A Fork in the Road

Let It Snow!

2012-01-17T09:26:00.000-08:00

We've no place to go thank heaven, because here in Bellingham, we have about 8-10 inches of snow on the ground. Depending, of course, on where in town you live. Up here on the hill, Alabama Hill, we have about 10 inches sitting on top of our hot tub. And more is coming! Yikes!

By tomorrow night they are saying we have a REAL storm coming through that could potentially double the amount we already have and then some.

We're fine huddled up in our home. We have plenty of provisions since we have learned to go to the the grocery store ahead of these predicted storms. We have plenty of de-icer to throw

down on the driveway and walks. With our rather steep driveway it is important to have the de-icer so we can drive down and back up the driveway if we did need to get out in the car.

I missed a day of subbing today as a result of the snow. All the schools in the area are closed for obvious reasons and I seriously doubt they will reopen tomorrow. So I guess I am done

subbing until we get back from our upcoming trip to Thailand. That ought to be a bit of an improvement on the weather here!

Here are some photos of what it looks like outside my windows.

By the way, I will be reporting from Thailand with photos and blog entries soon so check back for my reviews of our trip to this exotic place.

Pozole, Ah Caramba!

2012-01-08T11:40:00.000-08:00

I have made my Pozole many times before but until this weekend I had never tried making it with pork. It has always been with the meat in the original recipe which was chicken, a nod, I am sure, to the lower calorie, more "good-for-you" nature of that meat.

But as I prepared this version of this delicious Latin stew I realized early in the process what I had been missing all this time. It's the pork!

We had some very good friends from Canada down for dinner last night and the consensus was that this stuff was amazing! We have more friends coming tonight to finish off the couple of gallons I made in my largest enameled dutch oven. I promised our friends I would post this recipe so here goes...

Quick Chicken Pozole
(Don't panic, the pork version is below)

Makes 3-4 servings

3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salad oil
1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 can (10 ounces) red enchilada sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cups chicken broth
2 cans (15 ounces each) hominy (1 white, 1 yellow), rinsed and drained

For the garnish: lime wedges, chopped cilantro, sour cream, chunks of avocado, shredded lettuce, cheese and or chopped red onion

In a 3-4 quart pan combine garlic, onion, oregano and oil. Cook stirring often over medium-high heat until the onion is lightly browned. When the onion is browned, add the chicken pieces. Cook until browned. Add enchilada sauce and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until chicken is tender and cooked through. Add hominy and reheat to simmering. Serve. Garnish!

In this version there are 362 calories per serving and 5.4 grams of fat. Good for you, right?

Now for the pork version. Replace the chicken for an equal amount of pork shoulder. Cut as much fat from the meat as you can to help the cause but remember that fat is where the flavor comes from so don't get too carried away!

I pre-heat the oil in a dutch oven. Toss in the pork chunks and let them caramelize. In another pan brown off the onion, garlic and oregano. Add that to the pork. Add the enchilada sauce and chicken broth. Use a good quality broth. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer and cook until the pork chunks are tender. Add in the hominy and heat them through. Serve topped with your choice of garnishes.

Curried Brown Rice Chicken Salad

2012-01-04T17:06:00.000-08:00

Oh, this salad is so good! It was served at a luncheon for the staff at my former school during my recent "re-employment". One of the student's mothers in my classroom brought this salad in and everyone raved about it.

She kindly gave me the recipe and I have made it several times since. In fact I am eating a small bowl of it as I write this.

So hear it is. You MUST try it. So simple and there are lots of options for how to prepare it. I have included a few possibilities at the end of the recipe.

2 cups of cooked long grain brown rice, cooled and tossed in a little oil
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup each celery, carrots, red pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped roasted nuts

Dressing: whisk together

2-3 t sweet curry powder
1-2 T sweet or hot mango chutney (chopped if lumpy)
4 T (1/4 cup) mayonnaise
1-2 T vegetable oil
1/4 t salt
1/2 t black pepper

Toss all ingredients in a medium bowl with the rice. Pour dressing over mixture and toss until well blended.

Now for the options!

Add in 1 cup of cooked, chopped chicken. OR, 1 cup of cooked salad shrimp. OR, leave the meat out for a wonderful vegetarian salad. Try different veggies like cucumber, radish, cilantro instead of the parsley, etc. Try chopped, dried apricot pieces or dried cranberries instead of or with the raisins.

Try different types of nuts. Hazelenuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts. Get the idea? It all works with this salad. And did I mention it is SO good!

Bon appetit

New Year's Eve Dinner Bash

2011-12-31T14:26:00.000-08:00

Welcome to a new year of The Fork in the Road blogs. I hope your new year has started off on the right foot--healthy and happy!

Our New Year's Eve Dinner Bash theme this year was American Rustic. Meaning pretty much whatever our participants interpreted it to mean but basically foods from the past, and our mains, at least, were to center around foods we caught or hunted ourselves. We have two hunters in our circle of friends and I am a fisherman of sorts and so we had what we needed.

Our menu:

Appetizers: Salmon spread

Mains: Salmon en Croute (Salmon in pastry), Elk Stew, Pheasant

Sides: Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Root Vegetables, Curly Kale Greens and Ham Hocks, Spinach Salad and Brown Rice Salad

Desserts: Indian Pudding and Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler

Beverages: Champagne, Wines, Hard Cider, Tea and Coffee +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

My recipes were the Salmon in Pastry and the Brown Rice Salad. The salmon sounds a bit pretentious and French and its official title would make that a correct observation. However, meat wrapped in pastry is an American recipe often made in our early history so in my mind it qualifies. Salmon en Croute is basically, salmon wrapped in a pie crust. It is actually pretty simple to create yet it presents like it took hours of trouble and that its creator must be a chef of amazing ability. I must admit it did have me worried since I had never made it before (something I do not advocate) and so I was very nervous about how it would come out.

2 salmon filets
pie crust (store bought or made ahead)
zest from one lemon
fresh dill
fresh basil
1/4 pound of butter, softened
course ground mustard
salt and pepper
eggs, one beaten whole, the other separated using only the white

Remove the skin from the salmon. Dry the filets well. salt and pepper filets.

Spread the butter mixture over one of the filets and the mustard over the other. Place one filet on top of the other so the tail end is on top of the head end. This ensures the thickness is more uniform helping make the salmon cook more evenly. Also, be sure the butter and mustard sides of the filet face each other so they can melt into each other.

Butter Recipe:

In a mixer soften the butter. Blend in bits of the fresh dill and course cut (with scissors) the basil leaves into the mixing bowl. Add in the lemon zest and salt and pepper to mix with spatula blade on the mixer. Spread mixture over the top of one filet.

Mustard: Squeeze the mustard right from the bottle over the other filet and spread.

Place the two filets on top of each other with the sauces facing each other and so the ends of the filets are roughly the same thickness. Place the filets in the center of the pie crust. Brush egg over the exposed pie crust and fold the crust over the fish making a neat package. Roll the package onto a baking sheet.

Brush egg white over the top of the package. Salt and pepper. Using the back of a knife, gently make cross hatching lines diagonally across the top of the package. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees until the pie crust is golden brown, about 30-40 minutes.

Bon appetit

Out With The Old

2011-12-31T13:19:00.000-08:00

The end is near! 2011 is on its way out and the events of an as yet untried 2012 looms large. What will it bring? The end, as the Mayan's calendar suggests? Or maybe our little planetoid out here on the edge of the Milky Way will be struck by an undetected piece of space debris and sent into a permanent winter. Well, nothing to be done about that, so let's get on with it.

Welcome 2012! Cue the hats and noise makers!

Our family plans at least two marvelous trips overseas in the weeks and months ahead. First, off to Thailand for a a two week, first-time visit to that southeast Asian country. Then a longer trip to Spain and Portugal. I'll be blogging on those two adventures after we arrive back home.

Too, I plan to continue blogging on food matters. My first recipe find of the year will appear in the very next blog. Recipes used to create some of the dishes at tonight's New Year's dinner bash, with the Usual Suspects, will be posted with photos so stay tuned.

Our cruising adventures aboard my beloved Key of Sea will no doubt find their way into the blog. I'm looking forward to the new direction my life will take as a retired member of society. Volunteering, substitute teaching, gardening, photography, books I'm reading, will all be fodder for A Fork in the Road over the next year. So whether the world all comes crashing down, or not, stay with me. Let me know what you think. And whatever you do, do have a very Happy New Year!

Ah, Geez, Not Again!

2011-12-13T10:58:00.000-08:00

Do I really have to go through this again? Tidying up once more? Turning in my keys? Saying goodbye once more? I already did this last June. It was heart wrenching and bittersweet that time. Now here I am staring it in the face again.

On Friday, December 16th at 3:10, the school bell will ring and I will stand at the door to the classroom and accept the hugs and goodbyes and the "we'll miss you Mr. Gs" from my class. Then I will take one last look around the room making sure it is straightened for when their teacher returns in January. I'll turn off my computer after turning on the "out of office" feature on my school e-mail, again. I'll pick up my coffee cup, lock the door and sign out at the office one last time.

This class of students are among the very best, if not THE best class I have had in 0ver 33 years of teaching. They are also just really nice people. I'll miss that. A lot!

So as the last few days come and go, I am trying to let the day switch into slow motion, enjoying every moment as if it will be the last. Because the likelyhood is that it will be the last. Oh, I'll sub for a day here and there, but long-term gigs don't come along very often and to have it include a class like this one. . .well, that happens once in a lifetime.

I know they'll be in very good hands when I leave. My teaching partner of 16 years will be back and she'll make math come alive in ways I can't. She'll teach them to play the ukuleles in the room, to love poetry and she'll be there to come back and see next year.

I move on to enjoy a 9 month sabbatical my wife has earned from the University and we'll travel across the planet to places we've never been and that will be so much fun! But I am going to miss this class, terribly! If I am lucky, maybe Ms. Vaughn will need to take another day or two off as the year progresses and I will be available to come back even if only for a day. I will look forward to that.

Thanksgiving Leftover Idea!

2011-11-27T20:52:00.000-08:00

With six Thanksgiving weekend visitors in our house, our daughter and her husband plus 2 couples friends of theirs, we needed to stretch the leftovers to the max.

By this morning, we had gone through the turkey and ham leftovers. We were down to the last few bits and pieces of this and that.

I stared into the fridge wondering what I could do with what was left to make a tasty breakfast this morning before the crowd headed off on the long drive back to their homes and our home returned to its quiet normalcy.

A hefty bowl of mashed potatoes, another of dressing sat staring back at me. Hmmm. Potato pancakes with a twist?

The dressing had chunks of sourdough bread, onions, celery, sausage, Granny Smith apples, raisins and dried cranberries.

I dumped the potatoes and dressing into a larger bowl, added 3 eggs and folded the ingredients together.

A large skillet with a few ounces of olive oil rolled around in it over a medium heat and we were ready to go.

I formed 6 inch patties (or rather my daughter did this cooking part) and placed them into the hot oil. A few minutes on each side and the pancakes were ready. They were creamy and chunky at the same time. When you think about it, it was a complete breakfast in a single patty. Meat, potatoes, fruit, eggs and veg.

They were all eaten with lots of yummy sounds coming from all corners of the table.

Options:

Sprinkle the tops with a bit of grated cheddar cheese or hot sauce or, as some did, some English Daddies sauce.

It could also be dumped into a greased 8 1/2 by 11 casserole and baked topped with grated cheddar cheese.

Just another way to use up those leftovers.

Bon appetit!

Thanksgiving 2011 Menu Announced

2011-11-13T12:28:00.001-08:00

Our family and friends will gather on Thursday of next week and fill our home with laughter, music, games and I am sure plenty of lively conversation. Everyone will contribute to the feast. All twenty-two of them at last count. Empty nesters, single folks, young couples far from their own family, friends or friends.

Every bed will be filled and the couches and the inflatible beds. Folks will gather around the fireplaces and in the hot tub. When the dinner is over and cleared up, folks will wander off in different directions. Some will take a hike or take a nap. Later on, someone's head will surely be searching the fridge for a midnight snack and some will return from their hikes looking for hot cider or cocoa. It is sure to be a great weekend!

So, here it is folks! A drum roll, please!!!

The Thanksgiving menu for 2011 at the Guelker-Cone family and friends annual feed will be:

Appetizers

Cheese and Pate Plate

Rotel Dip with Fritos

Smoked Salmon with Cream Cheese, Capers and Red Onions

Dinner

Smoked Slow Roasted Turkey, smoked inmy own smoker

Smoked Slow Roasted Spiral Ham, also smoked in my smoker

Mashed potatoes

Apple Cider Gravy

Cornbread and Sausage Dressing

Cranberry Fluff Salad

Corn Casserole

Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Hazelnuts

Green Bean Casserole

Pineapple Casserole

Fresh Vegetable Platter

Rolls and Butter

Assorted Desserts:

Pies and Cookies

Beverages

Wines
Cider

Coffee and Tea

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pork Vindaloo a Hit!

2011-11-07T12:12:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Sunset Magazine, our first foray into Indian cuisine came out a complete success. The Pork Vindaloo recipe in their latest issue was attempted in our kitchen over the past two days with the goal of serving it to our group of Usual Suspects! A rich combination of fire and spice, this vindaloo was a big hit at our recent dinner and provided us with days of leftovers. Do be cautious with the chiles as the Arbols are a spicy beast. I tasted the stew after I browned the meat to check for the heat level and wound up adding more chilies but still only about 3/4 of what the recipe asks for. Proceed at your own risk!

