CATCHING UP

Dear Family and Friends,

I am behind in posting to the blog. I'll catch you up on what has been happening since we returned from our trip.

I returned to Cuenca without Chuck. He stayed in the U.S. to visit friends and hug grand kids. Unfortunately, I could not do this as I was at my limit for days out of Ecuador for this year.

Being here in Cuenca without Chuck was very different. I missed him terribly. In fact, the picture of these puppies is about how I felt without him here.


I was fortunate to have several dinner invitations from friends and even a breakfast. I bought some movies and a TV series I had not seen before to entertain myself. I even started playing Farmville on Facebook. I guess that gives you some idea of how bored I was.

Chuck returned home last Tuesday. I hired a driver to take me to Guayaquil to meet him at the airport and to bring us both home with his three large pieces of luggage and a very heavy carry on. It worked out great and we were so glad to be together again.

I am going to do more walking. I have gained weight over the last couple of months and my clothes are getting way to tight. It is not easy to buy clothes here that will fit me and that I like. We will see how it goes. Since Chuck has been home we have walked every day.

I also have made a promise to myself to study Spanish one hour each day. So far, I have not been as successful at that. Self discipline is not a virtue that I possess. It is amazing how much Spanish I have picked up by just living here in a totally Spanish speaking environment, but I still have so much more to learn.

We have ordered our dinning room table and chairs. It will take about a month for them to be made and delivered. Tomorrow I will order a sofa and chairs for the living room. We have been here six months with what Chuck calls our empty rooms....a bowling alley. Chuck and I agreed we had to get our condo finished when we found we were not aware of the echo when we talked anymore.

Here is a picture I made at the market last Saturday.


Yesterday, Chuck and I walked along avenue de las Americas (the Pan American Highway) all the way to Super Maxi near the airport. The weather was fantastic. Here are a couple pictures I made along the way.

The first picture is looking across ave. de las Americas to the city center below. The blue domes on the cathedral are a symbol of Cuenca.


And here is Chuck overlooking a neighborhood called Mia Flores.


Chuck is at the dentist this morning and I am home waiting for the workmen to come to finish our patio enclosure. It is now after lunch and still no workmen. I don't think they are going to show up today.

It is so good to be back home.

Nancy and Chuck