VOY A VISITAR A MI MADRE POR TRECE DIAS!

I bet you got the gist of that... I am flying out tomorrow afternoon to Quito, then at 6 am on Monday I am flying out to Portland, Or. where my wonderful brother is picking me up and driving me to my mom's house in Dallas, Or.

I will be able to spend Thanksgiving with her and also  attend her birthday party to celebrate her ()th birthday!  Isn't she awesome!




I am a last minute packer.. so I am currently washing some clothes and throwing stuff in the direction of my suitcase.  I live on a limited amount of clothes and most are only presentable in the most casual of places, so that even limits me more! The most important that I am bringing is the extra suitcase for the stuff I am bringing back with me to Cuenca.

Randy has been shipping some items and I have been inviting others to ship small items to my moms house. She has become quite aquainted with the UPS and Fedex fellas (she does love those cute shorts they wear!)

I am hoping that my daughter and son will be able to come to Oregon, as they are both in Wa.  about 5 hrs away. If the Columbia Gorge is not a ice rink they may be able to come to the party and also see me!

I will try to keep you all posted on what is happening in Oregon, just so you folks in the "new country" can appreciate the wonderful weather you are enjoying... while I appreciate turning leaves and maybe snow!

BUS LINK FOR CUENCA

I found this link on one of the expat forums and thought I would just pass along this information for those of you coming to Cuenca in the near future.

We love the bus system here and think its the easiest,and most economical way to get around. This link also even has a trip planner, so once you get an idea of where you want to go you can plan out your trip!

The ITUR office in the center of old town (by the big blue domed church), on Mariscal Sucre is a great place to ask questions and get maps and bus route booklets as well. There is always some one there who can speak English, so that helps as well.

Have fun!

http://cuencatransit.com/

LOST IN PARADISE

Sorry that I have dropped of the face of blogs-ville. Just kind of got busy with every day stuff here in Cuenca.

Our friends Chuck and Nancy Watson have been on vacation in Spain so we have been their condo managers while they are gone. What a fun time we have had! The last tenants were Paul and Gayle from SoCal. How fun they were. We got our feet wet with some really nice people. I think they were happy with us. I know they loved the condo.

We have been happy that the sun has been shining again, we had almost 6 days without a drop of rain, and the sun was just brilliant. Being up high like this we always have some puffy clouds that the sun plays with, but mostly they are nice clouds and wait until the afternoon to rain. Without those clouds we get scorched, it is amazing the difference it makes to just step into the shade or open up the umbrella. WAHLAH! Much cooler. But the air is not hot, it is just the sun temp. It's hard to explain, but it is different from any heat I have ever experienced.

We had a week long art festival here in town, we walked through the stalls each day and did not buy one thing. I drooled alot and whimpered, but we prevailed and held out. I have my trip coming up for the U.S so we are "budgeting" for my spending there. Here is a nice photo of a lady from Saraguaro, EC. they are known for their bead work. Notice her necklace..tiny beads all hand strung.

This is a beautiful tree over shadowing the CIDAP Museum.




A beautiful Cuenca sunset

We have a houseguest again. Jani has returned to wait for her house in Paute to be completed. They hoped to have it done by the first for November, but that feel through, and with the week long holiday its pushed it back a few more days.. but we are having fun with her here. She gives us updates on her house and tags along with us when she is home so she is getting to know quite a few folks in Cuenca and learning her way around. **Jani is from Ellensburg, WA.. just 1.5 hrs away from where we used to live.. small world huh?

Jani on the left, Paula on the right

Our friends Sharon and Jacob had decided they are moving to Kaula Lampur for a test run, so we all went to  El Che restaurant in San Joquin for a last farewell luncheon. We will miss them, but expect lots of updates from Malaysia!


Gonna miss those kids!

 We also discovered a restaurant that has been all over the FB Ecuador groups and locals lips. It has had both rave and bad reviews. We are on the rave side. We loved the ambiance and thought the food was good too.. ok, so WE liked it.. its an old home turned into a restaurant, and the warm feeling we got when we walked in was perfect.. just our type of place.




Inside one of the rooms of the restaurant

During the festival this week was the Orchid show at the airport. We went last year and bought a orchid.. this year we did not go, but we rejoiced that our Orchid finally bloomed!

When we walk along, every once in awhile I take a picture of something that catches my eye, hoping not to insult anyone.. so I figured this car was ok.

Cutest car I have seen in Cuenca



Smallest coke I have ever been served!

 This week is looking like a busy one, we have out new tenants coming tomorrow, another bon voyage to some friends who will be returning to Cuenca in a month or so, and somewhere in there I need to start studying for my Spanish class.. I missed last Mondays as I was sick. so I have to really hustle so I wont be too embarrassed.... and in Spanish, that is NOT embarazada.