Chores on Douglas Mountain

Deets and Margo take their mountain chores seriously. They patrol the land looking for noxious weeds such as the Common Mullein, aka Miner's Toilet Paper. It's a very satisfying weed to pull out of the ground with it's shallow roots and soft, non-spiky texture.  They love watering the plants with Grandpa's super-soaker and hoisting up the newly filled bird seed feeders high into the trees. Almost immediately they get to watch giant blue jays gorge themselves. Margo and Deets helped with cleaning out my parents camper in exchange for taking naps/sleeping in it- they were both mortified to hear that we do not plan to use a camper when we move to Africa next month (as much as I LOVE sleeping on the ground...)

Probably the most entertaining chore of all is refilling the hummingbird feeders. My parents have several around the house and they go through about 3 gallons of boiled sugar water each week. With no wonder- at any time there are about 4 or 5 hummingbirds at each feeder, wings flapping up to 70x/sec and heart beats raging high as 1,260 beats/minute. Some are nice, others are bullies, dive bombing the others to gain position. Sometimes they dive bomb people too, so it's been an exercise in calmness and tranquility for me. I strongly dislike birds, but I have appreciated the challenge of capturing their movement mid-flight. 

Filling up the bird bath

Golden Gate Canyon State Park, Colorado

Years ago when I lived in Denver and obsessed with racking up miles on my bike, I would ride past Golden Gate Canyon State Park, 14 miles from the nearest city with only a cursory glance. Now back in Colorado without a bike but with bonus children, I decided to visit the park that I so often ignored. The park had something like 36 miles and 12 trails to pick from and I let the kids choose. They picked a 4 mile hike (out and back) along the Coyote Trail. We party crashed a group of birders, viewed a historic moonshine house, and the remnants of a liquor trolley that was quickly abandoned to nature after the repeal of prohibition. We hiked past cairn instagrammers and owners with cute-ugly dogs off leash. The children chased me down half the mountain with their proton-packs, obliterating the shadows and carrying on hefty conversations regarding their favorite meats to consume. Besides Margo accusing me of getting us lost when we completed our hike in the parking lot 200 feet further south than our start, attitudes were high all day. We even managed to stop off at the visitor center afterwards to feed the trout and terrorize the park employees. 

Abandoned space ship - per Deets

Blood red currants 

Seeing the forest through the trees.

Grays and Torreys 14,000 foot peaks in the background.

At the summit.

Margo's battle cry. 

Playing Ghostbusters.

Finding the Pirate's Booty

For months my dad planned to do a treasure hunt with Deets and Margo once they arrived. An ever meticulous man, he prepared the materials. The route. The execution. The booty. A few nights prior we sat down to sketch out the maps, and finalize them on properly burned parchment paper rolled into a scroll. He made a series of 4 maps that were hidden in the brush, paired with dinosaurs, clues to the next set. We set out on foot on a Sunday morning just as the sun rose over the ridge, undaunted by the scattered bleach white bones of animals past. We climbed past resting unicorns, defied the dragons and territorial snakes, and expertly maneuvered the Knee-Gash Narrows and ending up in a cave hidden from view by a tangle of agonizingly pokey dead tree branches. Deets and Margo discovered their booty here, a box full of fresh memories and those minted from my dad's childhood: Silly Putty, face paint, chocolate coins, Slinkies and Topps Ugly Stickers. Obviously the kids loved it and have since been scheming to go on another hunt. My favorite part was watching Deets go from being intimidated in reading maps, to independently navigating them- an obvious and meaningful life lesson. 

Discussion of navigating through Knee-Gash Narrows and past the rattle snake.

The walking stick- another wildly successful purchase.

Onto the next generation-
I saw this unicorn myself back in 1987.

The fiery dragon.

Not so fiery dragon.
Or maybe it's a cartoon dinosaur?

Leading with courage.

The big moment.

Carefully exiting the cave.

Reaping the rewards.

Charles Darwin Ecological Refuge

I love a good muddy hike but perhaps I should control myself when I have no belt and one pair of pants after packing out the apartment. Nevertheless, a tropical forest needed exploring and animals needed seeing so we set out to visit the Charles Darwin Ecological Refuge about 20 miles north of Recife. I couldn't tell you which exit we took or the dirt road we followed and Google maps was downright wrong- but we got there anyway. All thanks to an amazing and kind, new friend- the kind of friend you wish you'd met years before. She suggested this hike couple of weeks ago as a personal favorite venture of Pernambuco- so a reservation was set with my responsibility being to find 10 people to join us. From toddlers to teenagers to moms, our group was surprisingly cohesive and enthusiastic for something different than the beach. We toured the forest, listening to hidden birds and crickets, the chattering of kids, and one person who couldn't contain herself from blasting out "isn't this great?!" at every new sighting.

