or Embassy.
This is the Ambassadors Residence . Pretty, no?
What happened today was that we met this family.
There were many things about them that would make a person notice them, each thing being especially nice.
I had a hard time not staring at them the entire time we were there, it was OK if we did , I think everyone else did too. And it paid off when we left.
The Mother and Father and a boy about 9 sat in front of us. In front of them sat 3 other children and a baby on the floor . Yes, 5 children, the oldest being the 9 year old.
The mom had naturally streaky blonde hair, each child looked exactly like her, with heads of tousled blonde hair and little button noses. Dressed neatly and clean , the baby in a little sun-dress that was adorable ..
I wanted to take them all home with me.
But here is where it got to be "different" and "unusual" .. the children were quiet.
The baby was quiet... oh, she grinned and smiled and made quiet happy baby noises but that man behind me whispering, made more noise.
They all sat in that boring room, looking at magazines, whispering to each other, looking around, and they all watched over the baby.
Of course, I had to talk to the mom .. they drove to BA from Mendoza, where they have lived for 7 years but are now "going home" to the US.
3 of the children were born here, so there was a major amount of paperwork and Red Tape for them to go through. One of the little ones, he was about 4, was fascinated with the lady sitting in the front row with a baby in a baby carriage. A small infant.
He ended up slowly working his way up the aisle and sitting next to the lady and just watching the baby.
The funny part was when the lady was called into a room, with the door open, to talk to the person from the Embassy, the little boy went with her .. adorable.
And everyone was fine with it.
When we were leaving, I said goodbye and good luck and the mother gave me a hug and kiss.
I was so surprised by the warmth and sweetness of that gesture, but even better was yet to come.
The baby stood at my feet and reached her little arms up to me, so I picked her up and gave her a cuddle and a kiss. And I got one too.
My heart just about burst with the sweetness of it all.
Then the little boy came over, I imagine he was thinking of perhaps coming with us ? No? Well, I would have been happy to bring all or some of them home with me.
I don't envy them that long trip back home with 5 small children but I do envy them those 5 small children.
I know tomorrow will not be so sweet a visit to the Embassy but every time I do go there, I will remember that sweet family.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

I Heart Apple

A man from Apple came to our house today and spent hours, fixing things up in my computer. Things like iPhoto and music and files and all those things that were shuffled around and jammed into files all together and me, not knowing where anything was and unable to access things... like my photos.

I now have everything I need.. you can now prepare yourselves for more boring family photos from the ABroad family.

But until then, look at this and see why my camera might need updating ..

(British wildlife lover Roy Hancliff)

Monday, January 17, 2011

Monday .. Look at This Blog !

Kees Terberg

Kees is a Dutch photographer, living in France. ( how do I envy her? let me count the ways)
But lucky for us, she has this fantastic blog full of her beautiful and inspiring work.
Go look, tell her hello, enjoy !

Sunday, January 16, 2011

I would if I could ..

I would post photos of Pup that were taken this past week.
I would post photos of the way things looked today, right before the storm, when the sky looked like something from a Steven Spielberg movie.
I would listen to music right now while I type but ... when they put in the new hard drive, they did not put in my music, or my iPhoto.
I saved the photos taken, but I cannot download any new ones.
So I can go back to this place with the computer or get a new disc for Leopard or Lion or Giraffe and hopefully it will all be normal again plus better.

We had a really hot heavy day , culminating in a serious storm. It was sooo cool !
The clouds were black , not dark grey but black. And huge. They looked solid.
They were moving our way, we went to the market and practically ran home, wind whipping trees and us around.
As we came upstairs, the rain hit. It looked solid. Gutters filled immediately and ran over onto the sidewalks and filling intersections with small lakes.
People huddled in doorways or braved walking through it. I worried that my flowers on the balconies would be torn up, the wind was so fierce.
Then it was gone. Just like that.

