Candido and family
Trip Start
Mar 21, 2007
1
80
92
Trip End
Mar 2008
Brasilia, Brazil
Friday, October 19, 2007
So, Peter, Carly, Molly and I arrived in Brasilia and waiting for us was Candido, his wife Patricia, his son Alfredo, his daughter Marianna and my mom ,"Granny Barbara", who had arrived a few hours before us. My mom and I have not seen Candido in 32 years! It was so incredible to be together again and to meet his warm and wonderful family. We made it back to their house and settled in to their home when Candido called for all of us to meet downstairs in the living room. We went down and he had a couple of bottles of champaigne waiting on ice. He was so animated and excited as he gave a heartfelt toast to us all finally being together. Unfortunately, Rob and Kendra were missed. But I felt my dad was there in spirit. He would've been very proud of Candido and so happy to meet his family too. We had a few gift exchanges from Rob in Maui, Hawaii and others from Kendra in Southern California. The last gift was the funniest~ a "special" bathing suit that Candido left with our friend Ron Sterkle 32 years ago. Imagine a 1920's style, over the shoulders, with large, bright gold and marroon stripes!!! Well, Ron kept this hysterical one piece all these years and it only seemed right to send it back for Marianna and Alfredo to see what a "wild and crazy guy" their dad was even back in 1975. We all laughed and Candido was quite amazed that this bathing suit had eventually made the return trip to Brazil.
Our time with Candido, Patricia, Alfredo and Marianna was so incredible. Our 3 daughters became fast friends/ "cousins". They have made plans to get together again and have enjoyed visiting on MSN since leaving Brasilia. Marianna is so full of life and made Carly and Molly feel so welcome. She was instrumental in helping Carly make the decision to get her ears pierced. Alfredo met us many times for dinners and/ or drinks at local hot spots. A busy young man getting ready for law school next year. I know we will hear great things about his future endeavors. Patricia, Candido's wife, is the warmest, most kind person. She made us feel so relaxed and easy, as we laughed during meals, lounged around the pool or in the hammock in the backyard, or driving all of us around on various errands. Patricia is the quiet, solid centre of the family. I had a very difficult time saying goodbye to her at the end of our week. Candido has done very well for himself, the most important being his terrific family. But I cannot forget the two funniest characters in the family, Iky and Toby, the family dogs. During the day Toby the smaller dog is clearly the alpha, top dog! But as soon as the sun sets, Toby's life is in danger!!! Iky, a German Shepard (Iky), shifts into guarddog mode and wants no help from the day chief! Iky is fine with us when we arrive home after dark, but Toby must be in the house before sunset. From inside the house, Toby's attitude changes and you can imagine his barking as bragging, "HA! I'm inside and you're not because they LOVE ME! And I sleep in a BED!! Ha- Ha!" They were two fun dogs, for sure!
Our time in Brasilia, with Candido and family, were filled wtih day trips and errands, such as mailing a box home, getting a backpack fixed, banking, manicure :). We were able to view Brasilia from many different vantage points. One afternoon we went for a great boatride in the man-made lake that surrounds downtown. It culminated in a beautiful sunset. We also saw Brasilia from the TV Tower. The hardest part for me being the l-o-n-g elevator ride up. It was worth the view, as we could see the entire city. Candido and Paticia drove us around to many interesting places: the Cathedral Metropolitana, Palacio do Congresso, Palacio da Justica and Palacio do Itamaraty. These buildings are situated in the cockpit part of the plane, as Brasilia is laid out like an airplane, with the most important government buildings in the cockpit. It's worth a look on Google Earth to see Brasilia from above, looking down to see this unique design.
While in Brasilia, we were invited to a very special ceremony at Brasil's Supreme Court, where Candido presented his grandfather's very rare law books to the Supreme Court's Library. It was a very nice presentation (although we understood zilch as it was all Portuguese, of course!). The TV News crew was there and it was fun to see Candido being interviewed for the evening news. Our dilemma was trying to find something to wear to this ceremony. "Granny" was able to lend a few items, Peter borrowed from Candido, Marianna helped to fix us up a bit. We felt a bit like the poor, bumkin relatives from the north, visiting our classy, stylish family in the south, but we all had fun and laughed about it. It was a cool thing to experience and something quite special for Candido.
Our week in Brasilia went by way too quickly. We look forward to our next get-together with the Lobo family. Hopefully in our home in Manotick. I am already planning on places to take them and things we will do together. That will be another great time! Can't wait! Dori
