Alone in Ecuador

This is going to be a rather personal blog.  I'm not saying you should run for your Kleenex or anything unless you have a cold.  I have two heroes.  Actually, I have a hero and a heroine.  Neither one of them is with me right now, but my hero, Bob, will be here in less than a month.  I'm trying not to count the days...yet.  Then there's my heroine, Rachel.  She's with her daughter, Dad, brothers, and favorite in laws in Tulsa.  She'll be visiting her son, daughter in law and grands in Philly too.  She's going to be gone until mid October.  I'm already getting hot dog fatigue.  Hardly an hour of any day passes without me thinking of my two heroes.

Bob and I were best friends in first grade.  We even did the blood brother thing where you cut your finger and join blood.  This was before anyone ever heard of HIV.   We were inseparable.  Remember the early scenes in Pearl Harbor where the two boys were in their imaginary airplane shooting enemy aircraft?  That was Bob and me, except our fighter was an old rusty livestock watering tank.    Bob had to move away to Minnesota when we were in 4th grade.  We were two miserable boys.  For a few summers we came to visit each other but then high school set in and we got involved with sports and girls.  We were in college and in the service at the same times in our life but in different parts of the world.  We returned to the Midwest after our service time and made our families and provided for them.  We saw little of each other for years but we were always close in spirit.

Then times changed.  Adversity makes you want to be with your life long best friend again.  You wonder if communication is still possible without speaking.  That's Bob and me.  Our friendship was never broken but there was a hiatus and God wanted us to be together again.

Bob and I were best friends from the first day of first grade and now at almost 64, we are still best friends.

Bob had a chunk of his colon taken out.  He's been doing the chemo thing too.  I flew back to Minnesota in April to see Bob and make sure the doctors were doing him good.  Now he's coming to Ecuador to see me.  I've been hoping and praying that his visit would be a reality.  On September 19 it will be.  I plan to help make this his best vacation ever.

So now about my heroine.  Rachel and I had something going on early in our life too.  It was the summer of 1962.  She was from Oklahoma.  I was from Iowa.  She had a bit of a (non-Iowa) accent and was an exotic 'city' girl.  I'd never had a girlfriend before but if I was ever going to have one, I sure hoped it would be her.

She amazed me with her 'can do' attitude.  She wanted to make sure that I knew she was absolutely fearless.  Her first foray into the hog yard gave me proof positive that this young goddess wasn't all about foo foo.  Later we rode double on one of our farm horses.  47 years later we spoke of that horseback ride in an email to each other when we were wondering if there was still chemistry between us.  I asked her if she remembered whether we were with saddle or bareback.   We exchanged emails frequently to each other for several months before she finally responded to my question.  "We were bareback".  I knew then that I wasn't alone in my thoughts.


In those interim 47 years Rachel and I saw each other only once over 20 years ago.  A lot of water had passed under our bridges.   I always had in my mind what she would look like.   I knew she was a cheerleader and homecoming queen in high school.  She was a finalist in a an Oklahoma State University beauty pageant.  She was an entertainer with the USO.    I was gaga over her when we were 12 but that was puppy love.  Now we were in our early 40's.

Well, she took my breath away, again.  However, she was married with children.  

Rachel and I never connected again until I was done with my responsible life in Iowa.  I had enough of corporate banking and long Iowa winters.  I was too young to retire but too old to start over.  Maybe I should just go live in Ecuador.  That's when Rachel caught wind that I was heading to South America.  Single for 15 years Rachel had no mind to be tied down with some guy at this stage in her life.  She loved her nursing job and had extended family all close.  However, this freckled farm boy (as she remembers me) from Iowa going to South America was a bit too intriguing for this middle aged dare devil.  We started emailing and pretty soon we had a latent 47 year fever stirring up again.  Our life paths joined once again.  We decided to physically meet each other before I left for Ecuador.  The meeting went well.  A month later she came to visit me in Cuenca and we rode horses around a mountain in Vilcabamba.  If you've read this blog, you know our romance.  Two months later we were married and living in Ecuador.  

I've kept my hat, but Rachel lost the Clairol.

So now you know my hero and my heroine.  I met them both when we were kids.  The things that bound us then bind us still.  

