Globetrotters in Mexico City!

We celebrated Philip and my birthdays by going to see the Harlem Globetrotters. It was classic globetrotters (the Washington Nationals didn't have a chance), except for the occational explanation in Spanish so that the crowd could understand what was going on. Several times, I felt like we were the only ones laughing because of the language barrier. I didn't know that the Globetrotters had added a Mascot named "Globie," who almost steals the show. It was great family fun!

Coke Bottle or Jello Art?

The Genuis of the Mexican people: Vicki Rojas made me this piece of jello art for my birthday. Yes, that's right... it is 100% jello, except for the cap and the wrapper... even the ice cubes are jello!

Mexican Independence & Restored Relationships

The night Mexico becomes ONE... the 15th of September!

This year's "Noche Mexicana" reminded me of God's power to restore relationships. After a year and a half away from the church, Enrique, Vicki and Sammy Rojas have come back to the Tierra Firme family! Also, it has been wonderful to see Luis Campos restoring relationship with his family and with the church. For the first time in several years, Luis and I sang "Allá en el Rancho Grande" together during the evening's festivities.




Curiously, "Allá en el Rancho Grande" was made famous by a Mexican actor/singer named Jorge Negrete and surprisingly even Elvis did a rare recording of the song:

Six Flags in Mexico City?

Yes, there is a Six Flags Mexico... in fact, it is even in Tlalpan!... Not too far from our house. We used to have yearly passes, but to tell you the truth I get more sick waiting in all the lines than I do on the rides. So, we only go every once in a while now. However, it does make for a nice place to take people who come to visit us.


It is also a fun place to take the AIMers and kids from the youth group. Last year, we took the whole youth group to six flags the weekend they got out of school. Don't you think that sometimes it is more fun to watch people having fun than actually having the fun yourself?

Urban Animals

We are well into the 21st Century and Mexico City continues to be a clash of the ancient and the modern. While this is not an everyday site, I do see this kind of thing from time to time. It's not easy to say where people keep their livestock, but sometimes knowing the sounds animals make can be good clues. On the street the AIM guys live on, there is a house in the middle of a residencial neighborhood which has several goats. I am not sure where this horse and cart came from, but I spotted it in my neighborhood on my way to the bus stop the other day.

Take a Step Inside My Pictures

While Paul and Jan Lemmons were visiting us in Mexico City, we played with Microsoft's Photosynth. We combined both of our sets of pictures and here are some of the "synthy" things we came up with.

Teotihuacan



On top of the Pyramid of the Sun



View from Chapultepec Castle (South)



View from Chapultepec Castle (North)



Chapultepec Castle Roof Garden

Element & Mazatlán

In August, we made a quick trip to Arizona in order to trade in our Honda Odyssey for something that we would actually be able to drive with Mexico City's new transportation restrictions. We are thankful to our sponsor, Palo Verde church of Christ and to our families for helping us make this a reality. After looking around for about a week, we decided to get this Honda Element. It has been a lot easier to drive around Mexico City and it gets great gas mileage!


The last couple of times we have driven up to the States, we have taken the route that goes up the Pacific coast. They have recently finished the toll roads, making the route much more doable. Of course, one of the highlights is to spend the night in Mazatlán. Jeni and I can rest from driving and the kids can get out and play in the ocean. Then, we are ready to get back on the road.