I had never heard the word tramite until I began the process for a ‘company’ visa here in Ecuador. Tramite means steps with paperwork and often refers to legal paperwork. My particular visa has taken years of tramites, tramites, and more tramites! Gallivanta called my attention to a great video which captures the frustrations of dealing with the formal process of tramites:
My most recent hurdle was to get four sets of black and white copies of a 30-page color catalog of my work that had been presented to the Superintendent of Companies over six months ago! Each page had to be notarized! Continue reading »
Leaving the house before sunrise often rewards me with an amazing show of color! Rarely am I disappointed; instead all of my senses awaken as I rejoice in total immersion in nature.
Pre Sunrise – Playa San Miguel, Costa Rica
Do you agree that Playa San Miguel is surely one of the loveliest beaches in Costa Rica? I escaped from my slumber and trekked down the beach in anticipation of dawn.
This post is for two challenges: Let’s Be Wild’s The Beachas well as WordPress’s Escape.
Break time from kitchen duty! Doesn’t she have a genuine smile?
There are many great words that start with S in Spanish. After I typed an assortment of words in the “New Post” page, I pondered the many photo options for those words.
Most people don’t particularly care for images of snakes; the word for a poisonous snake is serpiente. (Otherwise it’s culebra – correct me, Spanish speakers, if I’m wrong!)
I usually sign my emails and notes with the word siempre, which means always.
Sandia – watermelon would make a fun pictorial, as would sapo – toad. (A frog is called a rana.)
Other helpful words are Sabor-Taste, Sed-Thirsty, Salud-Health, Salud-Cheers, and Salud-Bless You! Last year I was walking down a quiet sidewalk in Cruzita, and two men were walking on the other side of the street. One sneezed, and I automatically stated, “Salud!” and kept walking. They looked over at me, were shocked to see an ‘outsider,’ and they chuckled – as did I!
Shunning all of the above, I present to you an assortment of sonrisas in honor of Mother’s Day! (The photos were taken in Ecuador unless otherwise noted.) Enjoy! Continue reading »
Ailsa’s theme for this week is beaches, and I am blessed to have spent a large part of the past dozen years along the beaches of Central and South America. This post reflects the rewards of visiting the beach in the magical hours at the beginning and end of each day.
Dawn reveals the history of the night; many locals still raid turtle nests along the Pacific Coast. (Playa San Miguel Costa Rica)
Playa Rosada Nicaragua – Thieves raided this turtle nest as well.
The ocean often tosses more than driftwood on the beaches.
“Pelagic Sea Snake”
Turtles die from boats trawling too close to shore with illegal shrimp nets. This is wrong.
During one rainy season at Playa San Miguel Costa Rica, the resident marine biologist flagged me down about an hour before sunset, “Lisa! There’s a turtle nesting!” Continue reading »
Having grown up along the Mississippi River, I find comfort in streams, lakes and rivers. The alphabet challenge brings us to the letter R, which allows me to showcase my special view of Rio Jama. Continue reading »
Does anyone speak quichua? (Ecuador) Riobamba-Cuenca Drive
Jama Ecuador -
My multi-talented friend Silvana touches my life in many ways. She is often found at her family’s Exclusivo Restaurant, where she takes extra care in serving me MSG-free food and natural juices ‘sin azucar’- without sugar. She added her own magic touches to the evolving bodega floor here at the Riverhouse, and she has also started dabbling with a WordPress blog! Read her loving story about her family and their restaurant HERE:TRABAJO FAMILIAR. She is a highly-intelligent young woman who has studied abroad and returned to her roots to teach others about organic gardening and being a good steward of the earth.
Lovely Multi-talented Silvana
This week she helped brainstorm for words TAGGED Q for Frizztext’s Alphabet Challenge, and I am grateful for her suggestions! There are several words here that were new to me, so thanks Silvana for these in particular: Continue reading »
Come on up! The view is stunning from here! (Guayaquil Malecon)
Frizztext has to have the quickest response to theWordPress Challenge for this week! See his post for “UP” which is at the top of this week’s queue of comments and then enjoy others!
Hop on the magic carpet and enjoy some unique views of Latin America! Continue reading »
Punta Prieta – looking up the coast to Punta Blanca
Catching up on theAlphabet Challenge, I am pleased to share many fun and easy Spanish words that begin with the letter P. While the interent is thinking faster at two in the morning, I present to you this sampler! Continue reading »
Buenas noches from a very sluggish internet connection! I’ve learned to refrain from using the ‘Add Media’ function until late night, although late-night is often too late for me to stay awake! Playing catch up on Frizztext’s Alphabet Challenge, I present to you a few Spanish words for N and O. Continue reading »
The photo archives hold many images of colorful foods that lend themselves well to this week’s COLOR theme on WordPress. Here are some of my favorite-but-unique foods that find their way into Zeebra Cuisine. Continue reading »
While working on the painting of the magic carpet on the bodega floor, I dashed upstairs to send a quick email. There in the inbox was the WordPress challenge for ‘Color.’