After the hike we ended up at their HQ, where the animals get rehabbed and eventually let back into the wild. Some were injured from forestal circumstances, others came from homes that survived on meals of rice and cereal. The armadillo, for example. He was so overweight he could not roll into a ball and needed nutritional intervention. Fat or not that little guy was strong, aggressively trying claw its way out. We pet lizards and crocodiles, cooed at the sloth and enjoyed the slithering creep of a python upon our necks. We met an animal resembling a possum sized hedgehog that was so strong it could pull down the 20 foot tall palm fronds and shred them to pieces with its claws. I loved it, and walking back to the car it really hit me: I would be leaving this tropical paradise in a matter of days. Am I really ready?

Fully grown teeny frog.

Morcego/Bat

Weird bug- the guide had no name for it.
No filter, it really was that pink and blue.

Hot dog, pepperoni, cheese, and cracker sandwich.
Gross. She made it, didn't eat it.

Iguana

Teju lizard

The orange-gold spot on his back indicates its a male.

Hey, so smiley!

This guy kept making fart noises.
I swear. 

Ouriço cacheiro/hedgehog
He did NOT like his picture taken.

Too bad.

Fat armadillo.

Deets getting very hands on.

Margo too...

...until we tried to get her to wear it.

Breweries in Pernambuco

When we arrived two years ago, finding more flavorful beer was a bit of a challenge. I was only able to track down two local breweries with ease and the occasional beer bar that served fancier beers than Playboy's Devassa or Heineken. Instead Mark and I spent more of our time at our local AM/PM gas station drinking imported beer from their bonafide Beer Cave. If we felt homesick we could shell out for a Brooklyn or Ballast Point label. If we felt especially fancy we'd drink Paulaner. However in the past year, our attention shifted to newer labels showing up; Brazilian labels, many of which came from the south like Rio, Sao Paolo, and Porto Alegre. But we also saw more local goodies popping up fresh from the state of Pernambuco. This of course warmed our hearts tremendously, even if most of the local brew was confined to an IPA. Nevertheless, progress is progress and I am happy to report there are at least 7 breweries that have opened their doors and many, many more beer bars worth checking out. 

Perhaps quite obviously for Mark's 39th birthday we wanted to drink good beer. I hired a tour van for an unbeatable price to take a group of friends to a brewery and two bars around the city: Ekäut Brewery, Beer Dock and Mafua do Januario. A colleague of Mark's had a friend who was about to open his baby, Ekäut Brewery to the public so we had prime opportunity to take part of their soft opening. The owner Diogo Chiaradia gave us a tour, showing off his lovely sacks of malt, shiny fermenters and tanks. He shared his story and obvious passion for beer making- all that great stuff that makes you feel like you're among your own people. After the tour he opened up his bar: 20 reais/beer, or for 60 reais/all-you-can-drink IPAs and Czech Pilsners. You can imagine how that turned out: Totally. Awesome. 

Mark's birthday continued on responsibly to the other bars where more friends met up and celebrated. Believe it or not, everyone enjoyed themselves and no one got sick- even when one of our party members tried to destroy us all with cachaça shots at the last bar.  

Front entrance with Diogo.

Getting warmed up.

The happy group.

Get this for your next party!

Pernambuco Breweries as of July 2016:

Ekäut: http://ekaut.com.br

Babylon: http://www.cervejababylon.com.br/

Patt Lou: https://www.facebook.com/cervejariapattlou/

Duvalia: https://www.facebook.com/cervejaartesanalduvalia/home?ref=page_internal

Estrada: https://www.facebook.com/cervejaestrada

De Bron: https://www.facebook.com/DeBronBier/

Capunga: https://www.facebook.com/capungacraftbeer/home?ref=page_internal

Mark and Emily's Favorite Beer Bars: 

Mafua do Januario: for live music, killer pulled pork sandwiches, and being extrememly close to our apartment in Boa Viagem. https://www.facebook.com/mafuadojanuario/

Beer Cave at the AM/PM: it's local, the kids love it, and they have great customer service (though that might be just because we always bring the kids.) Plus, it's a gas station. https://www.facebook.com/BEERCAVERECIFE/?fref=ts

Beer Dock: for unpretentious setting in a very hip neighborhood, huge selection of taps. http://www.beerdockrecife.com.br/#_=_

Mestre Cervejiero: great selection of bottled beer and cute, pithy t-shirts. Plus they give you free peanuts. https://www.facebook.com/LojaMestreCervejeiroBoaViagem/?fref=ts

Apolo Beer Cafe: the kind of cafe in Recife Antigo where you can spend several hours relaxing on their couch watching BB King, and their brownie selection. https://www.facebook.com/apolobeercafe/

Emily Makes Bolo De Rolo

The other day Mark and I discussed which foods we would miss most from great northeast of Brazil and our top choices included: green coconuts, the fiber free mangoes ironically imported from Florida, and most of all- bolo de rolo. Also known as guava cake, this ridiculously sweet dessert made of pastry dough and guava paste and rolled into a dainty spiral is a hallmark of Pernambucan cuisine. A small slice goes a long way, and a shot of bitter espresso pairs extremely well.  

