criplomats

John and I celebrated the end of the work week – the first full work week since before Christmas – by going out to dinner at a nice steak house. The embassy was busy all week bidding our Ambassador farewell as his tour came to a close. I was also busy in the consular section covering several different emergencies involving U.S. citizens.

John and I got caught up with “Matlock” and continued with episodes of “The Agency.” We also started “100 Years of Solitude” last night. I just watched “Woman of the Hour” with Anna Kendrick on Netflix while John was outside roasting coffee on the balcony. I finished reading “All Fours” and also “Bellevue” by Robin Cook (who I met on our cruise last year). I just started a book about having a fulfilling retirement.

Not much else to report this week!

We had a lovely time last night at Martin and Rosario’s house for an asado with Hernan and his wife Sandra. It’s hard to believe we’ve known them now for almost 30 years. It doesn’t seem so long ago that we were living in Costa Rica with Martin and Rosario and their newborn baby! It was a beautiful summer evening and we enjoyed eating outside, overlooking the pool and watching their two dogs run around the yard.

We were off work on Thursday to mourn the passing of former President Carter. I ran some errands and took this photo of trees across the street from us on my way to lunch alone at Invernadero. John was busy selling off a lot of his game collection – his phone has been pinging and the doorbell ringing all week, with happy gamers coming to pick up their treasures!

The week at work was busy – my boss is on vacation so I’m in charge of the section for a bit. Lea is also away — as are a lot of Argentines. I love January because the city is so quiet and streets feel empty. The downside is that lots of shops have “away for vacation” signs on them, so my attempts at finding an open frame store have been thwarted.

Speaking of cats — Flavia is doing well. She is glad Pilar is back from her vacation so she can be better attended to throughout the day!

John and I wrapped up “Shogun” this week – we can see why it won so many awards. We’re still enjoying “The Agency.” I just finished reading “All Fours” for my book club.

And finally, here’s wishing my mother-in-law Ginger a happy birthday this past week!

I was thrilled to see Ted and Tommy Harps after 40+ years — they were in town on their way to an Antarctica cruise and made time to come visit us Saturday afternoon. They were exactly the same and I was really happy to see them. And bonus: Tommy’s daughter Lauren, her fiancé Jesse, Tommy’s son Cameron and his wife Becca also came over, so I got to meet the kids for the first time ever. They were just delightful and we enjoyed a couple of hours yakking and catching up.

It’s hard to believe it’s 2025! John and I were tucked into bed well before midnight and spent New Year’s Day at home. We enjoyed a morning bike ride and had to laugh at all of the young Argentines still roaming around in groups looking a little worse for the wear at 8AM. I also had a nice chat with Ann.

I finished reading “Challenger” and thoroughly enjoyed it, despite its grim topic. It was an excellent overview of the space shuttle program. I was reminded of watching the Columbia disintegrate overhead in 2003 when John and I were in Dallas – 17 years after Challenger exploded after liftoff.

We continue to watch “The Agency” and “Dune,” and also started “Shogun,” which we are enjoying.

I was sad to hear that my friend from Hot Springs James McCully passed away on Christmas Eve. We had spent a couple of Thanksgivings together when John and I lived in DC.

2025 will be full of changes and I’m ready to get that party started!