Visual Hiccups from the Past Month

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imags of ecuador, jama ecuador, mindo cuador

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.

“All the Music and the Women”

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Community Spirit, jama ecuador, Kahlua 7.8 Disco, life in ecuador

“…Sweepin’ the floors, open up the doors
Yeah – turn on the lights, getting ready for the night …” – Rodeo Clowns by Jack Johnson

Fernando Cevallos – juggling tasks for opening night.

Jama Ecuador – Grand re-opening of Kahlua Discoteque – July 15, 2017

Heartwarming; it was absolutely heartwarming to witness so many people helping Fernando Cevallos Sabando prepare for the grand opening of Kahlua K 7.8.  Equally heartwarming was seeing those same workers dashing home to clean up, change into evening attire and return to celebrate the many months of hard work.  Everyone hoped that the community would be equally thrilled to stop by and show off their dancing skills!

Fernando asked if I would take some photos to help record this happy event; hopefully the following pictorial will transport you to Kahlua via the magic of cyberspace.   Pick up a paintbrush or help carry the heavy items upstairs, and your cover charge is free!  Pack your work clothes and your party clothes and prepare for a festive evening!

Don’t be bashful; step inside and join us!  It’s ladies’ night – no cover for you gals who like to dance!

Timeout for Art – Kahlua 7.8!

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Fernando Cevallos Sabando, jama ecuador, K 7.8, Kahlua 7.8, Kahlua Disco Jama Ecuador, Timeout for Art

Time is a created thing. To say ‘I don’t have time,’ is like saying, ‘I don’t want to.’   Source: Lao Tzu   —

Thanks TWICE to Eddie Two Hawks for two inspirational quotes in a row!  eddietwohawks.wordpress.com

The owners of the cabanas probably think I am sleeping, but in fact, I’m following the above advice to write today’s Timeout Post. After selecting, “Publish” I’ll return to the project.

Project?  What project?

Ladies and Gentlemen; step inside!

Fernando Cevallos Sabando and his assistant Gatito work on the upstairs DJ section of Kahlua 7.8.

Jama Ecuador —    “Leeee-sah!” Fernando quietly called from outside my cabana door.  “Do you have the key?” 

Approaching the 8 A.M. work hour, Fernando needed the key to open the gates to Kahlua 7.8, a discotheque he is bringing out of hibernation.  The disco was always called, “Kahlua,” but the 7.8 links all comrades who experienced last year’s earthquake.

I opened the door, smiled and replied, “It’s hanging on the hot-water spigot on the water machine.’  

“Oh!” He chuckled; the first person in the outdoor kitchen usually turns on the hot water option for tea or coffee…  With his always-present smile, he added, “Excuse me – now go back to sleep!”

Fernando at work at Kahlua 7.8…

Five hours earlier under a stunning Carl-Sagan sky, I drove into the hostal parking lot just before the roosters announced the approaching dawn.  Before retreating to my cabana,  I pondered the best place to leave the key.

I had last seen Fernando the night before at his brother’s Palo Santo Cafe.   We failed to discuss that detail when he handed me the key and said, “We are finished for the night.  The lights are set up for you.  Paint as long as you’d like.”

Perhaps the locals need a vibrant social spot for jazzing them out of their phone daze!

With a mischievous grin I replied, “You’re giving me the keys?  And I have all night to paint?  Oh my, you might be in for a shock when you show up for work in the morning!”

Going, Going, Gone!

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after the earthquake, earthquake relief, historic buildings in manabi ecuador, jama ecuador

Jama Ecuador –  Each week oversees the repair or slow destruction of earthquake-damaged buildings in the area.  A few buildings worthy of saving now have stronger spines and will preside over the newbies.  Some city blocks are almost empty, and one adjusts to seeing open skies where two-story buildings once stood. Some might see an empty lot, but many ‘ghost buildings’ still reside in the memories of many.

Before the earthquake: Once upon a time sun-loving plants welcomed visitors to the central park.

The old park in the center of town was razed, and a new ‘historic’ one will replace it.  Less than two blocks away, a second much-larger park will have areas for strolling, sitting, exercise, skateboards, as well as providing public bathrooms and a little sandwich shop.   Progress throughout town is slow, and the incoming and outgoing streets serve as dump sites for construction materials like gravel or sand or are littered with debris waiting to be hauled to a landfill.

One friend pointed to a well-built two-story house that appeared to have few structural problems.   “See that little house in the back?”  She pointed and then added, “They live there because they are too scared to live in the big house.”  

Timeout for Art: Under the Influence of —

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earthquake relief, jama ecuador, Timeout for Art

Jama Ecuador –    “Lee-sah,” my friend Nieve said when I stepped out of my cabana, “We were calling you and thought you were gone!”

With a bit of a shell-shocked gaze, I laughed and said I could hear nothing over the sound of the construction.

Just behind my cabana, workers have been working day and night on one of many ‘relief-house’ projects for those who are still living in tents.   Ground shaking machines prepare the new areas before portable concrete mixers belt out their own source of background music.  Workers tackle each house with amazing skill and seem to work in harmony, even if the noise level tested my patience.

