It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new.
But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful.
There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.
Alan Cohen
"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
Groucho Marx
The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Happy Independence Day Argentina !

I am the last person to attempt to tell any story about the Independence of Argentina, (9th of July, 1816 ), aside from the part that I know ... they won their Independence from Spain    and the widest  ( they were going for longest but the French Embassy got in the way) avenue  in the world is named 9 de Julio. 
And it seems that probably every General who led an army in that war, has a street named after him   .. or at least ,has a little or quite large, statue somewhere.


But for us, today, it meant an unexpected holiday, a long weekend for the Porteños and why not ice this little Independence Day cake with a lovely visit with the Cousins.
Yep, you heard me right, we have cousins who live here.
We knew they lived here but we did not know the important things, like her married  name or where they lived or anything else.
It was only through good  luck   and some little angel sitting on someone's shoulder, that led us to , easily after having dim hopes of success, find our cousin and her husband and 2 sons and their fantastic dog ... yes, Pup has a Cousin too.


We  always make sure never to be the Guests who never know when to go home or worse, the Guests who won't stop calling or visiting.. so we wait to be asked and what a treat, we were invited to lunch today.
Lunch at the Cousins involves a Taxi ride with Pup, because they love him too and it is easier to stay longer when the Pup is also in attendance .


Today we hit the Taxi jackpot ! 
I stood at the corner with Pup and waved at a promising looking new taxi, he pulled over, said.. of course Pup was welcome. 
So my husband got in front and I threw a big towel on the seat, ( I am the most courteous dog owner you will ever meet..really) and Pup popped right in, looked out the window for a moment, sat down and stared straight ahead.. which he would do for the rest of the ride.
Like the trip depended on his staring straight ahead No Matter What ..  
I mentioned to him that people were saying hello... stared straight ahead.
I suggested he relax and lie down ... stared straight ahead. 
I even made a happy squeaky noise about look at the doggy ... stared straight ahead.
I have now come to the conclusion that he was memorizing the way so 1- he could lead us back home, 2- he was memorizing the way so he could go visit the cousins without us .. 
Upon arrival, he ran through the house ( over the cousin) and out to the back where their dog was given a split second to have a sniff before Pup threw himself inside the pool house and the door shut behind him and he was safe from Taxi drivers and an overly affectionate giant ball of fur named Wacki. ..or maybe it is Juaqui .. whatever, this dog has blue eyes, a black mask on a white face and has to weight 200 pounds. 
Thank god he is gentle.
The Koi were thrilled to see me .. 
We had a little Koi petting moment and then I too ran into the pool house and spent the next couple of hours, eating , drinking, eating, laughing, eating , speaking Spanish, eating and then we went to the house and got the leash and went for a walk.
Every time we go to their house, I want to walk their neighborhood. 
I seem to be the only person, besides Pup ( although there is some doubt from certain quarters that he is a person) who likes to walk around the area and explore.. they would rather be warm, comfortable and drink good wine... go figure.
I took photos .. I want to live in a house like one of these. 


I would like to have a garden and even if I can't have Koi, Pup can have a spot of grass to call his own and we can all have a bit more quiet and privacy.


So those thoughts are perking away in my over - active imagination , the one that is already designing the interiors ... and the garden .. and the kitchen .
The pool house is at the end of the garden away from the house. 
 There is a huge parrilla inside. A grill but better than any grill you have seen ( unless you live here and you have one or your relatives have one or you see them in the restaurants.) 
The room smelled of burning wood, the cooking smells go right up the special chimney they have .. there were salads with cheese and salads with veggies and crunchy breads, toasted on the fire.. then there was helado.
Ice cream Bon Bons.. full of Dulce de Leche. And we brought brownies, with a layer of Dulce de Leche.


So you can see why a nice walk around the neighborhood was good for us in another way too. Then it was 
Home to a quiet neighborhood because everyone was in the parks.. where we walked with Pup and then home again for the night.


I hope your Friday was as good ..













4 comments:

  1. What a wonderful way to celebrate Independence Day! We are on our way to the Argentinian Restaurant...empanadas are a must today!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a marvelous day and those houses... mon dieu, gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a marvelous way to spend the day! I love the photos!!!

    ReplyDelete

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