Chopsticks

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Today for dinner we've had my husband's world famous pasta soup. We all love it. Thin spaghetti cooked in vegetable broth, with melted mozzarella cheese. We eat it in a bowl using chopsticks, then drink the hot broth. Kids love it, and they always have the vegetables quite happy, also because they anticipate the soup is coming soon after!
And, nothing better than a hot soup after a day of ski :)

Clothes to fold ... tomorrow!

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You know, drawing your food gives you more envy to eat it. Today I've discovered it doesn't work like this with the clothes to fold! ;)

Washing dishes

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Today I was already relaxed and ready to just go through the bed ritual and ups, I realised I hadn't done the drawing of the day! It happened that while I was getting ready my husband was still washing dishes so I gave him a bit of company ;)

Ski exhaustion

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Two seconds is what it takes for Dani to fall sleep after his afternoon ski!
Also today...

First Piou-Piou day

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Today was Dani's first day at the ski school. And it is so exhausting!

Reconstruction

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Rather than a portrait, this is more a "reconstruction" of my son's Bruno face. Because he NEVER stops moving so you draw his nose from an angle, his eye from another trying to correct it and position it like the nose, the mouth from another one... Challenging!

He was watching a film, and he recommended me to draw him while drawing... :D

Everynight apple

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Ever since I know him, and from long before, every night, my husband has four walnuts and a red apple for dessert. He's a real example of consistency!
Today I was late for the walnuts, but I have many days to draw them, don't I? :)

Evening Series

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At home we don't watch TV, but we watch series and films. Tonight when I arrived my daughter was watching her evening series... and she always takes such funny poses :D

Normal life...
                                       ... and yet special days

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Tuesdays are my busiest days. Well, or rather the less flexible ones. I teach so I have more schedules to follow, while usually, besides school and the dog, I am quite free to organise my days as I please. Today it is Tuesday and also my birthday, and well, I am still a bit like a girl on this and I feel like it is a special day, although rationally I know it isn't. And then the day goes on and indeed it is a mixture of both, a normal day and a special day, with normal stuff and life going on but also little things that make it different than any other Tuesday in a special way. And here a moment of normality: my husband hanging clothes a moment ago. My pile to fold is getting larger and larger, and yet here I am drawing him...

Day 25: our messy table

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This is our messy table at home, where all "unfinished" games and constructions land off until I lose my patience (which, for these kind of things is so unlimited ;) ). Luckily, the table is quite small! 

Day 17: sick child

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My youngest, sick today, and watching a film to try to forget stomach ache.
I thought it would be easier to draw him today, but even sick, he doesn't stop moving!!

Jus de Pomme

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This morning we were selling apple juice with the Crozet Ski Club, to gather money to finance the children's activities. The juice was made by some of the parents, with apples from the region, and it was really good! Kids sold, adults talked, and I sketched. 

Los colores de Jujuy
Jujuy's colours

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This week that I've been back to work and the children to school I've found some calm to draw for my pleasure again. I didn't have a clear idea of what to do, just let the pencil move in the paper. And then this came out. The beautiful and impossible colors of Jujuy. 
I hope I will be back again, to run in those mountains some more, and to draw them some more. Because one cannot ever get enough of them.

Back to reality

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Yesterday it was the first day of school, and today it has been the first drawing class of the school year. This has pushed me back to my real life, and yes, I am not on holidays anymore, not in Argentina anymore. I will keep explaining the trip and sharing the sketches, but I guess real life will interrupt me more often now! 

In this year classes I have few new children, the groups have been reshaped, and my little school has grown a bit more. It is a "contained growth", manageable and one which still allows me to do all the other things I like to do besides teaching. And as it turns out, I was ready for the first class: the studio clean, more organised, more space, activity ready. But already tonight I haven't slept well. I had a torticollis which tortured me during the whole night, because I was tense and nervous. Today as the time approached my stomach was hard as a stone... One would think these things pass with experience but apparently not in my case!

Despite all my nervousness and excitement, the class has been great, kids have been fantastic, we've had fun with a drawing game, and we're all ready for the coming classes. I am happy :) 

Then, as reality is hard, I've come back to driving my daughter around (yay!). This year however she has dropped some of the things she was doing so both her and I will be more relaxed (real yay!). Today, she has started with her new guitar class, and while I was waiting for her, outside the school, with the perfect temperature, I could only do one thing, sketch! 

