VISITORS COME AND GO AT KAMP KIMBLER

As I posted in the last blog we had visitors of the 4 legged kind for two weeks.. where did the time go? We had so much fun with them! Even Randy had to admit he was quite taken with the little "beasties", but figured that was only because he knew they were going to be leaving soon. Here is my favorite photo that I snapped while they were here.

We also now have a visitor of the two legged kind as well. Manon Stephenson came to visit Cuenca last year, and we met during our cooking class. She has returned to set up a house for her family of 4 dogs and her husband, Steve. We are enjoying her company until she finds a house for rent that suits their needs.

Here are the dogs awaiting their owners return today. We kept telling them about it... I think they knew..

Here is the reunion.. I am not sure but I think hugged Randy first... but I could be mistaken..

Fluffy and Corky never looked back when they left...

While out and about we got some interesting pictures of this and that. So here they are.

Well, not very good, but the little sign was for Junior Achievement!

I liked the name of this internet cafe!

We have missed sweet corn on the cob.. we found it at Supermaxi, 3 ears for almost $4. It was VERY yummy!

Yep, bugs in Cuenca, this "little" guy was sucking the life out of our Tomate de Arbol!

Tonite we are having a Welcome Home BBQ for Clarke & Brenda. We twisted and whined until they agreed. I think they are really would rather stay home, but Randy pulled out the big guns and is BBQing Chicken legs and warming up left overs! Who could resist? I know I can't.. I can smell it all over in the house and my mouth is watering!

Now all we need is that corn on the cob... wonder if I have time to go in search of more?

CHRONICLES OF FLUFFY & CORKY

We have two very special guests staying with us for two weeks. They are tiny well behaved Pekingese. Fluffy is 8 yrs old, and she is the Aunt to Corky, who is 5 yrs old.

Fluffy and Corky know us from our frequent visits to their home, but this is the first time they have been to ours, and to their dismay we cannot have dogs inside our home. Randy has allergies to dogs, so they are boarding in the office which is adjacent to our house, but does not open up into the house..and playing in the yard. This is a new thing for them as they usually have to be on a lease. So the upside for them is no leash.. I ma not so sure they wouldn't rather be in a house...

They were not too pleased with the situation, but after some hugs and play they decided it probably was ok, for now... but we have noticed that Fluffy has a bit of passive agressive tendencies.. she lets us see her irritation by her choice of resting spots.

We were sure that their humans, Clarke and Brenda would be worried so we made sure to send them Proof of Life photos the very next day so they would not worry during their flight back to the US.

Eating!

Sleeping

Corky and Fluffy have decided that one of their best places to hang out is on top of the picnic table.. preferably with the umbrella up. They keep Randy company when he is out there smoking.

We are looking forward to our next week with them. I am hoping the weather will clear up and we have some sunny days so we can spend more time outdoors with them. I think they are hoping for that as well.

MARCH... TIME MARCHES ON IN CUENCA

We have had several events lately that have thrown us off our schedule... yes, we have a schedule. It is a very simple one,  Randy gets up early, showers, makes his coffee, goes outside to smoke his cigar and then if I am not up by, oh say 10:00; he comes up and asks me if I am ever going to get up. Then after I get around we walk to town and do whatever it was we went to town for. Hopefully we manage this before 1:00. If not we are out of luck until 3:00 when the stores open back up from the lunch siesta. I know in the states we joked about it, but here it is a very living thing that affects anyone who hasn't caught on to the schedule.

So, the first thing that has thrown us off is that Randy was taking his driving lessons. I may have mentioned that looking at the way the folks drive around here, he probably would have to Unlearn a few rules.. such as staying in your own lane and not passing on solid yellow lines or blind curves. His lessons were to be 8 times, but after the second time out they told him he did not have to return for the driving part but to continue with the nite time classes (8-11 pm).

