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We woke up at 8 a.m., and I noticed that my cell phone said that I had received a voice mail. This is the first time that I have retrieved a voice mail internationally, and it sure was a process! It was Felipe saying that they had had to leave early yesterday morning to go to his in-laws' for Father's Day lunch. He said that he'd call Antonio later and would see us soon. That explained their early departure yesterday.
We went to breakfast at 9 o'clock and had hot dog and cheese omelettes which were surprisingly yummy, with coffee and fresh cantaloupe juice. After breakfast, it was time to return a large pot to a friend who had lent it to us for the party. Craig and Antonio each took one handle of the large pot, Aida took a rack of 30 eggs, and I took two 3 liters of soda, and we headed down the steep slope through the ravine and back up the other side. I fell, of course, so it was good I was not carrying the eggs. Just don't open those sodas for a while! We returned the pot and the neighbor was delighted with the food. After half an hour we went on another mission with pots, eggs, and soda up near the community center. On the way back, we stopped at the community garden. Volunteers were filling plastic bags with soil for a volcano reforestation project which would be undertaken by U.S. students later in the month. Aida took some rosemary from the community garden which she will use on her hair. Today was clear, and for the first time we could see Mount Cayambe and Mount Fuya Fuya (behind the house), and Volcan Cotacachi (in front of the house). We arrived back at home and did some yard cleanup, putting the cinder block and board benches away. There go our only seats, Craig and I laughed! Aida placed Yupanqui, who is not quite crawling yet, on his stomach on the patch of lawn in front of our guest house. It was really cute. The grass was tickling him, so he arched his back and raised his arms and legs off the ground, looking like bow pose in yoga! They then tied Yupanqui to Abuelita's back with a rebozo. We ate lunch: cream of tomato soup, pulled pork, and mote. The pulled pork is so good! We have to ask Felipe how they prepare it. Felipe called Antonio, and Craig talked to him. We had orginally wondered if we should hire Felipe as a guide for part of the trip. We hadn't been sure how prohibitive the language barrier might be. When we talked to him on the phone today, we all agreed that we were doing fine and could handle the final week on our own. Still, Felipe said he would try to see us again before we return to the U.S.A. After lunch, I brought out my computer, and we looked at the pictures and videos from the baptism and the visit thus far. Sisa sat between us at the kitchen table and the others stood behind us. The family really enjoyed the photos. Sisa especially got very excited. She leaned on me and put her hands on mine. They were all fascinated by the pictures we took from the plane on our flight to Ecuador. The trash truck came by at 3 o'clock. It plays music, ice cream truck style, to warn people that it is on the way so that they can put their trash out. After an hour of looking at photos and chatting, there was work to be done. Rosa washed Craig's white pants and our shoes. She hand-washes all the laundry, and I am always amazed by how white she gets all of the white clothes! Craig and I cleaned up the yard some more and swept the patio. Litter is a problem here. Even they throw trash on the ground in their own yard. We tried to get the yard into better shape than it was before the party. The wood pile had been severely depleted by all of the cooking for the party, but we hadn't run out of wood. We took Sisa out to the street with her ride-on plastic car, but made her come back to the house when it got dark. The road can be dangerous, and cars go too fast. Sisa got very angry at us. Rosa grabbed a pot, a skillet, some rebar, and a flashlight, and Craig and I went with her to return them to a neighbor several houses down. We then had to cross the steep ravine from this morning again (this time in the dark!) to return the pot to the house that we had visited earlier. Miraculously, I didn't fall this time. After we returned home, more neighbors came over to get chicha and food. We went over to Abuelita's fire and enjoyed some chicha. It has transformed from gray tastelessness to orange sweetness. Abuelita is a gem; she is constantly smiling and laughing. Antonio told us that we will go to Cotacachi for Inti Raymi on Friday and Saturday. We went into the house for chicken soup. Sisa was overtired and cranky. Rosa started to rock her and she was almost falling asleep. I got a bag of gifts for the family and the moment I said "regalos" (presents), Sisa instantly comically perked up. Everyone laughed. Kids! We gave them a few items handmade by my mother, some candy, and a bilingual Curious George book. I went to the shelf and took down the Curious George puzzle we sent them last year, and explained that it is the same character. Sisa was happy and started to make the puzzle. Everyone enjoyed the candy. I ate a Dove candy and it had a little fortune inside the wrapper. It said "Be the first to hit the dance floor"...too funny, after the baptism party! Antonio took the Curious George book to look at it, and Sisa started to freak out. Antonio started to read the English but had trouble with pronunciation. He has been trying to learn English from books but they come with cassettes and he has no way to play them. He said he would like to get an English teacher in Otavalo. Before we knew it, it was late (9:15 p.m.), so we all headed to our rooms. Craig and I chatted, texted Steve, and I wrote in the notebook. We went to sleep at 10:20. |
 Sisa  Craig in the community plant nursery  Yupanqui  Antonio and Yupanqui  Abuelita carries Yupanqui in a rebozo  Sisa hugs Max  Rosa and Sisa See more photos from this day |
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