As we settled into our second year in Eagle Pass in 2008, we took many trips and dips, and continued to be enriched by family and friends, as well as life, educational and career experiences.
~Jacobo~
Jacobo turned eight in January, finished second grade in June and then began homeschool in September.
Ale covers most of the subjects and Jake covers science. In the spring, Jacobo ran track and took guitar lessons in Piedras Negras, and was featured in a local Mexican TV commercial for the guitar shop. In the summer, he took swimming lessons. In the fall, he played soccer with Jake as his coach.
~Ale~
Alejandra finished her student teaching and Spanish certificate from the University of Iowa at the end of 2007 and began a master degree in counseling in January at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas. She worked part time as a substitute teacher in the Eagle Pass schools.
~Jake~
Jake continued his work for Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, representing migrant farmworkers and criminal defendants. He also worked on private property and public river access rights surrounding the border wall, and the mass passport denials to midwife-born citizens. In the spring, Jake saw more playing time with his soccer team and finally scored a goal, blurting out “¡Fue un golazo güey!” (“it was a great goal dude”) when the defender protested. In the spring and summer, Jake and Jacobo often fished the Rio Grande, where they caught some bass and mojarra (“perch”), a red-eared slider, and Jake got bit by a water snake that he grabbed while Jacobo distracted it with a dangling, shiny lure. Jacobo took lots of dips in the river, and Jake took some too.
~Ale´s Family~
Alejandra’s father Silvestre is still in Israel after three years of work there in a copper mine. In June, he made a surprise visit home for Ale’s birthday and Father’s Day. Ale’s brother Cesar lives in Piedras Negras and began working as an engineer at a French-owned maquiladora. We see Cesar a lot and he has acted as a last-minute babysitter more than once for his nephew. We’ve also enjoyed surprise visits from Ale’s uncle Juan Antonio and cousin Danielin. Over Easter we had a carne asada (“BBQ”) with Danielin and family with a cold dip in the spring pool in the sierra pass between San Buenaventura and Cuatrocienegas. We visited Lucila’s family in Monclova and Dario in San Juan several times. We took several dips in the blue Rio San Juan.
~Travel~
We took many trips this year and got to know much more of Texas, the USA and the world:
~Texas trips~
In the spring semester, we went to Alpine, where we stayed with Jake’s co-worker Julie and James. While Ale was in class, Jacobo and Jake visited the Big Bend Museum, James at the Chihuahua Desert Research Institute with the imaginary Tarantula “King,” Fort Davis, and Marfa.
Then we went to Big Bend National Park for two days. It was a breathtaking desert experience with hikes through two of the Rio Grande canyons.
On the way back, we stopped in tiny Langtry, home of Judge Roy Bean, but the rest-stop museum was closed. We also stopped at the majestic bridge and park at the Pecos River.
In June we took a sunset dip in the Rio Frio in Garner State Park, and in August, for Jake’s 30th birthday, we toured the Uvalde National Fish Hatchery, where they raise two endangered minnows: the bony tail and the razor back. Afterwards we went for a sunset dip at the Nueces River.
Also in August we drove to Austin for two days where Jake presented at a conference. We took a cold dip in Barton Springs. Jacobo and Ale visited the state Botanical Garden, the Capitol and the Texas History Museum. We all had lunch at the Whole Foods headquarters. We also saw the biggest urban bat colony that dwells under the Congress Street Bridge over Town Lake with Jake’s law classmate Emy and her husband Alec.
In September we drove to South Padre Island, which was still recovering from July’s Hurricane Dolly. We took dips at the beach and visited the Sea Turtle, Inc., where Jacobo adopted a nesting site. Then we left the island to visit Boca Chica, a remote border beach where the Rio Grande empties into the Gulf of Mexico. As a teenager, Jake backpacked the headwaters of the Rio Grande in the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado.
In October Ale drove to Juarez via El Paso with a group of women for a church event, and liked the city despite its bad reputation and her speeding ticket en route. Jake continued with his business trips all over Texas representing migrant workers.
~National travel~
In April, Jake flew to Sacramento to present at a farmworker conference, and met many warm people in the farmworker movement.
In October, he flew to Washington D.C. for the Equal Justice Works conference, where he bonded with the inspiring fellows over conference sessions and karaoke, and met up with old law school friends Jen, Jenna and Hisham.
In November we all flew to Washington D.C., and while Jake presented at yet another conference, Ale and Jacobo toured the cold, but beautiful city with the help of the Metro. We saw the Woodly Zoo, the Capitol, the White House, the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, the top of the Washington Monument, the Lincoln memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the Reflection Pool, the Air and Space museum, the Natural History Museum, Union Station and Arlington National Cemetery.
We saw old Iowa City friends like Jenna, Karla, Eugenio and Mario. Then we rented a car and drove to West Virginia to spend Thanksgiving week with Jerry and Jacque. Jake hunted deer in the rain, made deer jerky, Jacobo rolled a big snow ball down the street, went roller skating, and we reminisced with old friends like the Fluhartys, Blankenships, Reifs and Jake’s Bridgeport classmates like Rocco and Josh.
~World travels~
In July we flew to Eilat, Israel to visit Silvestre. We drove to Jerusalem, the holy city, for a great Sabbath with Silvestre as our guide, and on the way back we took a floating dip in the Dead Sea. We also took a trip to Petra, Jordan and Cairo, Egypt. See previous blog. Ale and Jacobo stayed for a whole month and took daily dips in the red sea where Jacobo enjoyed playing with other kids. Ale, Jacobo and Silvestre took a trip to the Bethelem and the Sea of Galilee, where Jacobo took a dip in the Sea and the Jordan River. Ale and Jacobo took a trip to Jericho, Palestine, the oldest city in the world, where Jacobo had the opportunity to take a dip in a local pool with local kids.
~Winter Holidays~
We had a tranquil Christmas Eve turkey dinner with Cesar and Dario at Silvestre’s house in Piedras Negras, but Silvestre was conspicuously absent. Jacobo received two gifts that propelled him into the digital age: a Sony PSP and an MP3 player. Uncle Micah also sent him a model rocket.
New Years Eve we went to Monclova with aunt Lucila and family. We ate, popped fireworks and hit the piñata. This year it was Jake’s turn to be injured over the holidays—he had a broken wrist from skateboarding with Jacobo.
~Open Invitation~
Our invitation to all our friends and family to visit us in Eagle Pass is still open. Or, if you are ever passing through, stop by for some taquitos or lonches. We wish all a great 2009!
