Day 11: Thursday December 24^th:

It is Christmas in Germany and I call my mum and Alfred in the morning to tell them about the adventures we have experienced the last few days and to wish them a Merry Christmas.

Jose and family have the day off and are enjoying Navidad, so Christy is making us breakfast.

Mike is teaching Carlos the card game “war” and Carlos picks it up pretty quick and much to Mike’s demise, beats him in every game.

We are hanging out in the pool, reading books and are playing cards and buying ice cream from the ice cream man – a very relaxing Christmas Eve.

Merry Christmas to all my friends!

Day 12: Friday December 25^th:

Terri, the neighbor dog stopped by in the morning and I could get my dog fix – Christmas is starting off well. We are enjoying Christmas morning in 80 degrees’ weather under Palm trees, for all of us pretty much a first to celebrate Christmas in the sun in a foreign country. I am trying to create some Christmas atmosphere with some table decorations and stockings I brought from the US. After all of us have unwrapped our gifts we decide to give all the candy, stocking stuffers and decorations to Jose, Marta, Amada, Mario and Carlos. They are very sweet and grateful and walk off with their goodie bags.

Mike is looking for his fishing fix by fishing with Jose behind the house in the estuary and is having a blast catching 30 or so little snappers (Pargo). Mike calls his little spot at the wall “Isla La Bounds” where he is king with chair and sun umbrella!

We are wondering about all the boats that are going by in the estuary stuffed with people to the maximum capacity. So we are all getting onto the ATV and are checking out the local tiena at the punta. It’s a party there, around 100 people from the “town” (El Salvador) and surroundings make their way out to the Barra for a day on the beach since today is an official holiday in El Salvador. We are getting off the ATV and are heading to the bar to grab a beer but realize quickly that a) there are no seats available and b) we are somewhat out of place in this crowd and decide to head back to the pool and to play with Amada and Mario in the pool.

First melancholy sets in that we have to leave this wonderful place in two days. What an amazing 2 weeks it has been, we have learned so much about this wonderful tiny country, enjoyed a very unique place with water views all around us and even the “scary dogs” don’t scare us anymore, we feel safe and at home. We are reflecting on 2015 and it was a great year: we had a great and long summer in Seattle with fun days floating down the Snoqualmie river, got a lot of work done around the house, my parents visited us in summer and we showed them around in Long Beach and Victoria, my new job has been great, we experienced some great little getaways like Fishlake, La Conner, Leavenworth, a wedding in Boulder and were blessed with good health. All in all a great 2015.

We spent part of the evening watching Jose catch little camarones at night, so that Mike has fishing bait for tomorrow morning. Catching Camarones is a family affair, Jose goes out into the estuary with a big net, Marta holds a big light on to the water for Jose to see and Amada and little Mario grab the camarones out of the net and put them into a jar. Terri is also there and is cuddling and playing with me – Life is great! .

….to be continued…