Might as well blog!

This canyon is a very popular tourist destination in the region. A rough dirt road just beyond Sainapuchi accesses the picnic area. They call it Maize which means corn. I think it's due to the strange rock formations that sort of look like corn cobs turned on end.

Here's Juan with his Uncle Roberto, Josua and cousin Baraquel. This was just before the rain started! We had to take cover a few times, but the weather eventually cleared.

Great barbecue! Lots of Juan's cousins and their spouses and kids came from Sainapuchi and there was, of course, lots of good food.

The next morning Josua helped get the sheep out to pasture for the day. Baraquel and his wife live just beyond Roberto's barn.

Here's Baraquel milking the cow. He recalls many years ago Juan's mom would come out with her coffee cup so she could have fresh milk in her coffee!

Juan looks like a natural!

I even got a chance to ride a little!

The Jacobo and Marin family including Juan's parents donated funds and property for this small rural school in Ortiz. The inset shows one of the two classrooms. They still use it for preschool, although I think the older children in the area go to a different school now.

Here's the plaque on the side of the school. It was established in 1960 so Juan was too young to ever attend. Luz and Arturo probably went there for a couple years. Juan's parents left for the US just a few years later.
Juan's father was born in Clifton, Az., and Arizona was to be their new home. His uncle Nicholas Cazares, Great Aunt Tina J. Hernandez and other family members played a major role in his father's decision to bring the family to Arizona. This was after a major land deal ended in failure in Ascencion, Chihuahua.

Juan's uncle has a beautiful horse named Tornado.

Saying goodbye to Juan's uncles was difficult because you never know when it might be the last time.

Baraquel and Rosario and their little daughter were very fun to be around.

We headed back to Anahuac to spend the night with Pavi again and to return her son, Josua! Pavi runs a home business photographing weddings and events and producing DVDs for her customers.

Here's me with the sisters, Tencha and Pavi.

Cousin Tencha and her husband Juan didn't want to say goodbye!

We were escorted to the Chihuahua airport by Pavi and her husband Juan the next morning and we flew back to Juarez. To our surprise, Jim, Irene and Nellie had come down to meet us at the airport. The drive back across the border took a long time but we had good company and filled them in on our trip.

After a wonderful dinner at Landry's in El Paso, we drove the 4 hours back to Tucson. Glad to be home, but it was a wonderful trip!