Family pic…kinda normal…lolWe missed you, Adam.  Hope you feelbetter soon! Family pic…seriously goofy…lol It is ALWAYS a special time for me when I go home to spend time with my family!!!  Even though we keep in close touch through phone calls and texting, it’s the hugs I miss!  The group laughter is right up there, too!  So, this visit, I spent a lot of time hugging, laughing and watching my family enjoy each other!  It was a particularly delightful two weeks.  Thanks, gang!  See you again real soon…like June!!! A Grammy sleepover with thegrandkids…so much fun Cameron practicing hisFrench hornRead More

  View from our room at theHoward Johnson’s  Before we got on the road to Quito, we hung around the Hacienda taking a few more pictures and just admiring the over all ambiance.  I had started feeling out of sorts the night before…dry cough, dry mouth…so it was great that it only took us about an hour and a half to drive to Quito, our final destination.  Bud and I walked into town to find a pharmacy to get a decongestant, vitamin C and Hall’s thinking that would take care of my symptoms.  By mid afternoon, I had a lowRead More

I love cobblestone Fog drifting in behind us In the morning, we left immediately after breakfast and headed off to Crater Lake which was awesome.  On the way, we passed a section through the mountain where the heavy rains had caused a rock slide.  There were men shoveling up rocks and dumping them over the side.  We arrived at the lake just in time, too.  Approximately 20 minutes later, the fog started moving fast and it covered the entire lake…visibility – zero!   Still, there were folks taking a donkey ride down to the base. We had a pretty lameRead More

A well deserved break…lol     Having dinner in Puerto Lopez the night before was a blessing in disguise…our drive there in the morning was smooth…we didn’t even ‘officially’ get lost…lol.  Puerto Lopez is an old fishing town and one of the main tourist attractions is Isla de le Plata (Silver Island).  It is about 50 km off the coast of Manabi and is part of the Machalilla National Park.  It got its name from the large amount of guano (bird droppings) that stain the island’s dark cliffs.  It appears to illuminate in the moonlight, once helping sailors navigate the oceanRead More

Yeah…the Pacific Ocean Up early for a walk along the rocky beach with Bud and Choco, the resident pup.  The only thing better than the ocean at night is the ocean in the morning! We walked for over an hour spying all sorts of fabulous treasures on the beach, feeling the crisp air, marveling over the motion of the ocean and enjoying our playful spirit.  Breakfast with 8 people was delightful.  We all shared our ‘stories’.  It never fails to amaze me how interesting, similar and diverse our lives are. I love it! A fisherman with his morning catch LooksRead More