Tuesday July 16, 2013

Tuesday July 16, 2013  update #514

I was up early, with many things on the go today.   I actually finished my chores about 9am and had another catnap before getting ready for my day’s odyssey.

I finally got to sneak over to the Book Exchange at the Windhorse café and swapped my Clancy book for a hardcover Dan Brown that I haven’t read yet.

The weather was quite iffy all day today, spitting most of the time and yet I refused to put on a jacket.   Many Ecuadorians were in quilted jackets and I saw one young boy sporting ski pants.

I hopped the #19 out to San Joaquin to go “register” our money documents at Coopera.   I timed it pretty good so I had a chance to talk to our old bank manager Juan.  He admitted to being caught by surprise just like we were, because even his parents are large investors in Coopera and are in the same boat as us.   There is still talk that us larger investors are going to take the hit for Coopera’s losses.   However, if they have paid out 98% of the investors in total, how can they deny us 2% of the same benefit??  It makes no sense.

Some investors think they can buy the Coopera assets for about 20% of our total owed, run the businesses and get the other 80% over an unspecified period of time.  Bella seems to think this is workable but I don’t see it.

I caught the #19 back downtown and had the almuerzo lunch at the LongStreet Café.  The lady has increased her price to $2.  I was hoping to catch the jets flying overhead around that time but the wind was coming from the west so the planes were approaching from the other end.

There was quite an impressive picture that I shared on Facebook showing the 5 mile high ash plume from Tungurahua.   So far this has not affected air travel too much.

Next was a meeting at Hearts Of Gold to help formulate criteria for persons or organizations requesting donations.  I sat in on this meeting and provided some input from things I had found online.  This data was then used as the benchmark for updating to HoG’s needs.   Onward and upward.

Then Gayle and I headed over to Villa San Carlos to discuss using their venue for the HoG Christmas Gala.  The event was held at Joe’s Secret Garden last year but that venue is just too small to accommodate us this year.  VSC can handle up to 250 people, with side rooms available, and room for a band and to dance.   We discussed the menu and bar selections and think we have a pretty nice package to present to the group for approval.  Tentatively mark your calendars for Friday December 6^th for a rocking good time.

That was the day's excitement,   Cheers, Al   

My only shot today, looking south from the LongStreet Cafe.

Monday July 15, 2013

Monday July 15, 2013  update #513

I awoke very early with my mind rolling about with many questions about the Coopera fiasco.  I then spent about 4 hours composing an email containing few thoughts for the lawyer of our coalition.  News is spreading that the larger investors are the ones that will get screwed, all the smaller investors will have received 100% of their money.   Chances are the smaller investors are 95% Ecuadorian and 50% of the larger investors are expats.  This thing has stunk from the beginning.
I also notified Hearts Of Gold about a very valuable contact I made on Saturday at Joe's Secret Garden.  They are very excited to receive an offer of help from someone so experienced with non-profit organizations.

Bella was off for groceries and reports that the Coopera shelves are thinning, and they had no fish, but lots of meat and chicken.  Nothing can run a business into the ground like government intervention.

I watched the movie “Michael” again for a little levity to brighten my mood this afternoon then I came up and put my camera to work.   I had watched and saw that Tom Thumb was liking the new nectar on the windowsill and he was visiting every 15 minutes or so.

I set up the new camera and lens on the tripod and manually focused for where I expected to catch my quarry, hovering above my feeder.  Then I tried out my new remotes but actually had trouble with both so I read the instructions for the wired one.  It said I could remove the batteries and it would work just like a shutter release… Bonus!!   That is all I wanted it to do anyway…

I took about 35 pictures and have weeded those down to today’s offerings.

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

Sunday July 14, 2013

Sunday July 14, 2013  update #512
Happy Birthday to my lovely sister Yvette!!

Bella was off to the Bridge Club this morning while I began the 8-hour processing of my photos from yesterday.  I took a lot of time on these because I thought they were worth it.  I sure love that new lens!

My only interruption was when Walter stopped by to collect the few extra items I brought back from Canada that belong to the Sony HX1 he bought from me.  Walter’s school is closed so he would like to take me along some morning to his wife’s farm near another entrance to the Cajas.  He would like to go early enough to catch a sunrise some day.  I am game for that for sure.

Once I get this Blog off, a movie will definitely be in order.

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

Saturday July 13, 2013

Saturday July 13, 2013  update #511

I met my little buddy Juan in El Centro before 11am and we managed to just squeeze in before they closed to get up to the top of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral to take a few shots.  There was another large group of Ecuadorians up there, born and raised in Ecuador, but now living in New York, and just here visiting.  Being up there with the new camera and lens was exhilarating.

It was also great to get some shots of the pan flute players and the mime buskers and the street artists.   Gotta love this town.

We then wound our way south then east to the Banco Central Museum where they don’t allow photographs.  Nothing much was new in there so we went down to the Pumapungo Inca ruins and the aviary.   It was very strange that there were no llamas in evidence anywhere.  The peacock male still hasn’t regained his tail feathers either.  We had a Belgian waffle lunch before heading over to El Vergel for a few shots before I had to head home.   Note that I will upload these photos tomorrow.

I had to get hurriedly cleaned up to try to make an appearance at Rommie & Charles’ place for a meet n greet for their friends Bob & Cathy who will be moving to Cuenca to live very soon.  It turns out that Bob is another photographer so we had quite a chat.   As I was leaving there was a hummingbird posing for me near the entrance so I caught a couple of shots of him.

Then, being Saturday, my next duty was to head to Joe’s Secret Garden and do my thing for Greek night.  Again we met some very nice new people and made some valuable contacts.  One of our tablemates at supper could turn out to be a valuable asset for Hearts Of Gold….

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

Friday July 12, 2013

Friday July 12, 2013  update #510

Happy 41st Birthday to my lovely daughter Jill!! 

I am beginning to get bored and need to explore further out to maintain my interest here.  Visiting most of downtown is getting old hat and general exploring without money is not much fun.

Bella was off to the Weaving Store, part of her Friday routine so I decided to take the #13 milk run to Mall De Rio, about an hour ride each way.   I hadn’t been there in months so I hoped something would be happening there to pique my interest.

The Mall is extremely modern and you would have trouble believing you weren’t in North America, especially staring at Burger King and KFC in the Food Court.  The new Lone Ranger movie is playing here, amongst others, and I was tempted until I saw that it was being shown in Spanish.   I am pretty sure they have English subtitles but I am sure I will be able to buy the DVD real soon for $1.50.

The stores carry just about anything a person could be looking for, except maybe lumber. There are even motorcycles, quads and vehicles for sale here.  They had 3 pretty ladies looking after the Ford store, not a male in sight…

I wanted to leave but a rainshower forced me back in for another ½ hour.

I suppose the most fun is watching kids partake in the bungee leaping.  The kids I watched today were too light to be doing their own liftoff from the lower trampolines so the fellow was helping them on every descent.  It is hard to resist the kids squeals of laughter.

After the 1 hour bus ride back we got a nice short downpour so everything smells nice and fresh again.

