Thanks!

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cloud forest ecuador, Mindo Ecuador, thanks to the subscribers!

Rio Cinto borders the property… how’s this for peaceful?

(Mindo-Rio Cinto- Ecuador)    Last week’s Timeout for Art was published through the magic of “Publish at a later date” option, so I was immersed in the cloud forest when “Timeout” rolled out last Thursday morning.    Suspecting that my buddy-support system might be worried, I drove into town this afternoon to buy a few supplies, check emails and return before dark.

Look who came for breakfast chats1

Your comments gave me grand smiles, and I’ll be back online at the end of the week to properly thank all of you.  Ann, I’ll dust off the magic carpet and catch those magical full-moon-eclipse beams for a fast kitchen makeover!   Karen, thanks for your beautiful comment – you are an extremely-talented artist, and I’m glad that my unique life gives you such pleasure!

How’s this for whirrrrrring of wings? Where’s Barb, btw?

Photos won’t upload, emails won’t open – the internet keeps ‘dropping’ the signal, so I’ll publish this and scram home just ahead of the rising moon! After a restart, it would not connect to any network. I selected, “Cannot Connect, Help” and was given this message: You are not connected to the Internet. To get online Help, which shows you the latest help content, you need to be connected to the Internet.”

Always lovely flowers – this orchid was especially lovely!

Thanks again, everyone!  See you at the end of the week, weather and internet permitting!

Z

Timeout for Art: Collective Intentions

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friends helping friends, house for sale mindo, kitchen improvements, land for sale mindo, making a kitchen more efficient, property for sale mindo, Timeout for Art

Say, “Good Morning!” to a Happy Kitchen!

“When women come together with a collective intention, magic happens.”
Phylicia Rashad

Mindo Ecuador –   Cutting a few old boards to custom fit the sink area of the kitchen, Barbara and I enjoyed a 2-day Timeout for Art this past weekend. We took turns with the hand saw then checked to be sure the boards fit the spaces.  After being sanded, the boards were then prepped with white paint. Mixing paints to match the yellow and green kitchen tiles, we sat on the front porch and painted while hummingbirds critiqued our progress. Adding cup hooks and an under-the-counter light helped pull together a photo-worthy kitchen!

Step inside and join us for a cup of coffee; or perhaps you’d prefer a cup of hot chocolate instead?!

“It’s Like A War Zone.”

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coastal erosion, Coco Beach Village Ecuador, el nino 2015, investing in ocean front, Investing in real estate ecuador, playa el matal ecuador

September 17, 2015 Coco Beach Village – El Matal/Jama – Ecuador

(Playa El Matal/Jama/Manabi/Ecuador)

“It’s like a war zone,” I said more to myself than to my friend Barbara as we approached where the entrance to Coco Beach Village once stood.

The cluster of palm trees that anchored and framed the classic postcard view was no longer there.  A lone sentinal remained, and its leafless trunk stretched skyward like a tattered symbol of a battle-weary war zone.  Its neighbor across the concrete wall leaned dramatically toward the ground as if to echo the posture of discouraged homeowners.

December 24 2014

September 2015

September 2015

The sand bags held for almost 2 years…

Stephen Hopkins and Pat Godkin inspect the changes on June 25th 2015.

The last time I walked this section of beach was in late June (photo above), and seeing the accelerated damage twisted an invisible knife in my stomach.  The changes in June were alarming, and I stared in numbed silence as Barbara and I walked the same route two months later.

Flash back to February 2014, two months after the residents living on the beach first sounded the alarm.  (See:  It’s Devastating) There’s a vast difference between the people who observe the daily changes and those who second guess that feedback – yet don’t step onto the battlefield and witness those destructive waves from the front line.

One of those front-line people is a Pat Godkin, who allowed me to use her photo from when she first purchased her lot and slowly watched as her dream slowly evolved into a nightmare.

Pat Godkin with a vast beach between her lot and the ocean in February 2011.  (Stay tuned: Pat’s story will follow in a few days in a guest post.)

The ocean devoured  the beach, the palms, the boat sheds and even this light post that marked the entrance to Coco Beach Village. (Photo taken: June 2012)

That same post sometimes vanishes beneath the sand, and sometimes it reappears as if to say, ‘Don’t turn your back on the ocean.” (Photo: June 2015.)

Timeout for Baskets – Timeout for Art!

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bridging cultures, embracing the cultural exchange, Timeout for Art, travel from quito to pedernales, woven baskets near la concordia ecuador

“The House of Baskets”

“If we know exactly where we’re going, exactly how to get there, and exactly what we’ll see along the way, we won’t learn anything. ”
― M. Scott Peck

(La Concordia Ecuador)- Several years ago while riding a bus from the cloud forest of Mindo to the Pacific coast, I spotted a simple tin-roofed home with a variety of baskets displayed out front. The sight intrigued me, and I watched with wistful eyes each time I zoomed past in transit.

This past week as Barbara and I drove from Mindo to the coast, I watched for the “House of Baskets” as we reached the ‘rotunda’ at La Concordia. We parked just past the house and crossed a primitive footbridge that delivered us to the yard. Two smiling women immediately greeted us, and Barbara and I stepped into a beautiful cultural exchange.

Never sure if I’d be targeted as a tourist willing to pay twice the normal price, I bashfully asked, “Quanto cuesta?” and pointed to one of the larger baskets to define a starting point.

Meet Some Great Birds

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Cloud Forest, Mindo Birds, Property for sale Mindo Ecuador

“Buenos dias! We wondered if anyone would ever awaken this morning!”

Mindo Ecuador –     My friend “Hummingbird” Barb calls my friends’ property a bird sanctuary.   Join us in a cyber birding tour and let us know if you agree with her description! Sometimes words are an intrusion, especially when watching  birds, so we’ll save the stories for another post!

“Yes, I’m pretty, but would you like for me to sing for you?”

“I like – BIRDS!”

A little music might be appropriate if we keep the volume low!

Let’s start in the ginger gardens near Casa Colibri! (Hummingbird House)

Timeout for Art & Friendship

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Ecuador, mindo, property for sale ecuador, Rio Cinto Ecuador, Timeout for Art, timeout for ecuador

Guess who flew in LAST NIGHT to help Zeebra?

Seeing Cotopaxi blowing off steam was quite sobering. (Photo taken from airport.

Standing at the arrivals gate, I held a sign that said, “Hummingbird.”  – Many of you will know what this means! (The following photo was taken when she helped design the magic carpet;  we had just finished painting the hummingbird for her home.)

(I forget how much taller I am than she is until I see a photo like this!)

Yes, my dear friend Barbara flew in from Panama last night and will be helping with various tasks in Mindo.   I handed her a new pair of work gloves last night, and we’ll purchase the mandatory boots in Mindo!   It will be fun to see what creative projects we tackle while she is here; for those interested, here’s a link to my friends’ property: A Little Bird Told Me

Speaking of gates, the all-seeing eye that watches over Casa Loca did not do the best job while I was in Mindo. My friends on the farm were trying to make the ‘bridge’ easier to use, but the workers forgot to clean up when finished!