tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8475383533777519982023-11-16T02:58:40.842-05:00Cynthia Goes To EcuadorCynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462710357235873490noreply@blogger.comBlogger252125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847538353377751998.post-34386011985639591162017-12-11T12:42:00.001-05:002017-12-11T12:45:38.004-05:00Cluster Maps are BackLook! We have a cluster map again! I'm so thrilled I might even have to start blogging again. OK, maybe not but we'll see.<br />
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Here's what happened. I've been crocheting my heart out, making custom afghans, dish cloths, pot holders, market bags, rugs, and more. It's become a near obsession and it's taken time away from my photography and writing. So, has it been long enough that I can take time away from my crocheting to let you know what's going on here in Cotacachi? We'll just have to see how it goes.<br />
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I miss all of you and that is probably the thing that will get me to write more than anything else.<br />
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See you soon--Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462710357235873490noreply@blogger.com1Cotacachi, Ecuador0.3071217 -78.2647003999999810.2753647 -78.30504089999998 0.3388787 -78.224359899999982tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847538353377751998.post-32511942216839390112015-12-01T07:43:00.000-05:002015-12-01T07:43:00.440-05:00Cluster MapJust a quick note to say how sad I am that someone hacked the Cluster Map people. It was always so much fun to go look at the places people lived who had come to visit my little blog. Now all of that is gone. They seem to be working on getting it back. I hope it's possible.Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462710357235873490noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847538353377751998.post-87587908440721027312015-11-30T07:18:00.001-05:002015-11-30T07:18:07.120-05:00Vermilion Flycatcher<br />
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I've been pet sitting for far longer than I'd like to think about but perhaps more on that later. In the meantime, my current job gives me an opportunity to watch one of our local colorful characters. Isn't he amazing? I can't take credit for the photo. I tried to get a good one but it just didn't happen. Isn't he beautiful? I suspect I've seen his wife but didn't know it because she is so much less showy.<br />
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Actually, this female is, according to the photographer, a one-year-old female. He says that the yellow will turn to pink as she gets older. That's a far cry from her husband's coloring. Now that I know what she looks like, I'll watch for her as well.Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462710357235873490noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847538353377751998.post-50712825489655018682014-03-18T13:32:00.003-05:002014-03-18T13:32:59.209-05:00Ah, the Food!The other day my friend and I were walking down the street towards her house and almost missed the basket of avocados in the doorway of a store. The sign in the basket said "10 for $1." Yes, $1 for 10 avocados and they were big ones. I'm happy when I can get 4 big ones for $1. Well of course we got 10 of them. We shared them because neither of us could think of what we'd use 10 for all by ourselves. I know, they freeze, but that requires room in the freezer and I have mine pretty full right now.<br />
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Then, right behind the avocados were a box of lovely tomatoes. There wasn't a price on those so I asked. They were $1 per kilo (2.2 pounds). OK, I can do that. There are prices like that fairly regularly (well at least for the tomatoes) and when they're in abundance you can get lemons 20 for $1. That's when I make the most lemonade and lemon pie (key lime using lemons instead).<br />
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I've been here two years and I still get excited about the price of fresh produce.<br />
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I may have photos soon.Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462710357235873490noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847538353377751998.post-34138601968409614862013-11-24T17:36:00.000-05:002013-11-24T17:36:27.628-05:00Photo Roundup November 24, 2013Many of you have been missing my blog posts--I've been missing putting them up as well. These past few days have given me an incentive to want to get one up for all of you but especially for my Mom.<br />
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Mom fell and broke her hip on Thursday (not to worry, she's a tough woman and is doing fine) then had surgery to repair it on Friday--her birthday. As my middle sister said, "What do you give a woman who has everything?" Well, I'm giving her a blog post. It's a little late but here it is.<br />
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By the way, she went home from the hospital today and rumor has it she's ready to take on the world--well, maybe not the whole world but at least her little corner of it.<br />
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The raffle afghan our needlework group, Loose Stitches, has been working on is finally complete! There will be a whole blog post about it but here are the photos to start you off. I took them when I was kitty sitting and Little decided there was no way I was taking photos without her Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval in full evidence.<br />
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While we're talking about animals, these guys looked so cute up on their roof. Dogs frequently live on roofs here, especially when the family doesn't have a back yard for them to play in. Thus they are called roof dogs. These two were keeping a close eye on the folks walking past on the sidewalk below them.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>We'll move on to the kids--of course there are kids:<br />
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I love this one because of the backpack with the bunnies attached to it. All children wear uniforms here, even in public schools, but indigenous children are only required to wear part of the uniform. In this case, she's wearing the sweater from her school.<br />
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As I was walking down the street the other day I saw an entire blocks with grade school children four abreast. On the far right you can see them in line at the tiny store. On closer inspection I discovered the car behind the kids in the foreground jam packed full of small bags of chips and other snacks. I went up to the man in the front and asked what was happening. He said the kids were going to be playing futbol (soccer) next week and they would be practicing a lot. I asked if they were each being given a special treat and he said they were. I haven't quite figured it all out but that's fine--it was just an interesting sight.<br />
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I was in Quito about a week ago and saw this woman walking along with her heavy bundle of stuff tied to her back. The quality's not great because Angela took it out of the window of a moving van but I was impressed she did so well.<br />
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I've put pictures on here before of "my" lady who lives down the street from me. She doesn't like having her picture taken so it's hard to show you much about her but this is how I often see her. She sits out in front of her apartment, covers up with her shawl, and takes a nap. She has no windows in her apartment and I think she likes the fresh air.<br />
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I love this one. It looks like a pair of pants but when you look down at the bottom you can see the ropes for tying it up. It's a pair of hammocks hanging next to one another. I had to chuckle just a little over that one. I don't know what they cost from this vendor but I can get them from the "factory" for $12-$15, depending on how colorful they are--more colorful thread is more expensive.<br />
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This last one is kind of unpleasant. You'll have to scroll down if you want to see the photo. I was able to put screening up on my kitchen window and I have screening hanging in front of my door. It does a great job of keeping all manner of flying things out of the house. I also have some magic stuff that kills flies. One brand is called Agita and it has pheromones to attract the flies and when they get over where it is, the poison kills them dead! I rarely find a dead fly around the container I keep by the kitchen window. The flies always head for the window, thinking it's a way out. Anyway, I have absolutely NO idea what happened today but suddenly I was inundated by flies. They were swarming around the window in the kitchen and sometimes a few would come visit me on the couch They were swarming around the outside of the window as well. About an hour after they arrived (I have no idea how they got in), I went over to see what was happening. There were dead flies everywhere around the container of Agita! I'm going to have to rewash my dishes and wipe down everything over there. It's disgusting.<br />
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Ah, the picture. The picture is taken right by the little basket-covered ceramic container where I keep the Agita. There was a small container on the window sill next to it and when I went to move it out of the way I discovered at least 10 more flies in there so I dumped them out and took another picture. I counted over 60 dead flies and there were still more flying around--not many but a few. As I look over there about two hours later, I still see three flies at the very top of the screen. They won't be around long. There are no more live flies in the house, other than those, and there are none swarming around the outside of the window. It's a mystery. Scroll for the ugly evidence of the wonders of Agita.<br />
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Have a great week everyone and again, Happy Belated Birthday, Mom.Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462710357235873490noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847538353377751998.post-31800709564597396632013-07-16T05:00:00.000-05:002013-07-16T05:00:12.624-05:00Quito KidsOf course I took tons of photos of kids. These are my favorites.<br />
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Such intensity--he's not exactly sure what he thinks of the camera.<br />
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Need I say anything about this one? I think not.<br />
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Three kids sharing a popsicle is frequently going to end up with someone not getting what they want.<br />
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Behind bars--it was just the security gate at their apartment building but it makes a cute photo, don't you think?<br />
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I think that's pretty much it for my trip to Quito. I loved being there and I loved coming home.<br />
<br />Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462710357235873490noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847538353377751998.post-81569772333287878642013-07-14T13:21:00.000-05:002013-07-14T13:21:00.528-05:00Final Quito Pics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After spending so much time in little Cotacachi, life in Quito was so very different. I loved it and as whoever it was who said it's a great place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there reflects my feelings totally. Here are some of the fun shots I got of life in the fast lane.</div>
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Wherever we went, there were people wandering up and down the streets--in traffic--selling things. They do it here out of baskets and wheel barrows on the sidewalks but not in Quito!<br />
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Fruits...vegetables...<br />
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...flowers...and so much, much more.<br />
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Not everyone was happy. This poor, little shoeshine boy was sitting in the plaza crying. I don't know why but he just moved me so much.<br />
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Here's my homage to Alfred Hitchcock--for those of you who are too young to remember it, look up <i>The Birds</i>.<br />
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I HAD to take this photo! I couldn't resist. This is a public bathroom in Old Town Quito. The attendant is sitting under the canopy with her little change box, watching her tiny TV that's in the space between the two baƱos. You may note a distinct lack of toilet paper. Not that it's always the case but it's always wise to BYOTP.<br />
