I Made Piñatas

This year I helped Tony with his piñata for Day of the Dead for his Spanish class.  I hadn't made a piñata for some time.  We sort of cheated by putting papier-mâché over cardboard.  It worked, and we did not need as much paste and paper as when you papier-mâché over a balloon as the idea is you pop the balloon and then your creation has to stand on its own.  

My first piñata was in Spanish class.  It did not coincide with Day of the Dead as we made cakes that day.  I made a big bumble bee.  It was yellow and black.  I put each twisted piece of crepe paper on one at a time.  I twisted the crepe paper on the end of a pencil, dipped it in glue, and then stuck it onto the piñata.  It took forever to decorate.  But in the end I won a ribbon.  The art teacher at Sky View judged them.  There were lots of piñatas hanging in the Spanish class for a time.  It was pretty neat.  I wish I had a picture.

I made more piñatas other years in class, but none as elaborately decorated.  I went with Tony the tiger one year.  I also use to make piñatas for family Christmas parties.   A couple years I made two; for Sheri's family and for the Wardle Christmas party.  Of course these were not so elaborate.  Then it seems you could buy a piñata at Food for Less cheaper than i could make it; so I stopped making them.  

1985 Hyrum

1985 Ballard

1984 Bluebell, similar piñata in Hyrum

 

Mexico with Señor Oswald: Mexico City and Teotihuacán

From Guadalajara to Mexico City the road started rather steep as we climbed out of the mountains surrounding Guadalajara and headed to Mexico City.  On of the first activities in Mexico City was to attend a bull fight.  Doug (Tigre) Barker was very impressed with the bull fight as a bull at one point got of the inner ring and someone was gored in the process of getting the bull back into the ring.

The last day in Mexico we visited Teotihuacán, ancient Aztecan ruins.  Here they have the Pyramid of the Sun and the Moon.  I climbed to the top of the Moon, and have always regretted not going up the Pyramid of the Sun, which was taller.  I did take a picture of the Sun from the top of the Moon.

The last legs of our trip was a train rid from Mexico City to the border.  We slept on this train, and it had a dining car.  After arriving at El Paso, we took a bus from there home.  The entire visit was two weeks.

Skyview Teachers and Adminstration 1975

This short presents Skyview's coaches and teachers.  There were many good teachers at Skyview.  My favorite was Señor Oswald.  He had the task of teaching us Spanish.  I took Spanish all three years at school.  We use to give Senor Oswald a hard time, coming into class saying, "Vamos a tener fiesta hoy."  We would do that every day, until finally Senor Oswald got upset with us.   However he was a patient man.  He had to be to put up with us.  I think the people I knew the best at Skyview were those in Spanish class with me.  We were together three years, and Senor  Oswald had special names for us.  Mostly our names pronounced in Spanish, but not always.  Some of us were Tigre Barker, Jose Carreido, Claudia Houston, Patricia Apelskog and Gregorio Johnson.  My first couple years I was also involved in Spanish club.  We were able to practice dance, and even put on a couple programs.  We went to North Cache on one occassion.  I loved the Mexican Hat Dance.