Giving Thanks in Cuenca

We had a wonderful time at Roz and Ken's on Thanksgiving Day.   Ken sent someone to pick us up in a cab around 3:00 P.M.  We loaded up the trunk with plants, and two side dishes, then drove to Gilberto and Elaine's house.  More food, champagne, and wine were added to the car and then all four of us took off for the country.  It was a beautiful day...sunny and warm.

When we arrived, Ken and Roz were ready for us.  Ken had prepared some delicious appetizers, and had the turkey prepped and cooking on the grill.  Roz had the whole house looking beautiful.  Jazz was playing in the background and everyone was happy to be there.  Gilberto opened a huge bottle of champagne, and we all had a toast to new friends and our new life in Cuenca.  We sat and visited with each other while we enjoyed the warmth of the late afternoon sun.

Ken and Roz were nice enough to offer Lance a small plot of their land so he could plant some flowers.  He had hoped to get some vegetable plants, but was having trouble locating them.  Someone at a local garden shop is going to look for them and let Lance know when they arrive.

Nothing makes Lance happier than having his hands in the dirt, planting a garden.  While we visited, Lance worked away in his new garden and Ken kept his eye on the turkey.

As you can see by Ken's face, cooking is serious business!  

Here is Elaine and Ken posing for a picture.  Sorry about the lighting...the sun wasn't cooperating.

 Roz had a beautiful table set for us.  We sat down and all of us enjoyed a fantastic meal.  The turkey was juicy and done to perfection.  The green beans w/ fixings and the mashed potatoes that Gilberto and Elaine brought were delicious.  Even our sweet and sour purple cabbage turned out pretty good.  One of my many favorite dishes was the stuffing...yum!  I've got to get that recipe from Ken.  Roz did a great job on the gravy too!  

After dinner, some played a round or two of ping pong outside.  We enjoyed two dessert's around the fire pit...pumpkin pie and apple crisp with vanilla ice cream.  Then, it was time to go.  Our cab driver came back and took us home.

I wish I had more pictures...but that's what happens were you're too busy having fun.  Thanks Roz and Ken...it was a delightful holiday and we were honored to spend it with you, Gilberto, and Elaine. 

Life has begun to settle down here in Cuenca.  We finally received our residency visa and our cedula, which is the national ID card.  The cedula is good for 10 years.  We started this process back at the beginning of August in the United States and just completed it this week.  Having the cedula allows us to open a bank account in Cuenca.  It also enables us to apply for health insurance...which is much cheaper than in the United States.  We plan to do both of those things on Tuesday.  

The other day as we were returning from getting our cedula, we saw a protest taking place near Parque Calderon.  Actually, that isn't so unusual...we often see protests of one kind or another taking place there.  This one was a little different because it appeared to be mostly college students that were protesting.  They would march along the street chanting, then, sit down on the street.  After several moments, they would stand up and begin to run, then, start the whole procedure all over again.  As far as I can tell, they were protesting violence against women.  The police blocked the traffic from the other streets for the protest and then stood back and quietly watched. 

An hour later, when we came back outside, it was all done.

In town and along the river the lights are going up for the Christmas season.  They will be lit on December 5th.  Carolina, who works at our front desk, is collecting toys for the poor children in some of the rural areas.  We decided to make a donation.  We got fashion dolls for the girls and trucks for the boys.  We also bought some candy.    

Each child will get one small toy and a bag of candy for Christmas.  Her family does this every year.  She invited Lance and I to go with them to hand out the bags.  We are very excited to have this opportunity!  

I also went shopping for art supplies this week to donate to an all girls orphanage that is run by the Catholic Church.  I will hopefully be doing some volunteer work there in the weeks and months to come.  I will be teaching an art class with another ex-pat, Bettina, who comes from Canada.  She has a number of programs that she would like to offer the girls, including yoga, cooking class, and an art class.  

Finally, we heard that the tenant at the condo we are hoping to rent will be moving out on January 15th.  We will move in a few days later and work with a decorator to make some minor changes.  Below is a picture of the place.  It was featured in a local magazine because of it's unique design.  I will post more pictures after we move into our new digs.

I hope all of my family and friends enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving.  It's just a few weeks until the Christmas holiday begins.  It will actually be our second Christmas here, because we vacationed here during last Christmas.  We are looking forward to the big parade on Christmas Eve and hoping to participate in some other holiday events.  Please write if you find the time.  We always enjoy hearing news from back home.