I smiled and pondered,”Color? Me?” and then I smiled.
‘Zeebra Rocks” on an explosion of red/orange – (Bookmark)
Hurriedly, I rejoice that my eyes see in full glorious color, and I am pleased to share a few splashes from paintings that color my life!
While scrolling through glimpses of some of my more-colorful works, enjoy a song by Don McClean that is often on my painting playlist. Continue reading »
Frizztext’s alphabet challenge rolls on to the letter M. Shall we roll through a few words that I often hear in Latin America?
The road is muy malo!
Anyone who has lived in Latin America will often hear the word “Muy.” “Muy” (Moo-ey) means ‘very,’ as in this food is ‘muy bien’ or ‘muy bueno’ or ‘muy rico.’ In any language, good food is good food!
Pitalla-tomato sauce over chicken & pasta – Mola textiles add color to the table!
Muy Rico – Sopa de Mariscos
Sopa de Mariscos is a hot soup filled with seafood, and yes, it’s muy rico/very rich!
Malo is never a word one enjoys hearing because it means, ‘bad.’ Continue reading »
There are many great Spanish words to be tagged L for this week’s Story Alphabet. Although many people claim that they know little Spanish, they will most likely know some of these words! Through the magic of technology, this post will sail out of the starting gate while I am en route to Guayaquil to meet my friend Barbara!
Taking advantage of faster internet service in the wee hours of the morning, I present to you an assortment of green images for Ailsa’s Where’s My Backpack.
All of the images were taken last weekend in Mindo Ecuador. Enjoy! Continue reading »
Today’s Special: Chicken with Potatoes and Carrots, Rice, Chifles, Maracuya Juice
This weekend finds me travelling, and a three-bus journey delivered me to Mindo Ecuador around 8:30 last night. A unique slice of heaven in the cloud forest, Mindo boasts one of the highest bird counts on the planet. (430+ species!) A white-tailed hummingbird reminded me of that fact first thing this morning when it zipped past me on the balcony of my hospedeje!
This week WordPress asks us, “Show us what you actually had for lunch. Show us what went into your lunch — a stunningly saturated pile of red radishes at the farmer’s market, or the process by which you construct the Ultimate Turkey Sandwich. Show us what a mealtime is like at your house. Who’s there? What are they doing? Show us a photo of someone truly enraptured by what they’re eating and capture the deep satisfaction of an enjoyable meal. If you don’t have time for lunch or eat on the run, show us that. Show us your favorite place to sit while you eat lunch, or your favorite place to prepare food. Capture a candid photo of the guy behind the counter of your favorite greasy spoon.”
Since I’m in transit and am about to be immersed in this amazing outdoors heaven, I’m posting an image from the files. Here’s an image that captures someone anticipating deep satisfaction of an enjoyable meal.” Barb, forgive me in advance, but the world will surely agree with my choice:
(El Matal Ecuador: Barb’s happy spirit and enthusiasm is infectious!)
Presently writing from the Dragonfly Inn’s lovely restaurant,
More soon!
Lisa/Z
Since many tasks fill my days, I usually scan the WordPress challenges and participate when one applies to something that is happening in my life. Today’s Daily Prompt states: Tell us how your week went by putting together a playlist of five songs that represent it.
This one prompted me into a smile! Playlist? Music? Sometimes the live soundtrack from the river trumps any recorded music, so I will first share some dawn wake-up sounds from the mangroves of Ecuador’s Pacific coast. And yes, this was recorded outside my window! (You might need to turn up the volume…) Continue reading »
Growing up on a cotton farm in the Mississippi Delta, I thrived in the natural world of fields and hardwoods and that grand Mississippi River. Horses, cattle, mules and chickens shared as much of my attention as the fields and lakes and river did. Fishing, water skiing and horseback riding provided endless outdoor entertainment, and the summers slipped by way too fast. Life in Ecuador reminds me of that vanishing idyllic syrupy life of my childhood when summertime was oh so very easy!
Enjoy Norah singing Summertime while we wipe away the color and pretend we’ve stepped back in time.
Mototaxis line the side street beside Jama Ecuador’s central park.