This is a foldable bike at the door of the music school. I didn't ask them why they have it there because it gives the impression of just being decorative. A bike is always a nice subject to draw. And yes, reality is not that bad :) Keep bringing me days like this one please, it was perfect :)

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Already in Tilcara

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We passed the first day in Jujuy right there where we were staying, in Tilcara. The car stayed parked at the hostel, and we visited everything by foot, starting with the ancient village of El Pucará, and after that hiking to La Garganta del Diablo, a waterfall at about 5km from Tilcara.

The visit to the Pucará was impressive: the place, its situation and also the explanations by the native guide, who already from the first moment gave us a nice perspective about the place we were in. And yes, Jujuy is The Earth, and the Human connected to it, a profound bond that travels back in time to the most ancient civilizations. Jujuy is the earth, the dust, the mountains and its canyons open like if they were wounds. Jujuy is color contrast, nature and ancestral cultures. And still many things I could not finish to describe.

While children were playing among the reconstructed houses of the Pucará, I managed to sketch the view of the valley towards Humahuaca. Light wasn't yet at its most, but what a wonder anyway.

Then we got lost in the streets of that ancient town that in its best times was home to a thousand, enjoying the landscape, the stones, and the giant cactus (cardones). 

After the Pucará, we bought some tortillas with ham and cheese and started our hiking towards La Garganta del Diablo. Even in winter, there, in the north, right in the tropic, with the sun over our heads, weather was ideal for an excursion. In the way in I stopped at a crossing for a quick sketch, while everyone took a sip of water.

We finally got there, had lunch and spent a bit playing with the water. My husband and I ran to the natural waterfall together with a street dog that had accompanied us since Tilcara. He was black as our dog Ludo, and it almost felt like having him with us. In the way back to Tilcara I stayed a bit longer to sketch some little stands by the road, and ran part of the way back to catch up with the family. That day was great. 

En Route!!

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The road to Jujuy from Buenos Aires is long. In fact almost everyone looked as us as we were crazy because we were going by car. We were 10 in total, my family of 5, plus my sister's family of 4, plus their little dog Cambá. We rented a van for the trip, which worked wonderfully. The trip passed very well for everyone, despite the large distances.

It is a bit more than 1500 km from Buenos Aires to Tilcara, in Jujuy, which we did in two stages. The way-in route is marked in red in the map below. The first night we spent it in Fernandez in the province of Santiago del Estero, and then the day after we arrived in Tilcara, where we spent 5 nights.

To avoid the big cities beltways, at some point we deviated from the main Route 9 and took a smaller one. We weren't super lucky because the route was full of trucks. Really full. Like it must have been a ban for trucks some days before and they left all at the same time, together with us. Right after passing Rosario, in the province of Santa Fe, already the first trucks...

We arrived late in the night to our hotel, but happy.

The day after things were calmer, and we traveled much faster. In the afternoon we were already in the beautiful Jujuy, in Tilcara. Oh, that was a moment, really. During the trip we also passed interesting places. For example Güemes, where its multiple red lights allowed me to sketch its main road :) 

Already quite in the north, weather was also getting warmer, sunnier, and we felt welcome and happy for the days to come.

Empanadas y bizcochitos de grasa

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The afternoon before our trip to Jujuy is one of my best memories. A moment full of illusion and expectation for the adventure to come, everyone eager, our hearts full of plans and ready to live the experience we were about to share. Because for me and for my sister, traveling like this with our families, all together, was a dream that was finally coming true. And as reality is, it wasn't perfect, but it was perfect in its own :)

While packing, my sister prepared empanadas of meat and of cheese for our trip, and also "bizcochitos de grasa", an Argentinian speciality not as known as empanadas and alfajores but so so good as well. They are like salty cookies made with cow's grease instead of butter or oil. And, once you start eating one, well, you can't stop.

And there, in that moment, we shared a coffee, Djas cooked, I drew, and my son Bruno dreamed of the flavors those wonderful smells would bring to.

Family tour

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The first days in Buenos Aires before our trip to Jujuy in the north, we saw family and good family friends. And yes, this is what Argentina is for me and now for my own family: our family country and a deep connection with our origins. The visiting was so intense that at some point my children would wake up and ask: "whose house are we going today, mum?" 