Whenever I found myself getting frustrated about the noise, I reminded myself, “These sounds are like music to those who will wean from a tent to one of these houses.”   Yes, if I had been living in a tent for over a year, those sounds would represent an upgrade in my life.

Candles and Lanterns – One Year Later

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El Matal Ecuador, events in Jama for the earthquake, jama ecuador, one year anniversary of 7.8 earthquake

Playa El Matal, Jama Ecuador — 7:00 PM  16/April/2017 –   Locals gathered at Playa El Matal  just past sunset to release hand-made lanterns on the one-year anniversary of the earthquake.  For half an hour, I enjoyed the low-light show before saying a quick goodbye and driving to attend the mass at the Catholic church in Jama.

Please take my seat and join the locals of El Matal via the photos below!

Remembering 6:58 P.M. — April 16, 2016

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2016 Ecuador Earthquake, 7.8 earthquake Ecuador, April 16, jama ecuador

Please join the sparrows in one minute of reflection…

“The earthquake was presaged by a magnitude 4.8 foreshock eleven minutes before the main quake struck,[19] and followed by over fifty-five aftershocks in the first twenty-four hours.[20]” – Wilkipedia

Jama/Manabi/Ecuador — This post is scheduled to be published on the one-year anniversary of the 4.8 earthquake that preceded the historic one that hit 11 minutes later.    Imagine what it must have been like to wonder, “Did we just have an earthquake?” as the twilight faded into the night, and then be jolted into a nightmare that shattered the coastline.

El Matal – April 2015- destructive waves

April 2015 – end of day El Matal

This year, at 6:58 pm, the people of El Matal and Jama will release hand-made lanterns at the time the earthquake hit a year ago.   I will witness the lantern release at El Matal and then attend the mass that follows in Jama.

Please join the sparrows in a moment of reflection, not only for those who are opening tender year-long wounds, but also in support for closing those wounds.   May this also extend to all who are suffering worldwide, as love for our fellow man is greatly needed.

Below are images taken yesterday and last night at various events in honor of those affected in the Canton of Jama.

Eleven Months and Counting…

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anniversary of 7.8 earthquake, jama ecuador, surviving emotional trauma

JAMA – MANABI – ECUADOR –  Young Valentina sits in the doorway while her Aunt Marie and Uncle Edgar show cracks in what I thought was their temporary home.  Marie and Edgar, I discovered, live elsewhere.

“When we feel weak, we drop our heads on the shoulders of others. Don’t get mad when someone does that. Be honored. For that person trusted you enough to, even if subtly, ask you for help.”
― Lori Goodwin

Ecuador – There seems to be a running clock/calendar that keeps track of the days and months since the earthquake destroyed much of Ecuador’s central and northern coast.  Each month when the calendar approaches ’16,’  I note the time and remember the 7.8 earthquake that hit just after 7 pm on April 16th.     Does anyone ever get past that feeling of premonition – or wondering if it might hit again?

Closures at the Cemetery

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april 16 2016 earthquake jama, cemetery jama ecuador, earthquake recovery, jama ecuador

Grief is not a disorder, a disease or a sign of weakness. It is an emotional, physical and spiritual necessity, the price you pay for love. The only cure for grief is to grieve. – Earl Grollman

Jama Ecuador – There was something in his eyes, or perhaps in his voice when Marcos spoke to me on the busy street corner.  He had never asked me for anything except for an exchange of smiles during the many years I’ve known him. I knew little about his personal life; he was the smiling person who helped in his sister’s store, who sold colas and ice cream at the corner, and who made New Year effigies to sell during the final week of each year.

Marcos Cevallos crossing the street – From once upon a time years before the earthquake…

I knew he had lost famiy in the earthquake, but I knew few details.   When he spoke to me in the street, he was worried about his 12-year old son and  mentioned a lack of money for food.  Planning to be out of town for a few days, I promised to return on Saturday.  Over those next few days, I often reflected on his somber tone;  I thought of Phil Colin’s song, Another Day in Paradise.   How difficult it must be for someone like Marcos to ask, ‘Sir, Can you help me?’    I’m glad he found the faith and comfort to approach me.

When I returned on Saturday, finding Marcos was no easy task on the weekend of Ecuador’s Presidential elections; I was determined to follow through with my promise and found him one day after the elections when the mass of people had gone home.    A friend tended the ice-cream box  while Marcos shared the story of losing his wife and three children during the earthquake.   See: The End of the World.

He invited me to go to the cemetery the next morning..

Resilience – Ten Month Anniversary of Ecuador’s 7.8 Earthquake – Part Two

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earthquake recovery ecuador, housing for earthquake survivors, jama ecuador

Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles. — Alex Karras

Jama Ecuador – Taking a timeout from the earthquake-recovery zone.  I watched my friends harvest a shrimp pond about a kilometer from town.   It seemed surreal to be surrounded by stunning landscapes under the influence of a pristine sunny morning while the nearby town provided little aesthetic beauty.

8 am Harvest Underway…

This Snowy Egret swallowed this entire fish in a few gulps!

The landscape frames haunting beauty in one view and a devastated community in another.

After harvest, my friends and I enjoyed a hearty brunch, said our “Goodbyes,” and I stopped to check the progress on the ‘kit’ house.