CARNIVAL to VALENTINE'S DAY and......

   The big celebration of the year here is CARNIVAL.....

The traditions seem a little strange to me,  but it's huge fun for the Cuencanos....
Carnival lasts for 5 days -- Friday thru Tuesday before Ash Wednesday....there are some parades,  but the big deal is throwing water on each other....and the adults love it as much as the kids....

                                                      ###


We were invited to Deleg on Sunday with our neighbors......Mass at 9 am in the lovely Church .....

with Rogelio  (the Chief) and the family......afterwards we headed to the Mercado for Chanco with all the trimmings.....this is VERY CASUAL dining....you eat with your hands from plates of food put on the table.....oh,   it's sooo good!!!

Then to Quinta Esthelita - the big hacienda - where the girls start cooking a grand meal for everyone who comes.....family and friends....

Those that want to play "Carnival" which means throwing water and getting drenched!!   Lots of laughs and shrieks.....

Since this was SUPER BOWL SUNDAY  we left before the others to be home to watch the Super Bowl with Jean.....most of the family spends the night and the next day or two there.....

  Jean brought over some wonderful Italian food and Greek salad so we had a feast watching the game....

*******

On Tuesday we were invited next door to Eduardo's for a cook out....

Geovanny did the grilling - a variety of meats,  and there were the traditional Cuencano side dishes;  mote, potatoes, rice and salsa....I took a salad and a bottle of wine....    Good time....

                                               *************

A friend who doesn't speak English came a couple of weeks ago and asked me to help sell their property --  a "Casa de Campo" near Descanso......I mentioned it to Susana and she wanted to see it....

 The house is high up and has a fabulous view overlooking the valley of Cuenca.....About 1.25 acres with fruit trees,  caretaker house, etc....

 This patio/balcony is so nice for enjoying the view....

 There are two working fireplaces -- one in the main room,  and one in the kitchen.....

They are asking $120,000.00 -- it's a lovely place with tons of potential!!  Room for horses,  a pool,  tennis court, etc....

Anyone interested,  let me know.....

***************

We had a wonderful Valentine's Day dinner at Terra Luna.....

I had the Terra Luna steak -- delicious steak covered with sea food -- Rick had Chicken Parmesan.....     Very yummy indeed...

************

I had a blouse made from material I had purchased ages ago....Susana is also using the same dressmaker,  and she is having a lot of blouses made.....The seamstress is the mother of a little girl that Cristina took art classes with a couple of years ago...

I bought this lace material when I bought the flowered material for the jacket....

So this got me excited to have more things made -- Yolanda and I went to a big fabric store yesterday and came out with these .....

Now we'll get creative....these are mostly for Yolanda,  but the beige leopard print is a jersey I want made into a comfortable blouse that I can wear most anywhere.... Will keep you informed as things progress....

######

And now to all you good people out there,  I have a request.....Our brother-in-law,  Steve H. in OKC  is in need of prayers.....he has a cancerous tumor in his back,  is in tremendous pain,  and has started treatments.....

PLEASE PRAY FOR HIM !!!....

The fat green candle is lit for Steve in front of the altar of St. Joseph in the Cathedral in Cuenca.....

***********

We're off to a HOUSE WARMING party now..... Cori and Norbert's new abode in Cuenca.....will report in full next time....

Meanwhile we are anxiously awaiting the results of the primary voting today in South Carolina.....praying that Trump is elected our next president because we want a country for our grandchildren -- without him the US is lost....

********

Weather is fabulous right now.....sleep with the windows open enjoying the lovely mountain air.....

Ahhh,  life in Cuenca is great!!

SUMMER in JANUARY.....

THE SEASONS HERE ARE THE REVERSE FROM THE STATES.......THE BEST MONTHS ARE NOW,  BEFORE THE "RAINY SEASON".......GORGEOUS DAYS WITH LOVELY SUN,  FLOWERS IN BLOOM EVERYWHERE......SO PRETTY

THE MONTH OF JANUARY REALLY FLEW BY.....


STARTING WITH THE FEAST OF 3 KINGS....

THE ADORATION OF THE CHRIST CHILD BY THE "REYES MAGOS" IN FRONT OF THE MAIN ALTAR IN THE CATHEDRAL.....SO LOVELY...

***********

HAD A "POZOLE" PARTY ONE SATURDAY WITH RENE,  HIS COUSINS PATRICIO & MARIA ANGELICIA & JEAN.....WITH COCKTAILS, OF COURSE....

******   AND  *****

WE HAD OUR MONTHLY LUNCHEON WITH DEAR FRIENDS JOYULA, JOHN, & JEAN  (HERE WITH JERRY,  owner of TERRA LUNA)   

THE  DELIGHTFUL NEW RESTAURANT WITH EXCELLENT FOOD....