Ingredients

2 pounds of pork butt or shoulder or lamb, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
2-inch piece of cinnamon stick, shattered
6-8 dried red Thai or Arbol chiles, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons Hungarian sweet paprika
3 tablespoons cider vinegar, divided
1 tablespoon tamarind pulp or 1 tablespoon of tamarind concentrate
1 tablespoon minced ginger
10 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons coconut or peanut oil, divided
3 white onions, cut into half moons
1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
3 Roma tomatoes, cut into big chunks or 1can small can of whole tomatoes
4 green cardamom pods, split
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
1/4 cup toasted chopped cashews
chopped cilantro (optional)

Preparation

1. Rub pork all over with 1 teaspoon of salt. In a spice grinder combine peppercorns, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, half the chiles and paprika. Grind to powder and turn into a bowl with a mixture of 2 tablespoons of vinegar, the tamarind, ginger, garlic and 1 teaspoon oil. Place cubed meat into a gallon zip lock bag and pour spice mixture in with the meat. Seal the bag and squish the contents together until well mixed. Chill overnight.

2. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Fry onions until browned. Scoop out and set aside. Add remaining oil and add meat. Cook until browned.

3. Return the onions to the pot along with brown sugar, tomatoes, cardamom pods, remaining whole chiles (split them before adding), 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 hours or until meat is very tender. If stew is very liquidy after an hour, continue simmering with the lid off. Season to taste with salt, vinegar and cayenne if using. Top with cahews and cilantro.

Serves about 4-6

Serve the Vindaloo over a saffroned Basmati rice. We doubled the recipe and cut down a bit on the chiles. Be careful, they are hot!

Bon Appetit!

Trick OR Treat?

2011-10-31T14:05:00.000-07:00

58 years ago today, I was born to my parents, in Bakersfield, California. I joke to friends that my mother always told me that when I was born I was more of a trick than a treat. Not actually, but it's good for a laugh.

So, 58 years! Man, where'd the time go? I was looking at an old driver's license of my grandmother's the other day and realized that it was a photo of her when she was 56 years old. I thought that was ancient way back then. Of course, now days it's considered middle age, except for a few businesses that offer a "senior" discount that includes those 55 and above. You bet I take advantage of it, too.

I joke with my students that I am as old as dirt or that I used to have to dodge dinosaurs on the way to school when I was a kid. Some of them are guillable enough to believe it for a minute or two. Then they smile and say, "Ah, Mr. G!" and giggle.

On this, the 58 Halloween of my life, nothing would make me happier than to be old enough once more to go trick or treating in my old neighborhood. The old lady on the corner gave out homemade caramel apples. That was always our first stop. Then there were the stay-at-home moms who made popcorn balls or made up bags of treats tied with a neat little bow. Those homes where the approach to the front door was a scary walk through a jungle of jack o' lanterns and cob webs, graveyards, scarecrows and ghouls. We all huddled close so as to be a little less scared as we made our approach to the door and hollered "trick or treat."

Now days kids don't dare take anything homemade. It has to be manufactured and even then it gets x-rayed or cut up and carefully inspected before it can pass the lips of any little goblin. In our neighborhood, for years now, not a soul has come by our house. We leave the light on. Everyone on our block knows us. But no one comes.

Kids go from store to store in the mall or have parties at church or at home, but trick or treating seems nearly a thing of the past in our neighborhood. It's sad really. But I have lovely shivery memories of the haunted house at the school carnival the week before Halloween, where everyone who made it through the maze of older kids jumping out to scare you while holding their guts (cooked spaghetti) in their hands or their eye balls (grapes in red jello), and we would be handed a slimmy uncooked chicken wing when we exited.

Halloween night the streets were filled with little ghosts and goblins, witches, Superman and other super heroes of the day. Few parents were out and about. We just made the rounds of our neighorhood where every home knew who you were. Then we marched home with our grocery sacks sagging with the loot of the night to be poured out on our bedspread, counted, sorted and traded with other siblings who had too many of your favorite candy. The counting and sorting went on for days until we lost interest. Then, over a few weeks, the bag became the depository for empty wrappers and Halloween was officially over for another year.

Happy Halloween to all my little trick or treater friends out there. I just took a poll of my students at school and 100% of them will be out trick or treating tonight. That's good news! Everyone, please drive carefully.

Back to School

2011-10-24T21:53:00.000-07:00

After a summer and early Fall of inactivity and relaxing into my new life as a retired elementary school teacher, I found myself re-upping into the teacher core when I received a phone call from my former teaching partner of 16 years. She asked if she could drop by our home one afternoon. Hmmmm!

Teresa explained that she had health issues and she was asking the school district for a couple of months of sick leave. She wanted to know if I'd be interested in taking over for her. I found myself jumping at the opportunity. It would mean working in the same classroom until the Christmas break. It would mean working with my class from last year. Now they were 6th graders but they were also one of the best classes I have ever had. I quickly agreed.

I began the job October 13th and I'm now in my second full week. The kids are great! The schedule is bizarre! Reading is in the afternoon, science and social studies are first thing in the morning. Reading and math are both an hour and a half long leaving very little time for much else in the day. Still, it is great to be back. Yet, I will also be happy to edge back into the slower pace of retirement, subbing only on days when I feel like it.

More later. . .

The Best Coleslaw You Will Ever Eat

2011-09-28T12:45:00.000-07:00

No idle threat. This stuff is crazy good. Now having said that, call me crazy but I have always loved the Colonel's, KFC's coleslaw. But this is way better and it is good either as a side salad for lunch or dinner or a picnic AND it is awesome on a pulled pork sandwich.

I confess, the recipe is not mine. I found it some years ago as part of a pulled pork recipe I have since tossed out. But this slaw was a keeper! It's easy and quick to make, too!

Southern-Style Coleslaw with Buttermilk Dressing

¾ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup Dijon mustard

¼ cup packed brown sugar

3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 Tablespoons buttermilk

4 teaspoons celery seeds

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

3 cups shredded green cabbage (about ½ head)

3 cups shredded red cabbage (about ½ head)

1 green bell pepper, finely diced

1 large carrot, peeled and shredded

½ cup grated yellow onion

¼ cup minced parsley

In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, sugar, vinegar, buttermilk, celery seeds, salt, pepper, cayenne, and whisk well to dissolve the sugar.

In a bowl, combine ingredients. Toss with the dressing until evenly coated. Adjust seasoning to taste. Place in the refrigerator, covered, to chill slightly before serving.

Serve as a side salad or top pulled pork sandwiches with this incredible slaw.

Yields: 8 Servings

A New Look

2011-09-28T12:40:00.000-07:00

A of this posting my blog has a new look. I am not sure of it yet. That is, whether I like it or not, but I am willing to see if it grows on me. or not. So, don't be surprised if there are further adjustments in the near future. But for now, ta-dah! What do you think? Send me comments or suggestions and I'll do some more thinking and tweaking.

Retirement Sets In

2011-09-15T15:46:00.000-07:00

My wife went off to her first day of work today. I got up with her at 7 am and fixed her breakfast. Oatmeal with apple sauce and a sliced banana, coffee the way she likes it, and a couple of slices of turkey bacon. A kiss goodbye and she was off to work. I stayed home. I'm retired.

So, while she headed off to department and university meetings, luncheons and planning meetings, I tidied up around the house, did the laundry and got dinner ready. My big adventure out of the house was the 50 yard walk up the street to the mailbox to collect our mail. Oh, I nearly forgot. I started a shopping list. I think there are two items on it so far.

I'm not sure what will come next. I'm not feeling like I ought to be somewhere or doing something. I'm perfectly happy staying at home. I know that will change in time. I'll feel the need to get involved and do something. But for now. . .

A Big Fish Tale

2011-09-09T07:39:00.000-07:00

The annual fishing trip to Ucluelet, British Columbia, Canada has wrapped up. Three days filled with fishing for King and Coho salmon and Halibut off the west coast of Vancouver Island.

With my friends Ken Marshall and Rick Scribner, we headed from our home here in Bellingham, Washington to the rustic fishing village with Rick driving and towing his 24 foot Campion Explorer fishing boat. Each year for the past 5 years, Rick has taken us to this amazing fishing ground where we have been dazzled by the shear numbers and size of the fish we catch. This year was no exception!

Despite the fishing not living up to Rick's description of what it had been like two weeks prior, when the fishing was the best he could remember in many years, we managed to do just fine. We had to work at it though. Our days would start with a couple of great fish and then things just died. Then we'd get the occasional bite or two and then nothing. Around the early afternoon, when the tide changed. the bite would be on and we'd get hit hard again. Then things trailed off with long periods of no action which Rick left wondering what to try next. Our fishing guide to these waters and fishing teacher, was in constant motion switching out lures, trying other depths (always with a 7 involved, 67 feet, 87 feet). But by the end of the day we had fish in the boat and some big ones at that.

By the end of the first day we scored several Kings, a few Coho and I caught one halibut when Rick dropped the lure to the bottom to try something different. All of a sudden, I'm hauling up a 20-25 pound halibut, the only one of the trip.

Day two started out the same as the first day but in the afternoon the weather turned wicked. Swells 8-10 feet high, fog persisted all day with intermittent sun breaks, and the wind started up. It was miserable by late afternoon and we finally packed it up and headed in with another hard fought load of fish.

I didn't expect much for day three with regards to the weather. The report indicated more of the same from day two's storm, but a tapering off of the wind and seas by afternoon. So we headed out of the Ucluelet inlet expecting a very rough ride. The inlet was deceivingly calm, but when we made the turn to head into open water we were pleasantly surprised to find the sea was about as calm and flat as it ever gets. The weather turned out to be fantastic the entire day. In fact it seemed to get even better as the day went along. We had gorgeous views of the mountains that lined the shore 15 miles away and the water was absolutely flat calm.

The fishing was pretty much the same as it had been the previous two days except that we started to pick up more Coho. We had caught Coho the previous two days but as luck would have it, we caught mostly natives instead of the hoped for hatchery fish. The difference being that the adipose fin located between the dorsal and tail fins is removed on the hatchery fish. So when you catch a Coho you need to carefully look for the absence of that fin before you bop it on the head and roll it into your holding tank. The fine for possession of one of these natives is $100. The exception to this rule is based on where you catch the Coho. There are areas of the fishery where you can keep these natives, so be aware of this rule while fishing in the region.

The biggest thrill for me on this trip occurred while I was doing my usual bird dogging of my line. I can stare down my rod tip for hours waiting for the least little nibble to indicate the presence of a potential adversary down in the depths. The time to really pay attention occurs when the rod tip begins to jump and then suddenly springs from it's normally arced position. This indicates that a fish has pulled hard enough to release the line from the down rigger pin. In one quick move you need to get to your feet, grab the rod from the rod holder and begin reeling in.

I don't recall which of us it was, but someone suddenly had a fish on and is sometimes the case when it looks like a possible keeper, we began bringing up the other lines in the water to give the fish plenty of room and to keep it from entangling the other lines. I began reeling in my line and it had nearly reached the surface when something hit my plug hard and leaped out of the water. Coho? They often attack lines right at the surface. But this fish didn't feel like a Coho.

It felt like a King and Rick seemed to think so as well. When the line started reeling out, I knew I had a battle on my hands. I tightened the drag a bit to make the King work a little harder to take my line, but he continued running off more line. Rod tip up, I reeled like mad between runs. Slowly, but surely I brought the King up closer to the boat. Our first look at him after about a 10 minute tug of war was a jaw dropper. It was definitely a big King. Even now, close to the boat, the King wanted to play. He kept swimming back and forth and occasionally diving, but by now, with the pressure I kept on the fish and the fact that he was tiring, it was only a matter of time and whether he would throw the hook, a real potential threat using barbless hooks.

Rick held out the net and as I slowly guided the fish in close to the side of the boat, the big King was scooped up and hoisted aboard. I learned that I had caught a Tyee, any salmon over 30 pounds. Rick weighed the King with his digital scale and it came in at about 36 pounds, the biggest salmon I had ever caught.

We caught some other big Kings, Rick landed another Tyee that was a beauty. We also managed to land a couple of really nice Cohos. But I will never forget the thrill of catching my Tyee. Feeling the power of that fish through the rod, the excitement of the battle to bring it in, really connects you with the power of these beautiful fish.

Our trip ended with the final catch of a really nice Coho keeper. We made a high speed run back to port over the flat calm sea. Fish cleaned and put on ice, the boat out of the water, washed down and trailered, we headed off to dinner and a final night of sleep before the long trip home.

If we are lucky enough to be invited back to Ucluelet again next year, I know I plan to be there. The memory of feeling that Tyee on the end of my line is still fresh in my mind. I wonder, is there a 40 pounder out there with my name on it?

Dolma or Stuffed Grape Leaves

2011-09-08T12:38:00.000-07:00

I seldom see these tasty mediterranean delights outside of ethnic restaurants and delis. To many folks they may seem a lot of work for so little payoff. But really they are quite simple to make, aside from the bit of extra time it takes to roll each one. Yes, you can go to a local deli and buy them pre-made, but homemade dolmas allow you to use up left overs, control what goes into them and you get the bragging rights when your guests oooo and ahhh over these tasty morsels.

Mezzetta brand is my favorite!

You needn't deal with the gathering of the grape leaves themselves. There are several fine companies which take care of that for you. I like the Mezzetta brand, the makers of a variety of olive, pepper and other pickled products. One jar will give you enough grape leaves to make 25-30 or so dolmas, enough to fill an 8 1/2 by 11 casserole. Plenty for an appie at your next party.

To prepare the filling for your dolmas, either make some cooked rice, white or brown, if you want to be healthy about it. Or perhaps you have some left over rice from a previous meal. Place it into a mixing bowl. Allow to cool to room temperature. Decide what you want to add to the filing mixture. Traditional additions might include ground lamb, pine nuts, currants, mint, onions, tomato paste and any number of spices including allspice, cinnamon, dill and cumin. But don't feel like you need to hold to tradition. Ground beef will work fine. Don't like allspice? Leave it out. Ran out of pine nuts? Leave them out, too. Use what you have in the fridge and spice cabinet. Any number of recipes are available on-line if you just really must have a specific recipe.

