Sally and Dan

May in Tucson, Morgan & Nick get hitched!!

2007-06-17T17:05:00.001-07:00

Friends Morgan Schafer and Nick Wood tied the knot on May 19th in Tucson. It was a perfect day, beautiful ceremony and hoppin' reception! Congrats to them, it was great to get to a part of their celebration.

First smooch as Mr. & Mrs. Schwood/Wafer!!

The band was incredible, The Ventana Canyon Reunion, with my Pops, Martha, Bobby, and Howard, I got to sing a few songs for the bride and groom too.

Back in Austin

2007-04-30T21:16:00.000-07:00

Sally and I are having a blast.

Here is a picture that Jamie Zech took of Sally and Vonnie and me at McKinney Falls amid the Bluebonnets.

The Pretty Flowers From the Patio

2007-04-18T09:50:00.000-07:00

... and the Wise Monkey from the photo lab.

David and Margarita Cruz

2007-04-18T09:30:00.000-07:00

Dad and I are about to get on the road to leave San Juan Teotihuacan to go back to Texas and Sally. These pictures are from Saturday.

Soon we will be back together

2007-04-17T21:38:00.000-07:00

Hey there! Long time no blog! I am excited to say that very soon my husband will be back in Austin with me! I am glad I came home so I could get going on looking for a job, but I was very sad to leave my Baby. I don't know if y'all know this, but I have been informed that The Danno and I are a "Power Couple" and we must be in the same country! I know he trying his darndest to hurry home to me. Love you all and we will continue to update this site with Austin adventures!

Much love,
Sally Fletcher (officially....I have the driver's license and SS card to prove it!)

Christ Church Ruins

2007-04-11T07:41:00.000-07:00

The Mexico City earthquake of 1985 made the old Episcopal Christ Church where my sisters and I went as children unusable. They are now slowly (very slowly) restoring it. Dad and I took some pictures when Leti took us by there. She has fond memories of the beautiful church as well.

It is in the heart of Mexico City near downtown.

Here is a link to the rich history of the church. Old Christ Church

(Sally left Mexico on a plane on Monday morning, so these were taken after she left. Sally picked up Vonnie in Austin and I am helping Dad with the house here in Mexico, which is in considerably better shape than the old Christ Church.)

Dan and Dad in Mexico

2007-04-11T07:28:00.000-07:00

We visited with my padrino Jose Luis and madrina Lipa and their daughter Leti (and son and husband Jorge). Leti took us over to the neighbors to visit with the miniature Xoloitscuintle dogs that they have. Dad wants one and has asked to be kept informed if they breed the female again.

They are a noble breed of dog which some believe the Meso-American peoples brought with them from far east when they crossed the Bering Straight during the last ice age. Intelligent, loyal, hardy, and warm to the touch.

When my dad came to Mexico in 1960 they were still common enough to be out in the streets of small rural towns. Growing up we had many of the standard size Xolo at our house in San Juan. Now you have to search them out and pay high prices for the noble Aztec dog.

Back in the City with Robin

2007-04-07T20:21:00.000-07:00

Okay, for a different perspective, Rob Dog will be writing this blog: To the left you can see my darling brother-in-law proving to one and all that he was at the Anthropology Museum and saw this amazing Aztec calendar carving. This museum was wonderful. It was very exciting to be at the pyramids yesterday and see amazing artifacts preserved in the museum today.

Sally took this wonderful picture as we entered the Sala de Teotihuacan at the museum. This picture is great because it reminds us of one of our favorite childhood movies The Goonies (and of course it is one of the amazing artifacts I mentioned before).

Toward the end of the day we traveled 45 stories up to the top of El Torre Latinoamericano. The view was so clear (very surprising given the usual smog of Mexico City).

You can see how clear the day was in this view down to the Zocalo (city center). The clear, blue sky topped off this quick eight hour tour of this gigantic city.

Robin in San Juan!!

2007-04-06T18:01:00.000-07:00

YEAH! My seester is in San Juan! Yesterday Danny, Irma Gisela (una amiga), and I drove into Mexico City to pick Robin up since she is on break from teaching this weekend. I am soooooooooo excited to have my sister here (wish my whole fam could be here, of course)!
Today we ventured back to Las Piramides to further show off La Ciudad de los Dioces (City of the Gods) to Robin. It was cooler today than the first time Danny and I climbed the pyramids, but we got started later. At left is a picture of mi hermana mayor (my older seester) and me from on top of La Piramide de la Luna, with La Piramide del Sol in the background.