So now we flash forward.  Bob is coming for a visit to Ecuador in less than a month.  Rachel has already been gone for what seems a lifetime and still won't be back for over a month.  I am planning Bob's visit and dreaming of Rachel's return.  To keep myself occupied I've turned to my hobby and passion out in the yard.    It is how I express myself.  It is how I keep fit.  It is how I praise God.  Rachel already knows this about me and Bob is about to find out.  Rachel asked if I could send some pictures of our Eden and to show her some of my most recent Bohemian construction projects.  For Bob, I just want him to know that his vacation will include lots of hammock times watching the hummingbirds and soaking in the Andean scenery.  For Rachel, I want her to see some of the subtle improvements I've made in her absence and to see that despite our prolonged drought, I'm keeping everything alive and well.  I'm hoping she will get just a little homesick and decide to come back a little earlier than projected.

 pictures I'm going to share I took today.  I will make comments on each one.  For those who are visual, it's ok to skip the dialogue.  For those who want detail, I'll give it to you ad nauseum. 

   

  Mt. Cotacachi from our terrace.  Rachel and Bob, those ugly eucalyptus trees will be removed before either of you are here!  They are coming DOWN!  Oh what a sweet view of Mt. Cotacachi we will have.

The camel back mountain in the distance is Fuja Fuja.  There is something so artistic about this ancient volcano.  It's soft shadows make it seem like an artist's brush.  Bob, you and I will go visit the crater lake there when you come. It looks like a painting.  The shadows are always amazing.  In the foreground is a recent table/umbrella stand project.

What was once a plastic tub with concrete to support an umbrella is now a mobile and very substantial table and umbrella stand.   The whole assembly I put on a half section of discarded scaffolding and put wheels under it.  Later I discovered a large round industrial strength PVC side frame for a cable roll.  After no one else claimed it, I decided it would be a wonderful under-frame for a a round table piece.  A friend made us  a beautiful round table top with a lazy Susan in the center. Pass the ketchup please.  Never mind....spin.....
  Now we have a table that Rachel can dance on.

Beside the table in the picture is another concrete tub umbrella-holder-on-wheels.  On this model I used discarded window blinds for a decorative cover.  Bohemian enough for you yet?    You can see what an uncovered plastic planter looks like (adjacent) so now you know why I cover.

The strategy on covering the plastic planters going forward is simple:  Veronica.  No, that's not a girl.  It's a nice luxurious ground cover that lazily covers anything ugly.  I will show you what I mean later.

You see the nice thing about putting wheels on terrace furniture is quite obvious.  As the sun moves, as the wind blows, as the scenes of the day change, you want to be able to situate yourself where the scene speaks to your soul.  If you want sun protection without an umbrella, you roll up that giant yucca plant and hide in it's shade.

You see those red benches?  They used to be butt-ugly white.  Before that they were just butt-ugly but sturdy.   Those benches were among the first pieces of cobbled together outdoor furniture we had.  Because of that, they are special to Rachel and me.  The 8X8 eucalyptus stubs that hold up the massive planks were cuts from our rafters.  The planks were construction discards as well.  They may be too warped for construction, but they fit our behinds just fine.   I drilled holes through the rafter stubs and drove re-rod down the center for a solid lock.  Painting them brick red just makes them look a little softer don't you think?

Our terrace is 24' X 24'.  The views are magnificent.  One problem.  Before, when you came into the 'room' from the outdoor stairway you enter into this cavernously large place without a view but without a soul. You would had the feeling of standing on a scenic roller rink.  Rachel and I figured plants, and more more plants were the answer.  Having those plants on the outside walls was ok, but it still left the room cold because of it's sheer size.   I made a plant hallway and shrunk the room by a third.  Solar lights strategically placed lends themselves to a magical experience after dark and light the way.  The yuccas give privacy, the geraniums color, the veronica will hide those plastic pots in time.  The gold and red planter stands were just a crude but effective way to elevate and display the plant life.  I could talk hours about building with non square, non uniform crude lumber but paint is the great equalizer when precision is impossible.

