Adventures of the Fischer-Dalys

Honduras, time for defining new relations

2009-11-08T20:46:00.001-05:00

Letter to the Editor of the New York Times, unpublished, 27 September 2009
Re: “In Honduras, Talking, Takeout, but No Accord” (International, September 27):

Clarity from Washington is urgent. The Times reports the State Department’s ambiguity: “it might not accept the election result if the Micheletti government remained in power to administer them.” Acceptance would endorse the use of a coup d’etat and the use of force against the Honduran people who have valiantly opposed the coup government. Reinstatement of elected and forcefully deposed President Zelaya is a necessary step to revive democratic process. Washington should act on their promise of a new era of U.S. – Latin America relations, eloquently posed by Mr. Obama to the April Summit of the Americas. Continued ambiguity from the State Department is de facto support for the coup, a position that revives Washington’s horrific history of support for military regimes in Honduras and leaves the Honduran people under a government instated by the military whose repeated use of violence and repression against them suggest a bleak future.

no need for typecasting

2009-11-08T20:40:00.004-05:00

Letter to the Editor of the New York Times, 27 September 2009, Unpublished
Re “With a Receptive White House, Labor Begins to Line Up Battles”

Stereotyping and theoretical propositions are disservice. The U.S. Government placed tariffs placed on tires made in China in full compliance with international trade law, specifically the WTO provisions accepted by China upon its joining the regulatory institution. The United Steelworkers supported the decision of the U.S. Government to use international law to support their membership. The article cites the “risk” of protectionist outbreak and pain inflicted on other North American workers, both speculations based on theory. In reality there is no commerce that fits the economic models underlying those statements. It also frames the union’s action as “battles”, messaging not so loosely charged against corporations whose lobbying efforts reach the absurd. Tagging the union reinforces a stereotype that prevents progress towards mature industrial relations in the U.S. It would be a service to readers to replace conjecture with more news, perhaps the United Steelworkers campaign for greener energy jobs.

Nika and Friends

2009-05-12T19:02:00.001-04:00

Just some more pics of the things that keep us going here

Nika and Friends

People, Pies, and Puppies

2009-05-12T18:29:00.002-04:00

Its been way to long since either of us have added blogs about everything and nothing. Since my trip to Costa Rica we had a few other visitors. Matt’s cousin and a wonderful friend from Mexico came for a few days, following that Matt’s dad came for a short visit as well. This was all during Samana Santa. We went to Leon and Granada, colorful colonial cities and enjoyed Good Friday processions and colorful sawdust carpets in the streets. We also showed our guests Volcano Masaya and Nindiri, the volcanoes we like to run up now and again. We walked around the craters as the sulfur created clouds in the sky. After that we took them to relax and go for a swim at one of our favorite weekend spots, Laguna de Apoyo. It was really nice to have some family come to see where we live and some highlights of visiting Nicaragua.

We just finished the mango season and are missing a fridge full of mangos. We became creative with the things we made, mango ice, mango juice, and for our guests I made mango pie. Of course there are no pre-made pie crusts to be had . . . .so thanks to Bittman I learned how to make pie crust. I can’t wait to try it with fresh berries (not to be found in these parts)

Nika is also missing those mangos so now opts for the pits laying in the street. She did enjoy meeting our guests. I think Matt’s dad actually took a liking to her. She just recently bounced back from her surgery.

SemanaSanta2009

Costa Rica with the Folks

2009-03-24T23:20:00.008-04:00

Click below for all CR pics

Costa Rica with the Folks

It has been a while since I have written. Nika is growing so fast that she doesn’t quite know how big her body actually is, so much so that she tried to jump over a table . . .knocked a cup of water onto the computer . . .and that was that. Thus I am now computerless.

I recently got back from traveling to Costa Rica with my parents. It was really nice to get out of the heat of Nicaragua for a bit into some cooler, fresher air and be with my parents. We first went to a Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio on the Pacific coast for 2 days where we saw white faced monkeys and a few 3 toed sloths while relaxing on a beautiful white sand beach. Then up to a Parque Nacional Volcan Arenal more north which had a huge active volcano in the middle of a thick rainforest. I saw such great birds, a bunch of really colorful tanagers, toucans, and when I went on a hike one day, I saw a cat called a Tigrillo (I think ocelot in English) - it looked like a baby cheetah. It is the 3rd most endangered species in CR with only 40 left in the country. That of course was such a treat. Our last stop was at a park in the cloud forest in Monteverde. There I saw a Quetzal - again a super big treat. I also did a canopy tour on a zip line which was fun. After 9 days we took the bus back here and I showed my folks a bit of Nicaragua. We did a bunch of day trips outside of Managua. It was nice to have familiar faces around and show them where/how we live and introduce them to Nika.