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

Thursday July 11, 2013

Thursday July 11, 2013  update #509

Bella was having one of her few rest days at home, kicking back and playing online bridge with friends and foes.

I again had a great sleep and got up late so hurriedly did my chores and uploads.   I was determined to check out a possible venue for the Hearts Of Gold December Gala, the Villa San Carlos.  I mentioned this to Bella and she reminded me that they were holding the Happy Dogs spay & neuter fundraiser there this evening.    I decided to head out anyway.

First, I walked right past it… several blocks then asked directions and came right back.  Good grief, it is the second building on Remigio Tamariz, just behind the Mormon Church, and down from the Primax gas station.  Of course there is nobody around during Ecuadorian lunchtime so I was told to come back at 3pm.

So I decided to wander over to Hearts Of Gold but again, nobody was around, nor expected to be around all day.  Okay, I decided to check in at the Banco Del Pacifico across the street to see what their requirements were to open an account.  Luckily one lady spoke about as much English as I did Spanish so we got along well.  Other than a minimum of $200 to open an account, they seem to want more paperwork than Banco Pichincha, and their interest rates on a $30,000 CD was only quoted at 5.5%.  They want 3 letters of reference and utility bills for the prior 2 months, amongst colour copies of Cedulas, etc.   They do provide International Visa cards but I don’t know how many hoops I need to jump through for that.   I also intend to check the Banco Del Austro near here as I am told the lady Manager speaks good English and is amenable to Gringos.

Then I just bought a new black marker at Papeleria Monsalves so that didn’t kill much time.  I headed back to Vila San Carlos and took some photos then settled down in the lobby to await the American owner and his Ecuadorian wife.

Lo and behold, the door opens and Gayle from Hearts Of Gold comes in!  She said she has already been checking out the place and had shown it off to the HoG brass too!   Great minds think alike.  So we put our heads together a bit and she will make an appointment with the owners for next week.  The owners did show up at 3pm as promised so we only spoke briefly because they had their hands full with the fundraiser starting at 5pm.   Other than some pretty sizeable load-bearing posts causing minor obstructions to sight lines, the place is awesome, well-situated, and has parking.  They can seat over 200 and easily accommodate a band and a dance floor. They also have separate rooms available for things like a silent auction, beautiful reception area and even outside space for those dreaded smokers.   I think it is a winner….

The roadwork is now in full swing on both sides of Solano so we hope this is all completed long before our Gala is to take place.

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

Wednesday July 10, 2013

Wednesday July 10, 2013  update #508

Had a really good sleep and wanted to get out earlier today but the weather wasn’t cooperating, and it didn’t really get any warmer until after sundown.  Go figure.   It was really chilly all day, and a slight breeze didn’t help.  If it was this weather in the dead of winter in Canada we’d probably be outside in t-shirts, but once you get so acclimatized to the consistent warm weather, even a slight drop feels really cool.

Bella was off to her Bridge Club today and she said it was really frigid in there too.

I contented myself with doing many chores, working on more photos and uploading some for sale.

I got myself into two layers of clothing from head to foot before heading out to meet the gang for burgers at the Chill Grill. 

Our cab driver on the way back seemed almost surprised that we were Canadians and not Americans and he even demonstrated that he knew a few phrases in French, too funny.  He is dreaming of going to New York to work and to visit Canada.

I am posting a couple of shots today to show what a little backwater place we live in.

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

Tuesday July 9, 2013

Tuesday July 9, 2013  update #507

Bella was off to the Book Exchange and to do shopping chores while I just looked at the rain and stayed inside.

I have managed to kill just about every plant we have so I started work on reviving them.  We have been saving eggshells for this purpose plus I do have some plant fertilizer that I am probably using wrong.  Anyway I crushed the eggshells and mixed them into the top layer of the dirt along with dead leaves, etc.  They will get a watering tomorrow on their usual schedule.

The Internet had been really slow and bad today, unusually really bad, so I struggled to upload works for sale and finally gave up.  I finished my Tom Clancy book and gave it to Bella but she didn’t have another similar book for me to start, so I will have to wait.

After supper we watched, 42, the story of Jackie Robinson breaking the colour barrier in baseball.  This is a very well made movie, except for Harrison Ford’s make-up, so we highly recommend it.

I just finished uploading my final 2 photos to FAA for sale so I am thankful that it finally worked.

I did some more work on some photos from the Pase Del Nino on Christmas Eve so I hope you enjoy them.

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

Monday July 8, 2013

Monday July 8, 2013  update #506

Darn it, I was awake again before 2am and finally gave up and got to work on the previous day’s photos.  I was pleasantly shocked that I could salvage most of the hummingbird shots and make them somewhat presentable.  If it wasn’t for shooting in RAW format and using PhotoShop with techniques I have learned, almost all those shots would have been trashed.  I even managed to upload one for sale later.

About 7:30am my eyes were closing so I laid down for another couple of hours.  I guess that is one of the benefits of being retired, we can listen to our body clocks and not worry about other things not getting done by a certain time.

I will try to get out a little later for a short walk and maybe pick up a few more movies….

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

Sunday July 7, 2013

Sunday July 7, 2013  update #505

I wasn’t very energetic today as I struggle with sleep again.    I guess I get enough sleep per day but for now it is broken up in two or three segments.

Bella was off to Bridge Club today and was pleased to have 7 players, which bodes well if some of the regulars had also shown up.   She puts a lot of work into this so I hope it eventually becomes successful.

It was a good thing she reminded me to meet her afterwards for supper at Karen and Mark’s apartment because I probably would have forgotten in my sleepy state.

I took the #50 to downtown and got off to see almost deserted streets and most shops closed.  As this is the cooler season here apparently many of the locals head to lower elevations like the Yunguilla Valley to have warmer weekends.  I walked the rest of the way and was crossing a road and nearly got hit by a car that I never expected to veer in my direction.  Signal lights use is very uncommon here.

I arrived a few minutes early, just following Karen who had left the Bridge Club early.   I parked myself on their terrace with my camera to try to capture the hummingbirds they have coming to their feeder.  I had barely sat down when Bella also showed up early.   I managed to get several shots but wasn’t very hopeful of the outcome as most seemed more like silhouettes even as I tried to compensate with manual focus, etc.

We were joined by Nancy and Marv and Karen served us some delicious Moroccan dishes we had never heard of, and with ingredients we had probably never tried before.   Anyway, it was a culinary delight.

We got home quite late and I did not even bother with the photos but just crashed.   The photos and Blog could wait until tomorrow.

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

Saturday July 6, 2013

Saturday July 6, 2013  update #504

I slept most of the night on the couch since I just couldn’t get to sleep in a prone position on my bed.  Oh well, a nap in the afternoon cured everything.

We went early to visit with Mark & Karen for an hour and were pleased to hear that their proposed condo purchase is not dead, it will just take a while to clear all the Ecuadorian discrepancies, to put it euphemistically….

Then it was time to do our usual Saturday night fling at Joe’s Secret Garden and to gorge ourselves on Southern Fried Chicken, our favourite.  A very nice group of folks tonight and some newbies from Arkansas, Wisconsin and New York in attendance.