Frizztext pointed out that my post, Remembering Jenny covers the J, and I was pleased to be a day ahead on the next letter for the alphabet challenge. Disciplining myself to select words in Spanish for this round forces me to learn a bit more Spanish. As an artist, I have often taken shortcuts to get my point across without using Spanish – I sketch the essence of what is needed, and most people understand!
Sometimes no language is needed; the AWOL spinning top landed in the market gutter! (Photo by Marie Groff) Guaranda Ecuador
The J in Spanish usually takes on the H sound. I often type, “Ja-Ja-Ja-Ja” for “Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha” and hope that my friends make the connection in Spanish; otherwise they must think I’m losing my mind! Junio and Julio (June and July) are two more Spanish words that are easy to convert from English.
When I listened to a song by Jarabe de Palo, I smiled and thought, “Eureka! J is for Jarabe!”
Jarabe usually refers to a syrup, though it can also be a Mexican folk dance!
Here is Jarabe de Palo singing “Agua.” This is a very easy video to follow while enunciating the words, even if you’re not sure what they mean! Agua – Everyone knows what that means, right? (Water!) Sed? – Thirsty!
Here’s a link to a lyrics translationfor the song. Scroll down to suggestion #3.
After watching the version with the lyrics, enjoy this official version!
“…Paulo said, “I want you to pay close attention to the people who pass by.”
She did as Paulo had asked. In the next half hour, only five people passed by.
“What did you see?”
She described the people in detail – their clothing, approximate age, what they were carrying. But apparently that wasn’t what he wanted to hear. He insisted on more, trying to get a better answer, but couldn’t do so.
“Okay,“ he said. “I’m going to tell you what it was that I wanted you to notice: All the people who passed by in the street were looking down.”
They waited for some time before another person walked by. Paulo was right.
“Gene asked you to look to the horizon. Try that.”
“What do you mean?”
“All of us create a kind of ‘magic space’ around us. Usually it’s a circle with about a fifteen-foot radius, and we pay attention to what goes on within it. It doesn’t matter whether it’s people, tables, telephones, or windows; we try to maintain control over that small world that we, ourselves, create.”
The Valkyries – Paulo Coelho
. Let’s Be Wild prompts us to “Look Up” this week. Photographers and artists often look way beyond that 15-foot circle mentioned in Paulo Coelho’s book, The Valkyries. Sometimes we are rewarded with refreshing surprises, like these young boys scampering in the ‘jobo’ tree in search of ripe plum-sized fruits.
. Continue reading »
Extra announcement cards for the Mola Series opened doors as we traveled!
A few lovely Ecuadorian iglesias move into the spotlight forFrizztext’s story alphabet this week. In Guayaquil, this petite chapel shares a sweeping view with a lighthouse on Santa Ana Hill near the Malecon 2000 on the Guayas River. Let’s take a look! Continue reading »
Let’s Be Wild nudges us outside to record the beauty of the sunrise. We are in the rainy season here in Ecuador, and the rain trumps the sunshine for the first hours of each morning! I am reaching back to share a memory of an amazing sunrise at Playa San Miguel, Costa Rica. Later that day, my friend Marie said, “I came by your house early this morning, and you were gone!”
These images illustrate the rewards of leaving home in the pitch-black darkness in hopes of finding unique sunrise moments. Continue reading »
Early Morning at Hacienda Guachala – Cayambe, Ecuador
The Frizztext Alphabet has reached the letter “H” and presents a great opportunity for another Spanish pointer.
View of Bahia de Caraquez, Ecuador
About an hour down the coast is the lovely coastal small city of Bahia de Caraquez. Several years ago I asked an Ecuadorian, “Does it bother you that most extranjeros say, “Bah-HEE-ah?”Continue reading »
Thanks, Let’s Be Wild, for selecting the image of “Little Bit” Iguana in last week’s winner’s circle. This week’s theme is Wanderlust, a perfect topic for the life of the Zeebra!
When I was about ten years old, our class studied about Argentina’s pastoral Pampas grasslands. The images of horses and cattle affected me, and I dreamed of living in faraway Argentina.
Oops.. This is Nicaragua – We haven’t made it to Argentina yet!
Mark Knofler’s song Wanderlust makes a perfect backdrop for this post, and the video is paired with images from Ecuador. Enjoy the song while scrolling through these images of Latin America. Continue reading »
Feb 12, 2013 – Manabi – Ecuador
After Saturday’s earthquake, I diffused my pent-up energy with a trek to town. The images above and below show how the recent rains transformed the landscape into many shades of green.
A shrimp pond reflects the majestic beauty of the Royal Poinciana.
