First day of Spring

Spring arrived in Neuquen today, although we've had nicer, sunnier days than today earlier this week. Still, Merritt and the dogs and I went on a nice walk in the chilly afternoon, and I noticed that most of the trees are already filled with new leaves. Everywhere we looked was green.

We circled around the Plaza Guemes, in front of the apartment building where we used to live. I was feeling nostalgic, thinking about when I first came to Argentina a little more than two years ago, and how much Lance and I liked living in that apartment with its view of the darkly shaded park. I was thinking about the doorman, Roberto, and wondering what he was up to. I rarely walk by the old apartment anymore: the park, the delicatessen where I bought all our fruits and vegetables, and "Bevo," the orange and while dog who guards the on a nearby corner, strutting around in his harness after escaping his front yard.

Just then I saw Roberto, sweeping the front steps. The dogs bounded up the steps as though they knew it used to be my home, and I gave Roberto a kiss and asked him how he was doing. He was surprised to see me with two dogs and a baby, so much had changed since I last lived there. I remember when I locked myself out of the apartment after riding my bike in the garage and ended up jumping levels in the garages, hoping for a way out, never finding one, until a neighbor discovered me and let me in. Roberto cautioned me not to go anywhere without my keys, but if it happened again, just in case, to simply shout up because he and his wife live on the first floor (we lived on the third, which is four flights up and some good exercise). Did I say that I revisited that very apartment last year or earlier, when I had temporary English student, a Venezuelan boy, who promised me arepas if I returned? His mom and dad had decorated the place differently; everything had changed. Roberto probably mostly remembered about me that I never went anywhere and was always home, and that I locked myself out from time to time. He seemed glad to see me and called Merritt Caballero and thought him to be very handsome.

What else? This photo below is from three weeks ago or more, when the first buds came out on the plum tree in front of our house. Reagan said we should cut a twig and bring some of the blooms inside, that it was a Japanese thing to do with the first flowers of spring. We did, and they were lovely, but I didn't get a photo of them, and it was right before we left for Buenos Aires, and when we returned, the blooms had been mainly replaced by tiny envelopes of bright green leaves. In the back yard, the apricot trees began to bloom next, and these were followed by the pear trees outside of town. I noticed plum trees had not yet exchanged their flowers for leaves on other streets in our neighborhood; each individual tree according to its own, private schedule and daily dose of sunlight. But I don't see any blooms at all now, even though today is supposed to be spring. They move through their beauty so quickly, in a hurry to grow up.














Here's a couple of photos of Merritt hugging his dad; Chiana snuck into one of them.




















On Sunday, a gorgeous, sunny day, Gustavo's futbol team won their championship, which makes them the champions of the state of Neuquen! They are the team from a town outside of Neuquen capital called Centenario, where Gustavo and his family live. I didn't get to go to the game, but Lance said it was exciting, the final score being 3-1. Here's the team below; Gustavo is in the center of the top row.













Merritt wants to play futbol, too! His "team" is the Boca Juniors.