Out and about...

Here's the 3rd post for the day. If I was smart, I would spread these out over the next couple of days but life here is never predictable so I thought I just better get it done because I have no idea what tomorrow might bring.

This post is just an assortment of pictures taken as we travel around town, usually to and from school. I never know what I'm going to see...usually the camera is tucked in to Jim's pocket but I've tried to be more diligent about keeping it in my lap, ready to shoot. Unfortunately, half the time, we're already past whatever it is that's caught my eye and the picture remains in my mind and never makes it to the camera card. Hope you enjoy these...I'm constantly blessed and amazed by what God brings before us.

Traffic backed up in the Rotunda de Periodista, horns honking madly, as if that would make the traffic all begin to run smoothly!

Street juggler performing...when he finishes, he goes car to car and asking for 1 cordoba. Right now, the exchange rate is 19.4 cords to the dollar. Managua is a hot city. The sun beats down on the streets making it even hotter. I can't imagine how hot this clown suit must be on this young boy. Usually we don't give to the street venders, there's hundreds and hundreds of them. My heart was moved to give this boy more than he asked for this day. When he realized I dropped more than 1 cord in his hand, he glanced down and then glanced again. I even got a smile in return.

Christo Rey...the statue that sits in the center of Rotunda Santo Domingo...the patron saint of Managua. It is covered with grafitti and there are political protests that are set up there every afternoon.

The national soccer team traveling in their team bus. I can't imagine some of our highly overpaid athletes in the U.S. being happy with having to travel around like this. This is actually a pretty nice private coach compared to the mass transportation most other folks have to depend on.

An out-of-business car wash on a busy street that someone has turned in to their home. They've covered the caved-in open part of the roof with plastic to keep out the rains. This house has a small child that I often see out on the sidewalk by himself. There's an open, uncovered sewer drain on the corner...I worry about this little guy every time I see him.

I don't remember the names of these characters but they dance and swirl through the streets with the drummer loudly playing in order to announce their coming. They tell riddles, jokes and poems generally entertain bystanders in exchange for 1 or 2 cords. From what I understand, the jokes can be pretty off-color. The day we saw this group, the drummer came over to our car and started speaking insistently to me. I told him I only under-stood a very little Spanish. He promptly rubbed his fingers together and said, "Money, money!" I gave him 5 cords and told him that was all the "money, money" he was getting. He laughed and went on his way.

It's still not unusual to see teams of oxen pulling loaded carts through the city streets. Those are usually seen more in the earlier hours of the morning than later in the day. Traffic gets to be too heavy for the slow ox carts but the horse drawn carts are seen at all hours and are a common sight in this capital city. This is a young team of oxen. There are some we have seen that are massive in size and yet are driven by young children.

Driving through the dump at Jinotepe on our way out to and back from the medical clinic.

Home at last. There are days I love to be out and about and days that are stressful from the moment we fasten our seat belts, but there's always something comforting and assuring about coming back to what has become our home. It's far from perfect but it's the place God has provided for us and that makes it special enough for us. Thanks for taking the tour with us!