Ayden and Sam's Birthdays

Ayden turned 4 today and got lots of presents.  Sam got older today and got funny cards!!  Sorry Sam, I didn't get your picture.     

 Ayden really liked the pool, but didn't like any bugs, so we had to scoop them out whenever he saw "one".  He did have a blast in the pool.

The yellowish tinge is due to inside lighting, sorry.  Ayden had lots of presents and lots of help opening by his siblings.  I was able to get a "clear" shot of one opening.  I hope Kim was able to get some better photos, so check her blog.

T-Rex T-shirts by Grandma Carol

Almost forgot to have the boys model these t-shirts that Grandma Carol made for them!!  They were put back to wear when we celebrated Lucas's 2nd birthday with a dinosaur theme.  Unfortunately because of the trip to Rio, we didn't get the birthday party completed at MTC.  Both shirts have a dino and the title  " T - Rex   sp: Brasilius

Departing Rio

Unfortunately the weekend finally ended and we waited to board the bus that would take us to the WebJet plane which was parked on the tarmac.  We had just gone upstairs to clear security and then had to go back down to the ground floor to board the bus.  We got the last row of seats this time and were not able to recline.  As you can see, Lucas was asleep, but unfortunately woke up UNHAPPY.

This photo was taken before Lucas decided he did not really want to be on the plane.  Wem was sitting with the two boys when this was taken.  However he soon "bailed" and let Sara have the "hot" seat!!  Finally got the young'un calmed about takeoff time and the remainder of the flight was uneventful.  Lucas really liked the chocolate filled cookie bar that was our snack for this flight.  We took off a little after 5pm and landed before 6pm in Belo.  Stayed Saturday night with Grandma Lena and then endured the 6 hour trip back to Montes Claros on Sunday morn from 6:30 to 12:30.  I will be returning on Wednesday by bus leaving Montes at 9am and arriving about 5pm.  The bus makes a few stops on the way which slows the trip.  I should be able to sleep and see more of the scenery from the elevated seat on the bus. 

Max was a marvelous maniac in the sand and waves

The guy in the red trunks loved the beach.

More Beaches and things.

Ron with his ReStore shirt and  Max in the sand below Sugar Loaf Mountain.  The magnitude of this fascinating rock was much more dramatic in person than the photo relates.  It is also very visible from the planes that land at Dumont.  When I  flew into the international airport GIG, on a previous trip,it was not visible BUT it was also raining.

Sara and the green foliage that covers and surrounds a very nicely done walkway with signage for the flowers, trees, and geological features of the area.

The gondola starting up to the top of Sugar Loaf with the Brasilian flag flying below.  The shear cliff to the left was a climbing spot and about 12 people were in various stages of assulting the rock.

Lucas was leery.

     Lucas on the beach.  He was ok with the sand, but really not very comfortable with the beach.  When the water hit his toes, it was all over.  He waited quietly with daddy while Max, Sara and gramps frolicked on the beach.

Naval Academy Beach Sat May 22, 2010

Our first bus stop and ride in Rio.  This was Saturday morning and traffic was light, BUT a bus had broken down on our planned route and the bus we finally got on was PACKED.  The driver didn't even want to let me on, but Wem convinced him that would be BAD!!  We even picked up a couple more people before we got to a school where about a fourth of the people left.  Finally got to the beach stop and the bus emptied!!  Lucas was not very happy about the cramped conditions, but neither were the adults.  I think we paid a little over $1 US each for the 15 min ride.  We could have walked there in about 45 minutes, but not with 2 young guys.

The tram to Sugar Loaf mountain starts right in the middle of the Naval training facility.  We felt very safe and secure, as a life guard was on duty and several military guards were around the facilities to help with traffic and to keep people from going to close to some of the military operations.  Ivone is in black, Sara blue, Max red, Lucas yello and Wem has blue back pack.

Sara and Max were the first ones IN.  We only waded, as the current was pretty strong as the red sign says.  There were some strong swimmers who had gone out a ways but we didn't even try.  I was wearing bermuda shorts and was watching Max one time and got wet to my crotch!!  A little uncomfortable for a while, but the wind and sun soon dried things!!

Happy Birthday Lucas, May 21 2010, Number Two

Happy 2nd Birthday Lucas

This was taken the evening of May 21.  Ivone made a flourless chocolate cake for his birthday.  This is the living/dining room of her 2 bedroom apartment in a very nice part of Rio.  We 5 slept in the larger bedroom.  Yes it was crowded, but definitely doable and much less expensive than a hotel or weekend condo offering.

