Friday November 9, 2012

Friday November 9/12  update #280

I had to be up early as I volunteered to sell the Xmas Gala tickets this morning.   The girls went out to get some manicures and pedicures, some shoe repairs, and then take a city bus ride to the northwest corner of the city.   I understand they had a chicken dinner at Segundo’s restaurant on Paseo de Los Canaris.

We had some fun with the gate at Hearts Of Gold refusing to close but I somehow managed to coax it shut, twice.   We had lots of visitors for various things today so the time passed quickly.

Walking up Avenida Solano I saw a futbol game going on, on the boulevard, with cars and buses zipping by on both sides.   I held my breath when the ball ended up in the traffic.

I then scooted up the hill to El Centro and went to the software place, only to find it closed.  I had seen Jay and his friend Steve at the Coffee Tree so I asked them to join me for almuerzo at Long Street, so they did.  While we were discussing this we saw two policemen rousting up 3 teens and checking through all their clothes for drugs presumably.     

Steve wasn’t hungry but Jay certainly was, so we enjoyed a wonderful meal from our favorite Ecuadorian cook.  The soup and the meal were superlative as always and had Jay raving about them.

I went back to the software store and exchanged the Adobe PhotoShop CS6, Apple versions, for Windows versions that the fellow copied while I waited.   I also picked up a copy of Lightroom 4 for $3.

Next I decided to go to that video store again and gave the lady my old wish list.   She actually found a few of the titles I wanted and we did some negotiating.   I made her check every single DVD I was buying to be certain they were in English, and that the lips matched the sound.   Even though she was certain that they were all in English, we found about 10 that weren’t!  Some of them showed that it was supposed to have an English track, but they didn’t, so it was very strange.   In short, I came out with 28 titles on 22 discs for $22.

I noticed Raoul’s new place is closed in and looking good.   I’ll have to stop by tomorrow and have a closer look, if I get the chance.

I came home to find that Bella and Mavis had already returned so Mavis and I tried to download both new discs of the Photoshop CS6 to no avail.   We kept getting the errors that the disc couldn’t set up some required files.  So I guess I will be going back for refunds in the morning.

Mavis helped me catalogue my movies which saved me a lot of time.

Bella cooked me a separate supper of the smoked sausages that I had purchased at SuperMaxi.   I was hoping to find something that was very close to the Smokies at home and thankfully these fit the bill nicely.

I then helped Mavis download photos from her phone, adjust them all in PS, then upload them to her DropBox folder for family and friends to enjoy.

Now, while concentrating on my own photos I decided to take an extremely long shot of the amusement park a mile away at night.   The shots are somewhat interesting, but certainly not what I had hoped for.

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

Thursday November 8, 2012

Thursday November 8/12  update #279

Bella and Mavis went to the weaving store this morning to get reacquainted with all the crafts people.  They get busy and crochet and knit stuff for cancer patients, etc.  Bella is always very popular with the ladies because of her extensive knowledge in those crafts.

I spent my morning uploading to my photo sites and it is always gratifying to see my work featured in many groups and favoured by many other artists.

After the ladies got home and had lunch, we hopped on the #15 to go to the top of El Valle and explore.  We walked the road above the church and came across this cute family and really giggled when this pantless boy was searching the laundry for something dry to wear.  They were quite happy to pose for us, except the matriarch always dropped her head and did not smile because she had very few teeth, and those weren’t going to last long either.

I still love the extreme quiet and feel so at home up there compared to the city.

We saw many animals and also many folks working in their large gardens, most of which seem to be freshly hoed for planting soon.   We even saw a man unhooking two bulls from a single blade wooden plow.   I later got their silhouette travelling on the ridge.

The house I had been eyeing up there appears to have been sold, or at least the For Sale sign is down.  It was reportedly 1820 sq ft but we had a pretty good look at and the house appeared to be maybe 900 sq ft on the main floor with only a ½ second floor.   They were also asking $135,000, way over the usual asking price around $50 a sq ft.  Oh, well, I can still dream.

The house across the street is progressing very slowly but they have begun bricking in the outside walls now.

Mmmmmm Lomo Fino (Filet Mignon) for supper….   So-o-o-o-o good!

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

Wednesday November 7, 2012

Wednesday November 7/12  update #278

We coordinated jumping on the # 16 bus with Paul Wolf this morning to see his photos, and those of Christine Magee on display above the Kadaffa Café on Avenida Solano.   We were too slow getting to our bus stop so we caught the #15 and actually got ahead of them by a block!  The exhibit is quickly throw together, poorly advertised, and there are no signs outside, so the show is bad for the artists.   Paul and Christine’s work is superlative, but there is just nobody finding it in this remote spot.   It is really too bad.

Bella had to cash a cheque drawn on a particular Credit Union and did so with no problem.   She had tried to deposit a US cheque at Banco Pichincha yesterday by showing her Bank Debit Card and was refused by the minions on the ground floor.  Today we went up to the “Private Banking” folks we know and asked what the problem was???   We talked to Diana and she said they would handle it for us up there as long as we endorsed the cheque and showed our account number.  No problemo.

Next we went up the stairs to El Centro and checked out The Remigio Crespo museum which had all kinds of old artifacts before stopping at Sabor Latino on Calle Larga for lunch (almuerzo).   We noticed a new lady behind the counter but were hoping it would be the same great menu, just a replacement cook…  Actually the meal was less money, only $1.50, but the soup was pasty potato soup, not to my liking at all.    As we departed there, we saw another new lunch place opened up just 2 doors away called Long Street Café Bar, at 6-60 Calle Larga.  We were pleasantly surprised to see the former lady from Sabor Latino now running that place, so we promised her we would be back to have lunch with her another time.

We stopped at a premier software shop, not far from the Coffee Tree (which is mysteriously closed) and Mavis and I each bought a Photoshop CS6 disk for a whole $5.

It was threatening rain but we headed for the San Francisco market anyway.   Mavis was looking for Christmas gifts for many of her extended family so we had many, many bags to cart home upon completion.   We did some shopping at one booth, then went and had juice, coffee, and a beer, respectively at a nearby lunch place.  Then we returned to a different booth, bought more stuff, then went back to the original booth and bought more.  The fellow at the original booth gave Mavis a “yapa”, free gift of a shawl, for spending so much with him.

We caught a cab home and I tried to load the CS6 on my computer with Mavis watching.   I felt pretty stupid when nothing would load and the instructions made little sense to me.  I even “phoned a friend” for help but we were none the wiser after that.   I had noticed many references to Apple in the instructions but kept hoping there were some dual instructions because we had specifically told the man we wanted the Windows versions several times.  When Mavis showed me the Apple logo on the packaging I was a tad upset at these guys so they will be seeing me tomorrow!

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

Tuesday November 6, 2012

Tuesday November 6/12  update #277

Today the three of us caught a bus over to Joe’s Secret Garden for a special luncheon with the Bridge group put on by our good friend Bettye Petersen.   The meal was a shrimp pasta dish that was absolutely superb!!   Thank you Bettye for allowing us to come!   We ate outside in the BBQ area and the weather brightened up.

I was a seatmate with Chris Petersen and a lovely lady named Joanna, and we were occasionally joined by Manon Stephenson.   Joanna is the nice lady who is going to help us get the Poor Man’s Galapagos on Isla de La Plata in about 10 days.   Bella has the trip all planned.

