My English Class

This fall I have been teaching English as a Second Language to Hispanic adults here in Georgia. It is a great class with some beginners, a few intermediates and a couple of advanced students. These are parents of children who attend an elementary school in our town and they are a committed group. They are making great strides in learning English and I am proud of their efforts!

They not only study English with me for three hours, twice a week, but also take a parenting class taught in Spanish by Joyce. They are learning much about our culture and how parenting in the USA differs from parenting in their country.

Here is the class:





Last week I gave each of them a small Christmas remembrance: an ornament and a candy cane. They learned some Christmas vocabulary words and sang "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"!

Today Joyce organized a Christmas party for our students and their children. Pizza, drinks, candy, gifts for everyone, a Christmas story for the kids and a rousing chorus of Jingle Bells made a fun day for everyone! The adults gave a gift to each of their children and made little Christmas trees with candy hidden inside.

Some of the mothers put last minute touches to the Christmas trees. Lift up the tree and---a surprise: candy!

Joyce had poinsettias and bags of candy for everyone.

Lots of pictures, lots of smiles, and lots of fun! The children were so happy and the parents were very pleased.

We will have a break for Christmas but everyone will be back, studying English once again, at the beginning of January.

Hasta luego.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving: a unique American holiday; a day we set aside to give thanks for all our many blessings; and a day for family, food, football and fun!

In our family, the kids and grandkids come home to be together, eat turkey, and just enjoy being with each other. Our tradition has been that they come on Wednesday and leave on Saturday, so we have three days of "togetherness". A big turkey dinner with all the trimmings, a little football on TV, a card game of Hearts or Gin Rummy, and watching a movie or two fill the time.

A cornucopia, pilgrims (salt and pepper shakers), candles and fall leaves decorate the table.

The family gathers for Thanksgiving dinner while C takes the photo.

On Friday, Mr. Neat and the grandkids raked some leaves! They were a big help.

We were very grateful to have everyone together and especially for the many blessings that each of us have in our lives.

Hasta luego.

Family Day at Montessori

The Montessori school where our youngest grandson attends kindergarten had Family Day today. Parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters were invited to observe in the classroom, attend the Thanksgiving program, and nibble on snacks. What fun!

Miss Kathy, the teacher, helps M prepare to do some Mathematics. In the tray are ones, tens, hundreds and thousands. He was able to add four-place numbers and understands the placements.

Notice the fresh flower on his desk! Every week, a parent provides a bunch of fresh flowers for the classroom and the children care for them.

M reads a story to a proud Nana! The students learn to read and write at their own pace and M is pleased to be able to read now that he is in afternoon kindergarten!

Children choose their work and put it on mats on the floor or on a table. They learn to get out a project and put it away when finished and they don't go on to something else until they complete what they are doing. The classroom is very organized.

This Montessori school meets in a church so after observing in the classroom, we went into the church for the Thanksgiving program.

Here the toddlers joined the big kids to sing songs and the kindergartners said a Thanksgiving poem that they had written. Lots of proud parents and grandparents and many, many pictures!!!

Yummy snacks!

The children, parents and grandparents were happy and I am sure the teachers were relieved that it was all over!!

The Montessori school in Puerto Vallarta had a Thanksgiving program too. How nice it would be to see photos from their celebration!

Hasta luego.

Autumn in North Georgia

Autumn has been gorgeous in our neck of the woods. Even though we are in a severe drought, the trees have been beautiful. The colors of the leaves and the clear blue sky---sometimes with white fluffy clouds---have beckoned me to take more pictures than I know what to do with! Although the fall color in Georgia cannot compare with the color in the New England states (there the colors are sooo vivid!), the mountains are still glorious in their fall splendor.

Just look at the tree in our back yard!




The tree is full and vibrant with red, orange and yellow leaves even though there is a blanket of leaves below it already.





In our front yard, the Ginkgo tree, with its very yellow leaves, makes a nice contrast to the red oak next to it. When the Ginkgo loses its leaves, they all fall off quickly, in one day , leaving the bare branches with a carpet of yellow leaves beneath.

Just down the street in the yard of a friend stands this maple---one of my favorite trees.

Further down in our neighborhood, these trees were stunning! The small, burgundy red trees are dogwoods. Dogwoods line the street where we live and this fall their leaves were as pretty as their blossoms are in the spring.

These trees border the parking lot near our public library. The blue sky, red, yellow and green leaves---how pretty!

On two different Fridays in October, Mr. Neat and I took a ride to the mountains to see the fall color. The Appalachian Trail begins near our house so the Georgia mountain roads remind me of my West Virginia heritage!