Thank you Sharon, We will miss you every Wed and Sat.

This post is in memory of Sharon who was the "rock" of Waste Watchers in Lake Ozark and Osage Beach.  Janice informed the recyclers that Sharon died on May 20.  I last saw her when I visited her in Lake Regional Hospital.  I didn't realize it at the time, but her sight was very poor.  Her recognition of speech was still good and she asked me to give her a hug -- which in retrospect was highly unusual.  I attempted to get her to give me some key info on Waste Watcher related items but she insisted that she would handle them when she got back.

Yes, that is the Waste Watcher volunteer t-shirt with the Brasilian flag flowing and sugar loaf in the background.  The white building is part of the naval training base located at the foot of the mountain.

More Rio First Day

So, some people really know how to enjoy a beach even if we can't get in the water!!

Jungle Jim Lucas with a little assistance from mommy, Sara.

This was Max's first attempt at climbing a jungle gym.  The park at MTC doesn't have this structure.  He did need a little help from Rio Rocky!!

Rio stuff

We did see lots of shells on this inner harbor beach on the north side of sugar loaf.  This one is for Grandma Carol.  This beach was not very clean.  I'm surprised that the tourist bureau didn't fuss at the city about it, but the beach is not one of the "famous" ones.

So move over Stallone.  This is Rio Rocky and his groupies!!  Sugar loaf is to the left of his butt.

This photo I call the family tree.  Sugar loaf is in the background.  The little "pimple" on top is the cable car receiver at the top of the mountain.

US Embassy Experience

This is the street corner at the US embassy in Rio.  We got there at 6:45, again with our "private" taxi driven by Paulo and then waited in line until about 7:30 when we cleared security and went upstairs to the green card and passport area.  No cameras, cell phones or computers were allowed past security, so we checked ours and went upstairs.  There were three lines around the embassy with different types of applications.  We were in the US citizen and relatives line, the other two were Brasilians applying for visas or green cards.

Thank goodness they had a bunch of toys and books at the back of the waiting area, as we finally left the building at about 11:30.  Wem got called in about 8:30 for his first "encounter" to insure all his paperwork was ok.  Since I was the sponsor, I got called in to answer some financial questions of how we could support Wem and family.  We need to have Carol fill out a form and sign, as I had claimed her Soc Sec income as part of the support, as shown on our income tax filing for 2009.

We waited again and then he had his fingerprints taken using a neat "surround" camera with NO ink.  We waited again and then the family went in for the interview with the official person who made final decisions.  Unfortunately the answer was "more paperwork is required".  A waiver of the 10 year waiting period is needed.  Of course this will require more fees and paperwor and travel.

There were 15 other individuals or families in this morning group.  The young red haired lady who initially gave us numbers and made sure we were on the list for the 7am slot gave an initial introduction and then made sure the paperwork was in order before anyone even got to the beginning interviews.  Some people left to get photos or copies that were needed.  We had to go down stairs after the initial interview to pay a $400 fee.  When we got back upstairs Wem didn't realize that he needed to turn the receipt in to someone so we could go to the next "station" so we were delayed a bit.

One couple had poor control of their 5 year old boy and 2 year old girl.  The rest were well behaved.

Belo to Rio

Here we are waiting for OUR Webjet plane to get to the airport.  The one in the photo was just leaving and ours arrived a little later.  Max and Lucas enjoyed watching the takeoffs, landings and all the truck and people activity.  Nervous grandpa Ron got us to the airport in lots of extra time, so we had to be creative in our extra time activities.

The 45 minute flight to Rio from Belo Horizonte was fun.  I sat next to Max and he was absolutely enthralled by the speed of take off and then how things looked so small when we got up in the air.  He played with the window shade and the "table" that came out of the arm rest, as we were in the bulkhead seats.  Wem, Sara and Lucas were in the seats behind us and Lucas did fine with no motion sickness which he experiences in the car on longer trips.

When we landed in Rio we were almost the first ones off BUT had to wait because the guy who was supposed to open the door to the terminal was LATE.  I really liked the glassed walkways which allowed one to see the whole airport and some of the mountains of Rio.  The terminals are also large glass "tubes" that really allow for an open feel with the comforts of air conditioning and protection from rain.

