¡ Good Morning, Buenos Dias!

Tags

daily post smile, happy, smile

An artfully-served cup of Ecuadorian Coffee!

“Good Morning,” I’d say, as I plunked down mugs of hot coffee in front of my regulars as soon as they came in the door. I knew the exceptions that wanted decaf or tea, instead. I knew who might order a little breakfast, after a couple cups of coffee. I knew who needed to get to work quickly, and who would sit for an hour or more. They were friends, sort of, though we only met over morning coffee, and mine was a position of servitude. They felt like family, all of us still groggy from sleep, making conversation in the early morning hours. – (Cindy Ricksgers)

Cindy Ricksgers’ ‘Good Morning’ post reminds us how two simple words have the power to brighten another’s day. The rest of Cindy’s ‘Good Morning’ post is HERE.

“Some days I wake up grumpy; other mornings I let him sleep.”  (From a cocktail napkin)

When I lived in Costa Rica, the howler monkeys often slept in the canopy over the roof of my studio/casita.   Some mornings they awakened quietly, and other mornings they began with pre-dawn guttural sounds that slowly increased into grumpy roars.  On those ‘grumpy’ mornings I would go outside, gape up at them and smile as I replied in my heart-felt “Good Morning!  BuenOs dias – Umph-umph-umph-umph!”   

My attempts to mock their passive ‘we’re happy and content’ sounds seemed to pacify them.  After five or so minutes of quiet time in their presence, I began my day and they began theirs! Like any living being, they just wanted to be acknowledged!

“…Smiling is infectious, You catch it like the flu. When someone smiled at me today I started smiling too. I passed around the corner And someone saw my grin. When he smiled I realised I’d passed it on to him. I thought about that smile Then I realised its worth…  ”   Enjoy Pommepal’s artful pairing of images to that poem!   – Living in Paradise

My friend Francisca smiles when I walk into her tienda and state, “Good Morning -BuenOs dias!” and she repeats, “Gud morning!”   It’s a ritual that gives us all a refreshing chuckle, especially when she is the one that laughs the most. Ah! The power of a smile!

She’s an archaeologist; he specializes in roasting cafe over a fire. The secret ingredient in their coffee is happiness!

Friends Stephen and Xiomara sample that lovingly-roasted coffee!

An impromptu moment in Cayambe Ecuador…

It’s always great to see a familiar face in a crowd of strangers, especially when he gives such a genuine smile!

Birthday Traditions

(Can you imagine how different our world would be if all scowls were replaced by lighthearted smiles? Would it feel strange if we embraced each day with a heart as happy as his?)

Participants in this week’s WordPress theme helped wrap smiles around the world.

…..

My friends remain in a holding pattern while taking shifts at the hospital.  Even though the patient’s condition is still listed as critical, the doctors say that he is very strong and has an amazing will to live.  The family is finding moments to smile, and at times they laugh.  They send heart-felt thanks to many of you who are sending strong energy and prayers in their direction.  Thanks, also, for your comments, which I’ve passed along while stating the many countries you represent.

A Blurrrr of Smoke and Roses!

Tags

Castillo Fireworks, Cayambe Ecuador, Daily Prompt Blur, Hacienda Guachala, Weddings in Ecuador

Worthy of a place in Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, this ‘Castillo” provided a unique show of fireworks!

(Cayambe Ecuador) – This week’s Daily Prompt nudges us to “find beauty in a blur.”  There were many photos from Saturday night’s wedding reception that were a bit blurred, and I suspect that some of these might give you a smile!

Because I’m HAPPY!

Tags

daily post playlist of the week, happy, jama ecuador, playlists for ecuador

(Ecuador – Jan. 31, 2015)  Today’s Daily Prompt arrived as I traveled the 7-plus hours between Jama and Guayaquil.  Michelle suggested,  “Tell us how your week went by putting together a playlist of five songs that represent it.”

Ha!  The week delivered disappointments as well as grand moments, but I managed to keep my sense of humor.   On Monday/Lunas, I painted  until noon, put away my paints and brushes, changed and waited for a driver to take me an hour up the coast to Pedernales.  Rolando and I had talked on Saturday, and I told him about the floor project and the most important item needed was a non-yellowing varnish for floors.   I said that I would be painting all day on Sunday and again on Monday morning and would be ready to go by “…1 or 2 o’clock…”    He didn’t show up!   Welcome to Ecuador!  (Perhaps I absently said, “Martes/Tuesday” instead of “Lunas?”)

I shrugged; it wasn’t important, and I switched back to painting while watching the birds come home to roost.  On Martes, I waited again, and at 2, decided to walk to town (5K) and glare at Rolando with the ‘truck taxi’ and watch his mouth drop when he remembered that he’d forgotten!

