
Ofelia Bus terminal – Quito Ecuador
“There are always flowers for those who want to see them.” – Henri Matisse

Casa Loca – Wildflowers – Rio Jama/
“Happiness, not in another place but this place… not for another hour, but this hour.” – Walt Whitman

Andrea – Playa El Matal – Ecuador
“Today: Soak in what’s real and what’s real is unhurried. The ground. The air. The exhale. The planted seed. The shift. The season.” – Victoria Erickson
- Manabi Ecuador – “Poco a poco” – little by little, I have been weaning away from Casa Loca. Last year’s earthquake altered the lives of many, and my choices and opportunities have been more abundant than many of the locals’ options. With no sense of urgency, I allowed my own internal GPS system to guide me to a new place to call home.
About a month ago, after first scouting an area via Google Maps, I drove along various country roads, exploring with an artist’s curiosity. Great impromptu moments greeted me at each stop, and though I cherished the moments, I knew there was a jewel of a place waiting to be discovered.

This tiny community met almost every “wished for”criteria onmy list. but Life nudged me forward…
Yes, I am in the process of moving, poco a poco, and I will spend most of this week moving the more difficult-to-transport items. I will not be online often, but will be writing offline to share more information about the new area I will call “Home.” I look forward to sharing the stories!

A pure and abundance source of water was part of that criteria…
Enjoy the random images taken in the past month. I should be back online tonight.

Jama Ecuador
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” —Albert Einstein

“Coralito Vine”
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” —Maya Angelou

Francisca and a neighborhood friend – Mindo Ecuador
“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney

Francisca’s grandsons – Tobias and Oliver
. “Nothing is more precious than being in the present moment. Fully alive, fully aware.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

Nely’s new Hot-pepper Sauce business… La Division Ecuador
“The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware. “- Henry Miller
“Today: Soak in what’s real and what’s real is unhurried. The ground. The air. The exhale. The planted seed. The shift. The season.” – Victoria Erickson

Drying Coffee – Poza Honda Ecuador
“As human beings, we are most fully alive when we are changing and growing and stretching our boundaries in our quest to be all we can be.” – Matthew Kelly
“The aim of life is self-development. To realize one’s nature perfectly – that is what each of us is here for. ” – Oscar Wilde

“I’m here to provide your free-range eggs for breakfast!”
“Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty, if only we have the eyes to see them.” – John Ruskin

Wildflower along the roadside – Poza Honda
“We are very good at preparing to live, but not very good at living. We know how to sacrifice ten years for a diploma, and we are willing to work very hard to get a job, a car, a house, and so on. But we have difficulty remembering that we are alive in the present moment, the only moment there is for us to be alive.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

Your future chocolate bar might come from this Ecuadorian cacao!
“Our environment is like a patchwork quilt. Each “patch” is dependent on those around it. If one part unravels, it affects the rest.” – Hemeon

Coffee, anyone?
“The worse my drawings were, the more beautiful did the originals appear.” – John James Audubon
“She decided to free herself, dance into the wind, create a new language. And birds fluttered around her, writing “yes” in the sky.” ― Monique Duval

Pacific Pygmy Owl
“I think hiccup cures were really invented for the amusement of the patient’s friends.”
― Bill Watterson

“Ten chin-ups, and the hiccups should stop.” – The coffee-cherry thief!
“Live life to the fullest. You have to color outside the lines once in a while if you want to make your life a masterpiece. Laugh some every day. Keep growing, keep dreaming, keep following your heart. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” – Albert Einstein