Always have your own private taxi pick you up at the airport and deliver you to your apartment!!  Really takes the stress off of travel!!  Ivone, the lady who we stayed with had arranged for a cab driver, Paulo, from her church to pick us up.  I think the fare from the Dumont airport (not GIG the international airport) was less than $R15 or $9).  After this ride, Lucas would always point out the yellow cars that went by and there were LOTS of them.

Trash & little "monkey".

No, you don't have double vision.  Evidently I couldn't wait for the first posting to finish and hit the commands.  I put the top brick layer on to extend the height of this enclosure which hides the trash cans.  There are 6 or 7 of these on the complex.  The bagged trash is then taken to a roofed enclosure by the main gate for the trash truck.  A student is assigned each week to pick up the trash each morning about 6:30am.   The dogs have been able to get into the lower version, so we will see if the added height works.  The guard dogs are put in their pens at 6am and let out to guard at 10pm.

The small monkey was hopping on my roof all day.  Maybe he wanted his picture taken!!  Finally got one with him looking at me.

Anna's and an interesting flower.

This flower suddenly appeared in the east garden.  What do you think it is??  It has cascading white petals with long almost invisible stamens -pistols??? terminating in a yellow skinny oval.

We had dinner at Anna's and pastor Roche's on Sunday.  Carol would have really (NOT) enjoyed the okra and chicken with a hint of saffron.  Polenta and spinach - strawberry salad rounded out the meal.  It was really hot when we took this picture, but the house was cool and enjoyable. 

Owls

The burrowing owls are still in their log.  I tried to get a picture of the pair, but they were not cooperating.

I like the branch formations with this shot.

One of the activities is the bouncy balls.  Max and big Lucas are on the veranda in front of big Lucas's house.  Of course Max had to have a dramatic fall to make the event even more fun!!

Fire Ant Bites

Well, this is what happens when one forgets to put on DEET!!  And walks in tall grass/weeds that won't let you see where the ant hills are!!  If you google ant bites you will see the typical bite.  I evidently don't get hurt as bad when they bite me originally.  Most kids start a war dance and scream until some one washes off the ants.  I get more redness than is shown in the slide show.  What wonderful memories of Brasil.

Sandbox Playtime.

Gabi, short for Grabrielle, daughter of a visiting pastor.

   

Andrea, daughter of Sinly, Lucas's favorite playmate as they are similiar in age and size.

Max, Andrea, Sara, Lucas, Gabi in the small sandbox.  We have an ant problem in the bigger box.

These guys are lucky they don't have ants in their pants, as the back corner behind Sara has a large colony that I will try to kill in near future.  Sinly, Andrea, Lucas, Sara.  The eating area, kitchen and girls dorm is the large tan building in the background.

Lucas Bails.

Little Lucas abandoned the pool with the first splashes in his face and came to the house.  I liked the various shades of blue and really like his eyes.

Pool Time

It was very hot early, so Sara set up the pool in a little shade and the three "bigger boys" took it over.  Liseth who is close to delivery time on child number two is in the background hanging wash.  Her son is Fernando who is in the red/white/blue trunks and has dark hair. Big Lucas is in the blue trunks with dark hair and Max is the blonde.  Little Lucas was appropriately dressed but after the first splash of water in his eyes, he bailed.  No he didn't remove any water, but he did remove himself very quickly and with some protestations!

The security dogs.

Wem has security this weekend, so he cleaned the dogs cages and had them chained to the gazebo in the background.  The German shepherd is hidden in the shadows to the upper middle right.  Lobo is the black one to his right, and Tigraun (tiger) is the brownish mix on his left.  They are kept in well maintained pens from 6am to 10pm and then let loose to patrol the grounds during late night hours.  Our BIGGEST problem this week has been cows that get through a fence and come into the complex for much tastier grass than is on the "other side of the fence".  With dogs chasing cows in the backyards of the houses at 2-3am in the morning, sleep definitely gets interrupted.  The last couple of nights have been quiet, so the farmer must have fixed the fence good enough this time.  Lucas seems comfortable with the dogs, but Max is very antsy when they are loose.  Right now, 4:40pm, I'm watching Lucas while Wem finishes up with the trash detail and Lucas is asleep on a mattress on the floor.  Sara and Max have gone to a movie with some friends.