Looking down the road....

Waves of mountains....

It reminds me of a patchwork quilt.

We enjoyed our sightseeing trips. One day we had lunch in Helen, a small town with Bavarian architecture and a wonderful German restaurant! On the next trip, after our drive, we stopped in Dahlonega, walked around the town square and lunched at a restaurant located in an old home with a front porch and rocking chairs. Quite a contrast!

After a couple of very windy days and some drizzling rain, the beautiful leaves are falling, leaving not-so-pretty piles to be raked! But they were nice while they lasted!

Although I am no longer in Mexico, writing about my local area allows my friends in Mexico to learn a bit about our beautiful country and its culture. But...I hope friends here are still reading my writings. I miss your comments! Please feel free to write a comment. It is good to know I have readers!

Hasta luego.

Mule Camp Market

On an almost weather-perfect Saturday afternoon, Mr. Neat and I wandered over to our town square (in Mexico this would be called the "plaza" or "zócalo") to check out the annual Mule Camp Market. For 3 days on the second weekend of October, lots of people gather to enjoy the music, crafts, games for the kids, and mouth-watering food!

Sponsored by the Jaycees, the fund-raiser supports the Empty Stocking Fund which provides school supplies, Christmas toys, and clothing for underprivileged children in our area. A very worthy cause!




The sign tells the "what" and "when"!




Folks check out the food tents. Chicken, gyros, pretzels, lemonade, and doughnuts, were just some of the food offerings available.




This scarecrow advertises the fried pies. "Come and get 'em while they're hot!"





And here are the ladies making the fried pies. You can't get fresher fried pies than this!




Moving on the the crafts...
You can buy handmade wooden bowls and other interesting pieces here.



These painted gourds remind me of the ones I saw at the market in Tonolá, Mexico. In Mexico (unpainted) gourds are frequently used in the fields as bird-houses. Several gourds are hung on a pole and many poles are put out in the fields.

In this booth here, the lady's bird houses were very attractively painted. See the one at the top of the picture? She also had some very handsome jugs made from gourds.



One of the more interesting crafts was the blacksmith booth.


This young man, Jason, a self-taught smithy, cranks up the fire to work on a piece he was making.

Here he uses the anvil to shape the rose that he is creating. Notice the large can of water in the lower left of the photo. He can put the iron into the water to cool it down. It is also there as a precaution since he is working with an open fire.

Here he pounds the rose he is making.

Watching him brought to my mind the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem, "The Village Blacksmith", that I had to memorize in elementary school. Do you also remember:

Under the spreading chestnut tree The village smithy stands; The smith a mighty man is he, With large and sinewy hands...

OK...so Jason doesn't exactly fit the description that Mr. Wadsworth had in mind!! but he was a good blacksmith!

And now on to the pumpkin patch. You can make jack-o'-lanterns or just decorate with pumpkins. But in the fall, one must have a pumpkin! It just wouldn't be autumn without one!

Want to buy some fun for Halloween? All kinds of Halloween decor made from tin was available here.

These two little guys sit, eating their caramel apples and playing with the balloon, while the couple takes a rest, and others still mill about. Everyone enjoys the day.

Here are my two favorite guys:

For my friends in Mexico who are reading this blog, maybe from these photos, you can get a feeling for the fall festivals we celebrate here. They are similar to the puestos in the plazas in Mexico.

For my friends in the good old USA, go out and enjoy the autumn: the festivals, the colored leaves, the pumpkins and the apple cider. It won't be long before the snow flies!

We had a fun afternoon!

Hasta luego.

50th High School Reunion!

After writing about my trips to Florida and North Carolina, I look forward to sharing with you this story and a few pictures from the third great state we visited this summer: West Virginia---the state where I was born!

High school reunion #50?? Can it be true? I graduated from Huntington East High School in 1958 and we have had class reunions every five years. A wonderful committee headed by my friend, Carolene, organizes the reunions and everyone who attends has a great time renewing old friendships from years gone by. Our class, although large (numbering somewhere between 300-350), delights in remembering the people we knew, the places we went and the things we did in our high school days, as well as catching up on kids, grandkids, and now, even great-grandkids!

One thing that everyone remembers from the "old days" is Stewart's hot dogs! And it is probably the first place that folks from Huntington visit---even before going home to see their families! The little orange hot dog stand on 5th Avenue next to the BASF plant (formerly the Standard Ultramarine) hasn't changed since it was started in 1932.




It was always a drive-in, long before drive-ins became popular in the 1950s. Through the years it has added some items to its menu, but the standard hot dog, with Mrs. Mandt's secret chili sauce, and a frosty mug of Stewart's root beer, served on a tray hanging on the driver's side window, is the unrivaled king of hot dog eating!