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Look carefully at the furniture this one man is carrying on his head. There's a sofa, two chairs, and a table of some sort. You really can't see all of it but I was watching someone else load it on. I'm not sure where he's taking it. He's in the center island and there's another wall just like the one in this view on the other side of the street. He is obviously going quite a ways.</div>
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One of my favorite public pieces of art. I really wish I knew what they were hold onto but it was too small to see while driving past.<br />
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This is much better viewed head on but that wasn't possible so I got what I could. These are women of import in Ecuador.<br />
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The public art is everywhere and quite impressive. If you look at the sign above this mosaic, it gives you some idea of just how large it is.<br />
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I suspect this one was commissioned by the building owners. This building is about eight stories high.<br />
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The police can be very helpful. This woman needed a hand crossing the street.<br />
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You know me--I love the falling down stuff and I think this public art is as important as the expensive, commissioned stuff.</div>
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I discovered I had a little more than I wanted to put on one post and I think they're all photos of kids. You knew I had to do it, right?Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462710357235873490noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847538353377751998.post-11019765137407263552013-06-22T08:40:00.000-05:002013-06-22T08:40:15.359-05:00Dinner, Anyone?I have some fabulous guys out in my courtyard today, digging up all the weeks and other stuff that is making it ugly. They're going to come back on Thursday afternoon to plant new stuff. This is very exciting! <br />
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When I went out to answer a question Humberto had, I saw some kind of giant worm-like thing. You might notice that I'm not exactly a gardener. My technical knowledge stops right around needing to water things when it's dry.<br />
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Of course out came my camera. Here are the beasties:<br />
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I put a key down there with them to give you something to compare them to.<br />
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Ah, they found another one. Of course Humberto is much braver than I. He just picks them up and tosses them over to the place where he's collecting them<br />
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Collecting them? Yes, they're going to take them home with them. This is a traditional food in the indigenous community. Yep, they're going to eat them. Humberto explained to me that they cut off the slightly fatter back half and throw that away and then eat the head and front half. From the relatively translucent qualities of them, it appears that the back half has something like intestines ad/or poo in there.<br />
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I now know that they're call curso. I tried to look it up on my Google Translate but there wasn't a translation for it. When I asked, I found out it's a Kichwa word. Kichwa is the language of the indigenous people here. It's so beautiful to listen to. It includes a lot of "sh" sounds and is almost musical.<br />
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I recently learned a bit of trivia. In Star Wars, the language of the Huttites (as in Jabba the Hutt) is based on Kichwa. They had this guy who could listen to a language for a period of time and then come up with narrative--it didn't include real words, just the sound of that language.<br />
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Watch for more landscaping photos and then it's time for Inti Raymi photos once again.<br />
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<br />Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462710357235873490noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847538353377751998.post-56362846125911505592013-06-13T21:24:00.000-05:002013-07-12T16:25:43.043-05:00Good Friday in QuitoYes, it's been a very long time since Easter (more specifically Good Friday) but I still haven't shared these photos with you and I truly want you to see the images of the day.<br />
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I recently learned that the procession that takes place through the streets of Quito is the second largest Good Friday procession in the world. Wow--impressive. Even more impressive are the sights the presented themselves that day. There are two images that are almost haunting in their beauty.<br />
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Are these not the most amazing faces? I just love both of them.<br />
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These fellows are called cucuruchos and there are hundreds if not thousands of them! They have something to do with signifying penance. I want to do a little more research but for now I'm just interested in getting the photos out to you.<br />
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I wish I could have gotten better photos but being in such a huge crowd made that nearly impossible.<br />
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There were dozens of men carrying crosses as Jesus did. These were light and they carried the for three miles. That's no small thing.<br />
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There were also floats carried by more penitents. Again, they carried these for the whole three miles.<br />
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This is one of the largest crosses I saw. It's almost impossible to see here but there are a couple of people helping him carry the cross. Many of them have helpers but the men actually under the cross were obviously struggling under the weight. We were much closer to the end than the beginning so no one was as fresh as they were a couple of hours before, when they first got started.<br />
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I don't know if you can see how old this man is but I would encourage you to enlarge the photo (just click on it) to get a feel for that. <br />
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Another of the floats.<br />
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This is a man portraying one of the thieves who was hung next to Jesus.<br />
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I LOVE his face!<br />
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...and a final float.<br />
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It was an amazing day. I still have photos to share but they're the odds and ends that didn't fit in with a specific day's theme. Enjoy.Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462710357235873490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847538353377751998.post-64857764148559382222013-06-07T16:58:00.003-05:002013-06-08T08:24:47.020-05:00What a Beautiful DayYesterday was a fabulous day here in Cotacachi. Of course, there are far more fabulous days here than there are challenging ones but yesterday seemed particularly good.<br />
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When the skies are clear (or almost clear) we get up to views of the mountains that are stunning. I took this photo while pet sitting just a few blocks from home but you can see them from all over town. What a beautiful view!<br />
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This is a corner of one of our parks in town and a peek down the main street. Of course there's Mt. Cotacachi in the background. By the way, the statues in the park represent the city's claims to fame--the fellow in the middle is a leather worker with his apron on and a table in front of him where he's working with a piece of leather. The man on the left and boy on the right are musicians, depicting our strong musical heritage here. The canopies behind them are for an indigenous artisan market that operates seven days a week. In all the time I've been here (over a year, now) I've never seen them closed.</div>
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When you turn around and look the other way, there's Mt. Imbabura. He always looks so handsome when there are a few clouds around to make a hat or a scarf. Yesterday they didn't quite pull it off but he's still pretty amazing. By the way, legend has it that he and Mt. Cotacachi have quite a relationship going on. If you get up in the morning and Mama Cotacachi has new snow on her peak it means the Papa Imbabura has visited her the night before.<br />
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When I come back from my walk with Paco (my little buddy I'm sitting for right now), this is the view I get of Mt. Imbabura. <br />
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Paco and I go for our first walk around 6:30 (yes, I can actually get up that early when necessary--I've been known to get up then even when I don't have to but it's not a frequent event when I don't have a little someone telling me it's time to go outside). We head for the park and take a stroll around it. Since I've been over here and wandering around the park before things really get perking around here, I've seen one of our homeless people where he takes shelter at night.<br />
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Banco Pichincha is in one of more modern buildings here. The shelter it provides for people using the ATM also provides a covered night-time place for this man to stay. He has far more belongings that most of the homeless people I've seen here. As with most of them, he takes everything with him when he travels.<br />
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He was very generous in letting me take his photo. Of course I thanked him by giving him breakfast money. That isn't the reason for that smile, though. He smiles a lot.<br />
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He's a very ingenious fellow. He's made a wagon of sorts to haul much of his stuff around. I see him walking down the street pulling his wagon behind him. I have no idea how get gets everything from his night-time shelter to wherever he goes during the day but he obviously manages it because I see him here every morning and I never see him during banking hours or even when Paco and I go for our last walk of the day around 8:00. [Update June 8: I saw him packing up this morning and realized how silly it was of me not to have figured out how he gets everything where he needs it to be. He hauls it all with him--all of it--at the same time. See the big white bag? He ties that to his back. Then he puts the black bag that's right next to him over his head so it hangs down in front. Finally he picks up the smaller bags in one hand and the box with wheels in the other and carries it all down the steps. When he gets to even ground he gets to pull the box instead of carrying it. Even as small and frail-looking as this man is, he's stronger than most people I know, just as most people here are.]<br />
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What makes this a good thing here is that the homeless people aren't rousted like they are so often in the States. As long as he behaves well (not accosting people on the street or failing to leave before the bank opens, for instance), he's left in peace. We don't have a shelter yet but we're about to get a soup kitchen and the plans are to try to at least provide a space where the homeless can take a shower and possibly even a shelter at some point. It's all through volunteer contributions so it will take a while to get just the kitchen going but it's a beginning and an opportunity for the beggars and those who are poor beyond belief to get a hot meal every day.<br />
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On Wednesday I had bought $2 worth of organic pickling cucumbers so Paco and I went home and I made refrigerator pickles. I had enough cucumbers to make 12 cups of slices. Next time I'll get $1 worth of them. That's actually plenty, even when I give several jars to friends.<br />
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After breakfast and a shower, I was off to do some grocery shopping. When I shop at Monica's, I can take Paco with me since he's a very well-behaved little guy but Tia is less dog friendly so he stayed home this time. I also stopped at the bakery on my way back. I really wish the bakeries had bread that was a little more interesting but it's still fresh, homemade bread and rolls. I learned long ago to get as much as I need for one day--two at the most--because they don't use any preservatives and it dries out in no time at all.<br />