I decided it was necessary to make my own, using this recipe, a task I ended up nearly regretting once I realized its nutritional value. Sugar overload or not, I wasn't about to be intimidated so I made it, photographed it, and convinced my dubious children to enjoy some with their lunch. Sadly, they weren't fans, citing it too sweet. I can't blame them. Spreading the dough and paste requires a steady hand to get the layers thin enough to roll it, and I don't have the motor skills or patience for that. I think I will leave this dessert to the experts. 

Step 1: Melt down the gelatinous guava paste,
but don't burn sugar or your fingers like I did.
Add water as needed to liquify, then drink a beer.

Step 2: Mix 1 cup butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup Brazilian mega fine flour and 5 eggs.
Step 3: Spread thinly and dump in oven for 5 minutes.
Or if you are me, leave the layer so thick it firms up after 30.
Step 4:  Spread the paste on baked dough and "roll."
Step 5: Repeat 2-4 until done with dough and paste.
Or stop when you discover hardened guava paste stuck in your hair.

What bolo de rolo should look like. 

What mine looked like.

Step 6: professionally arrange on plate for all to admire.
I'm pretty sure I'm the Celeste Barber of food.

Jim Dog

Dumb Dog.

Well he's not, really. Jim is quite smart actually, but this past week, Mark and I were very much convinced he was going to die. For two days he stopped doing anything and everything. No food, no walks, no licks. Nothing. Just laid on his bed, still as a statue unless we forced him to get up for a pee (refused) which just about did him in. It was very sudden too, so of course we thought the worst: metastatic cancer; heart disease; kidney failure. 

On day number three I all but carried him to the vet and tried to explain his symptoms without feeling like a paranoid pet person: his lack of appetite, weakness, lethargy. I asked about his random skin conditions feeling particularly timid and vain: were they related to his illness? Or were they just old man skin growths? For a minute, my vet considered the grape sized groin bulge to be an extra testicle before changing his mind and diagnosing it as a fat deposit. But no, he said laughing, his skin was aging like an "idoso" (old man) and not to worry.

A stat blood test showed that Jim had low platelets, vital to clotting blood: his number read 54, where a normal range sits between 200,000-500,000 platelets per microliter of blood. The vet said this indicated he'd been exposed to some sort of tick disease, likely from a romp on the beach where apparently ticks and other blood suckers are rampant. I never walk him on the beach due to the fact that he hates baths and I hate giving them. Since there is no bath tub in our apartment, I have to get in the shower with the dog and bully him into the spray. Trying to rinse his belly and undercarriage is always slow and awkward. Plus I always feel weird about taking a shower with my dog. Should I put on a swimsuit or get naked? Should I suck it up and buy him a tub? Regardless of what I wear or do, I end up with a horribly soaked bathroom, smelling like wet dog, and bloated with histamine. Plus the dog is only 1/2 clean and still coated in suds.

So I pay the dog parlor to do it every 4 months. When I do, I let Jim free on the beach to roll in the sand before he goes. Not two weeks ago we repeated this routine which may have been when he got exposed. (Never mind that in early May he'd received a clean bill of health with annual vet grade anti-parasite medications, blood work and restock of topical medicine.)

Two hours, two negative SNAP 4Dx tests (this rapid diagnostic test looks for heart worm and 3 common tick infections. The package needs to defrost for 30 minutes and the first one was contaminated by the doctor's sleeve) and two antibiotic injections later, we were sent home with more meds, supplements, and directions to come back with full report in 2 days. As I write this, 48 hours have passed and Jim is nearly back to his old self. What a relief, and I'm so glad it was a quick fix. Now we just have to get him ready to fly to our next post by spending hundreds of dollars on a bigger dog kennel and a few thousand more to get him to Namibia. No big deal, right? Ah, pets.

Word to the wise: after hours of unfruitful research, visits, and phone calls to vets, pet stores, and pet hotels, we learned that Recife does not have IATA approved dog kennels available. Due to different airlines having different rules, and complicated Brazilian pet export obligations, we learned the kennel that got Jim here is not a sufficient size to get him out. Our new kennel will come from Sao Paolo and we are paying a pretty penny to get it. What one could buy for 120 USD on Amazon, will be about 350 USD in Brazil but it's also too big to arrive by mail. All the same if you are posted to Brazil and there's the possibility you need do a size upgrade, consider this dilemma when transporting your pet. Maybe you could bribe a family member to bring one on their visit, or promise a colleague a fancy bottle of gin or something? 

Jim, the 60 pound lanky beast.