10/21/08
The Barretos are heading to Cairo next!
We just got word...we are going to Cairo. We will be leaving Buenos Aires in June and arriving in Cairo in August. We are very excited.
6/1/08
http://edition.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2008/10/17/byrnes.argentina.expat.voters.cnn.html
I am there in that video, somewhere! Can you see me? The kids were quite excited at seeing Mom on CNN, even if it was my head briefly in the background.
http://edition.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2008/10/17/byrnes.argentina.expat.voters.cnn.html
http://edition.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2008/10/17/byrnes.argentina.expat.voters.cnn.html
Evelyn & Gabriel
Evelyn & Gabriel diving in Honduras. If all goes well, we'll be together with them in Cairo at some point.
Carlos Hernandez & family
Carlos & Violeta HernandezCarlos and Guillermo go back many years, and were friends in Lima
, Peru. Carlos and his family emigrated to the U.S. and he works as a carpenter. He worked on the altar for the Pope for his visit to Washington DC.
Guillermo and Monica in Colonia Carlos Pellegrini
Guillermo and I spent our 18th anniversary in lovely marshes 800 km north of Buenos Aires. We saw many animals such as caprybara, birds of all sorts, black alligators, howler monkeys, etc. We went horse back riding, on a hike, and for a boat ride to see the floating islands where these animals hide out.
Alloy dinner, with 40+ teens
The Barretos hosted the teens for the main course portion of the Progressive Dinner for Alloy. The noise level was incredible, the food disappeared to the last noodle, and then it was quiet again!
4/1/08
Smokey Buenos Aires
This is what Buenos Aires looked like recently, during the bush burnings. It was nearly impossible to see a few feet in front of onself. We recently were up north at the end of May, and still saw fields burning.
1/1/08
Guillermo with Violeta in Bolivia & Peru
Violeta is a good friend of ours, a Peruvian married to a Tunisian. She was visiting Peru at the same time as Guillermo and they went for a visit to Bolivia.
4/6/07
1/1/07
Rosa and niece at Christmas concert
Rosa, our neighbor and friend, with her niece, at the Christmas concert.
View from apartment in La Falda, Cordoba
We stayed at a wonderful hotel in La Falda called Las Ardillas. They have cabins in the mountain overlooking the town of La Falda, Cordoba. It was inexpensive, $50 for the night for four, including a wonderful breakfast.
Guillermo playing marbles with the boys
On vacation in La Falda, Cordoba, the boys played an emotional game of marbles.
Andoni's dance performance
The kids are performing a traditional Argentine Indian dance. He is the one with the red poncho, lent to him by his friend Rosa.
12/30/06
Horseback riding in La Falda, Cordoba
We went for a ride for two hours, and Andoni was very disappointed that he didn't get to gallop. We had a great time.
12/25/06
11/1/06
10/1/06
The riverfront near our house
This is about 2 blocks from our house. You can travel up and down the river a bit on bike, on a touristic train, or on foot.
5/18/06
Flowers in Tegucigalpa
More flowers at our neighbor's house. Tegucigalpa is a city of eternal spring, and there are always flowers every where. This is a neighbor's house covered in flowers.
5/17/06
More flowers in Tegucigalpa
Some of the beautiful abundant flowers around Tegucigalpa after Semana Santa. This is around the corner from our house.
5/15/06
Our neighborhood in Tegucigalpa via Google Earth
A map I downloaded and modified from Google earth. What a cool program! The map of Tegucigalpa is a bit out of date, but what fun to identify places in this crazy maze of a city.
5/7/06
4/17/06
Hiking into dark cave in La Tigra
The entire hiking group of ten adults and children took off into this cave up in La Tigra National Park. I like the way the light glowed eerily behind us.
El Rosario B&B
Our favorite B&B in Honduras, in El Rosario, near La Tigra National Park. It is owned by Germans, and very well run.
For a history of El Rosario mine and the area, check out
http://www.nps.gov/centralamerica/honduras/park-history.shtml
OAS elections volunteer reception
Paul and I at a reception to honor the elections volunteers. We had to wear our elections vests one more time. Guillermo and I were paired as monitors in San Pedro Sula in the recent presidential elections in Honduras.
Voting place in San Pedro Sula
This was one of the many voting places Guillermo and I visited as OAS observers of the last presidential election in Honduras, where Mel Zelaya won. We went to San Pedro Sula for the elections, and it was a fascinating process. We saw no irregularities in the entire day.
Val, Russ & Christina at Val's going away party
Val, Russ and Christina at Val's going away party in March. She's now in Canberra, and loving it.
Ray and Monica
Ray and Monica at a party at our house. He's an aerobics instructor at Cybex, and the nicest guy around. He's an artist, but hasn't been painting lately.
4/15/06
Lucina, Guillermo, Andrea, Marcia & Mrs. Roberts
Lucina, my sister, Mrs Roberts and family with Guillermo at Peruvian night at a hotel in Tegucigalpa. Lucina came to Tegucigalpa from Birmingham the same week that the Roberts came from New York City. It was a great family reunion.
Marcia, Andrea, Mrs. Roberts and the boys at church
The Roberts at church in Tegucigalpa. They came to visit us for a week, and we had a great time. This was the Sunday we took them to church. They promised to visit us in Argentina!
4/6/06
3/17/06
Ray & Ricardo at Prado's dance party
Ray and Ricardo at a party next door. They both work at Cybex, and are cool guys.
2/23/06
Edel cooking pig in our back yard
Edel cooking a pig for Chris' going away party. This was before the door exploded off the grill, and caught fire!
The garage area after all the torches were lit, candles lined the walkway, and cushions and oriental rugs were thrown on the ground.
Copan Embassy trip. Tio on left, Barretos on right
The CLO trip to Copan Ruins. Tio is on the left, Barreto boys are on the right.
