All in a Day's Work

Not to brag or anything...

but...

 I can wield these,

to put these,

 on this,

so it looks like this,

while he does this.

In the rain.

Out in a muddy field.

We are one expert team, let me tell ya.

It's one of those times where you think, if anyone would've told me I'd be doing this, I'd have laughed in their face, and now here I am.  God sure has a sense of humor.  

Today I...

1.  ...drove on the left side of the road.  I'm actually getting quite proficient at it, in case you're wondering.

2.  ...removed an entire set of paddles and reinstalled them.  By myself.  And I have the grime under my fingernails to prove it!

3.  ...saw five rainbows.  Five.  Little rain storms seemed to be circling and passing through all day long.

4. ...had McDonald's for lunch.  A shame, I know.  How exotic.  The prices were a little exotic, though.  No dollar menu here, that's for sure.  And as for eating healthy, let's just say business travel isn't good on my girlish figure.

5.  ...did not drink a flat white.  Probably the first day since we got here.  They're soooo good!

6.  ...met an adorable and very friendly blue tick hound dog named "Blue".  Our generator broke.  Jonathan tried valiantly to fix it.  It could not be fixed.  We made some phone calls.  Some guy let us use his shop for an hour or so.  He was Blue's owner.

7.  ...decided I want to be as nice as a kiwi.  Really, everyone is so friendly and considerate, they make americans look rude!

So basically...that's today.

New Zealand: Hit the ground running, only to spin your tires.

We touched down in New Zealand ready to jump back into work.  Not as easy as it sounds.  Things seemed to move slowly as we tried to figure out the best way to jump into the harvest culture here.  Apparently, we had a pretty good semi-consistent schedule in Argentina.  Hopping on board with a different operation here hasn't been as simple as we'd hoped.

The first few days were full of driving here and there, searching out the combines, making lots of phone calls, and showing up somewhere only to be told there wasn't much we could do at the time.  After one such turning away Saturday morning, we graciously accepted a change of plans and spent the afternoon trying to put together a homemade grain cart.  Not my idea of fun.  At all.  Needless to say, I wasn't much help.  After that almost-disastrous adventure, we set off for the coast.  We figured, we're only about 30 minutes away, let's check it out.  On the way...

 Rain.

Story of our lives this week.  Every time we turn around, it's raining.  Doesn't usually last too long, though.

 The sun did come out then.

It was a beautiful beach on the west side of New Zealand.  You can drive out on the sand, and we have a rented truck, so we braved the sand.

Which was black.

How cool is that?

I've always been curious to see a black sand beach.  From what I understand, it comes from volcanic rock being crushed to fine sand by the waves.  The beach was wide and lined by tall, grass covered cliffs.  We found a waterfall and, of course, Jonathan climbed it.  I stayed on the ground.  

Yesterday was Sunday and we attended a local church in the morning.  With the rain, there wasn't much we could do with the combines, so we took off in the afternoon for another adventure.  A place called Cathedral Cove.

We got sidetracked on the way when we saw signs for Hot Water Beach.  

 Gorgeous blue-green water color.

It was a little disappointing, though, since the water seemed pretty normal temperature to us, maybe slightly warmer for this time of year, who knows.  

 Run!  Before you get your feet wet!

Turns out, there was a little hike down to Cathedral Cove.  It was a nice 30 minute walk through lots of diversity--jungle, rolling, grass-covered hills, rocky cliffs, ending at a beautiful beach.

One such jungly spot.

This doesn't do it justice, of course.  It was so exotic!

Cathedral Cove

It was amazing!  A cathedral in the real sense.  The sound of the waves echoed off the cavern walls like a choir in a church!  Jonathan did run all the way through over on the left side of the picture.  I didn't because I was a coward and didn't want to ride home all wet.  He says it was worth it.  By the way, anybody recognize this place?  I'll give you a hint, 4 kids walk out of this cave from another world.

A spectacular pedestal rock nearby Cathedral Cove.

On the way back from our adventure, we headed out to one of the combines to finish an install.  It turned out to be a rather miserable time.  It was late, and soon after we arrived it started raining.  At least Jonathan was already wet from his splash in the waves, right?  Several hours later (that's always how it goes, takes longer than you think) we made it back to the hotel and, boy, did a shower feel good!  After a short night, we set out early for a meeting at a farm a few hours south, after we dropped off the homemade weight cart to get some electrical work done.  It was a beautiful crisp morning, mist rising off the hills.  So far, sunshine today!

Seize the opportunity. Long layover in Sydney.