AFTERWARDS JEAN SERVED A FABULOUS DESSERT  (CHOCOLATE CAKE with VANILLA ICE CREAM) AT HER APARTMENT A COUPLE OF BLOCKS AWAY

**************

 NEIGHBORS EUGENIA AND FLAVIO CABRERA INVITED US TO THE GRADUATION CELEBRATION OF THEIR SON,   ADRIAN....

 IT WAS A LOVELY PARTY IN EVERY WAY  --- 


THEIR HOME WAS TURNED INTO A PARTY PALACE...


THEY CLEARED OUT THE FURNITURE AND HAD A LOVELY SIT DOWN DINNER FOR MORE THAN 40 PEOPLE.......









WITH DANCING,  OF COURSE.....BOY DO THESE PEOPLE LOVE TO DANCE!!!  
THE MEXICANS LOVE TO SING,   THE ECUADORIANS LOVE TO DANCE!

****************

GOOD FRIENDS CORI AND NORBERT HAVE MOVED BACK FROM  YUNGILLA...THANK GOODNESS!!   NORBERT HAS SOME HEALTH ISSUES AND IT JUST MAKES SENSE TO BE CLOSER TO DOCTORS AND HOSPITALS,  IF NEED BE.....

AND THEY FOUND YUNGILLA TOO HOT....CUENCA IS JUST RIGHT!!

THEY'RE ALWAYS FUN TO GO OUT WITH - CONVERSATIONS ARE INTERESTING AND FUN!!   AND SOME GREAT LAUGHS!!

****************

GARDENING CONTINUES TO BE A SPECIAL ENJOYMENT FOR ME....CAN'T GET OVER THE FACT THAT FLOWERS GROW AND BLOOM HERE ALL YEAR  ROUND.....

ON SUNDAY AT THE "MERCADO DE FLORES"  I FOUND THESE BEAUTIFUL CALLA LILIES,  ONE YELLOW AND ONE A TWO TONED WHITE & LAVENDER.....

THE GORGEOUS ROSE I BOUGHT FOR GEOVANY AND BERTHA WHO HAVE SUDDENLY TAKEN AN INTEREST IN PUTTING A LOT OF FLOWERS IN THEIR YARD....

SUCH A JOY.....

*************

THIS LAST PICTURE IS OF 8 YR. OLD GRANDDAUGHTER  CRISTINA with her daddy PHIL,   ALL DRESSED AND READY FOR THE DADDY/DAUGHTER DANCE AT HER SCHOOL IN OMAHA,  ST. WENSESLAUS......

THEY (with our daughter DEBORAH ) WILL BE COMING TO CUENCA THIS SUMMER FOR 6 WEEKS.... and CRISTINA WILL BE WITH US FOR A WEEK  ALONE  WHILE HER PARENTS GO TO THE GALAPAGOS!

AND OUR OTHER DAUGHTER LINDA AND HER FAMILY  (NICOLAS 13 & OLIVIA CHRISTINA 10)  husband SCOTT,  WILL BE HERE FOR EASTER!!!

WE ARE VERY EXCITED!! ...IT'S GOING TO BE A FABULOUS SPRING/SUMMER FOR US HERE IN 

BEAUTIFUL CUENCA!!

CHRISTMAS thru NEW YEAR'S .....

..

 December starts off with Ricardo's birthday on the 7th......and he manages to celebrate for several days.....
FIRST,   Jean treated us to lunch at Bertuchi's ......very delicious with brownie & ice cream for dessert...


That night Yolanda brought him a great cake from the bakery--filled with fruit and nuts.....

And the next day Bertha fixed a wonderful lunch at her house....
                                   ------------------------------------------------------------

Then on the 10th it's Yolanda's birthday....we asked her what restaurant she wanted to go to,  but she said what she really wanted was to do ribs on the grill and eat at home....made me feel good,  so that's what we did,,,,,

 It was a good meal with an awesome chocolate cake.....Her eyes got big when she saw this!!!

                                                ************************

SUSANA and I went out to the nurseries in
Chaluabamba....

We filled the car with flowering plants,  and then to the local bakery which was FANTASTIC!!!

 Lunch was next door at a American Western themed restaurant,  but the food was typical Ecuadorian...It was a lovely  "girls only" day....

***********                        ********************                             **********
Mid December I got a call from Jerry Coronel who was with the Red Crab restaurant,  one of the best restaurants here....we had been there several months before...he remembered us and what we had told him about promotions and advertising and appealing to the Gringos......
He asked if we could get together because he needed help with a new restaurant he was opening......

He bought some antique pieces from me for decorating the restaurant,  and I went out to hunt for table centerpieces....

So here is TERRA LUNA,   Alfonso Cordero 359 y Manual J. Calle,   about a block from SuperMaxi El Vergel next door to DHL.....It's a lovely place with EXCELLENT FOOD.....the onion soup is to die for!!!

 It's a fabulous old house with a large outdoor area with a WORKING FOUNTAIN.....Kathy (Jerry's wife) next to the fountain.....