Here is another, better picture of Dan and me, opposite the pic of Robin and me: atop La Piramide del Sol with La Piramide de la Luna in the background.

This is Robin and Danno making their way down the Pyramid of the Sun. The stairs are uneven and steep, so Robin was prepared to break her fall with The Danno. We made it up and down each Pyramid safely, so we were able to balance the negative energy from The Pyramid of the Moon and the positive energy from The Pyramid of the Sun.

If you look closely at this picture you can see the crowds on top of La Piramide del Sol. Hay mucha gente (there were many people) at the pyramids today because this is the Semana de Santa (week of celebration leading up to what we call Easter), and many people, all school-aged children included, have the whole week off to observe the holiday.

La Ciudad de Mexico, Part 2

2007-04-04T18:45:00.000-07:00

These are some of the things that we (Sally and I and Sally, Robin and I) saw while in Mexico City.

The Palacio Nacional, Diego Rivera paintings of the History of Mexico, the Templo Mayor of the Aztecs, we encountered rain in the markets.

La Ciudad de Mexico, Part 1

2007-04-04T11:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning, Dan and I finally got a chance to head into Mexico City. Surprisingly, traffic was not bad at all, although Dan was the one driving and may not necessarily agree. It took about 25 minutes to get into the city.

One thing that Danny was extremely taken by was what I hope you can make out in the first image shown: As a kid, he remembers the area shown being nothing but fields and hills. Now the areas outside the city are heavily populated with houses going right up the side of the surrounding hills, as shown. There were miles of half-finished buildings and shanty-looking structures lining each side of the road. These areas become built-up before there is even the infrastructure to support the new dwellings. The homes were so thick, I couldn't imagine empty fields, but that is all Danny could picture. I know the feeling, that is my reaction to the way Rocky Point has changed and developed so much, although when I think of being there throughout my life I still imagine it the way it was 10 years ago.

This is Danny and his Padrino (God Father), Jose Luis. We had been trying to call the number Charlie had for Jose Luis and his wife Lipa for days and it was busy constantly. They live in the city, so our first order of business yesterday was to simple drop by their house. Fortunately Jose Luis was home with his daughter, Letticia and her son, Jorge. Danny's Madrina (God Mother), Lipa was away in Vera Cruz, but will be back this weekend and so we will return to their home on Monday with Charlie for a proper visit.

The buildings in Mexico City are gorgeous and reminiscent of the big European cities. Many of the apartment and business buildings are tremendously old and some have not even been repaired from damage from the earthquake that devastated the city in 1985. Even still, the style of the building facades are classically beautiful with obvious influence from many different regions.

At right is El Palacio de Bellas Artes, a lovely structure seated within a large square with tons of people sitting and visiting, school groups coming out of the building, and pigeons ready to crap on my head. This is the city's premier Opera House, built with imported Italian marble, which is so heavy, the building has been sinking slowly since it was built. Though it looks antiquated, it was completed in the 1930's.

This is El Catedral Metropolitan located en el Zocalo (city center), perched on a giant square next to El Palacio Nacional. Upon conquering the city and destroying the Aztec Temples that once occupied this land, Hernando Cortez ordered a church built on this site.

In the sixteenth century, that church was demolished and so began the construction of this ornate Cathedral that was incomplete into the early 19th century. This site can also be noticed to be sinking down into the ancient lake bed that the city itself was founded upon so many centuries ago.

This is a view of the Cathedral interior, which was covered in scaffolding for many years as it's beauty was being preserved. They don't always have funds available to complete these kinds of repairs, but after walking throughout the inside of this Cathedral, I am so glad they took the time and found the money to restore the interior. It is gorgeous and enchanting on the inside.

Off topic...Great Website

2007-04-04T11:12:00.000-07:00

I happened upon, of all people, Leonardo DiCaprio's website, which is divided into two subtopics: his career AND his support of environmental action and organizations. His ORG site has two short films that are well done and informative. I am more and more pleased to hear about actors and other famous folks using their name, influence, and money for good causes! Imagine that?!? Check out the site, if you get a chance:
http://www.leonardodicaprio.org

La Familia Cano

2007-04-04T09:45:00.000-07:00

One of Charlie's Compadres passed away a few years ago, named Augustine Cano. His wife, Juanita and son, Augustine Chico still run la tienda (the store) that the family owns across from the city square en San Juan. We got to see parts of the family at La Corrida del Toros and at La Feria del Caballo, but on Monday we went to their home for a long visit and another wondful meal.
At right is Augustine Chico with his two month old son, Esbrad Sebastian (named for Brad Pitt b/c Augustine loved Troy so much). Such a sweet baby boy; tranquil and attentive, very curious and seldom made a peep.

This is a picture of me and Augustine Chicitito, who is 5 years-old TODAY! He is so much fun to play with while the other adults talk about old times. As mi Suegra (My Momma-in-law, Rhoda...who teaches Spanish) has suggested, I have been much more comfortable practicing my Spanish with Augus, because kids don't judge your language and he will even correct me casually. Also Augus is learning English in school, so he practices on me too!

We will be lucky enough to be here for his birthday fiesta on Sunday, so I will get to experience a big Mexican celebration, and if the pictures that we saw of his last several parties are any indication, this will be pretty spectacular!

The Market in San Juan

2007-04-04T09:27:00.000-07:00

The biggest market day in San Juan Teotihuacan is Monday. Many streets are blocked off and are thick with merchant stands and the crowds are abundant. They sell mesh bags for folks to combine and carry their purchases, which are all at amazingly reasonable prices. Pictured at right, is Danny sampling a mango at a fruit stand. The fruit is fresh and piling off the stand tables. We've had the best pineapple, melons, bananas, etc.

The colors and crowds at the market. Besides the large number of people out shopping, it is just nice to roam around the market and see what is for sale, including fruit, vegetables, tacos, tamales, tools, music, clothes, diapers, nuts, spices, meat, poultry, scarves, wallets, toys, candles, hats, and much more.

This is a view of the street across from the city square in San Juan. The closest building is the Panaderia (Bakery) that we go to with the yummiest bread and pandulces (sweet bread). This is no place for Atkins!

Mas Amigos

2007-04-02T11:28:00.000-07:00

Alicia, on the far left with her daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter. Alicia and her sister Celia used to take care of "Little Dani."

Pilar and her esposo, Alfonso (who practiced his very good english on us), Pilar was very good friends with Kitty and used to come to the house and sit and visit with her for hours.

A portion of La Familia Cervera. I didn't get everyone's names, but Charlie's Comadre, Luchita is on the far left, I think that is Susi's God Mother. Her husband Hernan, passed away a few years ago.

More of The Cervera Family: Uriel and his children came by the house for a short visit.

La Feria del Caballo en Texcoco

2007-04-02T10:54:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we went to La Feria del Caballo in Texcoco, a town not far away from San Juan. David Chico's esposa, Terre, had told us that this festival was much more grand than La Feria Obsidiana, and she was right. When we arrived and parked it was already clear. They have a Plaza del Toros that is permanent and about three times the size of the temporary one put up in San Juan. The scale of events and food and curios put San Juan's tiny festival to shame, although we still enjoyed it very much. In the picture are Dan with David Chico and Augustine Chico's families, clockwise from left to right: David Chicitito (as Dan calls him), Augustine's wife Alicia, David Chico, Dan, Augustine holding his son, Augustine Chicitito, Terre, and daughter Brenda.

One of the things we got to see at La Feria del Caballos was the ceremony of Los Voladores (The Flyers) de Papantla, which is in the state of Vera Cruz. These men in traditional outfits of the Totonac Tribe of Papantla, climb this pole and strap into these harneses and then slowly unwind from their feet until they flipover just before hitting the ground and land in a jog on their feet.
Charlie says this is a religious ceremony of the Totonac Tribe. Many years ago, the Spanish tried to get rid of all native religious worship, including the ceremony of Los Voladores. Fortunately, many tribes were resistant and practiced these rituals clandestinely, which is why they can still be seen today. It is pretty amazing to watch. The Flyers look absolutely relaxed as they slowly plummet and then land effortlessly.

Charlie also says that "The Hippies" were amazed by this and decided to try it themselves, but after several broken necks, they moved on to try bungees instead. I believe him about the first part, but I am reluctant to take his word on the Hippies.

La Ingelsia de Purificacion en el dia

2007-04-01T16:21:00.000-07:00

Here are more fotos of the church up the street from #8 Purificacion during the day. The grounds are beautiful and are still all decorated from La Feria de Obsidiana. The weather here has been much more warm than it usually is this time of year. But every afternoon the clouds roll in and we have had some pretty good evening storms...The April Rains, I am told.

This is a beautiful cross that is behind a gate in an alcove on the church grounds. The back drop seems like it needs some restoration, although I like the effect it creates the way it is.

Another view of the steeple.

Atetelco

2007-04-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, Dan and I went for a walk back towards the spot where we landed en el Globo. Atetelco is a dig site that seems pretty well preserved.