My bowl of dolma filling

Here is the sequence of my most recent effort. I used brown rice, mint (chiffonade the mint) from my garden, diced carrots, diced pickled red peppers from a jar I had in the fridge, raisins, shredded parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste.

I added ingredients to the mixing bowl until I liked the color of the mixture. Mine came out looking like a bowl of paella!

I drained the jar of grape leaves and then carefully unfolded them so that they laid flat on my preparation surface. One leaf at a time usually although it is okay to use two small ones and overlap them to help make the dolmas more consistent in size. Lay the grape leaf with the veins of the leaf facing up and place the stem end at the top. Spoon a little of your filling onto the leaf just below the stem. You'll get the hang of how much you need after a couple of tries. Fold the right and left lobes of the leaves inward toward the middle and then roll as tightly as you can like you are making a burrito tucking in the edges of the leaf as you roll. Be patient, you'll get the hang of it.

As you get each dolma rolled, place it into an 8 1/2 by 11 inch glass casserole so they sit snug against each other. Pour broth, either chicken or beef or lamb if you have it, into the casserole and then a dry white wine until the dolmas are covered about half way up their sides. Pour olive oil over the dolmas, cover the casserole with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until the grape leaves are tender.

I guarantee these tasty tidbits will fly off the plate when you put them out on the table. Buon apetito!

Smoked Salmon

2011-08-25T21:03:00.000-07:00

The other day I was shopping at our favorite grocery store in B'ham--The Bellingham Grocery Outlet (BGO). I know the Grocery Outlet is not the classiest place to shop for groceries and it isn't here in B'ham either. But Bellinghamsters of all stripes shop at our BGO and the folks that work there are so friendly and helpful. No, they don't always have what you are looking for, but that is why we shop there first. What we can't find on our shopping list we get at Fred Meyer across town. The other day I was wandering the aisles and came across the end display with the leftovers from a backyard display that had been much larger at the beginning of the summer, garden hoses, tools, cheap yard art, lawn awnings, all sorts of stuff.

Tucked under the only shelf on this end display was what looked like a black mini-fridge. A small, hand written sign said, $69.99. Always looking for a bargain, I gave it a second glance and noticed the door had a thermometer mounted on it. Then I realized this was a smoker. I opened it and found that it seemed to have all of the parts needed to put it together. Still not convinced that this was a real deal, I wrote down the maker's name and the model numer, then headed home with the idea of checking it out on line. Amazingly, this particular model and the company itself had received rave reviews from the 20 plus reviewers. I checked several sites to see how much this model should cost. The cheapest price I found was $150 on-line. So I drove back to the BGO and bought one of the two they had left. $70!!! The device went together very easily. The hardest part was getting it from the garage to our back deck where I had decided I would park it next to my BBQ. It's a heavy bear but the two BBQing devices look good next to each other.

My buddy Rick, who has taught me all of what little I know regarding salmon fishing, boating and anything else having to do with the northwest outdoors, gave me about a beautiful filet of marbled King salmon to test out the new smoker. I had found a recipe on-line at a smoked meat f orum site. The guy's recipe sounded great and looked great from his photos. So I decided to give it a try.

I made up the dry rub (recipe follows) in a 12 quart plastic tub with a lid that seals well. I prepped the salmon filet by cutting it into rectangular chunks of 2 or 3 inches by 5-6 inches. Then, according to this recipe, I carefully removed the skin from each piece. Normally I leave the skin on. It's less trouble for one thing. I placed the salmon pieces into the tub with the rub and snapped on the lid. Carefully turning the tub upside down a couple of times, I had the salmon pretty well covered with the rub. Into the fridge it went overnight, about 10-12 hours. Opening the tub about halfway through this process, I could see a lot of liquid had developed, I suppose due to the salt drawing it out of the salmon. I flipped the tub over a couple of times to mix it up a bit and then back into the fridge. The next day I removed the tub from the fridge, opened it up and began rinsing the rub off each salmon chunk, patting them dry and then placing them onto the smoker racks.

The salmon covered racks were left out to air dry for about 10 hours. when the air drying process was about done, I began prepping the smoker. I lined the bottom of the smoker with foil and poked a hole in the foil above the grease drain hole so it can drain into the grease trap under the smoker. I lined the water and wood chip trays with foil and filled them with water and wood chips. I use Alder chips found in most any sporting goods store unless you have a friend who can supply fresh stuff from the woods. These containers were placed on the rack in the smoker. I pre-heated the smoker to 150 degrees, slid in the racks of salmon and sealed the door. Every couple of hours I checked the salmon and spritzed it with a spray bottle filled with apple juice. This gives the finished salmon its glossy finished look.

At about 8 hours I start carefully looking at the salmon to see if it is finished. You want to check it with a knife to see if it looks right. Choose a piece of salmon as your test piece. Use the tip of the knife to pull it apart and look for a nice flaky interior. When finished after 8-10 hours pull the salmon racks out and let it cool on the counter. Remove the salmon carefully with a metal pancake turner and place individual pieces in seal-a-meal pouches. Freeze it if your aren't going to use it right away.

Dry Rub Recipe

2 cups brown sugar
2 cups course salt
1/8 cup black pepper
1/4 cup onion powder
1/4 cup garlic powder

Blend together. Coat each piece of salmon with the rub and refrigerate over night, turning the pieces at least once during the process. Rinse the rub from the salmon pieces and pat them dry. Smoke them until you have achieved the desired level of doneness.

Ecuador--Summing Up the Experience!

2011-08-21T15:08:00.000-07:00

So, what do you need to know to do Quito?

Well, it is a Spanish speaking city so if you plan to go, the better your ability to speak the language, the better your experience will be. We did not find that most people can, like in most European cities, speak English if it really comes down to it. On the streets and in the places we visited, in and outside Quito, you really need to have a pretty good handle on the language.

In airports, really high end hotels, in museums and while we were in the Galapagos Islands, English speakers were very available.

If you get into a taxi, you better have a clear understanding of what the price will be before you drive off. Look for taxis with meters and insist they turn it on, but don't be surprised if they won't. So firm up that price. You are a wealthy person by most measures to these people or at least they think you are. So, your price for some things may be different than that of a local. Negotiate a price whenever possible and if you can't come to an agreement then thank the person very much, smile and walk away. Don't take it personally. They are just trying to get the best price they can to provide for their family.

Like everywhere, not everyone is honest and some people just make mistakes. Always take the time to count your change BEFORE you leave the counter and if you feel you've been short changed, suggest that they owe you a little more. Keep smiling and assume it was an honest mistake. No point in turning the situation into an international incident.

Keep small bills with you. In Ecuador, remember, they use U.S. currency so your dollars work here. You will also be given U.S. coins but these are also mixed with Ecuadorian centavos so spend them before you leave the country. A lot of shops won't accept the larger bills of $20 or larger. So when you buy a more expensive item be sure to hold onto those tens or fives and especially the dollars for taxi or bus rides or even dinner. Dollars are also very common in coin form. Ever wonder what happened to those Sacagawea dollars no one wanted in the U.S.? Go to Ecuador and you'll have pockets full of them!

Don't drink the water. Buy your water and you may well save yourself from some serious gastric distress. Water is inexpensive. To save money and more plastic bottles from entering the environment, buy water in multi-liter bottles at the SuperMaxi grocery stores and pour water into the fancy water bottle you brought from home for your day out exploring.

While were on the subject of water, it is very important for you to make sure you drink plenty of water while at this higher elevation. Being well hydrated will help you in the adjustment to the altitude, and it keeps your energy level higher, too.

Toilets! The toilets here are western style with a couple of differences. A lot of places ask you not to flush ANY paper down the toilet. A trash can is placed next to the toilet and that is where all your toilet paper goes. Otherwise, you may clog their sensitive system. Another important difference is that you may find there is no toilet paper in many public toilets. Sometimes it is sold by a monitor who sort of lives in the bathroom. Other places may charge you to get into the toilet. Still others may have a roll in one place in the bathroom and you need to remember to take some with you BEFORE entering the stall. Finally, it's a good idea to grab some from your hotel toilet and stuff it into your daypack or pocket because there will be places where there will be no paper at all.

Uneven walks are an issue all over. Wear a good pair of walking shoes and keep an eye out for where you're going. Chunks of sidewalk may loom out of nowhere or a hole in the sidewalk may swallow you up (kidding) or you may be walking where suddenly no sidewalk exists. A turned ankle can really put a damper on things. Keep an eye out for doggie gifts and a myriad other items that just might come out of nowhere.

Traffic is absolutely loco in Quito! Pedestrians basically have no rights except on red lights and even then you are responsible for your own safety. Cross at crosswalks and corners only and then only when you are quite sure it is safe. Then look again and run!

Shots? There are places in Ecuador where getting shots and or taking malaria medication is advisable. Check on the Centers for Disease Control website to see what you need before you go. Quito and the Galapagos Islands did not require any shots or medications. However, sun screen and insect repellant are a good idea.

Ecuador was an amazing place and I highly recommend it. But decide what method of travel best suits your needs when you decide to go. You can have a really close to the ground adventure, backpacking through the Amazon and across the Andes or you can buy carefully planned tours where you can see most of the country from a bus window.

The Galapagos Islands are going to require you to get on your feet, walk and sweat a little.

However you choose to travel in Ecuador, you will have an unforgettable adventure, meet wonderful people and a simply gorgeous country.

Bon Voyage!

Dia Vente: Our Final Day in Ecuador!

2011-08-21T15:05:00.000-07:00

Slept in this final day. Well, until 8:30. Breakfasted in the hotel dining room, showered and began the processed of packing ourselves and all our purchases. Finally got everything packed in the safest way possible. We have a few rather fragile items that we'll take aboard the flights with us. My shortness of breath continued though a bit better today. I am just exhausted and feel like I have had enough and seen enough of Quito. Guess it's time to go home.

Leslie had a couple more churches she just had to see and she wanted to find the place that sold the best helados in Quito, so she deposited me in the atrium courtyard in the back of the hotel and headed off. I was supremely happy in this airy, quiet space. Open to two floors above, this room is decorated in beautiful paintings, comfortable but formal furniture, a small bar, antiques and two computers for guest use. I set up shop here while Leslie went out. I managed some reading, accessed my blog and did a bit of writing.

A couple of hours later, Leslie came back holding a good share of an ice cream cone. She had found the helados stand and had sweetly brought back part of her cone. It held part of two fresh fruit scoops, one of fresh fig and the other strawberry. We chatted about the places she'd visited and then headed to the eatery we had discovered the night before around the corner and had lunch. Leslie got her Llapingocha she got last time we were there. I got something that didn't look at all like the photo. It looked like the bits and ends of meat left after it had been in the fryer too long. We had overstayed our welcome apparently. We did enjoy the berry jugo (juice).

At 5:00 we asked for a taxi and the one that arrived had no meter. He was already putting our luggage in the trunk and was hedging on the price he would charge. He wanted us in the taxi and moving before he talked price. We started pulling our luggage aside and asking for the price we knew should be between $8-10. Our threats finally locked in a price of $8. He drove like a bat out of hell, swerving in and out of traffic, honking as he went. We screeched to a stop in front of the international terminal. The rest of the process, with the exception of a two hour layover in Guyaquil on the way, was the reverse of our journey here and not worth repeating.

As I write we are sitting in the aircraft taxiing out for take off to Miami. In about 4 hours we should land there and then head for our final flight on Alaska Airlines to Seattle.

Well, that about does it. It has been an interesting trip. Certainly one of the most adventurous and challenging we have ever been on. I have added a few more thoughts below concerning our experience and plan to add an entry that sort of sums up our experience and gives a few suggestions for those planning a trip to Ecuador.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A word about our experience here in Ecuador. When we started investigating the possibility of our trip here we went on to the U.S. State Department website and as I expressed in an earlier blog, it scared the hell out of me. As we now near the end of our time here I must report that our experience has been absolutely the opposite of anything we have read or heard as it pertains to any negative experiences. We have simply had none. Not one incident that made either of us uncomfortable or insecure in the least. If anything I am angry with myself for having left my Nikon SLR at home. So many potential photos were left untaken because the mini-Nikon we brought couldn't take the photo. This is not to say, as I also expressed in the earlier blog, that anyone should merrily prance down the streets of Quito without taking any precautions. I listed some of those precautions in that blog and I stand by them. This is a big city and like any big city anywhere in the world, things can happen. I'm just saying it didn't happen to us and, knock on wood, it shouldn't happen to you either. The police and security presence here is unbelievable right now, but that presence could disappear tomorrow for all I know. Be prepared, be careful and, as my daughter has told me on the occasions that my scaredy cat side comes out, you can't live your life in fear of what might happen! Did I mention my kid is smart?

Our interactions with locals can be described as having been open, honest and caring. Ecuadorians have a deep love for their country, for their families, their faith and in the future of their country. Current President Rafael Correa has done a great deal to create faith in the government as a body that is trying to make everyone's lives better.

The cost of living is high here. Clothing, electronics, appliances are very expensive compared to the U.S. A new Apple iphone that I recently purchased for $50 in the States would be $1,000 here. Food, however, is cheap. You can pay exorbitantly prices at high end restaurants in ritzier parts of Quito, but the food won't be any better and it certainly won't feel more authentic than the little joints you'll find in the neighborhoods. Look to publications like The Lonely Planet for suggestions, but also, look where the locals are going. If it's full of what look like tourists, it may not be that great. If you see a place filled with happy locals, take a chance. You may have the best meal of your trip and here in Ecuador that means you can get a full meal for easily under $5. We were in a place that served a business lunch, soup, jugo, main and dessert for $2 and it looked great.