2/17/06
1/17/06
Father John David in Chicago
Father John David at his new church in Chicago. He was our priest at All Soul's in Washington, DC, but moved to a new church in Chicago. He's very high church Anglican, like my dad was.
1/7/06
A tiny caye off Utila, Honduras
A small caye off of Utila, with just one small house on it. We were passing it by in a boat, on our way to an inhabited caye (or island).
Main Street, Upper Caye, near Utila
Main street that runs between Upper and Lower Caye, near Utila. It is a densely population little island about 20 minutes by boat from Utila. There is very little tourism. The houses are all built of wood, on stilts over the water.
View from La Ceiba airport
View from La Ceiba airport toward the mountains. You can see these mountains when on Utila and Roatan.
The entire dive crew, after we all passed.
Then entire diving gang, including the 7 teens. Adam and Rok were the two instructors. We had just finished the testing, and everyone passed. The kids were so pleased with themselves.
Rok, the dive master and his girls.
Rok and his quartet of girls, after passing the open water certification on Utila.
Renato and Andoni on the dive boat in Utila
The Barreto boys on one of the dive trips near Utila. Andoni was disappointed that he was too young to learn to dive, but when faced with snorkeling, paniced and didn't do it. He later learned, and now can't wait to return.
Andoni, Monica, Rafael and Renato xmas 2005
The Barretos and Rafael, Christmas dinner. We miss Evelyn and Edel and the family!
Cousin Freddy Horner, and his daughter Tamara. They live in Digby Neck, Nova Scotia, where my dad's family started from (after they came from Northern Ireland, that is). Freddy is a boat captain and sometime lobster fisherman.
After Mommy's burial service in Milltown, St. Stephen, New Brunswick. Lucina, Tamara, Freddy Horner, and Tia Emily in the wheelchair. Emily is my dad's first cousin.
12/24/05
Xmas dinner with Evelyn and Edel
Formal Christmas dinner with Evelyn and Edel. The kids were so great that night!
12/7/05
Tio Alberto and Renato on Tio's last night in Honduras
Renato and Tio Alberto, the night before his return to Mexico. The boys really miss him. He spent two months with us, and we took him to El Salvador, Tela and other places to keep him occupied.
Teens post diving test final
Some of the teens after taking the final exam for diving. They look relieved, don't they!
Honduras elections monitoring teams in San Pedro Sula
The OAS coordinated a bunch of election observer volunteers in San Pedro Sula. This is the embassy group after a long day monitoring the polls. We had a great steak dinner afterwards, but no liquor, since the day of the elections, and just before and just afterwards, liquor is not served or sold. Ben was very disappointed!
Thanksgiving day dive test for teens
The Three Musketeers and the AMB during the dive test at the pool on Thanksgiving morning. They all passed.
The diving buddies, before their pool test
The Three Musketeers at the pool. It was Thanksgiving day at the AMB pool, and they tested together. They all passed.
Monica and Jane in Rome
Monica and Jane in Rome. We met Jane and Pietro at church in Tunisia, and now they are living in Rome
11/1/05
Spidermen buddies at Embassy Halloween party
This is Andoni and Gabriel at the Embassy for the Halloween party. Andoni has obviously outgrown his Spiderman costume. Gabriel spent a couple of weeks with us when both his parents had to leave the country for medical reasons. We loved having Gabriel with us. He's the sweetest boy ever made!
9/16/05
8/23/05
Andoni on the ferry to the Statue of Liberty
Andoni on the ferry over to the Statue of Liberty, summer 2004
8/17/05
Lovely Wyoming view
A Wyomng view. My sister spends every summer playing for the Teton Music Festival, and sends quite a number of photographs from her hikes. Someday we will visit!
8/12/05
Andoni having a temper tantrum. He didn't want to clean his room, he didn't want me to help him, and he didn't believe that I would get rid of his toys if he didn't obey me. All those toys on his bed ended up in the garbage, and ever since then he cleans his room up pretty much when I ask him.
Chris always has fabulous dinners at his house. This was for a "little" get together he was having, where he served us lobster, shrimp, and filet mignon.
Andoni, dressing up for photos. That day he tried on all his hats, all his jackets, and pants, and wanted me to take photos of all his outfits.
The Roberts clan. This was our family when we were growing up. Fr. Roberts (not in the photo) and my father were priests at Trinity Episcopal Church in the Bronx. Mrs. Roberts, his wife (also not in the photo) and my mom were very good friends, and in the old days the four of them would have great dancing parties (calypso music). Marcia on the left, Paula in colorful clothing, and Beverly (back row, 2nd from right) are the three daughters, all older than Lucina and I, but still close to us. When we are in NYC, we celebrate holidays with them. Paula and Marcia are both social workers, as were my parents.
Chris and Lita in France
This is Chris and Lita in France, pre-baby. They will be returning this summer, however, with baby. Ana Beth was adopted from China last year.
This is Pewter, our ex-Tunisian cat who now lives with Lucina. Pewter didn't do too well around our boys...she was always scared, so is doing much better with Lucina. We now have Chester, who is a fearless boy cat who thinks that he's a dog, and that my boys are his brothers. He wrestles with them fearlessly.
This is Buddy, Lucina's cat. She just recently put Buddy to sleep at the old age of 19. Buddy has been with Lucina all her adult life, so it was hard for her. However, she still has Pewter, our Tunisian cat, who we passed on to her two years ago.
Dumitru Lazarescu, violinist
I just downloaded this photograph from the Internet. Lucina won't like me putting on this site, but this is her ex-husband Dumitru, a Rumanian violinist. They were married for 7 years, and lived in Phoenix. He is still with the Phoenix Symphony. He is very distinguished now, with his white/silver hair.
http://www.phoenixsymphony.org/artists/orchestra_members_lazarescu.html
Renato at the 6th grade graduation party. Constantino, on the left, is 1/2 Peruvian like Renato, but his dad is Italian. They are in the same grade and have been friends for two years now.
