from VALENTINE'S to CARNAVAL....

Valentine's Day in Cuenca is not as big a deal as in the USA...it hasn't been commercialized and is known as the Day of Love and Friendship....no big gifts, flowers, or candy....

Our Valentine's Day was very nice -- a quiet early dinner at Fabiano's....

 



Always good food...



And a nice wine....










As we were finishing dinner a couple Rick had met stopped at our table to say Hi...we invited them to join us.....

Gary Park is from the states and his wife Meliza is Cuencana....very interesting couple...he was a jeweler/diamond setter ... she is adorable!!   A May-December marriage that seems to work very well even tho she speaks very little English,  but his Spanish is quite good.....All is possible with LOVE!

We have a lot in common - mainly love of jewelry and Mexican food....hope to get together soon and make some Pozole as he likes to cook!

*****

When we returned home I finished the cole slaw salad (shredded cabbage, carrots, celery, apples and raisins)   and deviled eggs for our trip to Deleg and Quinto Esthelita on Sunday.

CARNAVAL starts on Sunday before Ash Wednesday.....Some people even start celebrating on Friday.....the big tradition (which I will never understand) is getting soaked by water throwing people...they all laugh and have a great time....I can understand the kids liking this,  but the adults?  But they do -- only the Terced Edad escapes  (Senior Citizens)

We left Sunday morning with Geovanni and Bertha arriving a few minutes before the 9 o'clock Mass began....Rick was asked to be in the family offertory procession taking the gifts to the altar -- he took a beautiful array of flowers, as did Rogelio....

DELEG is a small town

about a 40 minute drive from Cuenca....

 The Church is so lovely and quite a surprise from 

the humble outside....

The Mass was beautiful.....most of Rogelio's children and grandchildren met us there, and his sister and brother-in-law....

After Mass we headed for the Mercado for a fabulous breakfast...

Susana and her husband Ruben

Good food and a great hat!!

Eduardo and lovely daughter...

Most of the little stalls are operated by Cholas.....the indigenous people of Ecuador.....they roast the pigs,  make the mote  (we call it hominy)  and the Yapingachos  (potato cakes).....


The food is really delicious..... 

Huge roasted pig....

Ummmmm - GOOD!

      It's the original "FINGER FOOD"   no forks, spoons or knives available....everyone dives in grabbing from a few plates on the table.....

I'm sure a lot of gringos are surprised  (if they even go to places like this)  but  "when in Rome..."     and it's fun to relax and just eat good food....

Susana & her youngest daughter Paula...

          As you can see the Mercado is very busy on 
Sunday morning feeding lots of hungry people....

Best place to go after Mass...

WE LOVED IT!!!

Just a little sample ??

Susana and Ruben

Then we all headed for Rogelio's home a few miles from downtown Deleg.....he has a very large home/estate where the family gathers for the big holidays....

QUINTO ESTHELITA

The house is very large -- 7 big bedrooms,  2 dining rooms,  a small living room and a LARGE living room,  bar,  and TV room.....

 

The large dining  room and Eduardo & Geovani

in the bar.....

 T.V. room and small dining room....

Beautiful antique mirror in the large "sala"

Large living room.....
                                                                 

...

The entry way "sala" where everyone gathers...

The grand staircase....

Antique mirror and console table upstairs hall....

A very realistic Jesus...

The little Chapel upstairs .....overlooks the large "sala" below....

I love the antique furniture..    hand carved with lovely tapestry upholstery....

Ricardo surrounded by Rosendo (Rogelio's brother-in-law) and Rogelio "The Chief"

Chatting on the front porch.... 

Paul, --  Geovani & Bertha's handsome son.....law student....

The house was full of people coming and going....Susana and Bertha prepared enough food to feed an army...it was all delicious!!...

