On the Road Again!

Hola! Wanted to let everyone know that we are departing today at 5 PM! As you can imagine, we are all very anxious to be home and reunite with our family and friends! There are many mixed emotions since we will miss our friends in La Haucana. Everyone has been so very good to us!

We ask for prayer covering while we travel. It is epecially important the next three days since we are traveling this time alone with no translators. Choosing safe hotels along the way is very important, and traveling through the border towns can be risky. We expect to cross the border on Saturday in Nogales Arizona.

Should be seeing you all next week then! Drop by the house to see us. We are used to a full house!

Saying Goodbyes, Honoring Those Whom We've Come to Know and Love

The school director, Roberto, (right) welcomed our family into his school. He went out of his way for us by hanging an American flag next to the Mexican flag so that both could be honored. Roberto looked out for our family's well-being during our stay, providing us with free medical attention and free lunches. Once during a quick onset of a virus that comprised Madeline's lungs, had called the hospital ahead, making it possible to receive immediate attention upon arrival. Roberto visited Tammy while ill with dysentery, doing everything possible to drag her to see the doctor. He even sat with us one afternoon while visiting with Tammy's parents for a couple of hours through Skype. His leadership and fatherly nature made us feel well-cared for.

Having given up her home for over 3 months, Lupe (left) has shown us what real sacrifice is. Not only has she shared her house and all her personal belongings, she has been a friend. Many times she picked up Tammy to go to her school, to drive around town to take pictures, taught her how to make enchiladas, and accommodated Tammy's need to get out of the house to exercise a little. Lupe took the whole family to see Morelia for the first time, the city Tammy fell in love with. As a full-time teacher and a single mom, our family appreciated all of her sacrifice on our accounts.


Gumero and his wife Carmen (right) welcomed us into La Huacana for the first and most critical weeks. Gumero introduced us into the Mexican culture, took us out of town on several occasions and to a few local fiestas. Our kids were moved by his kindness. Little did they know that they were about to experience that sort of kindness by all the people in the weeks to come.
Our La Huacana neighbor, Fernando (left) is a strong brother in the Lord. Always a joy to bump into him, he is overflowing with the power and love of God, ready to give glory to Him. Fernando was our first friend in La Huacana and has seen us through clear to the end. His amazing witness is how he cares for His aging Grandfather, having totally given up his life in Acapulco. It will be impossible to hold back the tears when saying goodbye to Fernando.

Raramure (right) opened his heart and his home(s) to us. His gentle spirit and his kindness made us all feel at home in La Haucana and in Morelia. He has made his casa (house) our casa...giving us an open invitation in any of his three homes at anytime. In fact, we plan to take him up on his offer next year when we return for a month by moving into his empty house here in La Huacana. Raramure will also visit us in the US with his uncle and we look forward to showing him the same kindness he has showed us.

Enock (left) made it his mission, along with his nephew Raramure, to make our time in Mexico enjoyable. He spent a lot of time caring for our family and because of him, we were able to see many new places. He had treated us to witnessing the turtle project (See blog post Tortugas), amongst many other great places. Besides weekend travels, we played chess, dominoes, basketball, and ate enchiladas and carnitas together. Enock's personality is full of quick whit and laughter. Our kids decided that he and their Grandpa Ron would get along great. That is good news since Enock will be visiting the US in June in the new teacher exchange program between OSU and Mexico. The Knutz children have decided they would like to host Enock at their Grandmother's home for dinner, since that is the place of the best made American food they can think of.


Esther (right) is a kind friend to Tammy. I previous post told of how she came immediately to the house once she heard Tammy had come down ill with dysentery. With her she brought home remedies and a niece to help clean-up the house. Esther was a wonderful companion on our out-of-town excursions and made yummy food for all of us.

Enock's & Esther's three sons were as hospitable as their parents. Eatabean, especially, was always just a phone call away. Like the time his father called him to go and fetch a plant from his house so that a brew could be made to alleviate our family's pain from severe sunburns. I could tell many stories of all Eatabean's acts of kindness. A mother could only hope their sons will turn out as well as all three of these young men.

Night Pictures of the Cathedral in Morelia

I have posted pictures of this cathedral before but these are different - much more beautiful. This is the biggest and most visited cathedral in Morelia. It is located right by the town square. Travelers come from all over the world to see it.

I took these pictures standing beneath the cathedral. A person feels sort of engulfed in it's majesty. This is only one small section.
A unique view...

Night Pictures of Morelia

I loved having the opportunity to walk through the streets of Morelia when it was all lit up.
Snapping pictures from every angle that I can. I feel like I am in London. No, this must be better.
Morelia's post office! Would someone explain this?
I am unsure of this building but took the picture because the building says "Morelia".
These arches extend throughout the city. Lanes of traffic travel through them.
There are several cathedrals in Morelia. We have been able to visit three of them. This Sunday our friend Raramiri walked us in the middle of a mass service. We joined the people down front, and of course, with being Americans, all eyes were on us. Our public display was worth it though since I was able to thoroughly take in the beauty of the cathedral from inside. (This one picture here). Wow! It was amazing, being decoratively painted in real gold.

The Morning of the Monarca Mariposas; Getting Ready

After breakfast we waited for every one to get ready so we could head out to the place of the butterflys. I marveled as this grandson, Erwin, combed his grandmother's hair. I tell my daughters that they can find a nice young man by watching how a son treats his mother; in this case, his grandmother. Enock's three sons are very loving to both, their mother and grandmother. Eatabean, one of Erwin's brothers, had picked his grandmother up once to help her down one step, while wrapping his arms around her, also giving her a big hug and kiss. Again, we are all impressed by the strong family ties and good manners.
Our family was served breakfast first, then everyone else sat down and chowed down after us. Mike remained at the table.
On Saturday morning we shared breakfast with Esther's family. A common breakfast is the cow intestine soup. Since this food is so new to our family, we all feasted on the refried beans, tortillas and scrambled eggs. Our friends were understanding of our inability to partake, commenting that if they came to the US, they would unlikely be able to eat some of our foods. I appreciated their graciousness.

Monarcha Mariposas (Butterflys)

This is at the top of the trail right before we reached our destination. Isn't this beautiful. Jake snapped this picture. That is the beauty of having more than one camera. Each person takes their own kind of pictures and sees things from a different perspective. I am usually surprised at my kids' ability to foresee a good photo.
On the way up the trail. The teens seem to doing fine with the elevation issue....
These tree limbs are hanging because they are heavy laden with millions of butterflys. Since it is close to sunset, they have nestled in for the evening. Unfortunately, our group reached the top at too late of an hour to watch them fly around.

Mariposa Monarca ~ Monarch Butterfly

During our most recent trip Morelia our friends, Enoch and Raramure took us to the easternmost part of the state of Michoacan to the Monarch Butterfly Reserve. This is the home of millions of Monarch Butterflies who travel from as far North as Canada and all over the United States to hibernate for the winter here in the Mexican highlands. They travel an amazing 3,000 miles at a rate of 7 mph at an elevation of 500 feet above the ground. Most arrive in October or November. March begins their breeding season. Males die shortly after breeding and females are left to make the treck back to the U.S. Interesting enough, the females will fly north but not reach their orignal destination. Their offspring will continue the journey northward. It may take up to five generations to make the complete mirgration from Canada back to Mexico.

After riding in the car for over 5 hours (we had taken the scenic route) we were ready to ascend the mountain to see the butterflies. Within the first minute of hiking, Tammy and I felt like we were going to pass out. We had to stop several times and take a moment to do deep breathing exercises. We then learned that the elevation of this mountain was equivalent to Mount Hood (11,000 feet). After reaching the top and enjoying the mass quantity of butterflys, we thought it worth the climb.

Our family traveled to Morelia this weekend with our friends Raramiri, Enock, Esther and their sons. On the way, we stopped in this town to grab a bite to eat. Throughout Mexico, people set out tables and chairs outside the doors of their homes to serve up "cena" (dinner).

As we arrived, the lady set out the table onto the sidewalk. Behind the curtain is a bedroom. Our group is standing just off the sidewalk, in the street.

This is all the ingredients for tostados including shells, lettuce, cheese, chicken, beef, pork, and salsas. We stood on the road and watched the chef make our dinner and then ate them there. Our group of 13 people ate for $12, including sodas!

There are many entertainers in Morelia. Aren't these young men so handsome in their attire? We asked to take a picture, tipped them and were on our way - didn't hear them play. Three amigos, reminds me of some movie title. ???

Speaking of Artistic Archictecture, More Pictures of the Cathedral

After posting about our trip to Morelia weeks back, my mom got as excited about the city as I did. (See Mexico's Best Kept Secret, & The Soul of the City). Looks like dad better start saving his nickles because after viewing the pictures, she is insisting on a trip to Mexico. This month they had their 42nd Wedding Anniversary so maybe for their 50th...

Mom, I was shocked to see the pictures that Mike had on his camera. They were so much better than mine! I have added more here for your enjoyment.


We had fully enjoyed our few hours in Morelia; I totally fell head over heels in love with this city. Who needs Mexico City when there is Morelia?

Can you see that cute little guy standing in front of the cathedral door? That is Lupe's son who is 17 months old. He is all giggles.


Our family will being staying two nights in Morelia this weekend with Enock's family; they own a second home there. I can hardly wait.

We will then spend a night in Morelia next month when we leave our home in La Huacana to travel home. One last chance...


The streets of Morelia are lined with beautiful stone buildings. This picture is a little deceiving making the street look wider than what most streets in Morelia are. This is the main street, most streets are single lanes. While riding in our van, I felt fully incased by the goregeous stone buildings - like I was being swallowed by beauty with them towering over each side of me.

Artistic Architecture

This post is for you architect lovers. There is some very unique and gorgeous architecture in Mexico.


This is gorgeous as it gets! I took this picture in a town on the way to the beach. Notice how the family lives in the top portion and sells out of the bottom - very common in Mexico.
A very typical house in La Huacana. My comparison, it is middle-class, not as poor as some you have seen posted on this blog but not as nice as a few classier homes. Common is the unfinished upstairs. A family of ten was raised in this house, all adults who now have family of their own. The two very old ma and pa live alone now.

















This beautiful house is the one we have had the priveledge of renting during our stay in La Huacana.

Snapped a Few Pictures on My Way Home From Santa Clara