Tuesday September 3, 2013 Moving to souvenircuenca.blogspot.com

Tuesday September 3, 2013  update #561

This is the last Blog under this title.  I will continue under the souvenircuenca.blogspot.com Blog from now on.

Cheers, Al

Monday September 2, 2013

Monday September 2, 2013  update #560

Today was banking day now that our new Bank Manager at the Banco Del Austro on Gonzales Suarez is back from holidays.  We got there about 10am and luckily it was relatively slow at that time.   The Manager, Diana, was able to get our new Bank Debit cards and get them linked to internet banking, then she showed us how to use the bank machine.   However it would take them over an hour to get our accounts set up for a second signature, in case of whatever, so we decided to come back after she, and her second-in-command, were back from lunch at 3.

Bella went grocery shopping while I completed my chores and uploaded 3 more works for sale.  Before we knew it, it was time to go again and we got the rest of the documentation completed at the Bank.

It is a bright sunny day today and lots of beautiful sights in the neighborhood…   I came across a neighbourhood Don Juan, flowers in hand, so cute.

That was the day’s excitement.  Cheers, Al   

We hope you enjoy all the new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Sunday September 1, 2013

Sunday September 1, 2013  update #559
Happy Birthday Joseph, and also our son-in-law Ash.
I was awake again at 3am and had a tough time getting back to sleep.  When I decided again to look at the clock I fully expected it to say about 6:30 but it was almost 9am, and time to get up so I was thankful for the extra sleep.  I managed a half pot of coffee before Bella and I went out to catch the #15 to head west.  Like usual, waiting for Bella to get going meant we missed the bus by 15 seconds so had to stand around for the next one which put us 10 minutes late.

We arrived at Jim & Cindy’s new house just off Avenida Loja and were impressed with the great deal they got.  The house is very large and needs mostly cosmetic work only and has tons of possibilities which shouldn’t cost a whole lot of money.   The kitchen is small and closed off but will look great with a clever pass-through to the front dining room.  

The major work will be in the lavanderia off the kitchen which is ½ open to the elements in a wide shaft at the back of the home.  We were discussing how they could easily install a lovely terrace on the 3^rd floor, or better yet, the flat roof at the back, which would afford them a dynamite view north to downtown and the Cajas.  I am so excited about those possibilities that I want to do the work myself.

Bella had to head off to play Bridge so I walked with her down Avenida Loja, which is part of the Inca Trail and points right at the Immaculate Conception cathedral.  Most of this one street has the underground electrical, surprise, surprise, so it affords a nice, clean, spectacular view.

I caught the #16 east, while Bella caught one west, to go our respective directions.  I got off at the Coopera just to check out what kind of food, etc they have these days and I was pleasantly surprised to see that they have lots of fresh fruit, vegetables and meat for sale.  We will continue to support them as best we can.    Our nemesis, SEPS, fired 386 employees 2 days ago to streamline operations and make them more attractive for sale.  That was part of the dirty work they attempted to pass off to the remaining unpaid investors, the bastards!

I also have not received any further communications from anyone regarding our proposed unity meeting for Wednesday so I am not hopeful that we will have any influence on future events.

I then wandered over to one of my favourite video stores and easily picked out 4 movies so I hunted until I found 8 movies.  One was not in English so I filled that slot with a movie I had seen and enjoyed previously.   Then while I sat and waited while he put together my movies, cases, fillers, DVD’s, and made sure they played well, I spotted another one called Goon that looked a lot like the famous Slapshot movie, so I laughingly asked him for a “yappa” or gift of that movie, and he didn’t bat an eye, he said “Sure” and added it to the pile.  That meant I got 9 movies for $10.   Such a deal… and only one duplicate….  Spanish titles and different covers still fool me once in a while.    My collection is now up to 333 movies.

On the last trek home I took a shot of one of the families on the riverbank just enjoying a simple romp with the kids on the grass.  No toys, no video games, no balls, just the family enjoying each others company.  This is a most common sight here on Sundays and it is one of the things that continues to endear us to the Ecuadorians.  It is such a throwback to the simpler days of our childhood and it is something that we would never want to change with all out technology and materialism.

That was the day’s excitement.  Cheers, Al   

We hope you enjoy all the new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Saturday August 31, 2013

Saturday August 31, 2013 update #558

Drat!  I woke at 4am and the mind started working overtime.  Finally I quit fighting it and just got up at 6am.  It was a blustery day today, and really chilly, so we bundled up and got some work done.

First I worked on an ambitious agenda for a possible meeting to unite all the Coopera groups.  Frankly I think it is an exercise in futility because the 2 Ecuadorian groups have already shown they desire their independence and don’t seek much input from us expats.  We will see if Trish is capable of luring both groups to a common table to plan some strategy.

Next I had to work on ideas for the Hearts Of Gold Gala in December.  We are having a test meal on Thursday so we hope that flies well because I sure don’t want to start from scratch again.

We both got ready and headed over to Joe’s Secret Garden.   Bella retrieved her umbrella from Wednesday’s birthday party (she loses an umbrella per month I think) while I was busy doing my usual photography business.  I even got paid for a couple of portraits I did for one couple 2 weeks ago.

Before we left, I hauled Joe out of the kitchen and turned him around and the whole room sang him Happy Birthday.   He mentioned that tomorrow is Joseph’s birthday, and I would have started a song for Joseph too but we had our cab waiting to go home.   Maybe someone else did, I don’t know.

That was the day’s excitement.  Cheers, Al   

Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Friday August 30, 2013

Friday August 30, 2013  update #557

I got up early and did my chores while Bella headed off to her charity crocheting and knitting group.  

Then I proceeded to carefully draft an email to all the major players in the 2 Coopera groups outlining many of the problems and asking that we amalgamate and organize properly.  There are too many things kept secret from us, especially the expats.  Everyone keeps talking about organizing but nobody is acting so I took the initiative to get something moving.  So far the only responses are from the very few people that are doing most of the work on the sidelines, those who are up on events and firmly realize the need for organization.  The apathy is truly disheartening.   This situation weighs heavily on my brain and is dragging me down daily.   Waking up angry every day is not the kind of retirement we had hoped for.

The morning was truly spectacular with fabulous cloudless blue skies.  It is days like this that make us thankful to be in Cuenca.  The blah days of July and August seem to be past us and we can feel alive again.

Jim & Cindy Wilkins came over for burgers tonight and we have made plans to go see their new house on Sunday morning.

That was the day’s excitement.  Cheers, Al   

Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Thursday August 29, 2013

Thursday August 29, 2013  update #556

Bella was off to teach Bridge today and is impressed with her crop of students, not one has dropped out yet…  One of her students at the party last night also commented on how good she is at teaching.  Way to go Bella!

I did my usual thing and tried to figure out some local news, some from Twitter.  Google Translate is pretty bad for translating anything from Spanish so a person has to guess a lot.   Apparently Coopera employees are striking because they have lost jobs????  And the Police in Quito are posting about violence in futbol stadiums and how they won’t use tear gas or rubber bullets….  I could find nothing about a recent incident that would have caused those remarks….

Then I again got ready and hobbled my way downtown for yet another Coopera meeting.  Typically the crowd kept filtering in until it was SRO.  We ended with a roomful of Ecuadorians and regrettably only 3 of us Expats.  Luckily I had a young man raised in Toronto next to me so he gave me some play by play.  When the lawyer and the VP of the group started calling each other liars, then most of the crowd was appealing for calm and unity.    There is just so much misinformation and paranoia now that it is a real chore to sit and listen to the repetitive rhetoric.  I left early, my back had had enough, and I asked the young fellow to send me a quick synopsis after the meeting.    I hope he does.

Our proposed venue for the Hearts Of Gold Xmas Gala is not being very cooperative and my patience is getting really short with them.  It doesn’t help that I am angry upon awakening these days.  The Coopera fiasco is wearing me down and is ruining my enjoyment of this lovely country.

That was the day’s excitement.  Cheers, Al   

Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Wednesday August 28, 2013

Wednesday August 28, 2013  update #555

Bella was off to play Bridge again today while I got many chores done before I departed for the west end to meet her.

Richard and Joyce Bungay had the honour of hosting a surprise 65^th Birthday party for Joe Spotts, just up the street from Joe’s Secret Garden.   There were about 24 people waiting to holler “Surprise” when Joe and Joseph came in at the appointed time.  We’re not quite sure if the party was a total surprise but Joe was a good sport about it.

