Sierra and Gramma feverishly finished and painted several more leaf molds. We were lucky enough to fit two of them in our suitcases, wrapped in bubble wrap. They now decorate our veranda in Rio.
Sierra took the time to give Gramma a lovely beauty makeover (notice the blue eyeliner--earlier used by me and Colette for our 80's party, now Sierra's play make-up), and Pappa was pretty shocked when he walked in the porch and saw the two of them all "done up". 
I believe he is contemplating laughter or tears here.
The good thing is that with modern technology we can talk to each other on the phone anytime we want, and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Mom and Dad can pick up their phone and dial our number here as a local call. It sure makes it easier to be so far away knowing that I can hear their voices regularly. That certainly wasn't the case in 1995 when I first came to Brazil. And it made it easy/possible to call this afternoon while laughing my butt off because I found this in my kitchen cabinet:
Let me tell you the story of "Mario". I bought a People magazine the first week I was in MN. I buy several People magazines while I'm in the states because I really like People--except now because Brangelina is all over them--but anyway. This particular People magazine happened to have a bunch of pictures of Mario Lopez in several different apparently famous poses like the one shown here, which was originally Burt Reynolds in like 1970 something. Well, Mom and I had a riot with this magazine. She and I decided we would unstaple this shot of Mario and tape it to the inside of her kitchen cupboard where the coffee grinder is stored in hopes that someone, namely my brother, father or Aunt Jo, would open it to grind coffee and find the shockingly revealing picture. So amidst giggles, she and I taped it to the cupboard one night when no one was looking. Unfortunately, no body was ever actually surprised by the picture. It seems that the coffee grinder and filters have been stored in this cupboard for so long that no one really looks when they open the door. They simply unconsciously open the door, reach up, grab what is needed, and close the door again--without EVER LOOKING! So we ended up having to point it out to everyone--mostly threw hysterics because Mom and I found it quite amusing.
The funniest thing now is that somehow, in my mother's infinite wisdom, she managed to convince my daughter, secretly, to bring this picture back with her to Rio and tape it inside MY coffee cupboard! I had NO CLUE! I don't even know when Sierra accomplished the task. It wasn't there yesterday. She went to bed before me last night and woke after me this morning! Somehow that little trickster, with the coaching of her Gramma, pulled it off! And I just left a message for my mother on her answering machine that she will probably not understand because I couldn't stop laughing long enough to speak!
I can't do this in Rio! I'm a country girl at heart, and I have grown up with guns and gun safety. I'm a pretty good shot too, so when one man at my dad's cowboy shoot offered a stage for some target practice, I jumped on the chance. And Mom was there to make sure we had photos of the fun. After shooting at the range that day, I was determined to learn how to shoot a pistol with only my left hand, so a few days later Dad and I took his guns out behind the house to try. Uh, not so easy. I definitely need both hands to steady the revolver enough to hit the target.
The instructions of this stage were to sit on the bed, ask the time keeper, who was playing the school marm, for a big wet kiss, then stand up and start the shooting. From inside this structure, he had to shoot the rifle 10 times at various targets out to the right in the picture, then each pistol from the same position five times at other targets, come out of the "building", grab the rifle sitting in the middle of the staging area, and shoot that 4 or so times. The directions at each staging area were actually quite elaborate. Several times during the day, my mom commented on how many steps to each scenario and how could they remember what to do, especially Dad who has a hard time remembering what she tells him to do at home. I think her appearance at Sunday's shoot called his bluff on the whole poor memory thing. Hmmmm...
Sierra and cousin Taylor.
Sierra and cousin Bailey.
Sierra and cousin Emily. 
Here's my self-portrait while riding in Old Blue! My brother arrives for a visit next week. I can't wait to take a picture of him driving it!!! I only wish my sister was coming too. Can you see the photo-op now--all three of us in Old Blue. I can hear "I've Been Working on the Railroad" as I imagine it! Ahhhh, the glory of childhood memories.
But, I think you can make it out a little more clearly in this one of me and Tania.
This is the marina of Botafogo. The landscape--my my my--always amazes me. It doesn't matter how many times I see the awesome landscape here; it takes my breath away.
Giulia, Luisa and Sierra during the party.
Sophie, Sierra and Luisa during the party.
She is somewhere in this group, however, I cannot find her head or her feet, but I think her arms are behind Shaysann on the right side of the photo. (Same with the picture at the end of this post.)
I was thinking just now in the taxi on the way home from the airport, "When was the first time I rode in an airplane?" Unless I'm totally wrong, I was 18 or 19 before I took my first trip by air. All previous trips had been road trips. I think the first flight I ever took was for my nephew's baptism in 1992! Well, times are achangin ladies and gentelmen. Living abroad has done that for us by and large. I have to say, I'm starting to get used to the airport. I don't have the same uneasy anxiety in prepartion anymore. (Joe might argue with me on this one.) Oh, don't let me fool ya, it's still there some, but not nearly as bad as I had it 2 years ago.
Throughout the Mexican fiesta, Sierra and her friend Luisa played with the digital camera in her room, creating their own unique "photo shoot". This shot is one from that series. I can hear the laughter ringing through this picture; her smile is so big.
See the orange/red colored house in the middle (behind the bonfire smoke). This was our quaint home for 3 days. Right on the water, the mountains behind, and tranquility surrounding. Ahhh, Angra dos Rios.