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At 1:00 it was time to go to Casi Olivia's for the Thursday needlework group. It's a smaller group than the Tuesday morning one but we still have an awfully good time. The bonus is that it's in a restaurant so I have lunch while I'm there. I picked out some more organic produce before I headed home shortly after 3:00.<br />
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In addition to the cucumbers, I had also gotten five little Japanese eggplants the day before ($1) and went to work making a very abbreviated version of moussaka. I really love that. It dirties up about every pot and pan in the house but it is so very good. I had a friend over to share it with me and we had a lovely time. We hadn't had a chance to get together in forever so it was fun catching up.<br />
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When she and her puppies headed home, Paco and I went out for his evening walk around the park. Well, that's when the day got really interesting.<br />
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There were a bunch more cars around than I usually see pretty close to 8:00 at night. There were also lots of guys standing around in black suits with white shirts but most were minus their bow ties. Oh, and two buses that announced they were Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional del Ecuador. Darn! There had been a concert and I missed it! I was devastated and irritated. The side of the buses announced their June tour schedule and Cotacachi was last night and Ibarra (about a 45 minute bus ride from here) was to be tonight. I asked one of the musicians where in Ibarra they would be playing. After he told me he asked why I didn't go tonight. I tried to say I didn't know it was going to be here. I apologized for not speaking enough Spanish to get my thoughts across properly and he said, perfectly, "Oh, do you speak English?" It was really very funny. Anyway, I had jumped to the wrong conclusion that because they didn't have their ties on that they had finished and were getting ready to leave. NO! They were getting ready to begin--in eight minutes. I dashed back to Paco's house, dropped him off, grabbed a shawl to cover up the T-shirt I was wearing since I didn't have time to change clothes, and hurried back up there. I didn't even have time to grab my camera. I found a seat just as they were getting ready to begin.<br />
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It was amazing. It was breath-taking. It filled me with joy and excitement. There was a classical guitarist who joined them and played a couple of solos who was out of this world. I've heard flamenco music on television and in movies but to hear him was, well, indescribable. There was orchestral salsa. Who knew? There was Debussy. The last piece was very fast and made you just want to clap along and pretty soon the conductor turned to us and indicated that we should join in. We did--with gusto. Did I say it was amazing? Oh, yes, I guess I did, didn't I?<br />
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When it was done, about 90 minutes later, I was far too keyed up to go straight home but Eddie's opened up for us (Eddie had been at the concert) and I spent a little while in there, talking and listening.<br />
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What an amazing day and night. No, this wasn't a typical day but things happen all the time that are unexpected and full of wonder. It's like that for all of us, it's just harder to notice some days than others.<span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 15.994318008422852px;"> </span></span>Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462710357235873490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847538353377751998.post-51595360087561001002013-05-05T11:30:00.001-05:002013-06-01T09:30:12.345-05:00Seniors in EcuadorSomething came up very recently that started lots of us thinking and I thought I'd share it with you and see what you think.<br />
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We have a man here in Cotacachi who is very, very ill. In fact, he is likely in his last days. He has no family we know of either here or in the States, is one a very low income, and (this is the very hardest) can't remember his PIN for his bank account so someone else could take his money out to get care for him.<br />
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People here, both friends of his and other concerned people, are cooking food for him and visiting with him for several hours a day, making sure he gets the correct meds, cleaning his sores, and helping him bathe. We took up a collection for his rent for May. Now what happens? People will help care for him for quite a while but it's a difficult thing to do for any length of time, especially for people who have other things they do in their lives. I can't help right now because I'm going to a pet sitting assignment tomorrow that is out of town and it would cost me money to get to and from and that's not in my budget--not to mention I would have to leave my little charges to their own devices while I was in town. <br />
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A friend who is very interested in this from the standpoint of being a nurse and thinking in the longer-range terms of what about the rest of us talked to me yesterday about what my plans are and whether or not I had considered these issues before coming here. She told me she has talked to quite a few people who came here with the understanding that health care is free here. Uh, sort of.<br />
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OK, first, here's my plan, part of it figured out before I got here and part of it as I have discovered more about what is and isn't available here.<br />
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There is a nursing home for women here and IF they have a space available, the cost is only $300 to $400 a month plus prescriptions and clothing and such. Even I can afford that. Two issues are the space available thing and that it's only for women. We can't take that man there even if we could access his money. So, assuming I would know when I was getting closer to needing care, I could get on the waiting list at the nursing home.<br />
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I am setting aside money for emergency medical care and/or for someone to come into my home to care for me until I can get in the nursing home.<br />
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Someone here has contact information to all my people in the States and keys to my house in case I can't get to the door to let someone in.<br />
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People know my wishes after I die. I think the most sensible thing is for me to be buried in the local cemetery In the States I wanted to be cremated but that's more costly here than burial. For one thing, they allow a pine box here and that would be my preference.<br />
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There is a plan in place and it's one that I hope will cause as little hardship to my friends here as possible and won't require my family to try to come up with funds for anything when this happens.<br />
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Someone asked what I would say to people who plan to come down here who will possibly have fairly serious medical conditions when they arrive. Here it is:<br />
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<ul>
<li>If you can afford medical insurance, get the best you can. High end stuff is only about $120/mo. and that is just a fraction of what it costs in the States.</li>
<li>Have money set aside for a medical emergency that either goes outside you medical insurance coverage or if you don't have coverage. </li>
<li>Have a fund set up to help with long term care, whatever that might include. It might be extra help at home or a residential facility.</li>
<li>Research what is available for long term care, whether it's locally or further away (like Ibarra or Quito).</li>
<li>Make sure someone in the States knows what to do if they get a call in the middle of the night saying you're in the hospital.</li>
<li>Make sure someone here has access to you home and knows how to contact someone in the States.</li>
<li>Make sure several people know how to gain access to your money. I'll give my PIN to someone here but if you don't have a person you have that much trust in, perhaps having a family member or attorney keep that information for you and can give it to someone if you become incapacitated.</li>
<li>Have a doctor here who knows you and your history and can prescribe medications appropriately even if you can't share your medical history or what you're currently taking.</li>
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This isn't a complete list but mostly what I'm saying is to give all of this some thought. None of us are going to come out of this life alive and just as we need to make plans in the States, we need to make them here.<br />
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Oh, I said something at the beginning about free health care. Yes, there is care available that costs no money. I know someone who was in need of stitches and went to the local hospital where they sewed her up very nicely. That was good. If you are in a free hospital here, you are expected to provide your own food and medications. Everyone here (locals) have friends or family who will bring them everything they need in that situations. We may not all have that. It's my understanding that the ambulance is pretty much a van that takes you to a place that has additional medical facilities--no EMTs. There are other stories to tell about the free care here but suffice it to say that it's not what any of us from most other countries are accustomed to and may not be adequate care for many, many situations.<br />
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Social Security is available here and it's available to expats as well as locals. Since we haven't put any money into the system, we have to pay for it and it's around $60/month. You need to go to specific clinics and hospitals and it may take up to three months to get an appointment. It's very good to have and they pay for many meds we might be taking but it's definitely not fabulous. Better than free and definitely better than nothing.<br />
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It's always good to keep in mind that Ecuador is a developing country. It has come a long way towards having the kind of care we may be accustomed to but it requires lots and lots of research before you can feel comfortable about living here with serious health issues and potential medical needs.<br />
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There you are, my observations about me and what I think is important for anyone planning to move here to think about.<br />
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Let me know if you have questions or just what you think about what I've said. I always look forward to hearing from my readers.Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462710357235873490noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847538353377751998.post-48025679999691807962013-05-02T19:43:00.000-05:002013-05-02T19:43:00.691-05:00Quito Market TripOne of the high points of the trip was a quick trip through a neighborhood market. This is the market Sarah generally goes to when she can.<br />
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We were driving down the street and all of a sudden, there it was, the beginning of the market. The vendors set up all up and down the streets in this little neighborhood. It's amazing. <br />
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Squash anyone? There were trucks and displays of squashes this big and even bigger. It appeared they would cut a few of them in half or even in quarters but it was still enough to feed a small army.<br />
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Textile work isn't all for women here. In fact, when it comes to weaving and the fibers used in it, women spin but only men weave. Here a man is doing mending or alterations, not sure which--maybe both.<br />
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More squash--oh, anyone want a pair of shoes?<br />
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These fish heads were the size of large dinner plates. I would have gotten more photos but the fellow who was running the stand was furious with me for taking pictures. I have no idea why. Maybe he's in the witness protection program and thought I was taking his photo. OK, he was just grumpy.<br />
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Crab legs anyone?<br />
