Saturday May 11, 2013

Saturday May 11, 2013  update #449

I had an early morning appointment with the new Executive Director of Hearts Of Gold to iron out a few issues and to brainstorm a few more ideas in preparation for Tuesday’s meeting.   After that I will be missing about 6 weeks of meetings so I need to get my areas of concern looked after.

A long nap was what the doctor ordered for the afternoon before we headed to the west end.   It started to rain as we attempted to access Mark & Karen’s new apartment but the security guard was nowhere to be seen so we did not get in.   We don’t complain about the recent rains because the rivers are really quite low.

So we backtracked to have a delicious BBQ supper at Joe’s Secret Garden followed by scrumptious cinnamon rolls.  It really is heartening that we have made so many good friends and acquaintances at Joe’s and how they go out of their way to say hello and goodbye and to ask advice on different matters.   It really is a good core bunch of folks that frequent Joe’s.

I see Bella finished the second baby booty so now I has some shots of the pair of them.   So cute…

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

Friday May 10, 2013

Friday May 10, 2013  update #448

I was off early to get to Banco Pichincha and try again with my third visit for an International Credit Card.  We had carefully filled in the new application and therefore I was hopeful things would go smoothly, but this is Ecuador, and nothing runs smoothly.  First they needed a copy of our utility bill, which we don’t receive because they are paid automatically through this very bank.  Finally they managed to print off a copy somehow.   They got Diana down from the fourth floor and I explained the strange situation about our confusing address.   The tax bill shows us on 24 De Mayo and the utility bill shows us on Popayan so they agreed to use Popayan.  Then Diana tells us that because we entered a number in a box we shouldn’t have that they needed another new application, again with both signatures.   Of course Bella is not with me so my patience is wearing a little thin with this ridiculousness that you can’t just make a correction and initial it like anywhere else in the civilized world.  Then, to top it all off, now they say they need a $2,000 CD on deposit for an International Credit Card where they will only give you 70% for a limit!   I don’t know how I held my cool but I thanked them and left.   I called Bella and we will maybe be checking out other banking options upon my return from Canada.  

Bella was off to her Weaving Store classes and charity work.  The new little baby workboots she has made are just too cute.

I then decided to go to the Carolina Bookstore and sign out a few movies.    I went through their whole supply which some poor soul took three days to put in alphabetical order.  I grabbed about 7 movies and headed downtown towards the San Francisco church. 

The area of the flower market was very busy and the flowers intoxicating.   There was a mass going on in Santuario Mauriano.   The interior of that church is so photogenic.

I wandered through the big Immaculate Conception Cathedral trying to get some better shots of the interior and was heading out the far door when I noted a sort of security person hanging about, very unusual, then I noticed a small door open on the right leading to a brick circular staircase upwards.  Then I happily spotted a notice on the wall stating that this was now open to the public to access the cupolas of the cathedral!  The security fellow came over and said it was $1 so up began the long walk upwards.  I knew there was nothing in the twin towers because the openings are large and empty although it appears that there may be some construction starting.  Getting up to the level of the statue of Mary and Jesus is uplifting and the views spectacular.   I was hoping to be able to walk at the base of the blue domes but that was entirely wishful thinking.  I hope you enjoy the photos.

Passing by the Old Cathedral the harpist had taken a break so I got a shot of the top of his beautiful harp.  Then I went to the next corner and peered into the Justice Building.   I can hardly pass this building without stopping in, that fabulous courtyard is such a magnet to me.   They have made a beautiful shrine to Mary on the opposite side so that has added another dimension to it.

I caught the #3 to Monay and walked down the hill deciding that I was too tired to make lunch so I stopped in to the restaurant 2 doors from us that we have never tried before.  It was a delightful lunch for $2.50.   Hanging on the wall above me was this gorgeous painting of a mother and her son.   They have such wonderful artists here.

Bella is anxious to watch a movie so I have to run.

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

Thursday May 9, 2013

Thursday May 9, 2013  update #447

The morning was spent on picking up our new sofa and loveseat with the built-in recliners.  We had made a deal with Hearts Of Gold that they could get our existing 2 sofas if they would provide the transport and the strong backs.  Tarek and Marco drew the short straws and I met them at the office at 9am and we headed over to the Totems area to get the new set.  Recliners contain a lot of iron parts so the two new units weigh a ton, each.  

The boys managed to get the two items out of the apartment and into the elevator to go down the 4 floors.   The rest was relatively painless to get them strapped into the truck, a 1972 Datsun I think.

I had already dismantled our 2 sofas so they were easy to pitch outside once we arrived at home.  We put blankets on the tile floor and just slid the new units most of the way to their destinations.    We then loaded the old units on the truck for delivery to the HoG office where they were welcomed with open arms.

We set them up and they are about as good as we could expect in our small living room.  By using a different configuration we now have a lot more room and all 4 recliners are functional.   Bella is happy.   The boys were upset at being locked in while the transfer was occurring but that soon gave way to curiosity and picking out their spots on the new furniture.

I just was thinking of about 4 cars that I had bought over the years, …combined, that cost less than this furniture…  Ouch.   But we deserve some comfort in our old age.

We slipped up the hill to Coral and purchased a couple of solid little table lamps so we can have decent lighting and a comfortable place to read, etc.  We are quite happy with the results of our morning.

Most of the afternoon was spent on a sticky issue with Hearts Of Gold that had me drafting a notice of resignation but that was forestalled.   The problem will hopefully resolve itself with a clarification meeting in the next few days.

After supper we enjoyed watching Iron Man 3 while stretched out in the loveseat.  Life is good.

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

Wednesday May 8, 2013

Wednesday May 8, 2013  update #446

Bella went to Coral to pick up her new misting floor fan and brought it home for me to assemble.  Next she was off shopping for lamp stores then of course she had Bridge in the afternoon.

I did my uploading chores and finished some more Internet chores before deciding to start to dismantle the couches downstairs in preparation for the swap tomorrow morning.   I managed to get the small one stuffed into the dining room and the bigger one is now ready to go.

I then tackled the assembly of Bella’s new fan, sans instructions of course, but I took my time and did what made sense from the equipment in the box, the parts list, and the photo on the box.   Sonuvagun if it doesn’t actually work too!   I don’t know where Bella is going to stick anything else in that bedroom…

I took her old humidifier and cleaned it right out for use in the guest bedroom now.

I had a couple of hours open so I headed out to check a few stores I knew along Huayna Capac for lamps as well.  A few places had a single floor lamp only, and nothing like we are hoping for.    I then checked along the whole route to home but found nothing better.   I started formulating ideas of building our own so that it would hug the wall and not take up any space.   

Once we get the furniture tomorrow we can have a much better idea on where things will have to be placed.   

Sorry no photos today.

That was today’s excitement.   Hugs to all.  

Tuesday May 7, 2013

Tuesday May 7, 2013  update #445

Bella was off on a lamp shopping expedition before we were to meet up later in the day.

I went back to Banco Pichincha and got bounced around amongst the personnel on different floors again before being given an entirely new credit card application and being told to return on Friday to complete the necessary documentation.

Next was another meeting at Hearts Of Gold to go over our expected online campaign to raise funds to help kids attend school.  Many kids don’t make it to school because the families can’t afford the $50 or so each for 2 pairs of shoes and the initial basic school supplies.   We have an ambitious goal of $6,150 to outfit 123 kids at 3 different partner organizations.   I was asked to write the Blog entry for our website before they do the teaser advertising in the social media.  We went over my offering and made a few revisions to satisfy everyone’s needs.

Then I had to hop a cab to meet Bella and friends at a Charity Bingo being put on at the Oro Verde Hotel for the Messengers Of Peace Orphanage for whom our friends Anne & Michal Roche volunteer.  There was a reasonable turnout of expats and Cuencanos and we enjoyed the Bingo in spite of the terrible caller who really had no clue what to do, changing his mind every 10 seconds.   At one point they replaced him on the podium then inexplicably let him back up there to finish the last games.  There were 50-50 draws, Latin American music and a light lunch too.   Our table ended up being the envy of the place because everyone won at our table, (except me, BooHoo), and some of them more than once.  I was playing 6 cards and we were using shirt buttons for markers.   We found several instances where cards had duplicate numbers, like two number 29’s on the same card!   Anyway, we had good company and contributed to another good cause.