Getting Big

2009-02-18T12:33:00.003-05:00

Getting big . . . okay so I sound like a first time mom . . .but Nika is growing so fast! What once was a little ball of Nika is now a big puppy.

It's raining Mangos!

2009-02-18T12:23:00.003-05:00

Its mango season! We have a great big mango tree in our front parking area and it has so many mangos that the branches are being weighed down. Most are quite green but when a gust of wind blows the ripe ones fall from the sky. Nika finds them in our back patio area and likes to play with them. Sometimes she comes running inside excited that she found a good one. I take them away, wash them, and put them in the fridge. Other times I hear them hit the car or the pavement in the front and I quietly go outside and snatch them before the guard does and put them in the fridge with the others. In the morning I make a great mango smoothie breakfast.

My friend Lia once said when she eats these types of mangos, its like a mango milkshake in her mouth . . . .I couldn’t have put it better myself.

Nicaragua - the land without jumper cables

2009-02-17T12:39:00.000-05:00

We had a nice Sunday planned . . .we were going to get some errands done and then meet up with some friends for the afternoon at a place that looks out on a lake.
When we were running our errands we took Nika along and while Matt went into the hardware store I stayed with Nika listening to music in the car. Matt came out 5 minutes later and tried to start the car . . nothing happened. He tried again . . . nothing happened.
Luckily we were parked on a hill. Matt pushed to get the car rolling and we figured when it picked up speed I would start it and it would be fine . . .it worked before.

After pushing nothing, just a clicking noise. We tried again, Matt pushed and I tried to start it . . just clicking. We turned the corner into a neighborhood to try again . .push, . . click, click, click. We pushed it to a gas station, of course they could jump us and we could go on with our day. I forgot to mention it is 2pm the hottest part of the day.

When we got to the gas station, they said they didn’t have cables, ask some of the cabs that drive by. Matt stood at the busy intersection asking cab after cab, even a utility truck. No one had cables. Nor did a lot of them want to roll down there windows to talk to Matt. He asked one guy, does anyone in Nicaragua have cables . . the guy answered, ask an electrician . . thanks a lot

In the end a family helped us. It took 30 minutes for a big pick up truck to get the engine started. We ended up having to buy a new battery, but there aren’t any Sears around these parts, nor is any body shop open on Sunday. We have friends that have a membership to Price Smart (a Walmart owned Cosco-like store) where we bought a battery and wanted to buy jumper cables . . . but they didn’t have any!

BBQ in February

2009-02-17T12:03:00.007-05:00

When we moved into our little house we were so excited because it had a built-in brick oven/grill in the back patio area. Unfortunately though, a tree's branches hung over the chimney, there was dirt in it, and the cooking level was all rusty.

A couple of weeks ago we asked our guard/buddy Wilfredo if he might be able to help us cut some branches away so that we could maybe use the grill. We took Nika for a walk and when we got back Wilfredo had already cut the branches down. Now all we had to do was clean it up. We took the bricks out of the chimney that were blocking it and scrubbed the rust away. Now it was time to grill.

We invited some friends over to help us out with our experiment and we got together some veggie kabobs, coal, and lighter fluid. The coals were glowing in no time and we feasted.

The next Sunday Matt and I decided to try another experiment . . .brick oven pizza!
We made the dough from scratch . . .after spending 2 days hunting down yeast, one day bargaining with a bakery to sell us the yeast the following day and the second to go pick it up. We let it rise and spread it out in pizza shape. We then put it in the grill until it got golden brown on one side. We took it in the house, flipped it and added the toppings onto the brown side. We added, homemade tomato sauce, eggplant, broccoli, garlic, and cheese and slid it back into the grill. Of course we didn’t have a backers paddle so a plastic plate did the job. We made two pizzas and of course ate two pizzas that night ☺

The fun doesn’t stop there. For Valentine’s Day we decided to make s’mores in our grill. We got the coals to glow, took Nika’s stick from her and popped a marshmallow on it. We found Hershey’s and had to improvise a little with the grams. It was a good Valentine’s treat.

While I felt bad cutting the tree, I think the little treats have made up for it.