A photo of Andoni at Mary's house. Andoni visits Mary twice a week to learn English reading and writing, and other skills. Since he's enrolled in the French school system, he is learning in French and Spanish, and the Embassy pays for a tutor for him so that he can keep up his English studies. Mary is a wonderful tutor, and they work on lovely projects together, such as puppet making, cooking, and book making, along with the more mundane tasks of reading and writing.
More Honduran flowers in a Lencan pottery vase. This is at Evelyn's house, I think. I am finally starting to appreciate flowers.
Monica, a German friend of ours, brought us some lovely flowers and I had no where to put them, since they were so large and heavy. So I emptied out our Tunisian glass umbrella stand, filled it with water, and voila...a sturdy pretty flower vase.
This is a photo of Miriam Rendon, a high school friend with whom I have lost touch. We were friends during our four years at Stuyvesant High School. I found her photo on the internet, though. She went to Princeton and met and married her husband there, and now lives on the West Coast.
This is Fred, and his family, his Mom Lily, his sister and brother. Fred and I go back many years, to before I met Guillermo. He and Chris and I hung out. I have visited his family in Illinois once, and so has Lucina. Fred is also a world traveler, much more than me (he has no kids, and therefore can spend all his money on traveling!), but he's settled back in DC for the moment.
Greg and I worked together at US&FCS many years ago, on Banyan systems. He later moved away from DC, and I had a baby (Renato) and changed contracts, but we haven't lost touch. This photo was from their trip to sub-Saharan Africa, when they went as missionaries.
Mike, Sumeet and Bill
this is ancient history. This photo dates back to before State Dept. I worked for a company called IMC, and these three guys were network administrators for the project I managed, at the Dept. of Transportation. Mike is the hunter. Sumeet is the smart young Novell administrator newly arrived from India, and Bill was the seasoned mature administrator of the bunch. They were nice guys to work with.
Allen and Mabel. Allen and I went to high school together at Stuyvesant, and he has since changed his name and his faith. He is now Alonzo! He also married a Peruvian, and their daughter is about 4 days older than Renato. We met up with them in Virginia a few years ago, and they have come to visit us in Honduras twice, and we went to Managua once. They are now on their way to sub-Saharan Africa. This photo was taken at a Marine Ball in Managua.
This is Henry, in the north of Honduras. It's a funny world...we met Henry in the south of France. He is married to Julie Fay, a poet, and she rented us the first house we stayed in in Montpeyroux, many years ago. They visited us in Tunisia, and Henry has come twice to Honduras. He has been working on a project (he's a photographer) here in Honduras that dated from when we were in Tunis, and coincidently we were assigned here. It's been great to see Henry so often. Now if only he could get Julie to come here also, but she's a Francophile...
Doug and I worked together many years ago. Our sons are the same age, and so we'd attend each other's birthday parties, etc. This is when he recently remarried to Janice. He's quite happy with his new life!
George is an Internet friend who I met online doing genealogy research. I had a Horner ancestor who married a Marshall in Nova Scotia, and George was doing research on Marshalls in Nova Scotia. He and Ginny came to NYC for a trip, and so my mother and I went to lunch with them. Then my mom went to visit them in Toronto, not too long before she died, and they had a wonderful trip. This is the wedding of their son.
8/7/05
Evelyn and Monica in New York City
Evelyn and Monica in NYC, after our big shopping day in Manhattan.
Praying over Mommy's grave
Peter Mills, praying for Mommy, while the boys are looking on. Robert Gibbs, the poet from New Brunswick, and Papito's classmate in college, is in the background.
8/3/05
Tunisian Consul in Guayaquil, Ecuador
Rosa, Kerim and I had dinner with the Tunisian consul in Ecuador, at their house in Guayaquil. They have two daughters, and the youngest is going to study her college studies in Tunis. The father is Tunisian and the wife is Ecuadorian.
7/27/05
Elyes and Valentina dancing in Guayaquil
Elyes (Rosa's and Kerim's son) and his cousin Valentina. Valentina has turned out to be a very jealous cousin, and protected her Tunisian cousin from all the girls that were very interested in him. The kids had a great time at the party for their grandmother in Guayaquil.
Abdelkerim, Cecilia and Valentina
Abdelkerim with Rosa's sister Cecilia and a niece Valentina. This took place at Rosa's mom's 70th birthday party in Guayaquil. I visited them for a week in July.
Rosa and sisters, in Guayaquil
Rosa and her three sisters, at the 70th birthday party of their mom, in Guayaquil. Rosa lives in Tunisia with her husband and son, but was visiting her family and celebrating her mom's birthday. As I did last year, I joined her in Guayaquil for a few days.
Rosa and mom
Rosa and her mom, in Guayaquil. I visited there for a week in late July. This was the evening of the party for her mom, to celebrate her 70th birthday. Rosa lives in Tunisia with her husband Abdelkerim, and it is at her house that my mom died last year. They also just lost their 22 year old son earlier this year.
7/12/05
Rafael
Rafael in Valle, at lunch. He's such a cutie! He's 7 months old. He reminds me a lot of when Andoni was a baby, the same expressions, energy, and interaction.
The friends at German B&B
This is our group...from left to right, starting on the bottom...Calvin, Gabriel peeking around, me, Evelyn and Rafael, Chris, Edel, then back row L to R, Dani, Val, and Sheila. The four women minus Dani hiked almost 4 hours to the B&B, and spent the night there. The rest joined us on Sunday, and then we all went to lunch in Valle de Angeles.
Dani at German B&B in El Rosario
Dani at the German bed and breakfast. She wasn't up to the hike to the B&B with us, but did the next best thing, joined us for coffee, and lunch later.
7/11/05
Ambassador Palmer and 1st and 2nd tour officers
Ambassador Palmer and a group of first and second tour officers, at a goodbye party for Amb. Palmer, who is leaving post. He will be the President of the Inter-American Foundation, where Jocelyn works.
7/7/05
7/6/05
La Tigra view
What a view! This is near the top of La Tigra National Park, as we took a Sunday morning hike before heading back to the city.
La Tigra waterfall
The waterfall at the end of an almost three hour hike into La Tigra National Park. It is only 45 minutes from Tegucigalpa, and a gorgeous place for hiking. We took turns almost giving up, and my knees were killing me, but it was Andoni in the end who pushed us up to the last bit and it was worth it.
Barretos on Sunday hike in La Tigra
The Barretos on a Sunday hike in El Rosario, around the corner from the German bed and breakfast.
7/5/05
Nicaraguan chest
This is the antique chest I bought in Leon. It's rickety and needs some work, but it looks great. It's on the far wall of our living room, and serves no function except to look good! I'll try and have it turned into a wine chest.
6/26/05
Fr. John David and Gary
Fr. John David and Gary, at the church picnic. I saw them one more time before I left the US, and they are now on their way to Chicago.
Bob and Suzanne
Bob & Suzanne and Adam and Claire. They also go to All Soul's, and we became good friends from church. This is at the church picnic in June.
Sue, Fr. John David and Monica
Sue, Fr. John David and Monica at the All Soul's Episcopal Church picnic.
6/23/05
Jocelyn and Monica
Monica & Jocelyn at my birthday dinner. Jocelyn and I went to college together, and although she traveled the world later, we kept running into each other. It turns out that she had married an Argentinian man, and I a Peruvian. We both learned Spanish fluently, and we both had sons born within months of each other. Renato and Ben were best friends for years, and still are good friends. Jocelyn, Cacho and Ben have been to visit us in both Tunisia and Honduras.
Birthday dinner group
Sue organized a birthday dinner for me, and so I got to see Bob and Suzanne (left), Sue, Karen and David, and Jocelyn and Cacho (not in photo) one last time before returning to Honduras. It was a fun, relaxing dinner, and the food was great. We ate in Bethesday, a hopping place.
6/18/05
Julio's cabin in West Virginia
Julio's cabin in West Virginia. He graciously allowed us to have our camping trip there, so he had 8 tents pitched in his front yard, and we had dinner on his back porch, with a spectacular view of the valley behind. It was a fun trip!
The three girls camping
The three girls on the camping trip...Lien was adopted from Vietnam by Debby, Ana Beth was adopted from China by Chris (Renato's godfather) and Lita, and Sarah is the daughter of Jeff and Ylaska. Jeff is American, Ylaska is Honduran, and they lived across the street from us in Tegucigalpa. Sarah is a favorite friend of Renato and Andoni.
Ana Beth
Ana Beth is Chris and Lita's new baby, adopted from China last year. She's such a sweetheart, friendly, open, playful. They spent two nights with me in Warrenton, and then we went camping to Julio's place. It was lots of fun.
Chris, Monica and Fred, reunited
Chris, Fred and I hung out as a trio in the year preceeding my meeting Guillermo. In fact, when I was on my 2nd date with Guillermo, and we were home watching a movie, Fred and Chris came over to "test" Guillermo to see if he was an appropriate man for me. He passed the test with flying colors, and 4 months later we were married. We now live in different parts of the country, and the world, but still keep in touch. We all lived at that time in the Saxony Cooperative in Adams Morgan.
Peter and Monica
Peter and Monica at our annual camping trip. Peter and I went to the same high school in NYC (Stuyvestant High School) and lived in the same building in Adams Morgan (the Saxony), and were on the board of the directors of the Saxony together. And then we started camping together. The next step is to start diving together! I'm working on it. Peter is the chef of the camping trips, but when he is not around, Chris or Rob take over. Peter is an artist when it comes to food!
6/7/05
Will and Monica at All Soul's picnic
Will and Monica at church picnic in Rock Creek Park. Will goes to All Soul's, as we did when living in the DC area, and Will's lots of fun.
5/27/05
Karen, David and the girls
Karen and David, and their lovely daughters. Karen and I worked together years ago, and we asked them to be the godparents of Andoni. The evening of the photo we all went out for Vietnamese food in Virginia.
5/26/05
David, Xiomara (Zee) and me
Xiomara, her son David, and me. Xiomara and Guillermo used to work together at the same law firm, and David was in Renato's kindergarten class at Oystery Bilingual. We are all still good friends, and keep in touch.
Deborah and Guillermo
Deborah and Guillermo at our 15th anniversary party. Deborah visited us in Tunisia, and bought this dress while there. She also visited us in Honduras. She dressed up, has been losing weight, and even had on new sandals and had a manicure for the occasion. She looks lovely. She is such a faithful friend. We used to be on the Saxony Cooperative Board of Directors together, when we lived in Adams Morgan, Washington.
Monica and Sharon
Sharon and I used to work together many years ago, in 1983, I think, when we did the research to put together a book called Information USA for a guy named Matthew Lesko. We hadn't seen each other in many years, but I did a google search on her ex-husband's name, and through him found her.
Mike Maxey and son
Mike and Ana Julia Maxey used to live in Honduras and Nicaragua, and we hired their maid of many years, Analia. We corresponded with the Maxeys via email, and finally got to meet Max and his son at our anniversary dinner. Ana Julia was in Honduras, and so couldn't come.
Fr. John David, Gary and Monica
Monica with Fr. John David and Gary, at a dinner we organized for our 15th wedding anniversary. I was in the DC area for training, and Guillermo joined me, so we got as many of our friends together to celebrate. That was the night that Fr. John David told us that they were probably leaving for a church in Chicago. Their last Sunday at All Soul's was the last Sunday in July.
5/22/05
Hiking trip to El Rosario
The girls on a hiking trip up to El Rosario, where we stayed at a German bed and breakfast. This was the morning of our return trip. We were sore and tired, but feeling good after a fun weekend together. We will be doing this again before Sheila leaves.
Dancing to Arabic music
Me trying oriental dancing...here in Honduras no one knows how to do it, so I seem like a pro to them, but if only they could see the women dancing in Tunisia!