And while we are on the subject of food, dear readers, when we travel to other countries we go there to experience their culture in every way possible. We do not go to see how their culture has adjusted to ours. If you must eat American fast food, stay home. It is a sad statement on our country that our fast food giants have found it necessary to export our diet to other countries and as hard as France might want to turn its nose up at any food not French, France is actually the number 2 consumer of McDonalds hamburgers in the world. Sad isn't. When the French want to go out for some foreign food and think of America, they think McDonalds not any of the hundreds of regional cuisines indigenous to specific parts of our country. Go to embrace all things from that country (presuming they are legal). That may mean trying some pretty unusual foods. When in Argentina we ate the parrillas, the platter of beef parts BBQed over open fires. Here in Ecuador I tried tripe stew, chuy (guinea pig) and other plates containing meat parts still mysterious to me. But, hey, I found out that they were really good (Though I'm still not sure about the tripe) and if you just can't down it, no worries. You aren't going to starve.

Thanks for traveling with us and Bon Voyage!

Dia Diez y Nueve: Back to Quito!

2011-08-21T15:00:00.000-07:00

Our last day of the Galapagos adventure! There was a final shore excursion to a nearby beach but not wanting to get wet or have to return to take a shower when they were already pushing us to leave our room so they could clean it for the next occupant, I elected to stay in the room. I also had some final packing to do and to just relax.

Leslie went ashore and after a couple of hours returned. We had set out our luggage which was picked up to be sent on the the airport ahead of us. We had a final lunch out on the fantail bar area, chatted up our new friends, took photos of everyone and just relaxed until we were called to the our panga for the trip to the Baltra dock and the bus to the airport.

All went well with this process. Our flight was on time and we were whisked back to Guyaquil and then on to Quito. A taxi ride to our new hotel digs and we were moved in by the end of the day. We walked around the corner for a quick dinner which turned out to be pretty good and then back to our room for the night.

My altitude issues came back with a vengeance. Any effort needed to go uphill or stairs and I have to stop to catch my breath before moving on. While in the Galapagos I had no problems at all. So my last two days are going to be about taking it easy, I think.

The hotel's breakfast room is on the top floor two flights up from our room. What a view awaited us. Entirely glassed in the dining room looked out across the old town, church domes and spires, hillside homes and looking up La Virgin de Quito statue towers over the city.

We had arranged to meet with Leslie's former student, Jilly, who had returned from a vacation back home in the states. She had volunteered to show us around and when she arrived at the hotel our first morning back, we decided to go out to Mindo, a small town about two hours by bus from Quito. We taxied nearly an hour to the bus station before boarding a bus for the ride out. $3 per person. It was a wild ride in which I discovered I can get a little motion sick. We were dropped off at the side of the road in the middle of no where. Across the road was a guy with a pick up truck with a canopy. We crawled into the back and he drove us the final couple of km into Mindo.

We stopped at a restaurant/hostel called Caskaffesu owned by an American expat. I have no idea what it means but it was cute as a button. Had a great lunch of grilled local trout, Leslie had a trout cebiche and then we walked a short distance up a side street to a place that breeds and displays butterflies and orchids and hummingbirds for the public to see. We also hired a local driver to haul us uphill over a rutted, potholed dirt road to reach the Tarabita an attraction that is an open cable car that runs on a gas powered motor that runs a four person car along a single cable out across the rainforest canopy. We were about 400 feet above a river and the surrounding tree tops at the midpoint. There was not enough time for us to do any of the hiking to several waterfalls on the other side so the operator pulled us back to the middle and then stopped, then ran us back partway, finally bringing us back to the starting point. It was exhilarating and my fear of heights for some reason didn't bother me at all. The whole thing would never be allowed in the States without any safety devices and the checks that would be required, but it was fine. We thanked the operators, piled back into the truck and headed back down the hill to Mindo, through town, picking up passengers and dropping them off as we went. We even stopped once so the driver could chat with a friend who happened to be riding a burro up the hill. At another point we pulled over and out of the forest walks a guy holding a very sharp machete! Leslie remembers thinking to herself that all Michael's fears about this country would now come true and we'd be hacked to pieces and stripped of our money belts with all that cash we were still carrying around. No such luck! He was just a buddy of our friendly driver who stopped to give him a ride into town.

We continued on through Mindo and up the hill the way we'd come until we reached the bus stop where we were dropped off at the side of the highway to await the bus to Quito. It showed up in 15 minutes which began the bus ride from hell!

A two hour bus ride back to Quito, only there are no seats left on the bus, no windows open to offer any ventilation and a driver who learned to drive at the Quito branch of the Parnelli Jones school of bus driving--there are no rules and you take all corners as fast as you dare while playing Latin rap music as loudly as possible. Standing all the way back to Quito, only $1. We paid the bribe of $5 so I could sit down. Leslie sat on my knee and eventually she and Jilly both got a seat of their own. Jilly finally, mercifully, got us off the bus when we got close enough to Quito to grab a cab. We took it far enough to drop her off and then on to our hotel.

I opted out of the dinner with Jilly and some of her friends on La Ronda which is along Guyaquil Street where the buildings have ornate wrought iron balconies like the ones in New Orleans. I'm done! 6 hours of buses and taxis to spend 3 hours in the country side. Ugh! Leslie is kind of stuck what with Jilly being a former student and her local friends wanting to meet her. Tomorrow we pack for the trip home, stay close to the hotel and relax. About 6:00 pm we will depart for the airport for the first of three flights home. I am so looking forward to it. As much as I enjoyed it, I am really ready to go home.

Dia Quince: The Galapagos Islands

2011-08-21T14:27:00.000-07:00

Up early for breakfast at 7:00 before heading off to our first adventure of the day, a wet landing, a 2 hour hike followed by snorkeling on Santiago Island. We landed on a curving black sand beach and hiked out to Egas Point. On the way in our guide spotted a few Blue-Footed Boobies, a famous bird here for it's blue feet, of course. He navigated the dinghy in close to the rocks the birds were sitting on so we could get some photos. We came within a few feet of the rocks but managed to stay off of them and get our photos.

Ashore we headed out to the point where got up close and personal with a number of seal pups and their moms. One pup in particular was still attached to it's placenta and dragged it around while trying to get at it's mother to nurse. Other pups lay about alone due to their mothers being at sea eating. We also saw very tame mockingbirds, fur seals, plenty of Sally Light-Foot Crabs and more marine iguanas as we clambering over the aa and pahoahoa types of lava.

Back at the beach we had the best snorkeling experience of the trip. I swam over to the rocky point of the bay and the crystal clear water exposed the bottom some 40 or 50 feet or more in places. Fish of every color and size swam in small schools here and schools in the hundreds or thousands in other places. Looking at the brilliant variety below me I nearly missed running into a lone sea turtle leisurely making it's way right in front of me. We swam along together for a while until I headed off towards my goal when to my surprise a sea lion as big as me swam by gracefully. We swam parallel with each other, the sea lion turning it's head to look at me and I her in a sort of double take. I continued to explore the view of the bottom amazed at the incredible variety of fish, the colors, shapes and sizes. I saw what looked like a Grouper come out from under a rocky shelf only to quickly dive under another out of sight. It looked to be about 3-4 feet in length and had a huge girth. I would guess it must have been at least 75 pounds or more. I swam back towards my starting point and sat on sandy ledge,allowing the cool Galapagos sea to wash over me. This was probably the best snorkeling I have ever had in all my diving experiences around the world. The clarity of the water, the variety of sea life and ease of access made it unforgettable!

Back aboard, exhausted, but happy, showers and lunch, then a nap. For me also, time to get caught up on this journal. We, disappointedly, had to turn in our snorkeling gear this afternoon. Only got to snorkel twice. Leslie three times. There was another opportunity this afternoon, but it was described as a deep dive and that didn't appeal to us so we elected to nap instead.

The afternoon adventure was on the small island of Rabida. This is known as the red island due to the iron rich lava that formed it. The lava then rusted giving the island it's color. We started with a panga ride up the rocky coastline. The turquoise water was so clear we could see the bottom 3-4 fathoms deep easily. Red cliffs rose vertically in places two hundred feet or more. Cactus and scraggly plants clung to the cliffs. In other places the lava created island comes right down to the water. Here and there sea lion mothers and their pups basked in the sun clinging to a small outcropping of rock. Blue-Footed Boobies rested on other crags while others dive bombed into the water around us hoping to catch a fish. We also saw pelicans, cormorants, crabs and marine iguanas. We turned after an hour and sped back the way we came making a wet landing on a red sand beach where we were greeted by a small colony of sea lions and pups.

They allowed us to walk nearly up to them where we took photos. A short walk inland we came upon a salt water lake inhabited by three beautiful pink flamingos feeding on brine shrimp which exist here due to the higher salinity of the lake water. It was also near this lake that I was approached by a small brown speckled bird. It hopped and fluttered around me, jumping up and down, then staring at me it would begin it's antics all over again until it finally flew down on top of a small rock right in front of me and turned it's head to look up at me as if waiting for applause for the tricks it had done. I rewarded the little bird with a portrait and had a one way conversation thanking the little fellow for being so cooperative. He flew off and that ended our relationship.

Our group next walked back out onto the beach where we walked to the end of the beach where cliffs took over and we could walk no further. It was along that route that we came across more sea lions, pelicans, Boobies, all up close and easily photographed. By the end of the walk we were standing in the surf looking up a hundred foot red cliff while taking photos of another bird species or watching a sea lion come ashore. In the distance, our ship, the Galapagos Legend, sat off shore waiting for our panga to return us and the sun was slowly setting. Hues of orange, red and blue passed under the thin cloud cover and the sky lit up with a stunning sun set.

Our panga struggled to turn it's stern end towards the beach to pick us up. The surf was getting rough. The stern end of the panga was yawing from side. As that was the end we needed to board, this yawing made attempting it dangerous. This was the motor end and the heavy 50 horse outboard swung back and forth as well. At one point a lady walked out to get on the panga and jumped up onto the pontoon just as the boat violently swung in her direction. Had she not jumped up at that moment she might have been knocked down in the surf and quite possibly pulled under the boat. I observed all this from the safety of the beach where I had insisted we move back to until the crew had secured the dinghy.

They finally started the motor, drove the boat off shore a few yards and then made a new landing attempt. This time they backed in, the surf abated just long enough and the last three of us quickly got aboard. The sea had picked as well. White caps and frequent swells made the journey back a quite bouncy. Water sprayed over the bow and made a few people a little nervous. The heavier sea also made disembarking a little tricky since the panga passengers had to scoot along the pontoon to the front of the little dinghy and then time their step off and onto the steps on the ship just right. Quite an adventure!!

As we boarded they let us know there was an ice cream party in the forward lounge so we headed up. Three flavors if helados with all the fixings were out. We created our own sundae and then sat down with friends to share stories of the latest shore excursion. Then we headed to our room to shower and prepare for the evening. An announcement over the speaker in our room let us know that at 7:45 there would be the briefing for tomorrow's outings followed by dinner at 8:00.

Dinner was beef bourguignon for me and Fish et Papillion for Leslie. This is fish and a few veggies wrapped in parchment or foil and sealed for the cooking process. It poaches in the package. It smelled awfully fishy to me which usually indicates to me it is not fresh so I was glad I had gone with the beef.

After dinner they held a King Neptune ceremony, a tradition when crossing the equator which, by the way, we had done four times during the cruise. Leslie went and said it was lame and then dancing started with the YMCA tune. Her ankle was bothering her so she returned to the room where I had gone. By the time she got settled into bed she was asleep in 5 minutes. I wrapped up my journal and did the same. Another big day tomorrow. Night!

Dia Catorce: The Galapagos Islands

2011-08-21T11:12:00.000-07:00

I slept better than I have the past two weeks. The slow steady rocking of the ship, the steady hum of the engines lulled me right off to sleep. The sea level atmosphere also allowed me to breathe which also helped.

We awoke, dressed and headed for breakfast. What a spread. Eggs cooked anyway you like, a buffet with everything you could want and some of which you shouldn't be eating. But we're on vacation. We are going to be playing hard and heck we can go back on our oatmeal breakfast diet when we get home.

The first adventure was a wet landing on Isabela Island at Urbina Bay. A wet landing meaning the panga, or inflatable dinghy, noses up to the beach, turns it's stern end to the beach at the last minute and then lets the waves carry us in where we each, in turn, dismount into the water and walk ashore in knee deep water. This was pretty exhilarating since there was no easy of knowing exactly how deep or cold the water would be. The waves and current tossed us around and filled our sandals with the heavy volcanic sand.

Ashore we headed down the trail which lead us first to a land tortoise which just happened to be out grazing on the dew covered grass. At each stop our guide, Andres, gave us a detailed explanation of the flora and fauna of our location. He explained about the poison apple tree that we shouldn't touch because it would give us a rash, the cotton plants that actually produced cotton and had beautiful yellow flowers. The cotton bowl was surrounded by a protective set of leaves that looked like a Venus Fly Trap. We next came across individual land iguanas scattered here and there amongst the underbrush. Our hike lasted about an hour and a half after which we found ourselves back at the beach.

From there we spent about an hour snorkeling in the small bay. The water was pretty murky and not particularly good snorkeling, but was full of the nutrients that make these waters great feeding grounds. We didn't see much on this dive. Kind of disappointing. However, a few people did see several sea turtles.

Back to the ship in our panga, we showered, for the second time today, then off to lunch. We managed a well-deserved nap. Slept like a baby again.

The afternoon outing was a dry landing and hike along the shore on Espinosa Point of Fernandina Island through Mangrove trees and across lava beds. We were able to see seals lolling on the beach and among the cool mangrove trees. Sea turtles swam in the water right off shore, but the big surprise were the hundreds of marine iguanas that laid about on the rocks. They were everywhere, sometimes we nearly stepped them. They blended well with the rocks and hardly moved.