The murals are gorgeous, in varying stages of restoration. Dan tells me that most of the murals are depicting warriors in battle, although he is sleepy because we just had a large meal at old friend, Alicia's house up the street. He may just be trying to humor me so I'll leave him alone to doze.

Yup, he just went off to nap. Anyhow, I'll ask Charlie..."it was a dwelling compound of a high status group of people. We don't know what their social organization was, but it was probably an extended family of a high socio-economic status. They had this compound to themselves and they had their own mini-pyramid/temple type of structures on their property. This indicates that maybe they were important in a religious manner. Some of the rooms may have been used to store grains, so they also may have been wealthy merchants." Charlie's answer sounds better to me.

Las Virgenes

2007-03-31T13:35:00.000-07:00

When my sister Karen and I were in Spain, we took pictures of all of the fountains that are plentiful and gorgeous throughout Barcelona and Madrid. When we got home, I put together a frame of many of our favorite fountains as a memory of the trip and gave it to Karen for Christmas. She still has it hanging on her wall.

When we stopped outside of Monterey on our way to San Juan, I saw this stone statue, pictured at right, of La Virgen de Guadalupe. I realized that we always see the most beautiful shrines to La Virgen en Sonora, so I decided to do the same thing Karen and I did with the fountains in Spain with Las Virgenes en Mexico.

Since then Danny and I take our camera with us on all of our walks and we find the most gorgeous depictions of La Virgen all over the city, from shrines built into walls, in front yards, on the side of the road, etc. I look forward to assembling the same kind of frame of these amazing works of art, that also intruige me because it signifies the Mexican culture's unwavering sense of faith, which is ever-present all over the country.

Charlie dressed for Market

2007-03-31T13:20:00.000-07:00

This is a picture that makes me happy when I am not even looking at at! One morning, I heard Dan talking to his Dad at the gate and I came out to see Danny taking pictures of Charlie dressed to go down to the market. He was playing it up in this picture with his knife out ready to "cut" the lady at market who wouldn't give him the price he wanted on melons. Mi Suegro (Father in law) is vicious:)

Here is another view of the patio at #8 Purificacion. This faces the street and shows the car parked inside the big gate. Family friend Emma takes great care of the plants and the house when Charlie is away.

Aqui es mi Esposo muy contento (my very happy hubby, approximately) eating tacos. Everyday he goes to his tortierilla for corn tortillas fresh off the comal. If I thought he was a taco fanatic in Los Estado Unidos (the U.S), I am amazed that he does indeed eat tacos for every meal here in Mexico. And when we dine at friends' homes (and these are the most incredible meals, served in courses), every meal is served with a pile of fresh, homemade tortillas. My Baby is at home.

La Ciudad de San Juan Teotihuacan

2007-03-30T19:57:00.000-07:00

There are the most beautiful streamers and ribbons hanging between light posts all up and down the streets in San Juan. With the sun shining througout the day it is gorgeous to see all the different colors and the sparkles when looking down a street that might otherwise seem run down and in need of some major TLC. I can't quite figure out if this is because of the recent festivities that the town is so dressed up, or if that is just how it always looks. With all the amazing festivals and fairs it does seem kind of like this area is in a constant state of celebration. Either way I love the effect.

The first night we were hear I woke up in the middle of a dream to hear several loud explosions that sounded like gun shots. I looked over at my snoring husband and he was peaceful as could be. The BOOMing continued sparadically throughout the night. I came to find out that during the festival there would be constant fireworks! Anytime, day or night for the next week and a half there was random booming. After a while I got used to it, as had Danny and Charlie from many years of celebrating en Mexico.

One of our first experiences of the fesitval was to walk down towards La Inglesia de Purificacion, pictured illuminated at right, blocks away from the house. As we approached the church, the bells began to ring and as we walked onto the church grounds, a magnificent fireworks display began. Dan and I were looking up with our mouths wide open OOHing and AHHing with the crowd when a spent firework fell from the sky about 6 feet from Danny's head. We were on our way down the road after that and saw and heard many more still embering firworks fall from the sky along the way out.

The larger church in the city is pictured at right and is called La Parroquia de San Juan. On a longer walk one day we stopped by. The grounds are lush green and peaceful. The stone work around town, plus some really old adobe, is beautiful. Although the sidewalks are uneven and often times I think they were out to get me to trip and fall on my face, San Juan is a great place to just walk around and explore. If we go to the market or any other tienda, we walk there. The only time the car is used is when we leave San Juan. It is a nice change to walk to the majority of our destinations.