 My most recent Bohemian Rhapsody is actually looking like a piece of furniture.  It wasn't meant to be.  That would ruin our motif.   It is made from the same old cruddy rough boards that I get in town.  It sits on a discarded scaffold with wheels, same as his brothers and sisters.  This one has a new twist.....I got some bamboo, cut in half lengthwise and I can covered the ugly gaps created from uneven edges.  The stain won't stay for years on bamboo but when it fades or peels it will leave a contrast to the other material. I'll decide later if natural aging is a good contrast.   This little number is obviously mobile, is the perfect height for a laptop computer to be viewed while sitting at the table.  It will also serve as a rolling buffet.....but wait......there's more.....

You take off the cover and voila!  A sink!  This may be the first entirely mobile terrace top sink in Ecuador.  You can have running water in the sink anywhere on the terrace.  It is serviced by a heavy flexible hose and from the unit itself is an even more flexible pocket hose that neatly rolls up in the sink when not in use.  In use, the pocket hose waters the dozens of plants upstairs that otherwise I had to water carrying up to 30 gallons a day with two pails up the stairs.  My life is so much easier now and I can wash the floor too.

But how do you drain the sink you ask?  Elementary Watson.  You just have a flexible drain hose and shoot it out on the floor to drain to the floor drain.  It helps keep the floor clean too.

For serious retirees there must be a hammocks in your yard or terrace.  Of course if you are an anally attentive retiree you have five such hammocks and locations.  I will devote another blog to hammocks and the fine art of hammockeering some day.  I am a fourth degree black belt hammockeer and will share my secrets at a later time.

Speaking of covering ugly gaps between the boards....I thought I would take the theory to my outdoor work table and outdoor sitting bench.  The work table also serves as my wheelbarrow garage.  I wanted to be able to keep the rain and the sprinkler water off of the wheelbarrow completely.  Problem solved.  I think it makes it kind of classy in a Bohemian sort of way too, don't you?

 Here's the thing, Bob.  When you come, these hammocks all have your name on them.  I will give you a thorough safety class and by the time your two weeks are up you will fly your hammock as we once did our P-51's.  Because you will not have your electric massage chair I will show you how these hammocks can be used for self chiropractic and massage endeavors as well.

Rachel,  I know you've been missing your craft room.  When you get home you will have these purple flowers smiling at you from outside.

   I also know you've been wondering about how I got that hose up to our portable sink.  It is the most wonderful vine arbor!  Those pink flowers are going crazy on our bedroom window!  This picture was taken a few days ago so you can see the wheelbarrow garage /work table before it had it's Bohemian (bamboo adornment) upgrade.

We are in late August.  In Cotacachi, Ecuador that means dry.  We could have a break in the drought any day but no one is holding their breath.  The reality is that keeping plants alive is tricky when the wind blows 40 mph, the temperature is 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and the relative humidity is 25%.  There's about three months of the year in this neck of the woods where your lawn and gardens own  your garden hose.  Today there were some sprinkles.  I hope it is a harbinger of good things (real rain) to come.

So here's what's surviving this long dry blast.

Those orange flowered succulents just hang in there but I've moved them from the steepest slopes so I can give them a better drink now and again.

As long as you give them a drink every day geraniums just laugh at the sun and wind.  These are in front of Dodger's house.  He likes to have his house decorated and seems to approve.

This geranium was on the stairway to the terrace.  It was without flowers for months.  Two days on the sun drenched terrace and she's popping out flowers.  This is one of those geraniums that turns into a tree.  Imagine a geranium tree on out terrace!

We have no idea what this tree is called but it attracts hummingbirds all day long.   They love the nectar in the orange flowers.   Hummingbirds are the most territorial creatures you can imagine.  They are always chasing each other.  Today, things were different.  I think it is the mating season!  There was a lot of wing flopping going on but they seemed glad to be in each other's company.  Not sure where hummingbirds nest or how but I hope they make this tree their home.

You could call this tree a spring, summer, and fall tree.  It has brand new leaves and flowers at the same time it presents autumn colors with it's yellow leaves.  It is truly an entertaining tree.

This picnic table and benches was my first shot at Ecuadorian yard furniture.  The table frame is built from two scaffold sections bolted together.  The legs are heavy eucalyptus posts.  The benches are made from eucalyptus beam stubs and window and door headers too warped even for Ecuadorian construction.  No one ever wanted to sit on the benches it seemed.  I decided to put these mas suave boards on the tops of the benches to give our bottoms a little more comfort.   I'm hoping this might become a preferred Mexican Train station.  An umbrella bracket is in my short term plans and will bring needed shade to this position.