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When I say you can get just about anything here, I'm not kidding. Padlocks, knives, scissors, and other assorted items, all on this little cart.<br />
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As I said, I was in Quito for Santa Semana, Holy Week, and one of the traditions here is a dish called fanesca. It's absolutely fabulous (I had some Sarah made herself) and I'll be looking for it up here next year. At any rate, one of the things in fanesca is salted fish. There were any number of stalls at the market selling salted fish when we were there. This is just about the only time of the year they will be there. Once Easter has passed, the fish disappear--who knows what happens to them. I know one thing, they don't go to waste.<br />
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Are these not the loveliest chickens you've seen in a very long time? They're huge. Of course there are the feet and heads right out in front.<br />
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Ecuadorian tortillas are very different than any I've ever seen anywhere else. I've only eaten them a few times--they don't seem to get any better with exposure.<br />
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Squash in the foreground, clothes in the background, pots and pans, plastic ware, and a little glass ware in the center. <br />
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I love the stacks of tomatoes. That's one dollar's worth of tomatoes. The bags of limes in the lower right-hand corner are a dollar as well.<br />
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Then we arrived at the street where all the live animals were sold. There was quite a variety, starting with chicks, <br />
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moving on to adorable puppies,<br />
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cuy anyone? That's a guinea pig. <br />
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There were lots of kittens (she brought them to market in the bag she's holding),<br />
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ducks, chickens, roosters, geese, more guinea pigs in the crate on the right, and chickens almost ready for the stove on the sidewalk.<br />
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Turkey anyone?<br />
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Roosters by the bag.<br />
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Bunnies by the dozen--this one was sharing his temporary home with a few ducklings.<br />
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It was quite a sight. It was easier to see and take pictures if I didn't think about where all of these little guys were going to end up. I was fine with ducks, geese, turkeys, chickens, and such but it got a little tougher with some of the animals we think of as domestic pets. I can stay in denial and think about them becoming pets but there's part of me that knows it isn't so, at least not for the majority of them. Ah well, different lands, different cultures. Sometimes it's easier to accept the culture than others but it just is what it is.<br />
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More to come, of course. There will be at least one more museum and another church in the future. I really love this stuff.<br />
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<br />Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462710357235873490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847538353377751998.post-3363026255177300242013-04-29T07:57:00.000-05:002013-04-29T13:57:22.254-05:00At the Middle of the EarthOne of our days in Quito took us to latitude 0. There are two locations to visit--the first is the one originally designated as 0 latitude. The French figured out where it was in 1736. GPS established the actual location within sight of the first one. It's pretty amazing when you consider how hard it must have been back then to try to figure it out.<br />
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At any rate, I went to the new one. It's not nearly as impressive as the old one (which I will definitely go visit someday) but it's funky and fun and I'm a big fan of funky and fun.<br />
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They had a ton of these fabulous pots. Some of them are burial urns. They put the bones of the dead person in them. Some of them were for water or other things--I was never sure which was which but since I wasn't going to use them, it didn't matter.<br />
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The bright yellow sign in the middle of the photo is a lovely set for taking pictures. It's at the beginning of the tour.<br />
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Nothing special--I just loved the look and the colors.<br />
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The guy who operates this loom was on a break when I took this picture. I really love some of these weavings. It's very traditional to show indigenous people from the back rather than the front. It's not like they feel a camera will steal their souls or anything, they are just very private. The lower right shows a condor. There's a condor park around here--it's on my list of things to see one of these days. Maybe one of the people I know who is coming here for a vacation will want to go up there with me.<br />
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One good reason not to go to the Amazon--those are typical spiders. They were bigger than my whole hand spread out. I don't freak out over spiders anymore but that doesn't mean I like them.<br />
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The steps to making a shrunken head. They have a real one on display. Charming.<br />
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Always a good fashion statement for the discriminating Amazonian tribesman. I've been assured they don't do that anymore. I'm not positive I believe it but I know they don't do it indiscriminately. They only use(d) it as a form of severe punishment for committing capital crimes.<br />
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I didn't know there were totem poles down here but there are--in all kinds of different styles. This one is similar to the ones on Easter Island.<br />
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Tall ones, short ones, skinny ones, fat ones<br />
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This one is carved from a single tree. I love it...almost as much as..<br />
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...this one. I wish I could have gotten a little closer to this one. It's amazing.<br />
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All these carved eggs are here for a reason. One of the things you are supposed to be able to do at 0 latitude is balance an egg on end...<br />
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...and sure enough, you can! This egg is balanced on a nail head. They also demonstrated water swirling clockwise above the equator and counter-clockwise south of the equator. It was pretty impressive.<br />
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<span id="goog_542788317"></span><span id="goog_542788318"></span>This is an actual building moved here from its original site. It was built in 1875 out of mud, straw, and wood. The thatch on the roof is replaced periodically but that's all. I love this kind of thing.<br />
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It was a fun day. Next up, another museum--of course.Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462710357235873490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847538353377751998.post-51338677824592876852013-04-28T19:44:00.000-05:002013-04-28T19:44:00.180-05:00Quito Museums and ChurchesWe went to lots of museums and churches on a couple of different days. It was great fun.<br />
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Enjoy the photos:<br />
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This is one of the huge churches in the old part of town. This is one of the side areas--it's not even the main altar. Wow!<br />
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Another one of the side areas in the church. Take a look at the pews. This is what they look like in all the churches, from the little ones to the giant cathedrals.<br />
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There's the altar--oh my. It's quite spectacular.<br />
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A close-up from the picture above. There are two circular places to either side of the flowers at the very bottom of the photo. That's where the priest stands. I wanted to point that out because the scale is so hard to grasp with something this huge.<br />
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On to the museums. We went to two of them this first day and for the life of me I can't remember the name of either one of them. The first one is in what was once a private home. Rich people used to own lots of pre-Columbian art (and other eras that I don't know the names of) and then the government decided that if it wasn't in a museum, you couldn't have bunches of it anymore. OK, not exactly technical or probably even accurate but there were people who owned art that they needed to do something with and some of them donated it to museums and others turned their homes into museums. The first is one of those. It was absolutely amazing. I have so many more photos that I didn't include but I figured you were going to be bored to tears as it is, so I kept it to a minimum.<br />
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I loved these "owl" guys. This is very, very old carving and I just think they're cute.<br />
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I loved the "rubber stamps" they used for inking fabric and such. You may want to enlarge this one a little to see some of the details. <br />
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The thing attached to the board in the back is a drop spindle for spinning thread. In front of that are some kind of decorative needle. I wish I could remember what the use was but it doesn't really matter--just the fact that they made such delicate things that were so beautiful is pretty fabulous. In the front are needles and a button on the left and on the right are preserved pieces of woven fabric. The weaving was amazingly fine and lovely.<br />
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Nose rings aren't new but these take the whole concept a little further than what I've seen recently. The one on the top is the most amazing. That little part in the very center where there appears to be a kind of cut out is the part that went inside the nostrils. That sucker is huge!<br />
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Ceramics<br />
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More ceramics (I love this kind of stuff)<br />
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Family life depicted in sculpture.<br />
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Here's a little guy wearing one of those nose rings I was talking about earlier--we got nothing on these guys.<br />
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This is pounded solid gold. I know it may look like a bracelet but it's large enough to put around someone's waist.<br />
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Lots of reflection going on here but this is a two-story vertical garden outside the museum's windows. It was spectacular. One of the benefits of living in eternal spring is that something like this is always in season.<br />
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Of course if there's fiber art to be found, I was the one who was going to find it and I did. Since I wasn't able to use my flash in any of the museums, I had a very hard time holding the camera still enough to get a steady shot but it still looks good from a distance. It's amazingly well-preserved.<br />
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On to the wax museum. These fellows were the ones who determined where zero latitude was. Considering the tools they had, it's pretty amazing how close they got to being right. You can measure the difference in yards, not miles.<br />
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I have absolutely no memory of who all the people below are but the craftsmanship is fabulous.<br />
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My favorite--if you were just walking past and not really paying attention, it might not strike you that two of these people aren't actually people but models.<br />
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In the gift shop, on the way out, this woman was doing something that reminded me of something we did when I was in grade school. You color lots of colors of crayon on a piece of paper and then cover it very heavily with black. Then take a sharp stick of some kind and draw on it so the colors can be seen as the black crayon is scraped away. This very intricate piece of art started with the blue waxy substance over the beautiful gold and this woman is making amazing designs by removing the blue to show the gold under it. I could have watched her for ages but I was getting pretty tired by then.<br />