Shisha party
Shisha party at our house. It was a success. We set up rugs and cushions in our car port area, and everyone relaxed.
5/21/05
5/17/05
Henry Mowatt & wife
Henry Mowatt, an ancestor of mine from New Brunswick, on my father's side of the family. I have spent many years doing genealogy research on my father's side of the family. I guess it's to make up for him having said I took strongly after the Latino side of the family!
The family plot in New Brunswick, Canada
The family plot in New Brunswick, Canada where my parents, my grandparents, my greatgrandparents, and even my g-g-grandmother are buried. It's a beautiful peaceful spot.
Roman Dougga in Tunisia
A gorgeous shot taken by a friend still living in Tunisia. It's a view of Dougga from a distance. Dougga was a lovely site, and I recommend it to anyone into Roman ruins.
5/14/05
Roger and Jennifer
Roger and Jennifer at the LeBow going away dinner. Jennifer is now posted to Madrid with her husband Dennis. Everyone really misses them here in Honduras. They were such a great family, and our sons became good friends at the last minute, after having been together at the same post for two years!
Diane and Reid
Reid and Diane...those Canadians! Soon after this party, Reid had a very bad biking accident on the streets of Tegucigalpa, and was operated on. He did have his spleen removed, and who knows what else, and within two weeks was back at work, and walking again. He's a tough one.
5/12/05
Smoking shisha at Arabic night
Ambassador Palmer at our shisha party. The apple tobacco was a hit, and I've had many requests to have another party.
5/11/05
Baby Nour in Tunis
Baby Nour with jasmine flowers. Nour is the first daughter of Rafik and Sonia, from Tunis. We miss them so much! Sonia was pregnant with Nour when we left Tunis.
5/8/05
The spectacular spider living in our backyard
A cool spider built its home in our backyard, and I tried to capture it's color and beauty on film, but couldn't figure out how to get the camera to focus on the spider. But this photo's not too bad. The spider is brown and tan and black and orange, and part of its web has white strands (lower right side of spider). It's about two 1/2 inches long, and just sits there, hopefully catching all the mosquitos.
The Three Musketeers
Brian, Renato and Chris, the newly discovered best friends, just as Brian is leaving the country.
5/6/05
Swati and Jose
Swati and Jose at Cinco de Mayo. It was a long night of dancing for all of us. Both Swati and Jose love to dance also, so we are always out on the dance floor.
Update: Jose just died a week ago, leaving behind a wife and two small children.
4/13/05
4/12/05
Messy room before cleanup
This is what Renato's room looked like that Saturday morning. For some reason, he was energetic and cooperative that day, and so he said that he'd get his room looking perfect in 5 minutes. We shall see!
4/10/05
Renato with another canine friend
Renato and a neighbor's dog. Prado and Armando are from Spain, and this is their new puppy.
Prado and her first tapestry made many years ago
Prado showing one of her tapestries. She lives next door, and creates some very interesting works of art.
3/27/05
Antique chest in Leon, Nicaragua
This chest was in the hallway of the Convento Hotel in Leon, Nicaragua. The entire hotel is full of antiques.Antique Nicaraguan chest
El Convento Hotel in Leon Nicaragua
Leon, Nicaragua, Hotel El Convento.
http://www.elconvento.com/
This first Carmelite Convent in the Americas housed nuns for 252 years. On December 9, 1903, the Archbishop of San Juan decided further repairs were too costly and the 9 remaining nuns and 2 novices moved a few days before Christmas.
Vacant for a decade, the church purchased the abandoned building from the Carmelite nuns in 1913 for $151. They rented it first as a retail store, then a dance hall. Then, for the next 40 years, it was a flophouse without running eater, sanitary facilities or electricity, just as in the 1600's. In 1953, the ruin became a parking lot for garbage trucks.
In 1959, under Operation Bootstrap, Robert Frederick Woolworth, heir to the Woolworth fortune, purchased the convent property from the Archdiocese of San Juan for $250,000 and transformed it into a deluxe hotel named El Convento. It would spur the development of business, tourism and employment in Old San Juan.
It took three years to convert the decayed structure to a hotel. Two floors were added to the original convent's three stories, creating 100 rooms, including 10 suites.
The interior designer accompanied by a photographer and Woolworth, journeyed everywhere in Spain to find furniture for the hotel. When he couldn't get authentic pieces from Spain's Golden Age he commissioned reproductions of enormous chandeliers, wrought-iron fixtures, and decorative tiles. All wood objects, furniture, louvered doors and overhead beams were handcrafted of walnut or mahogany. Lampshades were goatskins. Bedspreads and rugs were woven in Granada by gypsies.
No expense was spared, and it showed. The halls and galleries were filled with antiques: tapestries, paintings, shields and swords, carved chests. High-back chairs and settees were upholstered in satins and velvets. Guest rooms had canopied beds with elaborate headboards, beamed ceilings and window shutters.
By the end of 1970, the Woolworth family decided the hotel business was unprofitable and terminated the casino license. In 1971, they officially presented the hotel as a gift to the government in lieu of back taxes. The hotel was then government operated but it decided that professional management was preferable. No casino was in operation during this time.
It was operated by others for a couple of decades, and was recently redone and reopened in 1997 in its present state.
It is worth a visit for the food alone. The restaurant serves fabulous food, and the service is great.
The main room in El Convento Hotel, Leon, Nicaragua
Barretos in Leon, Nicaragua at El Convento Hotel, an exquitisite hotel full of antiques. This is the altar in the main living room area, right off the restaurant.
3/26/05
A street in Leon, Nicaragua
A street in Leon, Nicaragua. The last time I was in Leon, 24 years ago, these streets were not looking this good. There were bullet holes outside most buildings, and some had been bombed out. Many houses have been fixed up since, but the city has the same lazy pleasant feel about it, and it's still as hot as it used to be!
Kelly and Renato at the Wind household in Managua
Renato and Kelly in Managua, Nicaragua. We went to Alonso and Mabel's house for a BBQ while in Nicaragua over Semana Santa.
Julia and Andoni at the Wind residence in Managua
Andoni and Julia at Alonso and Mabel's house in Managua. We were there for dinner at their house, before heading up to Leon for the weekend.
3/25/05
Procession in Leon during Semana Santa
A procession in Leon, Nicaragua during Semana Santa. It was Easter Sunday, and this procession came up the street.
The cabin at Monkey Hut in Laguna de Apoyo, Nicaragua
We stayed at a lovely hotel called Monkey Hut on the Laguna de Apoyo, a crater lake near Masaya, Nicaragua. The locale was lovely. This is the "hut" that's right down at the water's edge, newly built, where the Barretos stayed. It has one queen sized bed, and a full-sized futon, plus a mini-kitchen, large bathroom, and a wrap around porch.http://www.thebeardedmonkey.com/monkeyhut.htm
View from Monkey Hut lodge over the Laguna de Apoyo in Nicaragua
Laguna de Apoyo, Nicaragua, view from Monkey Hut lodge. The lake is the extinct crater of a volcano, and is 200 meters in depth. The water is clean, and there are no boats on the water, and very little activity.
Monkey Hut lodge on Laguna de Apoyo, Nicaragua
Monkey Hut lodge, as viewed from below, coming up from the water. It has rooms on both levels, and the balcony on the 2nd floor over looks the lake, and has hammocks, tables, and is a big hangout area in the evenings.
Laguna de Apoyo is the result of a volcanic eruption that happened over 21 thousand years ago, and is considered the largest one to occur in Nicaragua over the last one hundred thousand years. It has a diameter of 6 kilometers and a depth estimated at 200 meters.
The name of the Laguna of Apoyo comes from the Dirian word for the flavor of its water, Alt- poyec, or salt water. The Spanish colonist Oviedo visited the lake in 1529 and indicated the salinity of its water, and according to his writings, there existed an "abundant fishing advantage in flavor and number compared to the fish of all the other lagoons".
The forest that surrounds Laguna de Apoyo is comprised of many precious trees that provide accommodations for the abundant natural fauna: howler monkeys, white-faced monkeys, armadillos, guatusas, raccoons, pizotes, deer, jaguars, magpies, zanates, golden orioles, saltapiñuelas, güises, chichiltotes, sensontles, guardabarrancos, among many others. The water of Laguna de Apoyo contains guapotes and the mojarra flecha, whose scientific name is cichlasoma zaliosum, a unique species in the world.
The dock at Laguna de Apoyo, Nicaragua
The dock of the Hotel Monkey Hut on the Laguna of Apoyo, a crater lake near Masaya, Nicaragua.
3/24/05
Guillermo and Kelly in Hotel Norome, Nicaragua
Guillermo and Kelly at Norome, Laguna de Apoyo, Nicaragua.
3/22/05
Scrabble night in Matagalpa, Nicaragua
Scrabble night in Selva Negra, near Matagalpa, NicaraguaScrabble night with the Barretos and Womacks. Selva Negra is a resort in the mountains above Matagalpa. The owners are of German descent, and we enjoyed our stay there. Again, the kids rode horses every day, we did a huge hike (where Ms. Julia, just 5, put us all to shame), and ate lots of good food.
http://www.selvanegra.com/
3/21/05
Renato horseback riding in Nicaragua
Renato on horse in Nicaragua. We stayed at a farm in a reserve in the mountains above Esteli. We took turn riding 4 horses, and the kids were hard to keep off the horses.
Guillermo on horseback...poor horse!
Guillermo squashing a poor Nicaraguan horse! We continue to tease him that Nicaraguan horses weren't made to handle men like him!
Flowers outside cabin near Esteli, Nicaragua
Flowers outside of cabin in the mountains of Nicaragua. It was a rustic place, but very pleasant. the kids had a blast with all the animals, and the horse back riding.
Our cabin the moutains above Esteli
Our little cabin in the mountains of Nicaragua, between Esteli and Jinotega. It was our base of operations for two days and one night. The kids were spooked by the spiders in the cabin so they slept in the cars, but the adults slept in the cabin.
3/20/05
Outhouse near Esteli, Nicaragua
Outhouse in the distance on farm up above Esteli, Nicaragua. We spent a night at this farm, and rode horses both days, and ate with the family, and hung out. It was a fun time, and the kids milked cows, and petted the calves, and played with the animals.
3/14/05
Guillermo, Justina and Honduran friend at Brazilian night
Guillermo, Justina and friend at a party at Cristina and Carlos' house.
Lia and Guillermo doing the bump at Brazilian night
Lia and Guillermo doing the bump! Lia loves to dance as much, if not more, than we do, and didn't stop the entire night.
Deborah Kapper at Brazilian night
Deborah visiting the Barretos in Tegucigalpa. We were at a Brazilian party in Cristina's house. Deborah came to visit for 2 1/2 weeks.
3/13/05
Russ and Christina at Brazilian night
Russell from New York and Christina (originally from Germany, but a real New Yorker now) at Brazilian night.
Evelyn and Edel at Brazilian night
Evelyn and Edel, our favorite family here in Honduras. We hang out quite a bit, our kids are friends, and we get along very well. Kindred spirts for sure!
2/27/05
Rudy in Utila
Rudy, the guy driving our boat when we went out diving. He's marrying an American woman, so I heard that story while the others dived.
Alton's Dive shop view, Utila
The view from Alton's Dive Shop in Utila, where I took my diving classes.
2/20/05
Amel & Phillipe, the newlyweds in Tunis
Amel and Phillipe, her new French husband. They were married on February 20th, 2005 in Tunis. Amel is one of the Tlili family that we socialized with in Tunis. She and her sister Amel love to dance, as we do, so were frequent visitors to our house.
