Mendoza, Argentina Tues, 25 Nov 08

We arrived yesterday. Flew over the snow capped Andes from Santiago, Chile. Of course, something was wrong with our airline tickets and, even though I confirmed everything 1 week before leaving, they still didn´t recognize our tickets in Chile. We finally flew standby which meant we sat in various spots throughout the plane.

The cars here look something like out of Cuba...old jelopies. Our rental car isn´t far behind. Tom is delighted of course. We will try to keep him from breaking any laws on our excursions to the mountains for the rest of the week.

Had an empanada yesterday for lunch. I asked what the filling was and the server said it was very delicious. Finally he said it was llama meat. He was right, it was good.

So far the beef and malbec wine are fab.

Our night at the Park Hyatt was lovely. The beds felt great after the long journey. Today we will leave for the mountains and see what awaits us there. We have no reservations anywhere and are just winging it.

More soon!

Fall tillage with Dan

Tom showed Dan how to do fall tillage today. They made a few rounds up and down the field together before cutting Dan loose on the Deutz-Allis tractor and the disc.







They were working on the Germanville farm about 4 miles from home.

Quebec City

I traveled to Quebec City earlier this month for a conference. The foliage was spectacular. Visiting QC is a unique North American travel experience. The architecture, the language (French), and culture is unlike most places in our part of the world.





I stayed at the Auberge Internationale which is a youth hostel. Surprisingly, there were people older than me staying there! The price was right - $32 per night...cheaper than the cab ride ($32.50) from the airport!






I had a lower bunk in a room for 6 women. Bedding was provided although you had to bring your own padlock and towel.







Jim Raymond is a former student and son of my good friend Lisa from Chicago State. He enjoyed the night life of Quebec City!








This is the home where I grew up in Hancock, NY.

In baseball, anything can happen...

Dan's 8th grade team had a great season, but it ended yesterday at the state tournament. Aunt Jeanne and cuz Erin joined us at the game.




Tom is back to the harvest now that we are out of the tournament. He remarked this morning that his ideal work day begins with about 4 hours of reading newspapers, magazines, markets, etc. Having to get out the door before 10 am to harvest the crop is quite a challenge for him.

Please.

Running on Empty Promotes Physical Activity

The new Ford Fusion not only sends messages that the fuel level is low, it also tells how many miles are left before the car stops. We take sport in investigating how many miles beyond those left before the car runs out of fuel... Next thing you know we were walking down the rural road to find someone to spare us some fuel. It made for a memorable Saturday night date.



Here is the new grain truck. It is 20 years old. Tom and Mick went to get their class B licenses. As you know, Tom is notorious for flunking his DMV tests (his is still driving his motorcycle illegally). Well, he flunked the class B written test, too. Mick took pleasure informing the DVM clerks that Tom flunked the test, and his daughter even went to Harvard! He passed it on the second try.




Not sure what Dan thinks of the grain truck - no air, no radio, no power windows, no shoulder belts...








Here are the Funks at the Kinesiology and Recreation Kickoff event last week.

Wrapping up the summer...

Here is a plane applying chemicals to our neighbor's bean field. The pilot is making a steep ascent to clear the telephone wires. He's having way too much fun. Click on the picture to see how gutsy this dude is.





A mother load of sand for the pond. The boys had quite a time playing in it. Never mind that they are 13 and 14 year olds.









Some flowers along my little walk.








When we told Dan that we're celebrating our anniversary he said, "I thought you were married on the Final Four?" We explained that we originally Tied the Knot in August, and then Tied a Double Knot on the Final Four.










Imagine running into this little number on the way to the mailbox.

Elwood and Laska Cousins

Aunt Carol brought her kids and her brother's kids to the farm for a few days. What a time!




They drove the 4 wheeler, enjoyed the pond swing, ate pork burgers, drove Uncle Tom's combine, endured a toilet explosion, jumped on the trampoline, ate cherry LC pie, and just hung out together.