Beer Bubbles

Last night, my father's country club (Oakdale Golf and Country Club), hosted a "Beer Night", with representatives of Sierra Nevada Brewery featuring some of it's custom brews. The big star of the night, however, was Chef Dan Quint, whose adventurous menu added spice to the evening. I am going to include his menu and tell me if it doesn't sound delicious.

However, the evening was started off by Chef Dan's presentation of Beer Balls. This is actually a new technique (developed in about 2002) called spherification. It is a matter of encapsulating a liquid in a thin sphere of itself- in other words (using a combination of calcium chloride and sodium algenate) the beer forms a thin skin of beer. More technical information can be found at this site: Cafe Atlantico. Chef Dan hinted that olives that are liquified in a blender could be incapsulating, providing a different texture with a familiar taste. Another suggestion was encapsulating a bernaise sauce and placing a globe on top of steak. Just another way to present familiar food in a new setting. The beer balls (when they were presented) just melt in the mouth. Very interesting.

A Historic Moment

I have to post a picture of me with my sister and Dad. I post this, because there has never been a time when all of us have been together, attending a Memorial (like Denise described in her last post). Of course, my sister and I have attended regularly for many year. But Dad- never!

We were able to find a suit that Dad has purchased years ago and had worn infrequently. I convinced him that golf pants and cap were not suitable. And, Dad conducted himself well, with only a few comments, which I tried to ignore. All-in-all, it was a great evening and one that Val and I will remember and Dad will never forget.

Too bad that Denise couldn't be here. That would have made it epic. But, at least we were "united, though apart".

On a more prosaic matter- I still haven't played golf. But Tuesday, we are supposed to play. I will report on that.

Apart But United!

I am actually posting this a day ahead of schedule. This way, if any one wants to take advantage of the invitation for Sunday they have time to plan to do so. This is what an invitation in Spanish looks like.

As most of you know, my husband Wally is temporarily out of the country on funeral leave (concerning his mother). His leaving came about in a busy time of year for us religious wise.

Here in Uruguay they call the week from April 17 to the 24th semana Santa. So they leave Christ out completely. Since Uruguay is more of a socialist country they go even further to avoid religious tones and all of the businesses also call this week "Tourism Week" 

Up in North America some of you may notice the calendars say Easter is near. Easter however is actually a name for a pagan goddess, a fertility one at that, hence the eggs and rapidly reproducing rabbits to symbolize this. I was going to add a bunch of links showing the pagan origin of both the name Easter and the eggs and practices including Easter sun rise gatherings but there were just too many to list, so just google: "Pagan origins of easter eggs" and you will get dozens of sites admitting it's not a biblical practice. One site I found said that, that's where we get the name derived for the female hormone estrogen! So since we are not celebrating  Ishtar/Astarte/Ostara or Eastur some of the many names for that Spring goddess, what are we going to do?

Well, despite the fact that Wally and I are, literally thousands of miles apart, we will be united, because on the exact same evening,  Sunday April 17th, we will be attending (after sundown) "The Memorial of Christ's Death" at our respective Kingdom Halls. Me, here in Uruguay and Wally, there In California.

There is usually a full moon close to that date. We go by the Jewish calendar which lists the Original Jewish Passover date as Nisan 14th. The month of Nisan started after the new moon became visible in Jerusalem nearest the spring equinox. We are not Jewish but after Jesus celebrated the Jewish Passover in 33 CE (he was Jewish remember?)  He went on to institute a new memorial supper that same night after the passover with his Apostles, Passing bread and wine symbolizing his flesh and blood.

