La Gran Aventura Day 25: The Half-Brother and The High-School Friends

Thursday, January 4, 2024

Betty’s leg is still a bit sore, and she’s exhausted, so this morning I went for a little run on my own. Alma and her husband Víctor live in a beautiful and peaceful and safe gated neighborhood, so I just ran around it a few times. It was good to sweat off some of the calories from the past week or so.

While I was running, I listened to some podcasts -- including one of my favorites: Church History Matters. This morning they were talking with Dr. Keith Erekson , who wrote a book on how to distinguish truth from rumor in the church.

When I finished running, I ran into Betty and Ian — who were just heading out for a walk.

Today’s discussion was particularly interesting to me because one of the show’s hosts, Casey Griffiths, along with Mary Jane Woodger, has written a book called 50 Relics of the Restoration. It sounds interesting to me because we almost never think of relics in our church. They are for Catholics ;) And yet, here is a book about relics of the restoration. I’ll have to look into it.

After my run, I took the boys over to Vale and Martha’s house to help Vale with a project in his yard. It was good physical work, and it’s always good to work hard with friends.

The highlight of the day today was a visit from Betty’s half-brother Marco Antonio. He and his 10 brothers are children of Betty’s father and his wife. Betty had very limited contact with her father when she was young (he died when she was 8), and even less contact with this side of her family. Betty learned things she never knew -- including the burial place of her father and grandfather -- in a church right here in Hermosillo. We were so grateful that Marco Antonio would come by the house and tell her about her father and some of her other ancestors.

The rest of the afternoon was spent getting caught up on email and work.

In the evening Betty went out to eat with Alma and Yolanda, another dear friend from high school. These three, along with a fourth -- Olivia -- have been best friends since high school. Betty loves them dearly, and it’s always such a treat for her to see them.

These are photos of the four in high school, and then on Christmas Eve in 2003, when I met Yolanda, Olivia, and Alma — the night before I proposed to Betty.

Víctor and I hung out with the kids. I took them over to the park to play basketball. It’s fun to see my kinds interacting in Spanish with native Spanish-speakers. The other kids here call all of my kids “gringo” or “gringa.” Only when they got back did I realize that Betty and her friends had gone out for Mexican sushi -- one of my favorite foods. I should have gone with them :)

After that it was movie night (Willy Wonka), and then to bed.

La Gran Aventura Day 24: Guaymas to Hermosillo

Wednesday, January 3, 2023

The time has come to say goodbye to Guaymas and Empalme. We spent the morning packing, and it was ... miraculously ... better. The kids are all learning to take better care of their stuff and to pack more efficiently. It’s a huge relief for us.

Before we left town, we had to say goodbye to David and Irene. They have been so good to us here. We are super grateful for their hospitality.

We also had to say goodbye to tía Cháncali. She was sweet, and the kids were good with her as well. We will miss her for sure.

Betty also wanted to say hello and goodbye to her old stake president, presidente Palestino. He’s a pediatrician in Guaymas. By this time, the kids were in a pretty grumpy mood, and Betty was also feeling a lot of intense emotions for a number of different reasons.

One of the challenges of this trip for the kids is that we never really know what our plan will be. It causes them quite a bit of anxiety. This morning, since we are moving houses, they were curious to know where we would be sleeping tonight. Betty, frustrated with their tone and dealing with her own emotions, snapped back at them: “Maybe we should just go back to the US and sleep there.”

To which the kids responded: “No! You PROMISED us we would be in Mexico until January 8th!”

It was actually an awesome moment because you may remember that when we entered Mexico they were begging us to make it only a two-day visit. But they have really come to love it here -- despite some of the challenges.

After so many visits with friends and friends of friends, Betty and I felt like we needed some time with our family. So we drove up the coast to San Carlos to the mirador (overlook).

We did a little hike down to the beach, and Ian and Alicia enjoyed climbing around on the rocks while Kimball and River threw rocks into the sea. Anahi wasn’t feeling great.

We were able to get some delicious strawberries and cream and fruit with chile. Oh, and on the way out we got coconuts with fruit and Tostitos and shrimp.

Because the kids were pretty grumpy on the way back, we didn’t let them watch movies on their phones on the drive back to Hermosillo. They weren’t happy about that, but they were happy to be back in Hermosillo with their friends, the Ayalas.

It’s not surprising that we are all a bit allergic to each other. In the past three weeks we have spent over 53 hours in the car.

Tonight there was a fireside (youth chat) in Hermosillo. Sister J. Anette Dennis , a counselor in the church’s general relief society presidency, was here in town (her husband is from Hermosillo). She gave a beautiful talk to the youth about their eternal identity as children of God. She also told some amazing stories about experiences she and her husband had when they served as mission leaders in Guatemala. God really does look out for his children.

After dinner we went to an amazing restaurant in Hermosillo called Pollo Shilo. It’s in a pretty sketchy neighborhood, and it doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the vibe inside is awesome. It’s owned by members of our church, so the place was packed with white shirts and dresses -- it looked like how the restaurants in Utah look after a Saturday evening conference session.

And the food at Pollo Shilo is amazing. Their specialty is chicken fingers. You can get them on their own or in a salad or on a hamburger. I got a hamburger called Hambur-GRUESA (fat-burger). If they opened one of these restaurants in Provo, they would be millionaires.

Instead of staying with the Ayalas again, for this little stint we’ll be staying with Betty’s friend Alma. She is the daughter of doña Lupita, whom we met in Empalme last night. She lives in a beautiful and super-secure subdivision on the outskirts of town.

Hours in the car today: 2

Total travel hours in the car: 50.5

Miles Driven: 93

Total Miles Traveled: 2,850

Distanced hiked today: .67km/.42mi

Total distanced hiked on trip: 2.84km/1.77mi

La Gran Aventura Day 23: The Osprey, The Rowboat, The Beach, and the Sunset

Tuesday, January 2, 2024

This morning Betty and I skipped our morning walk, and we just drove to a lookout point to take some pictures of the sunrise. The sunrise was beautiful, but a bit of a bust for photography, but I did manage to grab this photo of an osprey (which is Spanish is called águila pescadora -- the fishing eagle). It’s one of my favorite birds. It’s highly adaptable and what scientists call cosmopolitan, which means it can  (and does) live basically anywhere on earth. The osprey makes me think of one of my favorite quotes from the Roman stoic Séneca (born in Spain).

So eager and upright, let us hasten with bold steps wherever circumstances take us, and let us journey through any countries whatever: there can be no place of exile within the world since nothing within the world is alien to men. From whatever point on the earth's surface you look up to heaven the same distance lies between the realms of gods and men. Accordingly, provided my eyes are not withdrawn from that spectacle, of which they never tire; provided I may look upon the sun and the moon and gaze at the other planets [...] provided I can keep my mind always directed upwards, striving for a vision of kindred things -- what does it matter what ground I stand on?.

This has resonated with me since the first time I read it. It speaks to my wandering spirit.

After watching the sunrise, Betty and I went to Sergio’s bird lookout from last night to see how it looked in the morning light, and then into downtown Guaymas to see the port and the Parroquia de San Fernando.

In the port, there is a beautiful Monumento al Pescador (monument to the fisherman), with a plaque entitled “La Barca de Guaymas,” with a poem by Carlos Wenceslao López Portillo. The words of the poem really struck me. Maybe I’m still sensitive after Sunday Night’s poetry.

Al golpe del remo se agita en las olas ligera la barca. Y al ruido del agua se ahonda mi pena, solloza mi alma. Por tantos pesares, mi amor angustiado llorando te llama si te hallas muy lejos y sola, muy sola se encuentra mi alma. Cansado viajero que tornas al puerto de tierras lejanas, ¿Qué extraño piloto condujo tu barca sin vela y sin ancla? ¿De qué región vienes que has hecho pedazos tus velas tan blancas?

Te fuiste cantando y hoy vuelves trayendo la muerte en el alma. Yo soy el marino que alegre de Guaymas salió una mañana, llevando en mi barca como hábil piloto mi dulce esperanza. Por mares ignotos mis dulces anhelos hundió la borrasca. ¡Por eso están rotas las velas y traigo la muerte en el alma.

“The Rowboat of Guaymas”

To the rhythm of oars, the rowboat lightly beats on the waves. And to the sound of the water my sadness sinks ever deeper. For so many sorrows, my distressed love calls to you weeping if you are far away, and alone, so alone is my soul. Weary traveler who returns to port from far-off lands, what strange pilot directed your sail-less and anchor-less boat? From which region do you come, you who have torn to pieces your bright white sails?

You left singing and today you return bringing death in your soul. I am the sailor who happily left Guaymas one morning, carrying in my rowboat like a capable pilot my sweet hope. Through unknown seas the squall sank my sweet yearnings. That is why my sails are tattered, and I carry death in my soul.

On our way back to David and Irene’s house, Betty and I swung by and picked up Dayan -- Raymundo’s daughter and our kids’ first cousin. She’s really great, and she, Alicia, and Anahi had a good time hanging out.

Later, I took Ian and Kimball and River to the beach. The older girls have been fighting a cough for a few days, and the water is a bit chilly. Kimball isn’t really big on the water, but we had a good time just sitting on the beach and talking and watching Ian and River play. There were so many seagulls and pelicans. It was really fun just to watch the people and the wildlife.

In the afternoon, I went with David and the kids out on the highway between Guaymas and San Carlos to watch the sunset. At first we went to an overlook where there were a bunch of people. The panorama was good, but there wasn’t much else that was interesting going on, so we moved to a different place closer to the water.

Here it was rocky, and we had to hike a bit to get down close to the water, but the view there was spectacular. It takes quite a while to watch a full sunset. The colors brighten and intensify in unpredictable ways, so we stuck it all the way out. I put the camera on a tripod in the water and played around with the exposure to get these shots. I think it’s some of my best work.

When we got home it was night, and we still had to run over to Empalme to say goodbye to Betty’s mom and brother. So we loaded everyone (including Dayan) into the car and headed over to Empalme. It was hard for Betty to say goodbye to her mother, but we hope to see her again in the near-ish future. We also stopped by and saw a woman named doña Lupita. She is the mother of one of Betty’s best friends from high school. She’s 80 years old, and still spry and cheery. Her home is an oasis of order and beauty in Empalme. I was so impressed with the spirit in her home.

When we returned back to David and Irene’s, Betty’s friend Karla and her husband Arturo were there to visit. Karla and Betty have known each other since they were teenagers in church together. Like so many of Betty’s friends -- and friends of friends -- Karla is fun and energetic and has a zest for life that is contagious.

The visit with Karla and Arturo was great, but I’m feeling pretty exhausted now. Every day we wake up early and we go to bed late -- and we run from one thing to the next. This is definitely not a pilgrim’s pace.

La Gran Aventura Day 22: New Years Day

Monday, January 1, 2023

This morning we all slept way in. After staying up until 2 or 3 am every day, we really needed a break.

When we finally woke up, Betty and I went for a nice long walk. Her leg has been sore since our last days in Utah, so we haven’t been running. But it doesn’t bother her when she walks.

When we got back to the house, we found River and David’s daughter Mía playing doctor. It’s funny to watch River interact with people. They mostly talk to her in Spanish and she mostly responds in English, although when pressed she can speak in Spanish. She also always speaks Spanish to dogs and to the boys with the hair.

After a bit, we went for a little drive and we swung by the house of Dayan. She is Raymundo’s daughter and my kids’ only first cousin on Betty’s side. She lives with her mother in Guaymas -- actually quite close to David. We’ll do more with her on a different day. Today we just wanted to say hi.

The main event of day was lunch at Sergio and Chuyita’s house. They are the friends of David that we met on Saturday, said hi to last night, and now we’re going to spend the afternoon at their place. Along with our family and David’s, we also had Betty’s mom (who spent the night at David’s house with us), and tía Cháncali (Betty’s mom’s sister). Oh, and Óscar, David’s brother, and Cháncali’s ex-husband (I can’t remember his name).

I think this merits an explanation. Neither Betty nor I had ever met Sergio or Chuyita before a couple of nights ago, but this is a super common thing among Latinos. In general they are warm and welcoming. It’s not just Mi casa es tu casa. It’s also Mis amigos son tus amigos or Mi familia es tu familia.

Sergio and Chuyita are just the best people. They are not members of our church, but they are excellent Christians with deep faith. I was especially impressed with Sergio’s closeness to the promptings of the Spirit. He really tries to be led, and God has protected him throughout his life.

Lunch was amazing. Chuyita made this amazing dish that was like a ceviche (lime-soaked shrimp), but on top of spicy Tostitos. We also had regular ceviche on tostadas as well. It was very spicy, and very, very good.

As the meal settled down, the adults got to visiting while the kids played out on the patio. Then Ian came running in to tell me that he’d seen a cool bird outside. Sergio and I went out to investigate, but we missed the bird. I told Sergio about how the boys were getting into birding, and he told us he wanted to show us something. So we walked out in front of his house and down the road maybe 50 yards, and there was the ocean.

It was actually a little bay with a couple of islands -- a serene little corner of the port of Guaymas. And there were so many great birds! Of course there were tons of brown pelicans, but we also saw the much more rare white pelicans. They were swimming around in a group of five, and they have the most unusual behavior. Every ten seconds or so they would dip their heads under the water to feed, and after a few seconds, they would all pull their heads out. It was all totally synchronized -- like they were counting it off. It was amazing!

The other really cool new bird for me were a couple of black skimmers. They have long beaks that are orange and black, and the bird itself is white on the bottom and black on the top. The black on top of their head makes it look like they don’t have eyes. They are pretty big birds -- smaller than the huge pelicans but bigger than a raven. While in flight they dip their beaks in and skim across the water while keeping their beak in. It’s beautiful.

On our way back to the house, a bunch of dogs were barking at us, but that wasn’t a concern. Ian and I were getting used to all the stray dogs. One of these was a fat old dachshund. We looked at him as he barked at us, and we sort of laughed. But then, from behind him came a much bigger dog -- some kind of sheep-dog looking mutt -- and it was mad and headed straight for us. Before I could react at all, Sergio jumped out in front of us and started flapping his arms like a giant bird and making monster sounds. This terrified the dog, and it ran away. We had a good laugh, and even more of a laugh when we got home to tell everyone about what we’d seen.

You might be wondering where Kimball was during all of this. Well, the University of Michigan is playing the college football playoff, and tonight they faced off against Alabama. Kimball loves the Wolverines, and he’s content to listen to the radio call and follow the stats on his phone. As we got back to the house, the game was coming to its exciting conclusion. We all huddled around Kimball’s phone to listen to the radio call. The funny thing was, none of our friends had a clue what was going on. (A) they don’t understand English and (B) they don’t know anything about football. So we were there translating the play-by-play and also explaining the rules of the game and making diagrams out of napkins and things on the kitchen table to explain it. And it worked! They were excited and cheering along with us. And Michigan won!

As we were leaving the house, we lost track of River for just a second, and she was finally able to hug one of the stray dogs that are always around. She’ll definitely be getting a bath tonight.

By now it was night, and we had to take Betty’s mom back home. It was hard for Betty to say goodbye, and she was so sweet talking with her mom and hugging her goodbye. But it’s not a final goodbye yet. We’ve still got a day or two here.

La Gran Aventura Day 21: Church and New Years Eve

Sunday, December 31, 2023

It’s New Years Eve, and we got to go to church today. We went in Empalme, to Betty’s home ward. The church building is almost directly behind her mom’s house.

Sacrament meeting was good. The speakers did a fine job. And the Ayalas were in town (Dani and Valentín were raised in Empalme as well). That means their kids were there, which made all of my kids happy. Betty also really enjoyed being back in her home ward. She’s still got good friends there.

Primary was fun. River really enjoys attending nursery at church. She likes the toys and the snacks that they usually have. In smaller church units, however, there is no nursery, and the little children can attend primary with the older kids. In Empalme, today, they had no nursery, so River went with Ian to the primary. She wasn’t happy about it, but she sat next to Ian. After just a few minutes, he brought her to me, saying she was being fussy. She looked at me and said “They only speak Spanish!” Of all of our kids, River has the hardest time with the language here. She understands most everything, but she does not like speaking it (although she can). So I went in and sat with her.

The teacher first asked the children what their favorite primary song was. River raised her hand and said: “Sandwiches.”

So maybe she doesn’t understand everything.

I told her, no, the teacher was looking for a song.

River replied: “Snowman.”

The teachers all looked at each other like “What is that?”

I told them: “You know, the one about the little snowman?”

They looked at me like, “We don’t know about snow here.”

So then River said: “Popcorn.”

Again, nothing from the teachers. Apparently, they don’t have “Popcorn popping on the apricot tree” here either. Just palm trees and mango trees.

River looked at me like: “What kind of primary is this?” Then she said: “I Am a Child of God.”

That one they know.

After a few minutes, I was able to leave River and get back to the adult Sunday School class. After that ended, I went to pick up the kids. When I poked my head into the room, River was offering the closing prayer -- in English. The prayer went like this:

“Heavenly Father. Thank thee for this day. Thank thee that the boys with the hair could come. Thank thee that I have a crush on them. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.”

After church we spent quite a while just visiting with Betty’s friends, and the kids had a great time hanging out in the parking lot. You can really tell when they are together that they care about each other. It’s one of the very best things that’s happened on this trip.

After a while of that, we swung over and picked up Betty’s mom and drove to a house kind of on the outskirts of town -- in front of the cemetery -- where the Ayalas were having a pizza lunch.

As soon as we got there, River saw that there were dogs in the front yard. “¡Perro!” she screamed, as she ran to give one of the dogs a big hug. “¡No!” we all screamed as we realized it was a tick- and flee-infested stray. The rest of the afternoon we had to play keep-away between River and these cute, but very dirty dogs.

It was a great visit with friends. We had pizza, and the kids played foosball. Ian found a guy who had a switch and spoke English, and they became friends. Anahi sat and visited with the older ladies for quite a while. Alicia and Valentina sat and talked as well.

After a while, River went over to the playground to play, and then we took a walk over to the cemetery to see Betty’s family plot -- including her grandmother’s grave.

When we were headed down to Guaymas, Betty’s cousin Fina had told her that she would find the house empty and the cemetery full. That was almost true.

The cemetery is actually beautiful, with lots of statues of Jesus and Mary. It’s surrounded by hills on which stand hundreds of great saguaro cacti. We went during the golden hour -- when the sun is dipping low and everything is bathed in a soft warm light.

The cemetery was also sad. There are very few flowers on the graves. Vale told me that people don’t put flowers on graves in Empalme because they will just get stolen and put on someone else’s grave. The graves themselves are also sad. Betty misses her grandmother terribly. Her uncle Marcos is there. He was murdered in Colorado, USA. Shot seven times by a crazy American racist during his daughter’s birthday party. Her cousin Miguel is also in this cemetery. He was a police officer in Empalme who was gunned down in front of his wife and children by narcos who were tired of him hassling them.

The melancholy of the visit continued when we got back to the house and saw a funeral procession coming down the road. Everyone was carrying pink balloons. It was the funeral of a little girl

...

On New Years Eve.

...

After a bit more play and visiting, we drove back into Guaymas with Betty’s mom, and we picked up her sister Cháncali. When we got back to David’s house, Betty sat down with her mother and aunt, and she asked them a bunch of questions about their lives. It was a great family history moment. After about 90 minutes of that, we packed up in the cars and drove to Irene’s sister’s house for a New Year’s Eve party.

When Mexicans celebrate Christmas and New Years, they do it dressed to the nines. We went in our traveling Sunday clothes, and we felt totally underdressed. The kids said we looked like vagabonds, and we probably did. Despite that, we were so grateful for the generosity of strangers who took us into their home to celebrate with them. The dinner was amazing, and the company was fantastic. As midnight began to approach, they started playing music, and people started dancing. Kimball was the first of our group to join the fray. Then Betty and I and the rest of kids jumped in.

Just before the countdown, they turned on the radio, and we listened to the “Brindis de Bohemios” (Toast of the Bohemians), a poem by Guillermo Aguirre y Fierro. It tells the story of six Bohemians (artists), sitting in a cantina on New Years Eve.

One stanza reads:

Olvidaba decir que aquella noche,

aquel grupo bohemio

celebraba entre risas, libaciones,

chascarrillos y versos,

la agonía de un año que amarguras

dejó en todos los pechos,

y la llegada, consecuencia lógica,

del “Feliz Año Nuevo”...



I forgot to say that that night,

That bohemian group

celebrated between laughter, libations,

jokes and verses,

the agony of a  year that left bitterness

in all hearts,

and the arrival, a logical consequence,

of a “Happy New Year ...”

Each of the artists then takes a turn making a toast. They toast to the goodness of beauty in life. They toast in gratitude that they have survived another year. They toast to hope. Finally, Arturo is the only one left to toast, and he toasts to his mother -- the one who gave him life, and gave her life for him.

The poem ends:

El bohemio calló; ningún acento

profanó el sentimiento

nacido del dolor y la ternura,

y pareció que sobre aquel ambiente

flotaba inmensamente

un poema de amor y de amargura.



The bohemian fell silent; no accent

profaned the feeling

born of pain and tenderness,

and it seemed that over that environment

floated immensely

a poem of love and bitterness.

When the poem finished, the clock struck. Everyone wished each other a happy new year with a hug — the warm embrace of strangers — and the dancing continued.

It was such a unique experience -- like something from a novel. Nothing I say here can do justice to the feeling of it all. The melancholy of the day. The boisterous joy of the night. It all combined in this one, unforgettably magical moment.     

But the night wasn’t quite over. On our way back to David’s house, we stopped at Sergio and Chuyita’s, and they invited us over for lunch tomorrow.

Finally, since it was now 2024, we had one last order of business. In our church, the young men can receive the Aaronic priesthood and be ordained a deacon in the year they will turn 12. That means that Ian was now eligible. And we happened to be all dressed in our Sunday clothes. So we drove back to David’s house where Kimball, David, and I put our hands on Ian’s head, and Kimball ordained Ian to the priesthood.

It was a perfect end to a beautiful day.

La Gran Aventura Day 20: Guaymas, Empalme, and Abuelita

Saturday, December 30, 2023

Today is a new day, in a new place. We had a great time in Hermosillo, but I’m really looking forward to being here in Guaymas. Betty was born and raised in Empalme, which is just a few minutes away. This is where I proposed to her. It’s one of my favorite places in the world.

This morning in my scripture study I finished reading the New Testament. We’ve been reading it all year for church, and I’ve loved it. I was particularly struck by a couple of verses in Revelation 22.

5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

These last days are full of all kinds of wild and crazy and sometimes scary things. But the overall message is one of hope and light. That was John’s witness, and because of that, he was excited about the coming of the Savior. It reminds me of when Patricia Holland -- in a moment of fear spurred by world turmoil and a strong windstorm --  asked her husband, the apostle Jeffrey R. Holland, if this was the end.

My husband, who has deep faith and endless optimism, took me in his arms and said, "No, but wouldn't it be wonderful if it were? Wouldn't it be wonderful if Christ really did come and his children really were ready for him? Wouldn't it be terrific if evil was finally conquered, once and for all, and the Savior of the world came down in the midst of the New Jerusalem to wipe away every tear from every eye? Yes," my husband said, "in lots of ways I wish it were the end, but it's not. It is just a stiff windstorm in Bountiful. We have got more work to do." So, he kissed me and drove off to work, with trees falling and rafters rattling.

That’s how I want to face life. Hoping and praying for the Savior’s return, but also willing to do the work necessary to be ready for it when it comes. We’ve still got miles to go before we sleep.

After scripture study, Betty and David and I went for a walk along the beach. Miramar is beautiful. The last time I was here was when Ian was two -- nine years ago. I love the beach. I love the birds and the sound of the waves. I should have been born in California.

After the walk, we had breakfast, and Betty told me that she had lost access to her phone. It was asking for her login password, and she had put it in incorrectly a bunch of times, and now was bricked for 8 hours. I asked if she was sure she had put in the right password, and she assured me that she had. I tried to plug it into the computer to wipe it and start it fresh, but the download wasn’t working. This is a problem.

Later, we took the kids to the beach. They had fun playing in the water, but they didn’t have swimming suits with them, so they just splashed around. Only Ian took the plunge. The Mexicans think the water is too cold, but we all think it’s perfect.

We also realized how much Alicia and her cousin Dairén look alike.

We are definitely coming back to this beach.

After getting cleaned up back at the house, we went to see Betty’s Tía Cháncali. This is Betty’s mother’s youngest sister and David’s mom. She’s a sweet lady, and she has always been kind to Betty. She was a cosmetologist and had a salon in her house, and she also taught classes there. She is not a young woman anymore, but she is still beautiful. It was great for the kids to meet her.

By the time we finished with Cháncali it was too late to go back to the beach. Ian was not happy about that because he was really looking forward to getting back in the water. I think he’s also just exhausted, and tired of speaking Spanish everywhere. Our kids all speak Spanish, but they aren’t used to speaking all the time, and it’s mentally really draining. He’s also tired of Mexican food. So we found a restaurant called Doney, and they had a hamburger. It was a tender mercy.

Only Ian got a hamburger, though. The rest of us got tacos and quesadillas. And Betty got something she had never had. It’s called a papa loca (crazy potato), and it’s a baked potato smothered in chiles en rajas con queso, which are sliced Anaheim peppers, corn, potatoes and cheese in a creamy sauce. They were amazing.

When we got home, we loaded in the car and headed across the bay to Empalme to visit Betty’s mom (the kids’ abuelita) and Betty’s brother, Raymundo.

Empalme used to be a railroad town. The rail cars used to stop there for maintenance. Her grandfather was a train conductor, and her father was superintendent of the railroad there. So there were lots of people coming and going, but it was also pretty small -- and everyone knew each other. It was also a fishing town. They called it the ciudad jardín (garden city). When Betty was a teenager, though, they closed the railroad, and US companies started putting up factories in the area. It was safe and peaceful, and beautiful. Betty grew up in her grandmother’s house -- a big rambler close to the ocean. It was white on the outside and beige on the inside, and it had big columns in the front. There were two big mango trees in the front, and orange, lime, guava, and papaya trees all around -- and roses. It was a shady oasis, and Betty used to spend time playing with her cousins climbing trees and playing hide and seek in the yard. They ran all around the neighborhood. It was a good place to grow up.

