Christmas 2014

We have had a very nice visit with family and friends this week. Here are some highlights of our visit. 

Mexican food at El Potro with Greg Croushorn and Mark Etheredge. 

Dinner at Mary Mac's Tea Room with Mark Jones and Ron Hoffman. 

Travelled to Columbia, SC to visit my Dad and Step-Mom. My sister Sheila also drove over from Georgia to join us. My nephew was sick with the flu and was unable to make the trip. 

Me getting a scalp massage from a kitty!

Santa on Christmas Eve at Lenox Square Mall, Atlanta. 

Enjoyed Christmas Eve dinner with Bill and Barbara. 

Mike and I enjoyed Christmas Day with my Mother, Sister, and Nephew (recovered from the flu). My Aunt and cousin made a brief appearance. 

Preparing fried okra ... One of my favorites!

A beautiful day! Not a cloud in the sky. 

The Ecuadorian coffee hung by the chimney with care. 

Headed back home to Ecuador on Saturday. Looking forward to ringing in the New Year and celebrating our one-year anniversary in Ecuador on January 8, 2015. 

Beautiful Day

We walked almost eight miles today which is not unusual for us. Along the way we stopped at Otorongo Plaza to check out this interesting Nativity display. 

On the route between Otorongo Plaza and San Sebastián we saw plenty of street art. 

These flowers greeted us at Parque San Sebastián. 

The park itself is beautiful. That is the Museum of Modern Art in the background. 

After enjoying the park we decided on pizza for lunch. So, we walked to La Fornace Pizzeria in El Centro. Of course we needed to walk off that lunch so we headed down Calle Larga, down the steps, around the Tamebamba River, then back up to El Centro, and finally home. 

Here are the details of our walk. 

Another day in Paradise!

Walk-About Surprise

Saturday we went on our usual walk around Cuenca and stumbled upon a stage and booths at Parque de la Madre.  We decided to walk a few laps around the track while the set-up was being completed.  When we finished our laps we walked over to the stage and saw the beauty Queen of Cuenca and the Chola Cuencana. They were walking around the area posing for pictures and greeting fans.  They are both very pretty.

A drawing was being held for a new Chevrolet.  A lot of locals were eager to register.

A band then took to the stage and while they were warming up these young performers entertained the large crowd that had gathered.

Afterwards, Rebeca performed several songs including "Play That Funky Music White Boy." We had never heard of her but it appeared that she was very popular.  Kids and adults were singing along and dancing.  The crowd went wild when she started throwing copies of her CD into the audience.

Many children were enjoying the festivities which included face painting and a lot of balloons.

I thought this little girl was adorable.  Look how sweet and innocent she appears. I tried to make her smile but it never happened.  She just stared at me with those big brown eyes.

This group of kids, with their Christmas outfits and stick horses, performed along with the two ladies at the microphone.

And we saw one more performer. 

Since we are so tall we always have the best view at events like this.  Here is Mike towering over someone.

We walked back through the park several hours later and the party was still going strong.  It's good to see that people support these free events.