For those who don't know what I mean by rough cut lumber, here's a close up!  Rustic, strong, practical, and a challenge to build, they are great fun.  You can see why I added the extra dimension for our posteriors. That beam was like sitting on a rail.

Benches and hammocks are a central theme in our yard.  I take lots of breaks.  I'm supposed to be retired you know.  Having places to sit down at various locations keeps your perspectives active.

Sometimes benches are just supposed to be there whether you sit on them or not

 Actually, just thinking about work makes me tired sometimes.

 Keeping the yard weed free and watered is an effort but your reward is color.  When we start getting rains again it will really come alive.

Oh, and my dear Rachel....I haven't neglected your beautiful plants in the house....they all miss you though!

By the time you get home you will no longer need blinds on your craft room windows!

Pato's Family Comes for Hotdogs

On my last post I shared a piece about Pato and his family.  They will be leaving us here at Yanapamba in about a week.  They will be the 'guard family' for our builder's next residential project.  I suppose if we just let them open the gate for us when we come into Yanapamba we might never have gotten to know them.  As it is, they have become our warmest neighbors.  We will miss them.

Dena will be three in November.  Christopher is 8.  Christopher is becoming quite proficient with the frisbie.  Dena is learning the art of the disc also, but her strength and coordination haven't quite gelled yet so she gets more attention being a clown.  One day Dena, Christopher, Patricia, Pato and I were all playing frisbie on the berm behind our house.  Dena came running off the berm and as her young legs buckled she went into the most acrobatic forward somersault only to land at the bottom of the berm in a sitting position.  We all just roared with laughter and even Dena just giggled.  I will never forget that moment.  Laughing in English and Spanish is the same and it truly joins the participants on a level that words don't even approach.

Last week we invited the whole family over for hot dogs.  Hot dogs are not perros caliente in Ecuador.  They are hot dogs!  Rachel made an awesome potato salad to go with the dogs and some chocolate cookies that sated even the most ravenous chocloholic (me).  This was kind of our 'good bye' meal.  We wanted to be on our terrace so that they could look out on their Yanapamba family of residents and know that they have been appreciated for just being who they are.

Dena hasn't yet learned the art of smiling for the camera.  She was actually a lot more interested in Dodger who was lurking close by in case there were some accidental hot dog escapees that might roll his way.

When given the option for the small hot dog or the large hot dog, Christopher needed little time for a decision.  However, these were really big dogs and he struggled to get to the end of it.  

I think they call it carb overload

We all had a fun meal together.....

But there was still time to demonstrate to the kids my most favorite sport, hammockeering.  It is usually Dodger's duty to keep me company while I navigate the fine art of hammock swinging but he seemed delighted to have more participants this time.

Christopher is the more photogenic, but Dena will learn soon enough

But there's really only one good way to settle hot dogs, potato salad, and chocolate cookies!

I hope that Dena and Christopher will remember that funny old gringo guy that played frisbie with them.

My Daily Walkabout

I have a new camera.  It is a Canon SX 160.  It has 16 megapixels and 16X zoom.  It is a point and shoot but you can go manual and get creative also.  It cost $125.   I remember back in '89 when digital cameras were just coming out.  They were 1 megapixel cameras and if you had more than a megapixel you paid about a thousand dollars.  The photography snobs said no way Jose.  Film was still king.  If you made your picture bigger than a snapshot it was 'pixelated'.    I had a Sony point and shoot and it just got tired.  I gave my good Sony camera to Rachel.  It cost me a couple hundred a few years back.  It still takes nice photos and the color is great but the zoom is really lame.  Rachel also has one of those big-ass cameras that you have to tote around in a wheel barrow and you have to go to photography school to know how to turn it on.  She doesn't use it any more.   So today's pictures are from a $125 point and shoot.

We've been getting a lot of regular rain this spring and everything is lush.  Every morning Dodger and I go for our walkabout but this evening I went solo.  I tried to convince him that he would have fun too, but he seemed more bent on relaxing on the terrace so I said 'fine!'  His loss.

Our daily route is two miles.  Most often when I take pictures on this walk it is about 7 AM.  This evening's walk started about 4:30 PM and ended about and hour later.  During that walk I let my 16X zoom do a little work for me.  I was excited to try out my new toy.

