Quick trip to U.S. for Family Gatherings

Dear Family and Friends,

Chuck and I returned yesterday from the U.S.  We made a quick trip to visit with family.  My brother came from Texas while we were in Georgia.  It was so great having all us kids together.

Here is some of what we did.

We went to visit Aunt Opal on Thursday.  Aunt Opal came to visit us in Cuenca six years ago.  At that time she was 87 years old.  She has always been a special aunt.  Last May she fell and broke her pelvis and shoulder.  She was on total bed rest for about 6 weeks.  Quite frankly, we did not know if she would be bed ridden the rest of her life.  She is 93 years old.  

Aunt Opal is a miracle.  Not only is she not bed ridden, she is walking about with the help of a walker.  She looks great.  I am sharing these pictures because many of you remember Aunt Opal from her visit with us.

I cannot tell you how happy we were to see her doing so well.

On Friday my cousin, Linda, put together a luncheon for cousins from my mother's side of the family.  Linda is on the right in the picture below.  Sandy is in the middle. She is Aunt Opal's daughter.  

 On Saturday we went to the Powers Family reunion.  This is the family from my father's side.  There were 98 people present at this reunion.  What a joyful time.

Below is a picture of my cousins Sue and Pat.  

Joy is the oldest of us cousins.

Here is my brother, Norman, and our cousin Jim.  

The reunion was catered by Country's Barbecue.  So southern and so wonderful.

On Sunday we flew to Minnesota.  On Monday we went to the Minnesota state fair.  Here are a couple of pictures of our granddaughter, Bethany Paige performing in the 4-H performance.

On Tuesday we drove to visit the other grandchildren and Merri.  We had a nice lunch together and enjoyed playing games. Sadly, I forgot to take pictures.

On Wednesday we flew back to Ecuador.

A whirl wind trip filled with family.

Now we have one month to get ready for our trip to Italy.

Love,
Nancy

Animal Rescue Center in Tarqui

Dear Family and Friends,

As promised from yesterday I am sharing some pictures that I took at the Yurak Allpa Animal Rescue Center.  

These animals are either former illegally owned pets or rescued injured animals.  I was really surprised at the variety of animals they have.

First, I will show someone we all know and love, getting a back massage from a couple of ostriches.

Below are some of the animals we saw.  We were able to feed them fresh food provided by the rescue center.  Up close and personal experience.  

Amazing animals.  So glad we had this experience.

Love,
Nancy

Birds of Prey Sanctuary

Dear Family and Friends,

When I looked at the date of my last post I sucked wind!  If anyone thought that I had passed on, I certainly understand.

To be truthful, I have been down.  I have been battling inflammation that was caused from poor eating habits.  A change in my diet and lots of turmeric have me feeling much better. 

Chuck and I went on a tour to Tarqui yesterday.  Tarqui is a town not far from Cuenca.  We went first to the Yurak Allpa Animal Rescue Center and then near by to Cetreria House, a sanctuary for birds of prey.

Today, I am sharing pictures of Chuck at the bird sanctuary.  These are wild birds that have been injured or were illegally kept as pets.  The sanctuary rehabilitates them and then releases them in their natural habitat.  It takes months to years to rehabilitate them so that they can go free.

Chuck, along with many of the other tour participants, volunteered to let the birds sit on their gloved arm.  The one Chuck is holding is their largest bird, an eagle, and the bird will be released into the wild next month.

Below is the professional bird handler showing off another bird.

It was an incredible tour.  This tour was put together by Sole of La Yunta.  She does many tours but this one is the most requested.  If you live in the area and have not taken this tour, I highly recommend it.  She does it from time to time and you can get the details when she posts on Gringo Post.

Tomorrow, I will share pictures of the animals at the rescue center.

Love,
Nancy