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On the way out I managed to capture a shot of two of the guards at this museum. Pretty impressive, aren't they? I think they may actually be military or something since this one was a cultural museum owned by the government.<br />
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Another lovely day in Quito. More to come.Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462710357235873490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847538353377751998.post-65114899724487882542013-04-26T19:42:00.000-05:002013-04-26T19:42:28.742-05:00Quito Miscellaneous <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Odd and ends of this and that. There are all kinds of things that have something to do with specific things but these are just little bits and pieces I wanted to squeeze in somewhere and decided to just put them all in one place.</div>
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One of my favorite pictures is this one of Julie taking a picture of Sarah who is getting ready to take a picture of Julie--of course I'm busy taking a picture of both of them. Ah, tourists.</div>
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This is the guardian of Quito. She's the Virgen de Quito, the Virgin of Quito. Many think she's the only statue of the Virgin Mary with wings but I didn't do any research on it so I wouldn't know. What I know is that you can see her from just about anywhere in the city. <br />
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This little guy, and tons more like him, is hoping to earn some money from cars at the stop light. He's a juggler and is using rocks. Since he's so young, using three rocks will probably earn him a little money during the day. <br />
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It's obviously been a long day for these guys. We're in some fairly major traffic here and they're sleeping like babies.<br />
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We're sitting at a stop light and there's a little procession passing at the intersection. I have absolutely no idea what it's about but there they are, just crossing the street at the green light and I'm waiting for the green light. This is the kind of thing I just love--little things that just happen and no one has any idea why except the people who are participating.<br />
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Even though Quito is a huge city, it's still very, very clean.<br />
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Then, just to help people get the idea that it might be a good idea to not litter, they have cute little signs over the sewer grates. This one says, "I don't like garbage." So cute.Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462710357235873490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847538353377751998.post-91386709504505217992013-04-10T20:47:00.001-05:002013-04-10T20:47:31.656-05:00The Quito Adventure BeginsIt's been a while since you've heard from me and there's a reason--I've been exhausted! It's true, I totally wore out and have taken almost two weeks "off." That's in quotes because I haven't exactly been lying about but I sure haven't been doing what I've become accustomed to. Here's what's been happening.<br />
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A dear friend invited a Cotacachi friend and I to spend Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Quito with she and her family. We took her up on it and headed down there on Monday, March 25th. Monday was a pretty quiet day. We took a bus from Cotacachi to Otavalo and then another one to Quito. Our friend met us at the bus terminal and took us to Las Palmeras for lunch. It was fabulous and I didn't even remember to take my camera out of my purse. Trust me, though, if you ever get to Quito, it's the best! OK, I have no idea where it is but I can tell you that the food they serve is typical of the Esmeraldas area. I highly recommend it.<br />
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After a kind of late lunch we ran a couple of errands and then went to Sarah's for dinner and a quiet evening at home (there was a DVD involved--what fun).<br />
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Tuesday we started out in earnest on our grand tour of Quito.<br />
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We started the day at the Grand Plaza which is surrounded by history and culture all over the place. One one side of the plaza is the Presidential Palace. I have to tell you, I was surprised at how relatively modest it is in comparison to some I've seen in photos. Don't get me wrong, it's lovely and definitely large, but not garish or overdone. <br />
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Just below the main floor of the actual palace there is a series of doors, each of them a shop of some kind.<br />
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This one is a barber shop. I wonder if the President gets his hair cut here.<br />
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I think this may be one of my favorite parts about the Presidential Palace. This plaque announces that the President of the republic was assassinated at this spot on August 6, 1875. The carving above it says, "God does not die." Here's the part I like about it. The plaque is there to remind the current president, whoever might be in office at the time, that if he doesn't behave himself, this could happen to him. I wonder if it keeps them on their toes.<br />
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Walking down a side street I saw this stained glass window on the side of the Presidential Palace. I'd love to be able to see it at night with the lights on inside. <br />
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We had hoped to tour the Presidential Palace but we discovered that Tuesday is school tour day. These are just a few of the dozen or so classes of children we saw waiting their turn for a tour. I guess I'll just have to go back another time for that.<br />
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Across the plaza is one of seven huge Catholic churches in Old Town. This place is huge! See the door in the center? Look below to see just how big it really is.<br />
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It was pretty darned impressive.<br />
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There are more pictures of the church, the plaza, and then the museums we went to see later that day but I have to confess that I'm totally beat and I'm going to head for bed. I won't be writing tomorrow for sure because I'm going to be gone all day but I'll do my best to write something Friday and definitely something over the weekend. Actually, it's not the writing that takes the time, it's editing the photos. When I'm all done showing off the parts of Quito I got to see, I'll confess to how many photos I took in my five days there--want to take a guess?Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462710357235873490noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847538353377751998.post-49646844723558689632013-03-30T05:00:00.000-05:002013-03-30T05:00:07.141-05:00Photo Roundup -- March 30, 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Time for another Photo Roundup. I love gathering photos and sometimes they just don't go with a whole blog post so you get little bits and pieces of life as I see it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj3QLomLeAELtlr0y4cFPH6J5H455DsRtUQqvHPIRyCvFSTeHanqlzsg8LDDsMmbDH8EesYiqUmKmPaG7VxxUPiBVSyM59tAi_DYf8-YLXmWWY1Fe37UAdn9WxzIQRQIW0TTZLGxggWA0/s1600/DSC_0008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj3QLomLeAELtlr0y4cFPH6J5H455DsRtUQqvHPIRyCvFSTeHanqlzsg8LDDsMmbDH8EesYiqUmKmPaG7VxxUPiBVSyM59tAi_DYf8-YLXmWWY1Fe37UAdn9WxzIQRQIW0TTZLGxggWA0/s400/DSC_0008.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Even the police use internet cafes. These three police officers as well as another one who isn't visible in this picture, are busily typing away on the computers in one of the tiendas we have that serves a multitude of purposes. There are a few computers to rent for 50 cents an hour, they sell minutes for phones, make copies, and have "Cabinas." Cabinas are little phone booth things where you tell them where you want to call (local or long distance) and they charge you by the minute depending on where. I think they may have a beverage cooler ("cooler" is what it's called when they keep a beverage around 50 or 60 degrees). Ah yes, one of the ads is for "Red" juice. I think that's a high caffeine drink. They also have someone who sells Avon here. Oh, and there are the gum machines out front. All of that is in a space the width you see in the photo and it only goes back another 5 or 6 feet from the wall you see to the right of that last police officer. They are very good at squeezing in value for your dollar.</div>
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Navigating on narrow streets can be an issue here, just as it is in other cities I've lived in (I'm particularly reminded of some of the very narrow streets in the older parts of Minneapolis, in the winter, with snow piled up all over the place making the streets even narrower). Here there was room, though. There must have been at least a foot between the bus and the white car on the right of the photo and possibly six inches on the left. It was a tight squeeze but there wasn't a single scratch to be found.<br />
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I was in Otavalo last week and I looked up a very high hill and there was this building with a hummingbird as part of it. What a lovely addition! I will always look for it when I'm in that part of town now that I know it's there. I reminded myself that there is always more to look at than we see at street level. Look up, look to the sides, look down--much awaits.<br />
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We have a man in town whose feet are very deformed. He can actually walk a little but it's completely on the sides of his feet since the ankles are bent that way. Anyway, he doesn't have a standard wheelchair. This little three-wheeled conveyance was made for him, possibly by the man who repairs bicycles or who knows who might have this skill. Anyway, it is propelled by "pedaling" with his hands. I think it's absolutely ingenious and it has a little place in back for his purchases. I told him I wanted to take his photo so I could show my friends in the United States (it's all over the world, I know, but I don't know how to say that in Spanish) the different things we have here than we have in other places.<br />
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This is an example of how photos just don't turn out as well on a photo as they do in person. It's that whole difference between two dimensional and three dimensional. Those flowers hanging down behind the tree are just so lovely that I had to share them with you, even if they don't look as lovely as they do in person.<br />
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One thing you almost never see here is a dirty vehicle. This guy is wiping down the outside of the bus before it gets ready to take off for the next trip to Ibarra. Before I could get my camera out he was using an old broom to clean the tires and wheels. I don't think I've ever seen a dirty bus or car here. Well, I did see a dirty pick-up truck but it had dirt bikes in the back of it.<br />
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This guy has a cart he pushes to various places in town depending on the day and time. Right now he's at the bus terminal. What he has in those pitchers is aloe vera. He adds various "healthful" things to it to help with everything from acne to diabetes and just about everything in between--and things outside of that. He puts on quite a show as he mixes the aloe with the additives he puts in. You can also get a straight shot of some of the other healthy things he has as evidenced by the shot glasses on top of those two bottles. No, I haven't tried it. I just can't quite imagine swallowing the slimy aloe juice. Maybe someday.Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462710357235873490noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847538353377751998.post-14251491808722561292013-03-29T05:00:00.000-05:002013-03-29T05:00:04.181-05:00Market Trip -- Fruits and VegetablesWe saw lots of fruits and vegetables on our little market trip as well. In fact, we started down at the Indigenous market.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ejWLcNg6ENnkeNz9MUxfWpuo3kCBf7hoAI1fPSCw92r6kMCjmZoqSGWeXCRuTtrP8gQ2B647XoVPDcrwDtQpM2kGgTbDr8q75Al1b4QQhH1vgV3nLl27vS8G6cCLnforXja7ZX6T4AA/s1600/DSC_0100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ejWLcNg6ENnkeNz9MUxfWpuo3kCBf7hoAI1fPSCw92r6kMCjmZoqSGWeXCRuTtrP8gQ2B647XoVPDcrwDtQpM2kGgTbDr8q75Al1b4QQhH1vgV3nLl27vS8G6cCLnforXja7ZX6T4AA/s400/DSC_0100.JPG" width="242" /></a></div>