Rex is our neighbor's dog.  He is owned by an indigenous family.  He could eat Dodger with a single bite.   I'm pretty sure I could put a saddle on him and ride like the wind.   Thankfully he doesn't even bark at us any more and most often sneaks under the fence and joins us on our walk.  He was a 150 meters away when I took this shot.  When he saw that I didn't have Dodger with me he lost interest and didn't even bother to come out and say hi.

This is the lane that goes by Rex's house.  The lane seems to disappear as you go downhill.  In the distance you can see a brown thing that looks like a horse.  It is.

























What I love about this stretch is the farmer's fields that have new crops growing each season.  It looks like this spring they are going

to double crop pole beans.  Last year they had a season of wheat and a season of pole beans.  They harvested the wheat with a 1970's style New Holland combine.  When they dumped the wheat off the combine it went on to a huge tarp where the three generation family stood by to hand clean the wheat and scoop it into bags.  It was Ecuadoriana at it's best.  Then came the pole beans.  Cultivating between the pole beans as they approach the size you see on the left is done with a single horse and a single gang cultivator.  It is amazingly clean when they are done.  Eat your heart out Monsanto.  The family that owns the land is mestizo and seems to have some wealth based on their new Hyundai hybrid.  They are not afraid to work however.

I know you are wondering about that horse at the end of the lane.

I don't know her name but she always talks to me.  She seems to spend a lot of lonely hours tied up by the bean field and when I come by to talk to her she seems to really appreciate the company.  I'm an Iowa farm boy.  I love horses, cows, goats, sheep, pigs, dogs, and most any critter on four legs.  Every day I have my passions met on my walkabout.

I'm headed south now on the next leg of my walk.  When I'm on this road in the morning, Mt. Cotacachi is out in her grandeur.  This morning she was covered in snow.  Now she's hiding.  I wonder if she will come out by the time I get to the edge of town.

I got a little sidetracked.  Another farmer neighbor, Edwin, is out with his four year old paint.  He is lunging this pretty little 14 hand beauty and is making sure he keeps his right lead for the direction of the circle.  It will make it so much easier when he is riding him.

Edwin's daughter (hija) and his niece (sobrina) are playing together nearby.  I hope when they are older they can appreciate the good ol' days when dad (papa) or uncle (tio) Edwin) would be working his horses.

This is the kind of farm life I remember.  I thought it was gone forever in the states....Not so much in Ecuador.  In fact if you get a ways off the Pan American highway, you can step back in time to where my own dad would be able to walk down memory lane.  They still plow with oxen.

After I leave Edwin and the girls I start back down the lane towards Cotacachi.  On my left and on my right are beautiful farmland parcels.  They will not be farmland for many more  years I'm afraid.  Rachel and I are not the only ones that see the beauty of living in this enchanting place.  There will be more houses built.  I'm usually for progress, but somehow this seems a little painful.  The dirt road will soon have pavers.  I don't think we'll see any McDonalds any time soon.

 
Mother Cotacachi is starting to brush away the sleep in her eyes.  Maybe I will see her again this evening after all.

Now I get to try out that 16X zoom again.  I look towards town (Cotacachi) and I see the Matriz church and Jesus up on the clock tower.  If I was Jesus that's just where I'd want to be too.  You can see all the beautiful farmland from up on that tower I'm sure.  You can also look down on the parque from there and see all the families holding each other's hands and loving on each other.  I know I'm a bit of a sap but you just have to be there.

Behind this wall sits a house that Rachel and I thought seriously of buying before we ended up building in Yanapamba.  The price was right!   You can't see much of it from here but it is a very pretty house.  It was the first of many houses to be built on this piece of land.  They're still waiting on number two to be built 4 years later.  Some of these farmers wanted to get rich quick so they put up some walls around their properties and tried to sell building lots.  They didn't know anything about permitting, water lines, sewer lines, buried electric cables, homeowner's associations, and such new fangled stuff.  The result is one and done.  I'm glad we didn't invest there.  Yanapamba was sold out before the second house was built.  They just did it right.  

One of the 'expected' pleasures of walking on our road is meeting new people every day.  This is just a young family from town that wanted to stroll about with the cows and horses too.  When we first got to Cotacachi I would only say buenos tardes to families like this.  Now I have a conversation with them.

