June 20th to June 26th

 June 20^th to June 26^th: Monday, with Martha and Elsy here, we decided to take them to Antigua.  Mom had read somewhere about a restored colonial home that has tours by appointment.  I sent an email before we left, asking if we could have a tour during the day.  When we arrived in Antigua, we got a call saying we could tour the house at 11:00am.  It was a fantastic tour with a guide who was very knowledgeable.  The home was remodeled in 1762.  The first home on the property was built in 1560 and then another was built in 1650.  This is the one that was remodeled in 1762.  It suffered some destruction in the Santa Marta earthquake of 1773.  It was purchased in 1930 by Wilson Popenoe, a North American who had been studying avocados.  He traveled all over Guatemala looking for the best avocado trees.  He fell in love with Antigua and decided to move there.  He is accredited as the first person to restore a colonial home.  It is truly wonderful and was such a fun tour. The pictures will tell the story.  

This was the reception room, really two rooms connected by this arch.  There was no electricity when the Popenoe's lived here until 2007 when it was donated to a university.  The electricity was added when it became a museum.

Lots and lots of colonial boxes with great inlay.

Lots of inlaid trunks.

All the furniture was colonial but not original to the house.

Lots of old paintings.

This sofa has a coat of arms embroidered on the back cushion. 

Their library.  He added the fireplace. The original house would not have had a fireplace.

There were only two doors when he finally got possession of the house. (long story)  This was one of them.  He had all the other doors built to match this one. 

Their bedroom.

Mom wants a mirror like this one.  Beautiful carved frame.

Very tall ceilings and they all have open beams.

What a cutie.

There was one wing of the house that was too badly damaged in the earthquake that was never rebuilt.  It was where the original dining room would have been.  Popenoe just ate in the room where the servants would have eaten.

The kitchen chimney.  The whole room's ceiling is a chimney.

The first grow boxes. The kitchen's herb garden.

He bought property adjacent to his and added gardens.

A collection of colonial tile.

L to R Me, Mom, Martha Cooper and Elsy.

Colonial dishes.

Our guide.

A very early bathtub.  We learned that it even had hot water.

Do I look like Don Quixote.

A shaving bowl with a part missing for your neck.

 At some point, someone added these pigeon houses in the only second story room.

This is the top of the kitchen chimney.

Beautiful views from the roof.

Beautiful rooftops.

Mom and Martha at lunch in Antigua.

Before we headed home we stopped at the Church San Francisco. 

San Francisco Chapel--notice the right half of the church is partly missing as a result of the earthquake in 1773.

The convent was completely destroyed and never rebuilt.

The walls were over 4 feet thick.

Some of the basement rooms are intact.

Panarama view of the convent next to the church that didn't get rebuilt.

This is the right side of the church that was never rebuilt.

Some more of the ruins of the convent.

We got back in time for Family Home Evening where we had the farewell for the Rosado’s who will finish their mission in the first part of July.  He has served as my second counselor and his wife as assistant to the matron.  They have been a great asset and will be truly missed.

Family Home Evening.

Mom and her two assistants.  Middle Sister Rosado, and Sister Rosales.

 Tuesday we traded days off with the Rosado’s so we could show Martha and Elsy around.  We took them to the Popol Vuh Museum of Mayan Art and the Ixchel Museum of Indigenous Textiles and Clothing.  We have visited both of these museums before, so we didn’t take pictures again.  I only took a picture of one huipil from the place where the woman who had the dream about her great-grandmother and found her records by remembering the clothing her great-grandmother was wearing in the dream.  

The huipil and corte from the town where the woman found her great-grandmother's family records.  San Pedro Sacapetequez, San Marcos.

We then went to lunch and then we took Martha and Elsie to their bus for their trip back to El Salvador.  It was nice having them with us, if only for a couple of days.  Wednesday we had presidency meeting and worked the afternoon shift.  Thursday we spoke to a group of primary children and their leaders from Chilmaltenango.  They were so cute and it was really fun.  There were than 80 kids.  

The primary kids.

Me speaking to the primary kids.

These are the two bishops who brought their Primary children.

Group photo.  Mom and I are in the back.

We then worked the afternoon again, our payment for trading for Tuesday off.  In the evening, we went over to the chapel next to the temple and spoke to a group of about 80 Laurels and Priests, from Peten.  They were there doing baptisms for family names as part of their earning the right to go to EFY (Especially For Youth).  That is a weeklong activity for the youth.  Peten is 10 to 11 hours away by bus.  Friday we had the morning shift.  Saturday we had the afternoon shift.  Sunday we got up early and left at 7:30am to go to the Guazacapan District Conference.  This is the smallest District in our area, just 3 small branches.  It was fun to be with these faithful saints.  We both spoke and the 2 ½ hour drive was beautiful and well worth the effort.  

We drove through this valley on the way to Guasacapan.

Same valley.

After District Conference.

We then drove to the El Frutal Stake building in southern part of Guatemala City, where we were scheduled to speak at the concluding session of their stake youth conference.  We were assigned to speak about chastity.  I let mom do the heavy stuff and I just talked about goals. We got home at 7:00pm making it an 11 ½ hour day.  

On the way back to Guatemala City.

Volcano Pacaya in the background.

Youth Conference.

At the end of the conference they showed pictures from all the activities. 

More activities.

More activities.

We were tired and hungry.  We fixed some dinner, then played two games of Rummikub, called the kids and went to bed.  Some days seem long and hard, but the weeks just fly by.  We are so blessed and can’t think of a more enjoyable way to grow old together.  Some days our bodies remind us we are getting older.