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Before we even got to the market there were folks setting up their wares on the sidewalk. In the foreground are bags of strawberries. I didn't get a chance to ask how much hers were but they are generally $2 (for a kilo--2.2 pounds) in the market so I'm going to guess hers might be as low as $1.50.</div>
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Here we are at the Indigenous market. This is set up just once a week and it's sponsored by an indigenous people's organization. The claim is that everything here is organic. It is, in the sense that all fruits and vegetables are organic in nature, not in lack of chemicals. There is a certification process here for things grown organically but it would be almost impossible for the indigenous small holders to get that since they've used chemicals in their soil for so many years.<br />
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Here's the pile of oca I got for 50 cents. There was so much of it that I split it with a friend of mine.<br />
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Potatoes, potatoes, and more potatoes. There are different varieties of potatoes for different times of the year but there are literally thousands of varieties just in the upper Andes region. Locally there are hundreds varieties. The most important question to be able to ask farmers is whether they are "purƩ o en salada." Are they for mashing (mealy) or for salads (waxy)? Beyond that, it's a matter of what you happen to personally like. There are some little yellow waxy ones I really like. They remind me a little of Yukon Golds but they're more flavorful. <br />
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On our way to the "formal" market, we saw a fellow selling alfalfa outside, near the entrance. It's used for feeding guinea pigs and rabbits among other things.<br />
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"The Spice Guy" has a stall just inside the building and he has lots of fun things in addition to the sices. He makes his own peanut butter which is really very lovely. He also sells Palo Santo. Literally this means holy stick. It's wood that is used for helping discourage flies. I'm going to do a little post on it one day soon.<br />
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I love the stalls here. This is pretty much the whole stall and she has things stacked up like you wouldn't believe. The cabbages on top, while they look pretty big to us, are average sized here. The little flowers are camomile. It's used a great deal. From here I see purple cabbage, cilantro, radishes, broccoli, peppers, limes, garlic, tree tomatoes (those are at the very bottom of the picture and are orange-y red), and cucumbers. There are a few other things I can't identify from the photo but there's a lot.<br />
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Below the cucumbers she has some of the thinnest carrots I've seen at the market, yuca, some regular tomatoes off to the left, and little bags of almost purple things that look like miniature potatoes--they aren't. They are a starchy vegetable that is in the same family as okra. They have that same slimey quality. Dan is going to do a little experimenting to see if they would be a good substitute for okra in gumbo. I'll be anxious to hear how that turns out.<br />
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Unfortunately I was having a few back issues and couldn't stay for the whole tour. Darn. I'll be taking it again, though, and will share more information as I get it. I love the market.<br />
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Just because I don't have more, here's a photo I took the other day:<br />
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Now THIS is a large cabbage. Poor little girl was evicted from her stroller so grandma could cart the cabbage home. Here, even the tough outside leaves are used. They are cleaned and trimmed of bug holes and then cut up to use as a green in soup. I suspect it's cooked a very long time. Of course anything that really won't go in the soup will be used either for soup stock or to feed someone's pigs. I almost never take any food out to be picked up by the garbage truck on the days they pick up the organic trash. I know where to hang it on a hook where a woman (or, more likely, her kids) come to collect it several times a day and feed it to her pigs.Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462710357235873490noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847538353377751998.post-30902295146497825592013-03-28T05:00:00.000-05:002013-03-28T05:00:03.388-05:00Market Trip--Butcher ShopNot long after our last cooking class, Dan took several of us on a trip to the mercado--the fresh foods market. The butcher shop isn't part of the actual market but it is said to have the best reputation in town so off we went.<br />
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Most of the meat markets here carry both bulk (sometimes made fresh right there) and packaged sausages. Unfortunately, what they seem to lack is any kind of sausage that doesn't resemble bologna or mealy hot dogs. It's sad but true.<br />
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On the other hand, there is plenty of variety in fresh meat. I don't recall seeing any chickens there but there may have been some I missed. There were feet and heads in abundance, however.<br />
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They carry fish and shrimp but I think I'd probably get mine from the fish merchant in the mercado. She gets hers fresh from the coast every Thursday. These look a little, um, well, just not exactly appealing somehow.<br />
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One of the things I was always told in the States is that having meat that is hanging like this is a very good thing and generally a sign that it will be more tender and flavorful than the stuff that was aged in a package.<br />
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First of all there's the issue with how the local beef are fed. When I tell people they're grass fed, they tell me how wonderful that is and how tender the meat is that they get in the States that is grass fed. That's apparently because cows that are grass fed in the States are being fed grass that is actually a grain, like oats and wheat, but while it's in the field--the grass part of it. (You know, don't you, that I'm getting some of this wrong?) The grass the cows eat here is the equivalent of crab grass and weeds on the side of the road. They get less nutrition than they should and have almost no fat at all. That is the beginning of the problem.<br />
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Then we get back to the hanging part of the whole thing. Hanging meat is good, IF the meat has been aged at all. One of the things I learned is that the meat we get here may have been moo-ing this morning and we're cooking it this afternoon. Not good. You can skip to the next photo if you have a sensitive system.<br />
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After a cow/steer/whatever is killed, it needs to have rigor mortise set in for six hours (mind you, I have no idea how any of this works or if I'm saying the right things or not--this is just what I remember from our little tour and a cooking class). Then it needs to get hung to age. It has to be very cold but not quite freezing (35 degrees F?). Once it has aged properly, and has been fed so that it has a little fat and some marbling, THEN it will be tender. In other words, the meat here is tough as shoe leather. It's very flavorful and I've found that cooking it in a slow cooker makes a world of difference (I'm going to be getting a pressure cooker and I've been told that will make a huge difference as well). At any rate, the meat looks lovely, doesn't it?<br />
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The way meat gets cut is interesting, too. There are kind of cuts but mostly it's just cut up into pieces, so you either have meat on the bone or meat off the bone. When it's sliced, it's generally very thin. A steak is generally about a half inch thick here. I'm sure a big part of that is because of how tough it is. What it definitely has, though, is flavor. It doesn't take nearly so much meat to flavor a soup as I would have needed in the States, so there are compensations.<br />
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I don't think I even want to know what people use these for--they're hooves. I just took the picture and walked away. I'll ask another time.<br />
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Now, on to the fruits and vegetables.<br />
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<br />Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462710357235873490noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847538353377751998.post-24648028284040348252013-03-27T05:00:00.000-05:002013-03-27T05:00:04.654-05:00Microfiber and SuchSomething it never would have occurred to me to do is bring things here to sell to expats. Fortunately for us, Judi thought about it and brought her H2O at Home products when she came to have dental work done here.<br />
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(The salt bowl isn't part of what she brought but it adds a nice touch of color, don't you think?)<br />
<a name='more'></a>She had lots of things to show us but there were a few that we all went a little gaga over. I'm so excited about them I had to take pictures and do a blog post.<br />
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She has this clay that I can't quite believe. You can imagine how discolored the outside of restaurant pans can get. Here's one directly from the kitchen and after just a little elbow grease--nothing like I would have guessed, you can see the difference between the left and right sides of the pan.<br />
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By the way, I'm not selling this stuff, just sharing my amazement at what it can do and how thrilled I am that I get to order some of it!<br />
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She also has the highest quality microfiber I've ever seen. She cleaned a window that is between the kitchen and the eating area of the restaurant with nothing more than a damp microfiber cloth. I couldn't believe it would take grease off without soap. I loved it. (She had enough cloths with her that I was able to get a couple of those.)<br />
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My favorite demonstration was with the clay, though. This is the vent hood in the restaurant kitchen. We all know how greasy vent hoods can get and a restaurant is bound to be even worse. Actually, when I saw this one I was rather impressed with how little grease it had on it. I've sure seen a lot worse than that. Well, with a little of the clay on the special little sponge that comes with it, look at the difference! Anyone who wanted to was able to try out a little part and I definitely wanted to take my turn. I swear, it was four swipes of the sponge before every lick of grease was picked up. I really want some of that stuff.<br />
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We're all going to place orders and Judi will bring as much back as she can and then ship the rest to us. We're hoping she can bring lots because it will cost a small fortune to ship it. We're hoping to help her finance at least a good chunk of her next dentist visit in a few months.<br />
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I'll say this again--I'm not selling this, I'm not making any money on it, I'm just excited. OK, I know, it doesn't take a lot for some of us to get excited, does it?<br />
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<br />Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462710357235873490noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847538353377751998.post-11484530059781154092013-03-25T05:00:00.000-05:002013-03-25T05:00:16.367-05:00Cooking Class with DanI suspect I've told you this recently but here it is again. My life is so busy I hardly have time to take a deep breath. That's lovely but I find that my blogging tends to suffer. I love blogging and miss it when I don't make time to do it (or to edit the photos I've taken to put into posts). So, here goes--let's see if I can be a little more consistent.<br />
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Earlier this month friends and I took another of Dan Delgado's cooking classes. We primarily focused on dishes with a slightly spicy, somewhat Mexican flavor but with a few interesting touches. Well, of course there were interesting touches--Dan taught the class.<br />
