Odds N Ends & Parque Metropolitano

Cool turtles we found on our walk!  Too bad they are made of concrete.

Odd architectural stuff!

No idea what this is supposed to represent.

We thought these were real neat trees until we realized that they are just uprooted trees stuck in the ground upside down!

We call this the bottle brush tree!  They are all along the sidewalks in Quito.  It must be one of their favorites.

Outdoor amphitheater!  Probably works ok unless it's wet.  It rains a lot here.

Cotopaxi is one of the most famous volcanos here in Ecuador.  It's the one that gave everyone a scare a few months ago because it started erupting.

Here's Cotopaxi!  So high it has snow at it's peak year around even though we are at the equator.

Hard to get good pictures of the volcanos because they are typically shrouded in clouds.  For a minute we were able to take a fairly clear picture but then the clouds moved in again.

Little fungi growing on the bark of a tree!

Lots of pretty flowers in Equador!  Supposed to be the best place in the world for humming birds but we didn't see any.

We were walking on a seldom used road.  Police patrol area on horseback!

Ferns at the side of the trail.

Strange stump we thought was pretty!

Pretty flowers along the way!

View from the park!  Down below is the park we walked to last week.  We live up over the hill on the right.  If you can find the red building we live on the other side down below.  We walked from the park all the way home!!

On the way home we passed the fire station!

Cute couple out walking!  They were holding hands and the gentleman had Parkinson's.

Mom stopped and gave them $5.00 for their picture. I'm sure it made their week.  Normally we don't give people any money but they were so cute.

Walking home from the park.  Looking towards the cement jungle of Quito!

A lot of construction going on in Quito!  The supporting pillars are filled in between with cinder blocks.  Probably, not the best construction in an earthquake zone.  Can you see the bucket used to haul up construction materials?

Love the name!  Haven't tried the food!

Our "sweet" apartment!

One of the entrances to our apartment building.  There is a mall and grocery store on the main floor which makes shopping very convenient.

We live at 17 A.

Our little kitchen.  You can't see it but to the left of the stove is our washer.  We have to hang our clothes on racks to dry.  There's no dishwasher either only me!!!  The white hose hooked up to our kitchen faucet is our water filter.

Our apartment is called a suite because it's just 2 rooms with a divider between.  This is our bedroom which is also our office.  Thank goodness the bed is very comfortable.

The view from our livingroom.  I'm so glad we have some live plants to spruce the place up!!

Our living and dining area.  The kitchen is just ot the left of the table and the bedroom is right behind the couch.  The whole apartment is about the size of a double car garage.  Cozy!!

Walk about Quito

Floral where we buy Geraniums to put in our window box.  $1.50 Each

Street vendor 4 avocados for $1.00.  The other fruit is called a tree tomato.

Flower vendor!  Flowers are real cheap in Quito.

The fruit is awesome but we typically just buy stuff we know.

Today we bought strawberries.  6 lbs for $6.00.  We now have a gallon of strawberry jam!

The market place was booming!  The people love to eat pork.

Pork rind is a favorite!  I haven't tried it yet.

No strollers in Ecuador!  All you need is a strip of cloth.

Mom's always practicing her language skills!

This is probably the closest we will ever be to the Effiel tower.

Maybe they're looking for a good tech!  Are you interested in living here in Ecuador Mark?

Colorful buildings!

Nice and bright and a great canvas to practice your artwork.

Really wild!

Beautiful old church!  It's patterned after the Basilica here in Quito.

Hike to Guapulo Park

Narrow cobblestone road.  Sidewalks almost non existent and there is traffic!

Black plastic trying to prevent the dirt from falling onthe road.  You can see where some has already fallen.  The hills are very steep so when it rains the dirt comes down!

A retaining wall.

The entrance to a cemetary.  It is built on the side of a steep hill!!

Someone really lives up there.  We are standing on the street looking up.  Lots of stairs to climb.

A typical street in Guapulo.

More plastic to prevent dirt from falling on road.

A view looking down to the street.  It's a pretty good workout when you have to climb back up!

Another view!  We walked over to park which is to the far left where it if flat.  Guapulo Catholic church is below.

Still climbing the stairs!!

These flags are about every 10 feet telling everyone that the mayor of the city has done this BIG project of preserving a green space.

Parque Guapulo

Thursday morning we took a walk to Guapulo Park which is about 2 1/2 miles from us but you have to go down quite a steep hill to get there.  Our legs are still a wee bit sore today (2 days later) from the hike!

Here's Dad on our walk.  Many of the streets are cobblestone in Guapulo.

We came from the top of the hill.  In front of us is a Catholic church.

It was nice to get away from the noise of the city and enjoy the peace and quiet and some greenery!!

Pretty bark on a tree.

Flowers along the path.

It's surprising how much you appreciate nature when you are living in a cement jungle!!!

Donacion de Computadoras a INAL y Hospital Baca Ortiz

Estudiantes sordos aplaudiendo en nuestra oficina. 

Hermana Francom, estudiante sorda, docente sordo de INAL, presidenta de la organización de los padres de los sordos, Elder Francom, Directora de INAL MSc. Fabiola Bonilla, 2 estudiantes

Estudiantes INAL, Vicerectora INAL Lic. Esthela Gavidia H. con la directora

Estudiantes con la vicerectora

Estudiantes, docente y la directora de INAL

Estudiantes con las computadoras

Leyendo una carta de agradecimiento.  Otras personas que estuvieron en la oficina para recibir las 9 computadoras incluyeron 2 del MINEDUC y 2 del hospital Baca Ortiz