Randy says they must have asked if anyone wanted to take a break during the class, and they all said no... cause there was never a break..3 hrs of very rapid Spanish instruction.. everyone rigidly paying attention, no movement or questions. Randy said he threw them for a loop when he stood and moved to the back of the room to stretch his back. Everyone stared at him and then the teacher resumed the lesson.  So, because his driving class was from 2-4 and lecture from 8-11, we pretty much stayed home.

The second schedule disruptor was Carnival. We did not want to play. We had heard that the stores and restaurants closed down for 2 days during the height of the 4 day madness. We stocked up like it was the end of days, and hunkered down to wait out the festivities... oh how boring. We had been told that it was party central here in Cuenca. Well it must have been in another part of town, because our part of town was dead quiet. There were no parties, we did not see roving bands of people trying to spray anyone. Well our neighbor kids were in the balcony trying to splash folks walking down the sidewalk but on glare from Randy and they backed off.

Oh, Randy passed his driving class and will go pick up his certification from the training company, then, take it to the local police station, and they will give him the official test. Then he will get his drivers license. What was the hurry? No, we do not have a car. I think he just wanted to take it with Chuck and Tom so he was not doing it alone. They all are now very happy to have done it and have it over with.

Randy and Chuck waiting to take their driving test

I have daily proof that signs and arrows are just a suggestion in this country. We live on a street that has three lanes converging into two.. all one way.  There are signs way up the road telling folks that they are not to continue, and signs farther on again telling them they are going the wrong way. It does not deter them. One friend of ours said, its not a problem unless you get into an accident... then its a problem. Well I think these folks thought it was a problem when this Taxi Cab guy tried to go the wrong way. Then when he tried to reverse, his gear would not hold.. they eventually had to push the car back up the road until it was wide enough for him to get out of the way of oncoming cars.

As this last Tuesday was the last day of Carnival, our cooking class was moved to Wednesday (Ash Wednesday) so we could do a cultural tour of Churches. We saw about 3 really beautiful Churches that were open and about 4 others that were closed. I didn't like taking pictures inside but did manage one nice one of the outside.

Towards the end of our walking tour we were laughing about how chilly it was getting, and then we saw this young lady who was taking the layering idea to a whole new level.

Well at least her head it warm.

We are in the rainy season but we have been having some incredibly wonderful sunny days in the 70's. Evenings sometimes have rain and the rivers flow very noisily with all the water coming down the mountains. But lately the rivers are a bit low, but still very beautiful.

We are going to have the pleasure of babysitting our friends "beasties".. Fluffy and Corky. They are very cute, well mannered Pekingese. Their humans are going back to the U.S. for a few weeks so we are going to hold their paws while Clarke and Brennie are gone. Today they came over for a "get to know the yard" visit, so we turned it into a big lunch for 8. It was fun! Lots of laughter and I think the dogs will be ok with us.

Ms. Fluffy, giving us her best profile

 After the lunch and all the guests had left, I went into the kitchen to get to the dishes. Well Karen W. had brought this amazing cornbread, and there was one piece left on a plate with thinly sliced tomatoes.. I didn't even pause... I scooped up that cornbread, shoved the whole thing into my mouth and started to munch... when I looked down and realized that the "spices" on the plate were moving... OH YUCK!  BLEAH! I spit out the bread and rinsed out my mouth so quick.. ants.. yes I had a mouth full of sugar ants.. I coughed, spit and leaped around waving my arms going ooooohhh yuck gargled and then drank a huge mug of hot tea, but I still feel like there are ants crawling up my throat... gross...I think I will go make another big mug of tea...

ART, RENEWABLE ART &THE ART OF DRIVING

I found a bunch of pictures on my camera, that I had never posted, so I thought I would just put them out here and let my mind meander for a bit. Lucky you...

 a painting in a breezeway gallery

Ceiling, painting around the chandelier

I just love the ornate ceilings... its art as far as I am concerned!

Street Art

 

Divine Art

As you know we have been working on decorating our new home. As we find items that we can reuse we have been trying to put them to use somewhere in the house. The Cuecanos are marvelous at this feat, and we are not ones to be outdone.