Another landmark in Huntington is the Keith Albee theater.

Through the years, many a hand was held, and even a kiss stolen, by high schoolers while watching a movie at this historical theater.

Trinity Episcopal Church is the church I attended and we were married here.

Several high school friends attended the youth group with me at this church.

The face of Huntington has changed and a new multi-use center right downtown is a very attractive addition to Third Avenue.

Pullman Square is home to restaurants, shops, and a movie theater. The old B&O railroad station and the Ohio River provide a lovely backdrop for this area.

And now to the reunion...

Friday night, classmate Jim and his wife, Verna, hosted a lovely gathering in their large yard. The Marshall University Jazz band played while everyone chatted, took pictures, looked at old yearbooks, and nibbled on delicious hors d'oeuvres. We even had two of our former teachers attend. How nice to reminisce with them.

Saturday morning, some of "us girls" met at Bob Evans for breakfast---a meal which lasted four hours! Just can't get those ladies to stop talking! What fun!

All of us not only graduated from high school together, but we also attended Junior High together. We are friends from age 12 in the 7th grade.

After breakfast finally ended, some of us got together with another junior high/high school friend and chatted over lunch!

The day passed quickly and finally it was time for the dinner and dance at the local country club.

Mr. Neat and I enjoyed a delicious dinner, visited with friends, and even danced a few to the 50s music provided by a (very loud!) band.

The night ended too quickly---there was much more to be said to friends. I guess we will just have to get together again in five years and pick up where we left off!

Hasta luego

Highlands, North Carolina

Hello again to my faithful readers! I apologize for being so lazy this summer and not writing about my travels. Although while I am not in Mexico, I did visit three great states right here in the USA! I already wrote about my trip to Florida in June (see the blog dated June 15 "Fun in Florida" ) and now I will share some of the fun and pictures from a week that we spent in the Highlands, North Carolina in July.

Highlands is a small town nestled in the mountains in the southwestern part of North Carolina. It is a two hour drive from our home in northern Georgia, through the curving hills of NC. How beautiful the scenery was, driving through the mountains, and the village of Highlands had its own charm!


This is Main Street where interesting shops, boutiques, and restaurants line the street.



In front of this store is a pretty waterfall, some greenery and a bench to sit and enjoy "people watching" after a day of browsing in the shops.




There are several churches on Main Street but everyone seems to designate the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation as the landmark from which to give directions. "It is across the street from the Episcopal church." "Walk a block down from the Episcopal church." And here is the Episcopal church!






This is the Highlands Community Theater where Mr. Neat and I spent a lovely evening. Celebrating their 40th anniversary, the musical play highlighted several of the numbers from shows which the theater has performed in the past and also some numbers from plays which they would like to put up on the boards in the future. Such talent from the writers, musicians, and the actors! We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!


This is the lovely condo we stayed in. Owned by friends of Gainesville State College, they shared their elegant home with us for the week.




Behind the condo was this pretty creek. Isn't the setting beautiful?

And where there is a creek, there will be little boys! Our two grandsons visited for a couple days with their parents and M and M loved wading there.

One day when AE, C, M and M were visiting, we climbed aboard their van and took off to visit a state park a few miles from the Highlands. This Looking Glass Waterfall was so pretty. Tumbling down from the huge rock formation and forming a quiet pool of water below, it attracted lots of folks, some of whom only looked and took photos (me!) and some actually went down and waded in the pool of water. Maybe you can see some of the people in the water at the bottom of the photo.

Travelling a little further down the road, we stopped at Sliding Rock. It is an enormous rock formation with a waterfall on which people could sit down at the top and actually slide down on the rock into the water below. C, M and M went down the rock into the water and declared it was great fun! I took some pictures but I couldn't get far enough away for you to see the whole area. Too bad because it was a fun thing to watch.

On our way home we stopped for ice cream at Dolly's, whose reputation had been touted by many. "You must stop at Dolly's!" Flanked by the two bears, M and M, Mr. Neat and I enjoy the treat.

Our son and his family also joined us for a couple of days and we had breakfast at the pharmacy on Main street. They served up some fine vittles at this drug store!

Being able to visit the beautiful mountains, to become acquainted with the delightful town, and to share a few days with our kids and their families---as well as having a couple of days by ourselves to relax---was a great pleasure for us.

If you are ever in western North Carolina, a side trip to the Highlands would be a treat! Just drop down south of Asheville and you will find the town just waiting for you.

Hasta luego.