A little while later I met a professional looking man and he was busy on his cell phone talking to someone in English.  Amazed to hear English on this little back road I of course engaged him.  It turns out that his name was familiar to me.  We chatted a good while and I learned much about the little farms I walked by every day.  I asked him where he was from.  He was raised in southern California and was born in El Salvador.  Now he's Ecuadorian.   Cotacachi is a small town.  You might just as well be friendly.

I knew mama Cotacachi would peak out again before the sun set.

I stepped off the beaten path, walked into a little pasture and found this very cool little pond.

Maybe tomorrow I'll return with a fishing line.

If the fish aren't any healthier than the llamas I'm leaving my rod and reel at home.

I'm on the home stretch now but I have to say hi to the local Holsteins.  The dairy cattle in Ecuador look quite a bit like dairy cattle in the US.  They are smaller, a few mixed breeds, but generally well taken care of.  For all you beef lovers, you just don't see herds of Angus here.  Recently I was back in Iowa and seeing all those black beauties made me lust for a charcoaled ribeye.  I think what we get to eat here is used up dairy cows.  That's what crock pots are for.

At the t-intersection before I turn to go to our home in Yanapamba I come upon Hosteria Villa Paradiso.  I always hope they have their gate open because seeing their gardens is flat out beautiful.  We are lucky to have such neighbors.

I'm back to Rex's family's house again.  My zoom lens shows me that this indigenous family knows how to make some pretty curtains.

The bottle brush trees gracefully line the lane going up to their house.  I don't think Rex knows how good he has it.

 
  This is my friend Pato.  He is our caretaker at Yanapamba.  I play frisbie with his entire family nearly every evening.  I guess we are going to get a professional crew to take care of things now.  I am sad about that.  Pato has taught me a lot of Spanish.  He has showed me how warm and kind Ecuadorians are.  He will not be meeting me at the gate on my return much longer.  I will miss him and especially his son Christopher tremendously.

In my hour walkabout I talked with dogs, cows, horses, and people of all walks of life.  I marveled at the pole beans and the hands that made it so.    I saw Mt. Cotacachi hiding and coming out again with a smile.  I saw Jesus on the Matriz clock tower looking out over the fields of Cotacachi.  I got my exercise.  I got my heart warmed.  I got all of that and it cost me nothing.  The best things in life are free.  God bless.

Mileposts and Anniversaries

I'm not big on birthdays, anniversaries and such annual gimmicks to pad the bottom line for Hallmark.  However, I sometimes look back and these special events serve as mileposts in our lives.  They tell us if we are growing or declining.  They tell us if we are stuck or if we are finally found.

I've passed my three year anniversary in Ecuador.  Rachel will reach her three year anniversary in October which will coincide with our three year wedding anniversary.  Three years is far from a lifetime, but generally it gives you a good idea if you've done the right thing.

Our Marriage:  We've done the right thing!  Every morning that we wake up I thank God for putting us together.  Every night when we go to bed I thank God again.  We sometimes do our own thing during the day but some days we just jump on a bus with destination unknown and know that we will have enriched our lives together somehow.  Rachel's talents in song, creative design, cooking, sewing, gardening, and crafts too many to mention keep her vital and alive.  Her love of God and His Word has led me to commit to being a better man.  Rachel is more beautiful every day.  I love her more each day.

Living in Ecuador:  I'm sure you tire of me talking about our adventures.  To me an adventure is where you let go and something unexpected is likely to happen.  Every day I let go and I'm never disappointed in our adventures.   You don't have to tromp through a jungle, zip line through the cloud forest or hope you and your horse don't fall off a cliff to qualify.  Ecuador has built-in adventures for everyone of all ages and proclivities.  The climate of Ecuador is the best in the world, bar none.  Just pick your own favorite temperature.  It is here.   The people are sweet and kind.  The fruits, veggies, and fish are wonderfully delicious and cheap.  I used to be a beef lover, but I got over it.  Medical care is reported by most of us here to be in many cases better than in the US, sometimes not so much, but always a fraction of the cost.  Public transportation is a breeze.  It is cheap, dependable, and always an adventure.  You simply don't need a car!   We still love our American music and haven't embraced Ecuadorian tunes, but in time you never know.  We love Ecuador!