Empalme today has changed.

First of all, it has grown. Now there are around 60,000 people there. The economy has completely crashed. Much of the town is in disrepair or ruins. The streets are in terrible condition. There are far more stray dogs in the streets than children. The drug trade has taken over, and the narcos run much of the town. The people lock themselves in their homes at night. There are neighborhoods where it’s just not safe at all to go. We were told that for about $25, you can have someone killed. The whole place feels dark and depressed.

That is the environment we traveled into when we went, in the night, to visit Betty’s mom. The kids had some trepidation about the visit there. They just haven’t had much contact with her over the years. But she was so happy to see them, and so warm and kind. She had a little picture of Alicia that Betty had sent to her years ago tucked away in a little ziplock bag, and she had a well-worn photo book of the kids that we sent to her a couple of years ago in a prominent place. It’s clear that she loves her grandkids.

Abuelita and Raymundo live in a small section of the house. One of Raymundo’s friends, an artist, painted a huge mural of Rapunzel on the wall of the driveway. The kids loved it. The part of the house where they live is -- like most of the rest of Empalme -- in pretty bad shape. The rest of the house is abandoned.

The experience of being there was good, but it was hard for the kids to process it all. They were able to see where Betty comes from, but things have changed so much since she lived here, that it’s just hard to imagine it all.

And now a word about our sweet Alicia. More than any of our kids, she is a nurturer and a caretaker. She has spent most of her life looking out for her siblings -- older and younger. She and River are especially close. She is kind and good. She is also razor sharp and a keen observer of people and society, and she has a strong sense of justice and a fierce loyalty to and desire to protect the people she cares about. She came out of the visit with some really intense emotions, and even when we got back to David’s house she needed some time to cool off. So she and Betty took a long walk while I took the kids into the house.

I was not prepared for what I met there.

David and Irene were entertaining a couple of friends -- Sergio and his wife Chuyita. Sergio has a larger-than-life personality. He used to be a cop, and now he is head of security for some executives who work in Guaymas. He’s a lover of history, and he’s fascinated with tornadoes, and within just a few minutes we were chatting like old friends. At one point he just told me to stand up and hold out my arms, then he wrapped me in this huge bear hug and started popping my back and my arms and then each of my fingers. Ian looked at me and said “Dad! What is happening?!” To which I replied “I have no idea!”

We’ll be visiting them for lunch on Monday :)

Now it’s 3am, the kids have finally gone to bed, but Betty and Irene are still downstairs talking. It’s been quite a day.

La Gran Aventura Day 19: Goodbye to Hermosillo (for now)

Friday, December 29, 2023

This morning we woke up early and went for a hike. One of our goals for these winter months is to go hiking as much as possible so we be in shape for the Camino. Well, it’s been so busy just visiting friends that we haven’t had much of a chance. So today we decided to change that.

There are a couple of tall hills just behind the Ayala’s houses, and on the first of those there is a statue that looks like Jesus, but it’s San Judás  (Judasito) -- also known as Judas Thaddeus, possibly a brother or cousin of Jesus. As Saint Jude, he’s the Patron Saint of Hopeless Causes. In the US we know him best as the inspiration for Saint Jude’s children’s hospital. I’m sure I’ll have a chance to write much, much more about the veneration of saints, but I will just say here, that I’m grateful for the inspiring and faith-promoting stories that surround the saints. Jude in particular, as the patron saint of the impossible, seems like a great companion on our Gran Aventura.

The hike was not long (about a mile up and back), but it involved a lot of scrambling over rocks and boulders -- which is hard for River’s tiny legs. I ended up carrying her during much of those parts. In the end, she and the rest of us ended with a smile.

The hike wasn’t long, but it definitely helped some of us worked up an appetite (which I thought might never come back after the dogos last night). Personally, I was not in the mood for eating a ton, because my digestion just wasn’t up to snuff. After I confessed this to the crew, Valentín made a steaming cup of what he called “Té Divino” (Divine Tea), which Vale (who is a medical doctor) swears will make “even the bad spirits” come out of you.

I took the tea with some trepidation, and decided to go with the team to get some tacos de birria.

