Mostra Cultural 2012

Andy and Sam had their Mostra Cultural at school today.  A day of presentations, plays, demonstrations, and artwork displays. 

This year the 3rd grade classes put on a play based on a book they read after winter break. 

 

Sam played the King of the Vitamins!

 

 

 

Just over a year ago my kids knew no Portuguese!

Andy's class had a presentation based on alternative methods of alternative health therapies, such as massage, color/chromo therapy, and tai chi. 

Andy talked about positive and negative energy and the effects they can have on your well-being, health, attitude, etc.... And later in the presentation he and a few classmates gave hand massages to some lucky parent volunteers in the audience. They also brought in a gentlemen who gave everyone a live Tai Chi demonstration. (This wasn't his spiel in its entirety, but all that Blogger would let me upload.)

All the kids did a really great job.  Especially MINE!  ;o)

Buenos Aires

Finally getting up the rest of the pictures from our July trip!

After we checked into our hotel in Buenos Aires, we went for a walk. These big gates led to a courtyard area that included a restaurant and some type of Polish society, among other things.

 

The next day we explored some more and happened upon this museum that was underneath La Casa Rosada (their White House, but it's pink). Much of the museum had the walls from the older city in tact. 

This was a guard in the traditional Argentinian uniform.  I think he was there for photo ops, but also to keep an eye on the stuff.

This was a painting of Juan and Eva Peron hanging on the wall, with the dress she was wearing in the painting displayed close by. Pretty dress; pretty lady!

 

After touring the museum we exited the building and walked around to see the front of La Casa Rosada.  

Here were a few building on the other side of the square. I really liked the architecture around the city.

On another day our walking passed these REALLY BIG DOORS!  I think it was the armory.

This was taken on a day that we visited the Recoleta neighborhood.  Very nice above ground cemeteries. This shot was taken from the second floor of the very nice mall.

And this was the park nearby the cemetery, church, children's museum, another shopping area, lots of restaurants, and many other things.

A professional dog-walker?  We had never seen so many dogs being walked at once!

And, of course while we were there we took in tango show!  I don't remember if I forgot to take pictures, didn't feel like it, or wasn't allowed.  But I did get a shot of the outside!  It was a great show, but I would like to see one of the other shows (there are several) if we ever make it back!

A swim on our last evening there. The hotel pool was outside on the roof and heated, thankfully, because it was cold outside.

This was me in my winter coat, in the reflection of the gym that was adjacent to the pool, but inside.  Super-zoom lens activated!

The sunset was beautiful from the roof.

Thanks, Buenos Aires!  Hope to see you again some day.

Beautiful few days for a bike ride....

Sunday afternoon Otto and Andy went out for their first official bike ride since we've been here. Yesterday the weather was even nicer so Sam, Andy, and I went for our first bike ride together. There is a very nice bicycle path that runs the length of the beach in Santos, and several that are popping up in other areas of the city.  (Av. Ana Costa has one for anyone familiar with Santos.)

Sam had all-day school today, so Andy and I went for a ride just by ourselves this morning. I didn't take the camera along, as one of the things we learned yesterday is that the official bike path is not necessarily for lollygaggers. People are using it as a serious means of transportation, so get on, get to it, and stop looking around!!  At times this was difficult with the 7-year-old. We decided after yesterday that getting  on the surrounding concreted areas may be better, then at times hop onto the bike path only when we couldn't continue on any other way. This morning Andy and I were on the path quite a bit, but it was easier with just me and the older kid, and it wasn't as busy today. 

We live about in the center of the beach (a few blocks away), near Canal 3, so yesterday the three of us rode west to the Emissario (near Canal 1), and today Andy and I traveled east towards the aquarium and Ponte da Praia (near Canal 6).  Neither day did I take my camera because I wanted to ride, not stop and take pictures.  But I got to personally see a couple of statues that I had seen on the internet, but didn't quite know where they were.  Here are two, both images are from this webpage.

I really like this statue of a surfer with the water spraying on him like he's really surfing!

 

 

I also like this one very much, which is near the one above, of Osmar Gonçalves who was apparently a pioneer of surfing here in Brazil. Imagine, if you will, me riding around and around and around and around this statue. After a while the boys got tired of going around, but I continued a bit longer, mainly because I didn't have to worry about hitting anyone (there were lots of people out, as is the norm on a pretty afternoon) and the view was nice. :o)

And please visit the link above to see lots of other neat statues along the beach and around town. The credits below each of the photos seem to be different, so thanks to all the people that took the images, whoever they are!