Florida with Family

Our first stop on the Western half of the United States tour began, oddly enough, in Florida. We stayed with our Aunt Ann and Uncle Spence and cousins Eric and Gemma for several days - during which they were kind enough to take us our for our first Real American Beer. Yum.

Eric was off competing (and winning the Think Award!) at the Worldwide Robotics Competition in California, but Gemma was right here in town, starring in Dunedin's Highland Games as the Bonny Lass and piping queen.

 

Speaking of the Highland Games, here are a few more shots. They had everything from bagpipes to swords to barbarians at the gate... and lots and lots of kilts.

Most of the rest of our time in Florida, we spent with Uncle Spence, chasing car deals all over the Tampa Bay area and avoiding the crooks as best we could. We stumbled onto a drug bust during one of our used car lot forays. Funny that we had to come back to the United States of America for our first real glimpse of gun violence.

We finally managed to find a used Kia Rio that fit into our budget, paid the money and drove away, and promptly christened the car Señor Gary. Gary's a good car, but he could use some TLC. 

Zac checking Gary's mismatched headlights. When one is low, the other's high. And vice versa.

Amid the whirlwind of practices and performances that is the life of our Florida Briggs family, Zac and I snuck out for dollar dogs at the ballpark on our last night in town. The beer was so cheap, we sprung for the fancy seats behind homeplate and watched with the scouts. Go Threshers! 

We had a great visit. It was so nice to come back and spend time with our family in a home. But a rolling stone gathers no moss, so the next day we packed up our bags, said a little prayer for Gary, and headed up north. 

Guate with Friends

Immediately after our last post, we flew out of Uruguay, made a quick pit-stop in Miami - where we sat in the airport long enough for some Cuban coffee and some quick calls home - and then headed down to Guatemala for a visit with our amigos, Nikita and Pedro Pan. Look at how cute they are!

Nikki and Peter welcomed us in style with a handcrafted welcome sign, a wedding-present dinner, and a bottle of sangria for the walk

The next morning, Zac and Nikki and I rode the chicken bus to Lago Atitlan, an absolutely beautiful lake to the west of Guatemala City. The lake is surrounded by twelve small communities which are mainly accessible only by boat and tend to be named after saints. We spent one night enjoying the hospitality of a little hostel in Santiago Atitlan (complete with tiger-themed towels) and walking around the small community, then sailed across the lake to San Pedro, a livelier, but no less picturesque, slice of Guatemalan life.

We decided to splurge and take a shuttle back to Guatemala City. It promptly broke down on the side of the highway.

But a mere two and a half hours later, we were on our way again! (We were told that we'd be back on the road in thirty minutes, but after spending a few months in South America, we've learned to take those estimates with a grain of salt.) And we made it back in time for the Lentil Extravaganza potluck with several of Nikki and Peter's friends from school. It was a whirlwind trip, but what a blast.

The next morning, we were back on the plane, armed with new handmade Mayan bracelets from Nikki and Peter, and big plans to take on the western United States!