Corrida del Toros!

2007-03-30T17:57:00.000-07:00

Like I mentioned before, I was surprised by my reaction to the Bull Fight. The energy was amazing with everyone yelling Ole!, I felt like joining right in. The way the bulls were treated didn't bother me either. The years of culture and tradition were intruiging to me. In the picture on the right is the first Matador, who road a horse throughout the duration of his "match." He was a showboat and quite entertaining to watch. The colors and costumes were also mesmerizing.

The following matches were by two traditional Matadores who got so close to the bull they were facing each time, I can't imagine the feeling of excitement mixed with awe for the grande animal. The Matador pictured to the left would go so far as to kneel down and provoke the Toro to run at him and remain on his knees as he threw his muleta aside and the crowd shouted OLE! It was very exciting.

While I can't say that I need to see another Bull fight in my lifetime, I am glad to have witnessed the excitement with two of the Fletcher's younger generation of family friends: Augustine Chico and David Chico and their respective families, see Dan and "Los Chicos" on the right.

Compadres

2007-03-28T20:11:00.000-07:00

One of the most memorable things about this trip has been getting to meet old friends in and around San Juan that Charlie has kept in touch with for muchos anos. The wonderful thing about this amazing culture is the way that these families have become life long friends. Not only is Charlie the best of friends with the older gentleman in each family, but the entire family has become just that: family. Charlie is Padrino (God Father) to many of the children in these families, and Danny and his sisters' God Parents are also in the same families. Everyone is excited to see "Little Dani" and so glad to see that Charlie is doing so well. They have also treated my like family immediately.

At right is a picture of Charlie and his long time friend, Don Porfirio Reyes, who is now 98 years old! We had dinner with the whole family last weekend (I was shocked but remained calm when I stirred my chicken soup and saw chicken feet pop up out of the broth...apparently it is an honor to receive the feet of the chicken:). Don Porfirio is an amazing man and I so enjoyed seeing he and Charlie start right where they left off!

At left is a picture of Dan, Charlie and the some of the Cruz Family. We have visited several times with David Chico and his family (not pictured) as they accompanied us to the Corrida del Toros. Margarita, the sweet woman hugging Dan in the photo, just gushed over "Dani" as a little boy and how she considered him one of her own children. What a fantastic family!

Vistas del Globo

2007-03-28T18:29:00.000-07:00

These are images we took while above the city and Los Piramides in our Hot Air Balloon Adventure. See our shadow in the left corner of the first image over the Atetelco Ruins nearest to the house on Purificacion, famous for its painted patio ("patio pintado"). It was incredible to see some areas from above the city that have yet to be excavated due to lack of funding.

This is another Globo just above the Pyramid of the Sun. Our globo also went directly over each Pyramid multiple times throughout our flight. This was a pricey venture, although it was absolutely worth it as it seemed to be a once in a lifetime opportunity....and the pilot of our flight confirmed that we actually got a stellar deal compared to prices in the States.

Los Piramides del Sol y de la Luna

2007-03-28T18:10:00.000-07:00

Last week Dan and I headed to the Pyramids, which is within walking distance of the house. The photo of the two of us is from on top of the Pyramid of the Sun with the Pyramid of the Moon behind us. Dan took a picture of a French couple struggling with their self-timer and then as they were about to head down the Pyramid, they offered - in better Spanish than I can piece together - if they could return the favor.

This is from the highest point we were allowed to climb on the Pyramid of the Moon (they are doing some work on the top). The image is of the Pyramid of the Sun in the far background and other smaller temples on the "Road of the Dead" in the forground. It was a beautiful day and an incredible experience!

El Patio

2007-03-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

Here is the patio of #8 Purificacion en San Juan
Teotihuacan. Charlie and Dan have been tirelessly repairing the electricity and water heater and much more. I can always hear them working on a project together because I hear raised voices and some cursing here and there as they "discuss" details of the project. They always end up working things out, but it's funny to witness. They really are a great team.

Hola from Mexico!

2007-03-25T21:16:00.000-07:00

Please forgive us for not posting sooner. We finally found the instructions for the Internet at the house and it is dial-up and very slow and finicky. At this time we will not be able to upload pictures due to the crappy connection, but don’t worry there are amazing pictures to come!

