Feliz Navidad

My first impression of Nicaragua was unexpected and favorable, unspoiled jungle forests and deep rivers, bucolic green pastures with cows and horses peacefully grazing and plantations of citrus and pineapple.  The food was fresh and simple.  We spent our first night in Nicaragua at Sabalos Lodge perched over the Rio San Juan in a cabin that looked like it was made by the Swiss Family Robinson.  We watched the egrets gather at dusk and turn a tree from green to white.  In the morning we woke to howler monkeys.  We took a boat upriver to El Castillo, toured a 16th century fort, drank hands down the best mocha frappuccino in the world and ate river shrimp that were so large that they would make a Maine lobster feel inadequate.

And then we traveled to Los Chiles where Tessa is stationed.  Los Chiles is at the end of the (chicken) bus line.  Tourists don't visit Los Chiles for good reason.  Gone are the bright houses, the kiosk cafes, the paved streets and green vegetation.  Los Chiles is messy with litter and muddy, gouged dirt roads.  Most of the homes are tired shelters hoping for a wind to topple them down.  Dogs, pigs, roosters and chickens all root among the garbage thrown in the street.  I expect you could say that the chickens are all "free range," but somehow in the context of Los Chiles, I'm not sure this is such a good thing.  Tessa arranged for Mark & me to stay at the nicest of the 3 boarding houses.  Our room had unfinished walls and a rough cement floor; it had no window or decoration save orange mosquito netting and a band-aid stuck on the wall.  A full size bed dressed with a single sheet occupied most of the room and it took no slight choreography for Mark & me and our luggage to all occupy the room at the same time.  The toilet was down the hall and outside and we had to request a key to use it, and obtain a bucket of water from the well to flush it, but it was a toilet, a luxury unique in Los Chiles.  When we were alone in our room, Mark looked at me and said, "I'm thinking of our daughter living here and trying very hard not to cry."

Later Tessa took us on a "conocerlo de Los Chiles," a meeting of the town.  We were stopped every few feet by different people eager to meet Tessa's "padres."  And then Tessa took us to the Casa Materna where she works with the young expectant mothers.  While  Tessa was traveling with us, two mothers had given birth.  The new mothers were so happy to show Tessa their new babies and Tessa delightedly gave each baby a cap she had knitted.  That night I went to sleep in our tiny room serenaded, if you will, by roosters crowing throughout the night (fyi: contrary to popular belief roosters do not just crow at dawn, rather they crow all night long and loudly) and woke to Jose Feliciano's Feliz Navidad blaring.  (Christmas in in full swing throughout Nicaragua and Los Chiles is no exception.)  And it occurred to me that Los Chiles is not unlike the Bethlehem of old, certainly not a vacation spot, but maybe a place where a mother can be safely delivered of her child which, in of itself, is no slight miracle.

Feliz Navidad.

My Visit with The Grands

My Visit with the Grands

by Holly Sifferman

Thursday, Sept. 15, 2011

     Thursday Morning:  My human parents are going out of town for the weekend, so they asked me to take care of the Grands while they were gone.  This will be fun.  I like the Grands.  They have 2 dogs.

     Later Thursday: The Grand has to go to work.  She is dressed up.  She wears high heels.  She put the 2 other dogs in the mud room.  I think she needs to have fun before she works.  I let her chase me around the house.  We had fun!  Now I am very tired. I will go rest with the dogs. 

     Bedtime Thursday:  The Grands put a blanket and toys and treats in my kennel and said good night.  I eat the treat.  I like the treat.  I do not like the kennel.

I bark loud so they will hear me.  They cannot hear me.  I bark louder!!  I bark louder and more!!!! They hear me!  I sleep in their bed.  I like their bed.  This is nice.  

Friday, Sept. 16, 2011

     Friday Morning:  I wake up early.  I go walking with the dogs and the Grand.  Walking is fun.  Walking fast is funner.  I will help the Grand walk faster.  I will pull her.  I am very strong.  We are having fun!!

    Friday Afternoon:  The Grand is going out.  I am in the mud room with the other dogs.  This is boring.  Oh!  Look, here is a cat door.  If I wiggle a lot I can fit through the cat door.  I am outside!! Maybe I can chase a cat!!  This is fun!  Oh now the Grand is home. She looks for me.  Oh! Oh!  I know this game!  It is "Hide and Seek!"  I will hide!  I am a good hider.  This is fun!

Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011

     The Grands are taking us on a car ride.  Oh boy!!  I love car rides!!  I love to stick my head out the window!

We go to Estrella Park.  We are on a dog hike.  I like dogs!  I like to hike!  I like to hike fast!

I help the Grand walk fast. Now I am very hungry.  

The Grands take me to In and Out.  I eat french fries.  I like french fries!!!  I eat many french fries.