Mark and Karen have bought a modern ground floor apartment along the Tomebamba this afternoon so they will be very busy with that purchase for a while.   It is about 8 blocks from where they live now.

We stopped again at the Chinese food place at the top of Gran Colombia and the food was again excellent, best Chinese food in town by far.   We had a few giggles at the antics of our little gangly waitress who was doing some fancy dance moves but didn’t realize we were watching.

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

Monday May 6, 2013

Monday May 6, 2013  update #444

Bella was off for groceries this morning while I zipped off to Banco Pichincha to see about arranging for a credit card in US funds.   I stopped to ask the first floor personnel who sent me to the second floor who then sent me to see Diana on the fourth floor.   It was a short conversation because they need patrons to open a one-year CD for a large amount then they will give a credit card for 90% of the amount.  Having a US credit card can save us a lot of conversion fees so we think it will be worth it.   Bella says I can try this tomorrow.

As I headed over to Hearts Of Gold I spotted this fellow brushing down what I think was artificial turf in a sports field, but pulling the brushes with a motorcycle!   We have all seen this kind of thing done with tractors or ATV’s before, but never with a motorcycle. 

The new Hearts Of Gold offices are much more spacious and it seems most of the staff are settled in nicely.  Apparently this beautiful home had been vacant for many years, for reasons unknown.   It would seem that they have lots of room for the two couches that we are donating to them on Thursday.

We got into some detailed discussions about a couple of fundraisers we are considering and they raised almost as many questions as they supplied answers.  One thing is for sure, HoG needs to get officially legal ASAP so we can really make our presence felt and get proper banking and money-handling issues all handled in-house.

My suggestion for an ongoing online fundraiser will necessarily be put on hold for a while not only because of the above but also because so many of our volunteers are going to be out-of-country over the next 3-4 months.   We still did up some ideas and suggestions for the executive to mull over and Bella helped us out enormously with her Excel skills.

We will be organizing a straight online fundraising effort designed to help poor kids attend school.   Last year it was very successful so we want to build on that if we can.   We have scheduled another meeting for tomorrow to gather information for a news bulletin that I have been drafted to write.

Yesterday we had 3 separate rainstorms and I took a couple of timed shots just for fun last night.  The rivers have risen nicely with the welcome moisture and another little rainshower is passing by as I type this. 

I spotted this colourful yellow bird quite a distance away and hurriedly took a shot.   I have cropped and enlarged it so the quality is pretty bad but I get the impression that this little bird has a small toucan-like beak.   I will have to keep an eye out for him.

I certainly can’t figure out Google.   I actually can open my Gmail much faster through Firefox than I can through Google Chrome…..   Does this make any sense???

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

Sunday May 5, 2013

Sunday May 5, 2013  update #443

Gosh I had a decent sleep and got up thinking I would get out today and do some good.   The weather looked very changeable so I delayed while I did some chores.

Bella stayed in the sack until 11:30, no problem for her!   Then she was off to her Bridge Club again.

I tried to get a partner to go with me somewhere, anywhere, but he wasn’t feeling well.   Then the heavens opened and we got a good soaking.

Then suddenly my exhaustion kicked in and I just laid down and power-snoozed for an hour or so with Peso as my hot-water-bottle.   I awoke somewhat refreshed and packed up and headed to the Solano area to poke around.   The first order of business was to find the new Hearts Of Gold office which wasn’t too difficult.   The building seems to be a little larger than the last place.

Then I wandered down to the newly renovated Parque de La Madre (Park of the Mother) and soaked in some of the family atmosphere as the Cuencanos enjoy their Sunday afternoon.

Next I took a small walk along the Rio Tomebamba which is really very low now, so we can really use some of that rain we have been getting the last few days.

I searched around to find the first hotel we stayed at in Cuenca, the Hostal La Casona.   It is beautifully situated on a fairly quiet street close to the El Vergel Super Maxi store.   Kitty-corner is the first house we checked out that belonged to some beauty queen who wanted $250k for it when everyone around says it was only worth $100k.  The place was very nice, with fruit trees and separate maid’s quarters outside.   The inside had some beautiful woodwork and multiple bedrooms with ensuites but it had poor electrical, water damage, and a very basic kitchen.   It probably became someone’s money pit.

I had made arrangements to meet Bella for supper at the Chill Grill nearby but I arrived there early to find it closed.   I didn’t mind as I find their burgers very ordinary while Bella just loves them.  Bella thought they might open at 6pm but apparently not.   A nearby buffet had its doors open but had closed 20 minutes earlier.  A taco place did not look too exciting so we tried a Pronto Pizza place that seemed to have lots of clientele.   Their pizzas had a lot of mozzarella, but no tastable meat or tomato sauce or even crust, totally boring.   I had ordered the meat lover’s pizza and couldn’t taste any meat!!!   Oh well, we have to check out the different places.

There was a family with 3 young girls next to us at the pizza place and one of the kids took an interest in us so I took her picture.   Her father kept giving her English phrases to use with us and it was so cute.

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

Saturday May 4, 2013

Saturday May 4, 2013  update #442

I spent most of the day getting some electronic work done, synchronizing my desktop computer with my old laptop so they can access each other.   It was kinda neat to be able to move files so easily from one to the other.

It was Kentucky Derby Day at Joe’s Secret Garden so the emphasis was on hats, big and wild hats, so many of the women were indeed adorned accordingly.   We had a contest for the best hat and Joyce came out in front with her feathery creation.   Everyone was in such a good mood and there were again many newbies in the crowd as well as a lot of old and new friends.

The meal included beef tenderloin and a pie that had some Kentucky bourbon in the recipe.   That is probably the reason my eyes won’t stay open as I am typing.

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

Friday May 3, 2013

Friday May 3, 2013  update #441

Bella was off early to her Friday charity work at the Weaving Store, then she expected to spend all afternoon at the Immigration Office to finalize her own 9-1 Residency Permit.

I was also up early because I wanted to get a haircut around 9am before the gal got busy.   It seems the whole neighborhood had the same idea because there was one lady in the chair and 2 more ahead of me, and then very quickly 2 more behind me.   It is a good thing everyone seemed to be just getting a trim because this gal only takes 10 minutes, tops to do a good job.  At $1.50 a haircut and $1.75 for a quick style, she runs them through pretty quickly.

I had to be home for Rosa’s arrival and she was late again today.  I gave her some extra duties to try to make up the time we are paying her for.

We had quite a thunderstorm mid-afternoon and it was pounding on my window so the glide tracks were quite full of water.   As I was cleaning them out, Tom Thumb was impatiently waiting, while chasing of two interlopers, so I held out the feeder and he eventually came and ate from my hand.   I had not done this for a while so it felt good to regain the trust of our little friend.

Rosa was leaving early again and then asked for a raise, claiming that others are now paying her more.  I reminded her that we had just given her a raise and that she has been leaving early for months now.   I told her I would check with Bella.   I don’t mind paying her what she asks, as long as she actually works the hours.

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

Thursday May 2, 2013

Thursday May 2, 2013  update #440

Not much being done by me today except household chores and usual internet chores.  Bella was off to do banking, pay for the new couches, get some forms notarized and then some grocery shopping.

I fixed my leaky shower head and made arrangements to do the sofa swap next week.   Hearts Of Gold is happy to receive our existing couches, which are still like new, although I don’t know if they will use them for their new offices (they are moving today) or if some needy family or two will get them.

It was a blustery day today with a couple of rainshowers for the last day in Cuenca for Ed & Lynne who have vowed they are commencing the process to move here post-haste.

I never even heard Tom Thumb at all today…. and never had the camera out at all either.