Birria has an interesting history . When the Spanish conquistadores came to the Americas, they brought with them a bunch of goats, which soon overpopulated -- creating a problem for the Spanish because they didn’t like the meat. So they gave the goats to the natives, who proceeded to marinate the meat in all kinds of spices including vinegar, dried chiles, garlic, and herbs to make something truly scrumptious. The Spanish called it birria, which is a word used to describe something ugly or of little value.

Clearly, those conquistadores either didn’t taste the meat, or they gave the name as a joke. Birria is awesome, and these tacos de birria were amazing. In Sonora, it’s pretty common to eat birria for breakfast, and the birriería where we ate on this morning has limited seating. If you don’t make it by a certain time, you just have to wait until tomorrow.

One unique thing about birria is that they give you on the side a cup or bowl full of broth to go along with your tacos. At this birriería they called the broth bichi, which is a Mexican word for “naked” because it’s just the broth -- nothing else with it. You can doctor up the bichi with cilantro and onions and lime and salsa, and it’s just perfect on a cool morning like today.

After birria, we went back to the Ayala Córdoba house and played a bunch more games and visited. It was so much fun! River especially enjoyed playing with the Ayala Luna “boys with the hair” Hyrum, Heber, and Helaman -- great LDS names. And it was so cool to meet someone in Mexico who is named after my great great grandfather  :)

After a while of playing, we had to eat again. This time it was tortas, which are sandwiches with cochinita pibil (slow roasted pork marinated in citrus and vinegar and achiote), and dressed with lettuce, tomato, guac, and spicy onions.

Then we loaded up the car and headed down to Guaymas for the next stage of our journey. The sunset was just finishing as we drove into Miramar, Guaymas. We’re so excited to be here.

In Guaymas, we are staying with Betty’s cousin, David, and his wife Irene. They also have two young daughters, Dairén, and Mía.

At some point in the afternoon, my plumbing started working again (Té Divino indeed!), and I was so grateful. Despite the late hour, David was hungry, and kept inviting us out for dogos, but after what I’d been through it was a hard pass for me. We’ll eat more in the future, but today is not the day.

As I get ready for bed tonight, I’m thinking that things are going to be good here.
Hours in the car today: 1.5

Total travel hours in the car: 48.5

Miles Driven: 84

Total Miles Traveled: 2,757













La Gran Aventura Day 18: The Mexicans beat us at our own game

Thursday, December 28, 2023

Finally, I was able to sleep last night. The key was to get River up on the top bunk with Alicia -- her favorite sibling -- and Anahi slept out on the couch.

I have no idea how much Coke we’ve had since we got here, but they drink it like water. Thankfully, I was able to sleep despite this.

I woke up early and got to work blogging. It’s really tough to keep up on these things.

For breakfast, Martha made these amazing tostadas raspadas from Guadalajara. The highlight of these was the habanero onions that we put on them. Alicia thought they were just onions, and she had a huge surprise. The food here has been the spiciest Mexican food I’ve ever had. I’m sure my face is totally red while I’m eating, and my forehead just drips sweat, but it’s so good!

Dani and Brianda and their family came over, and we spent most of the afternoon to play card games (Nerts and Scum), and then Valentín taught us a Mexican version of Scattergories called ¡Basta!

For dinner we went out to a food truck called “Dogos del Miami,” and we had hot dogs. If you’ve never had a Mexican hot dog -- specifically a “dogo” from Sonora -- you don’t know what a hot dog can really be. American hot dogs are all living beneath their potential. They are like caterpillars with no idea what it could be like to be a beautiful butterfly.

A “basic” hot dog at Los Miamis is two giant hot dogs, wrapped in bacon, nestled in a warm, homemade bun, and topped with mayonnaise, ketchup, onions, and nacho cheese. That’s what Betty and Alicia ordered. Kimball ordered a “dogo adobado,” which is a bacon-wrapped dog topped with taco meat (carne adobada), and then dressed with jalapeños. Anahi ordered a “Dogo Italiano,” which had two bacon-wrapped dogs, pepperoni, ham, tomato, onions, and mayonnaise. Ian and I had “Chile Dogos,” which are hot dogs wrapped in a chile, wrapped in bacon, and then topped with mayo, tomato, onion, crushed potato chips, guacamole, and nacho cheese.

I think Alicia said it best: “The Mexicans beat us at our own game.”

The problem with the hot dogs came after dinner, when I started to calculate how much food had come into my system since last week, and how little food was coming out. I have no idea where it is all going. Generally, when gringos like us visit Mexico, we have the opposite problem, but not me. Not this time.

I’m a little concerned.