One of the guests mentioned they had heard of a runaway train derailment in Canada and a huge fire ensuing.   I checked it out when I got home and it doesn’t sound good.  Right now they are saying there are about 80 people missing in this small town in Quebec, consumed by a massive fireball.  Our prayers are with those folks tonight.

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

Friday July 5, 2013

Friday July 5, 2013  update #503

Bella was off early this morning to the Weaving Store to do her volunteer crochet and knitting projects.

I had a good sleep and woke up very refreshed this morning.   Today was going to be my day of rest.

After chores and lunch I took a short walk to recharge my cel phone and my transit card. 

On the way back I tried to locate Tom Thumb outside.  He was cheeping strongly but was certainly well hidden in a very bushy tree.  I tried the lens again on some hibiscus and like the results.

Once I got home I heard Tom cheeping very close so I figured he was going to make an appearance soon so I got set up and, hand-held on manual focus, I managed to get a pretty decent shot of the little guy.  That is the reason I got this new camera was to have the manual focus capability.  Coupled with this new lens I am now a very happy camper.

I went to work on more Pase Del Nino shots from last Christmas Eve.  I am about 1/3 the way through those and have a long way to go yet.   I had better get cracking on those.

My advertisements for selling the 75-300 lens should be published this afternoon so I hope that works for us.

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

Thursday July 4, 2013

Thursday July 4, 2013  update #502

For some reason I was awake and doing chores at 3am but I did get back to bed quickly and slept in for a bit.   Bella had a relaxing day at home today.

I have decided to sell my Canon 75-300mm lens since I do not need it.  I am so very happy with the range and clarity provided by the more expensive 15-85mm that I would hardly ever use this other lens.  With our money being frozen in the Coopera debacle we might need the extra cash at the moment.

I had emailed our friend Rommie who wanted to buy a few of our Eleggant Hooks by wholesale so she had responded that she would be at their new gallery this morning setting up.  I got dressed and headed down there.

On the way I stopped at the JG Gallery on Calle Larga to see if he had another of our “party people” to put on our living room wall.  I was in luck, he was not only open but he also had a figure of a musician that wasn’t a duplicate, and it was facing the right direction.  That was an easy sale for him, even though he wouldn’t bend on the price.

I had to phone Rommie when I got in the area since I did not have an exact address and found out two things, Rommie wasn’t there and it was a block east of where I thought.  However she said her partner Stuart would be there and he would handle the transaction.  I followed her directions and managed to walk my way right into the new gallery where I let her talk to Stuart as well.

The new gallery is called Pumamaqui and it is basically a new structure 1 block north of the Coffee Tree, then 1 block east, and it is a new brown building on the north side.  When Stuart finished with his TV guys we managed to complete the transaction and then he gave me a tour.

I didn’t realize that the gallery area was just inside the main doors, on either side so I had failed to take photos of them.  The galleries were empty, but imagine they will be filled up by tomorrow because he said the Friday Art Market will be held here tomorrow from 4-8pm.   The courtyard was magnificent with many plants and flowers to delight the senses.

They also have 4 very neat apartments for rent and I think they would be absolutely perfect for quiet single people.  There is a very large apartment at the back of the courtyard (my favourite), with two neat two-story loft bachelor apartments above.   There is another bachelor apartment on the west side near the one gallery.  All the apartments are bright and beautifully constructed with modern appliances and lighting.  My feeling is that these apartments will be reasonably quiet at night since they are off the main roads of downtown.   The address is 6-28 Honorato Vasquez.

Stuart White is probably one of the first Gringos to ever live in Cuenca since he has been here 30 years and he speaks excellent Spanish.   You can contact him on his cel at 093-927-2402 or email at pumamaqui.accommodations@gmail.com if you know anyone who may be interested in renting these awesome small apartments.   I did not enquire about his asking prices as they will vary depending on the term of a lease.

Stuart is also a photographer and is looking for some instruction with PhotoShop so I have offered to help him.  He could be a very valuable contact in this town.

Sad news that our friends’ anticipated purchase of their condo has fallen through at the last moment due to a prior title problem.  They are checking today to see if this is a permanent problem or if this is hopefully a temporary glitch.   We are keeping our fingers crossed.

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

Wednesday July 3, 2013

Wednesday July 3, 2013  update #501

Bella was off to the Chamber Of Commerce to sit in on a meeting to obtain citizenship in Ecuador.  We may as well find out what it takes because the next 18 months will probably fly by as quickly as the first 18 months.  

That meeting must have finished early because she then caught a bus to San Joaquin to try to get some answers about the Coopera situation.  Apparently our old Manager was bravely there trying to answer peoples’ questions.  It sounds like it will be well into August before we will be able to access our accounts. 

Then of course Bella had her Bridge Club.

In the meantime I headed out this afternoon after completing most of my chores.  One look at the sky convinced me to grab my backpack with my umbrella, etc.  My first stop was at Hearts Of Gold to drop off some knitted or crocheted scarves for kids to use during this cool season.

As I left there it started to rain and I got to the side of the stadium when the heavens opened and I feared my cheap little umbrella would fold under the pressure.  I ducked under a business canopy with many other folks and waited about 5 minutes until the rain slowed a bit then I continued on.

My destination was the Court House and I made it there before the 2:45 deadline for meeting with other expats and Ecuadorians to provide a show of solidarity with our lawyer Carlos.  Carlos had managed another hearing with the adolescent court to try a second time to get an injunction to halt the liquidation of our Coopera Credit Union.   Carlos and Ben were hoping for up to 350 persons and were very disappointed when only about 50 of us showed up.  In hindsight, we packed the small courtroom anyway and most of us were standing for the 1.5 hours of the legal arguments, all in Spanish of course.  I really thought our lawyer was doing a great presentation because the female judge was making copious handwritten notes.  One of the 3 government personnel on the other side each had their say and the one venomous-looking woman had the crowd hissing at her until the judge threatened to clear the courtroom.  They had rebuttals and when they were complete the judge spoke only a couple of sentences and Carlos stood up and turned to us saying “We lost.  She said No.”

This was all very disappointing.  Of course we all feel it is all political payback and the outcome was never in doubt.

I took the bus to Monay Mall and ran into Garth and Orilla who had just managed to withdraw all their money from Coopera.  They reported that the Coopera branches already have new signs of the other Credit unions that are now administering the liquidation withdrawals.

We are in awe that such events could happen with such rapidity, and with absolutely no process of law.  Right now we are very disappointed in our adopted country.

Bella arrived later at Monay as well and we had a treat supper at KFC.  I guess on Wednesdays they have some music and dance “participaction” kind of event in the food area and it was quite loud.   Watching the kids have fun though was a treat.   I only took a couple of photos of that today so I will just post them here.

That was the day's excitement,   Cheers, Al   

Tuesday July 2, 2013

Tuesday July 2, 2013  update #500

Bella was off to the Book Exchange and to attend to more banking issues this morning.

I slept in today, finally getting rolling around 10:30 and just finished my chores and uploading in time to leave.

We had a Hearts Of Gold meeting today, chaired by Sheryle, and it was good to be back with that kind-hearted group of people.  Sheryle is especially good at leading meetings because she is unafraid, has refreshing candor, and gets to the point quickly.

We got news that another hearing by a different judge on the Coopera matter is going to happen tomorrow.  The leaders want us to disseminate this information to as many expats as we can because they would like to get about 350 people there in support.   Since Bella will be having Bridge Club, I am elected to go sit in on this.

I did not even take my camera out of its bad today.   The day started off relatively dull and cloudy and it never did pique my interest to record anything.

That was the day's excitement,   Cheers, Al   

Monday July 1, 2013

Monday July 1, 2013  update #499

Happy Canada Day everyone.

Bella came home in the early morning from the bridge tournament sans trophy so she was disappointed.  We had a few moments to discuss our current money predicament and a few minor issues before I needed to crash.

Yet I was awake at 5am and got up at 7am because things needed doing.   We are having a July Special on our Eleggant Hooks to give free shipping, so I needed to update the website and also PayPal.

Then I uploaded some photos for sale and decided my inventory for uploading is starting to get low so I spent many hours beginning to go through my photos from this year.  I got pretty bleary-eyed by the time I hit late January so I just stopped there.

It was a gorgeous morning when I got up then clouded over heavily so I just kept working on the photos, then it cleared up really nicely for a great afternoon, but by then it was too late to get all gussied up to be presentable outside these four walls.

I still have a lot of photos from the Pase Del Nino from Christmas to process too.  I have to find a balance somewhere so I can get myself outside each day too.

Tomorrow we should have 2 different appointments, one for Coopera (we have received conflicting dates) and one for Hearts Of Gold.

Looking forward to shepherd’s pie for supper….  Sorry, no photos today.

That was the day's excitement,   Cheers, Al   

Sunday June 30, 2013

Sunday June 30, 2013  update #498

Another good sleep last night, and again didn’t want to get up but knew I have to regulate myself to get off my butt and lose some weight.  As always the chores come first, and someday I may change that because it tends to make me lazier, the longer I wait to go out, and I know that.  It is just that the early morning are generally foggy, cloudy and cooler so I will wait until closer to noon, after I have had my cabbage lunch to go out.

I decided today to give my new 75-300mm lens a workout and see if it is as bad a lens as a friend has claimed.  I put on the polarizing filter and took one shot of the sky from my window before heading out.

My intention was to ride up to Turi, take some shots of the city from above, then walk back down.  As I was waiting for the bus I realized there was a Deportiva Cuenca futbol match today at 2pm so the run up Solano would no doubt be interrupted and cause me grief.   What to do???

I looked south and decided to walk up the Autopista to try to get some shots.   I didn’t go very far when I realized that there were roads up the hill further south so I made a climb up there and found whole subdivisions up there that I never knew existed.  I thought there were only a few scattered acreages but they had streets, schools, the works.

I was amazed that I didn’t like the 75-300mm lens right away because it couldn’t actually back off far enough to get a complete shot.  This thing wanted to zoom in much farther than I recollected my old 70-210mm doing.  I didn’t take many shots as a result but did manage to get a TAME flight coming in for a landing.

I switched back to the 15-85mm and fell in love with it all over again.  It has a much more useable range and you could tell the shots are crisper too.

Rain clouds snuck up behind me so I had to pull out the rain hood for my camera back before using my broken umbrella.  I waited for a few minutes, hoping for a bigger jet to pass by , but the rain didn’t seem to want to quit so I started down again, crossed the Autopista and came out above the Monay Police station and Coopera.

Since I was in this area I figured I might as well stop in at my favourite video store, pick out 4 more movies for $5 and wait out the rain.

It always makes me smile to watch the fellow actually copy the movies in front of you, then copy the movie jacket and put it all together.   This fellow knows I buy a lot there so he also knows I need confirmation the movies are definitely in English, and I need a hard DVD jacket for them.  Very few people get this treatment, but then I always buy in bulk and come by fairly often.  He also provides quality copies, not crap videoed on an iPhone in a theater.

My strategy to outwait the rain did not work, in fact it just got worse just to spite me so I got a little wet under my tiny broken umbrella for the rest of the trek home.

I have downloaded the photos and can definitely confirm that this 75-300 lens is a huge disappointment.  The quality of the shots is way below even that of my old kit lens so I doubt I will be keeping it.  There is just no crispness to the shots at all and way too much graininess.

The Boys are a welcome distraction after my extended absence and I am sure they are missing Bella who should be home late tonight with the winner’s trophy from the bridge tournament, we hope.

Oh, it is still raining…

That was the day's excitement,   Cheers, Al  

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

Saturday June 29, 2013

Saturday June 29, 2013  update #497
Happy 17th Anniversary Jill & Ash.

My gosh, I stayed in bed almost 10 hours, probably because I knew there wouldn’t be any time for napping later.  I did my chores and received an email from the Coopera bunch that they were going to file a second injunction and wanted more signatures of interested parties, and their office was only going to be open until 2 pm, so I had to get active.

Once I got cleaned up I remembered to bring along some sundry items I brought from Canada for Peggy relating to the camera she bought from me, like a manual, etc.   She had indicated they would be at Joe’s tonight.

I caught the #16 to Parque De La Madre and headed up to this lawyer’s office only to find it closed, again, and it was only 1:15pm.  I was not impressed that this had happened twice in one week…  Fool me twice, shame on me, there won’t be a third time….

So now I had all this time on my hands.  I had already decided that I was going to walk the rest of the way to Joe’s and pass by the Earth Day celebrations in Parque Otorongo.  I took a few shots along the Tomebamba on the way.  The celebrations were split between two parks this year and nobody had a clue where the other park was located.  Right in Otorongo there were only a dozen tents selling knick-knacks and a huge sound stage so that was really disappointing.  Someone said the action and party will be tonight, but that there were a few more tents on the other side of the river. 

There were actually about 30 tents over there with a few more interesting offerings and some beautiful artworks.  There was also a dog adoption display by ARCA and I had to rush by the tiny puppies before I was tempted to stuff them in my pockets.   Innocent babies of any kind are my weakness.   There was one older dog that I really liked, docile, great eyes, and I loved the way she cocked her ears.

All those photos will be uploaded with tomorrow’s blog.

It was still really early so I decided to check in on Barbie & John who live a block over from Joe’s.  Someone had said that John looked pretty rough the last time they saw him.  I was lucky that they were home, primarily because they have guests in their lovely B+B.  John actually was looking pretty good, having a good day, he said.   He is still awaiting his doctor to set up his double hernia operation which has been in the works for months.  First John had a respiratory ailment that delayed things then his doctor took off for a while and has just returned.   Barbie however had the flu and was going through the hot and cold routines so I stayed far away from her.  We had a great chat though and it was nice to catch up on things because we really miss them at Joe’s.

I made it to Joe’s pretty well at 5pm and slowly the usual suspects began to arrive and I got a lot of “We sure have missed you” comments so that was comforting.  Joe and Joseph were very complimentary as well, so maybe the heart does grow fonder…  Thank you to Mark for being my surrogate photographer while I was away.  It was greatly appreciated.

I didn’t forget to give Peggy her camera stuff and she showed me this other tiny Sony she had just bought with a 20x zoom, bloody incredible!  The technology these days is truly astounding.