Root starter

Thanks C & N for this reminder!

Cigar cask.. now a utensil holder!

Randy has decided that as well as a motorcycle license he should get his driver's license. Here in Ecuador the motorcycle license does not require any testing but the automobile license does.

Randy was told he had to take 10-2hr driving lessons, as well as 10-3 hr lecture classes. ALL in Spanish. His class times are from 2-4 driving, 8-11 classroom lecture... all on the same day. Now, let me remind you this is the country where they honk instead of using their signals, pass on blind curves and crowd instead of taking turns through the round-abouts (called rondels here).

Randy came back from the first day pooped and told me that the driving part is 4 cars following the leader through town. Randy's teacher sits and talks on her phone, does her makeup or listens to the radio... with an occasional "A la dereccha" (turn right)... when he gets slowed up by a light and gets behind the others.

Today when he returned with the good news that the main teacher who spoke some English said "You can drive!"... Randy said YES! The teacher suggested that Randy not return until next Friday, when he will take his final driving test..Randy of course agreed.. he will not have to endure the follow the leader for the next week.

To add to all this drama is our goodbuddies, Clarke and Brenda. They are looking at cars, so of course we had to go along. I immediately found the Charlie Brown Christmas tree car... you know the one... its so ugly no one wants it? Well I loved it... even its outlandish interior! DISCLAIMER  We did not buy a car

The tag says its yellow, but its the most gawd awful limish green

Yep.. black and lime interior..

Clarke and Brenda on the other hand are looking at a more upscale car, one that can accomdate lots of "stuff", and take on the back roads.

Clarke, is there room in the back for Randy and Karen??

See Brenda, its digital. I don't think they can adjust that kind of odometer!

I need to say right here that as of Tuesday, Clarke and Brenda had not bought a car, they were still looking..but then that was Tuesday!

A VIST TO SIGSIG, SAN BARTOLOME, PAUTE & CHORDELEG

Sunday, the day of rest.. especially in Cuenca. You have heard the saying about the sidewalks rolling up. Well it't about like that here. Very, very quiet. The museums are  now catching on and recently sent out a notice that they would be open on Sundays for a few hours between 9-1. So that's a nice place to go, or you can get an early start and meet up with other "extrajernos" at the Parque Calderon, or Kookaburras Cafe. I am a slow beginner in our new life here, and I have not even tried any of the above activities on Sundays..

Our friends did take us on a day trip yesterday to Sigsig, Chordeleg, San Bartoleme, and Paute. I had only a banana for breakfast, so the windy roads and sudden passing around buses was not to my stomach's liking.  Kesha, on the other hand, was enjoying the ride and seemed to not notice.

We stopped at a panama hat factory on a back road of  the little town of Sigsig. It has this HUGE hat that they made. I think its the largest in Ecuador.

Right off to the side, in the shade, just sitting on the ground were these ladies just weaving away on hats. Of course the only thing that popped into my mind was why were they not in comfy chairs.. but since this was the way they grew up doing this, its probably not uncomfortable for them.

Well I guess this one lady has a tiny stool..

Drying strands getting ready for weaving

Randy checking out the hats in the factory part.

No, I don't think this is the look for you...

Cute basket we bought, 3.00

Next we went to the little town of San Bartolome, way up on the hill... beautiful view of the valley, so quiet and had of course a beautiful old church.

We next stopped in Chordeleg and checked out the green pottery.. totally bypassed the center of town where all the Jewelry was... I think it was a plan by the guys in the car.. Randy had some fun batering with the ladies, and they were nice enough to give him a bit of a discount. My camera  was forgotten at this stop.


I was starting to complain loudly at this point about being hungry so we stopped at a little place that sold Rosero. A wonderful fruit drink. Kind of like a Batitido, but even better. It has chunks of various fruits in it, kind of a thick drink, and absolutely delicious.

