The Silence is Deafening

Antigua without traffic

A week into the four o'clock curfew I find myself wishing that there was a way to photograph the silence. Not a car, a bus, a motorcycle, not even a siren, gladly. And it is also very dark at night as only eleven of the thirty-five houses in my gated community are occupied. Rather than stay here where, so far, the virus is fairly well contained and the sun is shining every day, many fled back to the cold places they had been escaping from on evacuation flights. Friends renting across the street returned to Ground Zero, New York City. I fear for them. The US state department advised that everyone should come home. Why? In Guatemala we have been locked down at home for two weeks since before there was a single confirmed case. We are expecting more weeks of lockdown and curfew. In fact, an extension of the restrictions until April 12th was just announced.

As of today there are thirty-four confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the country. The majority are related to the one fatality, an eighty-five year old man with underlying health issues who had traveled from Spain. Ten of the thirty-four have tested negative twice and thus have been classified as recovered. They are still in quarantine, however. Thus, there are twenty-three active cases, all related to travel and only one is classified as serious. This, of course, might well change by tomorrow.

The Guatemalan government has created an app for cell phones, Alerta Guate, in order to be in constant contact with the entire population. One gets an alert whenever there is news; the alert can be translated into any number of languages. There is also an "SOS" button for immediate contact with the authorities as necessary.

In order to shop at Pricesmart (Costco) one has to wait in line on lines on the floor six feet apart. When you get to go in someone sprays the handle of the cart with Lysol, another person takes your temperature and asks you to use the bottle of hand sanitizer. There is plenty of stock including toilet paper. The president is frequently on television reminding people that eighty-percent of the cases are very mild but to be safe everyone must stay home and wash their hands. If one has problems breathing they need to call one of two special 4-digit phone numbers. A government team will go to the house, assess and administer a test if warranted. If positive for the virus the person is transferred to a special hospital. The president is earnest, honest and forthright. For the first time in decades people are praising the president of Guatemala.

Cris and Diego serving up tacos.

As for my house, it is full. A week or so before the lockdown started Diego told me that there were (again) problems in his house. He seldom spends more than an hour or two in the house he calls home. For all practical purposes he is living in my basement which has a stronger internet signal than his assigned bedroom.

Before his grandmother died, a year or so ago, she apparently confessed to one of her daughters that her husband, Diego's beloved grandfather, was not the father of Diego's mother. The daughter to whom she told her secret unwisely decided to share it with the rest of the family. Diego's uncle who lives in the family home and may well have an alcohol problem decided that his father should no longer be supporting someone who was not his daughter nor her three children. Diego reported that when the uncle was drinking he said very cruel things to Marielos in front of Cristofer and Mishell. He told me that he was worried about them. After a week long family conference it was decided that Marielos would move out. Supposedly, she will rent a room from a friend in a nearby community. And, Diego, told me somewhat hesitantly, that Cristofer and Mishell would be staying at my house along with their brother. He told me that they would be moving in on Monday, which coincided with the start of the Corona Virus lockdown. I said that I would pick them up as I did not want them taking a crowded bus. Diego told me that they would be ready at ten. I pulled up to the house and the two children came out carrying most of their worldly possessions in four backpacks. I did not see their mother nor their grandfather, no one from their family. They were happy and laughing. I was confused but refrained from asking any questions. I did not want them to feel uncomfortable. I was happy that the lockdown would keep the mother from showing up at my house every night at dinner time as she had done the last time that she had dropped off her kids, several years before.

Gladly, a friend who lives in Connecticut had arrived a couple of days before the lockdown started. Well over two weeks ago she had had her temperature taken by health officials who had boarded the airplane in Guatemala City. Jen, a university Spanish teacher and author of children's books in Spanish had wanted to visit a family at Lake Átitlan whom she had written about. She also had a workshop scheduled at the Antigua Green School working with kids who were interested in writing. Neither of those things happened as the evening she arrived the president announced the closing of the schools and most everything else including public transportation. What luck to have a teacher good with kids stranded in my house. There have been expensive evacuation flights sponsored by the state department but, gladly, Jen has opted not to return to her home near what might be the worst outbreak of the Corona Virus on the planet.

Mishell attending online classes

As the household help also has had to stay home we created a chore list. Everyone has some chores. I am in charge of making food available three times a day. Jen is doing the clean up and helped the kids get set up on Zoom for their online classes which started almost immediately. Cristofer feeds the dogs and cats in the evening and does some watering of the garden. Mishell is in charge of keeping the water filters full and Diego, watering the hanging plants and pots and washing the vehicles.