Richard and Sheryle, and Melinda and Bob, from Hearts Of Gold were in attendance so I sat with them tonight.  We have a HOG meeting Tuesday to begin planning our next adventures.  Richard is very busy lining up investors for his gold mining projects, also next week.

Lots of new faces again tonight at Joe’s and that is always a treat.

That was the day's excitement,   Cheers, Al  

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

Friday June 28, 2013

Friday June 28, 2013  update #496

I sincerely hope Bella and her bridge gang are kicking some butt up there in Banos-Ambato. 

I was awake early again so I did chores and uploads again for 3 hours before crashing for a while in the recliner.

The weather was a little dismal early on but it really brightened up to be a magnificent day in the afternoon.  I was determined to get outside and walk while I shopped for a couple of items so I caught the #15 up to the cementario (yes this is spelled correctly).   Since this was in my intended shopping area I wanted to give the new lens a workout and it did not disappoint.  The crisp images received from this new lens made the investment worthwhile so I hope you enjoy the photos today.

I walked over to the nearby Mercado and found what I hoped would be a 3V adapter for my new cordless headphones.   The box was not marked and the guy assured me it was 3V but later discovered it was 4.5V and did not quite fit anyway.   My other purchase was to find RCA audio cable splitters so I could connect my sound system and the cordless headphones simultaneously, since they shared the same jack.  I tried every little electrical shop at this Mercado and every shop on the way back home.  Victoria, the electronics store didn’t have it at Monay but Coral did, so my trip was 50% successful, and I did get my good walk today.

On the way I spotted a gorgeous 1937 Buick in a repair shop above our old rental place.   Gosh it would be such a treat to own such a classic car.

They were working on new power lines at several poles along Gonzalez Suarez.  The linemen were scrambling up these concrete poles with these metal and rubber friction contraptions on their feet that looked so awkward but genuinely effective.  The safety harness was dangling at their side and I never saw one of them in use….

There is a new hairdresser in our block who opened up about 4 doors down so I decided to get my ears lowered by her.  It looks good for now so we will see how long that lasts.   It cost $2.

I noticed that the tree immediately in front of our home has a new growth of leaves while other species of tree to the right are almost bare, taking their turn at the winter moulting.  We find it amazing that they go through this process even though the weather hardly changes, although the nights get cooler at this time of year here.

I threw all my clothes in the laundry and caught Pancho to give him a scrub-down with a hair brush mitt because he is shedding too much.  I want to hold him but his hair is everywhere if we try to pet him.

Since I had had a very late lunch I will be having a late supper then enjoy another shoot-em-up movie with Bruce Willis…

That was the day's excitement,   Cheers, Al  

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

Thursday June 27, 2013

Thursday June 27, 2013  update #495

I was up early again because I did not want to miss Bella’s departure for a bridge tournament in Banos-Ambato (below the erupting Tungurahua).  She is being joined by several local bridge players, many of whom are traveling by car.  Bella’s group was going by bus.   Bella is teaming up with Caty and they are rooming together in Banos.  They are seriously hoping to come back with a trophy.

I did my chores, uploaded some works for sale after my long hiatus, then went back to bed until past noon.  I went to Coral for a few grocery items then headed over to my favourite video store only to find it closed for lunch.  So I simply stopped at the crooked video store close to home and chose 4 movies, all action, to entertain me for a while.

I chopped up my cabbage and have enough remaining for 7 lunches.  I then watched one movie before starting to get into another Tom Clancy novel.

I only took one shot of some interesting sky so that can wait until tomorrow.

That was the day's excitement,   Cheers, Al   

Wednesday June 26, 2013

Wednesday June 26, 2013  update #494

I woke up before 5am and was wide awake so I just got up and did my chores.  Last night I tried to find the photos of my niece’s wedding in May and keep shaking my head because I have misplaced them somewhere, probably still on the computer in Okotoks.  I have checked and rechecked my laptop and my external hard drive countless times, always hoping they will mysteriously reappear, but no such luck.   Then tonight I got an email from my niece with some of the wedding photographer’s offerings and some of them are really priceless mementos.

I petered out again around 9am and crashed until around noon.  It was just a spectacular day so I had intentions of walking to downtown to meet the crew for supper.  I need to get into a regimen of exercise and

With the new furniture configuration in the living room we had decided that we needed to extend our partying family on the wall with 2 more figures.  Bella had found one more musician so I went to work on installing the needed wall anchor and, while I was at it, I also installed the anchor for the next figure we need to add.  When they are all mounted it should look pretty funky.

But then I received an email requesting that I check out some furniture for sale on GringoTree before I went for supper and I was given a location that was not shown on any maps, not even on Google.  The location was near an intersection way to the east, at the end of the #3 line, so I headed out, hoping I would be able to track it down.

Cuenca is famous for its lack of signage and house numbers.  From the directions it sounded like this street was only a block or so from the intersection given but that certainly wasn’t the case.  After asking several people I found the street 3 blocks south, 3 blocks east, and another 2 blocks south, and another block east.  Then there were house numbers and I was not given any phone numbers.  I wandered about and asked everyone in sight without any luck.  After finally enlisting the help of some neighbourhood children, they finally divulged that there was an English-speaking gentleman in this one particular house, so I rang.   First time lucky, it did indeed turn out to be my quarry, Les, aka Ron.  He is trying to sell a houseful of furniture at pretty high prices and really had some quality stuff, but he is going to have a lot of fun unless he is more reasonable.  Firstly, anyone brave enough to find his place had better have a fat wallet and a lot of patience, because he doesn’t want to part with any of his stuff until it is all sold and he is then ready to leave…  Our friends were interested in the dishwasher, and loveseat, ottoman and oversized chair that were listed.  My duty was to photograph them and test them for comfort.   I got shown everything he had for sale and I lusted for the king-size bed and a tall dresser but that is a pipedream for us.   No need and no money….

I then made it back downtown and crossed to the south side of the river to have burgers at the Chill Grill.  I showed our friends the photos and let them form their own negative opinion without any input from me.  The furniture is just too busy and all wrong for their décor.

In keeping with my new diet I did not finish my burger…   I am so proud of myself.

We were supposed to have received the judge’s response today to our petition for an injunction to stop the liquidation of the Coopera Credit Union.  It was promised in 24 hours but this is Ecuador, where manana means whenever… 

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

Sunday-Monday-Tuesday June 23-24-25, 2013

Sunday-Monday-Tuesday June 23-24-25, 2013  update #493

Sunday June 23:

After wasting five hours wandering around the smoky casino at the Grand Sierra, I retrieved my bags and headed to the the Reno Airport which may be small but I sure enjoyed their exhibits while wasting my 3 hours there.  The bighorn exhibit was like it was right out of a museum with the great background, etc.

My trek began with a very short flight to LAX in Los Angeles to have my shortest connection on this trip at only 2.5 hours.  The plane was a Bombardier CJ7 wiener plane and we had to descend the stairs on arrival.  Then we were led to a big bus to haul us to the proper terminal.  This seemed almost scary as convoys of vehicles are sharing taxiways with monster aircraft and driving in amongst parked aircraft and those trying to get in and out.  This is just an accident waiting to happen for sure.