Maybe he feared he’d have to help carry heavy items from Playamart!

I enjoy the walks to town, and I inspect the birds along the road, in the al-garrobo (mesquite family) trees and in the shrimp ponds.  This week I spotted the Peruvian Meadowlark, a species that’s been absent for months.  About twenty minutes into my trek, a friend drove along at high speed, braked, backed up and gave me a ride to to town!   As he resumed top speed on the gravel road, I didn’t tell him of my two-day wait for the driver!  Instead I smiled after we all but broke the sound barrier and said, “Muchicimas Gracias!”

(Image from 2013) Some people think that third-word countries are dangerous; thankfully there are sweet angels who enhance the quality of my days! Thanks, Doc Castro!)

Instead of seeing Rolando, I spotted one of his brothers (they have a fleet of pickup truck-taxis.)  He chuckled when I told him the story;  we discussed the fare to Pedernales, my list of things to do there, judged the time, and he said if we left immediately we could be back before dark.  I hopped in the co-pilot seat and said, “VAMOS!”

Squinting at the laptop, I worked on photos for National Geographic’s “Your Shot,” while peering out the window and occasionally snapping photos.

Harvest in progress of a balsa tree farm near Camarones Ecuador.

We returned just before dark, and he helped carry the items from the road to Casa Loca.  I slept well and started Wednesday in painting mode.

My friends harvested a shrimp pond near the house, but I was very focused on adding details to the floor.  I emerged from my painting fog around dark, looked out and noted that the pond was drained, and the trucks and workers were gone!  Only the birds remained as they foraged the muddy bottom for shrimp.

I painted on Thursday morning as well; my high-energy painting sessions often correlate with strong rain, so I was not surprised when the sound of rain pelted the roof.  The rains strengthened, and I noted one slow drip-drip-drip from the tin roof;  I moved the potted ceibo tree beneath the drip and continued painting for another hour.  That lovely one-plus inch of rain saturated the ground, but it also extinguished the electricity in this 7-house circuit!

The skies cleared slightly, and I painted until almost dark and photographed the details for Timeout for Art.   With an opportunity to try out my new green mud boots, I retrieved my rain coat (just in case of more rain!) and walked to town in the late afternoon.    

Ecuador’s Colourful Andes

Tags

Chocho Beans, Lupines, Otavalo Aniimal Market, Otavalo Ecuador, Otavalo Saturday Market, What to do in Otavalo

Stained glass artwork scrapes the skies over Otavalo Ecuador.

The Aya Uma mask is an important icon for the June Solstice Festival.

There are subtle colors and explosions of colors in the Otavalo Ecuador area;  one can sample the quiet hues of the landscape or take a giant immersion in the Saturday market in town.  There are colors to suit all moods and personalities!

Let’s start with a leisurely walk in the mountains that overlook Otavalo.

The Mystery of Eyes

Tags

art by Lisa Brunetti, ecuador precolumbian artifacts, eye of horus, photo challenge dialogue, ways to protect a house, WordPress Photo Challenge Windows, Wordpress Weekly Photo Challenge

The third eye icon, often associated with the pineal gland and the sixth chakra, dates back to early Egyptian times.  Long ago, the amulets represented protection, power and good health, and the designs were sometimes painted on ships for protection at sea.

Prompted by a desire to find creative ways to deter the neighborhood thief, I mischievously painted an all-seeing eye on the gate to Casa Loca.   (An amulet from the treasures of King Tut served as the model.)

From New Zealand, Gallivanta shared an article that supports the theory that the All-Watching Eye helps to prevent theft. ( Bike thefts slashed by 50% at University after scientists install a picture of a pair of EYES above the cycle racks) ` I am hopeful that the giant eye on the gate will have the same effect on the shrimp farm.

While the monochromatic art transformed the gate, a second, more-serious design evolved in the studio.

When one focuses on a particular subject, more images seem to pop up in unexpected places.  While showing students my museum/archaeology sketchbook, I viewed this old sketch (below) with wonder. I never realized how this tiny detail resembles the Egyptian-Eye Icon:

From Quito’s Casa de la Cultura – Detail from Golden Mask –

From Quito’s Casa de la Cultura

Compare the pencil sketch to the eye of the coconut head (below) which was painted about ten years ago.

