Nice Little Vacation

At the end of March, the Sowers family had a little adventure–the good kind of adventure, not the kidnappy kind. Boo was able to visit Honduras for about ten days, so Allen and Trish took full advantage of having four of their children and six grandchildren present (including Boo’s bun in the oven). The family took a four-day trip to a place Allen described as “a farm meets a wooded camping area meets a lake.” It was a great place to take a break after the busy team season and everything else that’s going on.

When the family arrived at the camp ground, the first thing they saw was a fountain made especially for water buffaloes to enjoy. Also, water buffaloes in the water fountain. Allen is pretty sure that there aren’t a lot of water buffaloes sitting in the middle of fountains in the States. The man who runs the site has a love of old cars and tractors and has decorated them by using the rusted out shells as planters for flowers.

The adults got to relax a bit while watching the grandchildren spend a lot of time swimming in weather that was slightly cooler than ideal swimming conditions. (Considering this is the hot/dry season in Honduras, the family agreed this was a very nice alternative.) The family also enjoyed pony rides (presumably just the grandchildren), kayaking, and a trolley ride. Oh, and there was a rodeo. (For the sake of authenticity, please read rodeo with the Spanish pronunciation, rroh-deh-oh!)

The cabins where they stayed were nice, although maybe not up to US standards concerning the level of repair - only one cabin had hot water, while the rest had tepid (missionaries don't complain about tepid water, though). Aunt Boo had packed a lot of craft supplies and the kids spent time painting and assembling wooden projects. RJ made a boat, Nathan made a car, and Abby made an adorable little pink-roofed house. The babies were held almost constantly and got passed around from one adult to another.

And there were donkeys and ponies to pet! Lots and lots of them! The donkeys had free reign of the place and were allowed to roam freely, even around the pool area. The animals were all well behaved and there was no fear of them biting a child. There were also massive horses for the rodeo. (Spanish accent, please!) The dressage horses performed their fancy footwork for the guests' entertainment. There were only about 100 people at the rodeo, so each attendee was able to pet the horses through the fence after they finished prancing. (That is to say, after the horses finished prancing. Attendees were not required to prance.)

The family also went to a zoo and saw big cats (including two white tigers), ostriches, foxes, a giraffe, hippos, and more monkeys than you could shake a banana at. There were also lots of tropical birds, including peacocks, macaws, and parrots. The grandchildren each got $1.50 worth of lettuce, carrots, and corn to feed to the lettuce, carrot, and corn-eating animals. It was the best trip the family had ever had to the zoo. Even though it’s officially the hot/dry season, the weather was cool and overcast. It even sprinkled just a bit - Brandy and Rachel had taken their boys to this zoo before, and noted that it has been melt-your-socks-off hot other times, but very pleasant this time.

Allen did sneak in a trip to the Bible Bookstore, since it was nearby. He picked up a truckload of Bibles from the Mennonite-run store. Aside from that relatively quick errand, the rest of Thursday-Sunday was spent making family memories. 

It was a fun and relaxing getaway–something that was well-deserved and very much enjoyed!!

- posted by Christi