I spent most of my time just grabbing a small bite and walking as much as possible to keep exercised amongst all the sitting around that I would do later.  They were griping about carry-on sizes so I checked my large carry-on right through to Guayaquil.  It only contained my clothes and toiletries so I wouldn’t miss it and wouldn’t have to lug it until my last stop.

The next flight was a red-eye to Miami, leaving at 11:40.

Monday June 24:

The flight arrived at 7:50am.  I had borrowed one of those bead pillows from my Mom and that certainly was a good move on my part.  Airplane seats are not very comfortable to start with and certainly don’t provide any ergonomic neck support.  That little pillow made the flights passably enjoyable.

While I am beginning to hate airports and their pricing, I do enjoy planes and watching the aerodynamics as they take-off and land.  My new camera and lens were enjoying these sights, especially from the vantage point of the moving SkyTrain.  Of particular note was a huge “DreamLifter” cargo plane on the opposite side of the tarmac.   According to Boeing “The Boeing DreamLifter is a modified 747, 400 passenger airplane, that can haul more cargo by volume than any airplane in the world”.   It makes the other airliners look like midgets.

Miami airport is nice and the weather was 83F before 9:30am.  Thank God for air-conditioning in those climates. 

Since my next flight didn’t leave until 3:30pm I had a lot of time to kill.   Riding the SkyTrain and walking the length of the terminal a couple of times helped accomplish that.   Miami doesn’t have any free wi-fi so I couldn’t use that to while away some of it.

We finally got underway to get to Guayaquil airport at 6:50pm and I hustled my butt to be quickly into the immigration lineup.  Luckily, security and immigration lineups were light for this entire trip and I am certainly thankful for those small mercies.  Then it was the mad rush to retrieve my bags.  They had some guys pulling most of them off the belts while others twirled around endlessly.   I found my big suitcase and the prior repaired hole had survived the trip all the way from Reno in good shape.   I ran around the area several time looking for the carry-on and was panicking when the belt buzzer rang and it stopped.  Wouldn’t you know it, my carry-on was the very last item to peek through those heavy plastic drapes on the carousel.  I was fortunate to get waived through the secondary x-ray and screening so I hustled out to grab a cab.  The distance isn’t great to get to the bus depot but I figured the next bus was at 8pm and I intended to be on it.  For some reason, they hide the ticket counters at the far right rear of the bus depot, behind all the sales shops, and as far away from the escalators up to the buses as possible.  Believe it or not, the Cuenca buses are up on the third floor and dragging the 3 bags has this old guys sweating like potential murder victim.  The buses are not air-conditioned either so, until you are underway, that hot and muggy weather has the waterworks of the body gushing forth.   Needless to say, I changed seats until I could get a seat by myself where I could open the window and stick my head out like a dog for the beginning of the journey.   The bus ride is a bit of a milk-run, stopping for passengers at several stops along the way.  It finally pulled into Cuenca at midnight.

Tuesday June 25:

A subsequent cab from Terminal Terrestre got me home around 12:30am.  Bella was still playing bridge so she wasn’t even home but I got a great reception from the Boys who were certainly glad to see me.  When Bella did arrive home we did get to compare notes on the many happenings on both American continents before snuggling up for a while.  

I got a decent 8 hours of sleep had a very welcome shower before the two of us headed out to try to sign a petition (as part owners) of the Coopera Credit Union to head off the proposed liquidation of a very viable institution.   The doors were closed at 11:50 when we arrived so we wandered over to Banco Pichincha to do some banking before coming back to try again.   This time the door was open and we met the Ecuadorian lawyer and another couple spearheading the drive to save Coopera.  Apparently they were off at the courthouse filing an injunction against the liquidation and we should have results by tomorrow.  This whole situation reeks, mostly of cronyism and dirty politics.  If there are crooked dealings by 3 individuals, not using Coopera assets, then why aren’t they only prosecuting those 3 individuals instead of putting hundreds of people out of work and killing a viable business owned by 20% of the population.   The stink of this process just won’t get out of our nose.

Bella had mentioned to them that she had been at the Monay Coopera Food Store on Thursday and yesterday and noticed almost empty meat and fish and dairy coolers, some with signs that they were damaged.  Again, this makes entirely no sense at all.  Bella volunteered me to go take photos of this because the lawyer wanted every shred of proof available, so I did that deed once we arrived home.

So much to do, and so little time…..

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

Sunday June 23, 2013

Sunday June 23, 2013 update # 492

I didn’t exit the hotel room until check-out time at 11am after making sure I was not leaving anything behind except a tip and a lot of snacks for the cleaning crew.   I dragged my bags to the Bell Desk and they took my 3 bags for temporary storage.

Trying to keep busy for 5 hours isn’t that hard in a huge resort like this.   I started to walk to Wal-Mart but it was really windy and cool and I wasn’t dressed for it so I just came back.   I tested my luck in a slot machine and lost my $4 in about 30 seconds so that was it for gambling this year. 

The sports bar was my haven as I watched the Blue Jays win a game 13-4 while watching Spain and Nigeria play soccer.   There was supposed to be some entertainment at 2pm near the pool area but it was still so windy and cold it didn’t appear that anything was happening.  I checked out the empty ballrooms and the 50 lane bowling alley (open 24 hours…. Why???)

The smoke in the casino area was giving me a headache so I was thankful when 4pm rolled around and I could gather my bags and catch the shuttle for the 5 minute drive to the airport.  I was the only passenger this trip and driver was a card, a retired former plumber who enjoys the 10 hour shifts of driving.  He thinks the kids of today are going to be in for a rude surprise when they find out there isn’t going to be enough jobs for whole generation of techno geeks.  I tend to agree with him.

I am presently in McDonald’s, enjoying their free wi-fi, still almost 2 hours before my flight leaves west to LAX.  Note that I am going west to make connections to go east and south…..  Thank God that it seems that the winds have subsided somewhat because the first flight is in a CJ7 Bombardier weiner plane.   Those earlier winds would have tossed us around like a paper airplane.

We hope all our friends and acquaintances are safe and dry. 

I wasn’t going to bother uploading my photos from today but, what the heck, it helps me kill some more time.  The photos, like the ones from yesterday, are totally untouched and right from the camera.

That was today’s excitement.  Hugs to all.  

Enjoy the pics at souvenircuenca.blogspot.com

Saturday June 22, 2013

Saturday June 22, 2013 update # 491

I was up early enough to be online and ready to check-in for my flights tomorrow starting at 7:35am but, hold the phone, My first flight was changed to 9:35am so I smelled trouble right away.   Sure enough, I would have arrived in Miami at 1:05pm and my connecting flight would have already left at 12:35pm.   I had not received any notifications of this so if I had blindly waited until tomorrow and been stranded in Dallas I would have been fit to be tied.

Almost 2 hours of scouring and re-scouring possibilities began with American Airlines whose personnel are always very pleasant and helpful but the options were all unpalatable.  Finally I ended up having to take a route starting with a flight out at 7:35PM tomorrow and now I will be lucky to reach home by 10:30pm on Monday. 

