5 Years and Counting.....

G: This week, on April 1, we celebrated 5 years of retirement and living abroad!!!!  One could ask, "Where did the time go?"  But we know exactly where it went!  Do we ever regret selling everything in Portland and beginning the next chapter of our lives?  Not for a minute!  The places we have seen, the people we have met, and the small things experienced have all added up to one big adventure!  Of course, not seeing family (and those adorable grandchildren) and old friends as often as we have liked is one of the drawbacks.  But to those of you who have come to visit us in Panama and are coming to visit us in Buenos Aires while we are here, thank you!

When we bought our condo in Panama in 2005, we never thought we would leave, except for an occasional trip back to the States.  But last July, we rented our condo for a year, enabling us to travel to South Africa for two weeks, rent an apartment in Sevilla, Spain for 3 months and now here we are in the Recoleta neighborhood of Buenos Aires about half way through our 4 month visit to Argentina.

It has been an opportunity of a lifetime to live in  interesting places and become a local, even if it is only temporary.  Interspersed were trips to Oregon,  Philly, Maryland and DC, North Carolina and even Panama.  Odd to visit your adopted country and not stay in your own place, but we enjoyed being with our friends while we were there.

This week we visited the colorful neighborhood of La Boca and went to two museums:  Maguncia Museo de Papel, Grabado y Estampa and the Museo de Bellas Artes de la Boca Benito Quinquela Martin.  Benito Quinquela was an important Argentine painter, born in the late 1800's and died in 1977.  It was the first we had heard of him, but found out that his huge works hang in Madrid, Paris, Rome, NYC and Tokyo, where he spent time in the 1920's.  It was the neighborhood of La Boca where he was adopted as an orphan that influenced his work.  The harbor's ships are painted in strong colors in many of his paintings.  Other scenes include the rise of buildings during the boom of his era.  The museum houses the works of many of his contemporaries, as well as his studio and apartment on the top floor.  He was also the subject of many sculptors and painters; these works are scattered  throughout the museum.  And the collection of whimsical, carved bowsprits-- figures hung on ship's bows-- was delightful!

J: Yesterday we met with 13 other Expats at Lai Lai Chinese Restaurant in Belgrano.  From 1:30 until 5:00 pm we ate, drank, traded stories and laughed.  When someone asked the organizer, Bonnie, why she picked this particular restaurant she said it was because they would put up with a large raucous table of gringos.

Today is Easter Sunday.  After late hours watching Final Four semifinal games last night, we still managed to get out early to catch a taxi to Av Belgrano and St Andrews Presbyterian Church.  Locked up tight!  With a big announcement of the service  in English NEXT Sunday.  We met another couple in front of the church and traded confused shakes of the head.  So the alternative was the Convento de Santo Domingo in San Telmo.  One priest was sitting in a pew in a chapel reciting the Mass while a single older woman across the aisle gave the responses.

Next we headed down the street to the San Telmo outdoor antique market.  What an assortment of Stuff!  The weather was chilly but bright sun, and the crowds reflected the nice weather.  The photo of this guitarist was taken in 2006, but he was still playing at the same corner today.  A few blocks away is Walrus Books, one of the English language bookstores in town.  Mostly used books, but selected with intelligence, care and discretion.  Not a John Grisham anywhere, but a copy of  Salinger's Franny and Zooey caught my eye.  Also we looked at (but didn't buy) a trilogy of Galeano's called Memory of Fire.  It's a collection of short writings documenting the history of South America since the first people.

Now we are taking flowers and bubbly to a neighbor's home, where with six others we will share an Easter afternoon dinner. Then back home for Opening Night, Sox vs. Yankees.  Go Boston!