Next we went to a roadside stand outside of Paute that had pork and chicken for lunch. I did not take any photos here as I was up to my elbows in tortillas, chicken, hominy, and potatoes.. picture a pig wallow, and thats about the look of ecstatic pleasure I was having eating my food..

We next went to several Guitar makers homes. These were very small operations, and one family showed us how they made guitars. I was most impressed that the gentleman was very proud to point out that his son was learning the trade as well.

The little guitar that owner is holding is made out of a Armadillo shell. It was $150.. the one Randy is holding is $600. We passed on both.

Randy did make a selection.. at another business. This is Eddie's Guitar..when he comes to get it!

We had a great day, Thanks guys. It was nice to get out of the city, and see the countryside!

PONDERINGS FROM LAZY KAREN IN CUENCA

I am finding that as I relax into my life in this new country, I am getting lax... on  taking pictures, and telling folks about what its like to live here. I write my blog mostly for my family and friends, but have been getting quite a few emails from "ecuador prospects" asking particular questions about this and that. I try to answer as best I can, but mostly my suggestion is to read other folks blogs and research the forums.. does that make me lazy?  Or hesitant to be blamed from giving the wrong impression?

The lack of super cool pictures is probably because I don't want to offend, or even stand out... well that's just silly, because of course I stand out!  I don't fear having my camera stolen, I guess I am just getting used to seeing those things I once thought were odd or different.  

"fresh" meat anyone?

"Ala Naturelle" Landscaping Service

We are finding ourselves staying home, and "nesting" alot more, only venturing out for walks to town,  meandering streets we have not walked down, and noting places that would be nice to mention to our other friends who are looking for this and that. So no, I dont have lots of cool pictures of new stuff... except what we have been doing in the house and yard... sorry..

We are in the rainy season and I have some videos of the rains. We have a huge skylight over the stairwell so we get some incredible noise from that.

 The river has really been rushing along, no flooding which is good; and the rain insures that we will not have a shortage of electricity, as we are powered hydroelectrically in Cuenca. Yes, for those of you who know Randy, he still wears shorts and Birks on rainy days...

I have started trying to  knit again. I am happy to say they have TONS of yarn shops here, and each place has various types and quantities, so checking them out is alot of fun. Not knowing how to say knitting needles was fun too. With alot of arm waving and pointing I finally got my point across and I purchased another pair of larger needles.  I have one project in process, but due to an error and my friend was sick, I have stopped on it, but began another on the 2nd pr of needles! Randy was noting that I had never made anything for him... to be accurate I have never made anything for anyone... but back to the point... I am knitting him a scarf.. a scarf in Ecuador?  Yeah, I know sounds odd. The women wear them here alot.. they think its cold and they use them to cover their face when a nasty diesel bus passes. I only wore one once at nite in bed when I was Freezing to death... really I think I was sick. So it will be interesting to see if he does actually use it.

We have done some nite activities... the California Kitchen had their grand opening of their new bar area... 2/1 drinks ($5) couldn't pass that up! There was music as well, so we went both nites and really enjoyed being out "among 'em" .. Here is a photo of the gringo musician. His playing was excellent, and I hear he had only been here a few weeks and already was working! His guitar, he said, is called a Traveling Guitar. It was very unique, and I was happy to hear it was made in Oregon!

We continue to improve on the inside and outside of the house. Randy had our imminent carpenter Pepe make him a combination Cigar stand / Wine Rack. It turned out very nicely and it gives a nice look to an ordinary item.

Once again we stopped by the flower market next to the New Cathedral and bought flowers from our favorite vendor. We look at her flowers, check out all the other ladies, just to be polite, and the buy everything from her.. She and another lady always get going together pulling out flowers and they are very nice about our waving arms and bad Spanish, we always get a free plant and a MUCHAS GRACIAS!  

Yes, we are softies...

One of our potted trees is blooming!

Oh and as a parting note... Randy has joined the ranks of men in Cuenca who occasionally HAVE to indulge in the common practice of  public urination... uh no photos for that one...