Sunday, September 18, 2011:  

     It is morning.  The alarm is quiet.  I wake the Grands up!  They are so happy I am here.  I take good care of them.  

     Both Grands are going out.  The dogs & I go in the mud room.  I go to the cat door.  Oh No!  There are many heavy things in front of the cat door.  But I am strong.  I break out.  CAT!

Time to go home.  My humans are here.  It was fun!

Dogs & Their Humans

A couple of months ago Bentley the Beast died.  And while Claire did appreciate that the men in her family were sad, she wasn't exactly mourning his passing.  I think Claire was looking ahead to her life without the cares and worries of a dog.  And then, a few days later as the dogs and I were walking up to Claire's door for our morning walk,  I see Joe coming out to greet us.  Unusual, I think.  And then I notice that he has a puppy in his arms.  Uh oh.  "Ah, Joe?"  Joe then tells me The Story, how a woman in a car drives up to him in a parking lot and throws the puppy at him and speeds off.  What could he do?  Joe brings the puppy home.  Well, Claire was able to tell him what he could do, he could find a new home for the puppy.  So Joe takes the puppy to work with him the next day with a sign that read:

PUPPY FOR SALE

$5,000.00

Amazingly he had no takers so what could Joe do but bring the the puppy back home??  By this time Joe had named her Chloe and Claire knew there was no hope. 

In the passing weeks Claire has become quite fond of Chloe despite herself and Chloe now joins us on our walks.  When the dogs & I come to Claire's door in the morning we see Chloe's head bouncing in and out of view (she has a lot of enthusiasm).  Our dogs love her,  and she is very cute and sweet natured.  Kathy thinks that Chloe is a "Pugle," part Pug and part Beagle.  So here is what she looks like:

Chloe acting somewhat calm.

Did I mention that she was enthusiastic?

Chloe and Cole

Chloe attempting to listen to Claire.

Again, did I mention enthusiasm?

Isn't she cute?

See the Pug-like curly tail?

The Gang

Trying

to

show 

her

curly tail.

There it is!!

Our dogs still 

still grab each other's leashes

And run their fuzzy butts

Home.

   P.S. Do you know what happens if you bump heads with a poodle?  

The Poodle Wins.

   

Our 30th Wedding Anniversary

Dear Tessa,
As you might recall, your dad & I did not celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary on our anniversary.  Instead we were at Sky Harbor airport watching our youngest board a plane and leave for the Peace Corps.  So on March 19th your dad & I finally got away to celebrate our anniversary.  I dare say that we are the only people in the world who celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary by spending the day in Oatman, the night at the Hualapai Mountain Resort and the following day "walking the sky" and accompanied by our replacement children: the long legged, rather patchy, black poodle and the short legged, somewhat piddly, wheaten terrier.  (I could be wrong, but I doubt it.)

So here we were, driving on the old Route 66 road, and we are alone on the road, maybe we saw one car driving the opposite direction.  We think we are the only ones making the trek to Oatman, and then we arrive in Oatman, where, lo and behold!  Oatman is full of tourists.  And not just local tourists, but foreign tourists, Japanese with cameras and Australians riding Harleys.  Amazing!  But I was so sad, I saw tourists, but no burros, only plastic replicas of burros.  And then I saw them!  Everywhere, in the street, on the sidewalk, taking a nap in a parking lot.

And then burros started coming up to us.  Apparently the dogs were as much of a novelty to them as they were to us.

We bought pellets of hay to feed the burros, but they weren't as interested in the pellets as they were the dogs. 

And then we saw the fuzzy baby burros.

Oh Tessa, they were so cute, but they had something stuck on their foreheads. 

   I got closer, and they had a post it note smack on their foreheads.

It said: STOP!  Do not feed me anything!  (Apparently the babies should still be nursing from their mothers and it spoils their appetites when they eat too many carrots.)

The babies really liked the dogs.

And Cole,

Manly dog that he is,

Hid behind your father.

The next day we went to the Grand Canyon Sky Walk.  Before we left, we learned that dogs could not accompany you on the sky walk.  (Apparently, they don't make booties for dog paws.)  So we went to the Kingman, AZ Petsmart, where the dogs' had a spa day and we continued on to the Sky Walk.

It was rather a long trek through an amazing Joshua Tree forest before we got to the west side of the Canyon and the Sky Walk.

Joshua Tree Forest

Big Joshua Tree

Did I mention that it was a really, really big Joshua Tree?

The Sky Walk

Although you may bring no objects with you on the Sky Walk (like cameras) there are authorized photographers available to take your picture.  And they pose you......

I'm not sure, but I think your dad is sleeping.

 The photographer told me to pretend to push Mark over.  I think he thought I was taking my role too seriously.

This is supposed to look like we are floating on air.

The End.

Love you lots, 

Mom