We abandoned Bella to play bridge while I went to the Las Americas interchange to meet Jay Shink as well as Dan and Chona Pamenter.   I showed them where the Visa office was then took them for a quick tour of Joe’s. 

We were joined outside by Chris with his new responsibility, a cute Papillon dog named Jedi who actually belongs to Brad and Cindy.  

From there we went to Feria Libre for a quick tour.  Some of the female market sellers were having fun with us when we were taking their photos.  Mavis felt very sorry for all the animals for sale there, especially the puppies.

We then caught the #11 bus to Banos which unexpectedly stopped short of our destination at the church.   Luckily it was a short uphill walk.  We tried to find a banos (bathroom) but found that is pretty difficult in a spa town of the same name!   They kept giving us maps to the various hot springs.

We managed to get some nice photos of the church against some very dramatic skies that soon opened up into a ½ hour downpour.   Unfortunately Dan had a breakdown of his camera mirrors so he was unable to see what he was shooting through the lens.  It abated enough for us to begin our descent down the mountain. 

Time was running out on us so when we saw the #11 waiting at the stop we just hopped on and headed back.  Jay got off at Feria Libre while the rest of continued downtown.  We stopped at the Fuji store to get their recommendation for a repair shop.   Oddly enough they recommended another Fuji store 5.5 blocks away.  We left Dan & Chona at Parque Calderon and proceeded to Ristorante La Vina to meet Bella for supper.    I never get tired of their wonderful pizza!

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

Monday November 5, 2012

Monday November 5/12  update #276

I had my first good night’s sleep in ages, purely from exhaustion, and I slept in until almost 9:30.   The girls decided they were doing outside chores all day today so I was on my own.    I tried to arrange meeting Jay today but I guess our timing was bad as I didn’t hear back from him.

I emailed veronica Maldonado with the Chamber Of Commerce to see why we haven’t heard anything about Expat Appreciation night this year.  The “fist Annual” was last year on November 10^th.

I started to upload my photos to two sites and I noticed the weather was turning sour pretty early and it started to rain.   I just went back to bed for 2 more hours.   I know I will pay for that tonight unfortunately.

At 4:00 it was still raining when the girls returned with their haul from shopping.

We had a lovely supper and then we all sat down and watched two movies.

That was today’s excitement.   No photos today, Recharging our batteries.   Hugs to all.   

Sunday November 4, 2012

Sunday November 4/12  update #275

Today I was up at 4:20 to finish off my photo duties because we were all rising early to go to 9am mass at Immaculate Conception Cathedral in El Centro.  It turned out the mass was at 9:30 so we took a quick trip to the Cathedral crypt for Mavis’ benefit.  When we came out we discovered we had been locked in and a hapless priest was frantic until he found the right nun to free us.

We went to the Diez De Agosto Mercado for a hornado lunch of pork.   That is a nice treat.  Then we headed to show Mavis the view from Laura’s Antique Shop’s roof, then descended to go to that wonderful maypole sculpture.  We heard the story behind the sculpture as follows:  When a large family gathering occurs, there are always multiple children to keep occupied, so they will hoist up “presents” to the top of this “maypole”, grease it well, then sit back and laugh as the kids try to shimmy up the pole to reach their prize.  Naturally they can’t do it without a lot of help, so the kids are kept busy for a long time while they provide the adults with much amusement.

Bella was headed to play bridge at Joe’s so Mavis and I were left to go shopping at the artisan fair lining the banks of the Rio Tomebamba.  Mavis has 16 grandchildren to get Christmas gifts for so we found many beautiful items this day.  We kept making our way east and stopped at the Broken Bridge for a while to view the many artworks.   I noted they still had not sold my favorite 3D painting of Jesus.

While taking a few shots I noted another photographer with many lenses shooting from above before descending to the riverbank.  I went over to chat with him and we got along well.  Dan from Wisconsin and his lovely Philipino wife, Chona, joined Mavis and me as we headed east to El Vergel, the Pumapungo Inca ruins, then the Metals fair.  

I was trying to time everything so we could meet Bella at Big Kabuda’s for supper around 5:30.   It started to rain while we were in the metals fair so we had to dig out the jackets and umbrellas for the few blocks to have our supper.  Dan and Chona joined us and really enjoyed the burgers that Jesus and family serves up.   Jesus served us a Venezuelan dessert with some fruit that tasted somewhat like apples with nutmeg.   Not bad….

We caught a taxi home with all five of us cramming in and had some lovely conversation.   Meeting new people is always fun and I got to compare notes with Dan and hear about his exploits and the different companies he operates.  They are seriously thinking of moving here but have many companies and properties to divest themselves of, as well as trying to arrange for the immigration of about a dozen family members.

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

Saturday November 3, 2012

Saturday November 3/12  update #274

Today was one busy day!!  I was awake at 4:30 and up at 6am to do multiple photo uploads, etc, until the gals woke up to.   Bella put me to work hanging on the walls 3 more items she brought from home.  They look pretty darn good in those spots.   Thanks again to Emily Berberich for the lovely hand-made quilted cat wall hanging.

Bella even brought the Boys’ little tent which we have set up on the tabletop on the terrace and they are sure enjoying the shelter from the gorgeous sun we have been having.

I updated Bella’s new computer to include Skype with the same old information and tested it out.  It works.  She is under bbourassa50.

The two military jets that were flying yesterday brought 3 more buddies today and buzzed us a few times, of course always when I had no camera at my fingertips.  There is only about a 5 second window to catch those guys.

Bella and Mavis went to Coral for a few supplies while I was working and then I got a surprise call from Paola and Julio (the nice Ecuadorians who rescued us at the zoo months ago when we got caught in a downpour) inviting us to lunch at 1:30.   We readily said yes!

They arrived right on time and all the children were with them, Carolina, Rafaela, Juliano.  But a huge surprise was when Jan, their mentor from Holland, jumped out of the vehicle!  What a great reunion!! 

All the boys piled in one vehicle and all the ladies in the other for a trip to the Cajas for lunch.  We went to Dos Chorreras which serves excellent trout.   However, since we were having Trout Almondine at Joe’s later, Bella and I opted for the beef and Mavis had the pork.   We were also joined by Julio’s brother, Juan Carlos, his wife Wilma and their 3 boys..

We had a delightful afternoon solving the world’s problems and enjoying the ambiance.  It was so nice to see everyone again, and the added surprise of seeing Jan again was very special.  Jan is a world traveler and a very interesting and well- read man, as most Dutch people are.  Paola said she would call me to go to a soccer match, as Julio doesn’t care for soccer but she loves it.

Dos Chorreras is a monster place with trout ponds, Horn Billed white geese, and a black swan.

They drove us to Joe’s Secret Garden by 5:30 and we brought them in for a look.   They were very impressed with the garden and the huge palm tree.  We have made plans to meet with them all again shortly.

Joe’s was sold out again tonight and we got to sit in the library tonight which is so much quieter than the main room.  Somehow we managed to eat another whole meal and rolled out of there.

Today is the Anniversary of Cuenca’s Independence so we caught a cab to Los Sauces, hoping to replicate the fun we had in that community last year on our second day in Cuenca.  We were so disappointed that there was absolutely nothing going on there, so we sadly continued on home.   Actually we were secretly relieved because we had already had a very full day, and I had lots of chores to complete with the photos.

Our eyelids felt like some lead weights have been added, but we struggled to get all the photos processed tonight.  We finally collapsed in bed at midnight and got up at 4:20am to finish the upload of Joseph’s photos and to do these two blogs.

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

Friday November 2, 2012

Friday November 2/12  update #273

While waiting for my arrivals from Canada I heard some odd buzzing and looked out to see two planes/jets streaking back and forth in tandem across the sky.  From this distance it was tough to ascertain, but I am positive they are military judging from the payloads on the undercarriages.  I figure they are part of the Cuenca Anniversary celebrations happening this weekend.

Bella and Mavis arrived as expected around 1:30pm  and we set about the unpacking of 6 suitcases and 2 backpacks.  I can’t believe all the stuff they brought.  Our kitchen is now very well stocked with appliances and gadgets and spices, etc, although some items mysteriously never made it here.  Maybe the Customs guys like Hy’s Seasoning Salt too….

Bella took Mavis on a short walk in the neighborhood and it was comical how they witnessed a puppy vs rooster confrontation almost outside our front window.  A silly puppy was no match for the upset rooster!

I made a pasta supper and everybody settled down.   I spent 3 hours setting up Bella’s new laptop which was a bargain for about $380.  I get so frustrated with the newer versions of Windows where you can’t find anything any more.  I installed Firefox and Google Chrome so hopefully we never have to use Windows crap.

I have much to do with some of my old software that Bella brought along and not enough time.

Tomorrow promises to be very busy with the Anniversary celebrations in full swing.

We have now been in Cuenca officially for 1 year today….

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

Thursday November 1, 2012

Thursday November 1/12  update #272

Art, art, and even more art!!!   I spent the day beside the Rio Tomebamba, just below El Centro, going through all the artisan booths stretching from the Broken Bridge to Otorongo.   Much of the art is amazing and so well priced.   Some of the artisans are so very inventive and talented.   I managed to restrict myself to spending only $10 but I am looking for someone to loan me $300.    See the photos and you will know why!

I met lots of folks I know on my 4 hour odyssey and had lots of chats.   I even ran into Jay early on, and he was helping his landlady’s daughter, Gabriela, to find some paintings.   I mentioned I had seen some exhibited when passing on the bus, at the Broken Bridge and not far from the Electrica Empreza building.    I later went by the Broken Bridge and I am still drooling over one piece in particular….   Did I mention the need for $300????

I took lots of shots so please enjoy the wonderful art.

Oh, and I found out that we can find out about most happenings in town on the town’s website  http://www.cuenca.com.ec and then just click on any of the 3 Agenda flags ½ way down.   Someone actually managed to hand me the November book today.   When I had asked for it yesterday they had none at the iTur office.

About 8:15pm I thought we were having a military firefight behind us, it sounded like so much gunfire, and close…  I finally caught a glimpse of the last burst of fireworks from the Monay Mall area. 

The house is clean and I am now doing laundry to await my sweetheart’s arrival tomorrow after lunch.  Gosh, 3 months is a long time and I will be glad to have her back.

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

Wednesday October 31, 2012

Wednesday October 31/12  update #271

Today I made arrangements to meet Jay at 10am at El Vergel so we could explore a metalworkers exhibition in the area.  Jay managed to get there by taxi  and we found the museum but were dismayed to find out the exhibit did not open until 5pm!   So we had lunch and visited the many neat shops and marveled at some of their incredible talent and artistry.  We were quite surprised to be greeted in English, especially by ladies in ethnic costume at a store selling Peruvian clothing.  We had a few chuckles there with one fellow wearing a devil’s face balaclava and performing for us.

We got many shots around El Vergel and the Pumapungo Inca ruins.   They had the llamas tied up right on the ruins, no doubt acting as live lawnmowers.  I showed Jay where Big Kabuda’s Restaurant was, then we climbed the hill and toured the Banco Central Museum.

Jay had to go home and charge up his camera battery and I needed to pick up my hard-earned cookies from Carole Walter in Rio Sol.  Carole and Ray have a lovely townhouse in the back of Rio Sol and we spent a good hour looking at photos they had taken on a Rhine cruise.

I wound my way back home and threw the cookies in the freezer, changed my shoes and climbed the hill again to catch the #3 downtown. 

Jay and I met again at 4pm as there was supposed to be some All Saints Day celebrations at Parque Calderon.  Nothing much was happening so I started to show Jay the sights, like the mimes, and the Justice Building, and we also tried to find a spare battery for his camera without success.  We went by the San Francisco Market and decided to get off our feet and have some supper.  Jay bought the pizza at La Vina and we both enjoyed our meal and a beer and the few minutes rest for our aching feet.

We went back to Parque Calderon but there was still no action at all so we called it a day and went our respective ways.

Tonight is Hallowe’en of course but there are no goblins or ghosts running around here.

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

Tuesday October 30, 2012

Tuesday October 30/12  update #270

I was at Hearts Of Gold again this morning and we have now sold almost 30% of the tickets in our pre-sale.

While I was there I got a call from John, a fellow I had met at Parque Paraiso twice.   He had mentioned on Sunday that he had seen a poster about a Rodeo somewhere Nov 3, but couldn’t remember where.   He called to say he saw the poster at the Miraflores Super Maxi but couldn’t give me any more details…

I left my shift early because I had to be home for Rosa’s arrival for housecleaning.  I had a quick lunch and as soon as Rosa arrived, I caught the #15 to downtown hoping to catch the #28 to Super Maxi but it never seems to show up when we need it so I started walking.   It really wasn’t a long walk but it started to sprinkle, then rain, so I was thankful I had thought to put my mini-umbrella in my fanny pack.

I found the poster and didn’t like that the tickets were $20 for the Rodeo, nor that the times conflicted with our other Saturday plans.   Too bad!   I am sure it would be worth seeing.   However, by the time we leave Joe’s and get to party at Los Sauces for the Cuenca Independence celebrations, that will have to trump the Rodeo.

So I decided to do my grocery shopping at Super Maxi, something I haven’t done since Bella left.  I had a very short list but still spent $60 by picking up sundries that are hard to find anywhere else.   While I was there the heavens opened a couple of times and we could really hear the downpour bang on the roof.  I did my shopping leisurely while I waited for it to subside.   It was back to a sprinkle by the time I had to catch the cab home.

Rosa has been such a good worker and she said she still could use a couple of more customers so I told her I would give her a recommendation on GringoTree.   She is anxiously awaiting Bella’s return to help her set up Internet payments for her monthly RUC government payments.   It is too much of a hassle for Rosa to have to go to their offices to pay the monthly billing.

I am looking forward to having some corn on the cob for supper tonight, one of life's simple pleasures.
Blogspot is giving me fits lately.    When I upload my photos it continuously fouled up the order of them.  I see they are now solving that problem by not letting me upload ANY photos!!   Thanks again Google...

That was today’s excitement.   Hugs to all.   

Hunka hunka burnin' love, up the street from us

Yonder rodeo poster

Monday October 29, 2012

Monday October 29/12  update #269

I was requested by Emilie at Hearts Of Gold to show up if I had nothing better to do, so I did.  I had about an hour’s sleep so I was anxious to get up and about anyway.   I did the full morning shift, went to the Coopera near the Chamber of Commerce to do the banking.    I took several shots of the progress in Parque De La Madre which seems to be really moving along now.   I tried to have lunch at the Inca Bar, known for its burgers etc, but it was closed so I climbed the stairs and had a couple of spicy shawarmas for lunch.  What a treat!

