Showing posts with label South America. Show all posts
Showing posts with label South America. Show all posts

We went to the Galapagos!!!

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Green Tortoise Cartoon clip art
We took a five day mini-vacation and went to the Galapagos with friends. I know some folks aren't reading our Retired in Cuenca blog, so thought I'd list the article links here for you.

Lots of photos, hope you enjoy the trip!


Donna joins the Cuenca Klutz Club and Volcanic Ash Arrives

Friday, February 7, 2014

I have a lot to blog about, been taking some photos to share but got sidetracked with a face plant while shopping in my favorite little place, Casa de la Mujer. I took a step forward and missed a step down....that was all it took.

End result? Sore nose, big lump on my forehead that spread into a black eye, a left sprained ankle, a right swollen and bruised knee and general aches and pains in my shoulders. It could have been worse. Stu got me home, made ice slushies for my knee and ankle and used two bandanas for a compression wrap on my ankle.

Now into day three, I think, and doing much better but still keeping the legs elevated. The swelling is almost gone on the knee and ankle but still staying off my feet and keeping them elevated. Hoping by Friday I can get out for some fresh air.


The other news has been the volcanic dust in our area from Saturdays eruption of Tungurahua. We are 210 km (130 miles) away but the winds were just right to send the ash our way. Here is a map that shows Cuenca and the relationship to the volcanoes.


We kept our windows closed yesterday and stayed indoors. This is copied from one of the local newsletters we receive.

Cuenca Gets Volcanic Ashfall
  
For only the second time in memory, Cuenca has been dusted with volcanic ash. It came early Sunday morning from the eruption of the Tungurahua volcano, 210 kilometers to the north. The previous ashfall came during an erpution of the Sangay volcano almost 60 years ago. According to meteorologists, the ash from Tungurahua reached Cuenca due to a variation in the normal pattern of high-altitude winds.
  
The overnight ashfall was enough to force temporary closure of the Cuenca airport and bring out battalions of city street sweepers; the city opted for brooms, concerned that washing away the ash with water could clog city sewers. Cuenca got off easy: In towns and cities near the volcano, such as Ambato and BaƱos, ash deposits were up to four inches deep.
  
Saturday's explosions at Tungurahua sent an ash plume almost six miles into the atmosphere and aviation authorities said the cloud could shut down air travel for the entire country if it persists, and if winds shift to the west.
  
Although health officials said the Cuenca ashfall did not pose serious health threats, they advised people with respiratory problems to remain indoors and wear masks when they go outside.

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To stay up to date with our news, please follow our other blog: Retired in Cuena. Thanks!

Our grand adventure starts tomorrow!

Monday, November 25, 2013


Finally, everything is packed...but I'm not sure where everything is. LOL! We had to pack for 1) the drive to FL & staying with friends until Sunday, 2) our 7 day cruise and 3) 3 days of visiting family before 4) we fly to EC. The only thing either of us is sure of is having our cruise stuff packed and at the ready. Needless to say, once we get to the last 3 days, we'll be doing some unpacking/repacking to square things away.

Are we excited? Absolutely - both for the cruise and the move. But to be perfectly honest, I'm most excited about getting my new iPad Mini on Wednesday when we arrive at our friend's house. WOOT! So the truck is loaded to the gills, the refrigerator is empty and Monday we'll do our final things - last minute cleaning and checking for missed items, putting out mouse bait and winterizing the RV. We'll move our Freightliner truck under the pavilion with the RV, close our gate and head south. Good thing, they're forecasting sleet and snow later tomorrow!

In other news, we have managed to find a great deal on a couple more used items for our apartment:
  1. refrigerator
  2. 40" HD TV with custom table
  3. microwave/toaster/vacuum
Life is good! We won't be blogging much in the next two weeks so bear with us

And the week rolls along.....

Thursday, January 31, 2013

We had a leisurely drive from the Wauchula Thousand Trails Park (Peace River) to the Clermont Thousand Trails Park (Orlando) on Tuesday. We arrived around 3pm and got set up by 4 pm. It was the warmest day in weeks and we took showers, ate and napped the evening away.

