Tuesday 8/1/2017 - Our 19th Wedding Anniversary Today was our 19th wedding anniversary. The weather was clear and bright, and we could see the snow-speckled peak of Volcan Cotacachi, which is rarely visible, against the brilliant blue sky. A good omen, for sure. We made sure to point it out to Eddy and Paulina. In the past we have been here for weeks at a time when the mountain's peak is not visible due to its weather patterns. For breakfast, we had fried eggs, ham, papas fritas, bread, fresh juice, and coffee. I worked during the day. Antonio went for physical therapy for his back, and Rosa, Paulina, and Rolando did chores around the house. Paulina video chatted with the family back in Guatemala (though for some reason my laptop's microphone doesn't seem to work with Facebook, so they couldn't hear us). The kids played together, coloring and acting out scenes from "El Pastorcito de Otavalo Buscando El Dorado." I could hear them shouting "El Dorado!" and then screaming as they chased one another around. Eddy, being the eldest, took on the leadership role in the group. We think that he enjoyed being the eldest for a change, since he is the sixth of seven children at home. The kids picked wildflowers and brought me an enormous bouquet while I was working. The flowers in the area are so beautiful and abundant. For lunch, we had soup, chicken, beets, lentils, and rice. The kids could hear the ice cream truck playing its cheerful song in the distance, and became excited. Eddy wondered what they were so excited about. We always take him and his siblings for ice cream in Guatemala, but they don't have ice cream trucks there. He was delighted when a pick-up truck with a soft-serve ice cream machine in the bed pulled over in front of the house. We all got raspberry and vanilla soft serve twist cones with rainbow sprinkles and raspberry sauce for 25 cents each! What a bargain! We spent some time out in back of the house, enjoying the bucolic atmosphere and the late afternoon sunlight. Rosa fed the pigs and the neighbors' chickens tried to steal food right out of their bowls. Rosa and I shooed them away. The kids collected walnuts and broke them open by hitting them with rocks. The clouds turned orange as the sun set. When Antonio returned home from his physical therapy appointment, the family surprised us with lovely anniversary gifts: locally made linen shirts. The kids are always so generous, and they really enjoy being able to present us with gifts, whether they are something that they made themselves or something that the family has purchased. They are also very gracious whenever we give them gifts, thanking us without prompting ("Gracias, Achi Mama; gracias Achi Taita") and giving us hugs. For dinner, we had cream of tomato soup with popcorn, followed by beef stew, cabbage, rice, and potatoes. The family had one more anniversary surprise in store as they presented us with a cake! It was very special to celebrate our anniversary with our compadres, and we are very grateful for their thoughtfulness,today and always. After dinner, we video chatted with Aida in Chile on Antonio's phone. It was very nice to talk to her, though the connection kept cutting out.

Sisa Paulina, Craig, Sisa, and Shina Achi Mama and Achi Taita with Eddy, Sisa, and Yupanqui See all photos from August 1, 2017