After a lovely recovery weekend at the Beach Cottage, we set out Monday night on the long flight over the pacific ocean.  Actually, it was even a little longer than the last flight this direction since we decided to take the opportunity for a long layover in Sydney, Australia.  After 15 hours on a plane, we were glad to be up and walking again come 6 am when we left the airport for Circular Quay (pronounced "key")--Sydney's port neighborhood.  

The first thing to catch our eye was, of course, the famous Sydney Opera House jutting out over the harbor with the bright rising sun reflecting off the white tiled shell-like roofs.  Across the water on the other side arched a huge bridge.  The whole sight was just too hard to believe!  It wasn't sinking in!  That's the thing about hopping on a plane and waking up on the other side of the world; it can get a little surreal at times.

Nearby we found the Royal Botanical Garden and wandered around for a while enjoying the crisp, clear morning sunshine and the interesting foliage and wildlife.

 Jonathan relaxes under a particularly old tree.

 We stopped at a café for a flat white!

Next we found a quaint old section of town called, The Rocks.  The name comes from the cliffs surrounding this area.  Part of it was along the water, where we snapped this picture:

And from there we walked through lovely parks and down cobblestone streets and alleyways with very british-looking pubs and restaurants lining the narrow walkways.

 One such picturesque pathway.

We loved it so much we went back to The Rocks for lunch, which was delicious, I might add!

Moving on, by ten o'clock we were due for our tour of the Opera House.  

 Here's our reflexion in the windows overlooking the harbor.

Sydney's Opera House is stunning!  Although, it seems a lot smaller in real life than it tends to look in pictures.  Unfortunately, I couldn't get any pictures on the inside because they weren't allowed, but, trust me, those huge auditoriums filled with wood seating, wood flooring, and a magnificent wood ceiling towering overhead, were breathtaking.  Now just imagine it with the sounds of Beethoven or Dvorak reverberating off every crevice!  It was absolutely tantalizing to be there and not get to see a performance of some kind.  

 Between the two main auditoriums.

On one stage, we did get to see some ballet dancers beginning their rehearsal.  They swayed and glided to the un-amplified piano music coming from just out of sight.  They way that music swelled inside that room, I can't even begin to imagine how magical a legitimate performance would be!  Maybe next time...

My favorite detail we learned on the tour was about the giant elevator portion of the stage that lowers directly into the piano storage area where they keep all the best brand names because no professional performing pianist ever plays on anything except their preference.  However, even moving the piano onto the elevating stage and raising it to performance level is considered too much for these delicate and intricate instruments, and a house-employed tuner is always on staff to tune a piano each time it is moved.

After that spectacular tour, it was warming up outside, so we caught the ferry to Manly, a beach suburb of Sydney.  Leaving behind the city skyline, we passed by rocky cliffs edging the endless stretch of the Pacific Ocean.

Sydney's skyline.

 We had to touch the Pacific from this side.  

Strange to think the Beach Cottage is just at the other end.

The water was sparkling.  No other word for it.  More green in color than in California, it became almost aqua as the waves curled over into white spray.  

We didn't stick around long as, like any good beach city, it was crowded.  Back on the ferry, this time pulling into the harbor, the city was a magnificent sight!  We still had a few hours so we walked through a little of the city proper, looking much more like Chicago, or Portland, or even Los Angeles with its towering skyscrapers.  

 Oh, yes!  And we saw a koala.  Outside a mall or something.

Sydney skyscrapers.

By the time we limped our way back to the train that would take us to the airport, we were beat.  But it was well worth it!  I decided I like trying to see a city in a day.  We've done that several times now--San Francisco, Portland, Seattle--and while it's true, you can only get a taste, it's enough to see what's unique to that city, and also enough to see that it's another normal city--full of normal people living their normal lives.  

So long, Sydney!

And off to New Zealand we go!

Ciao, Argentina! Nos vemos!

It's been an interesting week.  We were planning to leave this week, but that all changed when this happened.

Ouch!  Catastrophe!

Everything seemed to go wrong, and our exit date was postponed.  Indefinitely.  That'll teach you to have expectations, right?  We took the news rather hard, considering we're tired and in need of some down time!  But, what do you do.  

Pray, I guess.  And God answered!  Actually, He's worked quite a bit out--all glory to Him!  And now we're headed home, just a day later than originally planned! Wonderful!

That said, this last day has provided a few more hiccups since it rained almost all night and our little rental car won't make it to the field on all the muddy roads.  We do have quite a bit to get done before our flight out tonight.  So...we'll keep those prayers going!  God's done it before.  He can get us through challenges again.  He's faithful and good like that.

Meanwhile, I'll fill you in on the last few days.