Back to the ship after a very hot hike and another shower! Dinner was a BBQ out at the bar on the fantail of the ship. Bowls of salads and rich desserts, arroz, papas, veggies and the BBQ meats, sausages, chicken, beef, pork. Huge piles of each. We ate al fresco at teak tables and chairs. A lovely sky overhead with a gentle breeze made it a lovely evening. We sat with a couple from Austin, Texas, Josh and Mary and had a delightful conversation with them.

We fell into bed by 9:30, early yes but most everyone is exhausted after a full day of heavy physical activity. Leslie had also sprained her ankle and we needed to get some ice on it. I went in search of it and before long we had her lying down with the ice pack. We were concerned about her ability to take the hike and snorkel tomorrow morning. But that's another day and so we drifted off to sleep.

Dia trece: the Galapagos Islands!

2011-08-21T10:23:00.001-07:00

5:00 am is pretty early but it means we are going to be heading to sea level where I can breathe again. We quietly dragged our luggage downstairs where the night clerk was waiting for us. He had arranged a "taxi" for us. He went out the front door and as I watched, he knocked on the window of a king cab Chevy truck. The driver was awakened. He had apparently been there a while. We were a little leery of the idea of this cab since there were no markings on it indicating it was a cab. The hotel clerk assured us it was fine and as it turned out, he was right. Still it seemed odd getting into a vehicle with a total stranger. But as has been our total experience here in Ecuador, all was well.

Getting inside the airport we looked for the person carrying a sign that read "Klein Tours". We had arrived well before we needed to, yet as we stood looking around for any sign of what to do or a person who might help us, we saw no one. 6:00 came and went and still no sign. I stood with the luggage while Leslie went off looking for someone. She finally discovered Klein Tours staff up at the ticket counter. So there was no sign? If we had just stood waiting for that sign, we would never have made the flight! So we got in the special line for us to check in and waited and waited until one of the Klein people got to us only to look at our luggage and tell us we had to go back out and in through another door to have security check out baggage. Ay! So out of the ticketing line, out the front door, around to the security line, threw our luggage onto the conveyor belt and finally got the tag allowing us to go back to the ticketing line. This time it went smoothly. We got a sticker with the name of our ship on it to wear so I guess we can't get lost. Next stop, through the security line. This too took a while. When we finally reached the spot where in the US you would be asked to remove your shoes, your belt, your computer and cell phone and all the change and keys and and other remotely metal objects from your person as well as any liquids, well you know what I mean. Here, no one cared. We placed our carry ons on the conveyor and walked through the metal detector. Nothing went off! I was approached by a guard to take off my cap. I complied. I went to get my backpack. As i picked it up another guard said in Spanish I understood, that I should take my bag to be inspected at a table he pointed to. But by the time I figured out what he had actually said, I had picked up my pack and walked on into the lounge area. No one said anything or stopped me. It was so disorganized no one looked to make sure I had complied. We both had metal including a pocket full of change that never set off the metal detectors. Hmmmm!

Our flight was never posted on the departing flights board despite their only being about 6 flights indicated at all. All of a sudden it was just announced in Spanish only that flight number 32 was boarding. If Leslie hadn't spoken Spanish we might have missed our flight. While we were waiting for our flight, Leslie went over to the only food service in the area. She got in line and watched as all the non-Spanish speaking, mostly gringos, tried to order from the Spanish only staff. They were also shorting their order by not giving them the plantain chips they were supposed to get. They even tried to short change Leslie as well as not including our plantain chips. When she started in speaking pretty fluent Spanish, her service suddenly improved, and she got the correct change. We were shuttled over to the plane in buses. Our flight was uneventful from Quito to Guayaquil where we waited about 40 minutes for a few more passengers to board and then off we flew to Baltra in the Galapagos Islands.

As we banked over the island of Baltra where the airport is located we got our first glimpse of the landscape of these islands. They appear on first glance to be pretty desolate. Desert like with cactus, volcanic rock, few if any trees, little water. We descended the ladder from the plane and headed for a series of low lying, pretty run down buildings where security and customs took their turn with us and we also handed over $200 ($100 each) for the cost to get into the Galapagos National Park which encompasses 93% of the islands' real estate. Our 5 day trip will visit several of the islands. We mounted tour buses that took us the couple of miles to the bay where several tour boats sat at anchor. In the distance, sitting like a jewel in the deep blue water sat our home for the next 5 days, the Galapagos Legend. She is an older design but absolutely beautiful and really well maintained at least where we tourists can see her.

Our bus came to a halt and it's contents spilled out onto a dock where each person was handed a life jacket and directed to get in another line waiting to step into an inflatable dinghy. These dinghies were the hard bottom type so they were pretty easy to step into and out of with the help of the young men at the bow where we boarded. Our turn came and our 20 foot dinghy filled up with about 15 persons, turned and headed to the Legend at a pretty good clip being pushed by a 50 horse outboard.

We embarked through a gangway on the port side, claimed our carry ons and headed up a flight of stairs to the reception desk on Earth Deck, which also turned out to be the deck for our stateroom, a junior suite on the starboard side. We were supposed to head to lunch after we got our key but we really wanted to see that our room was what we hoped it would be. It was!

Two big windows gave us a fabulous view out to sea or onto the islands we were anchored near. Plenty of closet space, a desk, a TV, our own bathroom. It was well appointed and roomy for our needs.

After a quick looksy, we headed to lunch. We enjoyed meeting our table mates, a family with an British dad and a German mom. The other couple were 20 somethings from India but living in Australia and traveling around the world for a year. Lunch was a buffet with so so food, too much food! We ate and chatted up our new friends. During lunch we were presented with a menu from which we were to order what we wanted for dinner. The afternoon was filled with getting our room put away, attending a briefing on what we should and shouldn't do on and off the islands given by one of our guide/naturalists and finally, attending an emergency drill.

Following the drill we were to get our snorkeling gear and prepare for the first shore party, this one to Bartolomeo Island with a climb up 400 stairs for a great view from the top of a cinder cone and then an hour of snorkeling. About the time we headed to the briefing I began feeling, well, not good. By the time the drill was over, so was I. I headed for our room and Leslie went to get her snorkeling gear. She and I were disappointed to find out that they had no masks with corrective lenses. Leslie even owns such a mask but we didn't bring it since we had so much else to bring for the workshop and we figured they'd have them available on the boat. So she is going to try it with the plain glass, but I have serious doubts since she has tried this before and found it frustrating. The last time we snorkeled I didn't need glasses so this may be frustrating for me as well.

Either way, today was a no go for me. With my little health crisis, I didn't need to be far from a bathroom and there are none available on shore! Yikes!

So Leslie headed off on the excursion without me. I insisted. So the photos of Bartolomeo Island are all courtesy of her. After a lovely nap, the best rest I have had since arriving here in Ecuador, I awoke to Leslie's knock and her return from her adventure. I listened to her story and then we headed forward to the Welcome Cocktail Party and a briefing on tomorrow's adventures.

Our dining partners are really delightful people. The young Indian couple are ER doctors. Feeling a bit better, I ventured down to the dinner which we had ordered at lunch. I ate the shrimp and the broccoli soup and not much else. Had a nice conversation with our dining partners and then went back to our cabin to settle in and head for bed.

Dia Once en Quito, Ecuador

2011-08-20T17:18:00.000-07:00

Morning dawned brightly on our eleventh day here. The choirs had gotten up early and gone their various directions. After our big day yesterday we let them do their own thing and we slept in-- until 8:30.

Both the shower and toilet in our room are running very slowly. By the time we finish a shower we are standing in 3 inches of water! Our day will be filled pretty much with the details of preparing for our next adventure, the Galapagos. We need to move some of our belongings to the hotel where we will stay when we return from the Galapagos. We can only take one bag aboard the plane out to the islands, so we asked and the hotel will store the other bags which will be filled with things we don't need or that we have acquired.

We took to take taxi over to MamaCuchara's to pick up the music they'd copied for Leslie, then over to the new hotel to drop off our extra baggage and souvenirs, then on to have lunch at what is reported to be the best place in Quito for Seco de Chivo (goat stew). A short taxi ride and we got our things safely deposited in the store room of the hotel. We Had a great seco de chivo at La Buen Sandwich under La Cathedral in the Plaza Grande. This place was highly rated by Lonely Planet and this time they got it right. Chunks of goat braised forever until they are so tender and have absorbed the essence of the sauce they braised in, served next to the ever=present mound of rice, some papas and slices of avocado. Muy Bueno!

We also bought one of those great helados from a vendor in the square like the one we enjoyed along our way yesterday, though this one wasn't nearly as rich.

The next stop, another must see when in Quito. We grabbed a taxi and asked to be taken to the Guayasamin museum, the great 20th century painter who lived here in Quito most of his life.

One would think that a taxi driver would know who this great man was and how to take tourists to his museum. And our taxi driver assured us he did. Not this guy. Oh, he said he knew how to get there, but by the time we had gone through a very long tunnel and through a toll booth, we had a pretty good idea he was hopelessly lost. We pulled over at Leslie's insistence and asked a guy who happened to be walking along the side of the road. He pointed up, way up, and back the way we came. Way back the way we came. Back through the toll booth, through the tunnel and up, up, way up. Leslie's map skills began to pay off as we zeroed in on the place and finally found it. Then the two of them started discussing what a fair fare would be. He insisting we should pay the full fare and Leslie insisting that it was too much since he obviously didn't know where he was going. Eventually, they settled amicably on a much reduced fare and we hopped out in front of the museum.

The museum is actually his home up in an upscale neighborhood. Beautiful home with a view out across the valley and across to neighborhoods on the opposite hillside. We got a guided tour in Spanish and I was surprised at how much I understood. The gift shop was filled with prints of his works priced from around $400 up to around $2,000. Posters were also available much cheaper but we have no interest in those. The signed and numbered print I liked best was about two grand so it stayed on the wall. I'm relaxing out on the patio right now while Leslie looks through some of the other rooms.

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A bit about taxis here in Quito. We have had great luck with taxis so far. If you travel here be sure to insist on the cabbie turning on the meter before you go anywhere. The exception is on Sundays when they don't always turn them on them and often charge double the standard rate which is why they don't want to turn on their meters. You need to know what the normal rate (experience or talking to other folks who have been there for a few days will help you get your sea legs on this issue) is and then expect it to be double.

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We next headed for the Capilla del Hombre, a Guayasamin tribute to peace over war. It was supposed to be a 5 block walk which turned into a 5 block walk uphill. That might be doable at sealevel but I am not always doing well even when I'm not moving. Shortness of breath at higher altitudes has always been a problem for me, even as a kid. So I got real grumpy when I saw what we were getting into. Leslie saw a cab coming down the hill and asked him to take us the rest of the way. I felt kind of stupid when the cabbie turned around and drove about the equivalent of a block and dropped us off. Very kind of him when he could easily have refused and gone on to get a far more pricey fare. The Capilla del Hombre is a fortress-like construction. Inside the massive main room are huge paintings depicting war, injustice and their consequences. There is more on the floor below including a photo gallery of Guayasamin with various heads of state, Castro, Mitterand, etc., with any U.S. president conspicously absent. What with his socialist political leanings though, I guess a photo op with a U.S. president might not be forthcoming. Guayasamin died in 1999 so his estate has been turned into the Guayasamin Foundation which, besides controlling all things Guayasamin, also promotes peace and justice especially in parts of the world where that is in short supply. When we were ready to leave we asked at the entrance for a cab. An older man came up and offered to take us but we balked when we saw that he was unmarked. The attendant at the ticket window assured us he was okay so we decided to take a chance. But we settled on a price before we got in. $3 for all the way across town to our hotel. We knew that was fair so off we went.

Leslie hopped out near the hotel at the Supermaxi and I went on to the hotel to rest up before we headed out to dinner. Dinner was a three block walk away in a Brazilian place Leslie had spotted on one of her walks. It specialized in roasted meats that were brought to your table and sliced off the rotisserie. They brought us 8 different cuts of meat--pork, beef and chicken. An assortment of salads, rice, black beans (these caused me a problem when I bit into a small pebble and cracked a tooth), boiled potatoes and a local draft beer cost $20. We were stuffed!

A short walk through our neighborhood, even after dark, with no problems at all, and we arrived safely back to our room.

Dia Nueve en Quito, Ecuador

2011-08-17T09:05:00.000-07:00

Up at 8:30. Usual breakfast. Our amiga from La Ciudad de Mexico, Zulyanar, was downstairs waiting for a friend to come and take her to see the Middle of the World sites, the equator sites we saw our 2nd day here. We had a nice farewell with her and exchanged invitations to come visit. We grabbed a taxi and headed for the historic old part of town.

We got dropped a block or so from the Iglesia de Santo Domingo. Outside the church was a plaza surrounded by shops and restaurants and personas y familias filled the plaza. We visited the Iglesia and stayed for part of the Domingo mass. The beauty of the church and service were marred by the poor choice and poor performance of the music. This is a living church. Not a museum, but hearing Simon and Garfunkel performed poorly in a church built in the 14th century just doesn't work for me. I want to hear good quality sacred music, preferably which matches the period of the church. The church is also considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site and to hear out of tune folk music in such a stunning place. . . We talked about the 1962 Vatican 2 directive that took away the Latin mass with the idea that it was to help the people become more a part of the service. I think we were in agreement that was not happening in the church we were visiting. The congregants sat when they were told to and stood when they were told to. Seldom did we see them much more actively involved than that. They didn't sing. They recited prayers from memory. They showed no connection to what was going on. It was pretty much the priest's show.

