Abuelo Ismael

My "abuelo" died tonight. I'm sorry I won't be traveling with my Dad (and Mom) to see my abuela and other family in Mexico but my prayers are with them all.
I am so thankful that I saw both my grandparents , when they came for a visit, just recently, in April. They only come north, to the U.S., every so often for a visit or for medical reasons.

My grandfather lived in a tiny, farm town, in the state of Sonora, Mexico, called El Valle de Tacupeto. The population is less than 500 and the few roads through the town are still unpaved, hard-packed dirt. The homes are built from (adobe) mud bricks. Visiting there is quite an experience; it's like being in a completely different country! Okay, I'm kidding now; it IS another country!!! Seriously, though, visiting there felt like traveling back in time. They still light a fire to run the water heater to take a shower!

Regretfully, the last time I visited there, was 11 years ago, when I was pregnant with our first child. But, I am so thankful that our two oldest boys were able to experience the adventure of traveling there with my Mom and Dad last year.

I have fond memories of visiting "El Valle" as a child. We would ride, on the tail-gate of the pickup truck, to "Ojo de Agua" and the small house there, where my dad would spend the hot summers as a small boy. The spring, behind the old farm house, produced the sweetest water, which we'd scoop up with dried, hollowed out gourds, for a refreshing drink on a hot day. My abuelo would be sure to have a few nursing calves (and their mamas!) brought down from the hills so that we'd have fresh milk to drink. I remember being impressed, even as a child, at what a hard worker my grandfather was. Even as an old man, he would walk the few miles to the farm each day to draw water from the well, feed and water the animals, and work the land.

Some of my other favorite memories from that old town include riding horses, hiking, learning to drive my Dad's truck on the "landing strip" (I was 12 years old!), playing in the river with my brothers and cousins, and eating my abuela's home cooking, which included delicious flour tortillas (fresh every morning!)

Well now, I guess I got carried away a bit. I just thought I'd pop on here and post a picture. Surprisingly, so many memories rush into my mind. Here are just a few snapshots I took of "Abuelo" and our boys this last April.