2/19/05
2/15/05
Sarah and Paul
Sarah and Paul, at a dinner at our house. Paul is a new co-worker of mine, and he and his wife are so sweet. They are frequent guests at our house, and their little girls call Renato and Andoni "my boys", as in "when are we going to see our boys?". They have three small daughters.
2/13/05
Sami dancing
Sami, doing what he loved to do best...dance. Tragically Sami died at the beginning of Feb. 2005 in a car crash in Tunis, at the age of 22. He was the old son of Rosa, my best buddy. Rosa and Kerim are suffering tremendously, and I pray for them everyday. Sami was a good kid, and my mother used to love to dance with him.
2/12/05
Sami and Rosa
Sami, Linethe and Rosa, in happier times. Sami is now deceased, at the age of 22 and we are all still reeling from the shock.
2/5/05
Cher, Laura and our new boss
Laura, my buddy in Rome, her friend Cher (left) and our new boss (right).
1/24/05
Calvin, slim and trim
Calvin looking slim and trim and muscular. We were at vegetarian night at Russ & Christina's house.
1/23/05
Val and Russ in deep discussion
Two New Yorkers from Long Island in deep discussion, at a dinner party at our house.
The Barreto boys wrestling
Guillermo wrestling with the boys. They call it "Lion King", and that started when Renato was two and played with his father like in "Lion King". They have been doing it since. Of course, when I tried it one day, I ended up with a fractured pinky. I'll leave the wrestling to the boys!
Andoni at Mary Tartaglia's house
Andoni at Mary Tartaglia's house. Since he studies in the French school system, and is learning also in Spanish, the Embassy pays for him to study English with a tutor. We were so lucky to find Mary, and she tutors him in English reading and writing, among other things.
1/21/05
Suntanned Sheila
Sheila, all sun tanned from her "business trip" to Roatan and Utila...where she got to dive three times. Business trip? ha!
1/20/05
Rafael six weeks old
Rafael at six weeks of age. Will he be a tranquilito like his brother? We all hope so! He sure is a cutie, though. Evelyn had to spend the last three months of her pregnancy in Miami Beach, first trying to keep him in, and then waiting for him to come out...and finally he's here.
1/19/05
Chris and Val clowning around
Chris & Val clowning around at Russ & Christina's vegetarian dinner party.
1/18/05
Lenca pottery with flowers
Lenca vase. Lenca pottery is beautiful and simple, with intricate designs. It's local to Honduras.
1/15/05
1/14/05
Tyler and Renato at a party
Renato and Tyler, a friend. Tyler, his brother Conner, Renato and Andoni does gymnastics together.
1/12/05
Mexican fish pottery candle holder
Mexican fish candle holder. I bought it as a present for Karen and David, but figured I'd keep an image of it.
Guatemalan Painting
5 Guatemala figures. This painting hangs in Carlos and Cristina's house. I guess I liked it! It must be the bright colors.
The boys with Carlos and friend
Renato and Andoni at Carlos' house. Carlos is 9, and is a good friend of the boys. His mom is from Brazil and his dad from El Salvador...cute mix!
Carlos at dinner table
Carlos at the dinner table. Carlos and Christina are good friends, and we were over at their house for dinner.
1/11/05
Nassau palm tree
Nassau palm tree, also taken by Nori. It's a chance from his last two postings, Sarajevo and Islamabad!
Nassau waters in January
Nassau waters. Nori, a friend who is posted in Nassau, took this lovely photo.
1/6/05
Honduran wooden closets
Honduran closets. All the houses have these floor to ceiling closets...very handy for hiding all that junk out of sight.
1/5/05
Barreto boys and the girl cousins
Renato and Andoni and the Cuernavaca cousins, Gaby, Monica and la Yoyo. Gaby's mom and Monica and Yoyo's mom are sisters, and I lived with their family when I was 13, 14 and 15, learning Spanish in Mexico. I spent three months out of each summer, and lived in Iguala, Guerrero, Mexico. Those were very formative experiences in my life, and I am very fond of that family as a result. Their dad, Alberto, is my mom's remaining brother, and Alberto's wife Lucina has been my mom's great friend since 1958. They are both still very distraught over the death of my mother this past March.
1/4/05
Tunisian furnishings in Honduran house
Our Tunisian marble table, and our Tunisian mirror. At the last minute, before we left Tunisia, we had two marble tables made. This is the larger one. The mirror was ordered by another American, and then never purchased, so we inherited it. The table is made from 7 different kinds of marble native to Tunisia, and the base and mirror were made by a friend.
Brothers on stairs in Tegucigalpa
Brothers, hugging, on the staircase of our house in Tegucigalpa. They are either beating each other up or loving each other to death. There's no in between!
Chester the cat from Honduras
Chester, our Honduran cat. We like him because he's not afraid of Andoni. He's a real sweet heart.
Dani and a martini
Dani at her birthday martini party in Washington, DC. Dani lives here in Tegucigalpa, and is a favorite of ours at our dance parties. She's quite the dancer, as is Calvin, her partner in crime. She and I have the same style in dresses (sleeveless and simple), and in shoes (comfortable and sexy), and in hair (short and spiky).
Mommy's last 5 minutes.
Mommy, five minutes before her massive stroke. That was a Wednesday. We arrived in Tunis on Friday, and she died on Saturday, without ever gaining consciousness. Friends say she glowed her last few weeks, and was the happiest and most beautiful they had ever seen her. She made 5 trips to Tunisia in the two years we were there, and made the 6th one (this last trip) after we were gone. She loves Tunisia and our friends there, and was the happiest there, in the last two years of her life.
Mommy on her last night in Tunis
Mommy with Aldelkerim (Rosa's husband) and Liliana, the night of her massive stroke. Liliana, on the right, took all these last photos I have of Mommy. These photos have been such a comfort to me, and many others. Thanks Liliana!
