HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM

Dear Family and Friends,

Today is a very special day. Today is my mother's birthday. She is 88 years old today. Happy Birthday Mom.

Here is a picture of Mom holding me 63 years ago.


She is as pretty today as she was back then. This is a picture I took when she came to visit us in Ecuador last year.

Mom you are very special and we all love you so much.

Thanks for all the love you have given us.

I hope your day is very very special.

Love,

Nancy and Chuck

New Year off on Right Foot

Dear Family and Friends,

Chuck and I celebrated New Year's Eve with friends at the Mediterraneo Restaurant. We had a wonderful meal with great friends. We all left the restaurant just before midnight so we could walk the streets and witness the burning effigies. We enjoyed this last year and if you want to know more about this Ecuadorian celebration on New Year's Eve click here.


On New Years day we invited our friends, Larry and Linda, over for a traditional southern US New Years day meal. It consisted of black eyed peas (for luck), pork chops, cole slaw, sliced tomatoes, sliced onions, corn bread and iced tea.

After lunch we played a table game called Upwards. It was pretty much a laid back day and we really enjoyed the day.

New Year's Day night, Audrey and Jim (Chuck's sister and her husband) arrived around 8:00pm or so. We hugged them good, chatted awhile and then fell into bed.

On Saturday, Chuck and I threw the "1st Annual Trailer Park Trash Scrambled Dog Bash" party. I served scrambled dogs to friends in February and decided it was time to do it again.

We invited as many people as we could seat in our condo. Wish we had more space because we wanted to invite many more. We had table inside and outside. We covered the tables with plastic table cloths. Put a sheet over the sofa. We asked people to feel free to come in appropriate attire....."trailer trash."

Charlie, we all agreed, was the "best dressed." Here he is, in character, dunking Oreo cookies into coca cola. Yum Yum.

Other than the provided scrambled dogs, Holly brought a wonderful potato salad and everyone brought good junk food....chips, dips, cookies and candy.

We all had a fun time. The only thing we decided we would do different next time is the time of year. I think right after New Year's Day everyone is pretty much partied out. We certainly will do this again but not at the end of the party season.

Sunday morning, Audrey, Jim, Chuck and I walked over to meet Rich and Nancy for what is now becoming our traditional Sunday walk to town.

There is one uphill stretch at the beginning of our walk, but luckily we have benches half way up the hill so we can stop and catch our breath.

Here are Jim and Rich resting a bit.


We walked on to town and rewarded ourselves with a delicious breakfast at Kookaburra cafe.

After breakfast we walked around the city center and then Chuck, Audrey, Jim and I came home on the bus and rested.

Hope your New Year is off to a great start.

Love,
Nancy

Walking Brings Rewards

Dear Family and Friends,

Over the past few weeks, Rich, Nancy, Chuck and I have begun a routine of walking into the center of the city on Sunday mornings. We get an early start and usually run into Brian and Shelley somewhere in the Parque Calderon. Of course, making it all the way into town calls for a well earned cappuccino break.

Last Sunday, Chuck suggested that we try a new restaurant located on Calle Larga, that is owned and operated by a couple from Australia. The name of the restaurant is Kookaburra Cafe.


They are open for breakfast and lunch. We had a very good breakfast from their varied menu. The best part was that their cappuccinos (which they call white espresso) are the best I've had here. We all had seconds on the coffee.


It is not the kind of place that you hurry in and grab a quick bite. It is a place to relax and enjoy your friends and the meal.



The restaurant looks and feels homey and comfortable. They have done a beautiful job of restoring the old building.

Yesterday, we met Rich and Nancy there for breakfast again. Larry Marler and John (a new expat to Cuenca) were having breakfast there also.

All six of us gathered around the round table and had a nice visit. I would not be surprised if this restaurant becomes a morning ritual for many expats to meet up and enjoy the wonderful breakfast and excellent coffee.

Here are the owners, Chris and Jenny Bluefields.


So, besides better health, our walking has rewarded us with a great new place to eat.

Nancy

Family and Friends.....MERRY CHRISTMAS

Dear Family and Friends,

Chuck and I send Christmas greetings of love and peace to all our family, friends and friends, who read this blog, that we have yet to meet.

Cuenca is a wonderful place to be on Christmas Eve. The tradition here is a parade of the children "paseo de los ninos." Every year, on this day, the children of Cuenca parade through the streets in all sorts of costumes. People come from all of Ecuador come to witness this great event. From my observations, people come from all over the world to witness this event. I saw many more gringos on the streets than usual.

The parade is huge, lasting from 10:00am until 5:00pm. It seems that every child in Cuenca participates. Proud parents work hard coming up with the right costumes for their children.

This year's parade pictures below:

Three Wise Men

Mariachi anyone?

A great costume....a shepherd boy with a lamb on his back.

Cowboys and Gypsies...Yeh!!

Amazonian costumes....

This little guy is so darling...

and so are these little girls.....

I love this wise man....he seems to be a cross between a wise man and Santa Claus...

A tiny senorita....with a Japanese paper umbrella.

A family of Santas...

An adorable angel....

These children are getting hydrated. It was a very warm day.

Daddy getting another senorita ready to start parading...

Some more gypsies...

This little girl was dancing right in with the older kids....

Here is a little clown in Daddy's arms...

There were tons of animals in the parade...

Here is a cow all dressed up...

And a horse...

We ran into our friends, Brian and Shelley and they had their little dog, Fredi, dressed up as Santa.


One last picture to leave you with...
I love this picture because this little boy reminds me of our grandson..


It was a wonderful Christmas Eve. We met our friends, Rich and Nancy at the square, had lunch together at a Mexican restaurant and ended the evening with Rich, Nancy, Charlie and Bruce at our place for Thai food.

Hope your Christmas day is blessed with love and gratitude.

Nancy and Chuck

Peace March - We Joined In

Dear Family and Friends,

Since we have returned from the Galapagos I have started exercising more. In fact, I have walked to town (about 2K) several times this past week. I've learned that if I get an early start (8:00 - 9:00 am) then the walk is more comfortable because on a sunny day it can get quite warm.

As you probably already know from reading this blog, Cuenca is a city of many parades. One of the rewards I have received from my morning walks is witnessing some of them.

Garbage Truck Parade

Last Wednesday morning when I walked to town, I arrived just in time to see the tail end of the new garbage trucks being paraded through the town center. These are fancy trucks, they have a place for regular garbage and a place for recyclables.


Last Friday the World March for Peace and Nonviolence passed through Cuenca on its way to a conclusion in northern Argentina. This march began in New Zealand Oct. 2, and has passed through more than 90 countries.

Several of us like minded gringos joined in the march. Rich, Nancy, Chuck and I went early to have coffee and watch the parade assemble.


Many school children joined in the march.


Here we are bringing up the rear.



We all felt good marching and showing our support for such a noble cause.


We send our hope of peace throughout the world.

Nancy and Chuck