Thanks for the photos, Aunty Seeeees!
Aunty Sarah came into town on Tuesday! The family headed into Managua a day early for a change of scenery and to do a little shopping. We always stay at Managua Hills which is right near The Galleria Mall where there are fun things like a proper coffee shop, a fancy kitchen supply store, and American brand baby gear. We mainly re-upped our food supply but also got Liv a red, bear-shaped potty in hopes of sparking some early interest. We shall see ... Sarah brought Mommy and Daddy a replacement gasket for our stovetop Bialetti espresso maker, a couple of bags of Starbucks French Roast, and some surf wax. She also gifted Liv a puzzle that sings songs when you put the pieces in their place. It's great to have family amongst us and two extra hands in the house are always a plus when there's a baby around.
Last week marked one year since my e-day, as they call it in denture forums. Yes, denture forums. E-day, or extraction day, seems like a millenium ago and I'm working on a proper recap of the misadventures of this whacky time period. I'm just now ready to share some stories and of course, there are some good ones. So, keep your eyes out for those. I think I'll start a series.
Anyways, here are some photos by sister Sarah.
Last year, the International Surfing Association held their masters tournament right here in our neighborhood at Hacienda Iguana. I guess it was a complete mad house but it gave the area some great exposure, and helped to secure Nicaragua as a future destination for other surfing events. Well, this year they're back and Rancho Santana is hosting the Juniors event. The family headed over there a couple days ago for a little lunch and the place was buzzing. Rancho has an excellent restaurant that sits right above the shore. We're constantly impressed by their impeccable service and great, reasonably priced food. We're squeezing in as many visits as we can before the rivers fill up, and getting a little dinner becomes more like risking your life. The rains have certainly begun. Ian requested a raingage on my recent trip back to Minnesota and two nights ago it went over its five inch capacity mark. Drying laundry is a bit of a game, especially Liv's diapers which take forever. I'm constantly shifting them from the line on the covered balcony to the line in the yard or propping them up under the ceiling fan at night. The air is thick with moisture now. The afternoons are overcast and the nighttime is stormy. Winter in Nicaragua....
One of the greatest parts about living here in Tola, is the abundance of good, cheap fresh fruit. Every morning, Daddy blends up a big batch of smoothies packed full of healthy goodness. Our weekly grocery run to Rivas always includes a trip to the market for one giant papaya, two cantaloupes, one pineapple, two pints of strawberries and two dozen bananas. (yes! strawberries - a recent find.) We also discovered a woman in the market who sells one pound bags of chia seed for sixty cordoba, which is about $2.50 and a gringo named Salad Steve who sells huge bags of fresh kale for $5 - which is a little bit of a splurge but definitely worth it, as its hard to find good hearty greens down here. We also found acai juice at Pricesmart so, we'd pretty much rival any Jamba Juice if they happened to move in up the block. I think I'll write a post and share some of our smoothie recipes with you. We think we've got some good ones.