Cuenca Updates: Tuesday April 17, 2012

Tuesday Apr 17/12 update

I was up early to get laundry going and to complete the artwork along the stairwells and put up the hummingbird feeder which Jorge did deliver last night. Bella had suggested more of my “Cuenca Kids” photos around the gaming/cards area and I had picked up 4 more frames last night. However I figured on finishing the whole stairwell so I took a walk to Coral to get 3 more frames. some rope, wire, screws and anchors.

Bella caught the bus to the Book/Movie Exchange and she says this driver was just plain nuts, skipping 3 stops with people waving and driving like a man possessed. She wasn’t sure he was going to stop at Parque De La Madre but luckily he did. Apparently none of the others on the bus seemed concerned.

When I crossed the river I noted the river was quite low, exposing a lot of the rocks on the riverbed. It is easy to see why it is called the River Of Rocks during a drought. My “measuring rock” on our side of the bridge is showing about 18” below its left shoulder. This is about the lowest it has been since our arrival, as opposed to when it is buried when we have received continuous rainfall.

Coral only sells cheap anchors that break and spin in the holes so I stopped at the Ferreteria 3 blocks away and they had the right ones that always seem to work (and they did).

I managed to get all the walls marked, drilled, anchored, and then all the pictures printed, cut, framed and installed by the time Bella got home about 12:15. She is thinking she would like to see them straight but these particular frames just want to hang crooked as the balance is incorrect. I will need to leave them for now and worry about that as a possible project for another day. The angle is starting to grow on me….

Then I had to duct tape a broom handle to an expanding closet rod to a clothes hanger. This was to put a loop of rope over the wires outside the terrace and bedroom windows, then to grab the loop and bring it back. I drilled a hole in the terrace’s aluminum support to take an eye-hook to hold the rope. I had filled the feeder with 1/3 cane sugar as instructed and made hookups to the loop on the rope. Sonuvagun, it worked. Now it can be retrieved twice a week for cleaning. I hope it attracts the hummers because it takes a fair amount of sugar to make the nectar of the gods.

The instructions are to put this about 5-6 feet off the ground in the shade, but that would put it in harm’s way and out of camera range, so I thought I would try my original idea anyway. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. The instructions also say to put big red bows or flowers to attract the hummers to the area, so I used the good Ol’ Duct Tape again to secure a big pink silk flower near the feeder. Now we just have to sit and wait. I can hear the chirp, chirp, chirp of the hummers so I know they are around… I hope to catch some good videos of these beauties, as well as catch the odd shot which is much more difficult.

Bella has a bridge group coming tomorrow and they are staying for supper, and the cleaning lady is showing up as well. We never did hear from the neighbor who promised to repay the $20 Monday night and decided not to press the issue. It is hoped she will show up later, on Ecuador time. If not, it is the age-old lesson learned.

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