Hey you two,well it's always exciting with never a dull moment on this trip!!But Hilary, you might want to rethink your choice of souveniers;A burn scar from Vietnam, a stingray scar from South America (and I say S.A. because I'm hoping this will be the only one).Maybe stick with the shoes..... But I'm VERY happy to hear that you're okay. I came up to the school right away to write you but your site seemed to be down as it wouldn't come up either here or at home. Had a great visit with Nan.The caravan farm theatre was fantastic, the weather was great,and we managed to stop Nan from cooking huge meals so all in all it was much more relaxing.Nan was thrilled to get to see your all your photos.Thenights here are getting cold and it already has a feel of early autumn, was the same in Enderby. The fire is just quietly smoldering away now in the mop up stage. You know the phrase I always add at the end of my postings "stay safe"?? I mean it,so pay attention. Bye for now.Enjoy the ride and STAY SAFE, love Mom/Barbara
Michael
Well, that was an exciting e-mail. Are you sure it is wise to go out drinking later the same day you have been stung by a stingray? I could be wrong, but it seems to me I once read something about not doing anything that might depress your body's ability to overcome such a trauma...then again, I could be misremembering. I'm glad that your foot is feeling better, that you did not let Hugo kiss you, that the soldier (?) in camouflage did not shoot you, that you managed to traverse Barranquilla without mishap, and that you are not scared to go back in the water.
This was the weekend of the MS bike tour in the Cowichan Valley. I wish I'd remembered how bright the lights are on the outside of that building before I put my tent up in exactly the same place we camped last year.
The guy that raised the most money last year did it again this year, except this year he broke $30,000. I didn't raise quite that much, but I did raise more this year than I ever have before. I sipped wine at all the same wineries as last year, except Zanatta which was too crowded. The weather was cloudy, which was perfect. The band was better than last year. They were not giving away yet more patch kits this year.
We were looking at the map and assuming you will travel from Santa Marta east to Maracaibo, and then along the Venezuelan coast. I can't remember where it is you are going in Venezuela, only that it is somewhere on the coast, and it is not Caracas.
Erika, thank you for helping to save my daughter.
Stay safe, you two,
Michael/Dad
Jeanne
Hilary - I don't think it was a stingray. I think those guys were foot fetishists and they conned you. You have to be careful - some people will do anything to suck on someone's foot! I can only assume that you didn't read the guidelines that I gave you. Careful perusal of those guidelines will help you avoid any situations that differ from your life here. Start reading! And why are the math questions getting harder?
Barbara
Hilary----I couldn't have asked for or recieved a better birthday present from you than that phone call!!!How fantastic was that!!!!!!!I love you.Stay safe and enjoy the ride.love Mom
Nan
Dear Hilary Thrilled to have a chance to see your photos! on the scenery side it's been so interesting and so educatioal.It goes without saying how lovely and varied the views are.I chuckled at some of the photos of you Hilary and they made me long to see you again. You look beautiful in every one.I would LOVE to have a copy of you in the head dress.(dance lessons).(a.s.a.p.--after you're back)Still chuckling at the dance lesson ones!!Love and hugs to you and Erika.Nan
Raechel
Birthday postcard arrives the day before birthday! Wicked! Thanks Erika.
Hilary
Yeah... I´m usually to lazy to actually check and see if the map is correct, since a lot of the internet places are super-slow and I get bored really quickly. Exciting about the sun room - although maybe not so exciting about the dry wall. And I hope Jeanne gives your smart-alleck butt a good kick... and if not, I´ll save one for when I come home. Love you!
Michael
The marker on the map when one first opens your blog is way off for Cali. It shows a point up on the Caribbean coast, and when I look in my atlas, Cali appears to be between Bogotá and the Pacific.
Michael
I'm so glad to see that you've been viewing the native wildlife of South America, the baboons, the grizzly bears and the Bengal tigers.
Okay, on a serious note -- Quito looked quite nice, from the photos you posted. And Cali looks rather pleasant also. Hil, in one of your postings you said how you were worried as you were entering Colombia and they seemed rather interested in your passport, and you didn't much like the idea of getting strip-searched. I think the strip searches are somewhat more likely for people leaving Colombia.
So does this mean you are flying from Cali up to the north coast somewhere, or are you beaching on the south coast.
Summer has returned again, and it seems the Kootenays are the part of the province on fire this year. Jeanne has become a hill-climber extraordinaire -- a few weeks ago we went up Mill Hill in Langofrd, and today we went up MOUNT Wells (note the word: "mount," not "hill"). Jeanne looks longingly at your photos of Cotopaxi, and I'm sure she's thinking how much she'd like to climb that peak...
The floor of the sunroom is now almost level (and great fissures have opened along seems between drywall sheets as a result of the levelling process). A new roof is going on, and a new back door is being put in. The excitement just does not end.
Stay safe, you too, and enjoy the beach!
DadMichael
Mark And Shirley
Got the postcard today Hil, IM SO JEALOUS! Hope all is well :)
Mark and Shirley
Richard
That is so cool that you went to a soccer game, Erica.If you get the chance again while in Columbia or Venezuela, you should try to drag Hilary to a game. Along with baseball and the Catholic Church, that probebly amounts to 80 per cent of S. Amaerican culture. It was in your Banos pictures I noticed a baseball diamond and pointed it out to Barbara. If there had been a game, I'd have been there.
You guys look as if you are having so much fun. Hilary, I just enjoyed your dance lesson pictures so much. It was so neat to see you laughing that hard. What memories you are going to have, both of you.
Hil, Mom and I are both hoping you are not too dragged out with the cold Erica mentioned youwere beginning to catch.
Stay safe and keep rock and rolling. Love Richard.
Barbara
Hilary--what geat photos of you getting the dance lesons! you look like you're having so much fun.And even when I wore heels and enjoyed them, not even then did i wear ones that high!They are beautiful tho' and I wish I had tried ones like that...at least once....for 2 minutes...I love coming up to the school and watching the slide shows and reading what adventure, or misadventure,you're up to.Erika, glad to see that you're putting your foot down and just chilling at times! Hmmm, news from N.D.There's a fairly large wild fire that's burning from above the bluffs towards Enterprise creek and far end of Red Mountain rd. They were saying that the top end of Red Mtn is on evacuation notice.We were having supper on the veranda last night and I noticed a funny coloured cloud-not very big-pointed it out to Richardsaying something along the lines of "look at that weird cloud" Looked back 5 min. later and it looked like a mini Mt. St. Helens with a huge towering rolling plume of smoke.Went down to the dock to see where the fire wasand and again after dark and were amazed at how huge the burning area was.Especially as we had been in winlaw earlier and noticed nothing!It looks like it's very close to the road. So that's our excitement! I'm REALLY hoping they start to get a handle on it soon-the whole of the Slocan is tinder dry right now.Everything smells of smoke right now, in and out of the house!Thought of you on Saturday night;we went up to tadpole lake for a picnic but didn't see any tadpoles!Bye for now .stay safe and enjoy the ride.Love Mom/Barbara