It was out in the plaza outside the church where we saw the only bit of trouble so far on the entire trip. A couple of men seemed to be arguing over a woman. There was a lot of screaming. A couple of punches were thrown, but the interesting thing was that within seconds a motorcycle policeman had literally driven at high speed across the plaza and, with his bike, separated the men. I mean it was so quick.

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While I'm on that subject, let me just speak bit about security here in Quito. While planning this trip we went onto the United States State Department website to find out about any concerns we should have regarding our safety in Ecuador. The website warned us about pick pockets, muggings, petty theft, some incidents of people having been murdered. Enough to scare hell out of me.

But we have found Quito to be filled with warm, friendly, helpful and honest people. Sure we are wearing our money belts but we do that when ever we travel to foreign countries. We are aware of where we are and who is around us. We walk like we know where we are going. We educate ourselves before going so we know where and when to go and not to go. Finally, we can't help that we are Americans, but you would do well not to advertise it. Play down the natural tendency we Americans have for being aggressive, sometimes demanding. Leave your conspicuous wealth at home. Most of the world doesn't wear white tennis shoes. Be kind. Try to speak their language. Don't expect them to speak English even though they probably do, and well. It really seems that a little knowledge, good manners and common sense will, as in most cases in life, save you a lot of grief down the road. Just some random thoughts.

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We walked through the streets, down La Ronda with it's black, cast-iron balconied buildings reminiscent of New Orleans. We ran into a street that was filled with people celebrating something. A band played while dancers in local costumes twirled and turned to and fro in the middle of an intersection. A few steps away was the Monestario de Carmen Alto which we stepped into briefly. It was also lovely. Though cerrado (closed) the day of our visit on Sunday, this church's claim to fame is the pan or bread the sisters bake that is for sale. After a brief look inside the church, we headed across the street to the Museo de la Ciudad de Quito. Exquisite! Housed in the beautifully restored 450+ year old first hospital in Quito, the exhibits are well worth your time. Do check out both courtyards. The second is an especially lovely place to sit and relax for a bit.

Entonces, we walked over to what we both agreed was one of the top 4 or 5 churches we have seen in the entire world. La Compania de Jesus is an absolutely stunning church. The walls, the chapels, the ceiling, the alter, the entire interior of the church is covered in 23 k gold. You must visit when in Quito. I had to sneak my photos which I did discreetly and with the flash and shutter noise turned off.

The Plaza de San Francisco has been beautifully restored by the government. We had read in the Lonely Planet that the Tianguez Restaurant in the plaza was a good place to stop for lunch. Well, I disagree except for one very important thing. It is a lovely place to go and sit and gaze out across the plaza. Do not eat at this place. The food is not worth the price. Buy a beer or a hot chocolate and just enjoy the view. The restaurant also has a very pricey gift shop but is fun to look through. There are lovely Ecuadorian handicrafts and the quality is very high, but unless you have the money, just enjoy wandering through the various rooms and down the really cool narrow tunnel that goes and goes and goes taking you past all of the store's offerings. No dickering here either.

Out on the plaza however you are likely to run into young girls selling scarves or handmade bracelets of yarn. Others are pedaling helados, ice cream, kept frozen with dry ice, or other handicrafts. We fell in love with a little girl who was using every bit of her sweet personality to sell scarves. She held a stack of them almost as tall as she was. Dressed in the native costume with the black hat women and girls so commonly wear in this part of the world. Leslie went through half the stack before she found the three scarves she had agreed to buy from the little girl for only $6. The two of them haggled a bit at first. Two for $5 was the girls first offer. Leslie said, "three for $5?" The little girl, with a practiced business manger came back with, "three for $6?" Leslie nodded in agreement and the search for the right colors was on. The deal and scarf selection complete, I took a few photos of this pint-sized entrepreneur and we were off to our next stop.

It was getting on towards 4 and I was bushed so we walked over to the hotel we are supposed to stay in when we get back from the Galapagos. We went in and checked the lobby and asked to call us a cab. In a few minutes the cab pulled up. The hotel was much nicer than our hostel. But then it should be considering the price. Sadly, the desk clerk wasn't real friendly. So we are now considering cancelling our reservation there and saving the money by staying in our hostel upon our return, a very friendly place even if it isn't the classiest hotel. We took the $3 taxi ride back to the hotel where I piled out and left Leslie to take cab over to La Carolina park.

I went on up to relax until she returned an hour or so later. Today has been a bad day for food. Lunch was a bomb and tonight we took a taxi over to another Lonely Planet recommendation, La Canoa, a place they said would be a great place to eat Ecuadorian cuisine without emptying your wallet. We'd disagree on both counts. We walked in to find the huge dining room mostly empty and those who were there were all Americans. The menu looked like a Denny's menu, the prices reflected it's gringo clientele and the food just didn't stand up to much of what we'd had elsewhere in Quito. I had a tripe stew with little lengths of tripe filled with different ingredients. Leslie had Caldo de Verde which is plantain soup with camerones and a side of rice. We also ordered our favorite Empanadas Verde. Two came on the plate which made a nice little appie. We asked to see a postre menu but when the waiter brought it to us he indicated that, of the full page of dessert items, only two were available, ice cream and the last piece or two of a chocolate cake that looked like it had been sitting out most of the day. Never mind. La cuenta por favor (the count, please). Our dinner, which also included two small bottles of water came to $20. We paid up, asked the waiter to get us a cab, hopped in and were back in our room in 5 minutes. Great site seeing today!

Dia Deiz en Quito, Ecuador

2011-08-17T08:33:00.000-07:00

Up early this morning. Taking a bus tour with the choirs from the choral festival. There are choral groups from Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela, Columbia and Puerto Rico. We were told the bus would leave at 7:30 "en punto" which means exactly. It is currently 8:15! Remember what I said about time? We are going to a place higher up in the Sierra. Oh boy, I can barely breathe at this elevation. This ought to be interesting.

Well, it's 8:45 and we are finally on our way. drove 2 1/2 hours up and up along a very good 2-4 lane divided highway. A lot of places work was being done and the road was every bit as good as any in the U.S. We made a potty stop outside the city of Cotopaxi in a valley high in the Sierra. Leslie grabbed some TP off the roll we keep in our backpack. You need to keep some with you when you are out and about because many public bathrooms don't have any or charge you a small amount for some. Oh, and it is usually recommended that you throw your used TP into a trash can next to the toilet rather than flush it. The plumbing systems just don't tolerate the paper.

Anyway, Leslie is ready to exit the restroom but finds she couldn't get the door open. Some enterprising members of the tour just kicked in the door and she was rescued.

We continued on through La Ciudad de Latacunga. We continued on into another town where we suddenly pulled over on a side street and out of these little shops stepped girls holding trays of helados (ice cream bars) for 50 cents. There were all sorts of flavors. We each got a multi-flavored, layered one. They were conical shaped with a flat top, with an ice cream bar stick in it and wrapped in a plastic bag. They were made with fresh fruit and milk. Absolutely delicious! It is one of the best ice creams I have ever eaten.

A bit further down the road, near Cotopaxi, we pulled over at an overlook. We exited the bus and had to make a run for it across the four lane highway to get to an overlook. Small groups would dart out into the highway just ahead of oncoming traffic. Laguna de Yambo is a volcano caldera which we could look down into a couple of hundred feet below. Long ago it collapsed and, over time, filled with rain water. It was a stunning view. We could see tiny boats along the shore at one end. Pictures were taken and then everyone made the head-long scamper back across the highway and got back on the bus, happy to still be alive.

We finally arrived at our destination, Ambato, a four hour drive from Quito. We walked across the street from our drop off point and into the beautiful Montavalo Park in the center of town. It is a lovely, relaxing spot in the center of town. One block square, it is filled with flowers, statues standing in fountains, carefully manicured shrubs and plenty of benches for old men to sit and discuss, whatever old men discuss while sitting on park benches.

From there we walked a couple of blocks to El Bosque restaurant where we were served lunch. Our group was so big we had to eat in shifts which meant you had to get seated quickly if you were hungry or you waited for a free table. We found a table for two just adjacent to the bar. A potato cheese soup with a single short rib floating in the middle was served first followed by a plate of smoked chicken, rice, gravy and a too small portion of a delicious salad of tomato, onion, peppers and cilantro. Couldn't figure out what the dressing was, but the salad was the best part of the meal.

We were to meet back in the park in a half hour after we ate. 1 1/2 hours later we were finally walked down to the buses. We took off toward what we we're told was a market, but 10 minutes into the drive the buses pulled over. We waited and waited and finally after about a half hour about a dozen students climbed aboard. We figured they had been left behind and somehow caught up to us. I am surprised we didn't leave folks behind at every stop since no one took account of who was on any of the buses.

Our goal was much, much higher up at a small village called Quisapincha. The road going up was full of hair pin turns with thrilling views back down into the the city of Ambato. There is supposed to be a great market in Quisapincha, but we didn't arrive until 4:00, too late for the market. It turns out we were headed there for a very different reason anyway. The entire town, all 2-3 blocks long sells leather and that is about all you can say about it. If you love leather products this may be a good place for getting them inexpensively. The problem, is we're not much attracted to leather except for our shoes and belts, maybe a purse. These items were supposed to be cheap here and there were cheap items, but not in a style we have any appreciation for. Leslie liked some of the purses but said she doesn't pay that much at home. So, while a few people loaded back on the buses with a new jacket of hat, most bought little souvenir items like coin purses or wallets.

Back down the winding road to Ambato, this time at break-neck speeds, for this evening's concert. Just as we arrived back in Ambato we are pulling over again! At our bus window appears Eugenio pointing and mouthing the word Cuy and pointing in the direction of a row of small hole in the wall restaurants we had just passed. The bus parked, Eugenio climbed in and asked me if I would like to try Cuy? YES! and I followed him off the bus. We walked the 50 yards back towards these little food stalls, but I could smell the roasting meat long before we got there. In a moment we stood in front of an open air BBQ with whole Cuys slowly turning on a spit, their skins a glossy golden brown, looking like a miniature pig, the aroma, Ay, fabuloso!

We all stood around taking photos at first, but then Eugenio started pointing us in the direction of the mujer who was taking orders. "Un plato de cuy, por favor!" I said enthusiastically. The food was prepared with her bare hands. First, she opened a well worn, dented pot that held boiled potatoes. Reaching in she tossed a couple into a bowl, then, with a ladle, poured the cuy sauce (see recipe below) over the potatoes. Finally, she walked over to where the roasted cuys were awaiting their fate, picked up a fat looking one and brought it back to a well worn chopping block. The cuy was quickly chopped into pieces. Eugenio intervened for us and explained that she should give us the shoulder piece which, at least according to him, is apparently the best part. He was right as far as I am concerned. Oh my goodness! The skin was so crisp. Just like roasted pig skin, crispy, crunchy, caramelized, perfection! The meat was dark like dark chicken and it tastes somewhat like it. There wasn't a lot of it, but it deeply delicious and flavorful. If you are coming to Ecuador or Peru seek out a good cuy joint. Leave your ideas of that cute little pet guinea pig at home and indulge your primitive, carnivore side. Order un plato and dig in. As we walked by the cooks I gave them two big thumbs up and cried out, "Bravo!" They laughed and nodded in appreciation.

Arriving back in town we disembarked again and walked the three blocks to the Teatro Lalama, site of the evening's concert. It was a lovely theater, one of those old theaters built in the days of silent film and live traveling shows, whatever vaudeville might have been called out in Ambato, Ecuador. We got seats right in the center of the theater and relaxed waiting for the concert to begin. The choir from Mexico was my favorite. They looked beautiful in their all white costumes and had great voices, but as an ensemble they struggled with being in tune. The local audience loved all the groups and hollered calls for "otro!" (Encore) were heard throughout the theater. A standing ovation was also received by all the choirs at the end.

I was stunned by the behavior of the audience during the concert. Children were allowed to run up and down the aisles, people literally took cell phone calls and phones rang all over the theater. At one point, while a choir was performing, a member of the theater crew walked all the way up the aisle, up the stage stairs and walked across the stage to do god only knows what backstage. People got up and went to the lobby to buy food and then came back in and sat down, often forcing many in a row to stand up for them. Nothing like you would expect in a concert in the U.S.

With then end of the concert we headed back to the same restaurant we'd had lunch in bur dinner this time. This time we had a pork chop with rice, a carrot salad and potatoes followed by bunuelos for dessert, a kind of donut served with a syrup. Finally, onto the bus for the long and uneventful trip home. Most folks slept on the journey home. Good night!

The Ecuadorian National Sauce

Tomate de arbol--blanched, skins removed or purchase premade juice in latin stores
Garlic
Red onion, thinly sliced
Cilantro, chopped Chop or food process all ingredients and combine including tomate de arbol juice.

Cuy Sauce

Saute yellow onions until translucent. Add milk and chopped peanuts and salt and paprika. Whirl in processor.

Sorry I can't be more specific about amounts. These details were given to me by the mother of our host's wife Myriam. Her mother and father were delightful people and wonderful dinner companions when I tasted my cuy. In fact the cuy restaurant was her dad's favorite place!

Dia Ocho en Ecuador!

2011-08-16T09:24:00.000-07:00

Dormio (Slept, with apoligies for the missing accent mark) well except these beds are muy mal. We had agreed last night to meet Jorge this morning and go to an art museum we all wanted to see. We had breakfast and planned our day while we waited for him. Sadly, found out that the museum was closed today and Jorge really needed to get over to Eugenio's house by noon so our plan fell through. We said our final good byes to our new amigo and headed off on our own.