The first of our visits was to my cousin Anna's house. She has my age, and two boys close in age to mine, so it was great. My cousin is just fantastic. She's always engaged and generous and I love her so much. She's changed house since the last time I'd seen her, the new house is an old charming one, and it was such a delight drawing it while we ate pizza and the kids played around. Besides Anna and her family, we saw my aunt Marta and my cousin Caco, Caco always so funny, Marta so attentive and gentle. She will be reading this, I know, así que tía Marta, te mando un abrazo muy grande, espero volver pronto a veros. That evening I also met my cousin Maria and her two beautiful daughters. A truly special occasion for us. Thank you Anna, for organising all this.

The day after we went to see my godmother and my mother's best friend, Ana (yes, there are many important Anas and Annas in my life!!). Even though we ate a lot, there was a lot of food left. And yes, this is the same everywhere: when people invites you to their house they offer you the best, and you always eat like you were not to eat in a week! But Ana and Carlos were beating all records here :) This is the view of the living room from the dining table, of course :D

The following day we visited my other sister in Argentina, Laura, and my nephew Juani. Juani is just one year older than my middle one and they played greatly along. It was a pleasure see them together, as it was to see my sister again. Because Argentina is so far away from Europe and I don't get to see my sisters as often as I would like to. I got to see Laura a bit more after that day, and to spend some time with her alone. And now writing this is difficult because I miss her so much.

After these visits I still saw my aunt Maria Inés who I hadn't yet met. There is no sketch of that one because we were in a bar and well, we were too busy talking. It was impressive to look at her eyes and see how much she resembled to my mother. And now, well, when I hear my mum's voice I hear hers as well because they are so so similar. I am so happy to have finally met her in this occasion, and happy that the sketch will come next time. She will be reading this as well so, tía María Inés, te mando un abrazo fuerte y espero verte pronto otra vez.

And well, this is mostly it before Jujuy. Only preparations are left. But preparations are part of the trip, so this will come some other day :)

At my sister's home

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As my head started to become in order after our trip, we spent the week putting order in our house as well. For those actually knowing my home, they'll know how big endeavour this is!! I can try to describe the mess of a family of 5 with a dog, where obviously the dog is the least messy of all, but I would fail to do it. I have drawn it several times, but drawings are always generous, and the mess takes a somehow charming personality which is not what you end up feeling when you live in the middle of it! 

Today it was the turn of the kitchen, and as we were cleaning it, we were listening to the Argentinian folklore we had in our van while driving through Jujuy. And all these emotions came back, specially when this song, Para los ojos más bellos, by Los Manseros Santiagueños, started playing. Then I thought, well, it is time for an entry today.

All these days in Argentina we were with my sister Djas and her family. Either in Buenos Aires at their home, or with them through our trip to the North of Argentina. The first day, we had a coffee and started to look in the map the route we'd follow to Jujuy. With a warm coffee, nice conversation, and lots of illusion to share these moments the two families together.

While we talked I drew. And these are the two doors of my sister's house. Sure there are many more doors. But these are THE doors, and they are beautiful.

Another moment, another special spot at my sister Djas house, the interior window between the kitchen and the dinning room, with all the ceramics by my sister.

Open doors, open windows, and open arms. This is what we always find when we go back to our family in Argentina.

Argentina

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It is already a week since we came back from our family holiday to Argentina, and it is now when I find everything I need to post the first entry. Because it is not only time that I need, but also to put in order my head, and to find some calm. Going back to Argentina is not like going to anywhere else in the world, but it is going back to my origins, to understand many things, to confront many others, to see the family, and, in this occasion, also to travel around the country.

I have many drawings from this three week trip. I don't think I will share all of them, I also do not have a specific plan to share them. So I will just post what I feel like when I feel like, and see what it comes out of it. But anyway, today, I will start from the beginning.


The trip

We flew to Buenos Aires from Geneva via Frankfurt, two planes, and in the end making a 24 hour trip from our house door in Crozet, to my sister's Djas home, in Buenos Aires. Because the secret to draw in a trip is to start drawing right away, I did a few drawings already at the airport.

View from the Airport Gate in Geneva.
Everyone is so excited, and I wonder where my husband is.

As always at stations, trains, or I should say everywhere, people at the gate were taken away by their phones, and not at all aware that I was drawing them!

In the first flight I took a seat in the corridor, so I could draw some more. I've done this kind of sketch before, and I always like it. My children behaved wonderfully and I could draw with no interruption.

It took another flight to get to Buenos Aires. Then a huge line in immigration, and then some traffic from the airport to the city. But finally we made it to my sister's house. But that was another day, and so it will be another day here :)