July 4th continued

We arrived at the apartment of our friends, the Allreds, with the help of the GPA. They wanted us to come up to see where they lived, and oh my, it is muy grande compared to our modest dwelling. Of course, they are in a more wealthy part of the city and this apartment was handed down to them by another couple who had been there. Their rent is around $1000 a month, and we pay about $380. They said if they could have chosen where to live, it would not have been in an apartment as expensive as the one they have. They actually have a kitchen (separate room) 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a living room and dining area. It was furnished by the couple before them and the furniture is really nice and they have carpet. Quite different from where we live, to say the least.

The 4th of July party was to start at 4:00, but the Allred's wanted to take us shopping at Recoleta first. We arrived earlier in the afternoon so we could do both.

On the way, we snapped this picture of how people sell their goods to cars parked at stop lights. They meander through the cars hoping for a sale. And they get them. . . . if they don't get run over first.

Recoleta is a huge outdoor arts fair that is only open on Saturdays and Sundays. The artisans bring their creations and display them at booths set up side by side along a winding sidewalk that is on the grounds of the National Cemetery. This cemetery is where Eva Peron and husband are buried. We will return sometime to find the location of their burial spots. They are actually in crypts located within the walls of the cemetery. Recoleta is set up outside the wall surrounding the cemetery, but still on the property.

Elder Allred and Elder Kroff served in the same mission in Mexico in their younger days. He and his wife, Reva, have served as senior missionaries in Mexico and now are here in Buenos Aires. They return home in November. We are learning from them what to see here and how to find it. They are a wonderful resource for us.

Of interest to the men while Reva and I shopped, was a park across the street from Recoleta that had huge, unbelievably huge trees in it. They were very, very old and had roots above the ground. One can see the size of the roots from this photo of Rich standing by one.

This tree is the largest, and has a tree span of 60 square yards. That is a little larger than half the size of a football field. The limbs spread out in all directions to cover 60 square yards, and some have to be held up by supports. Unreal!

Being able to see a good portion of roots above ground, imagine how many must be underground!!

A couple hours wandering around Recoleta is not enough. One could spend the whole day here. For jewelry and leather lovers, this place is for you. There are artisans that create beautiful sweaters, handbags, clothes, wood carved items, puzzles, toys, and on and on. And the prices are reasonable, in fact, rather inexpensive as to what some things would probably sell for in the U.S. We will return for sure.

Some booths are covered with an awning, some not. It is open in winter and summer, but if the weather is really rainy and bad, some places do not open up. But, Recoleta never closes down completely. A fun place, and we know how to find it.

These are small wood carvings of trains, planes, helicopters etc. Perfect for 4 year olds, I'd say.

After shopping for a while, it was time to head back to the Area Offices to begin the celebration. We were asked to bring some liters of soda pop. Homemade root beer was being made, but if it didn't turn out very good, they needed a back up. Then hamburgers (the fattest I've ever seen - we could hardly get our mouths around them) and hot dogs were served. We also had potato, macaroni, and fruit salads, chips, dips, homemade apple pie and ice cream, and chocolate cake. It was all delicious.

Those who had red, white, or blue in their wardrobes were encouraged to wear them. It was a festive time. This is a picture of Dr. Petersen and his wife with the Allreds. He is the area doctor who handles Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina. I will be in contact with him when I get into the swing of things handling the medical calls from our missionaries. He is really a nice man and I will feel comfortable calling him. I asked him when I should not call him, and he said, "Oh probably between 12:00 and 12:01 in the morning." He is very accommodating.

This is the whole group. They welcome us to be a part of them and we appreciate it. After dinner, those who wanted to play games did so, and the rest went to a conference room where the movie "Chariots of Fire" was shown on a large screen. We had seen it before, but the beauty of our age is that we can see it again as a new movie.