Stumbling Onto A Movie Set

While Haley and I were stretching out legs on a much needed break from the bicycle built for two, we saw a crowd of people gathering by the Venice Skate Park and decided to check it out. If you are acquainted with my family, you know that my sister has a knack for running into the rich and famous anytime she lands in NY or LA. On this particular occasion, the subject of all the commotion turned out to be Bruce Willis and crew, shooting his new police-chase thriller, Going Under. While we didn't get to actually hear the dialogue, we did get to jump into one scene and cheer on a juggling clown. Check out some shots from behind the scenes:

Venice Beach | California

Hi everyone, the blog is back! As I wrote about last year, I'll be moving everything over to thetravelingteacher.com. I had hoped to start posting again, from my new location, but it's been slower going than I anticipated. So, in the meantime, I'll catch up on some summer posts!
 My summer back in the States flew by, as usual. It was a wonderful time, filled with visits from friends both near and far. Despite the added task of planning a wedding in six weeks (more on that later), I managed to get away for a couple of weekends with my family.

Our first destination was our home away from home, Venice Beach. Over the years, we've seen it grow and change, but many of the people stay the same (i.e. the artist above). This particular weekend was the 4th of July, which meant an extra helping of street performers, free spirits, and...Bruce Willis. Nothing beats a morning of people watching and a breakfast burrito from the Candle Cafe, which you subsequently have to work off with a nice long ride down the beach from Sea Mist Bike Rentals. Haley and I tried out a bicycle built for two but in case you're thinking about getting one for yourself, it is a lot harder than it looks, particularly on a holiday weekend with clueless tourists walking all over the bike path.

Monte Siao | Brazil

As the weeks ticked down until the end of school, and my travel date, I got more and more restless in the city. So, we packed up the little red fox and headed to Monte Siao, a small town across the border in the state of Minas. They are known for their knit sweaters and hand-crafted pottery. We enjoyed the vibrant blue skies while wandering around town. Best of all, we finally got some real dishes for Felipe's house!

Punta Del Este | Uruguay

We drove to Punta Del Este without a plan and were greeted with deep blue skies, intriguing architecture, and empty beaches! If you have the time, there are a number of quaint coastal towns worth stopping at between Montevideo and Punta Del Este. We roughly followed this guide to a Uruguayan road trip and weren't disappointed. Even though many of the restaurants and shops were closed due to the winter season, we still enjoyed a leisurely day at the beach.

On a side note, did you know it´s illegal in the country of Uruguay for a restaurant to provide salt on the table except for at the patron's request? It was passed as a health initiave from the new president because supposedly, when you see the salt, you´re more likely to use it. We still asked for it at every meal.

Colonia del Sacramento | Uruguay

Earlier in the semester, my mom called to tell me that she was going on a mission trip with Amazon Outreach. As we were talking, I put together the pieces and figured out that her trip was on the tail end of a long weekend here in Brazil which meant that we were able to coordinate a long weekend getaway to Brazil´s much smaller neighbor to the south, Uruguay!

We based ourselves in Montevideo and rented a car to roadtrip most of the length of the country. Our first day was spent in a small historical town called Colonia. While there wasn´t exactly a lot to do I very much enjoyed two things about the day: driving in zero traffic on an open highway and meandering the cobble stoned streets around old town. As a weekend escape from São Paulo, it was the perfect place!

School | Fish Prints

Recently in art, my kids were studying the art of gyotaku, or fish painting, which originated in Japan. Originally a way for fishermen to record the measurements of their catches, it is now a treasured art form. In simple terms, paint is applied directly to fish scales and then placed on rice paper to record fine details. My students replicated this in art class by creating underwater scenes and then copying their fish into it. I was invited along to document the process!