ESCAPE TO THE ANDES & THE MIDDLE OF THE WORLD!

Tags

Escape Vacations, Hacienda Guachala, Hacienda Guachala Ecuador, Let's Be Wild Photo Challenge - Escape, Mitad del Mundo, Quinoa Farm, Rose Production for Export, The Equator

Resident llamas at Hacienda Guachala, Ecuador

My friends, Hank and Marie Groff, escaped their responsibilities in Costa Rica and flew to Ecuador this past week.  After two days and nights in the cosmopolitan city of Quito, we journeyed along the line of the equator to the oldest hacienda in the country.  Hacienda Guachala stole my heart years ago, and I was pleased to return with my friends.

The old chapel, built in 1580 on an ancient Incan temple, invites one to ponder what ghosts might still linger in the shadows.

One’s imagination easily wanders in these fairy-tale gardens, where one wonders what surprise awaits around the next bend.

“Q” is for a Quinoa Farm!

Tags

Cayambe, Ecuador, Frizztext Story Challenge Q, Hacienda Guachala, Latitude 0, llamas, quinoa, Quinoa in fields, rose production

Trekking across quinoa fields near Cayambe Ecuador

While staying at Hacienda Guachala near latitude 0 in Ecuador’s Andes, Hank & Marie Groff and I toured a rose production center as well as a quinoa farm a few mornings ago.   The pastoral landscape soothed our senses as we journeyed through the Andean countryside, far off the beaten path.

How can one have a bad day when views like this soothe the senses?

Who forgot to close the gate?!

Disconnect from your worries and go with us!  We need someone to help with the gates!

Q is for QUITO

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Casa del Alabado, Frizztext Story Challenge Q, Jake's Sunday Post Cities, Jama Coaque, Quito

Quito Evening Moonshine

Quito International Airport (Arrivals) – Hey, I think I know those people!

Two photo challenges overlapped this week;  Jake prompted us for a post about cities, and Frizztext’s march through the alphabet brought us to the letter Q.  My friends, Hank and Marie Groff, arrived in Quito for their first visit to Ecuador, so  enjoy the pictorial of their first two days in the country!

Q is for Quinoa!

Tags

Ecuador Andes, Frizztext Story Challenge Q, quinoa, Quinoa Recipes

Quinoa Country in Ecuador’s Andes

Ah!  Quinoa!  This week my trail has taken me to Ecuador’s Andes, home of quinoa, one of the superfoods!

Red Hibiscus and Quinoa “Quinouli”  See Recipe HERE.

Several posts in the archives feature quinoa.  There are quinoa crisps and quinoa frittatas and quinouli…

Yippee! Two for Two: Let’s Be Wild – Challenge #2 – Weather

Tags

Let's Be Wild Photo Challenge Weather, Playa San Miguel Costa Rica

Pre Sunrise Tides & Weather

The Let’s Be Wild website included one of my photos in their winners’ circle for their second photo challenge:  Images of Weather.    See the seven winners here:  http://www.letsbewild.com/photo-challenge-winners/challenge-2-weather/

Many of you will recognize Barbara Beachman (www.salmonfishingqueen.wordpress.com) as the People’s Choice winner.   Congratulations, Barbara and the rest of the winners!

Morning Bus Between Mindo and Quito 

I hope that many of you will join the new challenge of “Escape,” which will be open for entries through Tuesday of next week.   I am presently traveling with friends in Ecuador’s Andes mountains, and will be sharing images of my escape soon!

See you at Let’s Be Wild! Lisa/Z

SMILE: Weekly Image of Life

COUPLES: Ailsa’s Travel Theme

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Ailsa's Where's My Backpack: Couples, jama ecuador

Sunset at Hostal Cruzita/Ecuador

Ailsa’s travel theme for the week is ‘Couples.’    The image above reflects a quiet sunset moment in Cruzita Ecuador.  The one below shows two ‘croaking’ ground doves in my yard beside Rio Jama.

Tender moments in nature –

Tender moments between father and son – Pancho and Juan – lunch break

JAMA, ECUADOR:  Today while in town, I spotted a sweet couple walking  hand in hand down the sidewalk.   Although they piqued my interest for this photo challenge, I chose not to disturb their sweet bubble of affection.

More Silhouettes – WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge

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San Miguel Costa Rica, silhouette, worldpress weekly photo challenge

Hank & Marie – Sunset Calm

This week my friends, Hank and Marie Groff, will be visiting Ecuador for their first time!    We’ve shared many great moments together and look forward to catching up as we travel to different areas of the country.

Enjoy these silhouette images from random memorable moments at their home in Costa Rica.

Let’s Be Wild Photo Challenge – Weather

Tags

Halo around Sun, Halos around Moon, Let's Be Wild Photo Challenge Weather, Omens for Rain, San Juan Del Sur Nicaragua, Travel in Costa Rica, Travel in Ecuador, Travel in Nicaragua, w, Why I Don't Drive at Night

One always hopes for classic weather while on vacation!  (San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua)

This week’s photo challenge for Let’s Be Wild is “Weather.”   These images illustrate the moods of weather in Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Ecuador.

Don’t forget your sunshades, flip flops, rain coat and mud boots!  Let’s Go!

SILHOUETTE – WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge

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bamboo canya construction, Ecuador, Manabi, palm thatch roof, ramada roof, silhouette, wordpress weekly

Cristian earned his brief respite in the window!

A “ramada” project is underway at the riverhouse, and I have been observing every move like an inquisitive child.  I retrieve each tiny fragment of bamboo that’s discarded and add to the incubation corner for rainy day projects!

There have been several opportunities for images for the silhouette theme for the WordPress weekly Photo Challenge, so with no spare time for things cyber, I present the images then return to the project!

“Let’s Be Wild” Challenge #1 – Fall – YIPPEEE!

Tags

ceibo trees, manabi ecuador harvest, mangrove, omens, Wild Weekly Photo Challenge - Fall

Would YOU want to leave this view?

After a full day of brushing and rolling ‘Agua Stop” on the outside of the house, I came inside at dark. Juan and Francisco had left an hour earlier, and I enjoyed the quiet rhythm of painting in blissful silence until darkness demanded that I stop!  Wow, what a long day, but the house looks so much happier! It’s amazing how a fresh coat of paint all but makes an old structure smile, and then the smile dominoes in other directions as well!

The men worked inside while I painted the outside walls!

Tired, I settled in for the evening and logged onto the internet to find a happiness domino patiently awaiting in the form of a pingback!

Solitude

Over the years, one of my struggles was finding a way to help others understand the psyche of an artist. Many don’t seem to understand that when an artist is alone and creating, all else fades into the background. For me, that’s a beautiful and relaxing place to be, and I treasure those times when I am immersed in my work. Mingling with others and chatting does not marry well with creating art, so in order to tap into the best one can be, that means isolating one’s self and going inward. I can happily zip myself away for days or weeks, but then I am ready for a healthy immersion in society so I can reconcile my two selves! Unlike many, I embrace my alone time and never feel lonely.

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I am usually not one to reblog, as I feel that the material for my posts should reflect the musings of the Zeebra! Cristian Mihai published a post yesterday that nailed what it’s like to be a creative person. He states, “A part of your mind is always some place else… the artist’s mind lives as much in the present as it does in the future and the past…’ That statement reflects my byline for this blog, ‘An artist’s eyes never rest.’
Enjoy Cristian’s post, Solitude, and enjoy his slant on what it’s like to be a creative person.
Z

P is for PAINTING!

Tags

Acrylic, Flickrcomments Story Challenge P, Frizztext, Hand-painted concrete floors, hand-painted designs on wood, Lisa Brunetti art, Watercolors

Frizztext tosses his alphabet challenge each Tuesday.   Pulling up from behind just under the wire with O for Olive Ridley, I am now slightly ahead with the prompt for P!   The tagword of “Painting” trumped Pelicans, Portoviejo, Pacific Ocean, Peace March, Photo Challenge and PreColumbian Art for a chance for the spotlight!

From the archives comes an eclectic assortment of paintings from a handful of years!  Rather than ramble on about my work, I’ll let the paintings take the stage!

Wild Weekly Photo Challenge – FALL

Tags

manabi ecuador harvest, wild weekly photo challenge

There’s a new photo challenge on the block; how could I resist a personal invitation to contribute to a blog called, Let’s Be Wild?  We’re asked to contribute a post that represents the season of fall.