About 4pm Bertha asked me how to make coffee in my large 60 cup coffee maker....we got it all set up and then went down to the little gazebo beside the basket ball court where the guys were playing.....Ricardo,  Susana,  Rosita  (Eduardo's novia) and Teresa (Rosie's friend)

were all playing RummyKub and having a ball....Teresa was entertaining everyone with her jokes and horsing around....she kept squirting people with foam from a spray bottle....

It was close to 6pm when we decided it was "coffee time" .... but coffee here is more like coffee and a lunch....can be very elaborate like a High Tea in England,  or just coffee and sweet bread and Ecuadorian fresh cheese....

Big problem tho,  the coffee pot hadn't made coffee....then we discovered the reason....the lights were out,  and so was the water!!  And being a holiday weekend there was probably no way to find out how long the problem would last....so we substituted sodas and had a good snack...

They put a bright face on it and determined to stay the night as planned...

.we came home with Rosendo and his wife.....

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The next morning about 9 am we had a nice surprise....Yolanda popped in and said she wanted to eat Huevos Rancheros with us.....I was still in bed watching Fox News so I got up and started making breakfast.....She only had to deliver 10 chickens so she had time to relax and have a nice breakfast with us.....Made us feel so good that she dropped in!!

After breakfast I asked her if she had time to go to the Mercado- Feria Libre,  El Arenal....I didn't realize her brother was driving her,  but that was good because he has a big pick up....Had a delightful time filling the rolling cart we took... got things for us,  and I asked what she needed....she never tries to take advantage,  but I got some avocados, tomatoes, onions, carrots, for her &  apple for Juan Gabriel.....

Asked her brother  (who is a terrific young man) if he would stop so I could get some carbon & lenya for the grill and chiminea....

Got home and they unloaded - we washed the vegetables and fruits and Yolanda got ready to leave -- to celebrate Carnaval....I gave her $10 to have a little extra money to spend...her eyes filled with tears of appreciation as she said now she could get her son a toy for Carnaval...

Today was rather quiet even 'tho the Cabrera family came back early...Eduardo told me the lights never came back on,  and that plus the water problem made it too difficult to stay....

Life in Cuenca is very good for us....although we miss our children and grandchildren immensely,  we would be a burden to them if we were there....here we live a complete life and have made some cherished friendships....

THE Baby Shower!!!

There is nothing like a Baby Shower Latino/Cuenca  style!!  

I was invited to the BABY SHOWER of the owners of Tacanijo Mexican Restaurant and I was so delighted!!

It was so much fun and more about celebrating family life than the typical shower where the accent is gifts....

The "start time" was 3pm...I arrived a little late as taxis were not plentiful on Sunday afternoon, but I was by no means the last to arrive - some got there as late as 5pm..... and that's typical...

First Marcela introduced me to her mother,  Bertha... a very lovely LADY  ---I sat at her table with her sisters -- all great women, well educated and fun!

We played some typical "shower games", ate little sweet tidbits, and drank some wine....Tacanijo  was decorated appropriately with all kinds of blue colors to welcome Marcela and Paulo's third son....They are sooo excited and anxious to receive their new little one -- in two weeks!

Marcela has amazing stamina --she looks so beautiful and full of life -- what a great family!

Their oldest son played the piano for us...he is so cute and does quite well on the piano.....the youngest son (soon to be the middle child) wanted to sing but only if no one could hear him!

They are both extremely well behaved and well mannered....

Paulo served  delicious tostadas... chicken,  beef,  and mushroom.....first you spread the fried corn tortilla with refried beans, then put on chicken (0r whatever) and top with lettuce, cheese, tomatoes or any garnish you prefer.....he made a delicious green sauce to top it off....and then, 

  BLUE MARGARITAS!!   Yummm....

Just when I thought things were winding down they started setting up a stage....with microphones.....and the whisper was.....

MARIACHI'S were on their way!!!

Everyone LOVES Paulo -- from his mother-in-law to all his family, customers and friends....a great husband,  father,  and business man!!   It was so good to see him having such a grand time!!

