Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad! Christmas Wishes! It’s now been 3 1/2 months since leaving St. Paul, and 4 months since homelessness. What a long strange trip it’s been! There are two main constants that have we have seen along the way: People tend to be pretty great – whether American, Ecuadorian, friends, acquaintances, or total strangers, […]
Christmas Eve in Cuenca features the largest Pase del Niño parade in latin america. The Miami Herald has a nice writeup: Pase del Niño parade The event starts at 10:00 in the morning, lasting about 8 hours. We went with our host family to their school that overlooks the parade route. We were able to get a […]
As part of the Ecuadorian Christmas festivities, mangers play a major part. Most families have a manger scene in their homes. Most parks have mangers, often life size. Any town of reasonable size will have a market that is set up solely for the Christmas holiday that features Christmas decorations, with creche figurines taking the […]
About a week ago you heard about Ellen’s big toe. Last Monday we went to the doctor. We followed his advice. Now, even though we frequently experience shortness of breath, the “crazy” part of “mal de altura,” or altitude sickness, seems to have passed. Last Monday we came in to class and decided we needed […]
It seems that December is the season of Christmas festivities in Ecuador. I have now seen at least three parades all ready. This all culminates on Christmas Eve Day when Cuenca celebrates the “viaje nino” or travelling child. That particular parade starts at 10:00 am and goes until 5:00 in the afternoon. On Friday, our […]
Bellin and Domi asked us if we wanted to “go see many lights.” It is Christmas season, and they take it quite seriously in Ecuador. There are many events, parades, and church activities. We’ve heard that the big parade on Christmas Eve lasts from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. I figured it would be Christmas […]
Sunday afternoon we attended “An Intimate Afternoon of Music with Randy Newman.” The event was a fundraiser for the Topanga Women’s Circle, an organization that Ellen helped start when we were living in Topanga. “Topanga Women’s Circle (TWC) is committed to making a difference to homeless families as they move into transitional housing. By enhancing […]
We went to Eugene, Oregon to see Barbara, Hyla, and Alfonso. Barbara is a cousin. By pure coincidence, another cousin, Susan, was visiting from Hawaii. Ellen hadn’t seen her since childhood. I first met Barbara and Hyla when they visited us in Linden Hills several years ago. We pulled up fairly late on Saturday. It […]
Sunday afternoon we attended the Mount Pisgah Mushroom Festival. It is sponsored by the Oregon Mycology Association as a fundraiser for the Mount Pisgah Arboretum. I can safely say that I have now seen more species of fungi than most people, (unless they have attended a mushroom festival themselves). It was a rainy day, but […]
H A P P Y Holidays & 2025 Ellen and Steve: (...)
H A P P Y Holidays & 2025 Ellen and Steve: (...)
What a trip you guys. If you are still in Luang Prabang (...)
I would have enjoyed this day with you! Thanks for updates (...)
You guys really are troopers! Thanks for continuing to (...)