Morning…the Most Memorable Season of the Day…

Tags

being awake at dawn, daily post dawn, daylight photos, moon set, Playa San Miguel, Sunrise

Sunrise over the shrimp ponds…

“Morning, which is the most memorable season of the day, is the awakening hour…”   and for a minute some part of us “… awakens which slumbers the rest of the day and night…” – Thoreau

I left my house around 4 in the morning to walk to this spot to capture the awakening day… and an ample amount of photo moments awaited…

Matt at WordPress tossed a morsel of a prompt, and since I had just reviewed the images marked, ‘Dawn,” I quickly opened a “New Post” page.

Sometimes I work on artistic projects all night and am brought to a stopping point by the sounds of the awakening birds.  Viewing dawn on the river reminds me of how timeless this last bend of the river can be.

The anticipation of dawn beneath full-moon skies

The moon sets over the river.

My most memorable dawn moments happen when I awaken around 4 and venture outside to witness the visual beauty to the start of the day.  My senses are usually heightened, and with a strong attachment to the surrounding landscape, I try to capture that beauty.

Join me on a cyber walk on one of Costa Rica’s most beautiful beaches, Playa San Miguel. We’ll start with photos from the awakening day photo from above:

Not-Quite Summer?

Tags

aguaji el matal, beach loss, ecuador climate, El Matal Ecuador, summer on the equator, summertime, vanishing beaches

Peeling Shrimp -“I LOVE my job!’ –  La Division, Manabi, Ecuador

Summer – “The warmest season of the year, following spring and preceding autumn.” (Webster’s II New Riverside Dictionary” 1984)

Krista at WordPress prompted us to share images of ‘Summer Lovin”, and she mentioned southern vs northern hemispheres.  I snickered and thought, ‘- Summer? What about those lucky ones who straddle the equator?!  We don’t really have a summer on this part of Ecuador’s coast!”

After enduring Central America’s oppressive Pacific heat for eight years, I remain enchanted by Ecuador’s more-forgiving climate.   Just south of the equator on the Pacific coast, the days and nights politely share 12-hour shifts; January escorts us into the rainy season (invierno), and the June solstice weans us into a dry-but-slightly-cooler verano, their version of summer.   The low temperatures might bottom out at 70, and the highs rarely hit 90, although the sun can bite very fast!  (This past week has been cool, and many people wore long sleeves in the daytime and jackets at night!) When the ocean breezes stop for a rest, and the temperatures rise,  the nearby ocean offers instant relief!

My perch on the river is nestled between two rapidly-vanishing beaches;  La Division is northeast from the river’s mouth, and Playa El Matal is southwest. The ocean stayed on its best behavior during mid July’s full moon spring/king tides, although another critical high tide will soon arrive in August.

La Division Ecuador – Nelly took a rare break from her restaurant for Mother’s Day 2013.

La Boca – Rio Jama

 

Once upon a time when the beach was much wider: “The Boca” with El Matal and Punta Ballena in the background. (Image from 2011)

Playa El Matal – “Where’s the beach?” – A concerned visitor assesses the vanishing beach.

Great illustrations of ‘summer’ can be found at Playa El Matal. As the ocean crowds the fishermen’s boats onto the road, the locals remain unruffled and adapt without any displays of frustration.  Let’s go on a beach-inspection walk and search for a sour face!

Timeout for Art: So Many Colors!

Tags

colorful paintings, fun songs about children, painting in watercolor, the Daily prompt, Timeout for Art

Oops, the sun turned into a flower, and the flower turned into — what?— fireworks? Who cares? It was fun to paint!

“If you could paint your current mood onto a canvas, what would that painting look like? What would it depict?” Ben Huberman –  WordPress – The Daily Prompt

A Salute to the Red, White & Blue!

Tags

fourth of july colors, red, red white and blue, white blue

RED

Red Hibiscus and Quinoa “Quinouli”

“Red Capes” in progress; Watercolor by Lisa Brunetti

Red Coffee Cherries!

WHITE

White scorpion’s tail – Ecuador

White for Peace – Jama Ecuador

WHITE EGRET – “Have a great day, wherever you are!”

BLUE

BLUE MORNING GLORIES

Blue Swirl!

BLUE FOOTED BOOBY!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

Red, White and Blue!

Check out Steve Schwartzman’s Portraits of Wildflowers post for another dose of patriotic colors! (For anone interested in technical details and trivia about the Spanish language, see his Spanish-English Word Connections.)

Sandia anyone?

Happy Fourth of July!

Z

In Between Showers – A Mosaic Challenge

Tags

mosaics for pools, Painted mosaics, WordPress Photo Chllenge Between

This week’s WordPress Challenge is ‘Between.”

My mind immediately dashed on many thought tangents as I pondered ideas that represent ‘Between.”     The above art project (in progress) keeps getting stalled due to rain showers, so climb aboard and step into a mosaic-filled world!