Tags
Achojcha, Computer frustrations, Experience Ecuador, February 2012 Manabi flooding, Lentil Burgers, Naranjilla, Sarah Dettman, Tomate Arbol
(Pictured above: Parsley, New Zealand Spinach, Potatoes, Carrots, Pineapple, Limons, Green Peppers, Tomatillos, Achojcha, Tomatoes, Tomate de Arbol, Sweet Potatoes, Celery, Garlic (from Chile), Red Onions, Broccoli – all for ten dollars and some change!)
The devil surely has his fingers in the computer world! True to my recent statement, “It’s not what one has planned for the day,” this week brought computer demons that altered my priorities! An ultra-sluggish Windows 7 system refused to upload any information, my computer challenged my competitive spirit, and I was determined to wrestle it back into submission.
..When All Else Fails... (Probably 30 attempts to upload this before it worked!)
This problem happens only when I’m home, so I’m wondering if it’s a sluggish connection. Any connection that’s beamed to a little box in the countryside is a technical marvel to me! After researching symptoms, running spyware programs, installing and uninstalling others, rolling back to an earlier date, restarting, changing preferences, unchanging preferences, restarting again and again, and forgetting what the original settings were, I returned to settings and asked it to revert back to the original ones.
Uploads to emails resumed working, but images would not upload to WordPress! One online suggestion was to remove Adobe Active X and reinstall. I removed Active X and was able to upload – one picture… then it rolled over for a siesta!
When in town I’ll connect to a wireless option, then consult with Marcelo who provides the service. (Btw: Is it necessary to reinstall Active X?!) While wrestling with the computer, which presently takes hours to download any program, I experimented with a bounty of produce from the local markets.
Near Chone (Manabi) Ecuador
Recent floods prompted a hurried salvage of the crops, and most of the vegetables bore the authentic straight-from-the field stamp of mud! Ready to test some recipes, I rolled up my sleeves and began.
The kitchen looked like a war zone as the experiments advanced from quinoa-soy coated fried tomatoes to lentil burgers to a caramelized onion-spinach-arbol tomate sauce (was I nuts?) to whirling naranjillas into the simple customary juice. 
While cutting the naranjillas, I pondered their relation to tomatoes and wondered, ‘Can they be fried like tomatoes?’ There’s a new challenge awaiting! Since it took three days to upload these few images, I’ll wait to share the photos and recipes.
On Monday morning I’ll be at the Manta airport where Sarah Dettman (Experience Ecuador) and her group of 20 arrive for a coastal tour. We’ll have breakfast at the beach, visit the nearby town of Montecristi, drive through the farming belt, enjoy a late lunch at Bahia’s malecon, then sunset in Canoa! On Tuesday we’ll visit Jama before they continue south to Puerto Lopez.
Hopefully by Wednesday, the computer’s demons will be exorcised!
See you soon! Z
Zeebra Designs & Destinations 
i really enjoyed seeing this picture of fruit and veggies. wonderful colours.
cheers.
Garry-
You always have something positive to say about my posts! Thank you so much! With the abundance of beautiful/colorful produce at an affordable price, it is easy to have a healthy diet here!
From Manta, Z.
Mainly because you have good posts. I am not usually so kind.
.
Garry.
Thanks again! Each day brings more – my cup runneth over with material. Today I visited the boat-building area on the beach. The lines, shadows and strength of the partially-constructed boats are incredible! So much to see, and not enough hours in each day! Z
What lovely looking produce you have there! Unfortunately, that is one of the drawbacks we have here in the high arid plains of Wyoming. I can relate to your computer woes. We must have the same online demons.
Richard
Thanks Richard! The vegetable displays are beautiful throughout the country. I’m sure it’s difficult to get great produce up there at this time of the year.
The computer’s working great on wireless. It’s nice to be in a larger city with fast internet!
Z
Beautiful fruit display! The wondering about frying those vegetables like tomatoes brought back wonderful memories! Your Dad, Charlie Boy “the great” Williams, sent me to Nettie Helen’s garden for a “large green tomato” (I wondered why at 5:30 a.m. but NEVER, EVER questioned Charlie Boy. When I brought it in I sat at the counter in the kitchen and watched in suspense. He washed it, dried it with a paper towel and proceeded to cut it in slices and put it in corn meal. Meanwhile, the iron skillet was heating up a few tablespoons of oil. I thought, “what is he doing? is he making some kind of breakfast item with green tomatoes?”. He quickly fried them (I remained hushed) and minutes later, handed me a plate across the bar from the kitchen and a fork. I looked down and thought, “What in the world???” he had FRIED the tomato slices…green ones…what??? Still hurrying around the kitchen, he stopped and looked at me and said, “Well, try them!” So I did. WOW…they were SOOO good! First time I had ever eaten a fried green tomato..first time I had ever heard of one! and I ate so good that he sent me out for another but told me to hurry because he had to go to town for the mail. So many good memories of growing up with the Williams family at Benoit…I cherish those so deeply! Love ya Lisa!!
hey amiga
what a sweet and loving testimony to my father! he mentored you as well, and we are so lucky that we had so many adults who watched over and out for us! we had a ric childhood, and life in ecuador reminds me a lot of that life.
thanks for the reply. the house and kitchen might be gone, but it lives forever in our memories, as does the reese cabin!
siempre,
z