Another fun visit with Bob, Rox and Coquita

It always seems like a too-short visit with our family from the Coast, and this time was no exception.  But, the visits are always productive and fun!

Bob and Rox began shopping for this year's Christmas Party for the Kids.  The annual event grows each year and 2011 looks like they will treat about 400 childen and their families...So, it's never too early to begin planning and shopping.

If you'd like to help with contributions, there is a Paypal account set up, here:
http://bobnrox.squarespace.com/journal/2011/9/15/less-than-100-days-until-the-kids-christmas-party.html

While you're checking out their blog, be sure to also read summaries of past years' parties...always fun to see the smiling faces!

We also were able to deal with some business and family stuff...easier to do 'in person'. 

But, when family comes to visit, it's not all work!  We ate, we drank, we laughed, we solved all the world's problems (now, if only the officials would listen to us!)

Serious talk always calls for ice cream...

Our porch became 'communications central'.

Rox's new 'do, so adorable, both of them!

Bob got a new 'do, too...handsome!

More pics of the fabulous Senorita Coquita, for her world-wide fan club.

Coquita was her usual charming, entertaining self...what a special doggie!  So much personality in such a small body.











A 'little touch of family' is a good thing.

They even brought some good weather with them!  Blue skies.  (View from our porch one early morning.)

More Architecture

Cuenca is a UNESCO City and for good reason!  The architecture and history are stunning.  We're catching up on sharing more pictures (for you, Patti!)
These were taken downtown during a few walking adventures.  You can really see the buildings if you're on foot!

We love all the details.


















Lots of pretty balconies filled with flowers.

Yellow orchids.

You can see the fairly empty street on a Sunday.

Close-up of the top of the same church.

A small church at San Blas.  One of these days we'll find the gates open so we can peek inside.

Zoe's has been a popular place for Expat events.  It's now for sale.

A newly renovated building, designed to show off the 'old' features.

Some old buildings, with great bones!,  still need renovation work.

A grand old house in the middle of downtown.  Deep lot, pretty garden.

On Calle Larga.  It looks like the 2nd floor was added later.











We've been invited to view the insides of some of these buildings, too.
Here are some pictures from some renovated hotels downtown.  You never know what you'll see behind the doors.

Lovely lobbies.

Looking up...

This screen has inserts of mother of pearl.

Wall decoration.

Deep lots with dining rooms, open courtyards and gardens.

One more shot of new construction at San Blas.  Fascinating building techniques.














More pictures later.

Doors of Cuenca

Here is our latest 'door' collection.  A wide variety...old, new, traditional, creative, and all functional.

Behind each of these doors is a treasure to discover!  We love when the doors are open and we can explore.

At the San Alfonso Church.

Crosses at ground level...you'll remember the rumor that these crosses are meant to deter public urination.  We usually see them near the churches.

















Another old carved wood door at Church La Merced.

Metal door at the Mayor's Office with old symbols.

Fancy grill work at the CIDAP museum.

The back side of Hotel Alcazar.

On Sucre.

Roll-up doors are common all over the City. 

Old, old door in need of some work.

Church doors at San Sebastian.

We had to smile at this one...there is a red sign that says 'Wells Fargo' at the window over the door.

Wood door near the Square, with lovely hardware.

Doors at Santo Domingo Church.

See that little spot on the right?

Here's a close-up.  Very cute!

One day, we passed a religious complex with pretty gardens, a convent and a high school.

One of the doors was open! 

We peeked inside.  A courtyard with more gardens and a statue of the Virgin Mary.

Some of the building's architecture...

Details of this door.

Sign for the adjoining school...












---------------
Our hearts and prayers go out to all suffering with the reminder of the 9/11 events 10 years ago.  Though the day's events were on US soil, it truly had, and still has, global impact.  Several Euadorians died that day as well, and their familes still mourn the loss.

Hug your family and friends this weekend!

Sunday's Pictures -- Del Vado Plaza

This Sunday, we had to check on the progress of the construction at the new cultural center area with Chuck and Nancy. We've shared earlier pictures of this plaza before and here is latest progress shots.
Del Vado translates as 'ford', as in river...It's located right above a stretch of the river.  The path along adjoining Av La Condamine turns toward Calle Larga and the busy 10 de Aug market (on the way to the Kook for Sunday breakfast).

Here's Chuck and Rich walking toward the plaza on the road that is all prepped for new.

Some of the buildings along the way are old adobe, some in the process of restoration.

New street lights!

You can see the big Cross canopy in the center of this picture.

Some progress on this old building...












We discovered a new set of stairs on the backside, going up to the Cross.

Lots of new paint along Av La Condamine.











We'll share more pics on the progress of this important area later.  Really looking forward to seeing it when it's all completed!

Earthquake Preparation

Preparing for any disaster is a good thing.  Always good to have a plan.  You can't plan for everything, but some quick and easy planning can only help.

When we lived in San Francisco, one of Nancy's jobs was to prepare the Bank for 'business resumption' after a disaster or 'business interruption'.  We lived in earthquake country...but there were also riots, fires, power outages and much more that affected business and personal lives in those days.

We used to have several backpacks full of necessities (they lived in our cars, offices and at home).  We also had a plan of what to do and how to meet up if we were separated during an emergency.  We had call lists (provided the phones would work), we always had gas in the tank, and we knew where our shoes were!

In Oregon, we also had backpacks that lived in the vehicles.  It was more for snow country and trips along lonely country roads and wildfires..necessities like water, blankets, snacks, flares, a map, pet supplies...

Last week we felt another earthquake and it made us think we should have a plan and backpack here, too!  The quake was just a short rock/roll, very mild and not really worthy of even mentioning, but it did remind us that we again live in earthquake country. 

There are other disasters we should pay attention to.  Remember the political/police event last year?  Fortunately, we were together during that day and managed to get home safely.  What about another power outage across the City?  We had those during the drought a couple years back.  We weren't affected by the outages as we live in a modern building with generator back-up, but we did get affected if we were downtown at night...restaurants had no power, taxis were scarce, streets were dark. The other night our building's power and generator were taken off-line for repairs for a couple hours and we got a taste of no power in our building...  inconvenient, but made us think...

Now we are working on a general plan for disasters/emergencies.  We are collecting things like:  flashlight (1 for each floor of our apt),  individual bottles of water, portable snacks, first aid kit, meds, $$$...We have new places for shoes and keys (near the door!) and our cell phones (also near the door and not in a pocket somewhere).  We also know where to meet if we're separated.  We have important numbers loaded into our phones.  Our wallets are updated, too.

In most emergencies, you're pretty much on your own for awhile...  but, if/when one strikes, we're feeling better that we'll survive just fine.

It's better to be prepared, in our opinion.