Friday September 28, 2012

Friday September 28/12 update

Didn’t get to bed until 2:30, so I just stayed in bed until 11:00 this morning, did the chores and then headed to AAC.  I really should have my camera in my hand at all times as there is just so much that we see that is interesting and different, on the buses, on the street, etc.

I arrived at AAC and we had a good complement of volunteers, even the two people who had to go to Colombia with Tom & Linda to get their residency permits from outside the country.  The four of them accompanied Gabriela Espinosa in a rented vehicle and, after some official bribes in Colombia, they now have their residency stamps.  This business about having to leave the country is still beyond my comprehension.

Today at AAC we had a magician named Rich, who I instantly recognized from Joe’s Secret Garden and at the Windhorse Book Exchange.   I was really amazed at his grasp of the Spanish language and how he kept the kids enraptured.  I told him we need to have someone like him every month as a special treat for the kids.   Photos don’t do the act justice so I took four videos and combined them.  Most of us really loved his bit with Louie the Cuy (guinea pig is a delicacy here).  Enjoy:

http://youtu.be/hmlAYsipBxk

Two other pieces of good news, Chris has ordered the projector so we should see that in a couple of weeks, and we found the missing crayons and pencils.   This really underscores the need for a secure cabinet for our stuff.

Yesterday I had bought some sausages, and I had asked for the spiciest so I cooked some up tonight.  They were not bad but they sure weren’t Smokies.   Some things we just can’t get here.

I took a photo of a restaurant advertising sandwich board advertising a ¼ chicken dinner for $3.50, and that includes an extra leg!   Can Swiss Chalet compete with that?

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

Thursday September 27, 2012

Thursday September 27/12 update

OMG awake at 3am again and can’t sleep so may as well use the computer while it has some speed.  Trying to use it in the evening has become a joke.  Everybody in Ecuador must be on in the evening and it slows down so much that Gmail won’t even load properly.

My sister Yvette sent me this “Glee” karaoke recording of my sister Leonie accompanying our great-niece (turning 8 soon), Erin, in a song.  Erin is so amazing for such a young girl that I just had to share this.  Give it a listen:

http://glee.smule.com/song/solo/1310690

This morning was an informal meeting of our former Spanish class for conversational practice.  Nancee, Ray and myself met at Noel and Christina’s apartment for coffee and to try to use our Spanish, and avoid speaking English.  Gosh, Noel and Christine have such a lovely condo with great views, and they have decorated it with such great art.

We broke off to go for almuerzo lunch a couple of blocks up Solano called Kadaffa.  The lunch was delicious and is served by this wonderful Cuencano couple with the most precocious 3-year-old.   They are located in an old 4-storey wooden structure that was once owned by a rich family so they could survey their surrounding land.  It once had a magnificent 360 degree view but that has now been ruined by a Rosenthal Developments huge condo hi-rise next door.  The place is decorated with many Venetian-type masks though not nearly of the same quality.  We were taken on a tour upstairs where they allow friends, at no charge, to hold art and photographic exhibitions.   It is a very impressive place with wood floors and a spiral staircase..

We kept dodging passing rainstorms (yes, I know I asked for rain yesterday, but remember that I asked for them at night).  Anyway, we were very fortunate that we did not get soaked in any of our travels today.

We returned to Noel and Christine’s condo which has a view of a treed garden below that is infected with hummingbirds, and they have 2 feeders in their windows.   Naturally I took many, many photographs and had to delete most of them as they are out of focus.  Trying to guess the distance, and remain still, and capture them at the right moment takes a lot of patience and a little calisthenics, leaning over the kitchen counter to shoot through an open window.   Then I tried shooting right through the window and that is when I got my best shots.   I was actually surprised that I got as many decent shots as I did.  Anyway, Thank You Noel and Christine for your hospitality.

I caught the #15 back, and culled many of my hummer photos while we struggled through rush hour traffic.  I had 110 photos to sift through so that was the delay before anything gets posted tonight.  I only kept 52 of the many, many photos taken today.