Checking out the new house –
Have a good week, and thanks again for your support!
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I hope improved internet connection will find you in your new location! Great, fun images. Love the butterfly and the coffee cherry thief.
Wonderful quotes and images, Lisa. Happy new home! 🙂 🙂
Wow Lisa I had no idea you are moving! I have loved your beautiful house on the river and all the art you have shared. It seems like you are very well connected with the community too. Are you moving far?
si; unfortunately the earthquake ‘displaced’ many people, and several factors played in my decision to move… will share that soon… am about to go from jama to the new area, about four hour drive if i don’t stop!
Can’t wait to read more about it Lisa. I bet it feels bittersweet. How long did you live in Jama for?
I first visited in 2007 and started work on Casa Loca in 2008….
Good luck indoor new home!! (I particularly liked the Ruskin quote!)
thanks, Hugh.. heading there now!
I’m glad you brought your superwoman comrade with you, and am very curious about your new digs. But like you said, poco a poco. It must be a little tough after all the losses around you, to move forward into a new space. Take care!
Yes, I think everyone needs a superwoman/man mascot…. When I remember to pull her out of hiding and take her photo, it’s always with a grand smile…. Can you imagine the 5 PM Cocktail Happy Hour on a work week, and everyone pulls out their mascots — and they grin?!!!
What a lovely collection. I’m especially fond of the Audubon quotation: “The worse my drawings were, the more beautiful did the originals appear.” That, I understand. Einstein’s words about coloring outside the lines amused me, too. An inability to stay within the lines has been an issue for me from time to time.
I hope your internet problems sort themselves, that all goes smoothly, and that you’re as content as that hen by the time you settle in.
Linda, I think you’d be a natural at capturing a study of a tree or a flower, and after that, the birds, butterflies would be the next step. One gets such a stronger sense of appreciation, and there is also amazing recall after doing the studies…
We’d be a pair for sure when it comes to trave and coloring outside those lines!
Can’t wait for you to reveal the name of the village/ city or wherever you are gonna be living. Maybe closer to “airports” & places to buy supplies?? I am anxious to hear more. Wish I had “a plan”for what I’ll be doing after doctor appts let me know what I will be physically able to do. Then I will have to figure out what this ole gal will be doing, where I will live, what line of work I’ll be able to do. Until them. I’m in limbo !!
Oh wow.. Lisa.. on the move.. and there was I thinking you were settled, lol.. So loved these picture shares.. Such wonderful smiles from all the people.. Loved the lady who made the hot pepper sauce.. A lady after my own heart at preserving lol . So many wonderful quotes..
And will so look forward to seeing where you are next to settle.. your free spirit has me a little envious at times.. lol.. So until next time.. now for more that I must have missed here.. xxx
I see warrior woman is still with you! Love that quote about hiccup cures being invented for the amusement of the patient’s friends! And I also just love the whole theme of this post. Keep living the minute Lisa – I know you do! 🙂
Thanks – being offline is a gift, and the past two days have been really quiet – immersed in nature… I’m also working on a special painting project for a friend with a deadline, so the isolation was really important… will be going back tomorrow – keep on the roll while it’s rolling!
Quiet is good – I need it as much as I need food! Enjoy 🌻🌲🍁🐸🐦🐇🐹🐖
Oh yes, and this weekend is Ecuador’s ‘Independence’ holiday, and I am not at home base – and missing that quiet and solitude!
👂 ear plugs! 😁
So many wonderful quotes and I can definitely identify with them since we will soon be in transition as well. Happy moving, Lisa. Can’t wait to see your new place you call home. Oh Boy! We will come visit you!
I love every one of these quotes. I wish you the very best in your new home, and a smooth transition in moving/adjusting to your new place. I’ve been preoccupied lately, not doing much commenting or even writing, but have read and enjoyed every one of your posts, Lisa. Thank you!
Thanks, Cindy! I’m glad you enjoyed the quotes and the images… Too bad we can’t make that Magic Carpet retrieve you for at least a long weekend….
Lots is happening in the skies, and new moons, full moon and even the approaching eclipse are probably having subtle effects on the highly-sensitive ones… There are lots of people taking timeouts from blogging, from activities, and they’re just merging with nature, or spending more quiet time – just ‘being.’ Perhaps when this eclipse passes, lots of people will start moving forward…
Life seems to have nudged me on into the forward mode, so who knows what will happen after the eclipse for me – full throttle?!!!!!