As I was rushing to get back to the office I was stopped by a small older Ecuadorian who was asking if I was interested in renting an apartment or not, as he had two for rent in the Oro Verde Hotel complex.  I should have realized right then that I was talking to the “Captain”, a friend of Chris and Bettye’s.  He is 83 years old and had just returned from piloting a ship through the Mediterranean.   He is quite the character and he made a few predictions that I hope do not come true.

I got back for the afternoon shift but ended up just resting on the loveseat for 3 hours.   We had three of my friends buy tickets in the morning so we have sold about 20 of the available 71 seats before they go on public sale.    I have also agreed to return in the morning for 3 hours before I have to rush home to allow Rosa in the house for cleaning.

I popped by Raoul’s new house to say Hello.  That building is really progressing now.

I went next door for supper.  I was just too late and too tired to cook.   I barely had the energy to feed the Boys.

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

Sunday October 28, 2012

Sunday October 28/12  update #268

I was up every 2 hours trying to finish off the blogs from yesterday but Blogspot was having trouble uploading so I would go back to bed and try again every time I woke up.   Very frustrating.

With very little sleep I awoke with a headache so I just did the chores and went back to bed.   I sent an email to Jay from Montreal to see if he wanted to see the festivities at Parque Paraiso this afternoon and he agreed.  My headache continued so I took a couple of Tylenol and caught the bus.   Jay met me by the bridge and I helped him set up his fancy Olympus camera a little.

We wandered the park but were shocked that the festivities reported to run 10am to 6pm Saturday and Sunday were nowhere in evidence.   When I went by the park in the taxi last night around 9:30pm the place was still hopping.   We could hear fireworks and loud bangs until 12:30 am.   Regardless we enjoyed a pork dinner and meandered the length of the park enjoying the families having fun.    My headache still wasn’t gone so I wasn’t too much in photography mode today.

There were families enjoying themselves and a couple of comedians for entertainment, but other than that there was only the handsome cab waiting in readiness.

We saw the spray paint artist showing off in front of a crowd and Jay was fascinated.  When he heard he could buy the painting he just witnessed being created for $10, he had his wallet out immediately.

Jay and I caught a yellow cab home where he got to meet the Boys and see our lovely home.   Peso and Pancho were very affectionate to Jay and he took an immediate liking to them.

Then we walked up to Coral at the Monay Mall where I helped Jay locate a few minor items and I introduced him to Jorge, the grocery manager.   Neither of us were very hungry so we just opted for a brownie ice cream sundae. Mistake.  It was delicious, but ice cream is never good with a headache.    

I am sitting here and briefly heard carnival-type music so I looked out the window to see the amusement park on the hill is lit up and apparently operating.  It certainly is colourful.

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

Saturday October 27, 2012

Saturday October 27/12 update #267

I locked the Boys out and had a good sleep.   Even so, I had another 2 hour nap before heading west.

A stop was made to briefly watch Jorge and his buddies play volleyball.   I got some shots of them with a pretty dramatic sky in the background.   This is so very common to get these threatening skies but we rarely get any rain from them.   They have to go west to the Cajas before they open up most of the time.

From there I caught the bus over to Joe’s Secret Garden, where the sky was already clearing up and it was a lovely late afternoon.  I would rather take outdoor shots at Joe's any day of the week since indoor shots are so finicky.

Today was Fried Chicken Day so Joe’s had lots of bookings and they tried something different, two evening seatings.   Some people were supposed to get fed at 6:30 then a second bunch would take over the seating at 7:15.   There was a lot of grumbling over this, because the first group worried that they would be booted out early to make way for the late group.  Then the latecomers were worried about standing around waiting and eating too late.  Somehow Joseph made room so everyone could get seated and all the grumbling stopped.   The fried chicken was perfection again tonight, as was the apple peach cobbler for dessert.

I got to finally meet Jay Shink from Montreal tonight.  We had been corresponding by email for a long time since Jay discovered my blog.  What a nice man!   He even brought us some cat food and spices from Canada!  I know the two of us will be getting together soon and I’ll show him around town.   He will be here at least 6 months.   I introduced him to most of the other Canadians in attendance tonight, like Garth & Orilla, Joanne & Kevin, and Mark & Karen.

My seatmates for supper were another Canadian pair from Milton, Ontario, Frank and Rita Chin.  We are so fortunate to make the acquaintance of so many interesting people at Joe’s.

Carol Walter was celebrating her 80^th Birthday this night and she asked me to take a quick portrait of her to send to her friends.  She promised to bake me a huge batch of 35 cookies for my trouble.

Another lady from Montreal asked me to send her some photos too.   She is originally from Hungary and met another Hungarian lady this night.

The taxis were very slow getting to Joe's tonight so I got home rather late.

I have encountered many problems trying to upload the blogs since 3am….

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

Friday October 26, 2012

Friday October 26/12 update #266

Couldn’t sleep so I was up most of the night uploading photos.   I had set the alarm for 6:30 to be sure I would arrive at Hearts Of Gold (HOG) on time at 8am, and I must have just nodded off before it rang.

I arrived early and helped out making a poster for Emilie to sell little crocheted baby’s outfits that are made by one of Sheryle’s employees girls.   Sheryle even stopped in for a bit, just before lunch.

We are up to 13 tickets sold but expect most of the tickets to be gone Monday and Ruesday.   I sent out a broadcast email to most Cuenca friends and got favorable responses from many already.

I caught the #16 home from near the stadium because I had forgotten the return route home, in case I need to catch it again some day.

I had a quick nap on the terrace and early supper.  I had toyed with the idea of going to the Deportivo Cuenca futbol match against 2^nd ranked Quito tonight, but I just watched a couple of movies instead.   I will make it an early night tonight.   No photos today.

That was today’s excitement.   Hugs to all.   

Thursday October 25, 2012

Thursday October 25/12 update #265

I woke up at 3am but forced myself to doze until 8:30.  It sure makes a difference when a person gets the proper rest.

I am enjoying the return of the water so much, even with the bonus of additional pressure, that I had another shower until the gas ran out.  It is a good thing that we always have an extra full tank on hand.

I hurriedly went through my chores and was dismayed that my efforts to set up a photography tour to Ona for Monday were for naught.  JD’s has let us down again.  Oh well, we will try again soon.

Today I headed to the Solano area, first to see a photography display at a Metals Museum supposedly on the corner of Solano and Diez De Agosto.  I checked all 4 corners and asked two Ecuadorians, both of whom spoke passable English, but they were no help.  I ended up walking up to the Kaddafa café and asked, and sure enough, it is upstairs where I took photos 4 weeks ago.  I never did see any sign saying this was a museum.  However my luck was holding true, it was closed until 3pm.

Unfortunately, my second item of business was to volunteer to sell Christmas Gala tickets at the Hearts Of Gold office across from Edificio La Fragata (where my Spanish teacher Christine, Bella’s bridge partner Yoshi, and H.O.G.’s Melinda all live).   My shift is from 2pm to 5:30 but they let me in early.  Emilie showed up at 2:20 and had to leave so I waited for Melinda who showed up around 2:40.   She showed me the ropes while she was waiting for three young English-speaking Ecuadorian volunteers for a 2:30 appointment.  These young ladies, one of whom who spoke flawless English because she lived in the USA until age 13, finally showed up at 4:30 claiming to have gotten lost.  These kind of volunteers are priceless so we discussed many ways of getting them, and their school, involved.

The day was very slow otherwise for me.   I only sold 2 entrance tickets, and 1 raffle ticket, all to myself…   I am now contracted to return tomorrow morning and Monday afternoon.

