Around la huerta

This was taken on the farm in a cute little forest beside the garden beds.  The floor has a soft cover of pine needles and the trees totally block out the sun.  I love this spot.

My favorite lookout spot...about a 20 minute hike behind our house.  It's a 360 view of the gorgeous mountain ranges that surround the farm.

This is Diva.  She is quite literally a diva. See her posing? She is also a beautifully pregnant diva. 

Rio Azul, always so dramatic

This was taken on a hike nearby...I came to the top of the hill under a dense forest and was drawn toward light...

Cabinmates

For all of the families of my cabinmates who I've heard are following this blog...here are some favorite photos of your beloved children...y mis amigos.

BioIntensivo

Over the weekend we were able to attend an Organic Bio-Intensive Workshop with Fernando Pia, an agronomic engineer who has worked with the founder of La Confluencia to help develop their farm.  The class was about a 20 hour program and we learned so much about what we eat, insecticides, fertilizers, how to start your own compost, how to create a biointensive garden bed, how to maintain it, how to transplant...He basically explained to us why we are doing this work, how to do it correctly, and how to prepare our own gardens from digging the first bit of soil, to reaping a bountiful harvest.  Half of it was in a formal class setting, the other half was out in the field.  Fernando Pia did the class in a mixture of Spanish and English; we had some good laughs.  Here are a few pictures that Mark took for the Confluence blog while we were learning about transplanting seedlings from a flat in a greenhouse, to a bed in the garden.

In this picture, Fernando Pia is showing Emily and I the correct way to transplant lechuga seeds, lettuce!

Through the season, these little baby seedlings will be watered daily, and covered with a tunnel to trap humidity and heat.  This time next year, they will look something like these!  We've been eating fresh salads from the garden lately..delicioso!

On a different note, I've been eating differently down at the lodge, and we had a meet and greet with a new Wwoofer here from Michigan, named Peter.  Something happened either Saturday or Sunday that did not sit well with me...a parasite perhaps, or some type of germ exchange..not sure.  But I've been so sick for the past 24 hours...unable to retain water, definitely not food...feeling horrible.  But today I'm better!!  and I just ate a big plate of rice with veggies and mushrooms...Rehydrating.  

I NEED to feel better!  Tomorrow is a special day...I need to be on my feet, dancing under the stars next to a bonfire with music and new friends...tomorrow this needs to happen.  And I think it will!

Lost in the wilderness

Exploring around the area is a favorite thing to do here.  What is on the other side of that hill?  What if I leave the trail and walk towards the sound of the rushing river below?  What would I see if I climbed to the top of that rock?  I've been collecting answers to these questions as I hike, getting lost frequently, constantly finding exactly where I am, exactly where I should be.  An exploration of the self...that's what happens when panic sets in because you've been lost in the woods for almost 3 hours...But I found the way back...don't we always find our way back?

spiritual sunshine

magical forest

Here are some shots I took while lost in the forest..

Farming Community

Here are pictures of all the neighboring homes that sit on beautiful farms along the street winding upward toward El Bolson.  Hiking along the ridgeline, attending a 'Luna Llena' festival just downriver on Melanie's farm/campsite, getting lost...that is how these photos ended up on my camera.

This house is on the farm just up the hill from us.  It belongs to Jorge and Paulina and their 8 children.  They take care of the horses, chickens and cows for Ellie and Mark.  

I was hiking and met these 3 on the trail...

I was walking back to the house after visiting the baby lambs, and Jorge and 2 of his sons were leading Molly (the sick cow who is now up and walking!) down the hill.  Jorge asked me if I would take their picture.  My heart almost burst.

This is a sign for all of the refugios in the area...usually small homes  scattered along the tops of the nearby mountains.  Usually one or two people live there and they take in hikers for the night.  

This is Melanie's house, the closest neighbor to La Confluencia.  She is around my age, lives alone on the farm.  There is a big campsite on her property.  She invited all of us to come to her 'Luna Llena' party...a fiesta under a full moon.  We arrived around dusk and walked to the rocky banks of the Rio Blanco behind her house.  People were sitting around in circles, talking, laughing, passing around food, naked kids were everywhere, hopping along the rocks and splashing in the river.  It seemed to be an intimate gathering of a family of friends.  They were all dressed up like hippy clowns.  

Melanie's dog on their campsite

How many butts can you count in this picture?