Why is this short, once a year Anniversary so important to attend and observe? Well, in the Bible Book of Luke or the Gospel of Luke Chapter 22 verse 19 Jesus said "Keep doing this in remembrance of me"

Without going into any detail on us believing that Jesus is The Messiah and Mediator between God and Man, our God given Savior ransoming our sins. I thought instead, of the many customs people do celebrate. In researching this season I learned that many people celebrate Lent representing the 40 days of Jesus reflection in the wilderness. Yet, Jesus never said to do that! Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday, a time of fun and food before fasting is also celebrated, yet, Jesus never said to do that! Easter sun rise service even though touted as representing the Resurrection of Christ. (mixing worshipping the sun with true beliefs never condoned in the Bible (Ezekiel 8:15-18) well, Jesus never said to do that! Even Christmas with all the gift giving, caroling and here in Uruguay, Fire works! Yeah, fireworks! Jesus, never said to do that! There is the Scary Halloween and Day of the Dead celebrations Jesus never said to do that!. Then comes our individual celebrations, Wedding Anniversaries, Birthdays, showers etc... All the while, Jesus never said to do that!  People just do! Now, comes the one time of the year that Jesus said to, "Keep doing this in remembrance of me". The one night only, he said to actually celebrate, with his approval, to be held on the original Passover date, the night of Nisan 14th, after sun down and guess what? Most people haven't really ever heard of this or do it for that matter. In the Bible book of 1 Corinthians Chapter 11: verses 23 thru 26 the Apostle Paul said in verse 26 "For as often as you eat this loaf and drink this cup you keep proclaiming the death of our Lord until he arrives".

So, as the earth turns and night descends onto each island nation and continent, this Sunday, April 17th, you are cordially invited to attend this celebration/observance at your local Kingdom hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, check local times. In Salinas, Uruguay ours starts at 6:30PM (18:30)

The meetings are always free with no contribution plates passed, ever! You will hear a short discourse on the significance of this night and then watch as Bread and Wine are passed to symbolize exactly what  took place that night. These tokens Christ himself said represented his body and blood. I say it will be take no more than 45 mins.

We all celebrate special occasions once a year, we keep our Anniversaries and special moments dear. I like to think of keeping the Memorial of Christ's death like an annual role call. Once a year Jesus can look down on Wally and I along with millions of others and say Wow, I said to do that and they did! 

Wally's Sad Day!

News of a sad kind.

Wally's mother just died/passed away, so he's had to leave Uruguay for a little while to take care of business. He is in California, staying with his father, at his fathers house. 

Having to buy tickets back to the states, on such short notice, has set us pensioners back quite a bit, dollar wise ($1500 for a round trip ticket).  Because of "Spring break" the airlines were especially booked up and finding seats available was hard at this time of year. So to make the most of the trip he will be staying in California for a few months. I assure you, however that Wally has already bought the ticket back to Uruguay,  Ida Y Vuelta (going & return), and no we haven't been fighting!

Leo #1, because we know two Leo's (and the other one is younger), was kind enough to take Wally to the port. I'm not good at driving a stick shift but especially having to drive through the crazy traffic in Montevideo, which Wally doesn't even do, we decided we wanted Wally to arrive at the Buquebus ferry in one piece. Leo who works downtown in Montevideo offered to pick Wally up and deliver him safely to the ferry, Leo we owe you, big time! You'll notice Wally was greeted by the traditional kiss, the Uruguay way of greeting close friends.

                                                               

Wally missing me already!

Wally found out that it was cheaper to travel across the Rio de la Plata by ferry to Argentina then to leave directly from our airport in Carrasco, just outside of MVD. 

I know he arrived okay, because he emailed me from the Ezeiza  airport in Argentina (45 mins outside of BA by bus) using their internet for only $5 pesos arg. Wally arrived in Argentina by ferry then he went to the Retiro bus/train station to get a shuttle bus service called Manuel Leon to the airport. It cost $55 pesos arg. as compared to $194 Pesos arg. for a taxi ride there.

We are staying in touch by phoning. Wally and I used to use Skpe to call the USA. He loaded that up with some minutes so I could call. It uses the computer to ring a persons phone, this way they don't need a computer to receive your calls. It's very reasonable cost wise to use. If a person does have a computer and they should get Skpe as well, then a computer to computer call is free. Right now we have a better deal going on, as we are now using Google through Gmail to call the USA for free!


I have stayed behind here in Uruguay because... We have pets, the house (to attend to) and because of the airfare costs. Wally is staying with his father, Wally Sr. (Yes, there are two Wally s) at his father's house. We feel that this will allow some father and son time, alone without the distractions of a woman along (me). Wally Sr. is busy showing his son off to friends, so we think the bounding is working!