The two of us bacame the three of us!!

2009-02-07T15:38:00.003-05:00

Welcome Nika.

The Fischer-Dalys now have a new family member; her name is Nika. She is a 3 month old boxer puppy. She truly has become a companion to us and definitely keeps us busy and entertained. Now that I am no longer working at the school, she and I spend A LOT of time together. I unfortunately had a seizure and am now taking medication for epilepsy, so Nika has been a great distraction for me ☺

Nika is pretty popular, all the guards and the fruit-selling ladies on the block know the gringa and her little dog Nika. We are hoping to get her running with us very soon.

2009-02-07T15:23:00.003-05:00

Luna de Miel en Patagonia and Buenos Aires

2009-01-16T13:14:00.003-05:00


	Argentina - Luna de Miel

Patagonia – flying through the horizon, sky and land competing for one’s attention – natural diversity evincing Pachamama’s finest. Look ahead; a sea of wispy clouds invites you. Look again; a massive mound of mountains challenges you to enter their shadows. The guanacos casually run off. The condor effortlessly rides the wind. The shepherd trots by on his horse, weatherworn face displaying the constant contradiction – physical challenge and sensory reward.

For six days we explored the Torres del Paine national park on the Chilean side of the Patagonia region. Its namesake three towers of rock draw sightseers from the usual suspects – Western Europe, North America, Japan – many of whom we met along the way and happily shared tips, gas, photo-snapping and the like. Although viewing the towers and Glacier Grey – second-most well-known natural wonder of the park - has been facilitated by excellently marked trails and three rather nice lodges (the kind that make one feel sorry for the chaps that’d weathered the construction process) strategically placed to access the mountains, taming the mountains, winds and wildly volatile weather remains, happily, beyond man’s/tourism’s grasp/ambition.

Day one was a struggle – to put on a windbreaker without it blowing away, to walk through the open fields without oneself blowing away, reminding the body that the tent and week’s food are necessary – and an inspiration – Paine Grande grew evermore majestic as we approached; Lake Pehoe flashed a brilliant glacier-green; Laguna de Patos rippled in an afternoon sun. Reaching the campsite, the body happily rested on the sands aside Lake Grey.

Day two changed the scenario – we traded marching along with the house & home on the back for frolicking through an obstacle course of rivers, rope & ladders amid a barrage of frosty sleet – as we hiked up to a new campsite a short distance away, set-up camp, and proceeded walking along the ridges of Grand Paine next to the Glacier Grey. The cold was a nice change, the rain heavy with anxiety, the views chilling raw art.

Day three was a day to cover ground – from Glacier Grey to the center of the “W” at Camp Italiano – Christmas Eve turned into an ideal evening: delicious glacier water from the river alongside, rather tasty tea time, mediocre tortelloni made delicious by the wine in a box. We slept refreshed under the easy sound of swaying slender trees.

Day four - picture-perfect morning hike up the “French Valley” made for a memorable Christmas day: scrambling up rocky riversides, bouncing, along with the sounds outside, through the funky forests, and each turn challenging the preeminence of the last view. The mountains and glaciers appeared crisp and clear as we hiked under the sun in t-shirts to Camp Los Cuernos. The wind that rolled over the lake at night as semi trucks passing over our tent, made for a sleepless night.

Day five – Up early to get started on a long day. The wind continued to pound so much that we held on to rocks to keep our balance. A couple times the rocks didn’t help and we ended up on the ground with bruises. The rain started as we crossed a fast flowing river and then soon turned to snow. Six hours later we arrived to Camp Torres. A quick nap and warm beverage and we scrambled 45min up rocks to the towers. All we saw was a wall of clouds . . . .same view as five years ago. We waited, 20 minutes and the sun peeked through the clouds, opening the sky and finally the towers. Three rock towers jetting out of a coppery green lake! Worth the wait.

Day six – packs light, we hiked out of the park with achy knees as we walked down, down, down.

The next day back on the Argentine side in the small town of Calefate we feasted on lomo . . .Argentine beef . . .”when in Rome” . . .or better, when in Argentina where some of the best beef comes from, where the cows eat grass and have space to walk around the Patagonian steppe. Yum.

Buenos Aires – A city of music, dance, parks, people, food, and wine. Our days we spent walking down the streets with eyes wide and enjoyed walking and walking some more with coffee breaks now and again at the many cafes along the way to keep us charged. . .its like Disneyland compared to Managua.