Pup was walked after, while it was still raining.
He came back wet and droopy, then he dried and looked kind of pitiful, with short curly hair .. a big nosed , long eared, brown sheep... that wagged it's tail everytime I would fall over laughing at the sight of him.
So he is brushed now and looks his handsome self .
I would show you a new photo but , well, you know... Apple .. feh !
So here is a pre-haircut photo ..



Saturday, January 15, 2011

Living in Babel

I lived in San Diego, California as a child. My grandmother used to say that I spoke Spanish before I spoke English. We had a lady that worked for us, from Mexico, she only spoke to me in Spanish, they took me to Mexico with them for visits to the family. Imagine this.. a truck with 2 Mexican adults, a back seat with little brown haired brown eyed children and one white haired blue eyed child. And no one said, wait a minute, where did you get that one ?!
I would run around and try to catch a chicken with the other children.
These are my memories. But I spoke Spanish.
When I was in high school, living in North Carolina, I took Spanish. Mistakenly thinking that having spoken it once, I would be good at it again.
I was wrong.
The teacher would humiliate me in class by holding my lips together like a fish and make me say Ohhhhh Ohhhhhh .. and being Southern, I would say Awwwwww Awwwwwwww. I decided then , never to speak Spanish again. Only French.
It was years later that I went to Paris and wished I spoke French well. Or at all. So that was my goal, someday I will speak fluent French and live in Paris.
And as Fate loves to play jokes on us all, here I am, living in South America and speaking Spanish. ( I say I speak Spanish, the locals are polite, kind, they hide their laughter when I babble away at them)..
There are days that I think I know what everyone is saying and then there are days that everyone sounds to me, the way everyone must sound to Pup. It is just so much noise. None of it makes sense. And the stress is that you have to look like you understand or at least not look panic stricken and clueless ( which I am, many times a day)..
I knew a girl back in NY, she arrived from Germany not speaking any English. She watched soap operas on television all day. She learned English. I don't know if she sounded like a soap opera actress every time she opened her mouth ... but it was English.
Here, I see them on television, I hear them but I cannot possibly mimic them or learn to copy them.
1- They speak at the speed of light. I totally do not understand how anyone speaks that fast or understands anyone else speaking that fast.

2- Does this mean I am slow witted ? Do I get a pass if I am ? hmmmm.

3- I don't have the lips for Spanish.
Spanish speaking people have soft full lips, those pillowy sorts of lips that easily round out words like Muchas or Precioso .. every word looks like someone is going to give you a Kiss.
( we won't get into the kissing thing, they kiss everyone here. Twice. )

This- I like.

So mostly I learn the words that are sufficient for getting around and for shopping and Just In Case.. Policia, Robo, Ayudame ! Please God I never have to use that Spanish !
I am fluent in Menu though. This is a good thing. And waiters are multi-lingual, at least in menu. They know what I am talking about every time. Of course, my skills at Pantomime are legendary, that might help.

We took the computer in to be fixed. My dear sweet pain in the arse computer decided to quit. I know I use it a lot but not as much as some people.
I think it was just being spoiled and threw a tantrum. It worked fast enough for that cute technician at Apple !
So now I have my computer. Some things are still not "normal" .. some things are gone. But they saved my photos, I can find more bookmarks , I can blog. I can email my children. So all is not lost.
But the computer came back speaking Spanish.

We did everything that we know how to do to stop it and it stubbornly insisted on answering me in Spanish. Was this some kind of trick ? That woman can't speak Spanish, this'll get her going !
And when the technicians tell you , in English, how to fix things, you (I) still can't understand them .. is that English ?
Last night, as I typed my emails to friends and family ,telling them we were back in touch again,
every word was underlined in red.
Because the Computer spoke Spanish, I was using a foriegn language ... aarrrrrggggghhhhhhh.