This  terrific Mariachi  group of is made up of  8 very talented musicians and singers.... everyone had a ball....and there was Marcela at 9 months pregnant -- dancing!

At least 50 women or more were there, and I was the only Gringa -- I felt very honored,  and I had a wonderful time....Bertha (Marcela's mother) and brother  brought me home and they want to come practice English with me -- I look forward to their visits!

But this shower was the END of a wonderful weekend....on Friday Mosquita came over -- we went for hamburgers at Bertuchi's, and then to bed as she  spent the night....she was so exhausted poor darling and slept till almost 9 ... I was so glad.....fixed Mexican eggs Susan style for breakfast.  She then wanted to go see the Italian bread/cheese man-- she had some of his bread here at our house a couple of weeks ago and didn't forget how good it is...so off we went and got bread, cheese and olives -- what a feast with a glass of nice red wine!!

On Saturday night I had a date -- with  RICARDO---he took me for a nice quiet dinner at Fabiano's ...  After 53 years there is still no one I would rather go to dinner with than my darling hubby!

 Rick just loves Jackie and Josyln  -- mother and daughter who look more like sisters...they do a wonderful job of making dining at Fabianos a lovely experience...

My wine all gone  -- and since  I don't drink more than one,  it was a little sad,  ha, ha!!

Oh yes,  Sunday morning we went to Mass at the Cathedral -- arrived a little late as there was a Pase de Nino procession in the street so it really slowed up traffic....The Church was packed - we split up so Rick could get a seat (his ankles have been bothering him a lot ) and I sat on the steps of a side altar....when I looked up I gazed at some fabulous stained glass windows....

This window is very high up....

And this one below it....they are doing a lot of work restoring the roof/ceiling thus the scaffolding....it's all so gorgeous and really glorifies God...

Then we went over to El CANTARO  for a late lunch....Ricardo had Seco de Carne ... a kind of beef stew...

And I had fried shrimp....

The shrimp was supposed to come with fried bananas, fried potatoes and a small salad,

but I just wanted a nice salad and a few potatoes...

It was very good and the price was right  ....  $3.50 for Rick's plate and under $8 for my shrimp....  the thing here is that if you don't see what you want on the menu they can usually make it for you, and they do it with pleasure...

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous here but I would like to see a little rain...for the flowers...  feel sorry for those in the states with all the snow.....

God has truly blessed Cuenca and all those who are lucky enough to live here!!!

.....a WOW WEEKEND....with friends old and new!!!

 
    A big delight on Thursday was when our dear friend Silvia Ontaneda called  -- she's the Consul General de Ecuador in Minneapolis, Mn.

We met her  over 2 years ago when we were going thru the process of moving to Cuenca and gathering all the paperwork....She's just so darling and amazing....we met her when Rick barged into her office .... but instead of getting upset she immediately got up from her desk and gave him a big hug...before we left she insisted that we were coming to dinner at her house with Linda, Scott, Nicolas and Olivia.....that Friday she fixed a terrific Ecuatorian meal, Scott made some great cocktails, Nicolas and Olivia were entertained by Silvia's teenage son & daughter  (very impressive, bright & loving young people) and we all had a fantastic time!!! .....   the years pass, and then Silvia calls - she was here on Government business and wanted to see us saying that even if she had to stay over another day,  we were going to get together!!....so Friday evening she came over looking as beautiful as ever and just as loving and effervescent... we walked over to Bertuchi's where she insisted on treating us to dinner...a lovely evening but way too short!   But Silvia promised she'd be back in the summer with her children and they'd stay with us....Yea!!!

She got to meet Geovani and Bertha -- Geovani had called right after Silvia and wanted to take us to eat chuzos....want her son to meet their son this summer....he's in law school and should be able to talk about education and opportunities here in Cuenca...

Silvia is an  International Lawyer.  That says a LOT because getting an INTERNATIONAL LAW degree is very difficult... As the Consul General in Minneapolis she is in charge of the Midwest states including Nebraska....