We have more or less settled into a routine. As the first one up I walk the dogs, feed the two dogs, two cats and three goldfish. Then I head upstairs to the terrace with a large cup of coffee where one thinks nothing can go wrong. I check the news but not too much as I am very annoyed that most of the news from the states is horrible with little mention of people who have tossed off the Corona Virus or stories of people helping other people. Here there are two animal rescue groups who are feeding the street dogs who rely on the now shuttered restaurants and the kindness of humans to survive. One group is buying the food with donations and is having the bomberos, volunteer firemen, distribute the food as they are allowed to be on the streets after curfew. The president has organized food distributions to the poor and to the students who rely on meals at their schools. Local corporations are donating money and supplies for the construction of temporary hospitals. There is an economic reactivation plan in place which includes infrastructure projects that will generate jobs.

Bread by Diego

Once everyone is up and fed breakfast there is school work. The three kids all seem to enjoy their Zoom classes as they can connect with their teachers and friends. Surprisingly, all three have expressed an interest in cooking. Diego is learning how to bake bread, Mishell makes way too many Snickerdoodles, likely because she has mastered the whole process. We are hoping to wean her into something with less sugar. Cristofer wants to learn how to fix dinner. One day he proudly held up a bag of pasta that he found in the kitchen and announced that we would have pasta that night. He did get a little help with the sauce and meatballs. The next night he was the sous chef for roast chicken, baked potatoes and broccoli, his favorite food.

Broccoli by Cristofer

Gladly, March is one of the better months weather wise. The sun shines most of the time and the temperature during the day is about eighty degrees, a temperature that is apparently fatal to the Corona Virus. I have a pool that is holding a temperature of about eighty-three degrees so we use the pool a lot for much needed exercise. Diego is very much seventeen and is still finding his place in the human race. Without some prodding he will spend the day in the basement playing video games. The basement is now off limits during the day and he is required to swim, ride his bicycle or play some soccer with his siblings at least once a day.

Escaping from the Corona Virus

We have access to a large coffee farm which houses my miniature horse and his companion goat, Maggie. As long as we pass a temperature check, we can enter the farm which is closed to the public.  The kids can run, ride bikes and spend time with a few friends at a respectable social distance. Jen is giving Diego driving lessons at the farm where one can drive around with little risk on the dirt roads and practice parking and backing up in the empty parking lot.

Mini and Maggie

Diego practicing his driving among the coffee plants.

We are home before the four o'clock curfew. Because my house is in a gated community we can still go out and walk the dogs and the kids can kick a soccer ball around. Laundry, gardening, cleaning and cooking occupy the hours later in the day. We have a sit-down dinner, which is very new to these children, and talk about the day, the restrictions, their feelings about the Corona Virus, what they would like to do the next day, etc. Mishell is reading books using my Kindle account on an old tablet. The boys refuse to be weaned from their video games though last evening Cristofer came into my room with a horrified look on his face saying, "the internet is out." I explained that a book is a good substitute for the internet. He shook his head. I offered a board game but he thought it was too late.

Today I picked up Astrid and Beyker in their village and all of the kids spent a couple of hours in the pool. Beyker, at three and a half, accepted the challenge to jump off the bridge into the pool.

Beyker takes a leap

Starting Monday Astrid will be "working from home" in my basement. She has been working for a call center and saving money to go to university next year. It is a good thing that she did not go this year as the academic year will likely be lost. As her call center is in Guatemala City she said that she was going to quit. She is good and fearless so they pleaded with her not to quit. The call center agreed to give her a computer to work from home but since her home has no internet it will be my home. Now there will be six places at the table as she finishes after curfew and thus cannot go home. Astrid was fielding customer and driver calls for Lyft and since Lyft seems to have disappeared she will be fielding calls starting Monday for Instacart which is apparently doing a lot better than Lyft right now. Some thirty people in the call center have been reassigned to Instacart.


My biggest concern is around eating three times a day along with an endless supply of Snickerdoodles, bread and wine. But one has to do what has to be done to get through this very unusual situation. So far, so good. I try not to think about what another month of this is going to feel like. I hope you all are hunkered down and staying safe.

Maggie the goat says "wash your hands."

Happy Holidays 2019!

Clearly I have fallen behind in keeping this blog udated. I am working on the book, however. The good news is that nothing dramatic has happened in 2019. The father/grandfather of all except Diego. Alex, remains incarcerated and gladly we have no news. He is in year nine of a sixty-eight year sentence. No one misses him.

Jackie, 23, continues working at the Antigua Green School where I am now a part owner. Late last year we hired a new, Guatemalan director and the school has really taken off since then. In January with the start of the new school year enrollment is up some sixty percent and the school will be launching a new curriculum designed by an American women with credentials from Columbia University. Jackie, in addition to working full time and raising six-year old Liam will graduate from university a year from now as a professional teacher.

Liam, 6, enjoyed his first ever visit to the ocean.

In June Astrid, 20, graduated from the Antigua International School and she is still in recovery from no longer having massive amounts of homework. As a graduation gift I took her to London where she attended a future doctor internship at the University College of London medical school. She stitched up a banana beautifully. She is taking a gap year and working to save money so that she can apply to medical school in Guatemala for January, 2021. Currently, she is working in a call center taking calls from irate, or confused Lyft customers. In January she will start working for our dentist running his front office. Less money but more time with Beyker, her three old son.

Astrid at the top of the Shard in London

Denis is working part-time doing office work, is the estate manager for Casa Broccoli and is a devoted uncle to both Liam and Beyker. Beyer loves school, books, swimming and blueberries.

We had to make an emergency run for blueberries.

Diego, who turned seventeen in November, is currently in Colombia with the family of his best friend from school. He left mid-November and flew on his own to Cuenca, Ecuador where he met up with his pal and his pal's mother, who was working there. At the end of the month the two flew to Bogota where they met up with the friend's father. They will go to Cútuca, Colombia (on the border with Venezuela) for Christmas with grandparents and back to Bogota for New Year's returning to Guatemala for the start of school in January.

Sebastian (l) and Diego (r) in Cuenca, Ecuador

Cris and Mishell, now twelve and eleven respectively, say that they sort of miss their brother but are enjoying the run-up to Christmas. They particularly like making cookies. I took them to the annual Christmas concert "under the stars" in the ruins of the San José Cathedral. Gladly, they enjoyed it especially the candles and fireworks during the Hallelujah Chorus. Cristofer even had a favorite soloist.

We also made the annual trek up the hills to cut a Christmas tree. Gladly, Mundo Posible has a truck which makes the twelve kilometers off road an easier journey.

Cristofer, Jackie, Liam, Mishell, Astrid and Beyker

For our annual Christmas photo this year we had to create a collage given the wanderings of Diego.

Upper right, Diego, lower L-R Mishell, Denis, Liam, Cris, Jackie, Astrid and Beyker.

Felices Fiestas and all the best in 2020!

Felices Fiestas 2018

After a frenzied few weeks it is as quiet as it ever gets in Antigua this Christmas morning. The locals party most of the night and the local, very Guatemalan, grocery store closes its doors for the only day in the year. Earlier in the month we made the annual trek to the Christmas tree farm and, apparently, this year's tree was a bit too big for the stand as it fell over twice. It is now tied to a wall mounted light fixture. I went to dinner with a friend the evening that we brought it home and Diego phoned me at the restaurant to tell me "the tree fell down again but we put it back up."

And then there was a day of baking cookies. They seem to enjoy the process as much as the product.

There was a birthday party for Joaquin, a friend of Cristofer's on the 21st. Next to Diego is his girl friend of over a year now, Mia. Her mom and I keep pretty close tabs on the two.

A Christmas party found Cristofet in charge of the children in the basement. We moved the microwave down there and gave him a Costco-sized box of popcorn, guacamole, chips and Christmas flavored movies.

And then, at last, the big day.

Liam, son of Jackie, aged 5 1/2

Beyker, son of Astrid, aged 2 1/2

Cristofer, 12 in January

Late in the day of Christmas Eve I delivered all of them to their homes for their family celebrations.  Less than an hour after arriving at a dinner party Diego phoned and pleaded with me to come and pick him up on my way home as "there is no one my age here." There was no one in my house his age either. I guessed that, after spending much of his time at my house, that he couldn't make it back over the cultural divide. I collected him and he went with a group of elders to see the Christmas lights in central Antigua and look in on a couple of Christmas masses.

All seems fairly well at the moment. Astrid will graduate from the International School in June and plans to enter medical school at the public university in Guatemala City. She expects to be there for ten years emerging as a pediatrician. Diego and Cristofer can't wait for school to start again in January. Under new direction their school with its focus on green, sustainable, project-based learning is a pretty exciting place to spend their days. Mishell is going through some pre-teen angst no doubt compounded by pressure from her mother who may be leaning on her last child and only daughter to stick around and take care of her. She tells Estela my housekeeper that Diego has abandoned their mother which may, in fact, be the other way around. I don't ask questions as I don't think they have the answers. Everyone, except Denis, returns to school on the seventh of January. Jackie as a teacher for the Montessori pre-kinder program.

Best wishes for a prosperous, peaceful and, hopefully, sane 2019!

Beyker, Astrid, Denis, Cristofer, Mishell, Jackie, Liam and Diego

And Now a School

I have been reminded that I have been delinquent about staying up to date with this blog. I just re-read my last post and realized that I was a year off on the ages of both Denis and Jackie. Jackie is twenty-two now and Denis is twenty-one. Jackie's son, Liam, will be five later this month and Astrid is eighteen and her son, Beyker, was two in June. Diego is still fifteen and Cris and Mishell, eleven and ten respectively.

Now that everyone's age has been established I am pleased to say that there is nothing dramatic to report. No one is pregnant. Alex is still in jail and there is very little news of him, gladly. I suspect that Marielos, who does not do much else, still pays him the occasional visit. Why remains a mystery to me and to her family as well.

Cristofer engrossed in the World Cup, Uno not so much.

Earlier this year a family knocked on my door and asked if I would consider selling them my other house. I indicated that I could be. They asked the price which I immediately increased by $10K. They asked me for a discount as all good Guatemalans would do and I dropped the price by $10K. They shook my hand and the deal was done. So, I only have one house to maintain which is a bit of a relief. The resulting cash has allowed me to become an investor in the school that five of the kids now attend, the Antigua Green School. Cash was needed to hire a new director and to upgrade the facilities and materials. As I believe that education is key to everything else why not?

Astrid will soon start her senior year at the Antigua International School (not to be confused with the Antigua Green School). She remains steadfast in her determination to become a pediatrician and has a list of schools she plans to apply to in the fall both here in Guatemala, in Canada and Spain. I have reminded her that a scholarship will be required as there is a limit on the bank of Tía Joan. Unlike in the U.S. it is possible for her to enter directly into medical school in other countries.

Beyker, 2, son of Astrid. Loves school.

Jackie is caught up in the changes at the Antigua Green School. I think she will probably survive the upcoming management change as she was heard to say that she welcomed a new director "who would listen to my ideas." I have been pleasantly surprised at how she has matured and learned to think for herself. Perhaps, becoming a mother at seventeen had something to do with that.

Liam, Jackie's son, will be five this month. He loves school too.

Denis remains at loose ends not for a lack of applying for jobs. He recently worked at a fancy hotel for a wedding and brought me a large bouquet of flowers that were left over. I would like him to have some goals and take charge of his life but I think that needs to happen from within and not from my counsel at this point. He is very good with both of his nephews who refer to him as "papa." At least they have a father figure who is a kind, good person.

Diego remains a delightful kid but he too needs a kick in the pants now and then. When school is not in session he more or less lives at Casa de Tía Joan which gives him easy access to his friends who are also his classmates. He has a mountain bike and rides in races with a couple of friends and their fathers. The other families are all very good to him and often I don't see him for days but get a stream of text messages telling me where he is and who he is with.

A week or so ago Diego rode in a very hard race. He had a flat tire and didn't have a spare tube. A friend inadvertently went off with his helmet and more. He saw a man who appeared to not be well. He was walking slowly, stumbling even, along side of his bicycle. Diego went over to the man and offered him a bottle of an electrolyte drink that he had which the man gladly accepted. Diego managed both bikes and walked with the man to the finish line. They talked and the man asked Diego what he wanted to do when he finished school. Diego told him that he wanted to be a software engineer. Before they parted the man gave Diego his name and phone number. He told him to call when he finished school and that he would give him a job. Well done, Diego. Now, would you please do the presentation for your entrepreneurship class?

Diego (right) and his pal, Sebastian.

Cristofer has suddenly experienced an educational spurt. His English has improved vastly and he loves the idea of having homework. He has become computer literate and, most afternoons, will ask if he can use the computer to do some research. Most recently it was the flags of Europe. Did you know that there are fifty-one countries in Europe (not to be confused with the European Union)?

Mishell is experiencing both an early puberty and an early adolescence which I am not entirely sure I want to deal with again. The thought of yet another pregnant teenager leaves me quite cold. I am trying everything to keep her distracted. She has an English tutor, classes in piano, hip hop and gymnastics but the jury is still out on whether any of that can overcome the influence of her mother. My hope is that she will surprise me one day soon.

Beyker, Mishell and Astrid. Phone time.

The biggest news during the first half of 2018 was the volcanic eruption just a few miles down the road on June 3rd, an otherwise quiet Sunday afternoon. Hundreds if not thousands are dead or missing. Thousands are living in shelters and now temporary housing. Two months later funerals are still going on with entire families being buried in a single grave, eight, nine, ten coffins many of them small. Bodies of family members are still being found in their homes under ten feet of lava. A former gardener of mine at the other house was one of the first casualties. Several years ago he qualified to become a volunteer bombero or fireman. He and his partner were the very first responders and, to date, their ambulance has not even been found under tons and tons of volcanic material. What once was the highway to the coast is now impassable. There is a new river in the middle of a vast lava field. Just down what once was the road an entire community was buried alive. This video was made by a journalist friend. It shows the highway about ten miles down the road towards the coast.

So, el volcán Fuego, which once was exciting to see during its increasingly frequent eruptions is now looked at in a much different light. There is a new crater on the south side where the pyroclastic material exploded out with little warning covering the village of San Miguel Los Lotes. Adjacent to Los Lotes was a very elegant golf course and luxurious residential community. It had some of the most stunning views in the world but many wondered why anyone would live there as the elders all knew that lava had once covered the area. Lava is once again covering most of the area and has destroyed the common areas, the elegant clubhouse and restaurant that overlooked the golf course with views to the Pacific. The tenth hole has gone down the newly created river of lava. The multi-million dollar homes are undamaged but without basic services and the area has been deemed uninhabitable by the government. Not surprisingly the insurance companies are denying responsibility. I heard yesterday of one woman who had just completed construction three weeks before the eruption. Two million US dollars. Not only will the insurance company not pay but she is being required to continue to pay her maintenance fees despite there being no water, sewer, electricity or access. However, these people were all evacuated hours before the eruption and the authorities seemed to have forgotten about the poor in the adjacent village.

After two weeks of digging through ten feet of lava this family
found the remains of their loved ones

Here where one expects nothing from the government people were in the streets hours after the eruption soliciting donations. Chef José Andrés was in Antigua within days and set up his World Central Kitchen in two locations. His group has been supplying thousands of meals daily and also installed a commercial gas range in an isolated village high up on the offending volcano so that the women can cook for the community. Slowly, land is being purchased by good samaritans such as singer Ricardo Arjona and NGOs and houses are being built for some three thousand people left homeless.

Thousands of meals every day courtesy of the
World Central Kitchen

One of the reasons I like living in Guatemala is because the people are so friendly and accommodating. Everyone, gringo and local, pitched in and made sandwiches, cut vegetables for the World Central Kitchen. Students helped out at the shelters where some 3500 people have been living. They wandered the streets with donation boxes.

The van driver who takes Cris and Mishell to school gladly helps Cris load up his bicycle on the days when he needs it. In exchange Mishell gives him home baked cookies. Teachers at the school give Diego a ride home when his bicycle has a flat tire. Another teacher just helped Diego decide between two pairs of shoes. Some much of what goes on here would be against the law in other countries. It is very refreshing. People just giving each other a hand.

Feliz Navidad!

It has been a while since I have updated this blog which means that nothing terrible has happened so far this year. I am knocking a tortilla on a piece of wood as I write.

Jackie is almost twenty-one and her son, Liam, was four in August. Jackie continues to work as a teaching assistant at the Antigua Green School. Liam is in his third year in the school's Montessori "baby" program. In January he will move up to kinder. As Liam finishes school at 12:30 and his mother needs to stay all day Jackie has a financial arrangement with a chicken bus driver who picks the boy up every day and sees him safely to his village where he is collected by a woman who looks after him in the afternoons. He might well be the youngest solo chicken bus rider in the country. Liam thinks coming to my house is akin to going to Disneyland (which he likely has never heard of). He points my house out to everyone on the chicken bus, "Tía Joan house," and has even entertained the passengers by telling them that "Tía Joan can swim under water." Yes, she can. Liam's mom works all week and attends university classes all day Saturday. She is in her third year of university studies to become a professional teacher and is first in her class. No, I don't see much of her.

Liam and his best friend, Bridget.

Denis, soon 20, has been working full-time since graduating from high school. The lure of money. When he is not working he is at the gym bulking up. He passes by my house most Saturday afternoons to use my scale and my Internet. Clearly he thinks a weight gain is a positive thing. Gladly, he has discovered that he is working too many hours for too little money and with the encouragement of a friend talks about taking the entrance exams to the University of San Carlos.

I guess it was bound to happen but now that Denis is more or less an adult his sleazy father is asking, even demanding, that he come to see him in prison. Denis continues to decline the invitation. As Alex has shown no interest in his daughters one can only conclude that his interest in Denis is about weaving him into his web of nastiness. The assumption is that Alex has money stashed somewhere. Why would one engage in kidnapping if not for profit?  He likely sees Denis as the most vulnerable and the one most likely to help him recover his resources with little or no risk of loss. Recently Denis ran into a sister of his father's at a gas station and she told him "your father says if you don't go see him he will take care of you when he gets out." Given that Alex will probably be in his eighties if he gets out alive it wasn't a great threat. But still not a nice memory of his father.

In addition, Denis is now being taunted at the gym by deliquentes who haven't forgotten Alex's criminal history and have made the usual assumption that, yes, there is money stashed somewhere and Denis is the most likely person to know where it is. Denis said he would go to a different gym but both his mother and I are encouraging him to take the university exams and go to Guatemala City, get an apartment with his friend and a job and enjoy the university. Time to get out of town.

And then there is Astrid. Eighteen years old, mother of a eighteen month old, and an almost straight A student in English at the Antigua International School. While she is (sort of) old enough to be a parent she was not, this past summer, old enough to have a proper job. She tried to get a summer job with a call center and they wanted her but couldn't take her as she was not yet eighteen. So, she spent her summer vacation volunteering for WINGS (www.wingsguate.org) counseling students about the trials and tribulations of unprotected teen age sex. One week she addressed a group of three hundred. Many young girls are taking her aside and asking for help and she is taking them to WINGS for the services they provide. The director of her school told me "we are very proud of Astrid." Astrid wants to go to medical school when she graduates in another year and a half.

Beyker and his mum, future doctor

Diego, fifteen, has taken charge of his own education it would seem. He is teaching himself to write computer code and edit videos by watching YouTube videos. Recently he was recognized by the Internet Society as one of "25under25." This was a global competition to identify twenty-five people under the age of twenty-five who use the Internet in innovative ways to make a difference. Diego was recognized for his volunteer work with Mundo Posible (www.worldpossible.org) in deploying online educational resources to rural schools that do not have Internet. In September Diego and his "chaperone," Tía Joan, were flown to Los Angeles for a celebration and networking event with the other twenty-four awardees. Diego now has friends like himself all over the world. He routinely chats online with Mary in Kampala, Uganda.

Recently Diego attended a "Tech for Change" conference in Guatemala City. One of the speakers was Luis von Ahn, the Guatemalan developer of reCAPTCHA and Duolingo. Diego came away saying that he was going to create something even greater than Duolingo. No doubt he will.

Diego and his new international pals. Mary is on the far right in red.

The Guatemalan-Irish twins Mishell, now nine, and Cristofer, ten, continue to flourish and are rarely apart though this past year they were in different classrooms. Mishell is taller than her older brother and loves working with an English tutor. Cristofer has opted for working on Duolingo. He hasn't yet given up his baseball cap.

Cristofer doing his daily routine on Duolingo to improve his English.

Mishell graduated from lower elementary to 4th grade in upper elementary.

Liam in his pre-school graduation outfit

My nephew, John, visited for a few days and we went to the Pacific coast with Cris, Mishell and Diego.

Cristofer enjoying the surf and warm water.

John acting as lifeguard.

We also made a trek into the hills to find the perfect Christmas tree as in the past and, sure enough, we found it. Happy Holidays!

L to R: Astrid, 18, Denis, 19, Cris, 10, Beyker, 18 months, Mishell, 9, Liam 4, Jackie, 21, Diego, 15.