April 08, 2005
It's a Party
Steve, John and Matt took off for the outer regions. We thought they were headed for Iguazú, but they actually went to Salta. They explored this part of Argentina and then went to Iguazú. After ten days of exploring, they returned to Buenos Aires last Thursday. I cannot say entirely what they were up to, but John has promised to write an account that I can post later on this BLOG. Press HERE to see a slideshow of photos covering this and three other entries.
We went to the English club on Friday night. We were planning for Saturday , so we invited them to the party. We wanted our visitors to get to know our friends in Buenos Aires. Unfortunately, many of the club members had already made plans for Saturday night. Still we invited those who could come to our party. I had also sent an invitation to a couple of Toasmasters that I had met at their last meeting, and they relayed the invitation to all of their fellow club members.
We spent much of Saturday preparing for our guests. Beyond the house cleaning, we spent a lot of time preparing food. Betty made her famous potato salad, candied sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie. I took care of the BBQ chicken and pork ribs. We had plenty of wine, beer and liquor.
People began to arrive about nine. Javier and Guille were the first to arrive. Slowly but surely people continued to arrive until there were some twenty or so guests. We were sadly disappointed that only a few came from the English club. The Carla Kirshenbaum one brought a girl friend, Claudia Prado. Päivi & Santeri, a Finish couple, came that had come to the English club for the first time the night before. Like us, they will be living in Buenos Aires for an extended period of time. They are living on their savings, earned from the technological boom of the past decade. Two Toastmasters came, Miguel and Chris. Miguel brought his wife. Chris is an American that is working for a British company that produces and sells electrical parts for hardware stores. Two wonderful ladies, Marisol and Maria, came. John and Matt had met at the tango club, La Viruta.
Marisol, John and Maria  |
Guille and Javier  |
Steve at the Grill  |
Carla and Bill  |
Claudia with Betty  |
Santeri and Päivi  |
Bill with the Finns  |
The Lovely Claudia  |
Migel's Wife, Maria, Marisol and Gille  |
Maria, Marisol, Guille and Chris  |
Matt and Miguel on the Left  |
Table Talk  |
At the Bar  |
A Toast to Friends  |
John in Recoleta
Sunday must have been a haze. I cannot remember anything about it, except sleeping late. Oh yes - now it comes back to me. I took John, Matt and Steve to Recoleta to see the cemetery and to do some shopping for John's grandchildren. I also had hoped to get something for Betty's birthday. In the evening Betty, John, Matt and I went to La Viruta for a dance lesson and to meet some friends. We met Susana Suárez and Marisol at the club. Betty and I had a great time dancing and socializing with Susana and Marisol. We had not met Susana before. She was had met John and Matt a few days before. She was another of the charming ladies that John and Matt seemed to attract.
Monday was quite memorable. We took a drive in the afternoon that took us along the river in the northern suburbs. It is a beautiful area of large homes and yacht clubs. Eventually we arrived in Tigre. I thought that John and Matt might buy a cowhide there. They only cost $100 and they are beautiful. We did pick up a few items. On a Monday the Fruit Market is not so crowded, but there are a lot of shops that were closed. Still it was very nice.
We capped our journey off by stopping at Susana Suárez's home in San Martin. For me such visits are always very special. It is always an honor to be invited into someone's home. We actually gathered in her mother's apartment, which is the same building. Her mother, Sara A. Phipps, is a wonderful 87 year-old lady. We sat and talked about our lives, our children and Argentina. All of us were warmed by the visit. Betty and I hope to see more of Susana.
In Susana's Home  |
Sara and Susana  |
Sara and Betty  |
Sara and Bill  |
A Tango Lesson
On Tuesday, all was quite. In the evening Steve, Matt and John went to a tango show at Complejo Tango. The reports we go was that the show was great as was the dance lesson and the food. They said that it would be good show for any visitors that might come would enjoy.
On Wednesday evening we all went to Marisol's home on Corrientes in the Once neighborhood. Her good friend Maria Ines Palermo was there as was her son, Arturo. Arturo is good-looking young man about 20 years old. Later Marisol's sister, Isabel, and her niece, Lucy, arrived. Lucy is 16 and in high school. We talked and ate and talked drank and talked some more. It was an utterly enjoyable evening.
Yesterday, I brought John to the airport about 5:30 in the morning. When we got back I went back to bed and Betty rested a bit before heading off for her Spanish lesson. We got things put back together in the house. John and Matt had been staying in the Quicho, so we brought the futon in and re-arranged the living room furniture. Matt went with me to the gym. He said that he travels better when he is all tired out. I took Matt to the airport at about 6:00 PM. I was sorry to see my visitors leave. They both said that they enjoyed themselves a lot.
Instead of going right home, I went to a Toastmasters meeting and joined. They needed another speaker, I gave my Icebreaker speech. I hope to help them grow and I hope to help them start another club. A city of this size should have a hundred clubs instead of just one.
Marisol  |
Marisol wtih John  |
Matt and Arturo  |
Betty, Maria, Isabel, Marisol and Arturo  |
Maria, Isabel and Bill  |
Steve, Marisol and John  |
Today is Betty's birday
Happy Birthday, lover!