S is for Sonrisa! (Smile!)

Tags

costa rica, Ecuador, happy people, madres, mothers day, Panama, Smiles, sonrisas

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!

K for Kuna

Tags

fr, Frizztext story challenge k, Global Warming, i can do this painting workshops, Kuna Indians, kuna mola, Lisa Brunetti art, san blas islands

Late Afternoon Break-

Lo siento, (I’m sorry!)  I apologize in advance for veering a bit off course for this week’s story alphabet via Spanish words.  How can I not include Panama’s unique Kuna Indians in this challenge?

Mola Textiles made by the Kuna Indians of Panama

When I  lived in Costa Rica, I often visited my friend Barbara, who lives in the “Amador” area  of Panama where the Panama Canal merges into the Pacific Ocean.    The Kuna Indians’ unique ‘mola textiles’ colored the artisan markets in that area, and I always paused to admire the rich colors and finely-crafted works of art.

My interest at the time was on stained-glass windows, and I was preparing to capture the beauty of stained glass in watercolors.   The first ‘Mola” concept was a collective project to nudge Barbara out of a painting block.   I sketched the design, and she and her daughter Bobbe and I floated the colors with a relaxed ease.

The Wanderlust Breed

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costa rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Mark Knopfler Wanderlust, Nicaragua, Republic of Panama, Travel in Ecuador, Wanderlust, Wild Weekly Challenge Wanderlust

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.

The Oh-So-Delicate Balance Between Man & Nature

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Beach Destruction, Mangrove Destruction, Olive Ridley Sea Turtle, Poaching Turtle Eggs, WordPress Photo Challenge Delicate

Hibiscus isn’t JUST for tea!

WordPress Weekly Challenge asks for examples of Delicate.  Before reading the text, I thought of the delicate texture of hibiscus blossoms that often find their way into my food and drink!

While waiting for the post to load (connection speeds are often brutally slow here!) I pondered a more serious post that addressed the delicate balance between man and nature.   The story is here:  A FRAGILE BALANCE – The Decline of the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle.

The turtle returned to the quiet beach, nested, returned to the sea, yet humans raided the nest!

The delicate balance between man and nature often causes dysfunction between  the rights of nature versus modern progress.  Here are a few examples that balance moments I’ve sadly witnessed against others that give hope.

Sunset Alley

Tags

balboa yacht club panama, jama ecuador, manglaralto ecuador, Playa Rosada Nicaragua, San Juan Del Sur Nicaragua, Sunsets, sunsets playa san miguel costa rica, wild weekly photo challenge sunsets

Playa Rosada – Nicaragua

This week’s Let’s Be Wild website is accepting entries in the Wild Weekly Photo Challenge for Sunsets. They stress the importance of enjoying nature – a no brainer for a nature lover like me! Living on the Pacific coast of Latin America has provided a bounty of stunning sunset Pacific views, from El Salvador to Ecuador! Here are some of my favorites!

Z

Weekly Photo Challenge: Happy Circles!

Tags

costa rica, Ecuador, happy people, Nicaragua, Republic of Panama, WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge Happy

“I LOVE MY JOB!” Mueso Cancebi – Manta Ecuador

WordPress updated gallery options for sharing images and asked us to test them.  *For this post, I am attempting to put each image in a circle of a spotlight.   Visit the WordPress DailyPost Home Base to see posts from all over the world!

Thank you, WordPress for the great weekly challenges.   Thanks, everyone, for your incredible feedback on last week’s Post on Solitary.  I hope to have a follow-up story on that old man as soon as I can retrieve more images trapped in an old hard drive!  

Thanks, also, for your support for the Inspirational post about my nephew Don.      I am blessed to have so much positive feedback and support.  He seems genuinely baffled that we think he’s a very special and unique person!

WordPress community: YOU ROCK!    I hope that these images make you smile!

M for Mola! Story Challenge – Letter M

Tags

Frizztext Story Challenge M, Kuna Indians, M for Mola, Mola, Panama, The Mola Series

Mola Textiles made by the Kuna Indians of Panama

Frizztext/Flickr Comments asked this week, “ Hi Bloggers! Do you have to share a story or a short reflection tagged with the letter “M”?“

I chuckled at the thought of presenting M for Mola!  Are you ready for more molas?!!!

The Kuna Indians of Panama inspired this past year’s Mola Series of Paintings.

Morning – Jake’s Sunday Post

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Jake's Sunday Post Morning, Morning quotes, Playa San Miguel Costa Rica, Republic of Panama, Sunrise

Predawn eclipsed moon – Setting over Samara Costa Rica

The anticipation of dawn often nudges me outside, where daylight slowly permeates the twilight hours.  My essence drinks in the delicate softness as the day slowly awakens.   Basking in its freshness, I embrace the early morning and attune my senses to the beauty of nature.   Frustration rarely taints my day if the mornings are devoted to a silent conversation with nature.  

Why I creep outside before sunrise!

Morning; Jake tossed us a delicious morsel to ponder for this week’s Sunday Post Challenge.  Thoreau wrote, “Morning is when I am awake and there is a dawn in me.”

Near and Far – Weekly Photo Challenge

Tags

jama ecuador, La Libertad El Salvador, Lake Atitlan Guatemala, Long Caye Belize, Photo Challenges, San Jorge Nicaragua, San Juan Del Sur, San Miguel Costa Rica, Weekly Photo Challenge Near and Far

Manglaralto, Ecuador

The WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge is Near and Far. Photos can magically portray a far-away location as if it were right in front of us.   By pairing an image in the foreground with one in the distance, one can strengthen and add depth to a photo.    Enjoy these images that transport you to far away locations as well as illustrate the perspective of near and far!  Z

Jumping Tarpon – Rio Colorado Lodge Costa Rica

La Libertad, El Salador

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala