IN THE ESTANCIA KITHCEN WITH JOSE GONZALES learning more about THE TREASURE

After we agreed to spend the next day together with Jose, 

we were reluctant to leave the kitchen. We were curious about the evening dinner Jose would prepare..We asked if we could watch and hand him..like uh..stuff. He seemed glad for the company. This is a special stew:


er.


The ingredients were on the counter: dried apricots, sweet potatoes, onion, garlic, squash, tomatoes, corn and chunks of beef. Because the beef is so tender the cooking time is only an hour...and then it sits till supper for the ingredients to mesh. It smelled heavenly.

Jose reached into a drawer in the kichen and pulled out a postcard.   On one side was Pepe Gonzales, his address,etc. and the other side was totally blank.  Mario was the ONLY ONE who called him Pepe. All his mail always went to Jose Gonzales. Jose told us only a little about the dirty war; he said he will tell us more tomorrow.  He believed Mario sent that card to let Jose know he was alive.

We went to bed early...tired and anxious about tomorrow.
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When morning came,  Jose invited us to his small room to show us a framed 8X10  picture of Mario. It was the only picture hanging in his room.

 "Mario gave this to me. Only one copy." he said proudly.  

We were amazed  seeing him standing on the horse like that...so handsome, so brave.

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The tourists left early for an all day outing and Juan and his wife left on errands.

Jose, Carmine, Beanie and I walked for awhile enjoying the landscape and talking and getting acquainted.  
We mostly enjoyed the porch.In every direction you can litis gorgeous!v
   Carmine told Pepe what Mario was like when we were all nineteen and good friends. She said that although her late husband was the love of her life, she had begun to feel so old lately. She remembered the young sweetheart of her youth and felt she should find him, and if he was still alive have a little visit or even just a cup of coffee..and slip back into her youth a little while. "Annie and Beanie don't understand. But they have been steadfast in helping me search for this treasure."

"I guess that sounds silly to you, Pepe."

"Of course not, Senora Carmine. I understand completely," Jose said kindly.

"Tell us more about the last time you saw Mario," I said.

He responded, "I'm almost sorry you asked. It was a nightmare. Argentina was a scary place during some of the 70s and 80s. The government and militia brutally arrested anyone they wanted to. One day police came to our estancia and arrested two of Mario's friends and were trying to take them away, when Mario tried to fight them off unsuccessfully. I saw this with my own eyes and was there a week later when they came for Mario and took him away blindfolded. I never saw or heard from my idol again...unless that postcard really was from Mario."

Trying to change the subject to something less heartbreaking I asked Jose to tell us about Mario's happy life on the estancia. 

Relieved to move to something lighter Jose said, "Everyone loved and admired him... SO handsome, so friendly. He could rope cattle, ride horseback, do any ranch hand work needed better than anyone else."

We wondered why he never came back to the states.

 "His parents in Buenos Aires were in bad health and needed him near. After they died, he once said he would like to visit the states again, but he had heard his sweetheart there had gotten married.(carmine looked down)..and also, LAS PAMPAS and the gaucho life get in your blood. I had also wanted to be a gaucho, but didn't have the physical stamina.. But this land is in my blood just as it was with Mario."

 At lunch time we persuaded him to have leftover stew for the four of us. It was even better than the night before.The only thing added was a green crisp salad.


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Everyone returned in time for dinner. Afterwards we pitched in with the dishes; then we all ate homemade (Pepemade) cookies. 

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We asked Juan if we could use his computer a little while. "Of course," he answered. 

 We know so little about Argentine  history in general and nothing about the "dirty war" Pepe had told us about.

             DURING a dictatorship, thousands of people
      like Mario disappeared. 

      There were 300 places where people were 

      detained...and 

           ROSARIO was one of them!!!



ROSARIO WAS ONE OF THOSE PLACES!!  Was that post
card a hint as  Jose supposed?
So last night we were wondering if we should go to Rosario. How would we get there? Where would we look when we did get there?

When we KNOW more, we'll tell YOU more. 
IT IS FRIDAY...AND A NEW DAY...

Love, Carmine, Beanie, annie, and Pepe too!!

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