The day after the full moon, the moon disappeared from the sky and the stars were more brilliant than I've ever seen.  The sky so vast, so grand above us, so dark.  The Milky Way twinkling with stars made a long streak across the sky.  It was a calm night, with a book and a fire after admiring our cielo.Nature just seems to swallow us here; we are constantly working with our hands in the soil of the earth, creating a sustainable world for plants and people, under all the weather that comes our way, surrounded by a dramatic landscape.  It's beautiful here..more beautiful than when I first arrived because I feel more connected to it, closer.  As I dazed off into the stars last night, I continued to think about what I will take from this place when I leave.  This place will, of course, continue on without me, maybe with a few of my fingerprints, but what imprint will it leave on me?  So far I've come to 4 things...adaptation, exploration, nature and patience. 

Baby Lambs!!!

Surprise Surprise....The baby lambs came early; during the full moon in fact.  Well 2 out of the 4 were born on a full moon!  They weren't supposed to come until mid-November but they just couldn't wait!  They are so adorable!  2 are black, and the other 2 are white with black little faces...I shouldn't even try to explain it to you..I will just upload the photos as soon as possible.
Adam and I have already decided that we are going to have a baby lamb farm.  Lambs only.

(In this picture the lamb is 4 hours old!)

After work on Thursday, Ellie told us that a sheep was giving birth and we should watch.  So we crept up the road and sat nearby. We watched as the sheep had contractions, throwing her head back and stretching out, then walking in circles...then she squirted out this big black sac, and she started to clean it.  It was alive at first, it was kicking, but it died after a few minutes.







It's not good for the mom to lose a baby...She would continue to clean it even though it's dead.  So they went and got the dead lamb and took it to the barn.  She would continue to look for her baby and remain in complete distress unless she finds it, It's also important because she needs a baby to nurse, for her own health.  So here's what went down...This may be a bit gross to think about...

2 other sheep had 2 babies each.  So here's what is done..they take a baby from one of the other mom's...if they lose the scent then they won't worry about it again.
They take the skin off of the dead baby lamb, and make it into a little coat and drape it over one of the other babies so the distressed mom will recognize the new baby as her own because of the distinct smell.  Well, it worked!  The mom took to the other baby and now all the mom's are being nursed and taking care of the lambs.  It was a bit traumatic to watch this happen..but in the end it's good for everyone.  The poor baby lamb that died was buried nearby.
There are still 4 healthy cute precious adorable little lambs that are in good health. I love them ...I love them all so much.

El Bolson

El Bolson is a small pueblo with about 15,000 people. It was declared an 'ecological municipality' and a 'non-nuclear area' ...in other words, there are a lot of hippies and self sustaining farms, they love crafts, nature and peace...hey, so do I!  I love El Bolson!!!

Love capturing people in their natural setting, in their natural way.

We all decided to stay in El Bolson for Saturday and Sunday so we booked out a hostel and explored.  The feria was going on, the sun was out, the cherry blossoms are in bloom, people were playing games, dancing with their children, enjoying a calming sunny day.

 El Bolson is surrounded by a  mountain range called Cerro Piltriquitron, which literally means 'hanging by the clouds'

I learned this weekend that these mountains most certainly live up to their name.

The cherry blossoms were in bloom all over El Bolson so bursts of color were around every corner, not to mention the clear blue sky..The photo ops were coming in waves.

The feria or market is a must-see in El Bolson...locals gather and sell their handmade crafts and woodwork to the public, play music, dance, and haggle.

Jewelry, fresh food ( For lunch I had a whole wheat squash, onion and mozzarella calzone...it was so delicious.) they also sell clothing, musical instruments, even animals...we spent all day in the park enjoying the feria, kicking around a soccer ball, in a trance by the bongo quartet in the park...they were so on beat, eyes closed, 4 guys beating on these huge drums so fast, all in sync.  Very cool.




Lots of pics!  That's because we just got internet in our little cabin!!!  I can't believe it...So I'm sitting at our cozy little table, with a fire, just ate some rice and an orange and uploaded all of these photos...hope you are enjoying this Argentina adventure as much as I am!

Cozy home

This is our cozy home...we sit at the highest point on the farm. This sky is so big here...I'm just swallowed up. Our home is so nice when we get back from work, eat fresh bread, start a fire, greet Charlie, listen to music, try to explain to Julia what we are talking about, stare at the sky, sit on the front porch and tell stories, watch the sheep grazing, enjoy being surrounded by nature from all angles.

Bonfires

6 logs set up around a campfire, as the sun is setting, the moon is bright and the stars slowly get brighter and brighter...the clouds move swiftly through the sky, warmth from the fire warms our shins, we tell stories, laugh...comfort.

Check out that sky!!! Lauren and Michael

Melting snow

The snow is slowly melting right before our eyes...Check out these before and after pics

9/02/2010:

9/14/2010: