Risley Ranch

It's 5:00 somewhere

I like alcohol.  I don't love it.  I don't have a problem, but I really like it.  Anyone who knows me knows my drink of choice is Maker's Mark bourbon.  I had my first glass of Maker's in 1999, and I've never looked back.

So when we got the word we'd be coming to Colombia, I thought, well, they probably have some sort of bourbon down there, but probably not Maker's.  Well, I was right about no Maker's, but there's NO bourbon in this entire city that I can find (there's Jack Daniels, but that's as close as it comes).  I'm a bit surprised by that.  Bourbon is sweet, and based on the drinking and eating I've seen down here, Colombian's like sweet.  (Note to my friends at Maker's: If you need help setting up distribution down here, let me know.  I've made some good contacts, and I think this is a great market for expansion).

There is, however, a lot of Scotch, beer, wine and Aguardiente.  At a local Wal-Mart-type store, I picked up a couple of bottles of Chilean wine and a bottle of Buchanna's scotch for my new friend, Eduardo.  But I'm not a Scotch guy, so I've mostly been drinking beer down here. 

There are two popular Colombian beers: Club Colombia and Poker.  I've had both, and I'm not crazy about either one.  Both are light lager styles, and they both taste like water (or Coors Light, if you want a comparison).  According to folks I've talked to, there's only one "microbrew" in Colombia, and it's in Bogota.  I did buy some Peroni, just to have something different (and I'm drinking one now).

But the main drink, at least young folks (I'm told), is Aguardiente.  This is truly a Latino drink, and one could say even a Colombian drink.  The word literally means "fire water."  There are multiple varieties in Colombia, but the one most drunk around Cali is made from Sugar Cane.  It's drunk in shots (at least by college kids), and it tastes like black liquorish (but not super strong).  I'm not a black liquorish fan, so I couldn't even finish the shot I tried.

So I guess there's not much point to this post, I guess, other than to say, I didn't leave my love for alcohol in the States, and I'm trying to acclimate myself to the Colombian style of drinking.  And until I do, I'll just have another beer.

Who knew a pizza place could be so much fun?

Yesterday was a blast.  Definitely a "up" day.  We had a calm morning, then at 1 p.m., Camila took us to Jardin Plaza, a beautiful, upscale mall in southern Cali.  The mall has an outdoor fun center for kids, so I took Joe and Mari on rides while Amy, Camila and Alex did some shopping.

 

After Alex spilled a full bottle of red juice on my white shirt, I made a quick stop at Zara to buy a new one.  Then he threw a screaming fit for about 5 minutes as we exited the mall.  He's really into pushing his own stroller, and we didn't let him this time, so thus, the fit.  People stare at us already, but man did they stare then.

After that, we went to a sporting goods store so Joe and I could buy jersey's of the two official Cali soccer teams: Deportivo Cali and America de Cali.  I know, it's kind of funny that one of the teams is called "America."  They're both good teams and have been in Cali for more than 100 years.

We ended the day at an amazing pizza place for kid's called Archies.  It started in Bogota, then spread to Cali.  It's the best kid's pizza place I've ever seen -- way better than Chuck-E-Cheese or its cousins.  They allow kids to make their own pizza's, then eat them. 

 

There's a very nice, clean, manageable play area where the kids can run around until the pizza's ready so the parents can have a drink (or 2 or 3, in our case).

 

It was the perfect place for our three hooligans.  Everyone was wound-up like springs when we got home, which made bed-time rough, but it was worth it.

Remind me why we wanted three kids again?

The last two days have been a combination of highs and lows.  On the high side, we have a lot of fun during the day.  Thursday we went to Loma Cruces, a cute open-air market where Colombian artists sell all sorts of hand-made items.

 

 

This shop full of musical instruments was very cool.  The kids had a ball beating on drums and making as much noise as possible.

Loma Cruces is in a quaint, part of Cali called San Antonio.  The homes and shops are brightly painted and well maintained.  The streets are narrow.  It's a little story-book-like.

That afternoon, we had ice cream at this wonderful ice-cream shop.  Can't remember the name of it, but it was decadent.  We all had way more ice-cream than we needed, but the kids played it off in the fun-center they had.

But Thursday night...it was hell.  It started with a Joe freak-out/meltdown/power play that ended with Amy and I taking every single toy, screen and other privileges away for the whole day Friday.  Mari and Alex were equally challenging.  Bed time is always hard.  Both kids refused to go to sleep (we put them down about 7:30 p.m.).  Mari finally played-out, but Alex didn't.  He rolled around, talked and generally played until 10 p.m. (this is while all the lights were out in the room and everyone else was in bed, too).  In addition to being 2, he's a bit hard-headed.

Mari isn't really stubborn -- she uses crying and pouting to manipulate, which I'm so much better at handling (the stubborn/screaming/yelling by Joe and/or Alex are better handled by Amy).  Anyway, it was a bad night.

But Friday morning was amazing.  There was no TV, videos or other "fun" toys we had bought them.  Instead, all three of them played nicely with each other, quietly.  It was an amazing two hours.

And Friday afternoon, we went to the Cali Zoo.  Of course, we forgot or camera, so no great pictures, but it's a great, great Zoo.  Very clean, family friendly and walkable.  Cool animals as well.  And the kids were generally very good.

And Friday night, the kids were all very tired, so going to bed was easy. 

And now it's Saturday morning.  Alex is extremely emotional.  He either doesn't feel well or he's simply going through the normal adjustments.  And, he's 2.  Did I say he was 2?  Whenever Alex is sad, Mari is sad.  She's easier to cheer up -- some tickling usually helps.

We're going to a local library this morning, then to a mall this afternoon and pizza for dinner.  Both will be full of fun and heart-arch.  It's the current normal for us.

And just so no one thinks Amy and I are flawless parents, we've both gone through our own breakdowns.  Usually it's over little things we miss from home or in reaction to something the kids have done.  Parenting 3 is much more of a challenge than I thought it would be.

What a day

So now I can say I've played golf on two continents.  Yesterday, our chaperone's (Camila) father, Eduardo, took me golfing at his country club, Farallones. Seeing the club from the golf perspective gave me a whole new appreciation for it.

Eduardo is on the club's Board of Directors, so he's very knowledgeable of the course, which helped my game.  The other thing that helped me shoot one of my best scores was having a caddy.  At Farallones, you walk (no golf carts), and you use a caddy.  So for about $20, you get someone to carry your clubs, wash your ball, fix your divots, help you read greens and adjust your shot.  My caddy, Diebes, was well worth the money.

The course is long and wide.  There's actually a 700-yard par 6 on the course.  I don't know who designed it, but whoever did took advantage of the beautiful trees native to southern Colombia and the amazing mountains (the Farallones) surrounding the club.  On many of the holes on the back nine, you're hitting into a post-card-picture scene of mountains and palm trees.

We started early in the morning, so it wasn't too hot.  The fairways were in great shape, but the greens had just been aerated, so they were a little rough.  It was a average-difficulty course (I don't remember the slope), and the greens weren't too difficult.

I shot a 93 with borrowed golf shoes and Eduardo's old set of Taylor Made clubs (which were still in great shape), so I was pretty pleased with myself.  And even better, after our game, we had lunch with the family, who came later in the morning to swim at the amazing kid's pool.  Then Eduardo and I headed to the steam room and whirlpool, both of which are in a very nice men's locker room.  (Side note: some teenage kids were in the whirlpool, too, and one asked where in the US I was from.  I said, "Why do you think I'm from the US?"  He said, "You're kinda white."  Among all these beautiful, brown-skinned, dark-haired, dark-eyed Colombians, I stick out like a turd in a punch bowl.)

I was very impressed with the club's customer service.  They really pay attention to details and work hard to make you feel good.

To say Eduardo and his family are kind is an understatement. We've so appreciate having our "extended family" here in Cali.  Without them, we'd be lost in this busy city.

 

 

Cali: country club style

This afternoon our amiga, Camila, took us to her family's country club, which is called Farallones (named after the mountains that serve as the backdrop to the club).  It's one of the most amazing clubs I've seen, and I've seen some beautiful ones.

It was more like a resort.  Situated on the southern end of the city, it once was a true "country" club because it was not surrounded by Cali.  Now, however, the city has grown up around it.  It's exclusive.  It has an amazing playground area for kids, plus two pools, five restaurants, tennis courts and an 18-hole golf course. Hopefully I'll get to play a round.  Camila's father, a successful business man in Cali, who we met recently, offered to take me.

After playing with the kids, we sat and had a drink with Camila and her cousin.  It was a nice, relaxing afternoon.  And the kids had a great time.  We'll be going back to swim this week.

In other news, our appointment with ICBF is tomorrow at 1:30 p.m.  For the last week, we've had "temporary" custody of Mari and Alex.  Tomorrow's appointment is a final interview with us and kids, then our attorney can file the adoption paperwork with the local court.  That starts the official adoption process, which, if we have a "fast" court, will take about two weeks.

Happy Poppi Day!

I really love the Spanish culture.  I always have.  In college, I fantasized about living in Spain or South America.  The Latino zest for life, their flair, and of course, beauty, made me want to be a part of their lives.

So here I am, many years later, in Cali, Colombia -- one of the most interesting cities in one of the most interesting Latino countries, and I'm loving it.  It's not America -- not even close.  But man is it interesting.

My favorite part of the culture is the focus on family.  Our host's family met today, on Father's Day, in the house above ours where the Cordona family lives.  The Cardona's -- Grandpa is 92 and Grandma is about the same age -- have nine children.  Reyna, one of the nine (on the left below), owns the house we're staying in, and her niece, Maria Camila Perez Cardona (on the right below, and yes, she's beautiful), is the gal that's been showing us around town.

The laughter from upstairs was great to hear.  For them, family comes first.  Yes, they are all successful in business as well.  Camila's father is a former executive for Wyath in South America and now an entreprenuer.  Her uncle is a pediatrician, and he took a look at Alex today (we're officially calling him Alex now) because he's got a cold.  He wrote him a perscription right on the spot.

And at lunch today, Reyna served us wine and flan for dessert.  That homemade flan was the best I've ever tasted.  And by the way, the food here is wonderful.  It's common for middle-class families in Colombia to have a cook/maid, which Reyna does.  We are served three meals a day, and it's some of the best tasting food I've eaten.  Everything is made from scratch.  When they serve french-fries, they make them from potatoes.  When they serve juice, it's hand-squeezed from fresh fruit.  And we don't have to clean up a thing!

Anyway, today all three kids told me Happy Father's Day (or Feliz Hoy de Padre).  It was so cute.  Although it's been hard on all of us at times, we've survived our first week in Colombia.  Three more to go.

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Can a two year old grow in two days?

I don't think Didier has ever played with Legos before.  Our host, Renya, has a big bucket of them at the house, and Didier immediately gravitated toward them.  At first, he had a hard time figuring out how they worked.  He watched his bother and sister, but being two, it takes a bit more time. 

He's actually very patient.  For the last half-hour, I've been watching him build something.  It's a train with Legos staked on top of each Lego car.  He figured out how to attach the cars together.  All the time, he's just sitting there quietly, figuring it out.  He's focused.  No ADD in this kid.

Of course, he screamed bloody murder when Mari took a bunch of the legos he was playing with.  "Mio! Mio! Mio!" (Mine, mine, mine). 

He's such a sweet kid.

The honeymoon is over

So today we had two family outings.  The first was a short trip to a park.  And then this afternoon we went to a pool.  And in between, the three kids fought like brothers and sister, and in general, behaved the way 7, 5 and 2 year olds do.  They're still beautiful, but we're more tired.

Didier, because he's 2, wouldn't listen to us even if he could understand English.  Mari listens well, but she pouts a lot.  It's cute really, but her little feelings get hurt easily.  And of course, when Joe isn't being a great big brother, he's yelling at Mari for taking his things.

Amy and I are sitting on a bench, taking in some of the precious cool air in Cali, and drinking a beer.  Ahhh, parenthood in a foreign country, with kids you just met, living with people you don't know.  It's an adventure alright.

Three kids are harder than one, but I love it

Today was awesome.  So many wonderful moments, they are hard to capture.  My favorites:

1. Mariusi's hugs.  She's so happy to have us she'll just jump up and hug me.  This little girl has me completely wrapped around her finger after 48 hours.  I didn't realize being the father of a daughter felt so different than being the father of a son -- not better or worse, just different.

2. Didier's smile.  He's got such a great disposition.  He's really laid back, but wants to follow Joey (that's what Mari and Didier call Joe) around everywhere.  And he's tough as nails.  Built like a tank.  He eats more than I do.

3.  Seeing Joe be a big brother.  Watching Joe's transformation these last two days has been great.  He immediately looked older to me the moment all three of them were together.  He's so affectionate toward them.  He watches out for them.  I'm so proud of the way he's handling all this.

So today we ventured out to another mall.  This one was a very nice mall in the southern part of the city.  Our host's niece, Camila, is our chaperon and all-around-great-gal.  She's been so helpful to us, especially today.  So from 2 to 5 p.m., we successfully bought new shoes for Mari and Alex, played with balloons, ate ice cream, rode a toy pony, and bought supplies, including bottled water, pull-ups, a stroller and a couple of toys.  Sounds like it should be easy, doesn't it?

It wasn't.  But it was awesome!  I never, ever thought I'd say something like that, but having these three kids has really made me feel different.  I just can't worry about all the tiny little things happening -- just keep them safe and don't let them set anything on fire, that's my motto.

Of course, we couldn't have done it without Camila.  She's so great. 

We just got them to sleep, and it was much easier tonight.  No crying.  And lots of kisses and hugs.  I love kisses and hugs.