More fun on the Island

Hello everyone! We're still here in South Padre Island and finding new things to do each week. The picture above was from last Sunday at the Birding Center. Then below are the kids at Pirate's Landing.

Antonio's love for birds of prey continues to grow, as you can see in the picture below (that would be a vulture and a parrot) --pretty well done huh?! We thought so! This kid is destined to be some kind of biologist, zoologist or an "vultureologist" if that exists!

We went to the Gladis Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas on Wednesday. Believe it or not, it was a very pleasant surprise! Apparently the zoo's namesake is the daughter of JC Penny and I imagine she's funneled quite a bit of money into that zoo. The exhibits are very well done and maintained. The animals seemed pretty happy there (as can be seen from the Gorilla below!). It beat its chest and splashed around in the water, drawing quite a bit of a attention.

My favorite by far though was the cockatoo. What a bird!!! So beautiful and with its flamboyant personality we were just raving at the show he put on for us! It was love at first sight...

So, now I know what I want for my next birthday. A cockatoo!

Of course we can't send a post without sunrises right?

The Ponz Family comes to vist

This past weekend we had the pleasure of having our first visitors from Houston. Our new friends from Spain, the Ponz family, arrived late Thursday night. They were greeted each morning by sunrises like the one above followed by tasty breakfasts, courtesy of Fede (the best were the egg tacos!).

Below is Mariano, Maite and their son, Gonzalo, during our visit to the Birding Center. Apparently during specific times of the year one can see a nice variety of birds on the Island. 

Another such sunrise below. It's amazing how quickly the tones in the sky change. The transformation from dark pinks, oranges, and purples to light blues and pale yellows takes but a handful of minutes.

We really had a great time with the Ponz family. The only thing missing in the picture below was a  margarita!

Gonzalo's first reaction to sand can be seen above right. His face says it all. Above that pic is Francisco looking like a cute little dork with goggles on. Of course he doesn't know how to swim, so why he took such a liking to goggles is a mystery!

How about these two hunks huh? Dad and mini-me!! As one can tell, all of the Martinez guys are sporting the spikey hair these days, so as to fit into the beach scene.

New York City

We arrived in Houston on August 30th and on September 4th Martha left for New York City for the annual convention of Internationa Delegates of the Univeristy of Navarra. Fede manned the ship (and crew) at the home of Martha's parents in an admirable manner.

Meanwhile, Martha had a great time in NYC. From Navarra came the International Admissions group and from around the world came the Delegates, particularly the Americas. This group, which is more like a family, is a joy to be around. It rained quite a bit in NY but it was still good to visit, as long as it's a brief stay! On the last day of the 5 day trip she went to visit her sister Ana in New Jersey. That was by far the icing on the cake. Below is Ana and Diego's 4th child, Belen, who is almost 1 yr old and an absolute doll!!!!


The second in line is Mariana, below, and Felipe or "Pepe" is the beautiful little boy (Le Petit Prince) at the bottom right. I only missed seeing Lucia, the eldest, because she was at school. Really, I could only stay until 1:30pm because I had to catch the train back to NY to make in on the evening flight to Houston. It was so worth it!

Being with Ana is a joy for which words have still not been invented. Knowing that this would be the last time in a while that we would be together we tried to maximize it for all it's worth. Thank you Ana!!



South Padre Island

We've been here in South Padre Island since September 10th. The weather has been perfect -sunny and breezy with relatively few people around to crowd the beach. The kids have had a great time both at the beach and in the pool, and we have settled into a good routine. It hasn't been all play though, we make time for classes (homeschool so to speak), study, exercise and "normal" family life. Well, as normal as it can be when you're 300 yards from the beach!!

Antonio has really taken to the boogie board and he fits the surfer look perfectly!! Of the three kids, he's the one that always wants to be in the ocean. All of them are strutting a nice tan now.

Wishing you all could be here with us!!

Gracias Colombia!!

One of our last outings in Colombia was to Fede's uncle's country house, located an hour from Pereira. To say it is paradise is not an exaggeration, it is simply accurate. It overlooks the most stunning landscapes from its privileged spot on the mountainside. They made an excellent Paella and we spent the afternoon in the pool, playing with the animals (turtles, dogs, parrots) and enjoying nature. 

 

We want to thank all of our family in Colombia for a wonderful month, an unforgettable month. And, we hope to see you all soon.

La Granja de Noe ("Noah's Farm")

Hello everyone! After a two week absence we're back to blogging. It has been a hectic time for us because of so much roaming. We are a Nomadic family now! Although we've returned to the U.S., I'm going to back-track to our final days in Colombia at the end of August, which were full of fun and great memories that we want to share with ya'll.

Near Pereira they have a place called "Noah's Farm" (pictured above) that has a bunch of animals and is very kid friendly. Antonio absolutely loved all the birds, while Francisco thoroughly enjoyed feeding the pigs a bottle of formula.

And from one farm to another, the pictures below are from Fede's uncle's farm. Uncle German and his wife have a beautiful farm an hour south of Pereira where we spent the day.

In addition, Fede's cousin Alejandro and his family also came for the day and the kids had a BLAST riding the horse, picking up baby sheep, and feeding cows.

Life in the country certainly has it's appeal. It's simpler, purer and more beautiful than what we're used to in the city. The kids connected with nature in an incredible way and we parents could let our guard down and relax too!

Below are the kids with Simon Pedro, their second cousin.