I have to check out of the hotel at 11am but luckily they will hold my bags at the Bell Captain’s desk until I have to leave about 4pm to get to the airport 3 hours early.    So you can do the math on the hours and it is not pretty.

That was just the start.  The turnout at the show today was awful and we did extremely poorly, so overall we haven’t even come close to covering our expenses.  I have since talked to Bella via email and we may have to re-think doing any more shows.   I would be a very viable business for someone willing to invest a little money, energy and marketing.  Anyone??

It was so bad today I did not have any qualms about packing up the booth except for a couple of packages and getting the box to the Business Center for shipping by 4pm as they had suggested.  It was a great suggestion because there was no line-up (and I would have died trying to lug this box all the way to my room, then bring it back in the morning).  I did sell one of the kits to a “be-back” before the show closed.  

I helped some of the neighbors pack up before coming to the room to check emails.   That is when I got the sad news that Ashley’s Mom, Dorothy, had passed away.  We are going to miss Dorothy and her vivaciousness and her ready smile.

We also got more news of the heavy flooding, this time including Okotoks as well.  The photos and videos on Facebook are mind-boggling.   Heck, even the Saddledome is flooded!

Since I had been eating mostly junk food here and I should know better, I decided to slip downstairs and enjoy a soup and salad.   I went with the recommendation of the waitress to try an Oriental Salmon Salad which was OK but not my style.  At least it was healthier.

As I was walking out of the restaurant some music started and they were announcing the nightly arrival of the “Wet” something-or-other and out came this parade of scantily-clad dancers and dealers who put on quite a show.   I had briefly heard of this from someone and seen some signs but had no idea that I would stumble right into it.   Anyway it was quite an eye-opener and I don’t dare post too many of the hundreds of photos I took, just joking…. But I did get some nice poses from some of these pretty lasses.

I then went to the front desk and paid up the room bill so I would have less things to worry about in the morning, just get out of the room by 11am and find something cheap and non-threatening to occupy 5 hours before beginning my odyssey.

In the elevator were 3 ladies who were part of a muscle/fitness show going on in one of the ballrooms.  Those tans are spray-on and can wash right off, very unnatural.

Back in my room I again checked my reservations and tried to check-in.   I had previously chosen aisle seats for all my flights but they didn’t register.   So back I was on the phone to American Airlines, first with a delightful young lady to get seats assigned before she transferred me to another nice young man who helped me get checked in after the system had refused me several times.   Now I have to dig out my laptop in the morning, down at the Bell Captain’s Desk where they will print my boarding passes for free.

That was today’s excitement.  Hugs to all.  

Enjoy the pics at souvenircuenca.blogspot.com

Friday June 21, 2013

Friday June 21/13 update # 489

Got word last night that Calgary, High River and many Alberta communities are experiencing heavy flooding, worse than in 1975.  It seems that most of High River has been evacuated and lots of damage.  We haven’t had much word about Okotoks though, except for a photo on YouTube showing a city sign almost under water.   We have many friends and relatives in the area so we sincerely hope everyone is safe.

Last night I took a quick walk to Wal-Mart to get snacks to last me until departure.  This place is sure pretty at night.

The show was marginally better today, starting off very well then tailing off in the afternoon.   We have no idea what to expect tomorrow but sincerely hope it is wall-to-wall with buyers.

I got a chance to take a few photos of some of the quilts on display here.  I know some of our quilting friends can appreciate the beauty and intricacy of these works of art.

The great ladies across the way, Nancy and Shelley, gave me an option to use their credit card capabilities which we had to use twice today.  Poor Nancy had so much trouble with the Front Desk charging her 4 times for her hotel stay and tying up all her cash so they apologized by giving them a suite with the muckety-mucks upstairs so they now have a great view, fridge, microwave and coffeemaker…. They also get access to the a free lounge with snacks and drinks so we got to experience that for one hour.

Anxious to get home already.

That was today’s excitement.  Hugs to all.  

Enjoy the pics at souvenircuenca.blogspot.com

Thursday June 20/13

Thursday June 20/13 update # 488

Strangely I awoke early but was determined to stay in bed until 8am.   I lasted until about 7:20 before some ridiculous pounding began to drive me crazy.   So I got up and tried to check emails but the Internet didn’t want to work.   I called the front desk and they referred me to another firm that handles ‘airport wifi’ but they were no help either.

The room doesn’t have a coffee maker so I was a little cranky already.   I went downstairs and picked up a coffee, a chicken wrap for lunch and a juice to last me through the day at the booth.

I decided to wait a bit to see which way the crowd would come in through the front doors and was quite pleased to see that they were turning right and going right past my booth and would be back when they navigated each aisle.  I t started off very slow, with a lot of “be-back” folks  so I made a decision to ask the show folks to get me a short half wall for the front side of my booth so I could install the one banner on the side which had the most traffic.  They showed up within about 20 minutes and the changes had an immediate effect.

Today was not a great day for sales and that is not a good sign because usually the first day is the best day, but starting on a Thursday is unusual so maybe Friday and/or Saturday will hopefully be a lot better.  It always helps when you have some good neighbouring booths and we do have that advantage.

After today’s work I just did a quick tour of the casino area and was tempted to try even just $5 but I decided against it.   It was better to just get a quick supper and relax in the room.   My legs are really exhausted tonight.

I finally found the Johnny Rockets out at the pool area.  They are apparently there on a temporary basis while the hotel finds them new digs.  After a forgettable $8 single burger I bought a Sprite at another booth and made it to the room.

That was today’s excitement.  Hugs to all.  

Enjoy the pics at souvenircuenca.blogspot.com

Wednesday June 19/13

Wednesday June 19/13 update # 487

I had emptied the humidifier in the morning so I had no white noise to sleep with and it was much too quiet.  I had maybe 2 hours sleep when the alarm went off at 3:30am to get ready.  Gord again kindly drove me to the airport and everything went very easily through United’s counters, then customs, so I had loads of time to have a leisurely breakfast.  It was very foggy in Calgary but we got away early, had to skirt some bad weather, and flew over mountains in Montana and Wyoming before arriving early in Denver.   My original seat assignment was the absolute farthest seat in the jet so I had been worried about only having one hour to make my next plane.  I knew that the plane wasn’t full from my pre-board attempt so I asked the stewardess to lease move me up if at all possible.   All the empty seats were the premium economy ones that very few people paid the extra $33 to fill.  The stew moved about 6 of us up from the back rows so we were happy campers.   If you don’t ask, you don’t get….  Because a plane was late departing from our anticipated gate allocation we ended up sitting on the tarmac and lost all our advantage, so it was great that we had gotten moved up.

The gate for the next flight was a very long walk so I was doubly thankful about the prior seat change..

The flight to Reno was uneventful and we landed right on schedule.   I wasn’t too happy when I saw my big suitcase though.   It was obvious that it had been opened and the back of it has a 5-inch gash.  I think baggage handlers get a stipend from luggage manufacturers.

The Grand Sierra Resort hotel is only a 5 minute drive from the airport and they have a free shuttle.   Too bad it only starts at 5am because I will need to be at the airport at 4am on Sunday.  It is funny to see the local cabs with advertising on their roofs for the houses of ill repute, which are legal in Nevada.