My husband, after listening to much whining and grumbling, told me to turn it Off.
Completely Off.
I did so, worried it would not go back on again or would be speaking Mandarin when it came back .. but no, I married a Genius.
My computer is now speaking English.. all is right with the World.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Catching up ..

I have my computer back.
It has a new hard drive. I lost a lot but they saved my photos.
Everything I type has a red line under it, I cannot seem to find the spell check thingee that needs to understand that this is English . The entire computer was set in Spanish, I am still fumbling around with that ..
I am trying to remember what was on my Favorites list, there were so many things, they are all gone now.
Thanks to Google/Gmail, I am easily able to get into my mail and my blog .. so all the news is not bad.
My legs do not hurt and I am feeling fine.
It is so hot, I am content to be inside with the A/C until dark when we will wander the neighborhood, coming home with sticky ice cream fingers and a sleepy Pup.
We went to a movie today, Somewhere, by Sofia Coppolla.
She is lucky she does not live close to me, I would find her and yell at her for wasting 2 hours of my life. And then I would yell at that actor , Stephen Dorf, for being a part of it. My God what a boring movie !
Not even the Chateau Marmont made it better, not even his Ferrari or Las Vegas. The actress who played his little girl,( Dakota Fannings sister, Elle)
.
almost made it better .. But only almost
Don't see it. You will thank me for this advice.. or if you see it, you will wish you had listened to me.
Now about Buenos Aires in January, the good part is that so many people left town. There are a gazillion visitors here from all over the World and that is a lovely thing. I can stand on the corner waiting for a light to change and hear all sorts of languages. I see families from China and I hear French and German and a lot of English. I heard Dutch today .. I always want to grab them and say Be Careful, Have Fun, Eat Helado, Be Careful ! but I just send it to them on the airwaves ..
I guess any tourist that has their pocket picked or purse stolen, can feel like they are in good company ( like that makes anyone feel better !) An assistant or something, of the President of Argentina, was carrying $90,000 in a backpack and she was robbed.
So if you are coming here or are here, be careful.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Limping but not Stopping


Yesterday I got to see the "inner workings " of the Hospital Aleman in Buenos Aires.
I have had these two little "spots" ... one on each leg .. I get my spots in matching pairs, apparently. And while they have been there long enough to blend in with the landscape, lately they have been worrying me. That old "what if" thing started to pop into my head too many times.
Living in a country where the sun seems to be much closer, where 363 days of the year seem to be bright and sunny and without clouds, everyone should know to wear Sun Block. Some of us know and forget anyway, some of us don't use enough and some of us are just lazy and skip it and suffer later.
I need to remember the old Southern ladies with their hats, they had good skin, I bet they didn't see the dermatologist often !
So summoning courage ... lots of it .. we went to the hospital to see a dermatologist.
She spoke perfect English and reminded me very much of my doctor back in the US.
She did not once.. say anything about sunblock and the fact that there were tan lines on my shoulders etc and that is a No-No.
She quickly and efficiently with pretty much no pain at all, performed 2 biopsies.
So now we wait and see and I am almost sure that the next visit will be to see the Surgeon.
I have two ungainly and large bandages on each leg, today they come off and bandaides will replace them and I will feel less obvious in my being "wounded" as I walk around.

You know, when you live in the US or elsewhere and you have a car... you drive to the hospital and home.
You drive to the pharmacy and home.
You stay inside or drive when you have bandages and might look less than perfect.
Here, you walk out on the street and flag down a taxi. You walk to the pharmacy.. you look like the walking wounded.
And sadly, so far, it has not garnered me any sympathy at all.
Today we might just go for a drink at the Hotel Alvear .. after I get those bandages off !

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Australia

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Australia, to those affected by this horrid flooding.
To those worrying about their families, I add my hopes that this ends soon.. and your loved ones come home safely.
Australia

Monday, January 10, 2011

The Quote

Regarding the Quote by Allen Cohen .. I saw it one day and thought, Hey, that is us ! That is the way we have been thinking, living, experiencing life in the past few years.