We visited the Oriental gardens, the Botanic gardens and all the gardens of Palermo where we ran every morning and sat on benches with the paper to people-watch.
We visited the neighborhood of Boca, where the Boca Juniors have their stadium and the buildings are brightly colored with Gotan Project coming from every storefront.
We visited the neighborhood of San Telmo where the parks turned into art fairs and people danced tango under the sun.
We visited the Plaza de Mayo and saw la Casa Rosada – the presidential palace, as well as the obelisk downtown.
In Recoleta we went to the Recoleta cemetery, where the rich and famous are buried in mausoleums and crypts bigger than our apartment in NYC was.
Along the way we stopped in museums to stare at South American contemporary art including Xul Solar and Diego Rivera.

At night we always found some yummy food to sit and enjoy with a glass of wine followed by an ice cream scoop or two ☺ From the favorites of variations on rice, beans and plantains, the options offered made us giddy.

So now we are back in Managua, still look at pictures and talk about our trip as we sip on mate - definitely an unforgettable honeymoon - and begin life with Nika, stay tuned to meet her...

Thanksgiving in Nica

2008-12-03T20:57:00.004-05:00

It started with a Thanksgiving party at the school I work at. It was an interesting even that gave us the feel of prom merging with some sort of wedding. We were in the school auditorium yet there was a tequila cart going around serving teachers dressed in their finest shots.

The next day we celebrated Thanksgiving with some friends. It was a pot luck of thanksgiving food and a rotisserie chicken. For some it was a little taste of home for others it was their first Thanksgiving dinner.

The following morning we left with some friends for Ometepe, an island of two volcanoes in the middle of Lake Nicaragua. We shared a little cabin on the lake and climbed one of the volcanoes. It was a fantastic escape from the city.

Here are some pictures to share :)

Omotepe - island in Lake Nicaragua

Thanksgiving - rager at Lincoln & mellow turkey-day potluck

Trip to Selva Negra coffee plantation

2008-11-17T20:43:00.002-05:00

This past weekend we went on a really nice weekend trip north to a german run coffee plantation/ eco resort. It was so nice to breath fresh air, to wear a fleece and use a blanket and walk a bunch. Things we dont really get to do here in Managua,

The coffee plantation Selva Negra (black forest) is completely sustainably run. We hiked around in the cloud forest on their property stared at some amazing plants, birds and monkeys and took a tour of the plantation including workers quarters and processing mill. All the food for the workers, their families and the hotel is raised and grown there . . . we had some good cheese!

anyway some pics of our weekend

Selva Negra

Pineapple Coffee Cake

2008-11-10T15:03:00.002-05:00

So this weekend were elections in Nicaragua and it was recommended to stay home. The elections are quite corrupt and some are fanatical about their parties so there is unrest around election time. Matt was gone so I decided to pass the time by cooking and baking. We had a really ripe pineapple and I decided to make a pineapple coffee cake. I must admit, it turned out pretty good :)

Ingredients
* 1/4 lb butter or margarine
* 1 cup sugar
* 2 cups flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 egg
* 1 cup milk
* 15 ounces crushed pineapple, drained

Topping
* 1 cup flour
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 1/4 lb butter or margarine

Directions
1. Cream sugar with butter.
2. Sift flour and baking powder.
3. Add to creamed mixture alternately with egg/milk mixture.(place egg in cup and add milk to make 1 cup).
4. Spread in 9x13 pan.(or if you are like me and dont have one, just spread it in a sauce pan that can go into the oven)
5. Cover with well-drained pineapple.
6. Mix topping ingredients till crumbly and sprinkle over pineapple.
7. Bake at 350° for 1 hour.

Ants and Cops

2008-11-10T14:57:00.003-05:00

So if there are two things I could really live without in Nicaragua, its the ants in my kitchen and the police. Both just seem to be around all over the place not doing much but creating a sense of anxiety.

The ants crawl all over the place no matter how clean the kitchen is. When another one dies they carry it off on their back so you have a double, extra big, huge ant.

The cops stand all over and just pull us over because we are gringos for no reason and let us go once we pay them . . and when you actually need their help they cant help you but instead give you a lecture.

frustrating!

My Favorite Place in Nicaragua

2008-10-16T22:51:00.004-04:00

Is in the giant hammock in our living room!

Matt's boss gave us a beautiful hand woven "matrimonial" size hammock. The town he lives in, Masaya, is known for their hammocks so he gave us one as a wedding gift. Its so big that Matt and I can be in it head to foot, barely touching feet, its great!