Then I walked all the way to Pumapungo to Big Kabuda’s for my burger fix.  Jesus and I had a good chat.   They are now open 7 days per week starting at 5pm.  Yippee!   We also discussed taking trips again.  He said he had checked Cosmos tours and will most likely take one of their tours.  I guess his wife has had 2 bouts with cancer so they know how precious their time is.   His wife actually looks better than I’ve ever seen her.

My next stop was to go to a university alumni concert at the Banco Central Auditorium for 8pm.  I was way early at 7pm but I suspected something was odd when there was a lineup starting and they had a box office open.   Hmmm, this was supposed to be a free concert, so I asked.  They said there was no music tonight, just a theatrical comedy concert.   So off I went again.

I was amazed when the #15 pulled up almost immediately at the bus stop and it was filling up.  I managed to get a seat before 2 stops, which was indeed fortunate because at the following stop the bus was jammed to the rafters.  I had hoped many would get off before my home stop but still more got on than those that got off.  At my stop I didn’t even try to barge my way out with my big backpack.   I just figured I would ride it to the top at El Valle and catch the next empty one back.

Well, one mile up the El Valle road the bus veers off onto a dirt road into the valley on the right!   We had taken the #15 many times during the day to El Valle and the bus had never veered from the main road so here we were, off on another adventure.  This bus swerved and careened on this back road then started climbing and climbing.  At every stop, many people disembarked.   I must have been the only one expecting a trip on the main road….  When he reached a point that I figured was about a block from the main road he made a quick announcement and everyone got off, leaving this bewildered Canuck shaking his head.   I walked up and asked him how I get back to Monay, he said to just sit down, so I did.   He didn’t even want 25c for the return trip.   Nice fellow.

Hmmm, brown coloured water again tonight…..

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

Wednesday October 24, 2012

Wednesday October 24/12 update #264

Still no water this morning at 6am.   I tried contacting Paul Wolf, my nearest friend near the Hospital Del Rio, to arrange to have a shower only to find that they have the same problem.   He sent me a news item in El Tiempo that says 60,000 homes were affected and that they restored the water after 48 hours, at 7pm and they would need about 3 hours to fill the reserve tanks.   Liars!!  Apparently they had a break in a water pipe from the treatment plant and repair efforts were hampered by rain and landslides in the trench.    It is amazing how much we depend on the water, showers, flushing toilets, drinking water, and mainly cleaning.  If we didn't have 1/2 a bottle of water we would be in deep trouble with the cats.

The neighbor next door was still doing their stupid pounding at 6:45am so I pound back on the wall to let them know it is not appreciated.

8:45am and we have dirty water but not with enough pressure to have a shower yet.   I am letting the water flow until it clears up and we get some pressure.   I was about to run over to Chris and Bettye’s across town for a shower because I couldn’t stand myself any more.  At least now, even a cold sponge bath is a welcome relief.

I have received the sad news that AAC is going to be closed down for a while, and maybe permanently.  All the founders are of the same opinion as me and have basically issued an ultimatum for more reliable physical and financial help from Miguel and the community or the school will not reopen.  Many of the dedicated volunteers are going back to the US or moving out of town so a fresh infusion of talent would definitely be required.  Many very dedicated people have put in a lot of time and money into AAC and we are truly sad to see this demise.

9:30am I had a quick nap until 11:15 then went to Coopera to get some cash to buy tickets to the Hearts Of Gold Gala.  It is an overcast, spitting rain, kind of day but it still felt good to be mobile.   I stopped in at the good video store but it had a sign “Regresso en 5 minutos” so I waited 20 minutes then kept going.

I went to Coral and picked up some cushions for my deck chair at a reasonable price (and they work great).  Then I picked up some cutlery and tried to find normal elastics without success.   I also ran into John and Kathy who take Spanish classes with Chris and Bettye.

When I got home there was enough water pressure to get hot water and it was running somewhat clearer so I tackled the dishes.  I know I am odd, but it actually felt good to be doing dishes.  I find it relaxing, except when the glass lid from the frying pan explodes next to me in the rinse water.  Luckily all the glass stayed in the water so it was an easy clean-up.

I had a great pork chop supper and did dishes again, then I showered.   I maust have been thrilled to have the water back because I did laundry as well.

My plan was to be done by 7:30 then catch the #3 downtown to a French music concert at Teatro Sucre.  The only #3 that came by drove right by me empty.  So I just headed back home, but not before spotting a place with movies on the corner by Coral.   I got 12 movies for $8.75, brand new..

So no photos today.  That was today’s excitement.   Hugs to all.   

Tuesday October 23, 2012

Tuesday October 23/12 update #263

I was up until 2:30 watching a movie, since I wasn’t tired because of the long nap.   Then a neighbour (this is 2 days in a row now) decides to pound on something starting at 6:45am for about 5 minutes, just enough to wake up the whole neighbourhood..  I find myself getting more upset each time with the rudeness of Ecuadorians when it comes to noise.  One of the neighbor’s car alarms was going off all weekend until I was almost going bonkers.  They just seem to think it is tough titty for everyone else.

Still no water this morning so I checked with the restaurant next door and she confirmed it was a neighbourhood problem so she must be really in trouble!   I asked Michael Berger to check what is happening so he managed to contact Etapa and they have indicated that we should have water restored by this evening.  I sure hope so, or I won’t even sleep with myself!   I’ll have to go out and get a temporary hotel room with a shower.

I could watch them craning up the supports for the rollercoaster being assembled at the amusement park on the road to El Valle.  Any Health and Safety professional would just shake their head in disbelief at the way they do things here.  

Hearts Of Gold are holding a fundraiser Gala Night at Joe’s Secret Garden on December 6th and I have volunteered to help sell tickets for the 70 spots available.  I am booked to work Thursday pm and Friday am.

I heard the familiar sound of a hummingbird and I saw one perched in one of Tom Thumb’s favorite spots.  It took me a while to get the feeder filled, etc, but it is now on the windowsill with the big silk flower like usual so we are hoping to see our little buddy visiting us again.

I waited for the metal shelf guys to come and install the terrace shelf at 2pm.   Finally at 3pm I just walked over there and saw my shelf, made of aluminum, sitting on one of the work tables.  They called out the owner and he asked if they could install it tomorrow.  It is always manana in Ecuador!  I flatly said no, that the agreement was to install it today at 2pm and it was now past 3pm.  I asked if the shelf was completed and he said yes, so they just started gathering tools and we headed to the house.  It came in shorter than we originally requested but that was OK, I was just happy to get this up for the boys.  When they tried to screw it into the concrete wall they realized they needed more bracing underneath to make it sit flat so they had to run back to the shop for 4 small braces.  It really didn’t take too long and they were very nice.   They were also very curious about the Boys too.  Bella’s long rug that she had woven specifically for an 8” shelf fits perfectly.   So far it hasn’t slid off anywhere so I am hoping we don’t have to do anything to secure it to the aluminum.  We might need those picnic table clips.

The Boys have been sitting out there since it was put up so we know we have done the right thing.  Peso can really watch all the swallows scoot by, one after the other, and he is just riveted.

Then I spotted that gorgeous yellow bird again.   He was desperately trying to dislodge a dead leaf from a tree so he is certainly nesting close by.   It was funny to watch him look at all the angles and then try to yank it in different directions.  He was persistent on this stubborn leaf and he seems to have gotten his prize after all his hard work.

