July07

We went to Buenos Aires last week, and decided we better update our blog when we got home. Sorry it has been so long. We will try to be more diligent in the future.








One of our local guard dogs. We bribe them with dog biscuits, and they watch the house. This is the big brother. I have no idea what his name is.

This is the "jefe" of the neighborhood. He starts fights with all the dogs, and then the big brother comes to help out. They rule the neighborhood. Nothing gets past them. When we come home at night they come to meet us, and walk home with us. They bark the whole way to let everyone know we are home.

Our good friend Miguel Lorenzo putting a hot water tank in our kitchen. He works really quickly, and does a good job. He and his wife are our good friends. He is a contractor, and works with our other friend, Alejandro Vasquez.

A shot of the Opera Pampa, a horseback opera in Buenos Aires depicting the history of Argentina.

CoyAnn and I going into the Opera Pampa. The usher is in gaucho costume. The opera was excellent. It is funded by the city and the national government.

The statue memorializing San Martin, the liberator of Argentina from Spain. A beautiful work.

A street in front of a big shopping center, movie theater complex in Buenos Aires. It was really pleasant. Note that I am wearing only a sweater. It is 10 to 15 degrees warmer in Buenos Aires than it is in Colonia, Uruguay.

The church in Buenos Aires where all the rich and famous have their weddings.

The burial place of Eva Peron, about whom the movie "Evita" was made. Note that her family name was Duarte. Her burial site is the only one in this famous cemetary on which people put fresh flowers every day.

Mom and I in front of the mausoleum where Eva Peron is buried. Her plaque is just above and to the left of CoyAnn's head.

The burial place of Luis Angel Firpo, world heavyweight boxing champion from Argentina.

An outdoor shopping mall in Buenos Aires. BA is a modern city in some places, and you can find anything you need. It was fun to look.

Looking down one of the streets in front of the Catedral (columns on the right). You can see the Obelisk in the distance. Similar to the Washington monument in Washington, D.C.

A picture of the Catedral where San Martin is interred. He has a magnificant sarcophagus inside the Catederal. The Catedral is a catholic church, and is beautiful inside. Wonderful paintings, and very ornate. Some of missionary friends, the Dunns and Rikers in the picture.

The "Casa Rosada" or "Pink House", which was the equivilent of our White House. Eva Peron lived here during her time in power. I am not sure if it is still in use or not.

Jeannie and Jerry Dunn with us on the steps of the Catedral. The Casa Rosada is in the background. Jerry is the cousin of Jack Dunn, who was a stake president in Colorado Springs, and a friend of ours. They are also very good friends with Ben and Cary Porter from Colorado Springs. Ben and I were stake presidents together, and we are all good friends. Truly a small world.

Just prior to the baptismal service for Christina Vasquez (in the white dress). Her son, Alejandro (behind her) baptized her. It was a wonderful, moving service. Elder Huerte (kneeling in front, and Elder Hoffman (from Grand Junction - now Denver on the right).

Elder Howlett and I with missionaries from Carmelo and Colonia. We had been to a meeting with Elder Mickleson, and came to this shopping center later for Burger King hamburgers. The elder in the middle is Elder Larsen from Colorado Springs. He lives in the East Stake.

Sister Howlett is in this picture. She took the previous one. The Howletts are from Delta and St. George, Utah, and are doing a great work in Carmelo.

Our good friends Miguel and Christine Lorenzo with their two children in front of our apartment. In June 2007. It was clear, but cold.

Alejandro Vasquez (in white) serving the guiso. We served it in bread bowls, which you can see on the table. It was a novelty for the branch. Elder Stutz from Houston, Texas is facing the camera in the lower right. He is now assistant to the president. Elder Huerta has his back to us.

The guiso, which is a stew. Everyone in the branch brought something for the pot. The branch paid for the meat. It was inexpensive and great. We will probably do it once more during the winter.

CoyAnn stirring the guiso. We cooked it in a big pot that we got from the army battalion that is stationed here. Alejandro Vasquez, our committee chairman does the cooking. We stirred it with a big stick, more or less clean. We just built the fire on the concrete.

A view of some of the members of the branch at our first big activity. We had an asado, which is a barbecue. It was fun, but a lot of work for the cooks. We had a guy come with a karioke setup. Everyone was crazy about it. We couldn't get them to go home. I think we stayed until midnight.

Elder Huerte is in the left foreground. He loves to eat.

Miguel Lorenzo (left) and Alejandro Vasquez (right) doing the asado. They use wood for all of their barbecues here. They burn the wood to make the coals. They then scrape the coals to a different area of the barbecue and cook the meat over the coals. Just about every chapel has a barbecue similar to the one in the background.

This is a picture of Elder Madsen and Elder Huerte at one of our big branch activities. Elder Huerte was with us for six months. He just moved this last week. We were sorry to see him go. Elder Madsen left six weeks before Elder Huerte. I don't think it is possible to take a serious picture of Elder Huerte. He is always doing something funny.

The newest addition to the Tilton clan, Hayden William Tilton. He had some struggles during the pregnancy, but is now a normal, healthy, growing baby. He is Doug and Tiffany's fifth. The second boy.