The Quote ..

It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new.
But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful.
There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.
Alan Cohen

"There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power."

In the past, approximately 7 years, my husband and I have moved to 2 different states, driving across the United States from the Southeast to the Pacific Northwest , Pup too ! And to one different country/continent, Pup too.
We like vacations and travel but we really enjoy moving to new environments, learning our way around, learning the local customs, discovering new Everything all over again. We used to rent apartments when we went on Vacations. A Villa in Jamaica, an apartment in Paris, a flat in London, which sort of prepared us in the tiniest way for the experience of living in a country that is totally foreign. Paris and London were not totally foreign but there were a few customs and details that were not the same as what we were used to, we learned along the way.
It was fun, learning to ride in an elevator that only 2 thin people would fit in or one person and a suitcase... we were so glad we didn't pack a lot that year !

Visiting Buenos Aires, we were struck by the familiarity of the place while it was so totally foreign to us at the same time. But mostly, above all else, we were charmed by the people.
The traffic and noise and dirty spots and did I mention noise? and not knowing the language, made us think a minute or two about managing , but the place, the people and the idea of the adventure, won us over to the idea of living here.

We rented 2 apartments while looking for our home, we stayed in one while the renovations went on and lived in the apartment while the slowest renovators in the world finished the job. We met our neighbors, welcomed in as if they had been waiting for us all along.
The Porters and shop keepers began to recognize us, as we walk by every day with Pup, to the park. Pup is a one of a kind dog here, so people remember him. People take photos of him. He is in photo albums all over the world.. strange but friendly Buenos Aires dog ..

We felt welcomed, we felt like we belonged .. and we feel like we can do pretty much anything now. We came here speechless, homeless and clueless and now we speak/read Spanish ( not great but we manage fine) , we have a beautiful home and we know our way around ..

We still look at real estate websites , in various cities, countries and we still daydream about living in an apartment on the Left Bank.
Who knows, one day we might be speaking French and feeding Pup fois gras with his baguette!
or we will give in to the call of a little Cottage in the Woods somewhere ..

I will be sure to let you know ...





Monday .. Look at this Blog!

"everyday with abby j
living and loving life, everyday,
with springtime hope and promise.

Follow me, the best is yet to be!"


This is a new blog I discovered , how can you not go look with that invitation ?
I love it . I also love Cheddar.
Go take a look and tell me how much you enjoyed yourself.


Sunday, January 9, 2011

My Computer


The Computer is still not feeling up to par so tomorrow morning it goes back to Dr Apple.
Pup denies having anything to do with it .. I wonder~

We will consider this a Summer Vacation .. with the Return date open.

Muchas besos, thank you for your comments , your support and I will be back as fast as possible.


Saturday, January 8, 2011

Musings

We have been living here almost 4 years now. We started with the bare bones of an old apartment with great potential. We had the high ceilings, the moldings and french doors, it all just needed loving care and being brought back to life. This is the Dining Room.
We went to Thonet in a part of town that is not very pretty, but there are furniture stores, one after the other.. and one of the buildings is this red house. A fabulous old red house from maybe 100 years ago. This is the Thonet showroom/store. We saw this table and chairs and nothing else would do.
It looks so perfect with the mirror and the chandelier.
All the rooms are pretty much finished, maybe a pillow here or a rocking chair there but mostly done.(Bentwood Rocker in the Dorrego Flea Market)But we have been moving around so much these past years, 4 years is a record ! I am feeling the urge to move.
I see buildings and apartments and think of all the things I could do to make them better... if only I lived there.
I like this building. I am sure I would enjoy decorating the rooms in an apartment there !
Or do I want a super modern, full of glass apartment, where my antiques will stand out nicely, where the windows will let in light and I can see the sky , and maybe there will be a terrace large enough to sit out with Pup and watch the sunset.
I can imagine how much fun it would be to decorate a modern apartment with lots of windows.
I recently saw one for sale, it is all windows.
Ideas were bouncing all over , wow, what would I do with this space ? how are you able to be private? how much fun would it be to live there ?
Then I think, if I am going to move again, do I want to move in Buenos Aires or do I want to move somewhere else? That is the question.
Until the answer arrives, we will continue to stay in this apartment and I will continue to add finishing touches and enjoy exploring the city .
Taking photos, of Pup, of the parks, of the buildings , you never know, one day you will be in the park and there I will be, with my camera in hand.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Friday Ramblings .. it is the heat ...