The hotel is huge and has all sorts of gambling, theatres, restaurants, pool, etc.   Lots of distractions for anyone who would be interested but I am not.

When I checked in I confirmed that our Benson Box with out Eleggant Hooks had arrived and were being kept in the Business Center.   After I dumped my luggage in the room on the 12^th floor I headed down there.   It only cost $15 to retrieve the box so I took it to the booth.  It didn’t take a rocket scientist to see that our booth was completely empty, no table, no chair…  The show director claimed that we had not ordered anything.   I dug and dug in my emails back in the room until I found the order which I emailed down to her.  I couldn’t reach Bella because she would have been playing bridge.   Bella later let me know that they never did charge us for it, but in the meantime everyone was gracious and helpful to get us a table and chair.

Set-up did not take long but we are located on an odd corner and not very visible.  The folks will visit every booth at least once so I am not overly concerned but, if tomorrow is bad, I am going to ask for a full side wall so I can make our banners more visible from both directions.

Then I went for a very different pizza supper then did a quick wander around the casino/theater/restaurant floor.  The smell of smoke is pervasive and drove me from the premises in short order.

The hotel room is large and always sleep well in hotels.   I can create enough white noise and cool air with the air-conditioners for a good sleep.

That was today’s excitement.  Hugs to all.  

Enjoy the pics at souvenircuenca.blogspot.com

Monday-Tuesday June 17-18, 2013

Tuesday June 18, 2013  update #486

Two blogs today, for Monday and Tuesday.

I awoke much too early but my brain was working overtime with a few last minute things I would have to do so I just got up and got started.  My cousin Maurice Jalbert came to visit this morning, having flown in from Regina the night before.  Maurice is coming back with me to Ecuador after we do our show in Houston to spend 2 weeks and tour the country.  2 weeks isn’t very long, especially when a trip to Mindo is a necessity. 

We went to Mr Spud for a brunch of fish ‘n chips and I was quite surprised that the lady proprietor remembered me, and my usual order!  She was quite proud that they had just been notified that they had been voted in the top 3 in the Foothills in 3 categories, getting 2 Gold and one Silver awards.  This is nothing new for them as they are one of the best food places in town.

Maurice and I discussed some of the things that would be good to bring to Ecuador, etc, and shot the breeze over many issues.

Maurice had to be away by noon so we made it back in time and he was nice enough to grab a couple of items that I could not take with me on this trip because of weight restrictions.  We will have to wait until November for good peanut butter, etc.

I began the final processes of packing, etc., doing my last laundry load and getting caught up on my Internet chores.  I tried to pre-board online, but because I am going on United, with a Canadian passport, I will have to dick around at a kiosk in the airport in the morning.

I then caught an hour’s nap before heading into Calgary to get Mom.  She was quite happy to come out to have Wings in Okotoks again, this time at Original Joe’s.    We met the usual bunch, Gord, Em, and Paul (everyone else is away until later this month), and we were joined by my sister Leonie, husband Brian, and Debbie who is our house-sitter.  A good time was had by all.

The return trip to Calgary was a little sad because it would be the last few moments I would have with my Mom until I return in February.

On return to Okotoks I had to put another $60 of gas in the Buick and pump up the tires, especially the right front which seems to have a chronic slow leak.  I may be a flaw in the aluminum rims, I’m not sure.  I then parked it carefully, backing it into the garage, and disconnecting the battery.   Hopefully that will help the battery survive until Bella gets here in November.  The last order of business tonight will be to drop the insurance coverage than maybe I can get a couple of hours sleep before getting up at 3:45 to head to the airport and to Reno.

Sorry that I just wasn’t in a picture-taking mood today, although we did see a nice deer along the highway but couldn’t stop.

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

Monday June 17, 2013  update #485 

I prepared more for my departure, washed clothes and bedding, etc.  I am crossing my fingers that everything left is going to fit in the suitcase or carry-on.   I didn’t get out of my grubbies because those will be last load of washing for tomorrow.

I didn’t venture away from the house at all and we only had one mild spell of rain here but they had tornado warnings to the east.

Deb came home from her trip to Hawaii and says she enjoyed snorkeling and swimming and their stay in a fabulous home.

No photos and not much news so I won’t even bother posting this today.

That was today’s excitement.  Hugs to all.

Sunday June 16, 2013

Sunday June 16, 2013  update #484

Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there.

I haven’t managed to get a real gorgeous Alberta sunset yet, but I did get pretty nice sky and silhouette last night.

I made the mistake of stepping on the scale today.  ‘Nuf said… this boy is losing weight on his return to Ecuador!

I told Mom I would be in at 2:30 today and I barely made it on time because of construction and car accidents.  I installed Mom’s new thermometer on her bedroom window so she was very happy about that.  She had mentioned a couple of times that she wanted to go see the flowers at Sacred Heart church so I looked up the address and ugh… it was almost downtown.  I asked her if she wanted to go there and her eyes lit up so off we went.  It is a nice enough brick church on the outside  but I didn’t see one flower, which I thought was surprising.   I asked Mom if she wanted to go in, and she didn’t, so I just made a quick run inside, took a couple of shots and came back out.  Mom asked if they had a bathroom in there and I said yes, so I walked her inside.  There was some sort of ceremony going on with the Filipino priest, and what appeared to be a mostly Filipino congregation, but it wasn’t a mass.

As Mom was coming out she made a point of grasping the hand of the statue at the door and then said something to the effect of “Well I sure didn’t think I was ever going to get to see this church, much less pee in it, and shake hands with Jesus.  Maybe this will help me with my pee problems.”  I couldn’t help laughing over that one.

I drove Mom back and then came back to almost the same area near downtown to help my friend Keith with his groceries.   He had invited me for a barbeque but his muscle problems make it really difficult for him to manage many of the simplest tasks.  His landlord, Bill, came down to join us and then we were joined by Keith’s friend Gerda who is a long-distance walker and a saxophone player.

After a nice glass of wine Bill offered for us to dine upstairs where there would be more room, etc.  Keith had bought 6 lovely sirloin steaks ($53!) and we got Bill to grill them perfectly.  I made the salad and the dessert and we were away to the races.  I was savouring every mouthful of that delicious Alberta beef and didn’t want the meal to end.  Bill’s other half, LeeAnne, joined us after supper and we all shot the breeze for a while.

Then Bill disappears for a moment and comes back and puts a box in front of me that looks just like the lens on my camera, and tells me I can have it.  I am shaking my head at my good fortune then realize that this is a coffee cup that looks like a lens!   It is so realistic it had me fooled completely.

Bill and LeeAnne have constructed this gorgeous house and their kitchen is any cook’s dream.  Bella would fall in love with it instantly for sure.   They also have 3 rescue female dogs that are protective and smart as whips.  Would you believe these dogs can read?  They show the dogs pieces of paper with either of the words ‘down’ or ‘sit’, and the dogs obey and get a treat!!! 

I finally got home after 10pm but I am determined to get this Blog off tonight.

That was today’s excitement.  Hugs to all.

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