Here is a brief synopsis of our first exciting week in San Juan Teotihuacan:

1. The drive down took exactly 24 hours. We went through the border at Nuevo Loredo and boy are the procedures ever different from our easy crossing in Sonora, where we seldom even get a red light to pull over to have the border folk look in our trunk. I was very glad we were there at 5am when there was no line because we had to fill out tourist cards and pay to bring Charlie’s car in and pay for several other things I did not understand through about 5 more ques (I think we paid for copies of our papers at que #3 to then give to the border agent to process at que #4). Once on the road we paid again several times to drive on the many toll roads instead of the old two laners that are much scarier I am told.

We hit some traffic due to area festivals and had to deal with muchos topes (speed bumps) in the smaller towns we went through on our recommended "short cut" that was actually a not-so-short-cut. Alas we made it unscathed, although weary and tried to settle in. Charlie had not been to the house since April of 2003 so there was a thick layer of dust and many cobwebs to brush away. The house is comfy, yet simple based around a beautiful patio courtyard with a large gate to the street. Los dormitorios (rooms), la sala (parlor) y la cocina (kitchen) are all in an L-shape surrounding the patio. Like I said, pictures to come.

2. Monday was a restful day, walking around San Juan and going to the largest market day for fresh fruit and vegetables. I read a lot and Dan and Charlie worked on odd jobs around the house, lots to do in the way of fixing things up (the water heater, the broken window, etc) since no one has really been around for many years, so the boys are busy. As it happens, we are here during a very special time for the area as they celebrate La Feria del Obsidiana (the Obsidian Festival) and also the Equinox. There is lots to do with a full carnival set-up, concerts, vendors, and other special events. As a kid, Danny was always in school at this time in the states so he is excited to get to experience this excitement for la primera ves (the first time).

3. Tuesday Dan and I got up at the crack of dawn and walked over to the Archeological Zone, where Charlie worked for many years, to see Los Piramides. Due to the festival, we were told that we should expect madness at the Pyramids with lots of tourists dressed in white to show their purity to the Gods. We were pleased that this information was not accurate and we were fortunate to see mostly locals up early to honor the Gods for the Equinox. We got to climb the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon without the madness that we expected, although we did wear white…but so did the locals.

4. When we got to the top of La Piramide del Sol we saw about 50 Globos (hot air balloons) taking off in the distance and then crossing over the Pyramids. It was gorgeous to see. Later on, Danny walked around and found the right person and the next thing I knew we were scheduled to get up early on Wednesday to take a ride in a globo! It was amazing! Charlie came too and we ended up riding with a man from Eloy, AZ who owns a Hot Air Balloon Company and travels around the world to these Globo Festivals. After years in San Juan spent all around those Pyramids, this was first time Charlie got that kind of view from up above (he threatened to pee on them). It was great to hear him describe the areas we were passing over and the places where he surveyed and excavated many years ago. We landed in an alfalfa field with the family who owned it looking on in their PJ’s. The pilot sent Danny to translate and ask them if we could land there and gave him candy to give to the kiddos, even though we had already touched down. This was an amazing experience and we have both video and digital still photos to impose on y’all eventually.

5. The rest of the week has been spent visiting with various families that Danny and Charlie haven’t seen for years. It is incredible to see Charlie visit with his old buddies and to see people make jokes about how little Danny was the last time they saw him. They can’t believe he is married and I can’t believe that I don’t speak Spanish! It is frustrating to not be able to say what I want to say but I still have this mental block whenever someone speaks to me directly. I understand a lot though and can usually laugh at the stories in the right places. It’ll happen eventually, I just need to practice more. In the meantime everyone is incredibly nice and the folks who speak a little English practice on me. I am amazed at how much a part of these peoples’ lives Danny was and how much they still welcome him, and now me, with such open arms. I love this culture!

6. This evening we have just come from an event that I was very apprehensive to attend: Mi primera Corrida del Toros, that is, my first Bull Fight! Again, the culture is rich and hard to ignore so that enhances the grisly experience in a magical way. I was surprised by my fascination with the whole event, from the costumes to the crowd and their enthusiastic gritos to the way the bulls are treated right up to their deaths. I will have to elaborate more later, but it was not as unpleasant as I had expected and I may even go so far as to recommend you attend one someday if you ever have the chance.

Did I say brief? Yeah, brevity was never my forte and I am excited to share all of this! Also without pictures I have to describe more. I wish I could be sharing this amazing city with you all personally, but hopefully you can look up San Juan Teotihuacan on the Internet and have more of an idea of where we are and someday return with us.

Much love, we will work on the pictures and if we do not succeed, send more written entries more regularly. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods!
-Sally and Dan…and Charlie tooJ

On top of the world....