Three years isn't a long time, but this has been the best three years of my life.  I can't speak for Rachel but her smile tells me volumes.

The Artful Dodger

I was 13 years old when I got to see the long running Broadway hit Oliver!.  Oliver! was the theatrical rendition of Charles Dickens novel, Oliver Twist.   It was the one and only Broadway play I've ever seen.   Suffice it to say, it has had a lasting impression.  Maybe it was because it was about homeless boys my age and I was empathetic.

The storyline is about a poor street waif named Oliver who sought comfort, food and refuge with a gang of children pick pockets led by none other than the Artful Dodger.  Although Oliver was the central character I was always intrigued with the Artful Dodger who was a master of living off the streets. 

In Cotacachi, like many other  Ecuadorian villages there are four legged street waifs.  They don't have homes so they must become adept at the 'art' of pick pocketing to stay alive.  They must learn the 'art' of dodging buses, trucks, and tienda owner's brooms.  They must learn the 'art' of knowing which humans to trust.  The street dogs of Cotacachi are street smart.  In fact, they are just plain smart.  

You will see in my earlier posts about the two dogs that captured our hearts, Doggie and Daisy.  They belong to the indigenous family that has recently moved from Yanapamba.  When we arrived at Yanapamba we took those dogs under our wing.  They were grossly underfed.  Daisy was pregnant with her second litter.  We fed them both rather than watch them starve.  They became our dear friends.  Pretty soon others in Yanapamba joined in with feeding them.  They literally bloomed and they became a part of our collective family of residents.  We asked Rodrigo if we could adopt Daisy.  He said yes.   We kept them both as 'shared dogs' for six months.   The day of Rodrigo's and family departure,  he told us he was bringing Daisy with them.  We had arranged for Daisy's spaying, fed her back to health, imported a wireless fence and invested our hearts in her.  But she was after all Rodrigo's dog to give to us or not.


Two days later we were walking to church and we met our dear friend Darrel on the street with his own adopted canine street waif.  Nearby was this expressive, alert, and undernourished 4 month old pup.  Darrel said,  "This is a most remarkable dog.  He stays outside our house and lets us know if anything is not right.  He would make a wonderful watch dog and companion for anyone who would take him off the street."  Part shepherd, part Cotacachi hybrid, this dog came to us with a plea.  His days of 'dodging' were about to be over.

Rachel and I were still reeling from the heartbreak of having our dear Daisy and Doggie removed from our life only days before.  Although this young male pup was obviously a great find, we just didn't know whether it was a knee jerk reaction.  Could any dog fill the void?

Then I got an email from another dear friend, Bill who lives directly below  Darrel.  "Jim that dog outside is waiting for you.  He is just amazing."

Anyone who has ever selected a puppy or an adult dog to bring into their home knows that it is a huge gamble.  If you win, you win big.  If you lose, well, not so much.  It isn't often that you get separate unsolicited glowing references about a dog. 

This was how it was supposed to be.   One door closes, another opens.

 I called Darrel.  "I'll pick up the dog tomorrow.  I'll bring a leash and walk him back to our place.  It will be his first training with me.  His name is Dodger.  I'll explain later."

The next day I came with collar and leash.  Outside the courtyard gate to Darrel and Bill's duplex unit stood Dodger, watching and seemingly waiting for me.  I sat down on the sidewalk and he came to me, laid down on my lap and gave me the affection afforded only to long lost pals.  I gently put the collar on his neck and we just stayed there until I knew he could sense my heart and my intent.

Pretty soon Darrel came outside with Carol.  They took one look at me with Dodger on my lap and said with a mocking grin,  "This will never work.".   I'm pretty sure that if Rachel and I didn't take Dodger, he would have become part of a two dog household.

What I didn't know is that Darrel and Carol had advertised Dodger on our local Cotacachi gringo email network. The next day Darrel called and said that someone wanted our street waif.  Too late!  He is ours.  Dodger is home.

 

 

Rachel was pretty much a cat person.

 

                                                    I think now that is starting to change.

 

 

After four years of being dog-less, I now feel a completeness in our home.

 

 

 

 

 


 

From the Heart

Some of you who read our blog try to imagine what it would be like to live in Ecuador.  Some of you already live here and know us.  We all take in our environment and the people around us in different ways so our stories may seem different.  I guess our stories are all true in our own eyes.