7pm and still no return of Tom Thumb, or our water supply, darn it.

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

Monday October 22, 2012

Monday October 22/12 update #262

Last night I went to brush my teeth and there was no water.    And the boys had taken over my bed so I spent an uncomfortable night on the couch.   This morning we have tap water but it full of sediment so I had to use the bottled water for my coffee.

I turned on the TV to watch some Spanish news while I ate some granola for breakfast and now we don’t catch a single channel.    No news, movies, music or sports.  I sent another email to Jorge Vidal stressing the situation and he responded that they hope to resolve this quickly.

Rommie and Charles are returning in early December and are looking for a 2 bedroom furnished place near El Centro with no stairs.   If anyone knows of anything, please let us know.

The water from the tap got even worse later on, really brown and ugly, so that I didn’t even want to rinse dishes with it.

I was off to Coopera for banking and to pick up eggs, vegetables and fruit.   I brought home 3 bags of stuff for just over $12.   It is so refreshing to see fruit right off the trees, fresh, and without fancy packaging to drive up costs.

Did I ever mention how much I love palm trees??   Only a few times??   What a glorious morning to be out and about in the fresh air.

On the way back I spoke to Raoul whose home is now almost closed in.  He says the construction is going well.  I seem to recall he hoped to have occupancy in September.

Once I unpacked that stuff, I headed to Coral for a few more items, carrying our wheelie basket.  It was nice to see the river back to normal level.    I crossed the road and then decided to cross back to be sure the metal guy was going to have my shelf for tomorrow.  I looked both ways like usual and started across.  In the corner of my left eye I caught movement and reared back and held my breath while this grey car missed me by half an inch!  If he had had an aerial he would have taken half my face off!   I don’t know how I didn’t see him initially.   All I can think of is that he roared around the corner without stopping.  Whoever it was didn’t brake, or swerve, or anything.   Maybe they didn’t even see me at all??  My life flashed before my eyes as one of my greatest fears almost came to fruition.  One little slip and end up in hospital, or dead, with nobody here to back me up.   That is a trifle scary.

Oh, the metal shop boss wasn’t there but one of his helpers was assuring me there would be no problem.

I filled the basket with another $18 worth of sundries from Coral and rolled home with the basket.  I unpacked the groceries and noted the Coral “guaranteed fresh” cabbage was dripping water.   I was going to chop it up anyway but decided to pierce it to the center first.  Water poured out of it for 20 seconds!   It appears they are learning North American tricks here.   I called my buddy Jorge from Coral, who I has seen earlier, and advised him of the situation.   He is the grocery manager so I wanted to be sure he was aware of this.

The water from the tap has begun to run really clear again at 11:30 but at about half pressure.   At 2pm the water is basically shut off again.

The weather patterns here have returned to normal with bright beautiful mornings then a short rain in mid-afternoon.

There was a beautiful yellow bird nearby today.  He wasn’t in a banana tree, just in case you were wondering….   I can hopefully count on Betty M. to identify it..??..

I hopped in bed for a nap and awoke almost 3 hours later.  Still no water… just a trickle from the kitchen tap, not enough to replenish a toilet flush upstairs.

That made cooking supper interesting so I was thankful we have some bottled water.  I made some tilapia in white wine, butter, lemon and onions.  Mmmmmmmm Good!!  I heated some of my frozen mashed potatoes and only used ½ of that so those 30 potatoes I peeled are good for 10 meals.  Then I boiled up a package of Ecuadorian veggies and beans that I had bought this morning at Coopera for 76c.  I had my doubts but they were absolutely wonderful and the package was also enough for 2 meals!   Bonus!!

I just got an email from a fellow from Montreal that had been corresponding with me over my blog.   Jay arrived 5 days ago and is going to Joe’s on Saturday and wanted to know if I was going…   Heck YES, it is Fried Chicken Saturday and I am not missing that!!  And Jay has actually brought us some cat food from Canada, can you believe that??   Some people are so thoughtful.

It is now after 9:30 and still no water....  I thought they would have it back on at suppertime but that didn't happen.   I sure hope it is on in the morning so I can shower, do the litter, etc.

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

Sunday October 21, 2012

Sunday October 21/12 update #261

It is amazing the feeling of relief I have today after resigning from AAC.  I feel like I have my life back to enjoy my days as I see fit, to walk, to ride, to travel, to plan, and to photograph.  It was the right decision at the right time.

I noticed they are installing an amusement park again on the mountain going to El Valle.  This park was there a year ago and we were quite surprised that it was temporary and was dismantled.

Today there is a large gathering at Manon’s and many people were invited.   I had intended to go early to help her set up but had to wait to Skype with Mom and Leonie, feed the boys, then it was raining, so I got away later than expected.  I was going to walk to Coopera but the rain began again so I walked to the bus stop and caught the #16.  As it passed Coopera, the Credit Union seemed to be closed so I did not get off, but continued to Feria Libre where it wasn’t raining.   I walked to the Coopera there, but it was closed too.

I was hoping to find a tienda to buy some wine to bring but everything was closed so I walked to the Super Maxi.   I picked up a bottle of rum for $6.46, a 3-litre Coke and Sprite for $2.73 and a drinking thermos for $5.45 and went to the checkout.  There he tells me they can’t sell liquor on Sunday…. So I just gave up and walked away.

The crowd at Manon’s included mostly familiar faces but there were a lot less people than I expected to see.  I met Bev who was born in Regina, and we were soon joined by another new couple, Rick & Ali from Vancouver.  I also had a chat with Mike and Cody Hamilton about setting up small photo trip, maybe to Ola?  One of the people who joined our last photo trip had bought that fish farm that Bella had been eyeing on the Internet.   They have invited us to come down sometime.   I’ll have to work on that.

Chris and Bettye, John and Kathy, Brad and Cindy, and many other friends were there.  Peter and his wife (sorry, forgot her name) sat with us for a while and announced they had just celebrated their 50^th wedding anniversary.   Congrats.

I asked Chris how the morning party for the AAC went and was surprised to hear that he had not attended, and likely neither had Tom and Linda.  I hope Miguel was there, because at least he would know the reason why I was not there.  The frustration with Miguel has pervaded everyone so we are not sure what will become of AAC.

I only had one shot of Zhumir, a local drink one wit compared to flavoured lighter fluid, and I just kept adding mix because it was so strong. 

I left early and was home by 8pm.   I shared a taxi with Sterling, dropping him off at his apartment on Mariscal Lamar.  He says he is going to have another party on his rooftop patio in early December.

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

Saturday October 20, 2012

Saturday October 20/12 update #260

I spent most of the morning and afternoon confirming my decision to resign from AAC and trying to draft an email to the founding members accordingly.   While it was a heartbreaking decision it feels like an enormous weight has been lifted from my back.    I wish them well.

Then it was time to head to Joe’s.   I stopped at Feria Libre and tried again in vain to find the lady with the baby buns.   After a half hour of going up and down the aisles I just broke down and bought some cheese buns off a vendor.   I then delivered them to Manon’s place for tomorrow night’s soiree.

The supper at Joe’s was Duck a l’Orange which was good, but sparse.  The salad was delicious but small, then two of us at our table had very skimpy pieces of duck with very little meat and we were left hungry as they had no extras to give us.  The dessert was also very small so overall it was not very satisfying for the price.  Luckily we had entertaining and intelligent company at the table so it was a pleasant evening.