2007-03-14T08:24:00.000-07:00

Dan and I were lucky enough to get to accompany Tommy to a favorite spot of his above LA. It was gorgeous and gave me a new perspective on a city I have always loathed. It had rained the day before so the city was clear and we could see for miles.

It was great to see Tommy so at peace and relaxed.

What a special memory this afternoon will always be for Dan and I.

It was a beautiful day.

Better late than never!

2007-03-14T07:51:00.000-07:00

So even though many of you know that we have made it back to Austin for a minute, we thought we should still post pictures and thoughts about the last legs of our honey moon travels.

At the end of PCH we ended up in the greater Los Angeles area for several days visiting much of Sally's family. We stayed in Agoura Hills with Tom, Tommy and Bryan but also had a chance to visit Malibu and Paradise Cove (see left).

There also happened to be more family in the area, including Sally's Mom and sister Robin, for Great Uncle Bill's one man show in Laguna Beach on February 24th. Tom organized delicious meal after karaoke night and we had a blast. See Tom, Uncle Bill and Aunt Susan out to eat the night before his show in Studio City to the right.

The afternoon before the show, we also got to head to Compton to see Cousin Tommy play baseball for Loyola Marymount. We got to see Tommy in action and they won the game as well! So good to see Tommy enjoying baseball and playing on this great team.

A pic of Sally and her favorite boys, cousins Tommy and Bryan. This picture was taken the night of the show in Laguna Beach. We had such an amazing visit!

All three of my favorite boys! It was incredible to get to introduce Dan to Tommy and Bryan. I felt like they already knew eachother, but it was so great that they got along so well immediately. I knew they would but it made my heart happy to see them hanging out and laughing and getting to know eachother so well.

A group shot at breakfast in North Hollywood the morning after the show. The show was incredible! It is amazing to watch this man tap dance and sing for two hours straight. He is so very talented and so much fun to watch.

Pacific Coast Highway

2007-03-08T10:45:00.000-08:00

On our way down the coast, we went from San Fran towards LA on PCH. It was breathtakingly gorgeous at many points, tediously windy at other points, but we are so glad to have done it. Dan tooks lots of great pictures out the window as we winded our way down, some of which turned out great!

We drove through Monterey, CA all along the outskirts of the city and were amazed by the lovely scenery, yet a little peved by the NO DOGS allowed rule on most of the area beaches.

We finally found a beach near Carmel to let Vonnie run around in the sand. Dan took this amazing picture of the Yellow Poppy on that beach.

We saw Elephant Seals lounging on one beach outside the Big Sur area too. By this time, Sally was really just wanting to be in LA with her family, so Dan had to take over the driving until we got back inland. Still it was beautiful and will always be a treasured memory!

More San Fran...

2007-03-08T10:28:00.000-08:00

We didn't have a ton of time in San Francisco, but we were able to see some of the most important sites for us, namely the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a beautiful day and we walked all the way across the bridge and all the way back.

Vonnegut came across with us and it was very windy in some areas. He didn't "love" the bridge per say, but we enjoyed watching his ears fly. He was Super Dog. He was pretty freaked out both by the traffic on one side and the drop into the ocean on the other side, but he made it!

We tried hard to get to the Alcatraz Twilight tour, but we were too late, we still got to walk down around Pier 39 and then all the way up to Coit Tower. There is much more for us to see in that amazing city so we will return someday soon to see more.

San Francisco with flowers in our hair

2007-03-01T08:26:00.000-08:00

Okay, no flowers, but we had such a great time in the Bay area. We stayed with good friends Mark, Zana and their delightful 9 month-old daughter, Scout. She was lots of fun to follow around their great apartment crawling, pulling herself up and getting into everything...what a fun age!

Many thanks to Mark and Zana for their hospitality; fantastic home-cooked meals two nights in a row and some incredible conversation. Also thanks for great recommendations for the city on sites to see and places to dine. More San Fran pics to come!

We have been having such an amazing time!

2007-02-28T10:12:00.000-08:00

We will have updates at some point, we haven't had internet access.

I will just say (this is the Danno writing) that this has been amazing time. Sally is a special person. I am a lucky man to have married Sally Anne. I feel in my heart that I am the luckiest man alive. (I know that there are other lucky people, but I feel that I am as at least as lucky as the luckiest of them.)

We want to update with pictures and narrative, but it will be a few days yet.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

We've Slacked Off...

2007-02-28T08:44:00.000-08:00

We ended up with some time away from a reliable internet connection so we have not been able to update with new posts...until now!

However, we need to head out towards Prescott this afternoon and need to finish enjoying Lake Havasu City (We are staying in a friend's house that overlooks the water AND the London Bridge!) so we will have to update in Prescott.

