I is for Iglesia – Church

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Churches, Cuenca Churches, Frizztext Story Challenge I, Guaranda, Hacienda Guachala, Iglesias of Ecuador, Ingapirca, old churches Ecuador

Extra announcement cards for the Mola Series opened doors as we traveled!

A few lovely Ecuadorian iglesias move into the spotlight for Frizztext’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!

“If Fish Could Fly” Receives an Injection of Energy!

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Acrylic Painting, Gonzalo de la Fuente Manta Ecuador, I can do this painting projects, Lisa Brunetti art, Painting with Children, Window Treatments

Gonzalo and Nicolas absorb the visual whimsy of the riverhouse!

The riverhouse received an injection of energy this weekend! Gonzalo de la Fuente and his beautiful family crammed many memories into their short break from the port city of Manta Ecuador.  Gonzalo is quite the Renaissance Man, and his graphic arts skills keep his dance card full.  I am grateful for his tireles help whenever I need posters, invitations, a press release, catalog, book marks, business cards –  he transforms and improves the concepts.   Although I often visit Gonzalo and his family on their turf,  this was their first trip to the Jama area. These photos reflect one of many great memories from their two-day visit.

Enjoy!

Z

Sunrise – Early-Bird Rewards!

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Classic Sunrise, Hermit Crabs, Let's Be Wild Photo Challenge - Sunrise, Playa San Miguel Costa Rica

The Early Bird Gets the Image!

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.

H (in Spanish) is Silent

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Frizztext Story Challenge H Spanish, Hostal Cruzita Ecuador, Hostal Palo Santo Jama Ecuador, Learning Spanish, Pointers for Spanish, Spanish words with H

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?”

Sneak Peek – If Fish Could Fly

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acrylic paintings, Bright Happy Paintings!, If Fish Could Fly, Window Security

Marie’s inner child takes flight while working on this painting!

This petite sun room sports a large window that overlooks the river.   A custom-hinged panel secures the window when I am away, and it easily opens to reveal the colorful “I Can Do This” painting that Hank and Marie and I painted in November.  (See Creative Alternatives for Home Security.)

End-of-day Calm (Yes, that’s a swing in the foreground!)

When the panel is closed, the birds on the river have a lovely work of art that smiles at them.  Today a hummingbird flew through the open window to critique the paintings!

How’s This For A Light Fixture?

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Accidents with Paint, Bamboo Light Fixtures, Custom Interiors Exteriors, Doorways

Coral Snake Colors

The old bamboo light fixture near the front door looked pretty forlorn.  Influenced by the Mola theme, it now sports colors inspired by coral snakes.  While I was painting, the small container of black ‘jumped’ out of my hand and  splattered the white wall.  Ugh!  I was challenged with a ‘think fast’  prompt as Rorschach patterns dribbled down the wall…

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.

G for Gallo, Garza,Garrobo, Gafas and – Gasp – Glutamato Monosodico

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Aspartame, Dangers of Aspartame, Dangers of Msg, frizztext sotry challenge G, gafas, gallo, garrobo, glutamato monosodico, guitarra, Msg

G for Gallo (Rooster) – Jama Ecuador

We’ve reached G in Frizztext’s Alphabet Challenge, and here is a short sampler of Spanish words that start with the letter G.

Got Tea?

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cooking with dried tea, cooking with hibiscus, cooking with plantain flour, cooking with yucca starch, what's cooking?

Rose/Hibiscus Tea Blend

Impromptu company stops by, and you have nothing to serve.  Quick! Check your dried tea selection, and you might be able to whip up a unique appetizer! Here’s an easy dip or spread using dried tea! In honor of Valentine’s day, hibiscus will star in this post!  (Fresh hibiscus always trumps dried products, but dried hibiscus in tea form is so convenient!)

The Many Shades of Green

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foliage plants, green iguana, Let's Be Wild Green, manabi landscape, Shrimp ponds Ecuador, Wild Weekly Green

How Many Shades Of Green?

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!

Need A Cheap Electrician?

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easy electricity, shrimp harvest in ecuador, shrimp ponds

Manabi Ecuador – Feb. 2013

One often encounters unique ideas and solutions when living off the grid. Since I ‘don’t know nothin’ about electricity, I stand way back while others do their work!

This past week when my friends prepared for a night-time harvest of the nearby shrimp pond, I checked on the progress every hour or so.  (The gates to the discharge pipes are opened during low tide, and about twelve hours later, the harvest begins!)

7.0 Columbia – Did You Feel It? You Betcha!

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2013, 7.0 Columbia feb 9, temblor

The birds took flight as the trees swayed in surrealistic motion!

There’s a whole lot of shaking going on, and at 9:16 this morning Ecuador received one that shook away our electricity!    Lasting over a minute, this was the strongest earthquake I’ve ever witnessed, and for the first time ever, I considered gathering a few critical belongings and prepared to bolt to higher ground.   I was certain that the fault near Bahia de Caraquez had belched a big one!

Home on the River

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Frigates, Herons, Ibis, kingfishers, Mangroves, night herons, Pelicans, snowy egrets, WordPress Weekly Challenge HOME

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.

F for La Flaca

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Frizztext Story Challenge F, la Flaca

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!

E for Encebollado!

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E for Encebollado, Ecuador cuisine, Fish Soup, Frizztest alphabet story challenge E, internet problems, Ways to cook fresh tuna

Cruzita Ecuador –  What’s on the menu?  Fresh tuna!

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!

Global Warming and Daily Prompt

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Chimborazo, Ecuador, Ecuadors Melting Snow Caps, Global Warming, Melting Glaciers, Volcano Cayambe, Volcano Chimborazo, World Wetland Day, WP Daily Prompt Think Global Act Local

The WordPress Daily Prompt states this:  “Think global, act local.”  Write a post connecting a global issue to a personal one.”

Words failed us. We were no longer comfortably numb!

“At 6,268 metres (20,564 ft) ”Chimbo,” the highest peak in Ecuador and the farthest point from the center of the earth on the planet, will forever be branded in our hearts!”

(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.

A Unique Shrimp Pond!

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Shrimp ponds Ecuador, Unique, WordPress challenge UNique, Xavier Cevallos Jama Ecuador

Shrimp ponds, Rio Jama and the Pacific Ocean!!

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!

Unique

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Hermit Crabs, Plastic Pollution, WP Daily Post Unique

What’s Unique About Hermit Crabs?

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.”