There was lots of food and drink and good conversation.  Joe was genuinely touched at the Birthday card with about 100 signatures on it, secretly collected by me the last 2 weeks at Joe’s Secret Garden.  Then he was gushing over the collage of photos I had printed and mounted on canvas for him,   I can’t take all the credit, Frank & Marge Grillo contributed the idea of doing something, and some of the cost.  All in all, it was a lovely evening with a lot of our new friends.

Cindy and Jim have also bought a new house close to Avenida Loja so we are anxious to see that.

That was the day’s excitement.  Cheers, Al   

Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Tuesday August 27, 2013

Tuesday August 27, 2013  update #554

I woke up early and felt a little queasy so I went downstairs to the recliner for a while.   Then I transferred to the couch and actually stayed there until almost 10am.

Bella went off to teach Bridge while got myself prepared for yet another protest with the Coopera investors against SEPS.   I even made, and laminated, a small sign that said “SEPS = Extortion and Discrimination”.  I made the sign so I could use a lanyard and clip and then I tucked it inside my hoodie and off I went.

I am avoiding carrying the backpack for a while in an effort to give my back a rest.

When I arrived at the gathering place at San Blas park, I did receive many thumbs-up for my sign.  When 4pm rolled around I was worried that I would be the only person with a sign but gradually the other banners appeared magically.

Led by the lawyer Gustavo Quito and investor Marco Encalada the procession took to the streets and tied up Bolivar.  I am amazed at the patience of drivers for such interruptions.   Maybe they don’t dare toot the horn for fear that the crowd will turn on them?  Anyway, the tame demonstration/protest made it up the street to the Mayor’s office first but didn’t lag there very long.  Then they went to the Provincial Governor’s office.

I was walking ahead of the group to get photos, with this big yellow sign on my chest.   When I got to the Provincial Building I just flipped it over to show the blank side and just walked past the police cordon, into the building, up to the second floor balcony for a birds-eye view.   Those who knew me in the crowd were laughing and pointing at me, all alone on the balcony like some potentate or Pope.  I turned the sign back around and the Ecuadorians were now giving me the thumbs-up too.   Nobody inside the building was very concerned, there was a large police presence outside.

The crowd then continued to circle Parque Calderon, and past Immaculate Conception, where I managed to accidentally catch the results of an inattentive cyclist ramming into a streetlight, lol.   Even though he went flying onto the pavement, he bounced back up, more embarrassed than anything, and continued on his way.

Then we continued past the Justice Building, then the Old Cathedral, before returning in front of the Provincial Building.   I again repeated my trick of just walking in the front door and heading up to the balcony for more exposure and photographs.  Rob promised to send me a couple of shots he took but they didn’t arrive before I posted this Blog.

We still have not heard any response to our court challenge of yesterday, although we did hear that more of Coopera’s business managers had been arrested and jailed.   Fun, fun, fun.

That was the day’s excitement.  Cheers, Al   

Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Sunday-Monday August 25-26, 2013

Sunday-Monday August 25-26, 2013  update #553

Sunday

Bella played Bridge and I took a day off to rest my back.   Sitting on a regular-backed chair instead of the secretarial chair certainly helped.

I tried half-heartedly to locate sites where we could use our VPN to access proper television and movies but I think I need to do a lot more research.  I did find a couple of movie sites that are promising but I can’t see myself watching too many movies on the computer.

Monday

Hopefully the dreary days are at an end as we have had 2 sunny days in a row now, hooray!!!

Today is always a grocery day for Bella, while I was out the door early to see how we would fare in court today against SEPS.  The court was being asked to rule on the legality of the assemblies that SEPS had called last week.   Since we headed off those assemblies in a different fashion already, this court case is more to slap their face and get some brownie points.  I waited outside Carlos Heredia’s office for a bit, took a few flower photos then decided I had better head to the courthouse.   He came late, took a shortcut, and we met there anyway.

The court was held in a large “office”, or tiny courtroom, if you want to call it that.   There was barely seating for 15 people in there.  I grabbed a chair quickly because I had not taken any drugs and there was no way I was going to stand through the 100 minutes.  Our group started with 2 lawyers and ended with 3, although only the first two got maybe 20 minutes to talk.  The 3 SEPS lawyers dominated proceeding with lengthy discourses on why they were not in contravention of the Constitution in discriminating against us.  The female judge then decided she would issue a ruling in 3 days.  We doubt that very much will come from this, maybe a wrist slapped, and some moral victories that we can build on. 

After the hearing, the press was very active in getting our story, for which we are thankful.  Why we are not asking for criminal proceedings against the blatant extortion by SEPS is beyond me.

Another big demonstration is scheduled tomorrow to begin at San Blas park and continue up to the Governor’s building.  They want us to bring as many people as possible with lots of noisemakers.  Oh joy.

On the way home I stopped at Coral and bought a new office chair with proper lumbar support, etc.   Naturally it did not want to assemble properly as the back does not want to line up with the seat and screw on properly.   I did the best I could after stripping three bolts.   I can certainly feel the difference already.

That was the day’s excitement.  Cheers, Al   

Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Saturday August 24, 2013

Saturday August 24, 2013  update #552

Today we signed up for a VPN service so we can hopefully hook up with some programming from North America.   The VPN will fool the computer into thinking we are in either Miami, Toronto, or Montreal.  There are a couple of sites we know of that will work so Bella can watch Dancing With The Stars, and maybe I can catch the odd hockey game…   I may need some expert advice on how to take advantage of this.

I made my way over to Joe’s Secret Garden, even though I was debating all day whether my back would take the strain.  I gambled and went anyway.   Once the backpack was put away, I actually managed quite well and felt better coming home than when I went!!  And that was without any booze or drugs…

The chicken fried steak was superb and peppery, and the grasshopper pie was perfect for dessert.  I was really glad that I went, although I really ate way too much.

That was today’s excitement.  Cheers, Al   

Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Friday August 23, 2013

Friday August 23, 2013  update #551

I was awake early enough and got to work on my chores.   This little secretarial chair I use is not conducive to a back injury recovery so basically I aggravated my condition today.

Bella was off to her charity crochet and knit group this morning.

The drugs were barely sufficient for me to get ready and go to yet another Coopera meeting at the Prefect’s office.  Surprise, surprise, they had lots of press there so they actually started only 10 minutes late with Jose Montesinos giving a long monologue  the whole time.   There were only 4 of us Expats there and the only possible interpreter, Elisa, was stuck in the bunch of locals so 2 of us made our exit within 15 minutes to allow some ladies to have a seat.

We did find out today that our protest was successful.   Nobody from our group volunteered to be duped into being a delegate for the SEPS deception team.  This means they now have to allow at least 30 elected delegates, but this is contingent on the court case on Monday.  With any luck, we will be able show all the illegalities in their process and force them to refund all our money.   We are crossing our fingers.

As I was walking out, one of our lawyers, Dr. Quito was giving an interview in the hallway so I stopped for a moment.   It was then that I met the father of our Coopera Branch Manager Juan.   Senor Palacios has been at many of our meetings and it seems that we are all in agreement as to the skullduggery that has occurred.   I sent a text message to Elisa to try to supply me with a summary of the meeting.

On my way to the bus stop I saw some kids enjoying the fountain in the San Blas Square.   Kids and water… what can you say….

I tried to get some business card stock at the small Papeleria Monsalves on Guapondelig and was shocked that they had no prepared paper stock at all, no business cards, no invitations, etc.   Next door I purchased a keychain fob (like Bella has) which stores money to pay for the bus rides.  My transit card is still good but I am always self-conscious about pulling out my wallet every time I get on a bus.   I will keep the card for visitors to use.

I then decided to check at Coral for the business card stock and they did have some, so I bought 2 packets.

That was today’s excitement.  Cheers, Al   

Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Wednesday-Thursday August 21-22, 2013

Wednesday-Thursday August 21-22, 2013  update #550

Wednesday, we protested again near the Coliseo Jefferson Perez and found out more bad news.   The liquidator SEPS is saying his mandate was to pay off the small investors 100% then leave the decimated scraps to the large investors.  

I won’t get into all the illegal actions they have taken, but they were having 4 separate Assemblies to divide and conquer, 2 with Creditors on Wednesday, and 2 with Depositors on Thursday.  Each Assembly was to elect a delegate to help oversee the finalization of the liquidation so SEPS can wash their hands of the corrupt mess.   In the beginning, the head honcho of SEPS was going to only provide screen presentations and not be around for the inevitable flak he was going to receive.  We did our best to get our message to the Creditors that we must refuse to participate in this action or we will just inherit the blame, the lawsuits, the closure of the stores and restaurants, and be the scapegoats for the firing of the present employees.  Mr Aguilar will soon find out that acting like Pontius Pilate will not absolve him of his wrondoings.  Out of over 800 creditors, approximately 55 actually went in and participated in the sessions.  Presumably 2 delegates have been elected.

I spent the whole day there, helping block the 2 assemblies in a peaceful fashion.  The afternoon session was moved to a more secure location for the police to protect the SEPS employees behind a wire fence.  I cannot blame them because emotions ran very high during the mornings’ confrontations.  That was why I asked Bella not to join us because I feared things could easily escalate to violence.  The police were bolstering their forces all morning.   The head SEPS honcho showed his face for the afternoon session, behind the wall of police.

After 4pm I gave up and caught a bus to Millenium Mall.   On the way there we saw a pedestrian that may have been hit by a bus, lying in an intersection with a huge pool of blood below his skull.   It was truly a grisly scene.  

At the Sports Planet Cafe we enjoyed a lovely supper with Bella, Jim and Cindy.    Bella was coming from her usual Bridge Club.  We then cabbed over to the cavernous apartment that Jim and Cindy are renting near mall Del Rio.   That place could house a small army.

By the time we arrived home I could barely move and I went straight to bed as soon as I could.   That is why there was no blog last night.

Thursday morning I just slept in but then struggled to the bathroom to get some pain-killers for my aching back.   Bella sent me a translation from The SEPS website where they are attempting to whitewash their actions.  I sent text messages to my fellow Depositors that I would not be in any shape to join them today unfortunately.  The plan is to ignore any calls for Delegates from our group.  We have an open court action into the illegality of the SEPS actions and they are being called on the carpet on Monday, hallelujah!!  We just have to delay any more crooked BS from these people until we can challenge them in court.   Finally we are hopeful of some success.

We have the Twitter accounts of the Ecuadorian President, Vice-President, and Justice Minister so I sent several Tweets to all of them begging for their intervention.  The extortion and discrimination exhibited by SEPS is apparent to any sane person so we need to keep up the pressure.

That was today’s excitement.  Cheers, Al   

Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Tuesday August 20, 2013

Tuesday August 20, 2013  update #549

Bella started her Bridge lessons today and was very pleased that everyone showed up.

I had already been up and out the door before 8am to take the hour-long bus trip to San Joaquin for our latest demonstration where we were to gather by 9pm.

Of course, we never want to be late but Ecuador time runs the clocks in this country.  The brass doesn’t show up until 9:30 and then about 9:45am  four of them get invited into the SEPS office to palaver.  Some police come over to try to tell us that we can’t take pictures.  I didn’t have to say anything because the Ecuadorians jumped all over him saying “This is our building and we’ll take pictures if we want”.  Those cops went back to the gate with their tails between their legs…

We waited and waited and waited.   By 11:15 my legs and kidneys are telling me to skedaddle so I hurried home.   I expected the group would immediately put out a bulletin of the results but, here it is, 8:30pm and still no word…   And they expect us to create another confrontation at 10am tomorrow??  

This is getting so frustrating that I put together my meager angry thoughts over the past two days and just submitted them to the brass hats.   It will be interesting to hear the reactions.  I am not reinventing the wheel nor even saying much different than anyone else, I am just trying to put things in a cohesive order so we can get a proper course of action in play.

That was today’s excitement.  Cheers, Al   

Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Monday August 19, 2013

Monday August 19, 2013  update #548

Bella was looking after groceries today and resting before she begins another round of Bridge lessons.   

I, on the other hand, spent almost my whole day sorting out thoughts on the Coopera liquidation issue before attending yet another meeting at the Prefect's office.

Ecuador time,.... that time-honored tradition of showing up late for everything.....   They call the meeting for 4pm so it can begin at 4:45.   

Then we listened to a solid 1.5 hours of wrangling, all in Spanish, as the two lawyers, Quito and Heredia, try to woo the crowd to their points of view. Then we got less than one minute of English explanation before we all just got up and walked out.   Every Expat I spoke to was feeling exactly the same.  If that ever happened again, this group would lose them all.

I am not a happy camper this evening over that shabby treatment.  They requested our help and visibility, which we have been giving them in much higher proportions than the Ecuadorians, but we are seemingly invisible when they want any decisions.  Grrrrrrrrrr.

They want us to attend another demonstration early in the morning in San Joaquin, and I will go, just because I feel it is my duty.

That will determine whether I support them for other meetings Wednesday and Thursday where things could get real interesting...

No photos today.

That was today’s excitement.  Cheers, Al   

Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Sunday August 18, 2013

Sunday August 18, 2013  update #547

It was such a dull day today but I was determined to get out regardless.  Bella was heading out for Bridge anyway so I went a little earlier on the #16 to the Feria Libre/El Arenal Market area.  The bus wasn’t allowed past Clinica Santa Ana so it seemed like the bus driver was trying to make his own route past all the crazy detours.

I honestly had no urge to dig out my camera on such a dull day so I just went into the market and shopped for 3 hours.  I was trying to find a hooded, waterproof light spring/fall jacket but finding something suitable was almost impossible.  They had a few parka-style jackets but they were too heavy and too tight, and I sure didn’t want any zip-off hoods, they look so tacky.   So, I came home tired and empty-handed.

I have therefore worked on some more Pase Del Nino photos for you to enjoy.

That was today’s excitement.  Cheers, Al   

Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Saturday August 17, 2013

Saturday August 17, 2013  update #546

Good grief!   I did my chores and then I crashed again for another 2 hours so that was my whole day gone until we had to get ready to head over to Joe’s Secret Garden.

We did hear some sad news that our oldest sister, Jeanne Delanoy, is not well so we wish her a quick recovery from whatever is ailing her.  We heard later this evening that she is showing small signs of a rebound so we will keep her in our prayers for that to continue.

Our old friends Jim & Cindy Wilkins from Atlanta are back here for 3 weeks so we had a nice visit with them while enjoying Joe’s famous fried chicken.   I quietly circulated Joe’s birthday card for signature through the crowd of over 100 so we will have a nice surprise for Joe on his actual birthday on the 28^th.  

Joe and Joseph have expanded their cooking facilities out back to be able to handle more food so they can handle bigger crowds.   They have bought more tables and chairs to accommodate the folks inside and they seemed to handle the larger crowd very easily tonight.

That was today’s excitement.  Cheers, Al   

Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Friday August 16, 2013

Friday August 16, 2013  update #545

I was determined to get out and do some good today, starting with shopping, etc.   Bella was heading off to her charity knitting and crocheting at the Weaving Store, and we had reasonable weather, so why not?

My first stop was to the store where I bought a mouse for the computer last week and it was defective, not able to scroll properly.  The guy dug out a replacement and I continued to see if he had 2 other electronics cords I wanted, but he didn’t.  I was packing up to leave when he started demanding $7 for the new mouse…  I said this should be a straight exchange because the other is defective.  He said No, pay me another $7.   So I gave him back the new one, flipped the old one behind him and walked out.    So, even though it was a nice day, my mood was soured and, as a result, the camera never budged again today, sorry.   However I did find time to process a few more pase Del Nino photos for you this evening.

I continued my quest, checking every shop that handled any electronics, and I probably hit a dozen of them at least before I found one that had the proper 3V adapter for my wireless headphones.   I bought a new mouse at another shop too. 

I tried several movie shops after the one I wanted was closed for their late lunch.  I picked up eight movies at one shop and another 4 at another.   I had been directed by several folks to the Sony store on Sangurima for a patch cord for my camera remote but they were closed too.

After being on my feet for 4 hours I was happy to catch the #50 towards home.  At the last second I decided to get off at the Monay Mall and go get the patch cord there.  I found one for 68c that I thought would work but I found it was too big when I got it home.

I was really pleased that I was getting good sound out of the wireless headphones after attaching the new 3V AC adapter.

I guess we are watching a movie tonight.   Bella said there were 7 or 8 she would watch.   I nearly fell off my chair because they are 90% action…

That was today’s excitement.  Cheers, Al   

Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Thursday August 15, 2013

Thursday August 15, 2013  update #544

Today was another frustrating day overall.  So many balls in the air, and with no indications as to where they would land.

I had received an email wanting me to send my photos from yesterday to one of the Ecuadorian brass of our Coopera protest group so I complied.   Part of the email also asked if myself or Rob would agree to be interviewed on the radio at 6:30.   I replied that I would agree if Rob was not available.   I asked them to phone me if they needed me.

I tried to go for a haircut and the place was closed.  So I came back and did all my chores and went back about 11:45.  I got a quick short haircut and now I definitely look like an eccentric retiree with an unruly grey wig.

We were also trying to arrange a meeting with Villa San Carlos about the Christmas Gala and to coordinate this with everyone’s schedules.  It seemed this afternoon was the only time that would work for everyone so I went ahead and booked the appointment for 3pm.  Luckily everyone was able to show up, on Ecuador time, and we had a very productive meeting indeed.  More on that at a later date.

There was another meeting of the Coopera group at the Prefect’s office at 4pm which I had to pass on and frankly, I needed a short break from that issue.   However the Coopera situation is always on our mind, especially when I wanted to be mentally prepared if I got suddenly called to show up for the radio interview.

Well, I am listening to that interview online as I type this now, and am happily surprised that one of the speakers was Trish LaPlaca who speaks good Spanish, and the other was lawyer Carlos Heredia who is fixated on revitalizing Coopera.  Since everyone is talking in Spanish I can only pick up the gist of what is being said, but at least our message is getting out there.   I also read the reports in two newspapers online about our protest yesterday.   There is talk of a hunger strike Saturday and a trip to Quito Sunday night to try to get the ear of President Correa.   Saturday is Fried Chicken at Joe’s Secret Garden so a hunger strike is not in the cards for me very likely.

Well this twit is now on Twitter just so he can barrage President Correa with Tweets to intervene in the Coopera mess.  I am feeling more like a looney bird every day.

The camera never left its bag today…

That was today’s excitement.  Cheers, Al   

Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Wednesday August 14, 2013

Wednesday August 14, 2013  update #543

Frustration is the name of the game lately in Ecuador.  Today we started off with another protest rally at the MIESS, the Government department that oversaw the Cooperatives prior to SEPS jumping in and liquidating ours.   The lawyers and the Prefect again went in and came out almost an hour later with nothing more concrete to add.

We were then told that we were heading to the most popular radio station in Cuenca “Voice of the Tomebamba” because the SEPS rep was going to be interviewed.   We hitched a ride with and Ecuadorian named Fernando and he apologized to us for being in this mess.  It was none of his doing yet he was apologizing to us on behalf of his countrymen.   We thought that was pretty special.  At the radio station on Vegas Monoz we waited around the corner until the SEPS rep entered and then we demonstrated while he was being interviewed.  We were listening on car radios and one of the Cuencanos said to me that everything was negative.   Somehow our lawyer and prefect got invited inside and also got on the radio.  Nothing uplifting arose from that but the SEPS fellow agreed to a meeting with our groups back at MIESS with 10 representatives, in return for safe passage away from our demonstration.

So, back to the MIESS office we went.  The white faces were dwindling so I offered to be one of the 10 representatives, to represent the gringo views.   But, we were then informed that the meeting was now moved to the SEPS office itself, way further east.  Our new ride, an English-speaking spokeswoman named Elise had to drop off her friend first, further west, so by the time we arrived at the SEPS office, the meeting had begun with only the usual suspects and the results just as predictable.  The SEPS dude has absolutely no concrete numbers to work with so we are still completely in the dark,  He claims sympathy with us but………..   This is the man holding our money and he can't tell us anything we don't already know.  Ugh..

There is another meeting tomorrow at the Prefect’s office and the plan is for as large a group as possible to take private buses (about $25) Sunday night to Quito, a good 7-8 hour drive, and to camp in front of the Presidential palace/parliament because the President is known to be at the changing of the guards every Monday morning.  I suppose the hope is to try to wangle a meeting with President Correa, however farfetched that will be.   We still have not heard any results of the meeting that was supposed to have taken place on Monday.     And so, as the stomach turns…..

Bella was off to Bridge Club.

That was today’s excitement.  Cheers, Al   

Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Tuesday August 13, 2013

Tuesday August 13, 2013  update #542

I was up until midnight preparing my photo gifts and then hurriedly making a sign to bring to a demonstration planned at City hall by our combined force of Ecuadorians and Expats.  

I left home earlier to make it to my usual Fuji store to get my canvas printing accomplished.   I paid my $22.98 and was told to return at 2pm.

I walked to City Hall and met with our group and we all entered at 11am and then our “Brass” went up to try to talk to the Mayor.   The main group stayed in the lobby chanting slogans and the security guards were looking pretty nervous, keeping their hands on their pistols.  An hour later the Prefect and the lawyer came down and we marched around a couple of blocks to the Justice building before dispersing.  The Mayor had ducked us again.   I don’t think that man will ever get another expat vote.  They ended up presenting their letter to a “Commission” and got written acknowledgement of receipt, which was their goal today. 

Video of our demonstration today at City Hall  http://youtu.be/cz1DYeDdFWg  

We were then told that the Provincial Governor (surprise, surprise) did have an audience with President Correa who claimed no knowledge of our plight but promised to help.  Maybe things are looking up…

One of the head honchos, Peter, got talking to me and it turns out his folks are from Two Hills, Alberta… 

I was busy taking photographs and somehow got drafted to supply photos for uploading to Twitter and to the foreign press, like the Miami Herald.  

I had an hour or more to kill before picking up my photo so I went to san Francisco Market and picked myself up a gorgeous alpaca hoodie that is so nice and warm for $20.  Then I went to the cashmere store and picked up a cashmere pullover for another $20.   I was just heading into Chicago Pizza as the heavens opened for about 20 minutes.  It was already drying up as I exited and went back to the Fuji store.   Even though I was early, my projects were completed, and properly, so I then hopped the #50 home.

I have supplied the required photographs to our Coopera group so we hope they will help the cause.

I hooked up with my old buddy from Montreal, Jay Shink, on Skype tonight and we had a crystal-clear connection.   It sure is an awesome way to communicate.

That was today’s excitement.  Cheers, Al   

Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Monday August 12, 2013

Monday August 12, 2013  update #541

I woke up around 3am with a photo project on my brain that would not let my mind at ease until I got up and actually tried it, involving night darkness, light and pouring water.  After farting around with it for 2 hours I did not get any useable results so I just deleted it all.  Then I went back to bed.

Bella and I were off this morning to Banco Del Austro to open her own account.   The manager is away and the  young lady we had to deal with spoke no English at all so we did not get the dual signatures on both accounts, nor did I pick up my bank debit card.  I guess we will just wait until the Manager returns.

Then we picked up a few minor groceries at Coral and walked home, where I could finish my coffee, have lunch and finish my chores.

Then Bella was off to learn Mahjong while I began my quest to find someone to print some artwork on my pieces of canvas.   After the first 5 stops I was getting frustrated.   I picked up my money for doing the photos for Rommie and Charles, then resumed my quest.  The one Fuji store said to return at 4pm, but I had this meeting with the combined Coopera bunches at 4pm so I continued looking.  Nobody has a simple inkjet printer in this town!!  The second Fuji store told me the same thing, return at 4pm… 

I went to wait at the Azuay Prefect’s office for the Coopera meeting, a block away, and remembered that the last meeting did not start until 4:30 so I went back to the Fuji store.  I finally got to talk to the technician who said they could only print it on their own canvas stock for a cost of over $11 each, and it would take 3-4 hours.  I said I would think about it….   

The Coopera meeting had the combined forces of the lawyers Quito and Heredia, the Prefect, etc.  The translations were almost non-existent this time although the Ecuadorians seemed to like what they were hearing, not so for the Expats.  The lawyers want to demonstrate at all levels of government to enlist their support, starting with the Mayor tomorrow at 11am.  Everyone is to wear white t-shirts and bring signs, and/or contribute $10 towards the making of signs.  I’ll make my own, thank you very much… at least I’ll know who I am insulting!

I got fed up with the lack of action to get to the heart of the matter, which is to just get our bloody money back.  This is pure discrimination, no doubt against the constitution, and that is where our energies should be focused.  Heredia still clings to the “Revitalize Coopera” line but we have nothing to invest if we have no money…  And why should we be buying back what is/was already ours??  To my knowledge they have not returned anyone’s membership fees.  The whole stench of politics just reeks everywhere with every politician still wanting to distance themselves from the liquidator SEPS.    Ugh…..

It was such a gorgeous day today but I was having so many frustrations that my camera never made an appearance out of the backpack.

I had sent an interesting 4 generation photo to one of my cousins which showed her father circa 1914.  She claims to have very few family photos, while I have access to several, so that was my evening’s work and I have included them on the Blog.   I always feel a little proud whenever I dig back to my parent’s common ancestor who was a famous Canadian patriot and parliamentarian.   His accomplishments were amazing.  See http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio.php?BioId=40107  If he could see his lineage now……

That was today’s excitement.  Cheers, Al   

Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Sunday August 11, 2013

Sunday August 11, 2013  update #540

Well Bella went off to play Bridge today, so that is a turning point.   She must have felt pretty good after her outing to Joe’s last night to have again ventured out today.

I got caught up in trying to make a belated wedding gift for my niece where is somehow misplaced all the wedding photos I had taken.   The only record I can locate are the small copies available on my photo blog so I had to make do with those.

I also decided on the format I wanted to do for Joe Spotts upcoming birthday so I worked on that as well.

The next issue was to try to print on canvas and, of course, Hewlett-Packard printers have a mind of their own, will print in their own formats, and wreck most of your product in the process before deciding to jam up.  Heaven help me, this is the last HP printer I will ever have.

So now I have to see I I can get the Fuji Store to print them for me, on my canvas product, that fits the small stringers I have….

There was lots of singing outside our window today so we figured it was the Purple People Parade, and yes, it was.  Bella had found out that it is some sort of religious retreat following that we used to see every couple of weeks, but it seems like months since we have seen this procession.

Tom Thumb was visiting so I took a crack at getting some shots again, but didn’t get my definitive shot yet.   Patience is a definite virtue in this game, along with spare batteries.

That was today’s excitement.  Cheers, Al   

Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Saturday August 10, 2013

Saturday August 10, 2013  update #539

I never got much accomplished today other than the usual mundane chores.   My mind was occupied with the “Sock Hop” tonight at Joe’s Secret Garden.  Richard Verkley from Hearts Of Gold had said that he had requested this night so I expected a few people to show up in period costume.

Since our wardrobe is extremely limited here it took some thinking to come up with a short and pants to go with that era.  First I smeared my hair with olive oil and slicked it into a wave and ducktail.  Then I got a shirt that I could raise the collar and roll up the sleeves to my armpits.  The pants needed the rolled up cuffs to show off my white socks.  I found some dark-rimmed reading glasses, a-la-Buddy Holly, and I was good to go.

I was a little self-conscious on the bus and walking up the busy Las Americas but I arrived shortly after 5pm.   Bella was following later in a cab and I doubted very much that she was dressing up.

It was a very small crowd tonight and as they arrived I was dismayed to see that I was the only person dressed for the occasion.   Finally one lady came in like a 60’s flower child and we were the only two in costume.  Oh well, we had fun anyway.   They were supposed to hand out prizes but that didn’t happen.  It was great to have the real old music playing in the background.   And, no, I did not take any photos of myself as a greaser.

That was today’s excitement.  Cheers, Al   

Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Friday August 9, 2013

Friday August 9, 2013  update #538

I had a bout of acid reflux at about 3am so that kept me up for a good while.  When I did go back to bed I decided that today would just be a day of rest.

Bella actually slipped out for a while this morning to get some exercise with a short walk.  She continues to progress satisfactorily and should be back to her old self very shortly.

I spent most of the day, even during my usual chores, to attempt to get a definitive shot of Tom Thumb who is visiting every 15 minutes or so.   I have tried many different settings, using the tripod and remote shutter release and will get better at this as I experiment.  I am not displeased with the few shots I salvaged today but know I can do better yet.

I really should go out and listen to a band tonight and check them out but they play much too late and I don’t have the money to spend right now.

That was today’s excitement.  Cheers, Al   

Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Thursday August 8, 2013

Thursday August 8, 2013  update #537

I was up early because I actually had a paying photography job for some friends Charles & Rommie Reddington.  Charles is a prolific abstract painter and he is looking to market prints of his paintings as well.  I went over with my tripod and set up in an area devoid of shadows to do the actual photography.  Today was actually supposed to be cloudy, but the sun was very bright, making our shooting trickier.   Trying to shoot as straight as possible to avoid having to re-skew all the photos later was a challenge.

Rommie made us a good lunch and then I photographed a stunning coat she had woven on her loom.

The next hurdle was to do the processing of every shot under Charles’ guidance depending on how exact he wanted colours, brightness, etc.   He wanted everything as true to the original colours as possible so it is a good thing he accompanied me back home and we spent many hours processing the photos.  I had taken 2 shots of every painting using different settings, and each of those in both JPEG and RAW format.  We then had the choices to pick the sharper shots to work on.  No matter how close we were, we still had to re-skew almost every photograph and then crop the image so it was all very time-consuming, but Charles seemed extremely happy with the results.

If anyone is interested in any of his abstract paintings, contact Charles Reddington at rommie.charles@gmail.com.

Oh, and we heard that our Coopera group’s lawyer scored a minor victory in court yesterday saying:

Today we reached a legal triumph, SEPS lawyers admitted two circumstances:

(a) they do not have financial information on COOPERA and therefore Superintendete Jacome lied to the National Assembly, partners and investors on losses and

(b) that the decision to liquidate COOPERA was made without a process of defense and with an internal report only.

This doesn’t really have much hope of changing the status quo anyway but it does make us feel more confident that they can’t possibly hold our money much longer, or not give us back 100%.

That was today’s excitement.  Cheers, Al    

Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Wednesday August 7, 2013

Wednesday August 7, 2013  update #536

Chores, chores, and more chores, then a nap…

Bella is busy recuperating, getting a lot of bed rest, reading voraciously and playing bridge online.

We got the word from SEPS that the second round of payouts for the Coopera liquidation will run Aug 12-16 for those folks with deposits under $30,000 so we are still on the sidelines waiting.  I am confident that we will get our money eventually, in full, maybe with less interest, because the precedent has been set now.

I went back to Banco Del Austro this afternoon and finished opening an account.   It is refreshing again to have a Bank Manager that not only speaks English but understands the North American mentality.   A second account in Bella’s name is all ready to go as soon as she feels well enough to drop in.  I can pick up my Debit card which will allow Internet access on Monday.  We are able to do wire transfers here and get a prepaid Credit Card so they are much easier to deal with than Banco Pichincha.

Next I went downtown to Fabiano’s Pizza to meet Barry & Maxine who were buying the Canon 75-300 lens from me.   I was early so I decided to try the pizza, because we weren’t terribly impressed the first time we were there but all our friends seem to like it.  It actually was pretty good today, a close second to La Vina.  Barry & Max showed up and we had a good chat while we all ordered more pizza, mine to go, for Bella.  They had just come back from house-sitting in Quito and are soon off to house-sit in Mexico.  They are certainly enjoying life to the fullest.

Bella enjoyed her pizza too, but agrees that La Vina is still Number One.

My camera never left the bag today so I have worked on some more Pase Del Nino photos for you.

That was the day's excitement,   Cheers, Al  

Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Tuesday August 6, 2013

Tuesday August 6, 2013  update #535

Well we never did receive any email today about this supposed possible meeting with the President of Ecuador but I wasn’t about to miss it, if it was going to happen.  I was awake at 5am anyway and mulling over the things I would say to him, if I got the chance, so I got ready and headed down to the courthouse area for 9am.

There were several gringos departing for a new location around the corner and down a couple of blocks, past the El Vergel SuperMaxi.  There were tents being set up with sound system and video for an event to celebrate breakthroughs in women’s rights.  Then we were told that the president is not coming until Thursday, but the Governor was going to be at this event, along with other dignitaries.   The original hope again was to try to see the Governor while he attended this event.  Then they also said they apparently now have meetings scheduled this week with the Governor, and the President, to present our issues.   And, depending on whom you talked to, the Government is going to return up to $30k or $31k  to the larger investors (although this is not borne out by the SEPS government website yet).   Hopefully we are finally seeing some progress.