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

Friday October 19, 2012

Friday October 19/12 update #259

I spent all morning trying to put together a group of videos and powerpoint shows for AAC so we would have something to try on our new projector.   I confirmed with Chris first that he was not already preparing something.  I knew there was a great Travel Alberta commercial called “Remember to Breathe” that I could not find in any format except YouTube so I contacted them and they finally responded with an MP4 version for me.  I tried to find good Canadian videos as well and thought I had found a Government site with lots of videos but it turns out they are short, and huge….  And you have to apply for permission to download them.   Typical Canadian Government waste of time.

My satellite installer says my loss of many more channels is the result of the migrating Amazonas satellite and that he hopes to have a solution shortly.  Last night I was quite upset when ½ of my chosen few stations from Saturday now read “Scrambled” as well, and I now have no English news station at all! 

I made it over to AAC and started to set up for the projector, etc.   Surprise, surprise, Miguel popped in for 20 seconds to say Hello and was gone again.   Chris came with the projector and laptop and I supplied the internet stick with the content along with the speakers.

I warned the kids that we not tolerate anyone interfering with the projector.  Two brand new smart-ass boys decided to challenge us so they were summarily ejected.  That sure opened the eyes of the others that we were not prepared to put up with any nonsense during the show.  Oddly, Tom and Linda did not warn us they were not showing up but most of the rest came.  Someone decided to pass out milk and cookies during the show and I was not pleased with the constant interruptions and the inevitable spills everywhere.  Usually we save any food to the end, as a reward for good behaviour.

Needless to say, I am again reconsidering my involvement with AAC.  Miguel is never around and the male presence from the community has been lost somewhere.  Almost all the other volunteers have all missed a day this week without notifying anyone.   We almost never know who is going to show up and who is prepared to do what on any given day, even though it has always seemed to work itself out thus far, mostly because Richard is so keen to teach.  What will happen when he and Cathy leave the country in 2 weeks??    I keep hoping to get this organized somehow but we need direction from Miguel, funding, and more volunteers willing to lead activities.  I am going to sleep on this over the weekend again but when it ceases to be fun, and you begin to lose your cool, I think it is time to walk away.

I went next door for he chicken supper and ordered 2 pieces of chicken, firstly because I was hungry, and secondly to see what she would charge.  The supper was wonderful but I wasn’t too thrilled that she wanted $3 this time.   A day full of frustrations, what can I say….. 

That was today’s excitement.   .  Hugs to all.

Wednesday-Thursday October 17-18, 2012

Wednesday October 17/12 update #257

It was a threatening day but I was awake at 6:30 so I did a lot of photo work before heading over to AAC.  The heavens opened again right after the start of class so I was glad that I had retrieved my umbrella form Joe’s on Monday.

Class was brisk with Richard teaching some English for a bit then Linda had a cut and paste, then coloring activity so that kept the kids busy.  I find myself getting very short with the older boys who seem to have ADD and are disruptive to the class with their wanderings and constant demands.   We are going to have to figure out a way to keep them involved.

I wandered through Feria Libre trying to find the lady that sells the baby buns so I could buy a supply for an upcoming event but I couldn’t find her, and it was raining, so I just caught the bus home.

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

Thursday October 18/12 update #258

I had trouble getting motivated today but did manage to get over to Christine & Noel Magee’s to join Nancee Petersen for a Spanish conversation meeting.   When they get to talking about subjective verbs, preterites, future perfect and all that jazz, then my mind just shuts off and I go watch the hummingbirds…..

We went for lunch to Kadaffa on Solano again.  The owner is very nice and today’s almuerzo was lentil soup and pork chops and rice, with juice and dessert for $2.50.  I asked for a second pork chop and my bill was $3.00!   Where can you buy a pork chop for 50c??

The sky was threatening all around but I could see lightning to the north as we left so I didn’t want to dally too long before catching the bus.   I did stop at the two churches at the corner of Remigio Crespo which also has bonus views of Turi and the main cathedral.

I made it home before the rain really started and watched the swallows dancing in the sky.  The rain is sorely needed and it has really refreshed the river levels.   As the rain tapered off we got low cloud/fog on the tops of our mountains to the south which makes the view so pretty here.

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

Tuesday October 16, 2012

Tuesday October 16/12 update #256

I was up early as I had a few items on my agenda today.   First was a stop at Etapa to receive the latest communication from the Commercial manager regarding my request for a refund of the $40.80 charge to cancel their crappy service.   Naturally he just repeated that they fixed my service several times so there should have been no problem….  Duh….  So, again I reiterate to everyone, STAY AWAY FROM ETAPA.   If even one person signs up somewhere else I will cost them more than the lousy $40.80.  Consider that done.

From there I walked to the Windhorse Café Book/Movie Exchange and didn’t think I would find 8 movies to exchange for my batch but I actually found about a dozen so I had to make some choices.

During my walks today there were some pretty sights and dramatic skies to behold so the camera got a workout.   I even made a quick run-through of the CIDAP Museum.  We get a view of Parque De La Madre over the fence there and it appears things are moving along rapidly with the exception of the parkade.

There is a Tuesday 2 for 1 sale at Papa John’s Pizza so I went to see if I could get that promotion on their $4 personal size pizza…  No soap!  He said it started with the $12 medium sizes.   Bummer.

I stopped in the Fuji store for a second and saw that they can do a 12” x 20” photo on canvas for $20.70.  Such a deal!!

I got off the bus near the Monay Mall and walked down the hill because I was determined to scratch the last item off our renovation/construction list.  That is, namely, the ledge/shelf for the boys to sit on in the terrace window.  Bella has already woven them a nice 8” x 9’ rug to sit on, but when we installed the windows they needed to be set in much closer than expected so we were only left with a 4” ledge. 

So today I stopped in to see the woodworkers on the corner below the Mall.  I told them what I wanted but they couldn’t give me any ideas or straight answers so I went across the road to the metal workers.  There was a couple in the office yakking at the boss so I just wandered in the yard and got some ideas of options.  When the boss came free I showed him my ideas with the stock he had in the yard.  Then we jumped in his truck and he came over to view the ledge for himself and take some measurements.  I stressed the importance of it being non-rusting since it is exposed to the sun and rain.  We agreed on a 8” wide, 2cm high, and 9’ long stainless steel shelf , installed next Tuesday at 2pm, for $80.  Could you imagine what that would cost in Canada??  I had $45 left over from our construction budget so we are good to go.

I got home in time to make lunch just before Rosa came to do the housecleaning.   She was on time today.   Her work was interrupted by a broken hose on the vacuum so out came the snips, silicone sealant and finally duct tape….. 

I spent most of the afternoon going through all the channels on the Satellite TV.   I had received a cryptic email from our installer about some problem due to a migration of a satellite.  Maybe the problem was with folks who had to aim at a satellite to the west but, reception-wise, I was having no problem with my eastern satellite.   What I am having trouble with is that many of my favourite channels are now scrambled…. CNN, BBC, all the HBO, Max Prime, etc.   I have responded by email to Jorge Vidal for an explanation if possible.

I knew my bag of potatoes was getting on its last legs so I put on some rubber gloves and grabbed the peeler and went to work.  I never knew what a difference the rubber gloves would make.  Before I knew it I had peeled over 30 potatoes.  I boiled them up and made a lot of mashed potatoes, enough for 5 meals, and froze 4 servings.

As I was doing this the heavens opened and we are getting a very nice and welcome rain.