I got off at Monay Mall and went in to Coral and spent $64 on groceries and booze.  Now we need company to help us drink the booze.   My rum bottle hasn’t been touched since January, so when are you coming to visit???

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

Wednesday September 26, 2012

Wednesday September 26/12 update

OK, the photos are posted from yesterdays Night Photography Tour.

I was up at 4:30, going through the 109 photos, that I cut to 64 with a quick glance last night, and now have cut them down to 41 keepers after 6 hours of work.

I am certainly not displeased with the outcome from last night’s successful excursion.   I hope you like them.

I arrived at AAC along with Richard so we started the “class” ourselves.  The people kept drifting in, and we had a full house with parents and kids.  Thank God Richard is good at instructing and keeping the kids occupied.  Chris came in later and had treats for the kids as we closed down a little early.

There was an ad on GringoTree for free salsa lessons and I figured that would generate a turnout so I thought I would stop in and see what the catch was.  It started at 6pm so I walked all the way downtown and was still way early.   I bought 8 movies as my supply is getting low.   I saw something new today, a policeman actually giving a ticket to someone!  There were also two funky home side-by-side on Gran Colombia that always catch our eye so I took their pictures for your viewing pleasure.   A little further up is one of the Sacred Heart churches that I don’t get to see very often.

The salsa room is not far from the main cathedral and it is above a tour company office but the pitch I received was for Spanish lessons, 20 hours in a week, mornings or afternoons.  They are also 1 on 1 lessons so they can’t be cheap.  No price was mentioned.

I am pretty sure the GringoTree ad said the instructor had 25 years experience.  Well either of them must have begun in the womb because they were awfully young.  There was a group of about a dozen but I was happy to get out of there after the hour.

The river is already getting low again.  Please send a little rain our way, preferably at nights, OK??

I stopped across the street for 2 pieces of chicken, fries and her wonderful coconut drink, for a whole $2.90.

I am so beat I am going to crash at the earliest opportunity.

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

Tuesday September 25,2012

Tuesday September 25/12 update

I had every photographer complete a checklist which states any allergies, medications, as well as emergency and doctor contacts.  I figured I would just copy that to a memory stick and carry it with me in case of emergency.  I think there was only one who mentioned any medications.

I also got another addition today so now we have 18 photographers plus myself.

I have Bella diligently working to try to get the AAC an AAXA M2 Micro Projector so she can bring it back with her.   There are many available online but most won’t ship outside the USA.  The difference that can make to our activities at the AAC is immeasurable.

Our supper at La Vina was awesome and got great compliments.  There were minor screwups in the orders but it worked out for the best that there was an extra pizza lying around for latecomers from out-of-town.  We picked up an extra person but had one no-show due to stomach flu.

The bus arrived on Juan Jaramillo on time and we were off to Turi.  I felt like a schoolmaster counting heads at every turn but everyone was really great.   I had had a brainstorm during the night that I should use my timer for each shot to avoid any vibration from pushing the shutter button, because my tripod is a pretty flimsy one.   I checked with Paul Wolf and he concurred that it is a proper method, so I tried it all night.

Then we came down to go to Todos Santos and the Broken Bridge.  There was no place to park on the south side so the bus came in the skinny new road on the north side, dropped us off under the bridge and went to turn around somewhere.  Apparently he ran over a new tree lining the road three blocks down and got stuck in the surrounding dirt.  

Underway again we went to El Vergel and the Inca ruins for some nice shots.   Then Jorge the driver suggested going to the statue of the ironworker exploding out of the volcano so we went there.  Even though it wasn’t lit very well it did make for some interesting photographs.

Then we went up the hill to San Blas and got some beautiful rear and front shots before heading to San Francisco church.  Then we all walked to Parque Calderon and got shots of both cathedrals, however the old cathedral is 10 times more impressive at night.   The driver didn’t park where we told him and we had to wait on him again.

Then we headed up to San Sebastian which was poorly lit so we only managed one shot there.  Some of our tour people took cabs from there and we were down to about 9 photographers.   That is where the driver said the office was always calling to see where we were because our contract ended at 9pm and they wanted more money.  I reminded him, in no uncertain terms, that HE was the one who first quoted me for 5 hours and that was later confirmed by his office.   6:15 plus 5 hours meant 11:15, and it was only 10pm!!  Some of the group were willing to pack it in but others agreed with me that we paid for a tour and there were still 2 stops to go.  

So off we went to the north hill then the Catholic University for our last shots.   We walked one lady home who lived in that area then we returned to La Vina where the rest of them lived in the area.  As everyone left they kept giving me rave reviews about the restaurant and the tour.   They certainly got their $10 worth on the tour.   I told the driver that I would be speaking to the office tomorrow to sort out this mess.   Then Paul and I caught a cab home, I got out at Monay and was home by 11pm.

I located the confirming email I had sent to the bus company when we had made our telephone contract where I clearly stated the 5 hours.   I packaged that with some stern language about the embarrassment they caused me in front of everyone and demanded an apology.

I am very upset over this, mainly because our every intention was to use this bus and driver again.  The bus was luxurious and the driver was careful and the ride was so very comfortable.  I hope it sorts itself out.

That was today’s excitement.   Please see all photos at souvenircuenca.blogspot.com when I get them posted.  Hugs to all.

Monday September 24, 2012

Monday September 24/12 update

Well I have nailed down 17 people to come with me tomorrow night for the photo tour.   And this is with only one returnee from the last trip, so 16 new faces….   I guess the next trips will have to be out of town..

Then I nailed down the restaurant for tomorrow’s supper and she told me I will get my supper free every time I bring in large groups!   This is getting better all the time.   We are all to meet there by 5pm, although one lady from out of town will be late and skipping supper.

Then I nailed down the bus people so they will pick us up at the new restaurant at 6:15.  That was after 3 emails, 1 text, and 1 phone call with the aid of the lady in the restaurant.  They have confirmed the place, time, and that I will have the same driver that I spoke to when I found the bus.  Bonus!

I made it to AAC along with Chris, Christine, Cathy and Richard.  I guess Tom had emailed that Linda was sick and he had to wait for furniture deliveries.  Christine had brought along some things for the kids to color so we were off to a good start.  But, someone had been in the premises over the weekend, it looked like the community had a bingo game??!!  Then we couldn't find our pencils, crayons, etc.  We managed to find 2 more packages of pencil crayons so the kids had something to use.  Linda and Miguel were supposed to buy our security cabinet over the weekend but that obviously didn't happen and it certainly underscores the need for said cabinet!

Rain was threatening, no Miguel or Patricio, no parents, and a small group of kids, so we managed OK with the help of Mariuxi.   We found out later that Miguel was at the hospital with his Dad, who was having some problems.  We hope "Papa" comes through OK.

The kids are always fascinated with the camera and some are getting very adept at posing, then asking if they can take a shot too, so you can see some of the results.

I did get a better shot of Cathy today so you can all see that I am not kidding when I say she looks like Carol Bolick at McFarlane’s.  She sounds just like her too so it is really scary to hear that voice and have flashbacks of being back at work...  Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

As soon as we began class the heavens opened for a good half hour, then tapered off to a steady light rain.  We certainly needed the moisture and a cleansing of the dust, etc.  On cue, when class was over, it stopped to allow me to catch a bus downtown.   We almost never see drunks here but this one inebriated young man got on the bus, sat in front and proceeded to pass out.  First he almost fell over into the aisle but a few people quickly righted him.  Then it was a comedy watching him slowly slide off the front of the seat into an impossible pretzel position, oblivious to the jerky movements of the bus or his fellow passengers.    I wonder what they will do with him when he gets to the end of the bus line??  My photo didn’t turn out, sorry.

After nailing down the restaurant as mentioned before, I caught the #3 bus just before it began to rain again.  This meant I was let off at Monay Mall and had to dig out the umbrella.  Now, yesterday I happened to take a shot of my measuring rock in the river showing how low it was, so today I got to see the vast difference just from a quick couple of hours of rain!   It seems to be up about a foot already.

I tried to stop in at the little restaurant across the street for a chicken dinner but she quickly said that was the one item she couldn’t provide tonight.   Darn,…. but I still had the option of going next door for that wonderful breaded chicken, so I did, and it was wonderful.

The Boys are sure good about eating everything I give them.  I was overdoing it by giving too many of Peso’s treats to Pancho, who is allergic to the chicken content, so I noted he has scratched himself raw on one side of the neck again.  No more treats for Mr. Pancho I’m afraid.

Bella alerted me to watch Dancing With The Stars tonight but that is just an exercise in frustration.  Our connection is so slow in the evenings there isn’t a prayer to catch any of it.

Friends, we are looking for donations to purchase a projector for the AAC that we can hook up to our laptops and easily amuse the kids.  There is a highly rated one called the AAXA M2 Micro Projector that we hope we can get for about $300+.  So far we should have raised about ½ of that amount.

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

Sunday September 23, 2012

Sunday September 23/12 update

I worked on photos until 12:30 last night and was up at 4am to continue again.  I finally got the previous night’s photos off to Joseph and then completed all 3 blogs.  Man, this is time-consuming stuff!!

I wandered down to Coopera to do the banking and then walked to Coral, which is a zoo on a Sunday, to try to find a whistle for a reasonable price.  Coral had nothing so I checked at Marathon sports but their whistles were way too expensive.   Then I tried checking in the neighborhood, but without success.   I managed to find the whistle I had bought for Bella so I will use that one to call everyone back to the bus on the photo shoot.

We have signed up 15 others for the Tuesday night photo shoot and possibly 2 more.  The new ad came out in GringoTree so we did get a couple of more enquiries. 

I kept playing with the photos I had taken of John and Barbie and came up with a few different versions that I hope they will like.   The price is right anyway.

Later I am just going to relax and watch a movie or two.

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

Saturday September 22, 2012

Saturday September 22/12 update

I had the first load of laundry running by 6am with all the bedding and towels and got cracking at the other chores.  I let the first load dry for a while since the clotheslines were full.  It is a good thing the first load dried by noon.  I then stuck in the second load and had a nap.  When the washing was done and hung up I had a second nap.

Joseph emailed that he managed to make room for Ed and Dick for supper tonight so I headed over on the #50 to see how it would operate with the new interchange on Las Americas.  The bus dropped me off a block away from Joe’s and it only took 33 minutes.  Not bad!

There was quite a gaggle of Canadians tonight, Mark and Karen (Edmonton), Truman and Marg (Vancouver), Mitri and Ed (Montreal), Cheryl and Lesley (Victoria) and Dick (Moncton).  Most of us were seated at the same table so we had some lively partisan conversations.  Most seemed to think that my suggestion of forming a Canadian Club would be a good idea.  Now I’m sorry I mentioned it.

Truman’s wife, Marg, said that the photo I took of her on her 75^th Birthday was the best photo ever taken of her, and she sent it to everybody she knew! 

Ed and Dick were very complimentary about their visit to the AAC and all the good we are doing there.  They were especially impressed with the way the kids all greeted us on their arrival.

Surprise news tonight, the bartenders John and Barbie announced that they were recently married, so I found it odd that Joe and Joseph did nothing to commemorate the occasion.  I was flattered that Barbie & John asked me to take their photo to use as their wedding photo.

The salad, Beef Wellington, and key lime pie were to die for tonight.  I made the mistake of having 2 salads and 2 Wellingtons, so I am hurting right now, but it is a good hurt.

We are up to 12 people for the photo trip Tuesday night and I should probably leave well enough alone but I will put a further ad in the GringoTree to try to get a few more procrastinators.  I think I only know 3 of the people coming….

A lazy day tomorrow, and I am looking forward to it.

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