Estancia Don Silvano

"Tourist Ranch, Don Silvano...rides on horseback, carriages and tractor, Creole Lunch  with an international show, Riding skills and lodgings" 

So last Friday, the 6 of December the Senior Missionaries went off to a Dude Ranch.  In Argentina it is called an Estancia.  We went to Don Silvano out La Plata direction from the city of Buenos Aires, but still in the province.  I was among the lost 5.  We sort of took the wrong exit and headed for Lujan which is more west when we wanted to go northwest.  But our valiant driver, Elder Knapp and navigator, Elder 

Flinders, plus a few backseat drivers, Sister Knapp, Sister Flinders and me, well, together we found a northbound road to connect to the road we needed and we were only about an hour behind the rest of them!

First item was a horseback ride

Doug and Janet Knapp

There was a great walk-up mounting platform.  Except I am used to getting on a horse from the left side, not the right! I think that is Dr. Flinders, but I might be wrong.

One of the workers and I think he was our waiter later.

Lots of horses and some new foals

Heading out on our ride.  

My horse was just barely alive.  We used to own horses and I do know how to ride.  

The rest got a tad bit ahead of me.

They finally put a staff member on a younger horse behind me to hurry my ride along.  No matter what I did this horse only had two ideas, "Go slow and try to get really close to the fences and thistles and maybe this old lady will get off!"

The mama llama and her hungry baby on the left and another llama resting in the shade on the right.

We had a mid-morning merienda(snack) and they had these places where you could stick your head through and have somebody take a photo.

One of the tractors around the place.  Those wheels aren't rubber, they are metal.  Would probably work on ice if they had any slick places and if it ever snowed or sleeted.

John and Janice Switzer going across the cable bridge on the way to the zip line slide.

Joan Boyle's turn

Michael and Tonya Ford

un burrito

One of the foals

Saying hola.

got an itch!

A small carriage near the hay

Dan and Vickie Smith on left and Necia and Lyle Burrup on the right

From the drivers point of view.

A French couple I met who were traveling with a Jewish group, half from France half from Israel.

Lynn Flinders

Vickie and Dan Smith having a try at Pétanque.  In France I heard it called boules or pétanque.

Karen Casós heading towards the zipline

Karen on the Zipline

Here are a bunch of shots I took of the home, now converted into a bed and board.

kitchen

Fireplace in the kitchen.  What a pan collection!

Probably originally the living room this is now a dining area

We were asked not to go upstairs.  I assume that is where the rooms for guests are.

A portrait of Don Silvano sits above the fireplace in this dining area.

With the help of a mirror I got a photo of myself.  I am right handed and my nametag is on my left so this is a mirror image. And I finally found a hat at the gift shop that was big enough for my big head!

Great coffee table made from bellows and the thing on the table looks like a coffee grinder.

This was the one downstairs guest room that I stepped into long enough to snap a photo.

Under the staircase, a trunk like my grandpa's and two stools made from tractor seats.

Lamp from a water pump

Inside the little store, lots of antiques

One of the parilla buildings.  Before air conditioning this was the way to cook meat so as not to heat up the kitchen in summer there were separate buildings.

Our almuerzo criollo was in a huge room.  There must have been a couple hundred people there.

Karen Cas[os, John Switzer, Janice Switzer, David Flinders? at the end then on left Lynn Flinders, Joan Boyle and Garry Boyle

LaDee and Noel Raymond near the window.  Tonya and Michael Ford facing them and Irval Mortensen taking the photo.

There were people from France, Colombia, Venezuela, Luxembourg, USA, Israel and other places.  They sang a song for each group.  For us they sang "When the Saints Come Marching In" How appropriate!

Our entertainment included music, songs and dancers.

Sandra was in charge of the different programs.  Found out later that she is from Holland

The music and dance was from region to region of Argentina starting in the south

Gave up trying to get a still shot of the dancers and went to video.  Loved the costumes, especially the gaucho

The crowds really got involved.

Platter after platter, first sausages, then chicken, then beef all from the parilla (grill)

More songs and dancing

Everyone got involved!

The Smiths having a twirl

The Boyles 

And of course, the Tango!

The Burrups learning to Tango

Flan with a dollop of Dulce de Leche (More popular than chocolate down here)

Boleador- Gaucho dance done to a drum using two bolos, or weighted ropess

more rooms, this was originally the bunkhouse

armadillo.  They use the shell of the armadillo to make a type of fretted lute called a charango.  Looks sort of like a small guitar from the front but with more strings.

Another exterior building.  This one looks like a place to bake with the horno in the back

These were dwarf cattle.  Couldn't get them to stand up!

Flamingos

Peahen

Peacock

Peacock in all his splendor...probably trying to impress that peahen!

Sandra introducing each event in the Gaucho competition

And now the Gauchos showed off their horsemanship!

On the bottom: David Flinders, middle row: Garry Boyle and Janice Switzer, top row far to near: Dan Smith, LaDee Raymond, Irval Mortensen , Joann Mortensen, Joan Boyle, ?, John Switzer, Doug Knapp,  Tonya and Michael Ford

This series of shots showed how the gauchos gently "break" their horses, gaining their trust and gentling them.

A gaucho has to have a fresh horse daily, so as he heads out he takes a lead mare (palamino with bell on her neck) and six other horses that are trained to stay with the lead mare and follow her wherever she goes.

You can see the bell on this shot.

The gauchos would race with lances to try and speak the ring.

These rings were large, a fist width in size.  The originals were wedding rings.

Same race using the smaller rings and just a palo or stick.

the ring...and a local bird.

Pampas Grass

I love windmills!

Front row: Karen Casós, Janet Knapp, Alexis Mayo, Joann Mortensen, Lynn Flinders, Necie Burrup, Janice Switzer    Back row: Garry and Joan Boyle, LaDee and Noel Raymond, Doug Knapp, Michael and Tonya Ford, Irval Mortensen, Vickie and Dan Smith, David Flinder, Lyle Burrup, John Switzer

And so we bid a fond adios to the Estancia Don Silvano.