We're in a 30 amp full hookup site, there were only 3 or 4 that would fit us and we wanted to be sure we could get satellite reception on our dish. Our site is nice and long and we easily unloaded both  motorcycles without blocking the street. Then we backed up a little and had room to park Scooby in front. We'll be here two weeks, then move about 20 miles up the road to Bee's RV Resort.

Yesterday we took a nice motorcycle ride out to Cracker Barrel for breakfast and then over the the Orlando Diver Direct store. We took a different route home just in time to see the mail being taken to the activity center. While Stu was picking up our packages he ran into Nick and Terry and they promised to drop over when done with their errands. It's always so great to see them, we chit-chatted for a couple of hours and then went to the Santa Fe Cattle Company for dinner. After eating we sat there and chit-chatted for several more hours, finally arriving back home around 8pm.

Stu has his annual firefighter reunion next Wed-Sat. We are parked seven miles away and planned to just travel over each day. It's always good to see old friends and catch up on news.

We're still looking to sell our CMA Music Fest tickets...we really need to sell before Feb 20th so they can be mailed directly to the buyer. Please tell your family & friends about it...we also have a 50 amp full hookup site reserved that can be transferred over, if interested.

Last but not least, we just booked our tickets to Ecuador! We leave Maryland on April 15th and return back on May 14th. What an adventure this will be...we can't wait. For those who wonder, Sadie will be staying with a friend who has a large fenced in yard and will spoil her crazy...even letting her sleep with her. Oh my...LOL! (73 days..but who's counting!)

So what's up?

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Our time here is winding down and we've enjoyed it here at Peace River Thousand Trails Park in Wauchula/Zolfo Springs area. Quiet park, at least where we are parked. LARGE lot, at least where we are parked. We've managed lots of down time for relaxation, getting over the colds we brought back from our cruise. We've visited friends in Sun City and bought a delicious half-flat of strawberries that just melt in your mouth.

We've gone to the movies, my pick, and saw The Hobbit (which I absolutely LOVED). We've gone bicycle riding almost every day. We've done a little shopping and we've done a little general catch-up on chores. Not bad for an eight day stay.

Tuesday we move back to the Clermont area and our first stay at the Thousand Trails park there. We've heard from our friend Nick Russell, who is there now, that it's packed. This park was too, we ended up with a 30 amp water/electric only but we opted out of the lottery for the full hookup sites since we loved where we were parked. We'll be there for two weeks before we move back to Bee's RV Park - we'll be swapping between those two every two weeks until March 20th when we move over to Vero Beach.

While I've been busy, my motivation for writing has been lacking. So, where did it go? It's been preoccupied with a new project. Tomorrow I'll redirect myself and get back to my editing my book. Oh, and catching up my various blogs.

So what has been my preoccupation? We're planning a fun vacation in South America...for a MONTH. Where? In Ecuador, home to the Galapagos Islands. Yup, Stu definitely wants to scuba there. Andes Mountains, Amazonian type rain forests and more. Oh my!

Phew! All the photos uploaded....

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Okay, got all the photos from our cruise uploaded to SmugMug and will hopefully work on the blog text tomorrow. Been a busy couple of days since we got back and the next week is still busy.

We took a wonderful 100 mile ride to nowhere on Sunday, Monday we went to the Webster Flea Market on top of a 100 mile ride and seeing "Blind Side" at the movies. Stu's birthday is Thursday and we are going to Epcot. After that we will visit family for a long weekend and next thing you know it's Christmas!!

We plan to hit the road shortly after Christmas, headed to New Orleans for our first major stop. We want to see the rest of the D-Day Museum. Then we continue on to Quartzsite, AZ for the big RV event (gotta do it at least once - I have but Stu hasn't). That puts us out to the middle of January...LOL!

If you want to preview the photos without any text, check it out here:
Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna & Stu