We were all first forced to seat ourselves in the last 3 rows or so of the first tent, supposedly all the other rows were for dignitaries.   Then we were asked to go to the corner and present our case in a more suitable venue so we followed the crowd out of the tent but nothing transpired and nobody seemed to know what to do next.   Then we were asked to go back and sit down in the same area we had just left.   We are just starting to roll our eyes already when we are again asked to move our “protest” to the rear and then the reporters from television and the local papers came out and listened to our lawyer who gave several interviews.  Several banners and signs popped up in the hands of many of the Ecuadorians and at least we feel like something was accomplished.

I figured the situation had run its course so I headed to the book exchange and got another Tom Clancy novel in hardcover.  I also had a duplicated movie to exchange and, lo and behold, right on top of the pile was the new Lone Ranger video.  I can’t wait to watch Johnny Depp in this one.

On the way home I got off the bus early to talk to the English-speaking manager at the Banco Del Austro in our area.  She is very nice and will make it much easier for us to open accounts there.   I gave her some preliminary information and will return with further documentation tomorrow.

I finished my chores at home then it was time to head to Hearts Of Gold for a meeting to work on the Christmas Gala.  With the changes in the bus routes for 2 months, while they rip out a traffic circle on Solano, I wasn’t sure how close they would bring me, or where to catch one home.   I figured it out.

The meeting was well attended and Richard, the founder, attended a rare meeting because he had definite issues about many of our suggestions.  The last meal served at this venue at a big gringo event was sub-par and there is no way he wants anything but the best for our Gala.  We intend for our Gala to be the Event of The Year so we are to go all out to fulfill this desire.   Many great ideas came out of the meeting but will require a complete menu and seating overhaul and a new negotiation with the venue.   Richard wants a test meal that we will all attend with our spouses, which we will pay for, and he is willing to attend the negotiations with the venue to help browbeat them.  I was very thankful to accept that offer.

We had cake after the meeting to celebrate Gayle’s birthday.   I don’t know where they got that cake but it was scrumptious!

Tom Thumb really likes our nectar offerings so he is a regular visitor again.  He even popped up this morning and scolded me because I was too slow to put out his meal.   He is such a little tyrant, but he did let me get a reasonably close hand-held shot this evening.

That was the day's excitement,   Cheers, Al  

Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Monday August 5, 2013

Monday August 5, 2013  update #534

Bella went to the Doctor this morning and got the vote of confidence to keep doing what she is doing.  She is healing well but must keep up the bed rest for a couple of weeks more.

Bella stopped for groceries on the way home with the proviso that I was waiting at the door when she arrived by taxi to haul in the groceries.

After my chores were done I set up the tripod and tried to get a few more shots of Tom Thumb.  I haven’t got the definitive shot yet, but I’ll keep trying.   There was also an interloper that was soon chased away by Tom.

Yesterday we had notice of a meeting the Ecuadorian Coopera recovery group at 4pm and we were asked to attend, so I went.   People were still filing in at 5pm but we were lucky the meeting commenced at 4:30.  I had this Ecuadorian couple next to me who have lived in Toronto for many years and the husband was returning there next week. 

The meeting was held at the #3 level of Government, the Prefecture of the Province which also has several thousand dollars in Coopera so we have an ally here, certainly with more power than we possess.  I was impressed with the orderliness of the meeting and with the basic solidarity of the group.   Anyone was allowed to speak, they just had to come to the front and grab the microphone.  And several impassioned folks did just that.  They even had a great translator for us English folks.  I say he was great because he didn’t try to repeat everything line by line, he waited until the speaker was done and then gave us a synopsis in 5 sentences or less.

At least 3 courses of action were underway.   1. They gave us a “letter to the editor” they intend to give to the press.  2. President Correa is supposed to be in Cuenca tomorrow and they are trying very hard to have a meeting with him, even though he wants no involvement.   They hope they can get 2,000 people in support.  The Ecuadorians will need to get every family member to help out because there were only about 200 folks at this meeting, packing the joint.   3. They got everyone to march up the street to the #2 level of power here, the Provincial Governor’s office on the corner of Parque Calderon.  The Governor was supposed to be there at 6pm but, if he was, he didn’t want to show his face, at least not while I was there.   I didn’t want to miss the chance to catch a bus home.   Anyway that was my first ever participation in a demonstration and it has happened in a foreign country…   I didn’t see any news cameras rolling anywhere but there might have been a reporter on the scene.

So now we are waiting for an email to see if we can, or should, try to see the President tomorrow.   That would be kinda neat in itself.

That was the day's excitement,   Cheers, Al   Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Sunday August 4, 2013

Sunday August 4, 2013  update #533

I awoke thinking about how to work on those photos from Joe’s again and it took me several attempts to get the right items to work properly.  I had to discard two items supplied because they left annoying edges to deal with.  Anyway I finally got everything finished, and sent, then figured out that I was working for about 75c an hour. 

I think I mentioned that I have been drafted to make some sort of birthday display and birthday card for later this month so I got cracking on that too.  So far I have 4 collages that I haven’t figured out yet how I am going to combine….

I also got a surprise commission to take photos of an artist’s paintings so they may be sold as prints, etc.  Hopefully I can get at that later in the week.

Bella is slowly recuperating and has a doctor’s appointment tomorrow.

There is another Coopera meeting with another large group of investors at a Provincial ministry office tomorrow.   Apparently the Province of Azuay is also a creditor so that may immeasurably help our cause.  Bella sent this to me so I think this is a hint that I should attend.

It looks like we will be having a busy week coming up….

Of course I didn’t get out today so I have processed a few more Pase Del Nino photos for you.

That was the day's excitement,   Cheers, Al   Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Saturday August 3, 2013

Saturday August 3, 2013  update #532

We got caught up on our sleep today after chores were completed then prepared to go to Joe’s Secret Garden.

It is easy to tell the newbies at Joe’s because they are the only people who show up around 5pm any more.  The regulars don’t show up until around 6pm because a person is usually lucky to see any food before 7pm.

There were lots of new folks tonight, probably close to ½ the crowd which was very small by Joe’s standards.

Joseph now wants me to also put the logos on the photos I send to him so I am going to try tonight and see how long it takes me.   As it is, I am only working for about $1 an hour so the extra work is not really something I want to take on.

Two couples corralled me on the way out and want me to make something up for Joe’s birthday at the end of the month.    I will work on that…

That was the day's excitement,   Cheers, Al   Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Friday August 2, 2013

Friday August 2, 2013  update #531

Happy Birthday to my grandson Tyson!!!

Well, last night and this morning the Motion Magique website was redirecting to our actual site but not elegganthooks.com so I had to call Network Solutions again.   Within 2 hours they had everything working, Hallelujah!!!

After chores I headed downtown on a quest for more movies and to try to get the new Lone Ranger on DVD.  I found 8 on my wanted list and blew my $10 budget, so when I finally did find Lone Ranger, filmed in a theatre, I was not able to buy it.   I’ll pick it up another day.

There was a beautiful display of art by 3 artists at the City Hall, 2 of which I liked very much, Guido Marquez and Sylvia Astudillo, so I got a lot of good photos of their wonderful work.   The camera was very busy today.   Even La Merced Church, the old white one, was open today for the first time.

I was working away on my pictures and Tom Thumb came and sat on my rope outside.   He must really like the new nectar I put out today because he was warning away all other hummingbirds for a solid 15 minutes.  I finally decided to chance getting a few shots, first through the screen and window,   Then I slid the window very slowly and he did not move so I took more shots.  Then I got braver and very slowly slid the screen open because it makes a lot of noise usually and he still did not budge so I got a few more.   It is odd how he can look so fat and pudgy when sitting, and so elongated when he is flying.  With practice I will get better at shooting Mr. Thumb.

That was the day's excitement,   Cheers, Al   Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Thursday August 1, 2013

Thursday August 1, 2013  update #530

Bella is recuperating well.   Thank you to everyone for all the good wishes.   Bella had the vet come to the house to de-worm the cast, total cost $10.

I tried to get a photographer friend to join me on a photo excursion today but he had plans and doesn’t like cloudy days, he needs blue skies to take good photographs.   So I stayed home to work on a few more Pase Del Nino photos instead.