Now we have just been notified, after fighting for months, that we now have been unilaterally given a new NetTalk phone number, and the old number does not work at all.   Please make a note that our new contact number is (Calgary number) 1-587-800-0259.   Now I have to re-do all our business cards, etc.   Grrrrrrrr

That was today’s excitement.   Hugs to all. 

Wednesday May 1, 2013

Wednesday May 1, 2013  update #439

I had my first good night’s sleep in weeks and wanted to stay in bed but I had so much to get done today.  Bella was even up early because we had a 10 o’clock appointment with Seguralmeida to research their health insurance offerings.  Cristina had emailed us setting the appointment for today so imagine our surprise when we arrived to find the office closed.   We called her and barely got an “I’m sorry”, just a request if we wanted to reschedule because today is a holiday.  Ecuadorians don’t seem to think that missing appointments is a big deal at all, and they don’t know our idea of proper etiquette or Gringo values at all.   I just told her that I would be in contact later after I had cooled down.

Bella had seen an ad for loveseat recliners and a sofa recliner on sale in GringoTree.   Both of us are not really happy with the 2 sofas we had purchased in haste on arrival so we went over to see them.  They were located in a fourth floor west end apartment with killer views but sadly lacking a terrace.  These folks are moving and this furniture won’t fit, except he was keeping the matching chair..   The fellow showed us his original receipts and they were letting the furniture go for less than ½ price.   They were the right colour and very cushy so we made a deal to take them.   I have missed my recliner since we left Canada, especially when I have a cold and need to rest slightly upright.   It is a lot more money than we would normally spend but the sofa and loveseat will complement our living room nicely and last for many years.   Bella has had the luxury of a recliner in her room for months and is now spoiled too.  Nothing beats a comfy recliner.

We then worked on striking a deal with Hearts Of Gold to donate our old set in exchange for help with transporting the new set.  Since Hearts of Gold is physically moving locations tomorrow we will have to try to arrange something next week.

Bella and I tried to get money out of a Banco Pichincha machine because all the banks are closed today and it wouldn’t accept my PIN number.   We ended up scraping nickels and dimes together to get a cheap lunch at Pizza Hut.   The taco salad was actually excellent!

Bella slipped off to her Bridge game while I came home and carefully drafted a strong note to Seguralmeida recounting our unsatisfactory experiences with their office and how my Blogs are now reflecting that.  I pointed out that service is the number one issue with Gringos and that if they don’t know this, and act on it, they should not solicit Gringo business because they are only fostering a bad reputation with their indifferent service. 

I had planned to do many other things today but those plans got waylaid by this nasty experience. 

Tom Thumb and an interloper were seriously sparring outside my window today so I took a lot of shots and have very little to show for my effort, but better than nothing I suppose.

I heard from Ed and Lynne that the Montezuma’s Revenge has subsided and that they are truly sorry to be leaving tomorrow.  They will be a good addition to Cuenca when they return as they are fun people and will catch on to the language quickly.   Come back soon.

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

Tuesday April 30, 2013

Tuesday April 30, 2013  update #438

I would kill for a good night’s sleep already.   In spite of taking two Melatonin tablets I was still watching the clock all night.   I couldn’t let that stop me because I had a really busy day planned.

I was downtown to pick up Ed & Lynne at 9:30 and we headed to the Rotary Market where they picked up some gifts for at home.  They were fascinated with the selection of wooden, leather, plaster, and metal articles available.  

We went back through the Civic Plaza and watched a youngster feeding the pigeons before heading to City Hall, then the Provincial Azuay building.  We went up to the second floor and got some shots of Parque Calderon before heading over to the Justice building.

Next I showed Lynne where I bought my solar powered dancing flowers and she fell in love with a BumbleBee one, and even bought one for me.  I showed them several stores including the big software store on the way to the Coffee Tree.  They actually found an iPad case for a real reasonable price so they grabbed one.

Then we went to the Book/Movie Exchange at the Windhorse Cafe where I exchanged one book and 2 movies.  Since it was noontime we decided to have lunch there, my first time too.  There were many new folks asking questions of everyone and all the folks were being real helpful.  

I got buttonholed by our friend Greg who wanted to talk to me privately.   He didn’t know how to ask what was on his mind so he just blurted it out.  “Someone told us to pray for Bella because she has cancer.  Does she really have cancer?”  I assured him that she was having a bout with the flu but she definitely did not have cancer.   However, once that bug got in my ear it did begin to bother me.   After having two previous bouts of wives with cancer, it didn’t take much to get that snakebit feeling.

Anyway, off we went again to the Carolina Bookstore for a moment where Lynne began to have a few stomach somersaults.   Time was running short on me so instead of going to the Banco Central Museum they decided we should head in the direction I needed to head, so down the Escalinata we went.   The CIDAP Museum was the next stop with all the devil masks and all the crucifixes on display.   Again Lynne spent a few moments in the washroom.

We took the short stroll along the Tomebamba towards Solano where a rest stop was needed.   Lynne was trying to be a trooper but common sense prevailed and they decided to grab a cab to their hotel.

That left me a few moments so I popped in to the Alianza Francesa (French Alliance) where they were having a photography display.  What a great display of action art so I took shots of most of it for you.

Next was a stop at Hearts Of Gold for a meeting to discuss the structure for the non-profit organization.  Since I was an hour early I took advantage of the couch to get a real needed rest.   The meeting generated a few surprises, like their move next week to another house behind the Monte Sinai Hospital.  We got some papers with an organizational chart and some openings for different Coordinator positions.   There are 3 positions open for Donations, PR/Marketing and Events.   I suppose I was the last Event Coordinator but I have hesitated to stick my name anywhere.   I think I will just wait and see where they need me.

Then I stopped at Papeleria Monsalves to grab a ream of blank paper because we have almost run out.

I caught the bus home hoping to have supper with Bella but she was not home.  That little cancer thingy was still burning at the back of my brain.  I made myself a quick cabbage salad (the last of the batch of 13 helpings from that huge head she got 2 weeks ago) and changed clothes to again head downtown.

The destination this time was.to a fundraiser to help them raise funds to build a 1000 foot mural to benefit the sick children at Hospital Vicente Corral Moscoso.  It was a $20 entrance fee at an artist’s studio and you got a glass of wine and some hors d’oeuvres.  They were selling more wine, food, raffle tickets and art.  I knew most of the folks in attendance and we got to see a preview of part of the mural too.

I stayed an hour then headed back to parquet Calderon where it was International Jazz Day with a small concert in the park’s gazebo by the Jazz Society folks, Jim Gala, Vivian Slade and others.   I stayed only long enough to grab a couple of shots before catching a cab home.

Bella was home this time so I was really watching for her reaction when I recounted to her the cancer story.  When she burst out laughing I breathed a very large sigh of relief.  I really didn’t think she would have kept something like that from me.   Anyway, I guess she got dragged off to help at what she thought was a “tea”, but turned out to be a Bingo with about 250 Ecuadorians, and she was the only white face.   She even managed to come home with a soup pot and soup bowl set when she won the final Bingo game.

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

Monday April 29, 2013

Monday April 29, 2013  update #437

I was working on the photos last night until past 1am and sleep was fitful as usual.

Bella was off to do chores this morning, grocery shopping, etc, but is still sick and hacking away, now trying Vicks to calm her illness.  She claims all the medicines on offer contain aspirin and exactly the same antihistamine that only make her more sick, so there is no end in sight for her.

I didn’t want to get up but knew I had chores to do and lots of laundry so I just got at it.

Now it is 4 pm and I can’t keep my eyes open.    I just finished processing 30 more Pase Del Nino photos as that is a never-ending process.

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

Sunday April 28, 2013

Sunday April 28, 2013  update #436

Bella was heading for her Sunday bridge so I made arrangements to tour around with Ed and Lynne again.

We agreed to meet at Parque De La Madre which was officially opened on Friday.  There were many people wandering the park, clowns from Etapa and an open exercise class in full swing, enjoying another gorgeous, virtually cloudless, sunny day.   Near the river I encountered a lady in a heavy wool coat and looked over on the banks of the river to see what had to be 2 Canadian couples in shorts and bikinis!  