All in all, it's been quite hectic running around making last Minute  preparations to leave.

Wally spent the night before he left making a video of us singing karaoke together. He was a bit disappointed, he thought he sang better than he saw on tape, but I love his singing! He also made a dvd of some Uruguay photos of our trips together. This way he can show everybody what Uruguay, it's coastline and our house looks like!

As I watched, Wally and Leo backdown our drive way, always worried some car will backup too far and land in that new ditch alongside the road, I wondered what to do now? So I went inside my house and watched a fishing boat go by.


I've already been invited to 2 bachelorsett parties/showers. One is too soon in coming, so I begged out. The other was 2 days away and near my house. I could walk there and back. I'll post on that one soon.

Being in Uruguay, I am surrounded by loving and caring people ready to include me in their lives and watch over me. I'm glad I'm here and Wally wishes he were too, trust me, he does!!!

They Treated Us Like Kings

This past weekend, we enjoyed a trip to Rocha and then up to the Brazilian border town of Chuy. We were invited by a lovely couple from Rocha, who happen to be readers of the blog. Gustavo and his wife, Sylvia treated us like kings. Gustavo is the one who sent us an emergency bottle of Tequila, about a week ago.

Gustavo and Silvia (left) met us near Rocha (about a 2 1/2 hour drive from our house) and then showed us to a small house, where they had arranged for us to stay overnight. Then, he took us in his car and toured us up the coast, stopping at many of the wonderful beach towns. Most striking was the difference in the water. Up there, past Punta del Este, we actually were formally on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. While our beach is lovely, and the sand is nice and white and clean and the water is often very blue (though much of the time it is brownish)- we are not technically on the ocean. The mouth of the Rio Plata (the widest river in the world) reaches out for miles- so technically we live on the river. Most of the times, it seems like the ocean to me. But when you reach the real ocean, up in Rocha, there is a difference. The smell of the ocean is so lovely and the waves are large enough for surfing. So the trip up the coast was quite a pleasure.

When we arrived in Chuy (about 100 km further up from Rocha), we parked on the Brazilian side. One side of the main road is in Brazil and the other in Uruguay. Gustavo took us to one of his favorite restaurants (he works in Chuy several times a week), on the Brazilian side of the street. It had the feel of a cafeteria, with salad, pasta and dessert bar. But then we noticed about a dozen waiters walked (constantly) through the restaurant with beef, pork, chicken and sausages on skewers. They would stop by each table and offer you cuts.

The waiter on the left was offering melted gorgonzola smoked cheese. Another offered warm pineapple, rolled in cinnamon (Denise made me try this, and I am glad). This would go on for as long as you stayed, since this was an ALL YOU CAN EAT restaurant! It was fantastic. Unfortunately, I can't tell you the cost, since Gustavo (against all my protestations) insisted on paying.

Then, we went across the street to one of the duty free shops (on the UY side) and made a few purchases (bring your passport to take advantage of the deals). The prices were very good and lower on some things than even in the US. A 4 hour ride may seem like a lot, but if you were purchasing electronics or some other items, it might very well be worth it.

On the way back we stopped at some lovely gardens and a beautiful Spanish fort. When we finally got back to the little guest cottage, near Laguna Rocha, it was late. Denise and I took a little walk, then had a good night's sleep. It was very, very quiet. The next morning (we slept almost to noon) before we left for home, we took a tour around the water and learned a lot about Lagunas. One thing we learned it that blue crab live there. Well, that is a tale for another day. We drove straight back, through a blinding rainstorm and were happy to be home, but glad for our visit. We felt we had been shown immense hospitality and gained an appreciation of Rocha and it's surrounding area. We look forward to being able to spend more time there.

Propane Update!

Yesterday, I mentioned that the Propane worker's strike was over and we would have to "wait and see" when they would get around to filling orders again.

Well, you can imagine our surprise when the phone rang at 10:15 pm at night and they said "Garrafa!" That word, is what got through to us, while trying to figure out who was calling and why?