Benefits of Gardening

Tags

Benefits of gardening, full moon on behavior, personal conflicts

Sometimes I wonder if misaligned planets trigger subtle dysfunction between positive and happy people!  Lately many friends have shared personal challenges that involved a conflict with someone else.  It’s as if there’s a perpetual full moon nudging the bullies into provoking my good-natured friends!

We all have ways of diffusing conflicts.  I pull in my reins and ask, ” Is this about ego?”  If so, remove the ego, and the problem usually evaporates.   Another wise quote reminds us to ask, “Is it kind?  Is it necessary?  If not, it’s best left unsaid.”   If a conflict is weighing heavy on my heart, a healthy dose of gardening usually realigns and calms my psyche.  I realize that caustic retorts are never the best solution, and after spending time pulling weeds or deadheading flowers, my problems evaporate.

When all else fails, and the devil tips closer to punching my buttons, I remember this quote, and it always helps me put things back in perspective:

O, Oh, Olive Ridley Sea Turtle!

For those who subscribe to Playamart, perdon receiving this twice!
(And IF you subscribe to both blogs, THANK YOU SO MUCH!)
z

Zeebra Designs & Destinations

Frizztext’s alphabet letter for the week is O!  He asks us to check our tagwords for the letter O.  In my archives, “O” stands for the gentle olive ridley sea turtle!

Welcome to the world of the olive ridleys that visit Playa San Miguel, Costa Rica each rainy season.

The young hatchlings face tremendous odds, and one out of one thousand lives to be an adult.  Some say the figure is closer to two thousand.

Most mornings find me on the beach before sunrise; there’s always a slight chance  to witness an adult olive ridley finishing her egg-laying duties.  The turtles leave an obvious trail, which I follow to see who reached it first:  poachers or the biologists and volunteers for Pretoma.

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O, Oh, Olive Ridley Sea Turtle!

Tags

Frizztext O Challenge, Olive Ridley, Playa San Miguel, Pretoma

Olive Ridley Tortugita’s Pilgrimage Home

Frizztext’s alphabet letter for the week is O!  He asks us to check our tagwords for the letter O.  In my archives, “O” stands for the gentle olive ridley sea turtle!

“Crawling Lessons” – watercolor – ©Lisa Brunetti

Welcome to the world of the olive ridleys that visit Playa San Miguel, Costa Rica each rainy season.

The young hatchlings face tremendous odds, and one out of one thousand lives to be an adult.  Some say the figure is closer to two thousand.

Ah, how comforting it is to discover the turtles’ calling-card trail!

Most mornings find me on the beach before sunrise; there’s always a slight chance  to witness an adult olive ridley finishing her egg-laying duties.  The turtles leave an obvious trail, which I follow to see who reached it first:  poachers or the biologists and volunteers for Pretoma.

REMEMBER WHEN?

Tags

children's wooden tops, ecuador rural life, jake's sunday post Tops, Museo Cancebi

Late-afternoon Marbles (Jama, Ecuador)

(Manabi, Ecuador)  While dodging traffic pollution in Manta a few weeks ago, I ducked into a petite frame shop along a high-traffic street.   While waiting my turn, I inspected their modest selection of frames before noticing a big glass jar filled with wooden orbs.  I leaned forward and smiled, then twisted the lid and retrieved one of the objects.

I’ll bet most of you know what this is!

Plenty Big

Tags

Hand-painted designs on furniture, Scorpion, WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge Big

Big Red sought asylum my house; he was pretty big for an iguana!

This week’s WordPress photo challenge is “Big.”   Check out the WordPress site for this week’s round up of things big!

Since I have no images of elephants or burro-swallowing anacondas, here’s an image that makes one realize that something does not have to be a mammoth size in order to get BIG attention!

This & That – October

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balsa boats of Playas Ecuador, Ecuador, high energy and rain, High Fives & Flutterbys, John and Mary McDonald, painting concrete floors, Pelicans, Playas Ecuador, San Clemente Ecuador, This & That

Amigos!  How great it feels to be well and 100% Zeebra again!   Your get-well wishes surely helped speed my recovery!  Thank you!

