Festa Junina

Saturday was a crazy day at Villagio Panamby (apartment complex where we live). The Brazilians celebrate Festa Junina at the beginning of winter. It is essentially a way to honor rural life. Kids wear straw hats and peasant costumes. Our complex had food booths, games, animals, bonfire and a live band. (Not sure how it fits in but our favorite booth was the Japanese booth from the sushi place up the street.) Good times!
Sunday, we dropped Java off at Caopestre Dog Park and Hotel after Jackson's baseball game. What a beautiful place. I think she is going to have great fun there for the three weeks we'll be back in the States. She was already hanging out with Roy, a beautiful chocolate lab that belongs to our friends Pete and Shannon.

Bedroom Cleanup

Hannah and Jackson finally cleaned and organized their closets yesterday. We have some great built-ins in their bedrooms but they were both using the "throw it all in and make one big pile" method. Not any more!

Facapai

Meet facapai. Faca (pronounced fuk-a) is the Portuguese word for knife. Pai (pronounced pie) is the word for Father. This was the kid's gift to Ro for Father's Day. We've named it Facapai. You can't help but grin everytime you say facapai.

Winter in Sao Paulo

Yesterday was the Summer Solstice (longest day of the year) back home. In Sao Paulo, we are below the equator so it is just the opposite. We are at the center of Winter. But don't worry about me. Today's temperature is a beautiful 63 degrees. At home, that would mean t-shirts and jeans. Here, no joke, people are in wool hats and parkas. So funny. By August, it should start heating up again.

This photo is from last week. Hannah, Jackson and I walked up the street for sushi. We sat outside. We have Michigan blood.

Our apartment has no heat and no air conditioning. We control the temperature by opening or shutting the windows and it works quite well. The weather now is sunny and we have the windows open to let the heat in during the day. At night, we shut them. Easy.

Most of the gringoes with school-age children have returned to their home country for the month of July. It is really quiet here. Hannah and I went to church yesterday. Normally, there are about 150-200 people there. There were only about two dozen and we had Mass in the small chapel. A lot of the people we talked to were leaving in the next week or two.

We head back to Detroit on July 1 for three weeks. Dan and the kids are really excited. I'm going to work while we're home. Hannah, my Mom and I are going to take a long weekend for our annual "girl trip." This year's destination is Mackinac Island. Jackson is going to be at a pre-college workshop at the Cleveland Institute of Art for two weeks and Hannah is signed up for driver's education classes. Ro just wants to fish.

Ro, the world's best Dad

My kids are so lucky. They have the greatest Dad. Here it is Father's Day and all; Jackson and Ro just left for baseball at 7:30 in the morning. Ro knows how important baseball is to Jackson so he never complains about what a pain it must be to spend every weekend at the baseball field. He just does it.

So far, I have been in the States more than I have been in Brazil because of work. He's been a single Dad lots of weeks and even though he's tired from the daily grind, he doesn't miss parent teacher conferences, plays or games. In short, Ro rocks! Happy Father's Day to the two Dads in my life too....HF and Wayne. I am very lucky.

Hannah and I went with Sharon and Christa to Jose Paulino on Friday. Such adventure! Sao Paulo has so many hidden little areas. Jose Paulino is a discount shopping district downtown. Store after store has piles of clothes, all at bargain prices. You had to dig but we found some great items and had a lot of fun. We ate corn from a cart (until the girl got in trouble and had to quickly wheel her business to a new location) and enjoyed a nice sunshiney day!

Back At It

Today was the first day back in the office in the Southern (way Southern) bureau of Crain. It was very normal and reassuring after all the craziness of the last few weeks. I really feel like I get a lot done while I'm here. The kids are off school now so it is a little weird to have them around all day. The constant hum of the XBox and the television is very different. I like it quiet (except for Java barking).

Speaking of Java, we found a great place for her to stay while we're home in the States July 1-23. Thanks to a tip from our friends Pete and Shannon, Java is going to Caopestre Park and Hotel near Embu. Check this place out with the link. She is going to live large. Pete and Shannon's dog Roy will be there at the same time. He's a playful lab so Java will have a buddy.

This photo is Sunny, Bobby and Jackson outside today playing roller hockey. I think the whole concept of no school is making them very happy.

An Artful Day

Where I have been? In the last three weeks, I've been hanging with my pal Delta playing alphabet soup. We've been to JFK, LAX, ATL, DTW, MEM, BHM, back to ATL and then finally home to GRU. I think this trip alone will bump me up a status level. I had a great trip, accomplished a lot at work, saw some dear friends, hung with the family, ran a bit and ate way too much everywhere I went but it so, so, so great to be back now with Ro and the kids.

Today, Hannah and I went to the Museu de Arte de Sao Paulo. After missing just about every turn trying to get there, we finally arrived and had a nice few hours. It is a cool building even before you look at the art. They had the usual masters and then we went to the signature show there now by Brazilian artist Vik Muniz. He lays out dramatic images with normal objects like garbage, sugar, diamonds, toy soldiers and food and then photographs the images from above. This Mona Lisa was made out of peanut butter and jelly. My favorite images were the sugar children.