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We started working with purple potatoes. Aren't they lovely? The skins are so dark they almost look black but I absolutely love the way they look inside.</div>
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They lent themselves very nicely to potato chip stacks. Rather than deep frying them, we tossed them in a little oil and salt and arranged them prettily on a baking sheet. They were very crispy and potato chip-like without all the extra oil.</div>
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Dan toasted some seeds that can be used as a little crunch for just about anything. We put them on top of the burritos we made. He had some fabulous peppers, too. Those got used later.<br />
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When you get cilantro here, it comes in a huge bunch. Well, what do you do with what's left over? You make a sort of sofrito. The one Dan made was very simple. It was just cilantro, onion, and garlic, all chopped up little, heavily salted, and covered in oil. This can be kept for a long time in the fridge or even frozen in ice cube trays and then add a spoonful or cube to what you're cooking to give it that burst of color and flavor you get from such things.<br />
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Dan also does this with mushrooms. He cooks them down very, very slowly until they're down to the essence of mushroom, then again freezes it in ice cube trays and he has little cubes of mushroom excellence at his fingertips. This is how restaurants manage to fix things so quickly (well, not all of them but some use these clever advance cooking techniques).<br />
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One of the vegetables we don't use very much here is zambo or sambo. Dan said this is the very smallest one he has ever seen. They're generally the size of a medium or large watermelons and actually look like them. In reality, they're similar to a summer squash and taste fairly bland but have a lovely gentle flavor, not totally unlike zucchini. We cubed and steamed it but you can also put it in soup--OK, pretty much everything here goes in soup, but it's all good.<br />
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I talked about Oca in my last post about cooking lessons but here it is again. Again, we had it steamed and just as a vegetable. In fact, I bought some when I went to the Sunday market and left it in the sun as was recommended to make it less bitter and to take the oxalic acid out of it. They tasted lovely.<br />
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Dan made a lovely pickled pepper (I didn't try it since I don't do anything spicy but the others told me how lovely it was). They just look so pretty, don't they?<br />
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Dan got a nice, heavy pan very hot and popped the peppers in there for just a minute--then we quickly headed outdoors. Toss in a little salt and sugar and then pour in the vinegar. Now, stand back! The vinegar, when it hits the heat, lets off a steam that will put strong men on the ground (strong women, too). Put the cover on and leave it outside for a bit, just to let the vinegar settle down.<br />
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Bring it in and put it in a jar and refrigerate for as long as the pickles last--I've heard it's not long. The pickled peppers are sitting next to the steamed oca.<br />
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We also learned how to make simple corn tortillas. The most important things seems to be that the water be boiling when you mix it in with the masa. Dan has been searching for masa since he got here. He finally found a man that makes something he doesn't call masa but after he and Dan talked about how he makes it, that's what it is. Dan said that if we want to know who it is, he'll show us the next time we do a market tour. He's the little guy in the grain section who wears a brown hat. Since there are fewer than half a dozen grain vendors here, I'm sure he's easy to find.<br />
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Unfortunately I got so busy at the last minute that I didn't get a single picture of the meat Dan made or the mushrooms he cooked to put on top of it. You'll just have to trust me when I tell you it was every bit as good as everything else he ever makes or shows us how to make.<br />
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If you live here in Cotacachi or the environs, Dan sends out info on the list to those who are signed up for it and he's available for cooking classes as well as the translation services he provides.Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462710357235873490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847538353377751998.post-38353614837296920852013-03-19T11:17:00.002-05:002013-03-19T11:17:39.514-05:00A Story of Inspiration and SupportI love this story! It is so indicative of the support system we expats have developed that I had to share it.<br />
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There are two part and I'll start with the part that has nothing to do with today's story but was going to be here as a blog post anyway and has direct bearing on what's happening.<br />
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A friend of mine, Caroline, realized that one thing we really need here and didn't have was a more formal emergency support system amongst those of us who live in a new condo complex as well as a few other close friends.<br />
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Much happened to get this going but soon we had a potluck to talk about what we want to do, pass out emergency contact information sheets to fill out, and talk to the police about what's going on here (you saw much of what we covered in yesterday's post about that meeting).<br />
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I had to laugh at the photos I took. It's not that we didn't laugh or even smile, it's just that when I happened to be up and taking pictures, everyone was intently listening to what the police officers were telling us and being respectful to them while they spoke.<br />
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That's Dan Delgado on the right. He's the lovely man who writes the months newsletters to us expats letting us know what's happening that might be of interest to us that we may not have heard about either because it was with a small group, as this meeting was, or because it was something that was entirely in Spanish and he does such a great job of not only translating but also of helping with some of the cultural nuances we might not be aware of.<br />
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These are the two police officers who came to talk to us. They were very helpful and seemed to be glad we wanted them to help us understand the system that's currently in place as well as to explain the new system that will be happening today.<br />
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Once more, focus and attention rather than boredom. There was enough great information that no one was bored!<br />
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We didn't get a lot of talking done about getting our sheets filled out and getting them, along with an extra set of keys, to at least two people in the group but it was a good beginning and we each got our lists.<br />
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We had a fabulous pot luck after the meeting and went home full of great food and fabulous information.<br />
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On to the inspirational story:<br />
Yesterday one of my friends and someone in our emergency support group had and "incident" that may have been a minor heart attack (as if any heart attack is minor but it didn't totally incapacitate her). Since she's someone who is reticent about sharing anything that might look like she's complaining, she didn't tell anyone but the painter happened to be at her apartment and someone saw her when she walking home and something else happened that I don't recall offhand but it turned out someone who was part of our group found out she wasn't doing well and the word spread.<br />
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Today I'm keeping her puppies, Caroline is going to the emergency room with her (medical care if free when you go to the emergency room and it's assumed that's where everyone will go until they know what's wrong with them) and another friend is going along to act as an interpreter. On of those friends is paying for the taxi both ways since the hospital that has an ECG machine is in Ibarra. We knew which taxi drivers were most understanding about medical issues and who speak some English. There are other friends ready to do whatever is needed to make sure she has what she needs for as long as she needs it.<br />
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Perhaps you have different experiences than I've had in the past but this is the first place I've lived where there are so many people available when another of us is in need.<br />
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It makes me so grateful to be living here.Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462710357235873490noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847538353377751998.post-78967442235441220262013-03-18T14:58:00.001-05:002013-03-18T14:58:23.380-05:00What's Happening In Cotacachi <br />
Once again, Dan Delgado has provided us with information that's helpful for all of us living in Cotacachi and I hope it is informative to those who either plan to move here or just want to know more about what's happening here and how things are the same or different than where you currently live. Enjoy--<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
By Dan Delgado<br />
Communications Committee for English-Speaking Residents of Cotacachi<br />
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This Tuesday March 19th, 2013 at 10AM is the scheduled inauguration of Cotacachi's new UPC (Community Police Unit) precinct near the public hospital. It will house 16 new officers and Cotacachi will also have double the present number of police motorbikes and some new police cars with up-to-date technology.<br />
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A group of us were apprised of this new information at a Security Workshop organized by a group of English speaking residents, who asked the police to help us understand how emergency systems work, so we can better protect ourselves and each other. Two officers, Ofc. Klever and Ofc. Reinoso, were sent by the police Major Cristian Perez to drop in on a potluck dinner, where they answered questions for about an hour and a half. The most important answer we needed to know was: that the police station is always the first you should call, from now on.<br />
06-291-4400 is the new precinct telephone number and from there it would be easier for the staff to reach Major Perez if necessary, since he understands some English, also. Officers can help find you an ambulance or a Forensic officer and should have a police report made out for you, and now should help direct you to the proper channels in the legal system, if necessary.<br />
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The 911 system does reach here now, but calls to there are dispatched from farther away at a Firefigher station in Otavalo. The other number you may often see posted publicly is 102, but this is dispatched from Ibarra.<br />
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A new security feature that the officers told us would be available as soon as the new precinct opens, is the Cell-phone Panic Button to protect your home and your neighbors. In an emergency, on pressing a phone digit (probably #5) and holding it pressed for five seconds, an alarm is sounded and if the officers don't find the person who called in the alarm, the police are allowed (by your previously registering) to use force to enter your premises. The alarm signal reaches the precinct, and then emergency response teams are deployed, and the new police cruisers also receive the alarm simultaneously. With GPS and access to the data you've previously registered about your location and other details, police units that are in the sector should respond immediately.<br />
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Police officials ask "people to come to the new UPC precinct with their cell phones, where they will be given a code, which is recorded in the speed dial function. People can also offer to register whatever detailed data they think may be useful in the <a href="http://www.cronica.com.ec/index.php/loja/item/58830-polic%C3%ADa-invita-a-solicitar-bot%C3%B3n-de-p%C3%A1nico" target="_blank">security database</a>".<br />