Oh! We finally understood, the company wanted to know if they could deliver our refill right then. So, at 10:25PM a motorcycle drove up our drive and by 10:30 we were gassed up. Oops , that didn't sound right, you know what I mean! The price of the refill was increased by UY $40 pesos (about $2 US). I don't know if this is the new increased price but the 3% increase in wages has to come from some where. For us, $2 is not too bad but I can see where that amount might be tough on some families.                                             

The funny thing is that back in the USA, 10:30 at night, might be considered too late to conduct business, but not here.  The company knows how important their product is and how their customers had been inconvenienced (without propane for a week) so here, they were taking the initiative in contacting  people and delivering what was needed. Wow! See, Uruguay can be customer oriented, I'm impressed!You can see in the photos how dark the nights are now. March 21, was the first official day of Autumn

 Forever, the picture taker and bold as all get out, I asked our delivery guy to pose with the tank.

Oh, was it too late at night to be calling us? Why no! We were just eating dinner! The 10/10:30 pm is a typical meal time here in Uruguay! See how well we are adapting?

S#*%-!. It Happens!

Ha ha, count again! This is not the word my dad says, like the name of that new TV show. I just couldn't help myself. S#*%-! in this case stands for Strike.

It seems that in most expat blogs (ours included) we tend to concentrate on the upbeat, rosy colored expat life. So as to give a slightly truer sense of life down here, I'll mention 2 types of Strikes!

Labor strikes, we were recently effected by a propane shortage caused by striking workers. Most outlying communities rely on Garrafas (propane tanks) rather than on natural gas to supply our fuel needs. Our cook stove is run on such a tank. Ordering a new tank is fairly easy. You call and usually within 10 minutes they come to your house and bring you a filled tank to switch your empty one for. The basis for the strike was that the tanks are heavy, anywhere from 25-30 Kgs. (55-66 lbs.) Other workers for Ancap (the oil and a concrete company)  are prohibited from handling bags of concrete for instance, in excess of 25kgs but this didn't cover propane tanks.

The conflict and end of the strike was met by a shorter work week from 44 hours down to 40 hours and an increase in pay of 3%. The weight issue was bypassed in favor of the hours and pay.

Okay, This strike didn't really effect us. We were simply made aware of it. We, (read I) didn't ever want to be caught in the middle of dinner, waiting, for a refill to show up. So I insisted on buying and having a spare tank already filled with propane in our storage cabinet. That way in a minute or two Wally could change them out and we could continue cooking. Usually we would call the next day, for the now empty "spare tank" to be refilled.

Boy, am I glad we had 2 tanks because our gas ran out on day 1, of a week's strike. Hey, I know, what a wimp- only a week. Still had we only had the one tank, we would have had no propane to cook with at all. As it is, today, Thursday is the first day back to work for the strikers and they aren't up to taking orders yet. I'm glad our spare tank was full. We should be good for several weeks on this one tank until the other tank gets filled. In the past I had heard of a shortage that lasted so long they only filled tanks half full (way before our time). So in true expat style (read excessive) my "Costco" training kicking in.  I will be buying a 3rd tank. This way, one will be in use, with 2, to spare for future contingencies. Sorry, woman worry mode in action.

Lightning strikes, happen quite frequently in Uruguay. I've read about several other expats who have lost computers, and other items up and running during thunderstorms. Wally usually poo poos my worries but then last year I got up during the night and saw our cook stove sparking. While it runs on gas, the broiler is electric. I only knew it was on fire because I saw a strange reflection on a piece of furniture and followed the glow back to the stove. We never did fix that broiler. Now, whenever we are home and I see lightning flashes, we have a ritual of unplugging computers and everything else except the refrigerator, because of food spoilage issues. We also turn off circuit breakers at the main panel. If the refrigerator ever  goes at least it's only one big ticket item. Even our phone is pulled out of it's phone jack, transformers should be pulled out too as I heard of an Expat's house getting zapped through that.

So, now you know a little of the down side of living here in uruguay! Did I mention the winds? Oh well, another time.