Starting Fresh While Honoring the Old

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ecuador earthquake, jama ecuador, new years traditions ecuador, pat godkin.

Quito- Ready-made effigies for sale for the New Year’s Eve tradition.

As people around the world honor customs to welcome the new year, I now realize how easy it is to get caught up in festivities while forgetting those who are recovering from somber challenges.   Those people are surely anxious to say “Farewell” to the old year and embrace the new one with hopes for better times.

The word ‘resilient’ has popped up several times in the past week, and I know of no others more resilient than those on Ecuador’s coast who are still recovering from the April 16 earthquake.

Dec. 2016 – End-of-day break along the cleared banks of Rio Jama. Across the river, a collectivo taxi truck transports people to nearby El Matal.

The following footage is from a security camera at a cyber cafe in Canoa, Ecuador on April 16, at the moment the earthquake shocked the people of the area and blanketed the coastal-struck zone in darkness.  Canoa is one of many towns between Bahia de Caraquezand Pedernales that received extensive damage from the terremoto.  (Jama is located about midway between the two areas.)

Christmas Colors from Ecuador

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christmas, duendes, is there a Santa Clause, Red Andean Capeps

Would you believe that Santa found my GPS location?  I tried to outsmart him and went from the coast to the cloud forest and then to Quito – all in one week!   Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus!  His elves gathered an amazing assortment of special items including new acrylic paints, REAL drawing pencils, an earthquake-relief T-shirt, chocolates — it’s a miracle,as I am still baffled to how all of those items – and more – fit in one surprise stocking!…

Thanks, Papa Noel y Elves! (— or do duendes help Papa Noel in South America?)

Merry Christmas to All!

Z

Wisdom 101 – Jama Ecuador

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christmas, ecuador earthquake, jama ecuador

Christmas Tree Decorations — Entrance to Hostal Palo Santo (Jama Ecuador)

“Suffering is part of our training program for becoming wise.”  Ram Dass

(Jama Ecuador) After traveling for 5 or more hours, I recently reached Jama in the late afternoon.  Palo Santo Cafe was closed, but someone was inside – preparing for the night.  I knocked on the door and asked if I could use the internet – to send a smoke signal that I’d reached my destination for the day.   “Of course,” lovely Karen smiled as she opened the door and invited me inside.  “Stay as long as you’d like…”

Luchy’s girlfriend, Karen…

I sat at a table and quickly vanished into cyberworld while they worked in the kitchen.   Just as I was packing my things to leave, young Jesus – Luchy’s nephew, motioned for me to stay.  He pointed to three coffee cups on the counter and whispered, “Shhhhh…”     Smiling, I unpacked the computer and played my role in the coffee break surprise..   Yet ten minutes later, the cups of not-so steaming coffee were still sitting there, and I thought perhaps I misunderstood.   About that time Luchy and Karen emerged from the kitchen with hot ham and cheese sandwiches for everyone!

Jesus, Luchy’s nephew, often helps (with a huge heart and grand smile) at the restaurant.  He prepared the cafe con leche, garnished with an artful swirl on the surface!

These palms line the front of Palo Santo…

I camped at their hostal this past trip and enjoyed more quality time not only with the family, but with many of the locals as well.   One night when I was walking from their restaurant to the hostal (2 blocks) someone called my name.  It was a friend I’d not seen in over a year.  She and her four precious children are living in one of the tent communities.  She looked great and seemed happy, and we both enjoyed the 10-pm exchange on the almost-deserted street.

Photo from better times – before the earthquake

“When someone feels particularly isolated or in pain, we don’t need a great deal of information in order to come to his or her aid.”  Ram Dass

Tent Community between Jama and Playa El Matal (Ecuador)

Another day when I was buying ‘takeout’ encebollado for breakfast, someone on the street called, “Lisa!”    Many times as they share their stories, they release a bit of their noble and very private pain. It is true that tears are the escape valve for the heart.

Timeout for Art? Siempre-Always!

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art by Lisa Brunetti, Timeout for Art

Acrylic on Fabric –

There is no surer method of evading the world than by following Art, and no surer method of linking oneself to it than by Art. ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

An online ‘special preview’ approaches for all of you who have patiently endured my erratic postings.  My hands have been full with lots of tasks – many of them have been highly-creative ones!   I’ve not had time for full-time painting, but you’ve earned a sneak peek!

Sometimes it’s easy to go into an intense focus, and studies seem to shine best against a stark background.  The butterflies above illustrate when ‘all is calm’ in Zeebra’s life. Other times when distractions nudge me out of focus, I switch to a totally-different style — one that makes me smile and demands a different approach.  An old Artist’s Statement of mine stated, “Two people live inside of me…”  Here’s a sample of that second person:

…Delicate and Fleeting as a Life in the Universe…

Tags

dragonfruit, Dragonfruit farm, fragrant plants, Mindo Ecuador, Nocturnal blooming plants, Pitahaya

Selenicereus megalanthus, better known as ‘Dragon Fruit’ – or ‘Pitahaya’ in Ecuador.

“And I think of the night-blooming cereus, a plant that looks like a leathery weed most of the year.

But for one night each summer its flower opens to reveal silky white petals, which encircle yellow lacelike threads,

and another whole flower like a tiny sea anemone within the outer flower.

By morning, the flower has shriveled. One night of the year, as delicate and fleeting as a life in the universe.” —Alan Lightman – The Accidental Universe: The World You Thought You Knew

Mindo Ecuador –  Dec. 01, 2016  (Rabbit-rabbit!)

Yesterday morning my friend Clemencia emailed to say, “We are having some flowering in the pitahaya, if you would like to come tonight… if you want to invite Cynthia, please do; she wanted to see the flowers too. It is not a big flowering, but the nights have been beautiful so even with a few it will be nice.”