Thursday August 2, 2012

Thursday August 2/12 update

We went to Joe’s Secret Garden for supper last night, where I am working for my supper by taking their photos for them.   The menu included Piri-Piri Chicken which everyone was enjoying immensely.  We met with Chris and Bettye and had a very enjoyable evening.  Maybe it was the rum punch I had, but I am certain I heard Bettye offer to feed me 6 days a week while Bella is away.  Oh and I think Chris was going to look after the cats too.  I’ll have it “made in the shade”.  After the meal, Bella was treated to Joe on the piano, with the entire crowd joining in to sing a belated Happy Birthday.   Joe had to tack on a little of “The Old Grey Mare Ain’t What She Used To Be” on the end.

And what a glorious sunny day we have today, made for walking….

Today Bella is off to the weaving store to knit and crochet for charity, and then she is back at Joe’s to play bridge.  All the people in Cuenca are sure going to miss Bella’s presence here as she has already made so many contributions to their well-being.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to grandson TYSON, who is 10 today!  We wish you many more, young man!

I went off this morning east of here, and passed this huge construction project beyong the townhouses behind our nearest Hospital IESS.  It appears to be 3 huge apartment complexes going up so that means a lot more people to tax our bus service.   I was headed to the Hospital Del Rio, to visit one of my Spanish class compatriots, Ray Holt, who had his 4^th hernia operation yesterday.  The doctor was just checking on him again when I arrived and Ray looked, and felt, fantastic.   Ray joked that maybe the pain medication was doing such a great job but he seemed totally normal to me.   He raved about the medical and dental service he has received in this country, everything absolutely first rate, including this new hospital he was in.   He was very interested to hear about the Assisted-Living place I had visited yesterday so he will review my blog when he gets out.

Following that I headed to El Centro to retrieve our gift for Gabriela Beltran’s graduation from medical school.  They were in the process of finishing it up and I was positively thrilled with the result.   That gringo that I met there yesterday said the mirror he had bought was too big to fit in the taxi, so the owner took it in his own vehicle, came in, and installed the mirror and refused to take any cash for the effort!   I will definitely be recommending this no-name place.   They are on Juan Jamarillo, just west of Borrero.

Bella had given me permission to buy a humidifier so I bused over to Kiwi again, grabbed a salesman and showed him the two identical units on display.  I told him to find me a new one in a box, because these two specimens look like they have been on that shelf for at least two years, completely dusty and grimy, simply gross.  Of course it took him 20 minutes to come back to tell me these were the only two in stock.  So I asked him to check with management to allow about a 15% discount.  After 10 minutes he came back and said they were already discounted…  But then he said they would get me a new one by Monday at the same price.   I can see this as becoming an ongoing saga.

I saw a Papeleria so I went in and got some more glue, mounting tape and crepe paper for $3.73.

Then I cabbed home with a fellow who had spent five years in New Jersey as a jeweler so he understood English pretty well and we tried a new route home via the autopista which had little traffic, no stops, and was very fast.

That was today’s excitement.   Please see all photos at souvenircuenca.blogspot.com.  Hugs to all.