It's my favorite place to be after a long day at school and a great spot to watch the debates.
(picture: me in my school uniform)

Finally a lake to swim in!

2008-10-06T22:31:00.018-04:00

Saturday we went to Laguna de Apoyo. Its a crater that filled with fresh water that is heated by hot springs really really deep down. There are some endemic species of fish that call the lagoon home. It felt great to go swimming in the lake. Nicaragua has many beautiful lakes that are unfortunately so polluted that you cannot swim in them. These are some pictures of our afternoon.

Weekend at the beach

2008-09-27T21:22:00.003-04:00

A couple of weeks ago was a holiday here in Central America. As a teacher, I get the holidays off . . .very different from ranger days :)
We decided to get out of the city for a few days and went to San Juan del Sur. It is a traveler hot spot for surfers and . . what we didnt know on this particular weekend a hot spot for partying high schoolers (including my students) which we were able to avoid.
We stayed in a nice little bed and breakfast run by a funny lady from South Carolina. During the day we rented bikes and rode 20 km on bumpy dirt roads that our car wouldn't have survived to get to some quieter beaches away from town. At night we were exhausted and had beer, fresh fish and ceviche for dinner. We got back home after three nights and still had a day to hang around the house. It was really nice to get away for a bit.

I like cold beverages!

2008-09-27T20:30:00.005-04:00

So Im not a big beer drinker. But . . . .for some reason since I have moved to Nicaragua I find myself enjoying a cold beer. Its not that the beer is really good, its simply because its cold :)!!

A great way to have it, believe it or not is on ice (even colder!)
its called a Michilada a nice, cold, spicy, fizzy great after work or on the beach drink and here is how you make it.

Coarse salt
3 cubes ice
1 lime, juiced
1 12 oz. can or bottle Mexican beer - we are going with Nicaraguan beer Tona
1/2 tsp. steak sauce or sangrita
1 dash cayenne pepper
1 dash black pepper
1 pinch dried oregano
1 pinch dried basil

put all the ingredients in a glass, some ice and poor in the tona
Cheers, Salud!

Back into a Whirlwind!

2008-09-16T20:49:00.001-04:00

So a lot has happened since I last wrote on the blog. The big thing is – I got a job!
I am teaching high school science at an international school here in Managua. I teach three sections of seventh grade life science and two sections of eleventh grade chemistry (to be honest I don’t know chemistry, but Im learning as I go). I have experience teaching seventh grade life science in the classroom when I taught in Guatemala, but Chemistry is new to me and Im finding it hard to make it fun for the students.

The school is really pretty and Im starting to meet other teacher. Its just nice to get out of the house and have something to focus energy on. I am definitely very busy. It is hard to teach when you didn’t start with the students in the beginning of the year. The beginning of the year gives you an opportunity to lay down some ground rules etc. Another challenge is that the teach whom I took over for left because she thought it was too much work and didn’t do the things that need to be done before the students even start . . like annual plans for instance . . so Im also trying to play catch up. I hope that in a month or so I will get into a groove.

I think for now this is a good position. It is still in my field and gives me the opportunity to get my Spanish to fluency, as well as find out what different environmental organizations are up to in the event that after the school year I want to get back into more the environmental field. Vacations off are always nice so come on down and visit ☺

From the Fischer-Daly Cocina: Crispy Yucca jazzed with Spicy Aioli Dip…

2008-09-02T23:54:00.001-04:00

Egg Yolk, desiring-to-be-red in color, to garlic-punching dipping sauce (okay, dip, I first shopped at Krogers, so “dip” clearly connotes concoctions such as ranch or my introduction to artichoke, lost in a gurgle of parmesan) is a fast, easy and yummy transition: Drop the yolk in a bowl (blender) with a couple teaspoons of mustard (use Dijon unless you share my absentmindedness, in which case yellow gets the job done). Whisk slowly, then furiously, but always steadily (or start blender on a medium speed) and begin to pour a cup of olive oil, not all at once but a clean regular pour. As concoction emulsifies, finish the steady pour of olive oil. Then add garlic (5 small/medium cloves) and pepper (1 small jalapeño or a serrano) and continuing whisking (or blending). Shift the dip to a bowl and set in the fridge to cool while you heat some oil on the stovetop…

Pre-fry, have your yucca pealed, cut into chunks that fit your pan/pot, and boiled for approximately 5 minutes…then the fun part. Drop your yucca into hot oil (and minced garlic clove or two if you’re into the excessive side of flavor) on the frying pan (use enough oil to cover the pan and maintain it smoothly covered in oil throughout the fry) and have a little faith in the wonders of hot oil. Turn your yucca chunks side to side until their color takes on a yellowish (thank you, oil) – brown (oh, right, it’s a tuber) shade. Once your yucca looks bronzed, it’s outside slightly crunchy, and maybe your skin aglow with a little spray from the frying fun, serve the yucca chunks on a plate with the spicy aioli.

