HAPPY THANKSGIVING, a little late.
It was kind of strange that November 24th was just another Thursday here, but we were invited to a Thanksgiving celebration on the 26th. The woman that gave the the party is a chef and she did a wonderful job, great Turkey! It was a lovely dinner and a nice way to highlight the American holiday in Ecuador.
Now the new place.
Michael and I have moved into a new house, so the past two weeks have been really busy. We have spent two nights here now, and this morning we watched two of the ladies in the cool hats strolling their cows down the road behind the house. It is about 5-6 minutes by car from an area is referred to as "Gringolandia", it is kind of rural, nice and quiet. We get to hear the Tomebamaba River, very nice.
We moved our bedroom set that we had made (super comfy, we even got a box spring which is somewhat of a luxury here) and will have some of of the other custom furniture delivered tomorrow, and the rest next Wednesday. Cutting it close considering we are leaving Cuenca for the U.S. on 12-9. We will spend the night in Guayaquil and fly to Florida on 12-10.
Trying to get internet access where we moved to has proven to be a real challenge. Right now we are using the neighbors WiFi until we get our own, he just said, "You can use mine", how nice is that of a person we just met?
We have to get a phone line to get internet access and we are told that it may take 4-5 months. Yikes!!!!!!! It is Ecuador, some things are slow, but when you know the right person, some things are quick. A woman we know found a way to get around that, she is switching an extra line she has in her office to our new home until we can get ours. LONG STORY, way too complicated to explain.
We have a large patio, so we went plant shopping with some friends. I have always loved my Mom's hibiscus tree but wasn't willing to pay the big bucks the Nurseries wanted in the Chicago area for a plant that is only an annual there, but now we have one. Two of the cactus we bought are about 4 feet tall and cost a whopping $6.00 a piece!!! The other little cactus is cool, but we have no idea what it is called. We remembered the lovely smell of Jasmine from a park in Uruguay so we got some of that as well.
The clay pots are from the "Rotary Market" near the city center. It's fun to poke around and see what shapes and sizes are available, then I ask Michael to do the bargaining.
We are looking foward to more plant shopping when we return after Christmas with my Mom. You can never have enough plants!!
A PICTURE NOT RELATED TO ANYTHING. JUST FUN.
We bought these birds that are made from Balsa wood, there is a region in Ecuador where the people specialize in creating carvings out of this wood. We just thought they were really colorful and fun, so we bought some when we were in Quito.
The Ecuadorians we have met, and made friends with, cannot help you enough, and we have met other "Ex-Pats" that have made us feel like we have been friends forever. Moving here has been both a challenge and a true pleasure. What a good idea.
Who wants to come to Ecuador? We now have lots of room.
It was kind of strange that November 24th was just another Thursday here, but we were invited to a Thanksgiving celebration on the 26th. The woman that gave the the party is a chef and she did a wonderful job, great Turkey! It was a lovely dinner and a nice way to highlight the American holiday in Ecuador.
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| Thanksgiving Dinner Table |
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| Sunset over the Cajas during the party. |
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| Christmas Tree and Thanksgiving Dinner Setting |
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| Thanksgiving in Cuenca |
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| Pilgrim Salt and Pepper Shakers. FUN!!! |
Now the new place.
Michael and I have moved into a new house, so the past two weeks have been really busy. We have spent two nights here now, and this morning we watched two of the ladies in the cool hats strolling their cows down the road behind the house. It is about 5-6 minutes by car from an area is referred to as "Gringolandia", it is kind of rural, nice and quiet. We get to hear the Tomebamaba River, very nice.
We moved our bedroom set that we had made (super comfy, we even got a box spring which is somewhat of a luxury here) and will have some of of the other custom furniture delivered tomorrow, and the rest next Wednesday. Cutting it close considering we are leaving Cuenca for the U.S. on 12-9. We will spend the night in Guayaquil and fly to Florida on 12-10.
Trying to get internet access where we moved to has proven to be a real challenge. Right now we are using the neighbors WiFi until we get our own, he just said, "You can use mine", how nice is that of a person we just met?
We have to get a phone line to get internet access and we are told that it may take 4-5 months. Yikes!!!!!!! It is Ecuador, some things are slow, but when you know the right person, some things are quick. A woman we know found a way to get around that, she is switching an extra line she has in her office to our new home until we can get ours. LONG STORY, way too complicated to explain.
We have a large patio, so we went plant shopping with some friends. I have always loved my Mom's hibiscus tree but wasn't willing to pay the big bucks the Nurseries wanted in the Chicago area for a plant that is only an annual there, but now we have one. Two of the cactus we bought are about 4 feet tall and cost a whopping $6.00 a piece!!! The other little cactus is cool, but we have no idea what it is called. We remembered the lovely smell of Jasmine from a park in Uruguay so we got some of that as well.
The clay pots are from the "Rotary Market" near the city center. It's fun to poke around and see what shapes and sizes are available, then I ask Michael to do the bargaining.
We are looking foward to more plant shopping when we return after Christmas with my Mom. You can never have enough plants!!
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| View from the living room |
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| A few plants and pots from the Rotary Market |
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| Some sort of flowering cactus |
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| We have no idea what this is called, we just thought the flowers were pretty. |
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| Our Pepper Tree |
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| Patio with plants and a few rocks from Montinta |
A PICTURE NOT RELATED TO ANYTHING. JUST FUN.
We bought these birds that are made from Balsa wood, there is a region in Ecuador where the people specialize in creating carvings out of this wood. We just thought they were really colorful and fun, so we bought some when we were in Quito.
The Ecuadorians we have met, and made friends with, cannot help you enough, and we have met other "Ex-Pats" that have made us feel like we have been friends forever. Moving here has been both a challenge and a true pleasure. What a good idea.
Who wants to come to Ecuador? We now have lots of room.
3 comments:
What a nice Thanksgiving you had, Anne and Mike! Really love all the photos! And there's a Christmas tree! Wow. Your new place looks
beautiful. Love the gorgeous view of the patio from the living room! I really love the plants you chose, too.
We're now back in California for the holidays but hope to see you back in Cuenca in January!
Adios Por Ahora!
~~Gayle (& Paul)~~
My passport is up to date :)
It looks beautiful there, like paradise. Indiana is currently sunny, but 19 degrees.
Anne, it appears that you and Mike have found your slice of paradise. Thanks for taking time out to write of your adventures and share the photographs - it really saves having to write so much, you 1 photo is worth a - oh, never mind. You guys are living large! Enjoy the upcoming holiday. A belated happy Thanksgiving and a very Merry Christmas. /hal
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