We won't talk about how long I sat here with the Air Conditioner Remote in hand, pointing it at the chandelier.
The heat has gotten to me. I am no longer the woman I was ...
I am now a dry skinned, freckle faced , dry haired , fried - brained forgetful person. ( I refuse to talk about the fact that I forget everything in the winter too)...

Yesterday I woke at 5 am and never went back to sleep.
I was wide awake and fine all day , even stayed up past midnight. I worried when I went to bed that this might be the way things are from now on, no sleep .
But happily, I woke a little before 10 am and felt quite normal ..
But it is so hot out. The birds are quiet, no energy to chirp , too hot to tweet.
We went to the cinema, what else do you do on a very hot summer day?
We sat in the dark cinema and I actually needed a sweater ... ahhhhh~
We saw Hereafter. We both liked it very much. We both looked at each other and smiled when we saw the scenes in Paris.
Then we walked around the mall and I admired the $1,000 handbags and shoes and furs.
Yes, they pull out the furs in the shops, all those tourists coming here from the Northern Hemisphere, for the great leather and the good fur. They no longer hold any appeal for me and in the heat of these summer days, I immediately began to itch at the thought of wearing one.
I would much rather spend the money on some handbags and shoes.Yes, I have a one - track mind.
Walking home we decided to go to lunch. We got a little lost, found the place, sat down, looked at the menu, got ready to give the order when I looked at the phone ... Oh No ! it was Pup's dinner time, there were things we had to do and the day had flown ! So we left, walked home, melting all the way.
I hear there is more snow coming to the Northeast US .. send me some.
I will send you a ziplock bag of Summer Heat .. a fair exchange I think.

We took Pup to the park where the birds were not singing, the bugs were biting and the tiny puppy belonging to the homeless couple was left alone, tied to their box of Stuff . They probably came back right away, we left before we saw them, this did bother me a little, but what bothered me a lot was the lady that was petting the puppy.
It is a tiny puppy, trusting and wagging its little tail when you approach. She was homeless and I have seen her around and she kind of makes me avoid her.
I watched her feeding the puppy some of his dry food, petting it, so far so good.
Then I watched her take a bottle of orange juice that she had and pour it in a bowl and give it to the puppy.
I walked over and pushed it away and said no, not for the bebe !
She said yes, it is good for the bebe and tried to give it to him again.
I said no, it is mal ! She said she was a veterinarian .
I walked away.
I told my husband, who urges me not to talk to strangers and not to get into Things with homeless people. We laughed at the idea but as soon as she left, I ran over and poured out the orange juice.
I wanted to wait until the owners came back, but it was so hot and Pup was miserable.
First thing tomorrow, I am going to check on the bebe and tell on the "vet" .
( my work is never done)

Tomorrow I would like to go to ( Paris, New York, London) Belgrano and Chinatown but if it is as hot as it was today, maybe another mall .
So how are you passing the days when it is cold ?
I forgot what it is like when it snows.
Imagine, I have not seen snow in 4 years. It snowed in Portland before we left, that was a good snow, beautiful while watching it fall, then it melted.
I miss snow.

I might have to find something to do that will be interesting for my husband, other than watching me try on shoes. Surely there is something more interesting that looking at shoes .. yes there is.









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sunset in Buenos Aires

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