We finally got a reply from Network Solutions saying :

Dear Al,   I apologize for the issue you are having.  I can confirm that the WebForwarding service is working correctly and the issue you are having is not related to our service.  The only time your site does not load, consistently, is if you turn Masking on, to hide the URL you are being forwarded to, so this can mean that your host has their servers configured to not allow URLs on their servers to be masked. This is a common issue, as a lot of major websites such as YouTube, LinkedIn, MySpace and Facebook all block this feature.  This can also sometimes be related to only certain browsers and even certain versions of browsers, which appears to be the issue with your site, as I am able to load the site without any problems, using Internet Explorer, but not Firefox.

Firstly, we can’t get our sites to show up on any browser, including IE, so I fired them off another email.  Then I noted it said not to reply to the email, so I called.  The young lady repeated that the problem is with the “masking” and then indicated that she could fix the issue…….. DUH….   What is the matter with young people today anyway???  Have they not been taught to think past one problem at a time???   UGH!!!  Two and a half weeks of lost business because they aren’t bright enough to apply their simple solution to the obvious problem…  They have now promised that the sites will be working within 24 hours.   If not, I am going to rip somebody a new asshole tomorrow for sure.

The sun is trying to make a very late appearance today but without much success.

That was the day's excitement,   Cheers, Al   Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Wednesday July 31, 2013

Wednesday July 31, 2013  update #529

I slept in today as the exhaustion was catching up to me.  It was a dreary rainy day today so I contented myself with doing chores and getting caught up on a lot of issues.

The afternoon was spent organizing and preparing more photos for eventual sale.   So sorry, no photos again today.

We did call our friends Frank & Margaret to see home they were making out after the flooding in High River inundated their home.   Apparently their area was “sacrificed” to save others and their new condo was under 2 feet of water for 27 days.  Some politician publicly admitted as much and now the Alberta Government is back-pedaling on promises to help people now that the magnitude of the damage is getting known.  Poor Margaret is President of their Condo Association so she has to field a lot of questions and flak from the other irate owners.

Bella continues to improve daily although outings are still not on the agenda.

Today is the anniversary of the 1987 Black Friday tornado in Edmonton.   That is not  date that is easily forgotten.

That was the day's excitement,   Cheers, Al   Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Tuesday July 30, 2013

Tuesday July 30, 2013  update #528

I did chores, then grocery shopping, so Bella could sit home and recuperate.  She is doing very well in her recovery so we don't want to jeopardize all the recent gains.

I don't know what is wrong with my keyboard, but if I don't hammer the "a" it doesn't always print out, so I have to double-check every line.  It is getting annoying already, so if you see a word missing a letter, you will know why.

The afternoon and evening were completely tied up with a meeting of Hearts Of Gold and the subsequent avalanche of paperwork to email.  I was asked to play Secretary (no short skirts) and take the minutes of the meeting.   One of the discussions was about our ideas for this year's Christmas Gala which has clearly outgrown the space at Joe's Secret Garden.  So far, everyone at the meeting approved of our proposals and now we need ratification from the founders, the Verkleys to book the new venue.  We have another meeting scheduled for next week to really flesh out some ideas for this year's Gala that we want to be remembered as the Event Of The Year.   If we can get it advertised before anyone else, hopefully other organizations won't compete with us on that night.

That was the day's excitement,   Cheers, Al   

Monday July 29, 2013

Monday July 29, 2013  update #527

Belated Happy 41^st Birthday to our son Greg. 

What a strange day it started out to be.    The hot water is still working, thank God, it must have had an obstruction to the gas flow that jarred itself loose.

I received an email from Network Solutions expounding how to optimize our websites so I decided to call that number and give them the gears.   I was put through to a nice young man named Saul who discovered that the web-forwarding is turned on but is indeed NOT working…  Hello….  This is what I told you a week ago…  At least Saul discovered the problem, has created a repair ticket, and things will hopefully be rectified shortly.

Next I decided to try to solve my FTP problem with accessing the website for changes.  This was not working all weekend,… and today it decided to work again, mysteriously….  Maybe this Monday will prove to be the best Monday ever….

It took me all afternoon to process the other half of yesterday’s photos.  Just got done and Bella informed me that Mark & Karen were dropping by.   We had a nice visit and just ordered in supper from next door.   It is kinda neat to have take-out literally 3 feet from our door.

That was the day's excitement,   Cheers, Al   Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Sunday July 28, 2013

Sunday July 28, 2013  update #526

If you have trouble accessing our business websites for Eleggant Hooks, namely www.elegganthooks.com or www.motionmagique.com please use our generic website http://bourbj.tripod.com/ as it is working well, even though I can’t change anything on it right now.   This has been the most frustrating week.  Still no word on fixing our websites from anyone.

Bella is having very interrupted sleeps so it is a good thing she can remain quiet and recuperate.

The sun was shining in a beautiful blue sky so I had to get rid of some cabin fever.  I decided to take the #16 to Avenida Solano and catch the Turi bus up the hill to the church, etc.  However, that bus never showed up so I walked, and walked, uphill, to the staircase marked with 439 steps and onward and upward some more.  I had a lot of time, so I paced myself.

It started to cloud over and it was pretty breezy, unusual for Cuenca, so hots became a waiting game for the sun to peek through and illuminate El Centro for me.

Once up at the Turi church I followed the road to the right and climbed a hill to get a view of the Inca terrace on the adjacent mountainside.   Not too many folks realize they are even there.  I also got a couple of shots of indigenous people doing their chores.   I caught one old lady on the road gathering firewood, and it wasn’t until I processed the shot that I realized she was barefoot on that gravel road.  They sure are tough people.

On my way back I saw the fellow that had bought the mountaintop to the right of Turi had his business operation in full swing.   He is charging $1 to climb up to enjoy the magnificent views, food, and I saw folks enjoying his swing that extends over the edge of the mountain.  That is not an exercise for the faint of heart.

I hung around Turi for a while hoping to catch a plane or jet coming in over the city centre and I was eventually rewarded.  I had a nice chat with a 42-year-old chap from Tennessee who is scouting our fine city.   He has a wife and 5 kids and is looking to move here and start a business.   I wish him luck.

On my return trek down the mountain, I think I was moving even slower, getting pretty tired by now.  I walked along 24 de Mayo and came cross some pleasant farm animals.  The horse came outside the fence along the road and that did not seem to bother the old indigenous woman working in her garden.

I knew there was a bus stop somewhere along the Universidad De Azuay but it is not marked.  The #16 came by but the driver just pointed forward as he drove up another ½ block.   Naturally he did not wait for me and I sure as heck wasn’t up for running, so that meant I got to rest for 15 minutes.

I got off the bus early to check out a few more movies at my favorite video store and managed to find 4 that might be interesting.

Then I walked to Monay Shopping Mall to pick up KFC for supper as I had instructions, and a $1 off coupon, from Bella.   By this time I am really dragging my a**.

I get home and Bella tells me we have no hot water.  I had just switched the tank that morning and had a hot shower so this struck me as very odd.  We checked the tanks, switched them gain, and back, replaced the tank’s rubber grommet, and double-checked the batteries.  At least we can hear the spark firing but the gas is not getting through the unit for some reason.   It is still under warranty so I am asking my buddy Jorge, via his daughter Gabriela if he can help me get this repaired quickly.

What a nutso few days we have been having!

Hmmmm, 3 hours later and I try the hot water again and it is again working perfectly….   How bizarre is that???

I got a note on Facebook that my Grandson Dawson was going to a Junior A hockey camp in Indiana, driving there 3,000 miles with his other Grandpa, Gordie.  I saw Gordie come up on Skype so I called and my Granddaughter Danai answered, surprising the heck out of me.  Then they put on the video and I was pleasantly surprised to see Dawson and my daughter Jill were also there!!  Apparently Gordie and Dawson are leaving in the morning so it was fortuitous that I happened to catch them.

I won’t get all the photos uploaded today, just about ½.   I’ll do the rest tomorrow.

That was the day's excitement,   Cheers, Al   Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Saturday July 27, 2013

Saturday July 27, 2013  update #525

Bella is slowly improving and needing to take it easy for a while.   We want to be careful to let those stitches stay in place and not have loose body parts dropping on the floor, lol.    I am doing my best to run the required errands for her and take care of meals and cleanup.

We are still no closer to solving our website issues and it is beginning to wear a little thin.  It is one source of income that we really need right now.

It seems like our money in Coopera will be tied up for  good while longer so I fired off an email to the lawyer leading our group.   The only way we are going to get our 100% return, and quickly, is to call a spade a spade and holler discrimination, because that is what it is.

