Two Holidays in One Weekend!

We've successfully set up camp in our (amazing when I think about it) fifth temporary dwelling in the last 2 months.  H-m-m-m-m-----maybe that's why Cynthia seems a bit out of sorts these days.  What a relief----I thought it was something I'd said.

At least this time we can kinda/sorta see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Yep, a mere 2 floors away is our own private train wreck.  But at least we've been able to pull from the "wreckage" some of our furniture and household goods so we get a taste of our past and future simultaneously.

We decided we needed a break, so we signed up for a 4th of July outing (an intriguing concept for Ecuador, don't you think?) to a country estate turned resort about 30 minutes outside of Cuenca.  It was easy to spot our group when we arrived at the departure point in busy Parque Calderon--tall pale people wearing Panama hats.  For some reason Cuencanos don't wear the trademark headgear of Ecuador; you only see them on the heads of little indigenous Indians and gringos.

Our day was spent with an interesting group of residents and "tire-kickers"--and that's virtually the only two categories of gringos here.  You either live here or you're thinking about living here.  There are very few other outsiders except for exchange students and backpackers.

There was wine; a delicious buffet; a very talented jazz band; camaraderie; swimming; ping pong; fireworks;  patriotic music; red, white, and blue roses for every lady.  I couldn't help but think how surreal it was to be celebrating a US holiday on a higher level in South America than were most residents back in the States.

 

Then today we decided to open a couple of our kitchen boxes from upstairs so we could function a little better in our temporary quarters.  Those boxes were packed what seems like so long ago we'd forgotten exactly what was in them.

What a thrill!  It was like opening presents (without holiday paper and bows of course) on Christmas day that we'd sent to ourselves.  A whole container of Deluxe Mixed Nuts from Costco!  A whole jar of Nutella!  Pepperidge Farm crackers!  How brilliant were we to have such foresight!

I know all this probably sounds trivial, but the main things we find we miss about our old life are favorite food items like these that just aren't available here.  So a very trying week has ended on a very happy note.

Now let's open those nuts!!