We had decided to take the Old Town walking tour found in the Lonely Planet guide book. Our first, since our hotel was closer to the end of the tour than the beginning was at the Museo Nacional, only a block from our hotel, which housed a wonderful collection of Ecuadorian antiquities from pre-Incan through the Spanish period. There was a gold room filled with stunning gold jewelry as well as practical objects like bowls and articles used for rituals. Within the same building were other exhibits of musical instruments as well as modern art. Check out the link above since photos in the museum were not allowed.

Entonces (Then), we walked across the street to Parque El Ejido, a large city park where familias played, old men played a game which resembled bocce ball and where a great many artisans were set up in tents selling blankets, art, jewelry, toys and food. These colorful pedal cars (the blue one in this photo I thought was particularly cool!) were driven around the park on little two lane highways at breakneck speeds by their drivers.

Leslie found some ear rings and a pendant for herself and Kate. She dickered with the seller and was able to get the price down a bit.

Further along we came across an artist selling his and his father's paintings. We were especially taken by his primitives, scenes of everyday life in Ecuador. They were all very colorful and detailed. The artist explained the meaning of the inhabitants of each painting. We finally settled on a piece by his father and Leslie negotiated a price the two of them seemed happy with. Leslie figured he wouldn't sell it if he couldn't make some money on it. Entonces, we headed in what we thought was the direction of more artisan stores and a cebiche restaurant highly recommended by Lonely Planet. We walked clear across the park, checked the street signs only to discover we had walked in the opposite direction we needed to go in. My sense of direction really failed me. Leslie saved the day when she sat down with our map of Quito and discovered our mistake. We got headed in the right direction and soon got ourselves back where we wanted to be.

It turns out where we wanted to go was about two blocks from our hotel. How did I get so mixed up? A few blocks and we were in the artisan area we had been looking for. It turns out the artisans were really in an area called Gringo Town because it is where so many tourists go to buy their souvenirs and where apparently a lot of petty crime like pick pocketing occurs. It was a lot of cheap looking stuff and some nice things as well, pero no one seemed interested in dickering. Every other person appeared like they were from the U.S. We decided to leave.

We walked right around the next corner to have a late lunch at Isla del Mar, the cebiche joint I mentioned earlier. A real hole in the wall, it was cheap and the food was wonderful. I ordered a combination plate that included a bowl of Encebollo, a fish and potato stew, and a side of arroz y un limonada. Only $2.50. Leslie went for the cebiche, a frio dish which looks a lot like a salsa with camerones. The contents are literally cooked by the lime juice which is a key ingredient. It is full of chopped tomatoes, cilantro, garlic, thinly sliced red onion and lots of camarones (shrimp)! Es muy fantastico! She also bought a local brand beer that was a light pilsner and called Pilsner. The bottle was enough for both of us to enjoy. Total cost of the meal--$8.

My knees were giving me fits by the time we walked the 2 blocks back to our hotel, so I opted to take a few ibuprofen and lie down while. We figured our walk through Old Town could wait for when we would be staying there after our trip out to the Galapagos.

Leslie decided to head off on a walk looking for a market and discovered the SuperMaxi a few blocks away. She also discovered a bakery nearby. After about an hour, like a true hunter gatherer, she walked in with a gallon of water she proudly announced she'd bought for only a $1 After buying four 16 ounce water bottles a day from the hotel desk for 75 cents a pop, her 5 liter bottle for a $1 was quite a bargain. She'd also picked up some gifts for family and friends and a few treats she couldn't resist at the bakery. It is dark right now at about 6 pm.

The day and night hours, being so close to the equator, are almost exactly equal. No summer daylight hours until 10 pm here. I do miss my Bellingham summer nights! We had plans to walk over to a Brazilian restaurant for dinner but decided not to after the heavy lunch! Ate a few bites of the bakery goodies Leslie brought back. Exhausting day. Ready for bed.

Dia Seis en Ecuador

2011-08-15T13:19:00.000-07:00

We dressed and went down to our usual breakfast routine and after another rough night in the sleeping department, complained to the manager who gladly agreed to move us to a new room. I stayed to await the move and Leslie went down the street to check out the art museum. I also managed a short nap. By the time she got back our new, much quieter, room was ready for us. We gathered our belongings and set up camp in the new room only a short walk down the hall. It is smaller but still fine and, as I said, quieter. Well see.

I decided to stay in the room today instead of going to class with Leslie. It was nice not to have to be "on" all day listening to language so hard and still comprehending only a fraction of what was said. I finished "The Last Boy" the new biography about Mickey Mantle. Very well written and fascinating. Got a little caught up on my sleep and with my journaling. I'm also happy to say that I actually feel hungry for the first time all week. I have over-eaten, and more importantly, eaten way too many carbs and I'm really feeling it. This is no way to treat my attempt to loose weight or my health issues. My tummy is actually growling as I write, so I figure I'll be ready for some dinner tonight. Hopefully, it will be a good for me meal. Sadly, I haven't had a lot of control over the choices for food. It's just been what has been put in front of me. It has, in many cases been very good. I like a lot about the Ecuadorian diet. High in fiber foods except the ever present papas fritas and arroz. The cebiche! Oh my, we have got to try this when we get home. I'm waiting for Leslie to return from her class so we can head off for dinner.

She arrived full of stories to tell about her day at the symposium. She loves her colleagues Jorge and Zuly from Mexico. We were driven to Orquidea Restaurant for the third night in a row. Tonight the appie was a baked tomato stuffed with what had a sausage texture but was followed by the flavor of tuna. Interesting. The main was a slice of what turned out to be pork but with a texture and flavor of beef, almost like Swiss Steak and topped with a rich, beefy wine sauce that had been way over salted, a seemingly common trait of the food here. On the plate also were few papas fritas, a sliced cornichon pickle, a sliced baby corn and a leaf of bib lettuce. This was followed by the postre which was fresh sliced figs cooked in their own syrup with slices of a mild cheese arranged with them. It was a wonderful dessert but the rest of the meal was so so. I wish they would take us to some whole-in-the-wall Equadorian joint where we could try more of the real local foods.

We all walked home talking and laughing all the way in Spanish, English and my Spanglish! Were in our quiet little room now. Leslie is finding she has hours of work to reorganize for tomorrow. She has been told that she needs to prepare a presentation with her class for a concert tomorrow night. Only problem is no one ever told her anything about this until today and it has nothing to do with what she was planning to teach tomorrow. So, instead of teaching, she must plan for a performance her class has no chance of being prepared for. Wild! Well, either way, tomorrow is the last day she teaches.

She has hours of work ahead of her tonight. She has done so well teaching in Spanish and building a rapport with her students in a short amount of time. I am really proud of her.

Dia Cinco en Ecuador

2011-08-13T11:43:00.000-07:00

Finally, got a real good night's sleep. Between the noises inside and out, combined with the unfamiliar bed, sleep has been a reluctant guest. But last night either exhaustion or fewer noises or both combined to let me sleep through the night for the first time since arriving. I awoke to find Leslie sitting up in bed making preparations for her next session. She had been as quiet as a mouse and I was grateful. We hopped up and headed downstairs for the usual breakfast of croissants, scrambled eggs and cafe con leche. They don't have a very creative kitchen but it is gratis and it's good, so why complain?

The older Jorge picked us up. All seemed forgiven regarding Leslie's innocent slight yesterday. In fact part of our conversation, in Spanish, on the way to the capilla was about how fast paced life seems to be. Everyone is in so much of a hurry they don't take time for the truly important things in life such as family and having fun! Work, work, work isn't so important. Jorge's point is well taken.

We arrived at the convention center and Jorge walked us over to a courtyard where a celebration of some sort was about to begin. Tables of local foods were laid out and a band of guitars, drums, pan pipes and wooden flutes were about to begin playing. Eugenio suddenly appeared and motioned for us to come down the stairs and join him. Costumed locals strolled around and Eugenio handed us paper plates and we got into line where the food was being handed out. Three grupos de Ecuador were represented. The three represented the roots of the Ecuadorian people. First, the Indigenous group were the the people of the mountains. Somewhat akin to our Native Americans. The second group were the African-Ecuadorians who represent the African influence and finally the group that represents the melding of these groups. The food was all small samples of food indigenous to each group. I was able to sample my first Cuy (guinea pig) which tasted much like rabbit. There wasn't much meat on the bone. You had to work at it but it was okay. We also sampled a variety of empenandas and a delicious African dish that had rice, fish and shrimp in it. It was the best of the samples. Lastly, we were offered a cup of a fermented corn beverage. It was fine but I think a rather acquired taste. We were told about another beverage made of yucca which is chewed until a mouthful of the extracted liquid is literally spit into a pot. This process is repeated until enough "spit" has been gathered and then the liquid is fermented and drunk. A real acquired taste I would guess. It was a delightful hour or so but we needed to leave to set up for class.

We wondered how many would show up for class considering the fiesta taking place down the hallway and what a buen dia it had turned out to be. Today Leslie finally got a pianist for her class which was to take some of the stress off of her trying to teach in Spanish, allow her to move around the room and offer suggestions and advice AND play the piano. Impossible but she had done it for two days so far. The pianist turned out to be quite accomplished. Funny that all we have really seen of the city so far has been from the window of the car that has taken us to and from the class. Our mornings have been reserved for Leslie to make necessary adjustments, plan and rehearse in her mind (in Spanish) what she would do in class that day. The students are so far behind what she was lead to believe they were capable of and each day she must adjust her lesson to what they were able to accomplish the day before. It has just taken every waking minute for her to plan and execute each day's lesson. It's fine.

This weekend we will spend time roaming the museums and other attractions we have read about, some of which are within an easy walk of our hotel. Dinner this evening was at the same spot as last night--Orquidea Restaurant, but this time we took a walk to get there. Turned out to be only about 3-4 blocks away. Dinner started with a small plate with 3 small empanadas, each a different flavor and with different ingredients. Then the main which was spaghetti carbonara. Disappointing. Dessert was a very unimaginitive flan. We did have a delicious fruit juice with our meal. After dinner Jorge left the table and didn't return until we found him in the hotel above the restaurant. He had taken a tour and so we were all invited as well. The rooms were all differently designed and beautiful. Rates were $150 per night and well worth it! We thought of maybe staying their instead of the old town hotel we booked when we return from the Galapagos.

We walked back to hotel together in the dark which made me nervous since we had been warned not to walk in Quito after dark. But we did fine. It probably helped that there were four of us. Sleep, when we got to our room was difficult at best. The dog at the Casa de Musica next door barked nearly all night, plus the traffic noise was especially bad for some reason. We have had enough, so at breakfast the next morning we asked to be moved.

Dia Quatro en Quito, Ecuador

2011-08-11T05:28:00.001-07:00

Had a bit of extra sleep last night. Leslie brought me breakfast in bed. Showered and sat out near the front desk waiting for our ride to the convention center. Myriam came in but instead of taking us at the agreed upon time she told us another, older Jorge would pick us up and take us to lunch. By the time he arrived we had less than an hour until Leslie's session was to begin. Our driver seemed to have specific directions to take us out to lunch. Leslie was equally insistent that she needed to get to the capilla no later than 20 minutes before her session in order to have time to prepare. This didn't seem to sit well with the driver who couldn't find the restaurant he was supposed to take us to anyway. The Jorge from Mexico talked him into stopping at the Fruiteria we had eaten at yesterday.

We quickly gobbled down another bowl of fruit salad and added an empanada verde which turned out to be very different from the one we had on Sunday with Myriam and Matteo.

Leslie and I hustled up the hill to the capilla with the feeling of our rushed lunch still sitting heavily on our tummies.

"Should I go ahead and start?" was Leslie's question to me when at 2:00 there were only 4 people in the room. "It depends on what statement you are trying to make," was my reply. So she began and slowly, a few at a time, students wandered in. It is 2:20 still only about half the class had arrived.
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This might be a good time for me to talk about my theory of time as it pertains to different parts of the planet. I have long held the opinion, and it is thoroughly based on anecdotal experiences I have had over 30+ years of traveling the world, that the closer you are to the equator, the less important time becomes. In Italy trains never run on time, museums are closed even when the sign on the door clearly states it should be. I have found the same to be true in Guinea, West Africa and Morocco. Now go to Germany, Scandinavia, the United States, Japan, all countries whose borders are a good distance from our equator.

I know, it is a generalization, but again, like I said, it seems more often true than not.

Is there something wrong with these other country's time "impaired" sensibilities? Well, it depends on your personal perspective doesn't it? No one in those slower paced countries seems to mind their "problem." They are generally as happy as anyone I've met in any other country I have visited whose "fortunate" geography has placed it furthest from the equator and as a result (if you buy my theory) operate on time nearly to the minute.

All of this, of course, drives us folks from the northern climes crazy. We feel guilty if we haven't started on time, as if we have not lived up to a promise. In fact we expect to be fired if we are negligent in our duty to time.

So what's the right answer? Hell if I know. I guess you go by the adage, when in Rome…!
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I spent a bit of time writing to friends on the wi-fi network this morning. Otherwise, I am sitting in my little corner here in the capilla writing and reading and being Leslie's gopher, mostly fetching water and taking photos for her office door back home.
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A personal observation of the choral situation here in Ecuador. There are a lot of talented singers in this country. But, like anyone, anywhere, they will only get as far as they are willing to work at their art. The apparent general disregard for pitch, learning to listen to each other, having directors who establish a higher standard of performance will all be necessary before any choir we’ve heard thus far will receive the respect they have the capacity to achieve. Walking into rehearsals a half hour, even over an hour late with total disregard to the director or the other members of the team, never bodes well for the future.

Our day was topped off with dinner at a lovely tapas and wine bar near our hotel called the Orquidea Restaurant. Eugenio hosted Jorge Cordoba who we have discovered is a world renowned composer. He is also a great story teller and a really down to earth guy. Also joining us was Zulyamir Lopezrios who is a voice teacher from Mexico City. She had passport issues that kept her from arriving until today. We enjoyed a lovely dinner that started with an incredible spinach soup topped with potato chips. The main was a delicious sea bass topped with a creamy remoulade sauce and accompanied by a spinach infused rice, fresh tomatoes and sliced hearts of palm. A postre or dessert of chocolate layers in a creamy pie finished the meal. We sat around sharing stories until about 8 when Eugenio drove us all back to the hotel.

