We call this picture, "backpack buddies" because we both ordered custom made ones from the CCM store and wore them walking to get groceries this week. Brother Pitcher snapped this picture for us!
More flowers... It is seriously like the Garden of Eden here!
This is our Guatemalan cowboy friend who was getting his boots shined... He spoke English to us and told us that he had lived in Massachusetts. He was proud to let us take his picture!
This is the little shoe repair guy who repaired Brother Pitcher's shoes. It is a mobile unit/bike and he lights the charcoal and heats up the glue/resin right on the street. We see him riding all over.
This is Felipe, one of our gardener friends. We had been talking to him and bringing him little treats when we came by. He asked us if we would like to see the house and yard one day... We realized it is vacant and he lives there during the week and cares for it. Wow! It is huge and beautiful... In need of some work, but was probably classy back in the day. He is a master gardener and was so proud to show us all around. He lives somewhere close to Antigua, but stays here during the week. He has a little bed and hotplate in the laundry room. I asked him how he learned gardening and he said Heavenly Father taught him!
This is the big retaining wall and more gardens below the house. Felipe is showing us all the places he is planting new plants.
Another little pretty spot we pass on our walking routes. Notice the umbrellas? It was the rainy season up until November.
Here is a typical walking day... Dad way out in front, taking pictures of his tired walking companions behind him and Paul flexing his mighty muscles! If you believe that, I'll sell you some swampland in Guatemala! Haha!
This is a little quilt I tied for the little girl who cuts Dad's and my hair. She is having her fourth child, a boy, and won't be back until February. I was wishing I had my little pvc quilting frames because I also taught the young women how to tie one. We did it as a service project for a lady who leads the singing in our ward. They are both due around December 1st. I sewed the edges by hand!
This is the haul I made for my birthday. The Pollo Campero is a chicken place we walked to and brought back a box for Murri's, too. He told us it was good. The sunflowers came from a little street vendor, who cut them down with his machete... They were about 3 feet high!
This is our favorite little friend and gardener. He always drops his rake and comes right out to meet us with his arms wide open. He says we are angels and always gives us a blessing when we leave. We saw him this morning and he called us his hermana and hermano! He has such a sweet countenance.
Here is a better shot of Kellie and Roy's little apartment building. I think there are two of them! I always think of them when I see it, so I made Dad take a picture to send home. They forgot the "S"!!
This was in October at the little mall where we get our groceries. They started playing Christmas music right before Halloween. They were just getting it all set up. Notice the piano man's piano below the giant tree!
This is our friend the dog walker. We see him when we walk at 7:30 am and sometimes bring him a treat. He has a really deep voice like the guy in the Oakridge Boys! Notice the steel gates and barbed wire at the top? They are everywhere! What?! Are they saying this city is not safe?!
This is one of the little "stores" we pass on our long route. There is a little girl that makes the tortillas. They are 4 for Q1. We bought one dozen. Notice her big bowl of dough and the hot ones are in a basket. She was too shy to look at the camera. The little store is run by someone else.
Here's our little "fuller brush man" friend. We got a picture with him this time. He carries all his wares on his back and walks all over to sell them.
According to an old Central American legend, the original poinsettia was a pure white. The natives gathered them on a Great Day of Prayer and offered them on the altars of their God. Then one year savage invaders began to ravage the land. Many natives gave their lives in the disparate struggle, which finally drove the invaders out. When the poinsettias bloomed the following year, it was no longer white, but blood red! The natives believed their beloved flower was stained by the blood of those who died to save their country. They grow like this here in Guatemala!
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