RAINY SEASON, FACES AND PLACES IN CUENCA

This is a common sight in front of anyones home this time of year. Even if you have a rain coat, its better to take an umbrella. Sometimes it rains so hard that the water will run down your nice REI raincoat and soak your nice jeans... first hand knowledge on that one.  Oh and Thanks again Mom, I love the umbrella, its the only one of its kind in Cuenca. I think I am the envy of every black umbrella toter!

Here is a nite time photo of the Tomebamba river. It is very high and very fast. I keep wishing I had a huge white water raft to head down the river. We live across the road from the river. Normally due to the high embankment I cannot hear the water until I cross over the street. Today I noticed that I can hear it from our yard.

We have been having lots of fun going to our friends houses, and discovering new places to have dinner.
Here are some photos of our friends and dinners we have been enjoying.

Chris Bluefield of Kookabura Cafe fame..

Spectators, Geri Johnson, Jenny Bluefield and Randy Johnson

Karen Wine, snuggling one of 3 pups in the house that nite.

We have been invited to a home that puts on dinners every saturday nite. It is a grand event and the food is marvelous. We are notified by email what the dinner will be, and the price. Limited to 28 guests. Its always packed and we always are asked if we want seconds!

Skylight

Sweeping staircase to the second floor

Their rendition of a Capresi salad.

Those tomatoes were peeled, sliced and reformed with the mozzarella and greens inside..

Wonderful homemade noodles, chicken, shrimp and a side of a cheesy spinach ..oh yum.

OOPs I forgot to take a picture before I began.. Chocolate pannacotta with strawberry sauce

It was real good!

To make up for all the food we have been consuming we have tried to walk every day. I have convinced Randy to walk along the river so we have some better sights than buses and houses. Here are some pictures I took along the way.

This climbing yellow flowered vine is covering all these yucca type trees!

Cool house with a monster yucca

Cuenca verson of "Follow the Gray Brick Road"..Tomebamba almost over the banks on the right.

On this day, when I took this picture, we were so excited that it was nice and sunny, so I left the house without a jacket or umbrella. I ended the day by having to call Randy to meet me at the bus stop with an umbrella, as it was pouring down rain, and I could not get a taxi! I had on a nice cool tshirt.. and it was white.. so I was not wanting to dash the two blocks home in the rain.  Thanks again Randy.. I won't forget the coat or umbrella again. We have been told for the next two months always carry an umbrella. I think I got that one imprinted in my brain!