While a large percentage of the people I know are enduring the long cold winter, I am enjoying an almost-perfect climate with an endless supply of green!
Last week, I slowed my pace and inspected the ferns growing in the central park in town. A botanical painting is incubating, and foliage plants continue to catch my eye. I predict a monochromatic painting of vivid greens emerging in the near future!
How many birds? Frigates, egrets, herons, cormorants, ibis, terns, ducks -and about 50 more call this last bend their home!
While flipping through photos, I realized how lucky I am to have sights like this every day that I am home on the river. The 2013 rainy season kicked off with a strong start, so the river now resembles cafe con leche instead of the colors from a few weeks ago! The bird life remains phenomenal, and how could I not share some images of those amazing birds that punctuate this last bend of the river ?!
Those amazing frigate birds perch near the tops of the mangroves and suddenly leap into a swan dive that takes them near the surface of the water. They might swoop lower in pursuit of fish, or they might soar high above and ride the air currents in lazy spirals throughout the day. During nesting season, they often perch in the mangroves for most of the day. Continue reading »
Flaca – la Flaca – My dear friend Dady is often lovingly called, “Flaca” by her friends.
Ivo Uquillos greets lovely Dady at the inauguration of his retrospective show in Portoviejo, Manabi Ecuador.
Through the wonders of editing the ‘Publish” options, this post should reach you while I am traveling through the country via minibus! When pondering Spanish words that start with F, I selected Flaca because of Jarabe de Palo’s song by that name! He sings about a woman in Cuba who was “100 pounds of skin and bones – 40 kilos of salsa,” and she loved to dance! The song has a great beat, great pauses between beats, funky sounds and oh, how he’d like to kiss that woman that’s driving him crazy! Continue reading »
Pulling up the rear, I am sending this while in transit to Guayaquil. Internet options are poor, and I am able to grab a signal by standing beside the window of my hotel while balancing the laptop in one hand and pecking these words with the other! Frizztext’s story challenge “E” is indeed a challenge tonight! Thanks for some great comments; replying and commenting are fruiutless tasks as well! I will ‘send’ this & see you in a few days! Continue reading »
(Above photo and quote from: Mystical Andes, published here on November 16, 2012.)
Several pages on my screen reflected an environmental issue as I pondered today’s WordPress Daily Prompt. This post grants me an easy way to share those global concerns with you. Continue reading »
So this afternoon found me muddin’ again. The waterline to the house had a slight leak, and it wasn’t going to magically repair itself! Between rain showers, I rolled up my – jeans (!) and went to work on the line! Continue reading »
The Daily Post prompt for the week is Unique. “In a new post specifically created for this challenge, share a picture that says UNIQUE to you.” Continue reading »
Wow folks! I wasn’t ready to publish, but looks like these flowers wanted to come out and say, “HI!”
When a painting has that run-away hard-headed stubborness, I give it its rein and let it fly! I’ll do the same for this one!
This is for this week’s Wild Weekly’s Let’s Be Wild challenge! Can you guess that this week’s subject is FLOWERS?!!!
Enjoy the runaway colors arranged with respect to a color wheel! Continue reading »
Good Morning, World! (Breakfast art by Hank Groff) Photo by Marie Groff
Emerging from a ‘painting fog,’ I am groping for clarity of mind to pull this post together! Painting and conversation don’t mix well, even if my conversation is with the keyboard! Attempting to catch up with Frizztext’s story alphabet, I present to you a wide variety of breakfast items from Ecuador. Desayuno by any other name would still equal breakfast! Continue reading »
After weeks and weeks of slow, gentle rains, the skies lightened yesterday, and I joined my fellow locals and mudded my way to town! Although my kitchen held a generous supply of basics, I’ve learned to always be prepared for unstable weather to flex its muscles and hang around for weeks. I pulled a few weeds in the yard, which was a bit too muddy for weeding.
The test crop of quinoa (see Q is for Quinoa!) is quite happy in this cool moist weather!
Hmmmm. Should I walk to town in the mud or chance going later in the rain? The trek would give me great material for this week’s challenge of “NOW” at Let’s Be Wild. Oh yes, I looked forward to snapping images as I mudded to town and back!
The WordPress photo challenge for this week is Illumination. The above datura illustrates the dramatic effect of early-morning light. The image below shows the opposite view, which also captures a golden beam of light while the rest of the landscape awaits its turn.
We often associate illumination with man-made objects like ethereal church windows or dreamy night-time settings. Artists often seek the sun’s dramatic light, which creates shadows that are just as important as the light. Continue reading »