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

Saturday morning our dear friend Norbert T came over....since his landlady forced him to change his plans about coming over for the Super Bowl  (long story about water problems in Yungilla) he came to "give us a hug"......    I made breakfast and we had a wonderful visit....

As always  Norbert came bearing gifts....

  There was a meat dish he made with a base of sauerkraut;  had raisins and lots of spices which gave it sort of a sweet and sour flavor -- quite unusual but very good....I think it must be a Polish dish ...I'm sure he told me the name but I don't remember now.





He also brought a jar of the most delicious peppers!!  A friend of his here makes them and they are addicting...you eat one and you want more and more.....Must find out where I can buy them.


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

Sunday morning was Mass at the Cathedral and then lunch at El Cantaro....another restaurant facing Parque Calderon across from the Cathedral......one of the specialities there is the traditional SECO DE POLLO  or SECO DE CARNE.....

A big plate of delicious food for only $3 !!

Then home to start getting ready to watch the Super Bowl with Jeanie....she is an enormous football fan and watching with her is so much fun!!....She came over and brought  Flowers,  2 kinds of wine,  and Yuca chips....

The flowers are so lovely- I love mixed flower bouquets!!

Yuca chips taste a lot like potato chips but they are lighter and less greasy...delicious!!

I forgot to serve the Yuca chips  -- more for me :)  ....

Jean also brought wine -- red (for me) and white for her,  but I decided to join her with a glass of white wine...boy, was it good!!   SUNRISE SAUVIGNON BLANC  2012,  a Chilean wine by Concha y Toro in business since 1889 -- they know how to make WINE!!

We set up a NACHO BAR with taco meat, refried beans and tortilla chips on a warmng tray...around that was guacamole, sour cream, diced tomatoes, grated cheese & cheese dip, jalapenos & olives, chopped onions, shredded lettuce, and hot sauces....

Everyone fixed their own and then we watched the game....we wanted the Seahawks,  but it was a terrific game....

Then Jean and I sat around talking till 2 am before we reluctantly went to bed...

The next day was another lovely surprise.....we were just getting up when there was a knock at the door...Ricardo answered... it was Paulo from Tacanijo with his wife Marcela...they came to invite me to a baby shower this next Sunday....

I am quite honored since these things are usually family only here....Marcela says her mother wants to meet me because she at 75 is trying to learn English and wants to practice with me!

I fixed breakfast  (with a lot of help from Jean) and we all had a great meal together.....I'd really like to know honestly what the Mexican who owns a Mexican restaurant thinks of my cooking,  but it must pass the test because he always has more than one helping  :) 

Put some bacon strips in the oven and sprinkled brown sugar on top.....broke up corn tortillas and friend them slightly crisp and then put in eggs and shredded cheese and scrambled it all together...made a spicy tomato sauce to pour on top.....I thought it was pretty good  -- noticed there was none left........

After  Paulo and Marcela left, Jean and I sat down to have a cup of coffee and Susana popped in....she wanted to go to the Rotary for a maceta  (flower pot) and then to buy plants....Jean had to be home by 1 pm so when  she left Susana, Bertha & Titi  and I went downtown.....

Outside their brother's store I bought some beautiful tomatoes for $1  (2 pounds).....

Then on to the Rotary where Susana found this pretty pot with legs....only $4.50....

When we got home we planted  Susana's plants -- mine are waiting for Yolanda's green thumb when she comes this afternoon....

Then Susana & Bertha  decided to make "Empanadas de Viento"  which are empanadas  puffed up with air in them  -- they have some cheese and they puff up during the frying,  and after they are fried are sprinkled with sugar....REALLY GOOD!!  They remind me a little of  Mexican  Sopapillas....

Reflecting again how fortunate we are to have such WONDERFUL FRIENDS!!...It continues to amaze me how great the people of Ecuador are....and there are some FABULOUS GRINGOS here too...the best of both world's and we are enjoying it tremendously!!