Mayan ruins at Tikal

On Tuesday, July 19th, we arose at 4 a.m. to catch our 6 a.m. flight to Tikal, an ancient Mayan city (~400 BC to 900 AD) in northern Guatemala on the border with Belize.  We landed in Flores and hired a driver to take us to the park, about an hour away.  At the park, we hired a guide.

One of the first things we saw was a ceiba, the national tree of Guatemala.  The trees can grow well over 200 ft.  Dad took a video to try to show the scale.  The plants on the branches are "air plants," not parasites.

   Now there is a tree worth climbing.  What a great tree house it would make.

Looking at the monkeys.  The question is which are the monkeys?

Mary Lee along with some guy who happened to be in the area.

That guy again coming toward us.

Spider monkey shenanigans

 It is a good thing that the weather is so pleasant all year round.  Snow just wouldn't make it.

Holding up the walls of a local ruin is not a small task.

This guy seems a little camera shy!

Can you spot the monkey?

There's a gospel metaphor in here somewhere

You would never guess what happened on the way home from Tikal.  At the Flores airport the security lady (one of the TSA type people) told me that I could not take my nail clippers on the plane because the little file was too dangerous.  I insinuated that it was absurd and that it was not sharp nor was it big enough to do any harm.  While looking me straight in the eyes she bent the file portion of the clippers back and forth until it broke off and then handed the clippers to me.  When I asked the other security people they said the file was not a problem.  I think the lady just had to show she was the boss.

Climbing Pacaya--an active volcano!

There is a wonderful bakery across the street from where Teresa and David live in Guatemala City.  Dad delighted in finding out what was hot and fresh out of the oven--then bringing treats back for the rest of the family!  Good thing we don't have anything like that close by in Tucson....

San Martin bakery

Deciding what to buy

There are several active volcanoes close to Guatemala City.  We hiked Pacaya--about a five hour round trip hike.  We "rented" walking sticks from little boys and hired an official park ranger guide at the parking lot.

Our guide rewarded us when we reached the base of the volcano cone by providing sticks and marshmallows to roast in the hot air vents.  When Laurie took her family there two years ago, it was only a few months after an active explosion, so there were still red hot areas in the lava flow and her shoes began to melt. For us, it was hot enough that the sticks would immediately catch on fire when thrown into the vents.

We also hiked down a little path into a cave formed in one of the air vents...of an active volcano.  What were we thinking?!

I guess maybe there are warning signs when a volcano is about to erupt.  But our guide told me that in 2014, she and fellow guides had about 20 minutes to race down the mountain to shelter in her home in a town at the base of the volcano. They endured a half hour of "pure terror" (her words) as "bombas" (loose rocks thrown up by the volcano) rained down on the house, ripping holes in the roof and walls.  In the 18th century, the town of Antigua, at the base of the volcano Fuego, was mostly destroyed by falling bombas when the volcano erupted.  Many churches were heavily damaged and remain that way to this day.

It was a wonderful adventure!

Guatemala: July 14-16, 2016 Sikaab'e, CHOICE Vocational School

Way up in the verdant highlands of Guatemala are nestled a number of small villages in a setting that would make your eyes pop.

  In that beautiful spot is a small school built by the local people under the tutelage of Choice Humanitarian.  It just so happened that Mary Lee was asked to share some brief comments to the departing students who were studying to become electricians.

  The school has classrooms on the main floor and dorm rooms on the upper level.  Mary Lee is seen with an associate.

 Our cabin.

 View from our cabin.

Breakfast is served.

 In a little village the homes are very modest--dirt floors, bamboo walls, tin roof, but smiling people.

One more post about Kate & Ali!

Ali and Kate spent 4 1/2 hours at the Family History Center on Thursday during my regular weekly shift.  They were both eagerly working on family history efforts the entire time.

Kate looked up stories about ancestors and explored FamilySearch.  Ali discovered that the subscription version of www.puzzilla.org can filter for relatives who need temple ordinances.  I showed her how to search for duplicates, merge records, look for documentation and attach it--and she was off and running!  She found eight women in Grandpa Scott's tree who need ordinances and she reserved them.  She and her cousin will do the baptisms at the first opportunity.

It was a busy day, so after the first hour, I didn't have much time to help either girl, but they didn't need any help by then.  Bravo, Kate and Ali!

Kate and Ali at the Tucson Family History Center

Teaching Grandpa about Family Search

All too soon we had to say goodbye at the airport.  We can hardly wait till Kate and Ali come back to see us!

Other fun things with Kate & Ali

We had too much fun to fit in just one or two blog posts, so I'm adding a few more photos:

On Sunday evening we made chocolate chip banana bread for Grandpa.  The chips were a new innovation that Ali and Kate suggested--delicious!  (Grandpa was still at church so we had to be creative with the self-timer on the kitchen window sill.)  Kate is wearing Great Grandma Scott's apron.

Of course there were several games of Around the World on the BB "court".  I discovered that although my aim is occasionally accurate, I need to work out more to be able to actually get the ball to the hoop!

Ali, Kate and Grandpa nailed a lot of shots

Competition was close between Ali, Kate and Grandpa

Sadly, that one did not make it

Ali and Kate each took a turn at Beethoven's Fifth with Grandpa.

After the ward breakfast at 6:30 a.m. on the Fourth of July, we hiked to Sabino dam.  Unfortunately, there wasn't any water in the dam, but we waded in a pool just below.  Grandpa managed to a bit more than wade!

The pool at the Ventana Vista condos was lovely and refreshing.  We also swam at Jessica Bullock's HOA pool.  

On Tuesday Ali, Kate and I visited The Mini Time Machine Museum, full of wonderful miniatures from different historical periods and different themes.  Kate took a lot of great photos--see a few below.

Photo by Kate

Photo by Kate

On Wednesday Kate had a manicure and Ali and I had pedicures.  Each took an hour and included a hot rock massage--we felt so pampered!

Voila!

Kate and Ali, we had such a great time with you!  We miss you already, but we're excited to see you and the WHOLE FAMILY at Christmas!