Monday 1/16/17 - Shina's Dentist Visit, Antonio's 46th Birthday It's been a busy Martin Luther King Day here in Ecuador. I had the day off from work, which meant that I was available to help with chores and errands. It was a sunny, clear morning, and all of the mountains surrounding the house were visible. For breakfast we had scrambled eggs, bread, juice, and coffee. After breakfast, I accompanied Rosa, Antonio, and Shina Tayanta to Cotacachi and Otavalo to do some errands. Craig wisely decided to stay at the house, as he was tired and doesn't want to overtax himself before Saturday's baptism. (When we were here for Yupanqui's baptism in 2013, he had his only major MS attack, causing him to miss the church service and party. We are playing it safe this time, letting him get as much rest as possible). We left the house and walked down to the family's other farmland, where we caught a camioneta (shared pick-up truck taxi) to Quiroga. Shina Tayanta held my hand the whole way, and sat with me in the camioneta and on the bus from Quiroga to Cotacachi. We walked from the bus terminal to the civil registration office for Rosa to pick up her cedula (kind of a national ID card which needs to be renewed every 10 years). She had gone to renew it and get her photo taken last week, and today it took just a moment to pick up the finished card. Next we walked to "Leather Street" (leather is an historic and artisanal industry in Cotacachi, and I purchased a nice leather jacket here for a good price on our prior visit). In between leather goods shops was a small dentist's office. We went inside and waited in a narrow hallway. There were several posters in the hallway for dental hygeine, including one which would not be well received in a dentist office in the USA. It depicted a small mouse wearing a necktie perched on a pile of teeth. There were three crates next to him labeled "Perez & Perez: (in Spanish) Children's Teeth." It was macabre. When I told Craig abuot this, he remembered that this is a tooth fairy-like tradition in Spain and Latin America. Perez, the Tooth Mouse, collects children's teeth from under their pillows. Nonetheless, it seemed creepy and not what I would expect to see in a dentist's office! Not to say that the Tooth Fairy makes much more sense, but at least it's more pleasant to Americans than a rodent burrowing under your pillow while you sleep! Perez the Tooth Mouse After a few minutes, they called us in. The dentist helped Shina Tayanta into the chair. She laid back and didn't make a sound as the dentist worked on her tooth. She was very brave and cooperative, only gently kicking her feet a bit when it hurt. Within 5 minutes the process was done, and the dentist told Rosa and Antonio to bring her back on Wednesday. Next, we stopped at the bank, and then waited for the bus to Otavalo at the Plaza de la Matriz. The gorgeous Iglesia de la Matriz dominates the square, and will be where Tayanta's baptism will take place on Saturday. We rode the bus to Otavalo, and Shina Tayanta fell asleep on the ride. We went to a bank in Otavalo and then stopped in at the grocery store to buy some supplies. We said goodbye to Antonio, who had some other errands to run, and we took a taxi to the Plaza de los Ponchos. Today is Antonio's birthday, so we went to a bakery to buy a cake. After that, we bought a chicken and fresh vegetables for lunch, as well as a new broom. Rosa was worried because we were late, and Sisa and Yupanqui would already be home from school. And she still had to cook lunch. So we caught a taxi home rather than waiting for the bus. After telling us he would take us to Morochos, the driver kicked us out in Quiroga, saying he didn't want to drive his car on the dirt roads. Rosa and I were quite annoyed, as he had agreed to take us. So we gathered our broom, bags of groceries, cake, and Tayanta, and got out of the cab. Luckily he only charged us half the fare to Morochos, even though he had driven us more than halfway. We caught a camioneta pick-up truck back to the house. When we arrived home at 1:30, Sisa and Yupanqui were sitting outside quietly coloring. When they saw us get out of the truck, they looked shocked and asked where Craig was, as if we had forgotten him in town. We laughed and said he was in the casita. The kids had assumed nobody was home, and Craig hadn't heard them return from school. It was pretty funny. Rosa made lunch, and we ate at 3 p.m. By then the kids were really hungry! We had soup, chicken, rice, peas, guacamole, and juice. After lunch, I swept the kitchen and the patio. I don't have much time for housework while I'm working, but Rosa never gets a break. We like to help out whenever we can, and this holiday was the perfect time. The kitchen floor is always difficult to clean. Though there are tiles in the front part of the kitchen, the dining portion of the kitchen has a concrete floor. The rough surface of the concrete makes it impossible to keep clean...you can sweep it forever and small bits of dirt will continue to appear. We know that Rosa would love to have tile throughout the kitchen, so that it can be easily swept. They are costantly doing home improvement projects, so hopefully a tile floor will be in her future. Next, I spent some quality time with my favorite pig, and then cleaned up the casita. Antonio and his uncle Juan Pedro are expanding Abuelita's outdoor kitchen / fire shed, using posts made from tree trunks. For dinner, we had soup, salad, beef, corn, rice, chochos (lupins), and juice. For Antonio's 46th birthday, we had a nice cake. The kids were so excited. We sang Happy Birthday in 3 languages: English, Spanish, and Kichwa. The kids had a hard time remembering the Spanish lyrics. Then the kids followed the tradition and smashed Antonio's face into the cake. It was a nice celebration for a wonderful family patriarch!

A beautiful sunny morning Steph with a piglet Riding in a camioneta to do errands Achi Taita and Yupanqui Our casita Antonio's birthday Frosting on Antonio's face See all photos from this day