Weekend Trip

Travel may begin by exposing us to the differences between cultures; 

but if we do it right, it ends with showing us the similarities.  

~ Gwendolyn Campbell

Last week, some kind of cold / virus knocked me on my butt, but good!  (Thank you for all your kind wishes!)  It was particularly bad timing for two reasons - a very busy time at work AND I had a trip planned to visit Ana in Mexico for her birthday.  I still had a cough on Friday morning, but I got myself to the airport and spent a long weekend with her and her family...  

The kids (her nieces and nephews) had my camera out of my hands in about 5 minutes and, over the next 30 hours, managed to take about 250 photos and burn through the 3 lithium batteries I had brought with me.  ;)

Here are some of my favorites:

The road to Ana's family's community

Ana

Her father

Four-year-old cousins - and best friends - eating empanadas

Chayito with her new cousin

Bina

One of Ana's sisters:

A baby napping in a hammock...

...waking up...

...and getting ready for company

His house

One of Ana's brothers playing guitar at church

Ana and her sisters making tamales

Remember this cutie from my trip last November?  My favorite model:

Playing with his new toy

Hand feeding a baby parrot

Weaving a pot holder with another new toy

Okay, I'm in trouble for this next one.  ;)

Yes, I'm the one who taught the kids to hold up 2 fingers behind someone's head to give them bunny ears...  (Although, I think that the little one may have missed the main point!)  

Getting ready for a dip in the river

A couple of cool hours during an otherwise very hot weekend!  

A happy two-year-old

Self-portrait

The kids have started calling me "Tia" (aunt)