I got  call from my sister from our home in Okotoks and she was there to help me install TeamViewer on the computer there so I could try to retrieve her daughter’s wedding photos by remote connection.  We finally got the program loaded and operating and I spent a frustrating few hours trying to locate the original photos.  I can find them in Picasa but nowhere else, and Picasa won’t let me take the copies that are there.

I double-checked my laptop, my backpack, and they are not there either.   I checked through all my disks and memory sticks to no avail, the photos are gonzo, and I have absolutely no recollection what I did with them.  It is frustrating me to no end.

Then we got a note from Joe’s Secret Garden that they have no water in their area so the supper tonight was cancelled.   So the only photos I have for you are my feeble attempts to catch the moonrise from my window…

That was the day's excitement,   Cheers, Al   Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

Friday July 26, 2013

Friday July 26, 2013  update #524

Bella called about 9am to go pick her up at 10:30am so I hustled off and got there on time.  We tried to check out but they would not let her out until the Doctor had seen her again.  So we sat in the room for a short while and I was amazed at the huge private room she had (apparently they are all private rooms in this Hospital Monte Sinai) with a daybed for guests to spend the night plus a huge leather recliner.  The doctor came with an interpreter confirmed the medications Bella would need, and set another appointment  in about 10 days time.

The doctor had checked on her almost hourly yesterday until 11pm so it was a very long day for him. 

We can’t help but RAVE about the health care here.  Getting booked for surgery within 2 days is unheard of in Canada, and the total cost was equivalent to a rush flight to Canada.  Bella would have continued very sick if we had waited for her Canadian doctor to come through, and had Septicemia already.   We simply couldn’t have waited.  This is another great reason for living here.

A friend is just setting up a health care plan so I am picking his brain about benefits and costs.   The previous ones we had checked out had big deductibles and a co-pay on top of that, plus hefty premiums so we had opted to self-insure.  This was the first time in 2 years we had needed anything major and the cost is negligible in comparison.

Thank you to everyone for your good wishes to Bella during her ordeal.   She is doing as well as can be expected and I will do my best to keep her still so she can heal better. 

Between this medical emergency, problems with all our cash being tied up in the Coopera fiasco, and our business websites being down, this has not been a good week.   Coopera regulators are pushing us to the back of the line at every turn, not caring about the hardships they are causing.  They do not seem to realize that many people had everything invested there and don’t have access to cash anywhere else.  It is time to sue those guys for discrimination.

Sorry, but I have been just too busy today to even think about photography.

That was the day's excitement,   Cheers, Al   

Thursday July 25, 2013

Thursday July 25, 2013  update #523
I apologize...  Anytime we cut & paste anything in this Blog, it screws up everything.  
I happened to awake early so I saw Bella off in a cab to Hospital Monte Sinai very early this morning, needing to arrive by 6am.  She is not very good under anesthetic so she does not want any visitors.   First she is to call me when she comes out to let me know how things went.  Then he is to get out on Friday and will just call me when she is ready to come home.

I was waffling on whether or not to go to Gualaceo, a neighboring town, 30 kms away, but a 1-hour bus ride, for a whole 60c.  It was spitting rain and I just missed the #15 so I almost turned around and went home, but knew I would regret it if I did that.     

I got to the big bus station, paid the dime to get through the turnstile and got on the Gualaceo bus.  There were only 6 of us on the bus but he pulled out within 5 minutes anyway.  This is a real milk run as they stop to pick up anyone with their arm out but we did get there around 9am.

Gualaceo weather seemed a little more stable as I made my way to the town square, the market square, and the big church, on 3 adjacent corners in the downtown.  They were just getting set up everywhere so I just kept going from one to the other.

To be honest, it was all pretty boring.  The stage event started at 11am and was highly religious with at least 20 priests on the stage.   I got very tired of standing so I spent some recuperation time in the church.    They were doing a brisk business selling candles at the door.

During the whole time I was there, amongst about 1,500 Ecuadorians, I never saw one other white face!!  I was the only token Gringo for the day, which I found really surprising. 

I had gone to Gualaceo because I had read the first part of the following description of this festival, but maybe the rest was added later, because I missed most of this stuff….    I was tired and left around 1pm.

Sorry about the bad Google translation.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Gualaceo Party in honor of "Patron Santiago"

The Festival takes place in the town of Gualaceo, Azuay province, on July 25 of each year, in honor of St. James the Greater, patron of the city, commonly called "El Patron Santiago".

Throughout the month of July, especially on Sundays, the faithful of the surrounding areas down to the people to express their devotion to the Saint, which according to tradition and favors the devotees also reputed to be punitive. However, all scheduled events are held on the 25th.   [That was the part I read].

Wardrobe

The Dancers

The dancers set consists of four children: three bus-dance-dance and black.

• The bus-dance carried on his head a multi-colored floral scarf, knotted either forward or backward. About the subject body and shoulders carry a cotton cloth dress, a white thin fabric, this dress they call "saendilla" them falls to the knee and carries at its lower edge lace. Another piece is the "Manguilla" which is a short tunic that reaches only the hip.

On the back and the neck tied carry a "stick" of hanging ribbons of various colors they call wings, and neck, tissue bucato of various colors. Also, one of them takes on the right hand a brass bell in his left hand and a stick of chonta with floral panudo moored in half.

• The black-dance takes ordinary clothes with pant "rolled up" and with his face and legs painted black with a frosting made from soot and lard.

Over the head wearing a "chanter" or wig that consists of 14 "jimbas" or human hair braids and big back flowered handkerchief interlining for litad and knotted, with tie neck front.In the hands holding two sidings with a boss generally used when the dance, then beating each produce a click. These sticks are called "juanchillo".

All dancers are barefoot and in their presentations interpret the following dances: "Long Street", "Blackbird", "bull", "Balance", "Juntiada", "Chirote wrapped", and others.

The Old

They are entertainers and jesters party. Their number varies but generally usually occur a dozen of them. Do their share of group Quadrille, ie if the latter interpreted Dance Ribbons, the Elders do the same, taking apart a circle with a crooked stick in the center.

His dress is varied and bizarre. They generally take an old sack or casinete cashmere "long, large buttons, pants and shirt current boots or shoes, some of them trimmed with leggings. Their characteristic is the mask made of the same in" rags "and that consists of a white cloth bag "snapper", that covers their entire head and face being approached to shoulders.

On their heads they wear "jimbas" or horsehair braid or twine, a whip in the hands of lignum vitae with a rawhide beta of their men in the kind of "shigra" or leather backpack, and a monkey on his back or "chucurillo" stuffed to make people kiss.

The Quadrille

It consists of a group of 18 people, adults, youth and children.All are presented without a mask and are decked out in the following way:

On the shoulders carry a green cloth bib with a mirror. On this layer "Saendilla". Common straw hat, also with a mirror on its front, but two trilby wearing mirror plus a feather peacock. In the hand carrying a colorful umbrella, the same as the spin when they dance.

During the dances make "figures" or "work" to the sound of a brass band. Among the tasks that run under the direction of the "guides" are: the Curiquinga, the Painada, Number Eight, and Braid Large.

The Pendoneros

The Pendoneros form a kind of religious emblem used in the procession. It consists of a stick about a meter long, which has at its upper end a sphere of setal and on this a cross, in the bottom of the sphere, comes a white cloth that is choked once or twice creating thus a rough spheres of about 20 cm. in diameter, the Lysias not lose their shape by bringing in crumpled newspaper.

The Pendoneras/Pendoneros and are dressed in their finest gowns and carrying the banner with one hand, while with the other bearing a lighted candle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The bus back to Cuenca was packed, standing room only, and they continued to pick up stragglers along the road but then also many folks got off early so most of the trip was full, but everyone was seated.

I myself thought I would be clever and get off closer to the #3 bus on Gonzalez Suarez, I even asked 2 people if I was getting off in the right place and they said yes…  Wrong!!!  After walking for another five miles, I saved myself 25c and made it home on foot.

All told, I spent, 25c to get to the bus station, 10c to get through the turnstile, $1.20 for the roundtrip on the bus, and $1 for a bag of monstrous Timbits.   Total trip cost $2.55.

Whew!!!   5pm and I finally heard from Bella!   I was just going to cab to the hospital to see what was wrong but she says she was just conked out all day on morphine.  The surgery went very well and she expects to be home tomorrow as planned.   All is good with the universe…………

That was the day's excitement,   Cheers, Al   Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/