Layla, Mommy and Rosa
Mommy in Tunisia, the night of her massive stroke, with Layla and Rosa. She had a wonderful three weeks in Tunisia.
Dougga in the spring
Laura's lovely shot of ruins in Dougga, surrounded by wild flowers. She visted briefly from Algiers, to recover from a stressful life there.
Dougga is situated in the mountains inland of Tunisia, at about 550 metres above sea level, in an area that was densely populated by the Numidians, and the city served as one of the capitals of Massinissa, an Roman ally, and one of the contenders to Carthage. The location was ideal, as it was fairly close to the heartland of the Carthagian country, and with the fall of the fightings between Carthage and Numidia, Dougga was turned into a regional administrative centre, a role the city lost with the decline of the Roman empire, and today not many people live around here. There probably were less than 10,000 inhabitants at its height, and the city was deserted in the 5th century, and since then there have only been a village here.
The whole area is about 3 sq km, and among the most important ruins are the Capitol with a peristyle in very good condition. The theatre, not one of the biggest, is restored. The Libyco-Punic mausoleum to the south is one of very few ruins from the time before the Romans. It dates back to 3rd century BC.
Papito (aka The Rev. James Hazen Horner)
Papito (my dad) in his teens, growing up in Milltown, New Brunswick, Canada. He later joined the US Army, was stationed in Alaska, and eventually ended up studying to be an Episcopal priest in Chelsea in Manhattan. He met my mom there, and they married in 1959. They lived for a brief, unhappy period in Baltimore (where I was born in 1960), but they eventually moved back to NYC, where they lived happily ever after. They may have been born outside of the United States, but they loved the US, and especially New York City. They were energetically in love with the city, and in spite of my pleas, never agreed to come live with me in Washington, DC. Now I'm the owner of the apartment they left in NYC, so I guess I'm a New Yorker again, after all these years.
Ross Campbell and family at the beach in the Seychelles. He was my boss in Tunisia, and his wife Brigitte is from the Seychelles. Sean and Renato were in 5th grade together, and Tamara is the only girl that has gotten Renato out to dance successfully.
St. Guilhem le Desert, in Languedoc, in the south of France. The victim of the vandalism that was common at the beginning of the 19th century, fragments of the abbey are found scattered all over the region and even as far away as the Cloisters museum, north of New York City. Much reconstructed in the 20th century, the abbey today is the parish church of the small, picturesque village of Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert.
Saint Guilhem was the man who gave his name to the beautiful monastery in the Gellone valley, 30 kilometers northwest of Montpellier. Born sometime in the late 8th century, Guilhem was the grandson of Charles Martel, the Duke of Aquitane, and one of the Emperor Charlemagne's chosen knights. A devout Christian who ended his days (died 812 AD) in the monastery at Gellone, he endowed the abbey with a relic of the True Cross, given to him by Charlemagne. Left in possession of the remains of a man who had been so illustrious in his early life and so holy in his later years, and possessing this relic of the True Cross, the monastery soon prospered and became a popular place of pilgrimage in southern France.
Blanche Marie and her family, with Guillermo, in Montpeyroux, France. Jean Louis restores antique wood furniture and doors.
Mommy in Toronto with the Marshalls
Mommy and George and Ginny in Toronto. She had a fabulous time visiting them. I met George on the Internet doing genealogy research, and he later came to NYC and we had lunch. We have kept in touch for several years now, and my mom went to visit them in 2003.
Andoni at the first day of baseball practice in Tegucigalpa. Ambassador Palmer is giving batting tips.
Renato and friend in Digby, Nova Scotia
Renato and a friend, in Nova Scotia. My dad was from New Brunswick, and his dad was from Nova Scotia, Canada. I have a cousin, Freddy Horner, living in Digby and working as a lobster fisherman and tour guide. This is his dog. We haven't been up in years, but need to.
Gabriel feeding Rafael
Gabriel, feeding his new baby brother Rafael. We were lucky to have Gabriel living with us for two sweet weeks, while his parents were in Miami.
The Hash group at a trip to western Tunisia, along the border with Algiers. It's a region where cork comes from. We had a wet Hash weekend, but it didn't matter!
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Synagogue in Djerba. The building suffered no damage inside from the bombing, but outside over a dozen German tourists died.
Rafik jumping off cliff at El Haouaria
Rafik diving off a cliff at the end of Cap Bon into the lovely sea off Tunisia.
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Lyes in MAÂMOURA, smoking chicha
Lyes smoking the chicha in Mamoura, the lovely house by the sea. The best time is in the winter, when no one is there, and you can walk the beaches without hassle.
This little resort on the Cap Bon sees many tourists in summer time, as the beach is as clean as it gets, and they are all Tunisians. Even if their preference of Maâmoura is that there are almost only Tunisians here, foreigners are most welcome.
El HAOUARIA, on Cap Bon. Renato jumping!
Renato jumping into the Med at El Haouaria, Cap Bon, Tunisia. That's Jocelyn in the water, keeping an eye on Renato and Ben. I'm sitting on the very sharp rocks that lead up to the water. I was too scared to jump into that crazy water!
El Haouaria is best known for the Roman quarries. When the Romans rebuilt Carthage as Roman city, much of the stone needed was taken out of the mountain close to El Haouaria, and the holes are now known as the Roman caves. El Haouaria has a couple of other attractions, very good beaches, an annual festival for falconry (mid-June), and there are even locally grown bananas here, overpriced, small and too sweet.
1/3/05
12/29/04
Mexican plate and its painter
I bought the plate being held by the painter. It's a marriage scene. This is the artisian market in Cuernavaca, Mexico
Market colors in Mexico
Mexican colors at a market in Cuernavaca. Renato took this photo. The colors are overwhelming at times.
12/28/04
Tejones at the top of Tepozteco
The Mexicans were calling these tejones. They were hungry beasts and were trying to climb Renato's leg to get to his piece of chicharron. The would have vicious fights among each other over food, with plenty of snarling and showing of sharp teeth.