Just know we are still having the time of our lives and are getting to see lots of fantastic family and friends along the way.

Hope everyone is well! XOXO!

We have been having such an amazing time!

2007-02-26T21:34:00.000-08:00

Heading down south to Portland

2007-02-18T11:07:00.000-08:00

And so the trip continues. We hopped in the car for what seemed like an eternity....3 1/2 hours compared to the previous 14 hour legs, but it sure dragged on. We ended up playing a delightful game called "Name Baby Ball" and we came up with over 114 fantastically clever potential names for Shannon and Luke's little one. List to be published at a later date.

Finally we arrived in Portland at AmeriCorps pal Arianna and husband Joe's abode. They live in a great area in North Portland behind the swankiest tiki bar ever! We had some tiki bar cocktails and then made dinner in....then headed down the street to a brew pub for some bluegrass music and good conversation. We are having a great time exploring the city, there is talk of walking around downtown and playing frisbee with Vonnie later.

The view from the pedestrian bridge over I-5 heading to the brew pub.

Fun drink and click pics.

Dan's favorite bathroom wall art EVER! We laughed for hours.

Missing you all!

Last days in Kirkland

2007-02-18T10:35:00.000-08:00

Danno has morphed into a three year-old after playing with Rafe. They are quite a pair. Pirate books, dragons in the castle, hide and seek, tinker toys. Sally and Rafe rock out on the guitars...skinamarinky-dinky-dink!! Danno is allowed to chime in on the tambourine, although Rafe and Sally are the real rockers and will be going on the road.

Poor Vonnegut got to play as well.

We had some of the yummiest food EVER during our stay with Angel, Troy and Rafe. Our last morning we headed to a fantastic crepe place and were all very amused by Rafe Atticus.

SO MANY THANKS to Angel, Troy and Rafe for some great times in Kirkland! We had a blast and the long trip was absolutely worth it! Hope to see y'all very soon.

In Kirkland

2007-02-15T10:41:00.000-08:00

We are having a blast in Seattle with Troy, Angel and Rafe!

Here we are reading a Pirate book to Rafe at bedtime.

On the road to Seattle/Kirkland

2007-02-14T14:56:00.000-08:00

Here is a great Hostel in Sacramento that was near the Travel Lodge we stayed at.

Here is Vonnegut in front of the California State Capitol building. He is contemplating what legislation he would enact if he were a political dog.

Here is Vonnegut in the bed of the truck eating some food and drinking some water at a break in Ashland, Oregon. This is where Southern Oregon University is located and it is beautiful.

Second leg to Seattle

2007-02-13T12:32:00.001-08:00

We got some rain in Southern California the night before, but not a drop landed on our stuff in the back of the truck!

(Dan was excited to drive by the city of Tehachapi, which he has always enjoyed saying.)

We rolled into Sacremento at 4 am. The capitol city was covered in fog. We unloaded the truck and shut our eyes for a few hours. Vonnegut didn't take too well to our temorary home; the city sounds made him softly growl most of the night. Its a good thing that he had just napped in the truck for 13 hours.

In the morning Dan walked Vonnie for two hours through the city while Sally finished her book.

Back on the road by 11 am, munching on grapes and triscuits, shuffling on the ipod, enjoying the beautiful northern Califorina scenery.

What a beautiful day!

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Last Day in Tucson before leaving for Seattle

2007-02-11T21:50:00.000-08:00

Monday morning we are headed to Seattle from Tucson.

Here are a couple of pictures from our visit to the park with Granpa and Grandma Fish and Toto and Vonnegut and Karen and Robin.

Sally and Dan, The Wedding, Feb. 3rd, 2007

2007-02-10T10:48:00.000-08:00

We got married on Saturday, February 3rd, 2007 in Tucson, Arizona. To the right is a picture of us getting our marriage license the Monday before.

(You can click on any picture to get a bigger, more detailed image.)

Below we have a picture of Vonnegut in the truck on our drive out from Austin the week before.

And then we have some pictures of the wedding table and the wedding cupcake table before the wedding.

Then we have a great picture of us on our honeymoon in Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco) in Mexico.

Here are our plans:

Travel from Tucson to Seattle. (Friends)
Seattle to Portland. (Friends)
Portland to San Francisco. (Friends)
San Francisco to Southern California. (Family and Friends)
Back to Tucson. (Family and Friends)
Back to home to Austin.
Sometime in March to Mexico for a while.

Feel free to leave a message or drop us an email!