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

Monday October 15, 2012

Monday October 15/12 update #255

Chores and naps before heading to AAC.  We got a late notice that Linda was sick today so we were unsure what to expect.  We found out that Miguel is in the USA until Thursday.

Christine was here today with paper and paint supplies so the kids got right into it.   A couple of the girls, Tatiana and Natalie, definitely show some artistic talent! 

When we ran out of paper then Cathy got the kids again making the skipping ropes and the kids had a ball skipping outside, even the boys.  Everything was a bit hectic today but everyone had a good time.

As I was walking to the bus I heard from Chris that the new projector has arrived, yippee!!  He will check it out thoroughly before we decide to unveil it, possibly Friday…… 

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

Sunday October 14, 2012

Sunday October 14/12 update #254

I caught up on my rest today.  Got up for a short while, did the house chores then just went back to bed until about 1:30, and I’m still feeling tired.

I went out to do the banking and went by Raoul’s place which I see has not been made habitable by September like he had hoped.   Right now it looks like even the end of October could be a long shot.  He should have no trouble renting his apartments which are very small, but good enough for a single person.

Then I went to Coral and got very few groceries, mostly sundries.  I found some nice glass shelves for the bathrooms for only $7.33 each.   They most certainly would be at least a $30 item at home.  After supper I decided to tackle the installations even though neither box had any instructions.  It didn’t look like rocket science, as long as a person has the tools.  Anyway, they are a valuable addition to the bathrooms for those items that are too tall or awkward for the medicine cabinets.

Then, even though I have many other movies to watch, I decided on Hidalgo for some reason and thoroughly enjoyed viewing that again.

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

Raoul's house

New shelf for Bella's bathroom

New shelf for my bathroom

Saturday October 13, 2012

Saturday October 13/12 update #253

As I was on the bus to Joe’s today I remembered about Jorge Beltran’s volleyball group so I disembarked and went to watch for 15 minutes.  Yes, Jorge himself was playing in the white shirt with blue trim and doing very well too.  Generally he was the setter for the young fellow in the yellow Ecuador soccer shirt.  It is too bad they play so late or I would be happy to join in.

Our proposed menu at Joe’s today involved a distinct departure from the usual fare.

See the details of this cult movie here    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0204640/

They had the main room set up for the movie and everyone was to arrive by 5:45 for the start of the movie.   I had never heard of this movie before but it was a load of laughs from beginning to end.    I will definitely be picking up this movie if I ever see it for sale.

There was a poster in the bar room that looked strikingly similar so I just had to check and, sure enough, Joe had promoted a show using the star of the movie, Leslie Jordan, in a similar role.

We met another couple from Saskatoon today as the Canadian contingent continues to grow here in Cuenca.  John and Barbie were conspicuously absent today and then I found out that Barbie had been sick and hospitalized.  We hope things are better soon for them.

The snacks prior to the movie were excellent, then the meal and desserts were polished off in no time. 

I was so bloated that I had to leave early and get home and into some comfortable clothes.   I was in such a hurry to leave that I forgot my umbrella there (it was raining when we arrived).

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

Friday October 12, 2012

Friday October 12/12 update #252

Boy, I had a good sleep for a change and wanted more, more……. But the Boys were hungry and the chores had to get done.

I checked on the new plants on the terrace and they seem to be surviving my transplantation, etc.  The last Limon plant we bought has easily overtaken the other two so we should have good sized lemons or limes by the time Bella returns.

I left early because I got an email from Etapa that they have a communication for me.  Since they haven’t credited our credit card for the $44.80 installation/cancellation fee I was not holding my breath.   Then I get there and they are closed.   Darn, I forgot it was a national holiday for Guayaquil Independence Day.  So I continued on to AAC and got there very early.  Almost all the volunteers showed up and Richard gave them some fun English instruction before we let them have a coloring activity.   The plan had been to go to the park if there was some male support from the community but that has definitely been lacking of late, even Miguel isn’t showing up.  We discussed closing down until we regained some of this promised support.

Linda and Tom brought bags of plain popcorn for everyone.  Towards the end, the community president pulled up with a carful, and his 12-year-old niece, Adriana, at the wheel!  Anyway there were many discussions and then Adriana’s Mother said she wanted to host an all-day party on Sunday the 21^st starting at 11am.  That made us all feel like we haven’t lost the community support.

Next I was rushing to the Moca Café to join the Deportiva Cuenca Soccer Fan Club and watch the World Cup elimination match between Ecuador and Chile.  When I got there wearing my #16 shirt, the score was already 1-0 for Chile.  But, once I started watching, Chile never got another sniff at our goal, and our #16 scored 2 of the 3 goals we put behind their keeper!  Take that you Chile peppers!!!

I munched on a really nice ham & cheese Panini and had a slice of orange cake for dessert.  Then I started to eat the popcorn I had dragged from AAC but it was pretty bland with no oil, butter or salt.  A lady from another table came to ask the owners, (Courtney Clark, one of those photogs from the last night tour) if she could have some popcorn too.  I had to explain that I had brought it with me and that she was welcome to have it all but I warned her it wasn’t very tasty.  She borrowed some salt and said thank you.   As she and her husband were leaving she said she was going to be singing Jazz at 8pm at the Nectar Café.  Since I had never been to the Nectar Café I thought I would give her a listen.

I got there early and was soon joined by a new couple, Paul and Kate, from Vancouver so we had a good chat.  Two other musicians, who seem to be the nucleus of the Jazz Society Of Cuenca, Jim Galla (USA) and Jorge Triana (Cuba) started to play at 7:30 but it was not the nice smooth jazz of Diana Krall that I like, but more the disjointed notes all over the place.  One tune they were supposedly playing was “These Boots Were Made For Walking” and I did not recognize a single note belonging to that particular tune.

When 8:15 rolled around I was preparing to leave, but then the singer, Vivian Slade, and hubby, Todd Burr, showed up.  It wasn’t long before she was up singing and I decided to video her performance.  This was much more interesting than the other form of Jazz.   You may have to turn your sound down a little:

http://youtu.be/nTAh9TzDT5g

I returned home to receive a lovely long note from Bella who now has only 12 working days left and is anxious to be “home” in Cuenca.  We are certainly looking forward to that!

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

Thursday October 11, 2012

Thursday October 11/12 - update #251

This morning I joined Emilie McBride of the Hearts Of Gold Foundation for a meeting with the Director of the El Arenal Foundation, Betty.  El Arenal is located a block behind AAC  and provides schooling and activities for the kids whose parents work in El Arenal / Feria Libre.  We found out they rent the premises for $1,000 a month but are supported in large part by a German Foundation that send them cash and workers.  Hearts Of Gold want me to help with photography projects as needed, and it sounds like I will be taking more shots here in December.

As we left by the Coopera along the river Emilie stopped in as they had live crabs on display.  Being an east-coast Canadian gal she was quite at home handling these creatures while I recoiled with my camera.  She bought a row of at least 6 crabs for $10.   Bon appétit Emilie.

It was still early on a beautiful sunny day so I decided to head downtown and grab a few shots.  There were hundreds of people about but I ended up taking my usual landscapes mostly.  I did get a 50c shoe shine, but gave him $1 because I took his picture.

There is no place I would rather be on a sunny day than hanging around Parque Calderon.  I stopped into the iTur office to ask about new new bus schedules and maps.   I managed to get 2 booklets but was disappointed to see they don’t have route maps like the old ones so I don’t know how much use they are going to be now…

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