Cuenca Updates: Thursday-Friday February 16-17

Thursday Feb 16/12 update

I pulled out of Facebook last night for the third and hopefully last time. I cannot stand the inanity of it all and the opportunity it presents for identity thieves. I only went on the site again last year to display some of my photo work but that has been no help. Goodbye and good riddance Facebook.

We are still having great issues with our internet dropping at most inopportune times, like when we are uploading pictures, or Skyping with family and friends. I have again asked Michael to call Etapa and he is wanting to renege on our agreement to see these things through and I am not too happy with him over this. He is the one who recommended Etapa in the first place.

I tried today briefly to find some wood to complete two remaining projects, put a shelf on the terrace wall fore the boys to sit on, and to cover the piping in the dining room. I am uncertain if Jorge is still going to come through on the latter so I just tried to check out options, but without success.

Bella spent most of the day preparing to receive Jim & Cindy Wilkins for supper and to play cards. They will be returning to their Atlanta suburb soon but hope to be coming back to live here in September.

We enjoyed a pleasant evening playing rummy sticks. Bella cooked pork ribs from SuperMaxi but they weren’t a patch on the ones we had got at Coopera for 1/3 the price earlier. Dessert was a homemade apple pie, topped with soft ice cream from the corner ice cream shop.

That was today’s excitement. Hugs to all.

Friday Feb 17/12 update

My day got trumped by Bella’s bridge game. She had forgotten that she had booked the cleaning ladies for the same afternoon so I had to stay home for them. But since they weren’t supposed to arrive until 2, I jumped on my bike for the first time in a month and rode east along the river. The road and river path on our side of the river stops not far past our hospital so I doubled back and went on the path on the other side.

That side has lots of new construction and some very pretty views so I got some good shots. Now that path runs not far past the Hospital Del Rio which seems a lot closer than going along the Autopista.

On the ride back I continued past our bridge and went to just below our old neighborhood. I spotted this untethered pair of sheep acting as lawnmowers. Then I spotted some kids getting an early start on Carnival by soaking each other at the river’s edge. I took a video to be seen at http://youtu.be/AGXX41BPLZM .

I then took a video of the mighty Rio Tomebamba to give you an idea of the power of it. A person would be suicidal to try to raft this river as it is actually shallow and full of very large boulders. A few years back there were drought conditions and they called it the River Of Rocks. I am very careful not to accidentally fall in there. I could probably get by in normal rapids but these rocks would beat a person to a pulp in no time flat. See this at http://youtu.be/x-zzP692yMw .

Then I spotted a young fellow throwing a seine at the river’s edge trying to catch some fish. I had actually seen him much earlier in my journey but had lost him in the bushes below me. This video can be seen at http://youtu.be/98GYbTdPFKA .

While the cleaning ladies did their thing I watched a little sports, beach soccer of all things, and suddenly a blue box appeared saying “this is a clone box”, and then nothing would work. I shut off the power bar to restart everything and now there is absolutely nothing coming up on the satellite receiver. Another problem to remedy, it appears. I have a call into Jorge, the satellite man.

Maybe we will do something with Jim & Cindy to participate in Carnival tomorrow?

That was today’s excitement. Enjoy the pics. Hugs to all.