 It's been beautiful weather!

Many a gorgeous fall morning just like this one!

Because of the catastrophe pictured above, we had to make a trip to a city about 4 hours away to get some replacement parts.  It was a whirlwind trip.  Drive 4 hours, arrive about 1 am, grab a few hours sleep, off to the part store early the next morning, drive 4 hours back.  My mind was spinning.  

Funny story.  After smooth sailing getting the stuff we needed, we went to hop in the car and noticed our tire was almost flat.  Not good.  So, we were pointed in the direction of a gomería where they patched up the tire in no time. 

Experts!

 This was the problem.  

This little stinker screwed up our tire pretty good.

(Pun intended)

Anyway, that's all for now!  We are very much looking forward to a long weekend at the Beach Cottage!  It's time to leave the lovely fall weather and trade it in for SoCal spring!  Just till Tuesday.  Then we're New Zealand bound!

More random observations from Argentina

I'm not sure how much you all enjoy reading about the "randomness", as I like to call it.  But I kind of like this kind of post.  And anyway, we'll have a blast reading it years down the road as we fondly recall our Argentine adventures!

First off, with the differently pronged electrical outlets, you may wonder how we survive with so many electronics to charge.

 This is how.

The other day as I was running in the plaza which is located nearby our hotel here in good ole' Venado Tuerto (remember what that means?), I noticed this.

 This might very well be the one-eyed deer,

after which this illustrious town was named.

As you may have heard, the new pope is an Argentine!  I snapped a pic of a new billboard in Buenos Aires.

 Here he is!  The people here are very proud of the new pope,

hence the giant billboard celebrating his appointment.

You may also have heard that its been very rainy here in Argentina.  South of Buenos Aires, there has been some terrible torrential storms leading to severe flooding.  The death toll is over 50, with thousands more displaced from their homes.  Another testament to how the government and infrastructure here isn't quite as developed as it could be.

Next are a few shots from around town.  Just random things I thought were kind of worth noting about Argentina.

 An orange cone on a car means it's for sale.

Neat, huh?

 This building is just goofy.

I can't quite figure it out.

And pink???

Last but certainly not least, I want to thank you for praying for us and our busy schedule!  It is working!  This week has actually been the most relaxing week yet!  Thank you so much!  I needed the reminder that God can take even what appears impossible, and shine through with His perfect provision!

Don't get me wrong, we've been working!  But with the rain, we've had a more flexible schedule, not so dependent on when the guys aren't harvesting.  We even had time for a date tonight!  You might think getting to go out to eat every night would be like dates every day!  NOT!  It actually gets old.  Especially when every restaurant has the same menu.  You might think working together, we get plenty of quality time!  NOT!  Funny how that kind of thing is always the kind of thing you have to make time for.    

 The thing is, I'm married to a Sauder.

And Sauders do this thing where they eat dessert first!

Yup, our date was dessert and coffee...before dinner!  *gasp*

Oh, yes, did I mention it was tiramisu?

Best. Ever. 

Mmmmmmmmm.

Life is sweet!

Zacch(aeus) comes to town!

We had a wonderful weekend!  I hope you all had a egg-cellent Easter.  I saw lots of pictures of spectacular sunrise services, read lots of thoughts shared by friends about the glorious resurrection of the Victorious One, and heard about people coming together to celebrate how it's because of this weekend that everything is different!  What a special time!  This Easter for me stands out from all other years for some very unique reasons.  For one thing, it's fall here, not spring, which is just kind of strange.  Also, and probably more keenly felt, we were far away from family, friends, and church family.  Except...we had a wonderful Easter surprise!  My brother Zach came to visit us for the weekend!  Precision had some supplies they needed to get to us, and Zach made himself available.  We picked him up in Buenos Aires on Friday morning and "met the adventures that came to us" all weekend long (I throw that little Narnia quote in there because we kept saying it throughout the weekend!).

First off, let me show you where we called home the majority of the time spent with Zach.  Don't freak out or anything, but we were invited by our friend and coworker José to stay with his family at the Martindale Country Club in Pilar, a suburb of Buenos Aires.  Driving in was like entering a dream world.  The stately houses in the subdivision surrounding the polo fields and golf course could have been cut and pasted from the British countryside.  We're talking Pride and Prejudice style.

The "Club House", where we stayed. 

Zach was quite dumbfounded.  Not quite what he expected of Argentina, I think.  The grounds were extensive and perfectly manicured.  As we wandered around, "admiring the general splendor," we stumbled upon a perfectly gorgeous slice of paradise!

A sparkling pool surrounded by gigantic old trees and a carpet of grass!

We put it to good use!  

The water was frigid, but that didn't stop Zach, of course.  And we enjoyed soaking up the sun, poolside and surrounded by the gorgeous scenery!

When we weren't chilling by the pool, you could find us at the 18th Hole restaurant sipping cappuccino and thoroughly enjoying melt-in-your-mouth croissants.  

 Oh, and laughing a lot!

You can't help it with this clown around!

We dined at José's dad's house, where the whole family was gathered to spend Easter together.  They made us feel like part of the family and Zach filled up on great home-grilled Argentinian steak!  Entertainment was provided by José and Vanessa's only boy, 2-year-old Toni.  Bursting with energy and enthusiasm, this kid was a blast!

 Toni loved riding on Zach's shoulders, and carreras, racing!  The races went something like this.  Toni would say: Now run over there (pointing across the lawn)!  They would take off, Toni at almost a sprint, and Zach at more like a slow jog.  Toni would arrive at the other side and proclaim "Gané!" (I win!).  Then it would repeat.  Over and over and over.

Saturday we decided to go to El Tigre, a port town nearby which was a "must see" apparently.  

This is me, not very impressed 

by the very much talked-up riverfront El Tigre.

We did find a cool naval museum to visit.  It was full of model ships, real boats and canoes, cannons, guns, submarines, and even a yard full of retired airplanes.  

 Jonathan and Zach posing by a boat.

Is this the biggest one? 

(a comical debate throughout the museum adventure)

 Yes, he rang the bell.

It was loud.  The museum was pretty quiet.

DONG!!!!

 This is an early tide predicting computer.

Jonathan was intrigued and impressed at the gears and wires.

Actually, Jonathan was intrigued and impressed at pretty much all of it.  I guess he grew up on museums or something like that.  Zach and I...let's just say we have to work harder at enjoying a museum for all it's worth.  It was cool and all, we just moved through it a little faster than Jonathan.

So we found somewhere to sit and took goofy pictures,

while we were waiting.

 The arms room.  Full of all kinds of guns, cannons, bombs, etc.

The boys had fun trying to figure out how they all worked.

And Zach climbed into a submarine.  Literally.

Not sure that's allowed actually.

Outside in the airplane yard, we took our picture with a giant anchor.

Overall, El Tigre, wasn't a total fail.  Yes, it was overcrowded and dirty, but we were culture-ized by a museum visit and also enjoyed a nice meal at a riverside restaurant.  

Sunday afternoon we left the country club to spend some time in downtown Buenos Aires.  By the time we got to the city center and found parking, it was mid afternoon.  As we were walking out of the parking lot, the parking man asked us if we'd come for the race.  

*Flashback to last week when Jonathan and I were exploring Buenos Aires.  We saw a crew putting up concrete barricades with chain link fence along the road.  Jonathan commented that it looked like what they put up around a street race, like a grand prix sort of thing.*  

Back to the parking lot scene.  I said, "No, but where is this race?  Maybe we'll check it out."  Following his directions, a few blocks later we came up to the same barricades, or we could have if there wasn't a huge crowd of people already pressing their faces against the chain link.  We heard the unmistakable sound of engines revving.  Zach nearly jumped out of his skin.  My car-loving bro just happened to be in Buenos Aires that weekend, we just happened to finally find parking a few blocks from the race, and we all just happened to walk up right as the engines were revving.  Of course we couldn't see a thing.  But we could hear it!  Louder and louder!  Zach couldn't stand it!  So, like his namesake, he...

 Climbed a sycamore tree.  Really.

(Now you have the song stuck in your head, right?)

His vantage point was short-lived because he was told by a race official to get down, but not before getting a great video of the cars screeching and careening around the curve.

I wish this could convey the noise!

It was unbelievably LOUD!!!

I can't think of anything that could have made Zach's trip more special than a surprise car race!  We followed that up with a spectacular meal at a little bakery nearby.  Zach flew out that night, but it was a great weekend spent making lifelong memories!

Now, after all that, we're back in Venado Tuerto again.  Actually, today was full of adventure too!  After a missed turn, we ended up on a dirt road.  The problem was it had just rained.  A lot.  It was too much for our little rental car, and before we knew it we were stuck!  Praise God, with some maneuvering we got free and back on the paved roads again!  Our car, however, could use a good wash; I don't think it was meant for mudding!  

As we look ahead, things have the potential to get really busy, really fast!  We're waiting on systems making their way through the bureaucracy of customs in both Argentina and Brazil.  Most likely, they'll all come bursting out at once and we'll need to be in both places doing hour-long installs on more than a handful of combines!  Prayers appreciated!