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This alarm is specifically for your registered location, and you do not speak to a dispatcher for the police to find you; the police would be going directly to the home registered in the database. You could also use the panic button to call for police for a nearby neighbor who needs help as long as you are there to point out the situation when help arrives. The emergency could be a medical emergency, also.<br />
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This system allows for one to accidentally make up to three false-alarm calls, before the police may remove the particular cell-phone number and data from the emergency response database. With the 911 system, the penalty is more harsh. Three false alarms and your phone itself will be turned off for a period of time, and repeat offenders, or even people whose children haven't learned better, would have the phone number itself disconnected (turned off) indefinitely, whether it's a landline or cellphone.<br />
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More than 400 new UPC's will be finished this year, with the total of new UPC's eventually to reach about 1400. New jails and prisons, new courthouses, fingerprint database, forensic experts, dogs and helicopters (not just for police, since now the military has been taken out of the barracks and put to work with the police, wherever necessary).<br />
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The officers explained another service offering that if you feel insecure taking a large amount of cash out of the bank, you can ask for an escort from the bank manager, or from the precinct, and they will provide you an armed police officer to guard you to go anywhere you need to go. The police are not to ask questions about whether this is to pay payroll or anything. They can take you in the police car or walk with you. When asked if they would escort someone home who might feel vulnerable in the dark (or who just wants the company of a nice young handsome cop), he laughed and answered that, yes, they would try to send someone to help anyone who asks.<br />
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The officers also spoke of the Taxi Seguro program in Quito, where you register at <a href="http://www.pasajeroseguro.com/">www.pasajeroseguro.com</a>, so as a taxi approaches you dial 2468 from your cell phone, and enter the four digit number that identifies each taxi. In about 3 seconds, you and someone you have chosen to notify in case of emergency, both receive more identifying details for the cab, and the time that you entered the car is recorded. If you don't receive a message back with information about the legal status of this car you should try to leave this car or call for help if necessary. 70% of express sequesters are in cars painted yellow. This Taxi Seguro service will work for the rest of the country after issues with the unlicensed and executive cabs are worked out.<br />
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The officers also mentioned that often, a truckload of stolen goods is found, or a pawn shop or Kiosk is closed, and the police want to get items back to the victimized owners of stolen property. They ask that you keep the Factura receipts for equipment you have, and include them in police reports. You can also try writing the serial numbers of the equipment somewhere, and maybe send it to yourself as an email. Photos of serial numbers on equipment might work to identify items, but it would be more complicated than having receipts. And of course, filing a police report is not only for the possibility of recovering property, but it is important so police will know where they have security problems to work on. If the police can't prove with police reports that they need more help to handle situations in a certain area, then more help will not be allocated.<br />
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The police invite any group of individuals who would like a security workshop, or a security inspection, or help with an emergency plan, to please approach the precinct with a date and location, and they will gladly comply with the request. If I can be of assistance, feel free to write me an email.<br />
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The dog poisoning incidents this week are disturbing to any humane person. Some people thought the police were doing this, but the police said this would be "illegal" and told me to ask at the Public Hospital, since the poisoning of dogs used to be the job of the same office there that administers free vaccinations for rabies. At this animal-control office, I was told they haven't used the dog-poison in 4 years, and that the poison they used to use, would not hurt the animals as much as the poison that they see dogs being killed with now. When the euthanasia program starts, they expect to reduce a lot of suffering humanely, with a medical injection.<br />
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A woman who works in a store on Nueve de Octubre was seen in the act of poisoning by two witnesses from very close-up. The woman stepped out of a car with a bag of food, which she deliberately placed next to a dog in the doorway of the home of an American ex-pat who feeds strays in that spot. She ended up poisoning a dog who has been quietly lying in the doorway of this ex-pat's home for years. The dog was treated by our town's only Licensed Veterinarian, Dany, and has survived but suffered excruciating pain for hours.<br />
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Unfortunately, as I went door to door to all the government offices we could think of, I found that there is no actual law against abusing your own dog or poisoning your neighbor's dog in Cotacachi. The National (Legislative) Assembly has only started to discuss Animal Rights this last month, and for now, some municipalities, like Quito, have ordinances. Last year, Ibarra made their own animal welfare ordinance. Cotacachi does not have an ordinance but Pablo Alpa has been in the process of drawing one up in the office of Judicatura.<br />
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For now, both of our town commissioners said they can't think of a law that could be used to stop inhumane treatment of animals, at all. They suggested the town Prosecutor (Fiscal) for more information but the value of the property destroyed has to have a proven value of more than two monthly minimum wages for the Fiscal's office to get involved.<br />
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The threat to the public from poisoned food being left in front of someone's home where there actually do happen to be toddlers living, or the concept of other potential victims, the mentally incapacitated, the poor - being vulnerable to a deranged person's wrecklessness; was all just an interesting perspective for these officials - but not very compelling. It's possible the Defensoria del Pueblo or PAE (Proteccion Animal de Ecuador) could help somehow but we can all help encourage changes in the local and national laws too.<br />
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Abstractions like the "constitution protects nature" are meaningless without actual laws with firm legal definitions. For now the dogs are treated pretty much like vermin. The ordinance that Mr. Alpa is working on is one step in the direction of changing some of the customary behaviors we see that allow for unnecessary cruelty. For me personally - Culture is usually the last, and always the worst excuse for inhumanity. If Pablo Alpa asks for us to work on community outreach or sign petitions in order to get this ordinance approved, I hope he can count on lots of help.<br />
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By the way, I know that the police at our meeting told us that President Correa will be in town Tuesday to inaugurate the UPC, but with him attending the Coronation of the first Latino Pope, and other business in Europe, it is not certain he will be here as previously scheduled.<br />
Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462710357235873490noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847538353377751998.post-53089913208220506092013-03-18T14:17:00.002-05:002013-03-18T14:17:50.048-05:00Adorable PuppiesI know this isn't a blog about finding homes for dogs but I'm making an exception because I just fell in love with these little girls.<br />
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I got this email from a friend of mine a week ago and fully intended to post it the very next day. Obviously that didn't happen. They are now nine weeks old and still adorable. Here's the email she sent me, along with photos of the pups:<br />
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Hi everybody,<br />Ecuadorean friends rescued a mom and 3 female pups. They don't have much money, so I am helping them. I'm taking the pups to Dany, and they will be current on vaccines and parasite treatment by Wednesday. They are 8 weeks old and have beautiful markings. We think they'll be small-medium size when grown. Do you know of anyone wanting a female pup? They are keeping mom, a small-medium dog, and I am having her spayed soon.<br />First 2 photos are of the pup that a man stepped on on purpose. Dany says all is fine.</blockquote>
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Next 2 are of the most adventurous and very intelligent pup.</blockquote>
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Last 2 are of the smallest of the three and very sweet.</blockquote>
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They are right in town across from Casi Olivia, so can be seen easily.</blockquote>
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Please feel free to email me at cynthiaecuador@gmail.com if you would like more information or want to contact the woman who wrote to me. In the meantime, just enjoy the pictures of these cute little girls!<br />
Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462710357235873490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847538353377751998.post-71406552573677368632013-03-08T06:00:00.000-05:002013-03-18T14:40:57.196-05:00Photo Roundup -- March 5, 2013More odd and sundry photos for your enjoyment:<br />
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I was telling someone what it costs me to have my dirty laundry picked up, taken to the shop, washed, dried, folded, and delivered back to me on the same day. She agreed it was something fun to put in a post. Here's the laundry I just got yesterday. There was a set of sheets, a full-sized blanket, bath towels, and a couple of small piles of clothes. Total cost--$7.30. I have to tell you, that dose not make me unhappy in the least! I figure I would have paid between $5 and $10 for the machines in my apartment building back in Minneapolis just to wash and dry them, not to mention the soap. Then there's just the general luxury of having someone else do it. What a treat.<br />
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I love the way people here--adults as well as children--walk around holding hands or whatever. It's sweet.<br />
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We see lots of tour buses here. It's always fun to watch them turn from one very narrow street to another, sometimes even narrower street. This one made it past the building without having to back up to keep from hitting it, but just barely.<br />
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This one has a very funny story behind it. You may have seen this fellow in one of the pictures in the post about the band from Morochos coming to play down here. Well, this guy was there and asked me to take his picture--I did. Then he wanted one with a friend--no problem. Then there was a third friend and we did one more group shot. Finally, he suggested a friend of mine take a picture of the two of us together. We got next to one another and he leaned in planted his lips on my cheek and stayed posed just like that until my friend took not one but two pictures. That's the straightforward part. Here's the funny part--right after we had taken the photo, he asked for $1. Uh, no. I think he thought that he was doing me a favor by posing for the pictures, even though he was the one who asked for them. I laughed and told him no and that was pretty much the end of it. I couldn't help it--all I could think about was a scene from <i>Terminator </i>where the kid takes a picture of Linda whoever and asks for $5 for it. It goes back to that culture thing.<br />
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Whenever I go past a house with a door like this or something similar, it always makes me wonder what's behind it. I wonder what it costs to rent something like this when all I pay for my little house is $170 a month.<br />
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These little girls thought it would be fun to have their pictures taken after they saw me photographing so many other people and things. As soon as I put it to my eye, they got all somber on me. They're so cute, though, I had to include them.Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462710357235873490noreply@blogger.com0