 

It has been an unexpected gift to get to know the indigenous family that has been living in our development.  Rodrigo, the young father of three sometimes battles the bottle and his culture doesn't know how to help him.  His dutiful wife Rosa is the persona of resolute caretaker of their children.  She is the glue that keeps this family functioning.  The children, Sebastian (13), Estephania (11), and Eva (8) are products of dysfunction.  They are in most ways like all other children.  They love to play.  They love to laugh.  They know when to stay away from Dad and they know their mom is the boss.  They are also sponges to receive all the love you can give them.  There are many families like this in Ecuador.

Rachel and I eschewed our normal routine this morning in favor of an early morning walk down our lane.  I think we realized how much we'd been missing.  Early morning is our favorite time of day.  The mountains around us were glorious.  The songbirds were in an audition for prime time.  Having Doggie waiting for us just outside our back door was proof he wanted in on this too.









Some day I will tell you about how we fell in love with Doggie, but for now its just about the walk.  It was clear that Doggie had a specific agenda in mind this morning.  As we left the front entrance to Yanapamba with Doggie we met the lovely indigenous children, Sebastian, Estephania, and Eva, all on their way to school.  Doggie seemed delighted that he had brought together his favorite families for a walk.  He was now in charge of our protection (and entertainment) as we walked down the lane.

Some time ago little Eva had run up to me unexpectedly after we were playing frisbie and she just hugged me as if never to let go.  I was so stunned that I didn't know quite how to respond.  We share so few words but the language of love and warmth is universal.    I promised myself I'd never let a spontaneous gesture of affection pass by us again.  As Eva came running up from behind I reached out for her hand and she drank it up and gave me a smile that made my day.

 

 

I already knew how to speak frisbie with the kids. 

¡ Corre! ¡ Salta! Gran captura! Gran tiro! 

 

We have played endless hours and I am their cheerleader when they catch and throw well.  Going to school is another matter.  First, I'm sure they are wondering what their friends are going to make of this....a gringo couple walking hand in hand with them to the bus stop.  Somehow, it didn't seem to matter to any of us.  They just seemed happy to know that we wanted to be with them, to share in the magic of the day.

 

 

Rachel was in her glory too.  She is speaking Spanish much better than she gives herself credit for and being with the kids was license to exercise it without concerns for accuracy in grammar or pronunciation.  Kids are our best teachers since they seem to have endless patience and forgiveness for our elementary attempts.

 

 



This is Rachel's photo debut of her shortened and natural hair color.  Say good bye to Clairol my love!  You are beautiful au natural!  It is so wonderful for her to wake, jump out of bed and be on our way with no hair fuss what so ever.

 

Front to back:  Eva, Rachel, Estephania, Sebastian

 

 

We learned from the kids they make this sojourn with Doggie each day.  He seemed in his glory pretending to protect us from the multitude of neighborhood dogs that barked from behind the fence.  When we arrived at the bus stop the kids seemed proud to be connected with us in front of their friends.  I think we were even more proud to be with them.

 

 

 

Living in Yanapamba

I wonder how many people are out there that are like Rachel and I were 3 years ago.  I was no longer invested in my job and life in the US.   I was ready for a life change.  Rachel and I weren't together yet.  She knew she needed a change too.  She had considered Alaska at one time.  How we ever ended up together in this piece of real estate called Ecuador I'll never know, but God does.  Now our life has taken on the permanency that goes with brick and mortar.  We are home.  We are nesting. 

Rachel is in the states on one of her family visit missions.  Mom and Dad are 92 so every visit counts from now on.  Those grandkids are little marvels of growth and changes in maturity.  Then there's the kids (in their 30's) that are making their way through life, just as we did.  I'm not sure I'd want to do that again.  We're just taking it one day at a time here in Ecuador now.  She's not with me physically at this moment but she's here sure enough.  She walks with me through our home.  She looks up at Cotacachi with me in the morning.  She pets our adopted dog Daisy as sure as I do.  I dance with her in our kitchen.  We promised each other we'd do that while she's gone. 

When Rachel returns we'll resume our life together.  We'll take our bus adventures.  We'll continue to make our nest a little more comfortable.  We'll thank God for this life we have together, our health, our families and friends.