Week 30, Project 365

Not sure if it's because the seasons are opposite to what I'm used to, but it's really hard wrapping my head around the fact that it's the end of July. I had trouble when we lived in Uganda too; year-round summer messed with my mind, and left me feeling like I was suspended in time. This is worse though. Winter in July is just all wrong! I wonder if I'll ever get used to it?!

It really hits home each Sunday when I'm posting another Project 365 entry...this week was no different -- we are THIRTY WEEKS INTO THE YEAR. Can you believe it? I'm so thankful for this project; it's been a good discipline and even though I don't have a photo for every.single.day, I do have a lot more photos than I would otherwise! I worried about whether I could stick with it but actually, as the year has progressed, I've become BETTER at remembering to take photos :-) Thank you Sara for starting, and continuing to host, Project 365!

Monday I actually forgot to take a photo because I was having too much fun :-) We celebrated Dia del Amigo with friends Monday night and had so much fun talking, eating, enjoying music... One of the guests is an accomplished musician and while I don't have any photos from Monday, I remembered that we took some short videos of him at a previous party last fall. So for your viewing pleasure, I present 30 seconds of our friend playing traditional Argentine music (he invented the contraption he's using to play the guitar and harmonica simultaneously; make sure you notice the foot pedal he operates to really belt out the music)...

I made this cake (dark chocolate orange layer cake from Tasty Kitchen) for the party, but everyone was so full by the time it was served, only half the folks took very thin slices. Leaving me with plenty to share with other friends on Tuesday :-) Wednesday it snowed!!! You have to understand, It.Hardly.Ever.Snows.Here. Seriously, they sometimes go YEARS without snow. Do you think it followed me here? Because it snowed last September too, just before the official start of Spring. Do I sense a conspiracy? Forget global warming, are we in for another ice age? You can see there's a lot more snow up in the Sierras; we just got a dusting here in Carlos Paz and it was gone in a matter of hours. Folks who live higher up in the mountains like to show off. It's a tradition to build a little snowman on the hood of your car. I kept trying to snap a photo of one but we were always in a moving vehicle which made it a rather difficult. This is the best shot I managed to get. I realized I haven't shared any of my art projects in a while. Okay, maybe never. So here's what I'm working on now, and you'll understand why I've been so reticent to show you. Not exactly great art. But I'm having fun :-) For this project the teacher had me take two photos, enlarge them and then cut them up and reassemble bits from both to create a new "picture" in cubist style (that's what you see underneath my painting). Before class I applied gesso to create texture and provide "tooth" for the paint to adhere. I spent all of class time concentrating on the flower portion; next week I'll work on the architectural part. But don't you think my flower center looks more like a slice of pizza? Friday while I was at the dentist's, Ivan went under the knife at a nearby clinic. He had out-patient surgery on his knee to remove a cyst that was trying to pass itself off as another knee. He was finished before I was, so HE WALKED TO THE DENTIST'S. Said he felt great. When the anesthetic wore off about 11 p.m. it was a different story. Today he's still in a world of hurt, but he peeked under the bandage and it looks fine. No excessive redness or swelling. Not only does the knee hurt but he's having pain up and down his sciatic nerve too. Poor guy! Today we had asado with our co-workers and some young men who came into town to help with a youth activity. We enjoyed grilled beef, pork and vegetables (have you ever had grilled butternut squash? DELICIOUS!). Ivan made fresh chimichurri with parsley from our garden. Excelente! Our co-worker's youngest daughter (age 11) made not one, but TWO, fabulous desserts! As we've gotten to know one another through our blogs and photos, I wonder if the other Project 365 participants feel as I do? That we've become friends. Real friends, not just cyber friends. I think if we ever meet, we'll know each other immediately because we're not strangers at all. And then there's the people I knew before (my SIL and a niece are participants) that I've gotten to know better through the Project. A win-win situation, all around!