Zeebra Frog – Copyright Lisa Brunetti

I am recharged and in full-throttle creative mode!  On Sunday and Monday I prepped five or six large panels for painting – (three to five coats each!)  With a wheelbarrow, I moved a dump truck load of earth and then transplanted small trees and flowers to better locations. These bursts of energy* usually precede heavy rains.  Over the years, friends have witnessed this strange occurrence and stated, “You might have warned us.”    (*Do you think that a subtle change in barometer triggers my creative output, or does my creative output discharge into the atmosphere?!!!)

Tornadoes, straight-line winds, 30 inches of rain in one week – those are some of the most memorable storms that followed an energy binge!  Many times after painting for ten or twelve hours, I put down my brush, and half an hour later the rains begin.  The rain seems to diffuse my energy, and later I have little desire to paint or shovel or scrub the house spotless!  Every so often when I realize that I’ve been rolling for hours, I pull in my reins and say, ” Uh-oh… prepare for rain.”

We received a barely-noticeable drizzle last night, and I smiled.   It’s the first in months.  Typical for the first rain after the dry season, we also lost power!    We will lose power a lot in the next six months, so when I vanish from cyberspace, suspect lack of electricity!

A repair & maintenance and improvement project kicked off today at the river house.

Mmmmmm – Delicious!

Tags

Achojcha, Almuerzo, biche, Bolones, Chifles, Culinary Specialties of Manabi Ecuador, encebollado, Food of Manabi, Jake's Sunday Post Delicious, Lobster, popcorn soup, pureed carrot soup, quinoa, quinoa crisps, Quinouli, Shrimp Harvest, torta de pescado, Viche

Colorful, Healthy and Delicious – Potatoes, Carrots, Lemons, Peppers, Naranjillas, Achojcha, Tomatoes, Camote, Garlic, Onions, Tomate Arbol, Broccoli

MANABI, ECUADOR –  While recently fighting a three-week perpetual cough, I lost my normally-healthy appetite.  The past few days have found my strength returning, and my taste buds are suddenly screaming for attention!  Jake’s Sunday Post has given me a great opportunity to tease my appetite back to normal!

Viche – Not to be confused with Ceviche!

The province of Manabi Ecuador is known for its culinary specialties.  Viche, sometimes spelled, Biche, soothes the palate with a pureed peanut based fish and lemon juice stock.  Packed with fresh in-season vegetables, shrimp and/or fish, viche also comes with green-plantain ”balls” that patiently wait to be discovered at the bottom of the bowl!   The customary garnish of cilantro adds color and flavor!  Almost always, fresh lemon juice and aji (hot sauce) are served on the side.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Happy Circles!

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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!

Animals Enhance My Life

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Animals of Central America, Coati, Jaguar, Pisote, spotted skunk, Variegated Squirrel, Where's My Backpack: Animals, WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge Happy

Monkey see, monkey do, I see a monkey just like YOU!

Who’s There?

Since I dropped the ball last month on many WordPress challenges, I will try to stay ahead this month!    Where’s My Backpack’s Foliage Challenge just thundered out of the ‘Publish’ gate, so on its hooves comes one for this week’s Animal Theme.    To harmonize with the new WordPress Gallery options, I am happy to present photos of animals that have made me smile here in tropical Latin America.  (Well, all are from Latin America except for the zebra, who snorted and stamped his foot and demanded to be a part of this post!)

Weekly Photo Challenge: Happy

Tags

Tropical Foliage, Where's My Backpack Foliage, WordPress photo challenge Happy

Whew! It feels great to get out and breathe fresh air!

I am happy to embrace the month of October, as I leave a nasty respiratory illness behind in September! The drafts section of my WordPress dashboard holds an eclectic assortment of posts that have been patiently waiting in limbo; I am much better, but fatigue still plagues my days and nights.  I have done little except focus on getting well and am pleased to be back in the sunshine of life!

Word Press just updated new methods for sharing images and asked us to try out the new gallery options.  After a few tweaks to the media settings, I opened a random post in the drafts setting, which happened to be the one for Ailsa’s photo challenge for last week.  When it popped up in the rectangular format, a big smile crossed my face, and I was happy to see the sleek presentation of belated foliage images!