The Mexican Dishwasher/clothes washer

No, I am not referring to Molly but the cement cistern sort-of-thing you see here. Every home sports one of these in a patio or courtyard. It is filled with water in the middle. We scoop water out of there into wash and rinse pans. The dishes are washed and dried out of doors. The water dispenses underneath. Most people use the cistern to wash their clothes as well. See the other end? Women's courtyards serve more as their kitchens a being equipped with these and wood-burning stoves. It is refreshing to wash dishes in the heat of the day.

*Notice the kitchen window behind Molly. All the "windows" are like this with netting. It's a joke though since it obviously doesn't keep any critters out. Dishes have to be washed after and before use since lizards crawl around in the cupboards.

The Knutz's have many new chores:

1. Washing Dishes

2. Hanging clothes on the clothes line

3. Making home-made salsa daily

4. Making refried beans often

5. Pressing wrinkled clothes

6. Shopping in the market place daily

7. Burning garbage and recycling plastic, glass, and metal.

8. Doing scorpion checks before bedtime

9. Keeping tile floors clean! (A big job with all the dusty roads!)

10. Tanning in the hammock daily

The Mexican Clothes Dryer

This is our backyard. Everyone uses solar power to dry their clothes here. You know, it is much more economical!!!

This is NOT the Average Mexican Home in La Haucana

We truly are blessed to be living in such a fantastic house. It is much larger than the one back home. There are four bedrooms and three baths. The upstairs is unfinished so basically the kids only sleep up there. The bathrooms aren't plumbed yet. (Bummer!) We are well equipped with conveniences many Mexicans don't have, like a microwave and washing machine. The backyard is a good size with a patio attached. I discourage the use of the yard since we saw a scorpion in the wood pile. A single mother of two owns this house. Lopae is a kindergarten teacher. We like her very much and are thankful she has been so willing to share with us.

Old Man in Town Square

OK- I am just posting this picture because I love it so! I have yet to take my picture of an old man riding a donkey on the cobble-stone. Do you think this picture will get a blue at County Fair? (No, I have never met the man, but Molly and I had fun taking it anyway!)

Clothing Market

Gumero took us to a town 4.5 hours away that is known for it's clothing market. I have never seen so many clothes in one place in my life! We all were excited to get so many great deals.

An Above-Average Restaurant

There are numerous outdoor eateries in Mexico. Women wake up early in the mornings and cook out of their homes. Those that don't have a convenient town location, bring their food into town and sell from the sidewalks or back of their trucks. It's always an adventure trying new foods. Basically, everything goes into a tortilla! And I mean everything! It is all the sauces that make Mexican food so good. ~T

An Average Shoe Store

This is Channel whom has been very hospitable to us. He speaks minimal English and has been able to answer a few questions for us, like, "Does La Haucana have a post office?" He too is a small a business owner like everyone else in this town.

Front View Outside Our House

This is what I see everyday out my front window. These people have several dogs and they bark a lot in the night. The neighbors on our left have over 15 chickens and roosters. Since the homes in Mexico don't have windows, the noise level can be very frustrating for a quiet American family! We have all learned to use ear plugs to get a good night's sleep. The rooster perches right by Molly and our window. In this country anyone can blare their music at anytime without worry of a policeman being sent to their door. There is constant noise in La Huacana.

Average Clothing Store

The Knutz's are becoming authentic Mexican cooks. There are TONS of fresh vegetables and fruits here! I am making salsa and refried beans from scratch almost daily. No canned salsa in this country!! I have searched! I buy onions, avocados, peppers of all varieties, jalapenos, tomatoes and cilantro in large quantities. You know how you see Mexicans in your home town loading up on these items at Winco? Well, that's me! Carmen will be coming over next week to teach me how to make maize tortillas.

BTW~ the fruit here is incredible. I never really knew how a real banana tasted until now. Avocado trees surround this valley.

Internet Cafe Where We Visit With You From!

Mike is working on the blog there with his laptop. We can all get on at the same time. It is $3 pesoes for 15 minutes. Divide by 12 and the cost will translate to Amercian dollars.

Cobble-stone Streets in La Haucana

La Haucana has cobble-stone streets. It makes for some very rough driving. Mike chooses not to take his van outside the garage if he doesn't have to. Vehicles bottom out on these roads. We do everything on foot! Also, parking is very difficult to find since the town plaza is always full. The van is great to have here though since we have been out of town four times already. The closest town is 2.5 hours away! The highways have nice pavement though.

Town Plaza is Always Hopping!

This is a street in our "town plaza". Wow, what a fun and busy place it is! There are atleast 20 streets lined with small businesses. Loud music plays all of the time, and townspeople bring their carts, awnings, wheel barrels, etc., to sell their home-made foods. Last week I ate my now favorite mexican meal out of the back of someone's truck. I will be watching for him! There are peddlers everywhere asking you to buy their peanuts, chilis, drinks, or whatever they have. It is a delight to walk the four blocks from our home. Each trip I reward myself with a coca and/or mexican ice cream bar. It is more of a social outing than a shopping trip.

This is Mike and Fernando studying the languages together. Fernando knows some English. He adores Mike and lights up whenever they meet. When we are walking in town, Fernando will jump out of nowhere and shout, "It's my brother!" I've tried to get in on the excitement but it's just not the same. When parting one evening I asked him if there is anything I could pray for for him. He responded, "Oh, yes, I have God in my heart 100% and pray all of the time." I was delighted and told him we shared the same faith. Fernando said, "Yes, I know. The God in my heart sees the God in your heart." That was a blessing since we had been wondering if he was one God had brought into our lives to tell Jesus about. Instead, He has brought Fernando to us to enjoy christian fellowship, to study the language and to learn the culture here in Mexico. This friend is full of joy and has a way of making you feel special. ~T

Mike drove us to Apatzingan which is 2.5 hours from La Haucana to join Mario and Gumero's family for their traditional Christmas Eve celebration. (Two brothers on the left). Christmas in Mexico is celebrated as New Year's in the US. Families come together for an all night fiesta which involves music, food and fire-works. As we were driving home at 1:30 AM, traveling through numerous small towns, each town was alive. Gift-giving is not the focus here. It's all about getting together. ~T

Our pinata played the role as our Christmas tree this year.

Mike is cooking our Christmas dinner here which was a roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy. Our first authentic American dish in Mexico!

Jake gets his Christmas wish. When we rolled into town he was declaring how badly he'd like a kitty for a pet while living in La Huacana. On Christmas Eve, "Chica" was captured outside our house. She was obviously dieing of starvation, unable to walk, patches of hair missing, paint in her fur and in desperate need of a bath. Maddy and Jake feed her as much as they can. She is the friendliest kitty we have ever known. (There are numerous neglected animals in Mexico; we are glad to have saved one!)

Within the first week of living in La Huacana, we had some unexpected house guests. The Scorpion was a bit alarming, but he met Mr. Hammer and we all felt much better. We weren't too sure about the lizard either until we learned that those kind eat scorpions.

Warm Welcome

Gumaro and Carmen have been our host family. They have been very good about inviting us to birthday parties and other fiestas. Since he is the Secretary for La Huacana (the county) he has many connections which has kept us busy attending many events.

Tammy and Molly are taking home a center piece from one of the fiestas. We have really been given the royal treatment. The people here are so hospitable.

Fiesta

Here are a couple of photos of traditional Mexican Folk Dancing held in the town plaza. There are a lot of celebrations held at Christmas time. These were students from the local school.

In the back is the office for the municpality (County) where our host Gumaro works as the Secretary for the region.

La Huacana Shopping

Here are some photos of shops in La Huacana. The flora photo is of the town plaza. The other photos are typical of the many stores here in La Huacana. All the stores are small and open up to the street with a rolling door. There are so many of these little stores in town it is hard to know where the best prices are for various items. Tammy found here favorite store last night - a candy store where she could buy chocolate.

Our Casa

Here are some photos of the casa that is our home for the next few months.

This was our first authentic Mexican meal our first night in Mexico.

On the Road

Mario and Norma and their daughters were our trail guides and interpreters from Nogales, AZ to La Huacana. Mario is also a professor for the OSU Extension Service.

Buenos noches de La Huacana, Michoacan, Mexico! (Good Evening from the town of La Huacana, in the state of Michoacan, Mexico.) We have been here almost a week and have been striving to learn the language. It is a lot of hard work and we covet your prayers. This week we have settled into our casa (home) and have attended several fiestas (parties). The most time consuming thing has been learning to shop in the market place for groceries with very little language skills. We have been very grateful for our picture Spanish/English dictionary and the many folks that God has set in our path to help in those times that all we could say is "no intendo" (I don't understand). The people have been very hospitable to us. Since La Huacana is off the beaten path from tourism, the presence of six Anglo people attracts quite a bit of attention in this town of 10,000.

We have been very blessed with the great food, the sunshine (although we think 90 degrees is a bit on the warm side) and the help and friendship extended to us by several families. Mario and his family served as our guide and translator from the time we crossed the border in Arizona up until they left town several days ago. Gamaro (Mario's brother) has served as our host family since we have arrived. They have shown us around, provided meals, invited us to community events as well as family fiestas. Please keep praying for our ability to learn the language quickly. We will soon be able to upload more photos to our blog. Our only Internet access is at a cyber cafe. To dispell what you may be thinking about a cyber cafe, it does not serve coffee or any food. I had visioned myself sipping a mocha while doing my email and blog. With temperatures near 90 (I hate to mention that again with all the snow you guys have had back home), I am looking for the nearest ice cream shop. On Christmas Day we plan to go to the beach and swim in the tropical ocean water. We hope that will ease the pain of not enjoying a white Christmas with family and friends in McMinnville. ~M

Feliz Navidad!

Sharon & Tress and Their Four Pooches

Sharon and Tress are our friends we met while living in Tillamook in 1994. They adopted our family and we adopted them. We stopped in @ Sun City CA to see them and enjoyed a scrumptious meatloaf dinner and a breakfast on Sat. morning before our long drive to southern Arizona. Their home was so warm and peaceful. It was so wonderfoul to see them!!! Molly tried to stuff little Sophie (black doggie pictured) into her sweatshirt on the way out the door but was caught red-handed.

Spongebob gets to meet two of his biggest fans: Tammy & Molly.

Molly's Debute

Molly up on stage during the animal actors presentation at Universal Studios. She was calling a pigeon to her hand. Well it landed on her head instead. She is going to keep her day job.M

City Walk

We have been very careful not to make Josh angry.

Kids in front of Christmas Tree on City Walk, Universal City.

Aunt Renee and Uncle Bud were wonderful hosts for our first night away from home. We savored having a home cooked meal before several days of food on the road.

Family of six drives 3,000 miles to Mexico. That sounds like a headline for a disaster. Actually, our first 12 hour day of driving went very well.