JERRY

JEAN ..LOVED the food!!!

 I made the centerpieces ...glass plates and small square bowls filled with glass rocks in different shades of blue to compliment the blue stained glass in the windows....  Candles can be used in place of flowers....
*******

Jean has joined our annual Christmas basket giving to the poor old ladies at the Cathedral.....of course we had to shop for things to fill the baskets which meant a trip to the San Francisco Market,  just about my favorite place in Cuenca....stopped in to see Guido and his latest projects.....got a bottle and 4 glasses for Geovanny which I filled with Rompope I made.....

Besides food stuffs we got a pair of very warm but pretty pajamas for Teresa,  and a lovely green Alpaca scarf for La Muda......

On the Sunday before Christmas,  the 20th, we met at the Cathedral and made two old ladies very happy.....Jean is very generous and besides helping with the goodies in the basket, she gave each of the ladies a Christmas card with $10 inside......

After Mass we went to lunch at El Cantaro..

..

December 23rd was our 54th Wedding anniversary...we celebrated at TERRA LUNA...

I had the onion soup and then a whole lobster topped with shrimp, clams, & octopus  with sides of vegetables and potatoes....Rick had a very delicious filet....and I had a Margarita,  and a glass of wine, and then we had 2 desserts....all for under $50 including tax and tip!!!

It was a most enjoyable dinner -- Kathy came and sat with me after dinner and we had a good visit....

                                                 ****       *****       *****

The night before,  on the 22nd,  we went to FOGO MAR for a drink and snack.....when they found out it was our anniversary the next day,  they presented us with a great little cake....

 Deborah of course noticed that "Felicidades" was mispelled.....ha-ha---typical teacher...:)  All I cared about was the taste!!  DELICIOUS!!!

The service here is really excellent  -- they aim to please....
                                                        *********************
Christmas eve was at Bertha's house this year.....a fantastic dinner of Pernil  (roast pork) with rice, 2 salads, tamales,  and other side dishes....I made baked sweet potatoes which were well received....

We opted out of the trip that Susana and Ruben take to give gifts to the poor children...it's a long arduous trip with no bathrooms,  so I gave Susana our contributions.....after they left we went to Mass at the Cathedral.....

LATER   on Christmas night Geovanny and Bertha took us on a tour of the lights and Nativity scenes....

AND the Nativity Village

At Otrongo Plaza the city erects this beautiful but huge NATIVITY.........

Yolanda put up our tree this year all by herself- she did a great job....

 Shopping at the Mercado San Francisco I was able to find some neat and useful gifts for Yolanda and Juan Gabriel          ..................
........I thought this little flowered jacket really cute and she did too!

Necklace from the Saraguro women....

 Warm but very soft pajamas for both of them.....

But far and away Juan Gabriels favorite was this casaca....hooded sweatshirt with zippered pockets...

                                                        -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

As soon as Christmas is over,  the preparations for New Years begins.......the streets on New Years eve are full of people getting ready to burn the viejos which contain all the bad things that happened.....and ring in the New Year with lots of fireworks.....

Yolanda had a big problem on New Years Eve.....she loaned her car to her brother and he was picked up by the police  (speeding or drunk,  I don't know) and immediately went to jail....when I talked to her she was in a lawyers office trying to get her car.....so our plans to go to Tacanijo for dinner had to be postponed....
AS A SIDE NOTE;    They are very strict here on driving infractions.....Geovanny was in jail a couple of weeks ago for speeding....cost him $350 fine plus community service....he showed us the curbs he painted........

I called some friends to wish them a HAPPY NEW YEAR, and when I spoke to Rene Calle he said he was planning on seeing his sister & family later,  so I suggested we all go to dinner....;LITTLE DID I KNOW ---  RESTAURANTS CLOSE ON NEW YEARS EVE!!!   We tried a half dozen before I remembered reading great things about DeSanty's --- we went there, and they were open!

 DeSanty's is on Juan Jaramillo 9-74 y Padre Aguirre,   07-284-5427......we really enjoyed excellent food and service....the three of us eating crab, filet mignon, and crab stuffed chicken with 2 Margaritas and wine & 2 desserts .... for $73 including tax and tip.....

After dinner we went to Rene's sister's house....

It was too boring for Rene,  so we went over to his cousin Patricio's house.......that was so much fun....Maria Angelica & Patricio and their son & daughter spent 9 years in the states...delightful people....and then another primo came -- they own Anubis Restaurant.....

 Patricio brought out hats and the "boys" play acted like real bad dudes...hilarious,  but the best actor of all,  ...RENE.....

 Patricio's wife is Maria Angelica ---- truly beautiful,  inside and out!!!

We had a great time drinking, snacking, joking, laughing and singing...and at midnight we all hugged while the kids did the burning of the "viejos"  outside.......

NEXT THING I KNEW it was almost 3am!!!

                              Rene brought us home, glowing from such a grand evening with old and new friends!!!!

                                  HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!