The city had closed off nearby roads for what looked like a bicycle race about to happen.

From there we wandered over to the small ruins at the bottom of the Todos Santos hill before walking over towards the Inca ruins at Pumapungo.   We were surprised to see a gate open at the bottom near the aviary so we went in to enjoy the birds, llamas and fish.   Ducks and a hummingbird kept us entertained but we were sorry that the peacock was moulting and barely had two tail feathers left.

Then we went by the statue of Huayna Capac before wandering around El Vergel then up the metalworkers street to the statue I call Maxwell’s Silver Hammer.   I took a little artistic licence with those shots.

We were just getting started…   Then we went to Parque Paraiso to enjoy the family fun and to have an ice cream.   It is so darn refreshing to see a park full of children with no screaming, they are so well behaved here.

Then we caught a bus to our place and we gave them the quick tour and Lynne quickly fell in love with the screened terrace and our two Boys.

Next we caught a bus up to El Valle and we went to see the house that Greg likes and confirmed that the floors are mirror images so there are only 2 bathrooms at most.    That home has so many possibilities and that view will never go away.

We caught the bus back to town and got off at the huge municipal cemetery and Lynne thought it was the highlight of the day, with all the magnificent statues, antique hearse, and amazing mausoleums.

We passed by San Blas with the 2 lovely churches and the gorgeous park being lit up by the setting sun.

We finished just in time to make it to meet Bella at Don Colon’s for a filet mignon supper which lasted almost 3 hours with lots of conversation about the fun involved in getting a residency application submitted and approved.    Bella will be sending them her treatise on her very recent experience which she had made up for the immigration department.

It was a full day and I am looking forward to doing absolutely nothing tomorrow, except laundry, so don’t expect much tomorrow.

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

Saturday April 27, 2013

Saturday April 27, 2013  update #435

No actual sleep for 3 days gets a little taxing but all I can do is rest as much as possible to make up for it.  The cold is almost gone but so are the pills.   I suspect I’ll be getting some more tomorrow.

Bella wanted me to take photos of the house her son Greg found up in El Valle when he was here in January so we grabbed the bus up there and walked in.  I have been up there many times and not given this house a second glance because it is off the main roads a ways but that was my mistake.   The house has a perch on the mountain with one of the most spectacular views of the area.  The house itself is under construction and  I found it quite odd that they only had timber separating the two floors because the floors are usually cement here, and completed as they put up each storey.  Other than that, the home seems to have mirrored the room sizes on both floors so I am not sure what it has for bathrooms upstairs, we didn’t climb up.  There was thunder coming from some very dark clouds moving our way so I didn’t want to get caught in a downpour.   

The house certainly has possibilities though, if a person could get it at this stage and complete the rest a little differently, like add a huge porch with deck above so a person can sit outside in comfort and enjoy that magnificent view.   None of the neighbors could tell us much about the house.

We continued on to Joe’s Secret Garden to enjoy the chicken and shrimp fricassee and the company of some lovely people.

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

Friday April 26, 2013

Friday April 26, 2013  update #434

I managed to get drugs last night and they began to have immediate effect.  I was able to lay down and breathe properly but did not get any sleep at all even though I stayed in bed until 10am.

I thought maybe Bella had left for her crochet charity group but was surprised to see her still in bed.   Later she was up and retching and not having a fun time of it.  The rest of the time she was in bed with the lights off until 5pm.  

I had spent almost all day sitting on the terrace, getting some morning sun, then being chased in by a most unusual cold wind.   I read later on GringoTree that we are having weird weather contributing to drought conditions that are coming from a jetstream from Peru.  They claim our daytime temperatures soar while the nighttime temps have plummeted to +2C, but I don’t believe it got anywhere near that cold in our area.

As suppertime neared I almost dreaded eating because I feel like I have swallowed a tennis ball that has lodged at the base of my ribcage.  That is not doing much for my appetite but I did carefully ingest a chicken sandwich and time will tell if that will stay down.  Maybe it is tiredness plus maybe just soreness from sitting in the deck chair all afternoon but I am also getting awfully achy    If things don’t improve quickly I imagine we will be forced to cancel our trip to Joe’s tomorrow.   Bummer.

I did spend part of the day getting together the necessary documents I will need to make my trip to Canada and Reno starting May 21.  Time is rushing by very quickly.

Bella got formal notification that her own separate Residency Visa has now been approved and there is a procedure, onerous like usual, to cancel the old one where she was a dependent on mine.  Government bureaucracy reigns in Ecuador and they never make anything easy or comprehensible.

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

Thursday April 25, 2013

Thursday April 25, 2013  update #433

Damn, I am starting to catch Bella’s nuisance cold so I started the day by getting a lot of sun on the terrace.  She is trying to avoid drugs so her cold isn't going away and it is inevitable that she is going to pass it to me.    If I don't feel better tomorrow I definitely will be heading to the drugstore. 

I saw that Tom Thumb was visiting often, and with a little sparring partner, so I got out the Canon to see if I could catch anything decent.  I managed to get a few not bad shots but nothing like I hope to get when I get the proper lenses and remote controls.   I was lucky today because the city guys with the Weed-Whackers were cutting the grass so Tom did not hear or mind my shutter clicking.

Bella and I then decided to catch a health/travel insurance seminar at the Chamber Of Commerce at 3pm.  It turns out it was being put on by the same folks who handle our house insurance.  I fail to understand why they make things so complicated and yet they seem to cover so much more than most other insurers.   First they want you to pay a 20% co-insurance on the first $5,000 or so and then apply whatever deductible you choose, before they pay anything.  I think I will ask them to quote what I feel might be a reasonable package for us considering our good health.

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

Wednesday April 24, 2013

Wednesday April 24, 2013  update #432

Too bad that Lynne turned ill, so our excursion today was cancelled.

I did my chores then decided to get out in the bright sunshine.  I caught the #15 up to El Valle and then set out to try and find the red house near the church that Bella says her son is lusting after.   I didn’t.

I climbed the hill behind the church where the buses turn around and didn’t stop until I hit the mountaintop.  To be standing on the top of the Andes with a 360 degree view is an awe-inspiring experience.   My only company way up here was a hawk and a couple of hummingbirds.   The main hydro wires cross over this mountaintop so I took a couple shots of that to prove I was indeed up there.   Some kids would occasionally be on their way up or down between home and school.

Up on this mountaintop someone had dug a couple of trenches to gather rainwater in a couple of dug out holes, smaller than bathtubs.   One hole was really murky but the other was quite clear and imagine my surprise when I saw movement!   Here I am about 9500 feet up on the very top of a mountain and there are tadpoles and a wicked looking tarantula-type water spider in this collection of rainwater!   I have the photo to prove it too!

I took a very leisurely walk back down the mountain, snapping a few more shots as I went, including horses and a saddled up mule.

Bella and I tried a new restaurant up the street and ordered a $3 quarter-chicken dinner.   This came with soup, rice, French fries and a spot of salad.  It really wasn’t very good so we brought most of the chicken home to have a sandwich tomorrow.

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

Tuesday April 23, 2013

Tuesday April 23, 2013  update #431

I had to deliver my Thank You cards for Hearts Of Gold but first I had to pick up some more window stickers so that meant a trip to the office.  With that accomplished I headed downtown to do the deliveries.   I stopped at the iTur office to get some maps but they were closed.

I then met up with Ed and Lynne Nadeau who are visiting from Montreal.  Ed was here last November with his buddy Dick, but now was back to show Lynne so she could make her own decisions.  I instantly took a liking to Lynne and they decided they wanted to see the big market, Feria Libre.    So off we went on the #28 bus and toured the huge Mercado.   Something was very strange though, much of it was closed, or closing, early and they were scrubbing the floors.   I surmised that this is because Wednesday is one of the big “fresh food” days and they closed early on Tuesday to prepare.

Then we caught the #13 back and got off near San Sebastian where we saw the square and then made our way to La Condamine and the “maypole” sculpture.  They had already been on the double-decker tour so they had seen a lot but the river is still a big attraction for them.   We went ½ way down Calle Larga checking out the Panama Hats and several stores.

I showed them where California Kitchen is located, although it is closed Tuesdays, and we continued on to La Vina for supper.   The pizza was fabulous as usual, the spaghetti disappeared from Ed’s plate in moments, but poor Lynne’s lasagna was decidedly weird.  It looked like tomato soup and had one layer of noodles.   We should have said something, but didn’t and I shared my pizza with Lynne.   We had a helpful server named Sarita, 4 years old from Colombia, and cute as a button.

I asked them if they wanted to see the junior Symphony in action just down the street but they pleaded tiredness so we parted, only to resume again tomorrow morning.

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

Monday April 22, 2013

Monday April 22, 2013  update #430

I got to bed early, for me, and waoke around 4, got up at 6 and went back to bed around 9.   I got up around noon after 3 hours of the best rest I have had in a long time.

Ed and Pauline have arrived from Montreal, Ed having scouted Cuenca with his buddy, Dick from Moncton, a few months back.   Ed and Dick were both to come with their wives this time but Dick and his wife had to cancel at the last moment due to family emergencies.  Too bad.  I was looking forward to seeing them all.

Ed and Pauline decided to tour the area of their hotel on Mariscal Lamar on their own today, not a bad idea.   I imagine the walking and the altitude will take their toll on them tomorrow but time will tell.

I spent over an hour just waiting for Tom Thumb to make an appearance and giving myself a muscle strain in my left arm from holding the camera in one position for so long.  When he did finally show his pointy beak I only managed to catch one shot of a 3 shot burst.  He is very sensitive to the shutter sound so I don’t want to do it too often lest I scare him away permanently.

I spent the afternoon thoroughly enjoying my return to the Tom Clancy novel “The Bear and The Dragon”.   That is really scary reading and not all that far-fetched in our current world.  I highly recommend it.

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

Sunday April 21, 2013

Sunday April 21, 2013  update #429

Well I sold my last remaining Sony to the first person who looked at it.   Like me, Walter owned a Sony DSC-H9 before and wanted to upgrade.  He got a good deal on a very good camera.  It turns out his wife is Cuencano and they have lived here for 17 years, and 12 years prior in Brazil.   They run the Bell Academy with grades 1-4 and they add a class every year, keeping continuity with their students, teaching English, Spanish and Portuguese to the young sponges.   Sounds great to me.

I didn’t do much except to test out the projector I just bought.  It would not display RAW photos so I had to take a couple of shots of Pancho and convert them to JPG’s, then it would work.  The quality seemed quite bad until I darkened the room substantially and then the projection was acceptable.

Bella was off to open up the Bridge Club even though she is still pretty congested, she had no choice.

I met her over at Mark & Karen’s for a meaty lasagna supper followed by chocolate mousse.   This is such a tough life.

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

Saturday April 20, 2013

Saturday April 20, 2013  update #428

I have posted my wonderful Sony DSC-HX1 for sale earlier today.   You can see all the information at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/.

I spent most of the day preparing that information before heading to Joe’s for scrumptious Southern Fried Chicken.  Unfortunately Bella is regaining her head cold and cough and had to cancel out at the last moment.

I had to stop at Chris & Bettye’s to return his book ‘Methuselah’s Secret’ which I enjoyed very much and eagerly await Chris’ sequel.   I also left them a few movies to watch while picking up the micro projector that I bought.  Bettye had picked up a few more art pieces since I was there last and I am amazed at her excellent taste and positioning.   They have also purchased one of Gary Meyer’s paintings on display in the lobby level.

Joe’s was a packed house, 80 people is their capacity, for the Fried Chicken and everyone was mighty hungry by the time service began after 7pm.  Time was easily forgotten as everybody dug in to their meals.  There were many new faces as usual and I got to sit with two new couples from Alabama and Colorado tonight.

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

Friday April 19, 2013

Friday April 19, 2013  update #427

I tried some Pure Rest tablets, brought from Canada by our friend Mavis last year, to see if they would help me get a decent night’s sleep.  Of course I awoke at 3am, got up at 4:30 because my mind was rolling with several ideas for a fundraiser that could be awesome.   I went back to bed at 6:30 and didn’t want to get up at 8:30 to let Rosa in.

Bella had to go to weaving for the charity work but she was the only one that showed up today.   She got back in time to play more online Bridge.

I struck a deal with my buddy Chris to buy him out of the projector that we bought last year.   I am not sure exactly what I will do with it, but I wanted it accessible in case we needed it for Hearts Of Gold.

I didn’t venture out at all today so I went to work on a few more Pase del Nino photos from Christmas Eve.

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

Thursday April 18, 2013

Thursday April 18, 2013  update #426

Well I had the best sleep in weeks last night but I am still tired   I need many more of that kind of night to allay this exhaustion.

Bella didn’t stray at all today, getting into several Bridge tournaments online.   In one of them she played by herself and came in First!   Congrats dear.

I was getting ready to go to a Thank You card signing at the Hearts Of Gold office but the heavens opened so I delayed my departure.   I didn’t miss much.

Some discussion was given to suggestions for another event in August, one of the suggestions being a children’s event, outside.   I could foresee so many obstacles and expenses that I just kept my mouth shut on that.   I mentioned that friends had said that the big Full House Lottery in Canada was running an online 50-50 raffle and the Pot was already at $2.5 million….   That perked a few ears up….   A good computer person could operate that very simply and at almost no expense for a great return to HoG if we decided to try it here.    Our next project is to help local children be able to enroll in school in September.  That is a huge financial burden to all poor Ecuadorian families.

Thank you again to all donors, supporters and attendees of the Silent Auction last Saturday.  Sorry no photos but I am going to post something below that came up on Facebook, and they actually work…  Symbols…

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

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Wednesday April 17, 2013  update #425

OMG, Bella bought me a cabbage so heavy and so huge it was enough to make me 13 lunches!!  If the price is still 68c, you do the math, those are pretty cheap lunches at a nickel apiece!!

Bella was off to do about 5 errands ending with her Bridge Club.   I was to meet the gang at a recommended burger joint near Millennium Mall called Chill & Grill which is now purported to be the best burger place in town.

I did my chores and got back into my Tom Clancy book and should have had a nap, but didn’t.   Instead I decided to leave early and roam around that area before meeting the gang.  The Rio Tomebamba is quite docile as we haven’t had much rain in town for a while.  

I stopped in at the CIDAP Museum at the bottom of the Escalinata to see what they have new this month.  I know I read the lineup at some point but my brain doesn’t retain that stuff very well.  What they did have was a lot of devil masks counterbalanced with a lot of crucifixion art, Jesus versus the devil kind of thing.   Some of the art was really striking, especially the “Indian Jesus” which is really different.

Parque De La Madre had some openings in the fence so we could see the progress they are making, because they should be opening the park at the end of the month possibly.   It should be really beautiful and the walkers and runners will be really looking forward to the reopening.

I poked around Millennium Mall but couldn’t find much of interest for me except the Fuji store.

The gang showed up at the Chill & Grill around 5:30 and I ordered the Bacon Cheesburger, looking forward to a new burger experience.   The meal came and it had really great fried potatoes like fat potato chips.  I quite enjoyed those.  The burger was a huge disappointment though.  Big bun, small burger, and I couldn’t taste either the bacon or the cheese, so it was a huge letdown.   It doesn’t hold a candle to Big Kabuda’s, California Kitchen or Eucalyptus Café at all.  I won’t be rushing to eat there again.

We went across the Tutto Freddo’s for an ice cream to top off the meal before doing a small shopping excursion at the Super Maxi nearby.   I had been keeping my eye out for a small ghetto or stereo to play some music but never saw one all day.

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

Tuesday April 16, 2013

Tuesday April 16, 2013  update #424

Last night I finished Chris’ book, Methuselah’s Secret, available as an eBook too, and now I have to press him to finish the sequel.   He gave us a taste of the sequel at the last Writer’s Group reading and now it all fits.  C’mon Chris, get that typewriter clacking.

OMG did you read somewhere about explosions at the Boston Marathon.   I have a few ideas on what to do with the sicko that could do such a thing.  I think I’ll watch “Man On Fire” again to stoke me up.

Most of the morning was spent uploading photos etc before I had to run out to three meetings.  First we helped Mark and Karen with some banking so they could purchase their ‘new’ Suzuki.

Then we had the post-mortem on the Silent Auction and I was pretty surprised that almost every volunteer showed up to give their input.  The Auction was a success, and will end up closer to $5,500 when they add in the 50-50 proceeds plus the unpaid items.   Our goal was for $3,500 so this gives HoG the option to fund new projects that have been on hold.

The main gripe was the inadequate sound system which did not help us in informing the public properly about rules, etc.  In spite of that we had a huge crowd that was appreciative of all the work we did.

Many ideas were bounced around about trying a live auction although many did not believe Sheryle when she said a live Auction with 100 items would run about 5 hours.  Do the math at 3 minutes per item… she is absolutely right, then add at least an hour to register the public with bid sheets, etc, etc….  Another idea was to eliminate the paperwork, have everybody hooked up and synchronized electronically.  I didn’t see Ms Rockefeller ponying up the money for that little tidbit.   Talking heads aside, it was a productive meeting with a lot of brilliant ideas and shortcuts we can use next time.    I am so darn exhausted from this time I don’t even want to think about next time (due in August).

The I met with Ed and Peggy who had come to buy my gorgeous little Sony pocket camera.  They got a steal of a deal on that little puppy.    Now I have to work on selling my larger Sony DSC-HX1 with all its many accoutrements.  If you know of someone interested in that, let me know ASAP.

Bella is in an online Bridge Tournament all week, twice a day, so we are making arrangements to eat out every day so she doesn’t have to bother cooking.   Today we ordered the breaded chicken from next door where the price is never the same twice.  Today it was $2.50 each, no soup or drink or dessert, but the platter was full and neither of us could finish it, so we won’t complain.

Bella was just logging onto the Bridge Tournament when the doorbell rang.   The new Suzuki owners were outside with their new prized possession.and wanted me to take photos of them.   It is claimed that there is a way to get an Ecuadorian Drivers’ Licence without all the rigamaroll of tests in Spanish and so on, so I will be tagging along if that is true.

I did manage a couples of shots downtown today….

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

Monday April 15, 2013

Monday April 15, 2013  update #423

Boy, I am still so tired.  Never got to bed until 2am and awoke early like usual.  Some things are nagging at me about the HoG Auction that I will need to get resolved soon.

Bella is going to be busy participating twice a day in an online Bridge tournament for the whole week.

While at John & Barbie’s last night, on of the other guests asked me about finding a pocket camera so I decided on the spot to sell my Sony DSC-H55 because I am so unlikely to use it again.   Now that I am shooting RAW, I just can’t go back to shooting JPEG.   Therefore I guess I will shortly be selling my DSC-HX1 too with all its trimmings.

Oh, John and Barbie’s B+B is listed at https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/964085 if anyone is interested,   It is truly a beautiful home.   Of course there are many other listings under AIRBNB.com for homes in many countries.

Just got work that Hearts Of Gold raised $4,638 at the Auction event Saturday night!!  This exceeded our modest goal and allows us to begin other projects that were put aside for lack of funding.   Again THANK YOU to everyone who participated, and of course to all the volunteers who put in so many hours and donated so many of the items themselves.

There is a small group that gets together to dance here, not often enough, and the lady who spearheads it wants to make a weekly event of it when she returns from the US.  She has asked me to download a few 50’s and 60’s oldies to a CD.  Well that holds over 200 songs so I did that this afternoon.   It sure is a pleasure to listen to those old familiar tunes……..   No photos today, sorry.

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

Sunday April 14, 2013

Sunday April 14, 2013  update #422

Bella was off to her Bridge Club while I did my Internet chores then just collapsed back into bed.

I got up in time to meet Bella at John & Barbie’s shindig on Los Alamos for John’s 70^th Birthday.  Gosh it seems like forever since I had a simple event to attend that did not necessitate any demands on my time or my camera.  I was able to visit and have a few drinks with many of our new friends in Cuenca.

John and Barbie have this incredible bungalow they have for use as a B+B while they live in the “cottage” at the front, which is actually a maid’s quarters.   The huge yard was perfect for a lovely “fall” evening of potluck food, good music, and schmoozing with friends.

Our shock of the evening was seeing newbies Mike and Jing yet again at this function.  They must think that we go to everything in Cuenca because we have run into them everywhere in the past week.  They even happened to pick California Kitchen as the place for supper last night and stumbled upon our Silent Auction.  This is truly weird.  They are leaving in a few days and are supposed to be back to stay in 3 weeks.   They are defying all local wisdom and are desperately trying to find a place to buy before they leave.    We wish them luck in that misguided endeavor as you can’t get to know a town like Cuenca in 2 weeks.

Winding down from the stress of working on the Auction is not easy, as ideas and questions constantly swirl in this old brain and won’t let me fully relax.   Hopefully this will improve over the next few days.    Tonight’s fun was a good start.

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

Saturday April 13, 2013

Saturday April 13, 2013  update #421

I honestly didn't think I would get a Blog done today but here we are.

Today’s the big day for the Hearts Of Gold Foundation “Pay It Forward” Silent Auction and Sale.   I was at California Kitchen by 8:45 to be ready for the arrival of the 13 tables from the rental company.  Once they arrived we had to set them up and put on the tablecloths.    Outside the room we had to set up a Cash Desk and a sale desk for our partner organization to flog some great purses.

At 10:30 the Auction and Sale items arrived and everybody got to work.  The items had to be set up in such an order that we could squeeze in all 108 Auction items around the outside (I was notified of another Gift Certificate at 11pm, nothing like last minute aggravations, but it is for a good cause so we bite our lip a lot).   God must have been watching over us because it worked out with about 2 inches to spare, I kid you not!    What an enormous load off my shoulders!  

We were done the set-up by 11:30, much sooner than I expected and the place looks fabulous!   There is even more walking room than I had envisioned, which is good, because we expect it to be wall-to-wall people tonight.  We have lots of volunteers assigned specific duties so hopefully we can all be unobtrusive and helpful at the same time.   I have some “before and after” photos so you can see the amazing transformation.

I headed home for lunch and a much-needed few minutes of shuteye on the terrace.

Then we got cleaned up again and took a bus back to El Centro.  Bella wanted to check if grand-daughter Kiki’s letter had arrived but the Post Office was closed.

We continued on to California Kitchen and went over many duties with the different volunteers and the MC’s.  People were there at 4pm waiting to get in to be the first to get a crack at our Buy-It-Now  option on the Auction items at 80% of the retail value.   By 5pm the place was packed and when we opened the doors it was like a feeding frenzy.   Organized chaos is the best way to describe the rest of the evening.   Very few people left but the bidding slowed to a crawl so we speeded everything up by ½ hour.   All in all, it was a good decision to let the people go.   I didn’t see who won the $310 in the 50-50 draw, or the gold or silver coins.   Congratulations to all the winners.   I would say that I knew 80% of the crowd, having met most of them at Joe’s Secret Garden.   There were many disappointing absences but I am sure they had good reasons.

The main MC managed to show up from his sick bed and did a masterful job.  None of the Ecuadorian musicians showed up although Rich the magician did show up and entertained the kids.   Bella bought one of the purses on sale.

It appears that we had a couple of items disappear on us without payment but they were very minor in the big scheme of things.   All in all it was very successful and I am hoping Hearts Of Gold realized their goal of about $3,000 tonight.   California Kitchen was very happy, saying we could bring in this business for them every weekend!

All mine and Jay’s items sold, although I have to reimburse some good friends who bought my photo package just so I wouldn’t feel bad.   I am grateful to them for that.

People were most gracious despite the many misunderstandings of procedures and paid us all the kindest of compliments.  It was a great event that they all seemed to have enjoyed, a room full of folks with big hearts.  THANK YOU to everyone who participated.

Sorry but I was so busy dodging bullets all night that I hardly took any pictures.  

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

Doce De Abril, 2013

Friday April 12, 2013  update #420

Doce De Abril is a big holiday, Cuenca was founded by the Spanish 456 years ago today.  There are huge parties and festivals all over town but I apologize, I am not going to make it to nay of them.

I was awake at 4:30 rolling over many more ideas in my poor head and I finally just got up at 5:30 and started to act on them.  We had two more ‘missed the deadline by a mile’ Gift Certificates brought in that creates havoc with all the paperwork we were supposed to have been finished with.   It took me a while to cool down and process them because the ultimate beneficiary will be the underprivileged of Ecuador.  I think I crawled back into bed around 8:30 and just laid there, after grabbing a pain killer, until 10:30.

Bella was off to do her charity knitting and crocheting.   That giraffe she made is so darn popular that one of the Ecuadorian ladies simply insisted that the giraffe was what she was going to make today, and she was not taking No for an answer.   It didn’t matter that she didn’t have the right wool, or pattern, or stuffing….  Of course this took away from Bella’s teaching a class which did not please her too much.   Bella will have to finish a proper pattern and translate it into Spanish soon.

My next order of business was to map out everyone’s duties and responsibilities for tomorrow, to the minute.  We have a ‘Time Coordinator” assigned to keep everyone on time or we could have a shambles.   This included a breakdown for the MC’s so they know when they have to initiate things.

I finished off all the other paperwork too and decided to do a quick total of the retail value of just the Auction items.   I was more than a little surprised when that total alone came to $8,886!!  Once we add in the direct sales items we would be around the $10,000 mark!   Kudos to our volunteers who have worked so hard.

When Bella returned she wanted to go donate blood for a local lady.   She had received a note from some neighbor and then there was a posting on GringoTree or GringoPost about it too.  Since the lady is in the hospital 2.5 blocks away at the Hospital IESS I decided to go along too.  However, this being the Doce De Abril holiday, the Blood Bank was closed until Monday.

We both came home and hit the sack for another hour or so.

I never thought I would feel so much relief as when I closed the binders on all the paperwork for the Auction.  I feel in my heart that I have done everything humanly possible to manage this Auction so I hope we get a huge crowd with fat wallets tomorrow and become the talk of the town. 

There won’t be any Blog tomorrow because I will be out all day dealing with the Auction.   I will have to put it up on Sunday.

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

Thursday April 11, 2013

Thursday April 11, 2013 update #419

I awoke at 5:30 and tried to sleep some more but gave up and got to work at 6:30.   I did what I hoped would be the final paperwork before the auction.   The laugh was on me.

Bella was up half the night in the bathroom so she stayed home and tried to play online bridge but apparently the Internet was down most of the afternoon.

I headed downtown before lunch to get magnetic bracelet.   She did the same loose work on it so I doubt it will stay together much longer than last time.  She only asked for $1 again but I gave her $2 as it must be a fair amount of work.

As I headed to Hearts Of Gold for yet another meeting I caught a couple of interesting shots along the way.   I also stopped at a video store to pick up some great movies to throw in our Door Prize basket.  

I also took a chance and stopped at Tiesto’s, the expensive meal place in Cuenca to straighten out a glitch on their 2 Gift Certificates.   I was surprised to catch them open but I was so very thankful that I wouldn’t have to return later in the evening.   The owner/chef is a very nice person but he placed some very stringent time restrictions on his Certificates that are upsetting.   We will have to make sure that the winning bidder is well aware that they have to be used during specific days in May.

Before the others came we received more donations, including a small Kindle for a Door Prize!!   Door Prize winners will be able to choose their prize from what is remaining in the basket.

We received some paintings made by the kids at El Arenal to raise some funds.   We had supplied the canvasses and the paints for them.   The work they have done is mighty impressive.  I was asked to take photos of them so they could post them prior to the Auction to raise more interest.  The paintings will probably sell between $35 and $45.

Our final Auction tally is 105 items, totaling somewhere around $6,000 retail value.   I had done a suggested blurb about our little wrinkle of Buy-It-Now prices at 80% of retail on all our Auction items and they have posted that on GringoPost and GringoTree.   If we got 80% on everything we would be ecstatic.   We are getting great advertising so we expect a packed house.

On top of that we have a lot of direct sale items to add to our pot.   If someone can’t find anything they like at this Auction they won’t be in this country long.

Our MC’s, Michel Blanchard (Canadian) and Ashley Rogers do a weekly radio show and are experienced with stages and microphones so we are thrilled they agreed to help us.  They came by at 2pm to get a feel of what we were proposing and to get an idea of their duties.   I had a sample list ready for them and helped put them at ease with the knowledge that we will have a “Time Coordinator” to keep track of  when things are to happen, announcements, etc.  They were given a quick outline of our partner organizations and some of the stories that tug at the heartstrings.  Emilie and Melinda will be supplying them with lots of material to occupy their stage time.   They will get to talk in amongst the proposed musicians and a magic show.   Where we are going to fit everybody I don’t know.

Our meeting was for ironing out a few more details, delineate more of the responsibilities, etc.   Naturally there were some changes to a few of the Auction items which entailed a lot of document reprinting tonight.   Maybe I will get most of tomorrow to rest and relax before the huge day on Saturday.   That is going to be one long day so don’t expect any Blog Saturday.

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

Wednesday April 10, 2013

Wednesday April 10, 2013  update #418

 I was up at 7:30 and hard at work on Hearts Of Gold paperwork.   I didn’t stop until 4pm, even for lunch, and got a lot accomplished but still much to go.   That will have to wait until morning because the volunteers keep changing and adding more stuff.   It is hard to get mad at dedicated volunteers who didn’t grasp our deadline of last Friday.   Tonight I am still working on changes resulting from emails just received.

Bella was off to her Wednesday Bridge Club this afternoon.

I met Bella, Mark & Karen, Mike & Jing down at Otorongo Plaza after trying to make contact with a donor that gave us an expired Gift Certificate.   I won’t get into details but the volunteer who got the Certificate is petrified to go back because I stroked out the expiration date….   The owner isn’t there until 7pm so guess where I will be tomorrow night or Friday night….??   Walking along the river I took a few shots.

We walked through the market that was just setting up in Otorongo even though it was supposed to have been running since yesterday.  Then we climbed the steep escalinata and walked past San Sebastian to get to Mangiare Bene Italian Restaurant where we enjoyed a delightful meal.  We finished just as a party of 14 were coming in and the volume level was about to explode.

Walking to Parque Calderon we heard a beautiful male voice and we found this man singing in the gazebo backed by a small orchestra.   I was thankful to catch a cab home as I am just exhausted.

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

Tuesday April 9, 2013 update #417

Tuesday April 9, 2013  update #417

Bella was off to the book exchange early this morning then to complete her many other chores.

I was up early to fine-tune more paperwork for a Hearts Of Gold meeting in the afternoon.   I then caught a bus downtown to go to the jewelry market to retrieve my magnetic bracelet, which I had left with the lady for a week.  She spent 10 minutes hunting it down then she was pulling out the fishing line to start work on it.   I told her I would be back in 2 days because I don’t want a rush job like last time that did not last.

As I meandered my way to the Hearts of Gold office, wishing to arrive before they close for lunch, I snapped a few photos along Solano on the way.   I won’t have much time to myself this week to do photos.

I was surprised to find our maid Rosa at the office but it seems she is the liaison with some destitute families in the country that we support.   Our world is getting much more close-knit here.

At the office I busied myself with organizing the auction physical items and tagging them with their position numbers.  Then Denton Verkley came in to photograph all of them for posting on the Hearts Of Gold website.  We have about 45 physical items and about 55 Gift Certificates so we have a great assortment of items to bid on.  We hope the citizens and gringos of Cuenca will support us heavily.

The meeting was productive as we get down to the final items to process.  I picked up about 15 more today that I will have to arrange all the paperwork on.  There were many changes desired that I need to incorporate on the sheets.  We discussed who should handle which positions on Auction night and we have a few outsiders that have volunteered to help as well.   Our preparations are nearing completion.

There were some heated discussions about major donors wanting to pitch their wares physically at the Auction and we had to put the Kybosh on that.  We simply don’t have the room and we don’t want to take away from the charitable spirit of the Auction.  We have no problems with them supplying business cards and brochures but that is where it must end.   The only exception we are allowing is a partner organization with charitable intentions as well.

Remember I posted the warning about Banco Territorial yesterday on this Blog, and I also sent it to GringoTree and GringoPost so we could warn as many folks as possible about the deadline.    You can imagine my shock to discover that GringoTree did not post the notice.   I honestly cannot figure those guys out.   They normally do such good stuff but lately are more interested in pestering us with an annoying pop-up every day.   I have now complained to the owners to see what can be done.

Relaxation is the ticket tonight as I will tackle the paperwork in the morning when I am fresh.   I am too cranky tonight to do it any justice.

Happy Birthday Patsy.

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

Monday April 8, 2013

Monday April 8, 2013  update #416

By the way, Bella is elated at the good times they are having at the new Bridge Club.  They had 12 people there yesterday and everyone is raving about it.  That is what she needs to get it rolling into something substantial.

Today was a most interesting day.   I woke up worrying about the liquidation of Banco Territorial and the procedures to cash in our CD before their 30 day time limit was up, and we had no idea when that was.  

We would not have known anything about this if one of my Blog readers hadn’t emailed me because I had mentioned that we had dealings with them.   We don’t get newspapers or listen to radio or watch TV.  Getting any news or sports is really hit and miss and we normally don’t think much about it.  It seemed that GringoTree or GringoPost let us know of any major happenings which we can then check out on the Internet.   This kind of event could have cost us $28,000 had we not been alerted.

We had emailed the Bank Superintendent and he had responded with a name, phone number, and email of a Carolina Pesantez that we had to contact.    My email of Friday had been unanswered so I composed a detailed list of questions in a new email that I fired off at 8:19.

We had nightmares of being forced to go to Quito, hoping at worst to go to Guayaquil, and were making preparations to go on Thursday, our only free day.

At 11am I tried calling the phone number with a Cuenca prefix and it just rang and rang.  I then called Oswaldo and emailed him my list of questions and all the information.   He also tried the Cuenca prefix and also got no response.   Then he tried a Quito prefix and managed to talk to this Carolina.   He asked us to meet him at Banco Del Pacifico at 2pm with all our paperwork and he would explain then.

We arrived and he explained that Banco Del Pacifico is partly Government-owned and they would handle the transaction.  He said that Carolina told him the deadline was this Saturday!!  We asked one of the counter reps where to go and they said simply to go to a teller, so we got in the short lineup.

This teller, another cousin, according to Oswaldo, lmao, gave us $16 back from our small savings account and everything was going smoothly with cashing the CD until they compared my passport number with the information they had on file.  When we had begun the process from Canada in 2009 I still had my old passport so this account had that information.  Since the number changes with every renewal, nothing seems to match.  So Oswaldo and I roared back home where I still kept my old passport (Bella had told me I’d never need it again), then stopped to get 2 colour copies, and we were back there in an hour.

Again everything was going fine until they now asked for a passport history document…  Oswaldo blew up at his cousin and the supervisor telling them they have to stop asking for silly documents that don’t exist!  Everyone in the lineup was listening intently by now.  Anyway, they relented and we not only got our full principal amount but also our full interest to date!

We then went to Coopera to deposit the money there for now and had a long chat with the Manager, Juan, about their situation now that they have a new Superintendent for Credit Unions.  They are going through an audit stage run by a bunch of former bankers who are not kind to Credit Unions so it could be an ordeal yet.  Juan figures they will be forced eventually to reduce their interest rates a bit to appease the Banking Gods.

Upon arrival at home I fired off the following information to my informant and GringoTree and GringoPost:

Banco Territorial is under liquidation by the Bank Superintendent of Ecuador.  You have only until Saturday April 13th to recover your money, guaranteed up to $31,000.  Do not delay!

The Superintendent's website claims that you have to go to the Guayaquil or Quito branches but this is not necessary.  You are able to get your money on-the-spot in Cuenca at any branch of Banco Del Pacifico, which is partly Government-owned.

There are two Banco Del Pacifico branches in Cuenca, the first is just east of Las Americas on Gran Colombia, and the second is just south east of the main stadium.

Bring any original documents, CD's, Bank books, etc as well as the identity documents used to obtain the documents, ie. old passport, new passport, or Cedula, along with 2 color copies of each.  You just get in line to see a teller and they will handle the transaction easily.

Hopefully this will save a few souls a lot money as well.  We are so thankful to everyone, Trudy, Carolina, and Oswaldo for simplifying things and saving us a lot of worry and needless travel.

Sorry, no time for photos today...

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

Sunday April 7, 2013

Sunday April 7, 2013  update #415

Bella apparently was up ½ the night retching for reasons unknown.   However she felt well enough by lunchtime to go meet with her Bridge Club, so off she went.

I spent most of the morning preparing our documents to go to either Guayaquil or Quito to cash in our CD from Banco Territorial.   We want to wait to talk to the person we  were referred to by the Banking Superintendent so we do things just once, and in one day,   We are both too darn busy at this particular time to waste our time needlessly.   Bella will get confirmation on how to fill in our claims forms in Spanish while I have made colour copies of the other necessary documents.    We should be ready to fly or bus at a moment’s notice.

The afternoon I spent redoing half the paperwork for the Hearts Of Gold Silent Auction and Sale happening in a scant 6 days.   We already have 79 confirmed items for the tables, not counting sale items, and I expect a flood of late items in the next 2 days from some volunteers that have missed the last meeting.

The Auction should go off well, we are as organized as we can be.  My only fear is that I will get stuck lugging heavy tables, etc, up and down those stairs.   Saturday will be one loooooong day.

Sorry no photos today, never got out of the house, but there were 2 uploads yesterday….

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

Saturday April 6, 2013

Saturday April 6, 2013  update #414

I did take a short walk in the neighborhood on my way to exchange two movies that weren’t in English.  Can you believe that one of the movies I brought back was again a duplicate???

I had brought my camera so I got a few shots of the sights in the area, including a wedding at Santa Teresa.

So there will be two uploads to Souvenir today.

We slipped over as invited to have a mango daiquiri with Mark and Karen before heading to Joe’s.   They asked me if I knew anything about buying vehicles, or checking out vehicles.  I advised them that I sold cars for 7 years so I knew a little about what to look for.   They were having a tour operator come to show them a 2009 Suzuki with 33,500 kms on it, previously owned by a little old man who only went to church on Sundays…  When he arrived we all went down and I gave it a thorough going over to see if I could disprove of anything that was claimed.  The vehicle had been scrupulously cleaned so extra vigilance was needed to hunt down any anomalies.  There were many scratches and a minor front dent that was consistent with an old man always scraping or backing into things, but nothing serious.  The tires and brakes and pedals and seat wear were consistent with the mileage.   The motor ran really smooth and there were no rattles even on rough roads.   All in all it was a pretty darn good unit for the asking price.   They dropped me off at Joe’s to do my chores there while they returned to negotiate.  I later learned that the sale may be consummated pending a mechanic’s check.

Joe’s was the usual crowd with a few new faces, including another couple from Vancouver.  The BBQ pork was exceptionally good tonight as were the cinnamon rolls.

I keep getting requests for copies of photos and I keep giving them away for nothing.    Some day I will have to learn how to charge properly for my work and not feel guilty about it.

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