Dig in, and enjoy! By the way, just what are you enjoying: yucca? cassava? The answer seems to be yes. As noted by Mark Bittman, author of the how to cook everything guides, “taro (yucca) is a tuber with brownish gray fiber-covered striped skin and gray-white flesh with purple stippling, more flavorful than potatoes”. Bittman then describes cassava as a tuber with an “elgongated, tapered oval shape with a dark brown, woody, and often waxed and shiny skin; flesh is white, crisp, and loaded with starch”. In our neck of the woods, the later description fits to a t the item labeled “yucca” in all markets, restaurants and grocers. If anyone has interesting insights into the world of yucca vs. cassava, the floor is yours…

Saturdays

2008-08-27T13:43:00.001-04:00

The first saturday here we drove an hour outside of the city to a small town on the beach. Nothing like a beach without the smell of sun tan lotion in the air and without two thousand umbrellas covering the sand, it was nice and quiet. We walked around and ate some great fresh ceviche and catch of the day and washed it down with cold Donas.

Last Saturday we went to a town an hour outside of the city called Granada. It reminded me a lot of, Antigua, the town I lived in Guatemala, colonial style architecture with lots of vibrant colored buildings and a central square. There was a festival going on so all the fritanga ladies were in full force in the park. Fritanga is fried food. There were tons of ladies frying up chicken, plantains, potatoes, empanadas, chicken gizzards, really anything you can throw into a pot of oil and fry up, they do! We opted for fruit smoothies

This weekend Matt had to be away for work so I decided to play around with our new food processor. I went to the market and bought a bunch of fixins for gazbacho. I chopped, and diced, and shredded, and processed, all in one machine, it was great. The only problem was . . .our fridge decided to break . . .so instead of cold gazpacho it will probably be warm, spicy tomato soup when Matt gets back. I also picked up a bunch of peanuts to make some peanut butter. That didn’t turn out quite as I hoped for either . . the peanuts tasted like bleach, maybe the lady at the market stored them near cleaning products??? Ill just give it another whirl soon.

A tour of the Neighborhood

2008-08-20T17:32:00.003-04:00

Here are some pictures of our neighborhood Altamira, our home, and some pictures of a day-trip to the beach a couple weeks ago

Adventures of the Fischer-Dalys

A whirl wind followed by down time

2008-08-19T11:19:00.016-04:00

Wow, we have a fantastic time in Vermont at our wedding celebration. Thanks so much to those of you that were able to make it out all the way to the Northeast Kingdom. It was everything we could have dreamed of and more.

After driving to Maryland the next day, we spent two days packing up our lives, shipping some of it in boxes and stuffing the rest in our big back packs. So now we are here in Managua. I spent some time hanging pictures and making our house a bit of a home.

Adjusting is a bit more challenging than I had expected, but I know it will get easier with time. Hence the blog. . . . I have lots of time on my hands right now so visit and visit often. Im sure there will be lots of updates :)

Im finding little projects to keep me busy. Im planning on building a vegetable garden in our back yard/patio. To get my Spanish going again I started some Spanish classes an hour twice a week and we are also thinking about getting a dog. Now is a great time to have a puppy since I can be around to be with it and train it.

So come back to our blog for pics, stories, rants and raves that make up the Adventures of the Fischer-Dalys!

If you're interested, here are some pictures of our Vermont celebration that friends have posted. We think they are fun

Wedding day hike/ice-cream social:
http://www.shwup.com/album/the_hike?_ut=B6H0v8T5jOi&utm_campaign=rel3&utm_source=button&utm_medium=email

Ceremony:
http://www.shwup.com/album/the_ceremony?_ut=B6H0v8T5jOi&utm_campaign=rel3&utm_source=button&utm_medium=email

Reception:
http://www.shwup.com/album/the_reception?_ut=B6H0v8T5jOi&utm_campaign=rel3&utm_source=button&utm_medium=email