Buenos noches to dia quatro of our adventure!

Dia Tres en Ecuador--Quito

2011-08-11T04:41:00.000-07:00

Awoke to the usual coccophony of sounds--the telephone ringing at the front desk downstairs, the dog barking at everything that passes by, the traffic sounds of the city. My but I do appreciate the quiet of my little Bellingham. Today, however, new noises were added to the familiar ones. A grupo of American high school and college aged estudiantes were up and having breakfast. They were a loud group, having a good time, getting to know others of their own age, having come to Ecuador for some unknown common purpose. Still, couldn't someone teach them to be quieter? They have such difficulty with their self-awareness, talking at the top of their lungs in public places, laughing aloud drowning out the conversation you are attempting with your table mate.

Another addition to the sounds of the dia was the arrival of the members of the Quito Symphony at their rehearsal space right next door to our hotel in a beautiful classical style building somewhat resembling our White House in miniature. Suddenly, the sounds of individual instrumentalists warming up, playing scales and passages of music wafted in through our windows.

At breakfast, as I mentioned, we were surrounded by a large group of young people visiting loudly. We were served croissants, scrambled eggs and coffee con leche. Our waitress had a difficult time giving us the milk and coffee in the combinations we wanted. She poured the hot milk from one pot so that it nearly filled the cup, then topped it with a tiny bit of coffee!! We had to ask for a refill and this time asked for media y media, leche y cafe. She didn't seem to understand, pouring the milk until we told her to stop, then she wanted to pour only a few drops of coffee in. We kept insisting on more and she poured a tiny bit more before stopping again and we'd make a sign to keep filling, back and forth it went until we finally got what we were asking for.

Back upstairs we showered and dressed for the day. We thought we had asked to be picked up at 10 am, but by 11, still no one had arrived. Hmmmmm?

It is another beautiful day. The weather is about like Bellingham. Highs in the 60's or 70's and lows in the 50's. If I could only breathe! The altitude plays tricks on you. At nearly 10,000 feet above sea level, headaches, difficulty breathing, even flu-like symptoms are not uncommon here. So far I have only suffered from the occasional need to stop and take in a few deep breathes in retaliation for my lungs inability to capture enough oxygen. It feels like I am suddenly drowning and can't quite reach the surface for air. Ever had that feeling? It's a bit scary, but then the oxygen begins to reach your blood and spread to your brain. The fear goes away finally and your desperate need for seemingly non-existent air subsides. Whew, I'm still in the land of the living!

Finally, at about 11, our ride showed up and we were off to the Central de Convencion. An old hospital, the campus of buildings are connected by covered walkways. The capilla or chapel is a simple but beautiful building with faux marble pillars, a floor with pale yellow tiles accented in each corner with a green triangle that overlapped with adjacent tiles creating a larger triangle. The ceiling is of wood lathing painted sky blue and dotted with gold stars and three painted rose window looking decorations. The alter of wood had touches of gold leaf here and there. A large cross above is surrounded by a gold leaf sun burst. Above the alter is a dome of the same wood and decorations as with the ceiling. The acoustics are very live making it difficult to hear rushed speech. It is a lovely space that would be fun to sing certain genres of music in. Jorge, the morning presenter, was from Mexico. When we walked into the capilla he was running the participants through scales insisting they sing in tune. He was having each section do it, having to stop sometimes several times and restart them until he got what he wanted. The participants all seemed to be working at a pretty basic level which is definitely driving his instruction and causing Leslie to do some serious, quick rethinking of her approach for the afternoon.

Lunch was a walk down the hill to the Fruitaria Monserrat, a cafeteria style place that specializes in fruits of all kinds, many of which are native to Equador or the surrounding countries. We ordered a beautiful, big bowl of layered fruits topped with whipped cream. Peaches, apples, pineapple, watermelon, papaya, grapes and strawberries filled the bowl. Deliciosamente!

Eugenio walked us back up the hill to the capilla in the convention center where we found it locked and Matteo, his son, was sent to look for the keeper of the keys who appeared after a while.

When we got in we started setting up for Leslie's session. The session began with her introducing herself (and me, us, our family and our life in Bellingham) and then she got them on their feet and moving. I won't go into any details about how it went (it went great!). Ask Leslie for all the details. Her session ended, we were whisked immediately off to the opening concert of the festival. It was held in a theater that looked on the outside like an ancient stone temple. Nine grupos were to perform starting at 7pm. We got home by 10:30 and immediately headed for bed.

Another buen dia!

Dia dos en Ecuador

2011-08-06T21:12:00.000-07:00

We have had quite day here in Ecuador. Just back from an excursion out to the Middle of the World monument. Myriam and her son Matteo drove us out to this place. It was quite a drive through neighborhoods of all sorts. Graffiti is a huge problem as it so often is in large cities but many times here it appears to be more art than graffiti. We toured around the grounds of the monument past artisan stalls, museums and finally to the huge towering monument itself with a huge globe of the earth atop it. What with our reactions to the altitude so far, we didn't attempt the climb to the top. It turns out that this huge place dedicated to all things equator is not actually "on" the equator at all. In the day when a group of French scientists came here to decide where the equator line was located, they had pretty crude, though quite accurate instruments, for the time. Turns out they were off by a few hundred yards.

No problem, the ingenious Ecuadorians built another site on what was thought a few years later, to be the actual site of the equator. Wrong again! Myriam next drove us over to that "real equator" site a few hundred yards away. Here you could pay $3 for the privilege of attempting to stand an egg on end, which is apparently only possible at the equator. We declined and headed back to the car for the drive back into Quito for lunch. So if neither site we visited was actually "AT" the equator, where is it? Well, to get there you had to pay $25 for a guide to take you on an uphill hike to the actual spot. We declined.

It wasn't all just a big rip off, though it was decidedly touristic. The monument park was filled with just as many locals as foreigners. We purchased a beautiful hammock from one of the artisans who Myriam happened to know and so we wound up getting a "much better deal" than what the salesperson was asking for in the beginning. We also bought two lovely birds made of clay and painted beautifully. Also, at the same shop we bought a wall hanging of a local scene sewn into a colorful design. You have to go. The Mitad del Mundo is worth an afternoon or morning visit.

Back in Quito we went to a local "hole-in-the-wall" and had a lunch of Cebiche, fresh seafood (in this case shrimp and conch) "cooked" in lime juice. So actually it never touched a hot pan but rather was cooked through the action of the acid in the juice. It was fabulous! With it we were given little baskets filled with popcorn, plantain chips and tostadas, a kind of partially popped corn that had a sort of Corn Pops cereal taste. Another surprise was the empanadas verdes made of plantain and filled with cheese. Fantastico!

Myriam next drove us to a rehearsal hall and took us backstage in one of Quito's concert halls. Her husband, Eugenio was running a rehearsal with his choir and a guest German choir on tour here. They moved into the concert hall after a while and sang to a sparse audience. They are eventually going to sing the pieces they rehearsed in a combined concert sometime after we leave for the Galapagos.

That evening we were hosted at Eugenio and Myriam's home for dinner and to meet other directors and presenters at the symposium. Unfortunately, the others were unable to get to Ecuador in time so dinner turned out to be just us and the family. We were driven to Eugenio and Myriam's beautiful home for dinner. We were ushered in with the words, mi casa es su casa, handed a glass of a terrific pilsner style Ecuadorian beer and sat down to talk while dinner was finishing.

Dinner consisted of cheese, corn on the cob, a large fava looking bean, which was followed by a bowl of roasted pork chunks, white hominy called mote, which was combined by each person with a tomato and red onion relish, and avocado slices. Delicious, simple and wonderful. The dinner was followed by a postre of a corn cake topped with a couple of raisins and baked in a locally grown leaf. Coffee accompanied the dessert. More conversation in their comfortably furnished living room before they drove us across town to our hotel. Es un buen dia! Buenos noches!

Dia uno: Arrivo en Ecuador

2011-08-06T20:52:00.000-07:00

At the end of April 2011, Leslie was invited to be on the faculty of the 7th Choral Music Symposium and Festival in Quito, Ecuador. All her expenses would be paid and she would also receive an honorarium for her work there. The organizers were thrilled when she insisted she would be teaching in Spanish. She had about 2 months to learn how! From the time she finished her school year she set about spending 8 hours a day studying Spanish. We had a lot of planning to do along with her preparation for teaching five, four hour classes. A total of 20 hours of teaching in Spanish! As you will see, she was very successful not only in her goals for learning the language, but also in the impact she had on her students.

We went on line to the United States State Department website to check on the safety or going into a country like Ecuador and were shocked to read about the crime there. U.S. citizens were all but told not to go and if you do expect to be robbed at gun or knife point, mugged, ripped off, you name it. It scared the hell out of me. So I went to Ecuador with a lot of apprehension.

We also decided to spend time in the Galapagos Islands so we researched, planned and made reservations for that part of the trip as well.

This is the journal of our adventure to Ecuador as it happened and I logged it each day. Along the way I also spend some time venting about aspects of the trip that weren't positive experiences for me and I include some suggestions and advice for those thinking of a trip to Ecuador. So if my rants get to be too much, just skip ahead. I have divided these op-ed sections with ++++++++++++ signs, so you'll know to either read on or skip ahead.

Well, here goes. Enjoy!

We drove from our home in Bellingham, Washington to Seattle and spent a couple of hours with our daughter and son-in-law, Kate and Nick, before Nick dropped us off at the Seatac airport. They will keep the car at their place while we are away. Kate stayed behind to prepare for friends who were to arrive for the weekend.

Our flight to Miami, the first leg of our journey, was scheduled for 10:45 PM. Yikes! Check in went quickly and so we decided to have dinner at Anthony's. We had a leisurely dinner and by the time we finished we had only about an hour before boarding.

Our flight took off on time which is about all I can say positive about the flight. We were aboard an Alaska Airlines flight which, as an attendant proudly mentioned over the loudspeaker, was recently proclaimed by JD Powers and Associates, for no less than the fourth year in a row, the best airline in America.

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I have something I'd like to say about this award. What criteria is J D Powers and Associates using to base the awarding of this honor? The best what? Leg room? Seat size? In-flight service? WHAT? Because if Alaska is supposed to represent the best in the industry, then I have a real problem with the industry!

This is an industry, as far as I am concerned, that is obviously listening to only one constituency, that being their stock-holders. Airline travel, even within my memory, used to be enjoyable. The seats were wider, yeah, I know I'm wider, too. There was more leg room. The in-flight food and entertainment were free. You brought your luggage to the check-in counter, it was weighed and then loaded on the plane. No more questions OR charges asked. There was always space for your carry-ons in the overhead bins and if you needed help to get it in the bin, there was always a friendly attendant who gladly helped you out. Magazines were passed out, a blanket and pillow were always available for the asking if they weren't already waiting for you in your seat. If you turned the help light on a smiling attendant was always johnny on the spot to help out.

Today, attendants are of little help at all when assistance is needed. I have even overheard attendants state that they will not help lift objects into the bins because they don't want to throw out their back. Sorry no blankets or pillows on this flight. Only international flights. Yeah we serve food but it'll cost you. You mean now I actually have to pay for the opportunity to eat lousy airline food? You are squeezed into a cabin like cattle with too little air circulation and if you attempt to get out of your seat to stretch your legs you are scolded and asked to please take your seat as the airline's rule is that you should stay in your seat with your seat belt fastened unless you need to use the bathroom.

Of course, that isn't a concern in the business cabin where only 2 seats take up the space of 3 in economy and where there is nearly twice the leg room of the coach cabin. No entertainment unless you want to pay $15 to watch or listen with horrible fidelity and screens difficult to see. Only one free bag. Anything more costs you, big time. I have seen fees as high as $50 for additional bags. No wonder it is nearly fisticuffs in the economy cabin when passengers board to find no space in the bins above their seat or anywhere else for that matter. As these humiliations mount passengers have become less tolerant and short tempered leading to arrests and some even banned from flying on an airline.

So what about passenger rights? Why not address the real reasons people are becoming so dissatisfied with flying? It may be one reason for the increase in train travel and why cruise ship lines are building new ships as fast as they can. People want to be treated, dare I say, like human beings and it doesn't take much to meet most folk's standards. Airlines simply aren't doing it and I for one go out of my way to spend my travel dollar where I know I am going to be treated right.

I fly only when I have no other reasonable option for getting where I need to go. So, Alaska Airlines, don't brag about being the best in an industry that already has few standards above that of a cattle car. You have nothing to be proud of other than the fact that few of your planes fall out of the sky. If you didn't notice, there was no applause from a soul when you made that announcement before our flight, though I'm sure your stock holders busted there buttons. That's my soap box rant about the airline industry. Excuse me but I needed that.
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Having said all that we did arrive in Miami on time albeit at 6 in the morning after a night of no sleep. We made our way to the concourse where our connecting flight to Quito aboard LAN airlines was to depart. Having about 7 hours to wait, we attempted to find a quiet spot at an empty gate area to stretch out on the floor and get a little shut eye.

Have you ever noticed that even at empty gates there is still the background noise of a TV blaring along with elevator music from additional speakers interrupted frequently by public address announcements? There is no quiet place in an airport. And the chairs. Ever notice that they have conveniently made sure they have arms on them so they can' t be slept on? So we fashioned a spot on the carpeted concrete floor... and slept. Well, I did anyway. I think Leslie used the time to study and prepare.

Before long though, the gate area began to fill up with passengers waiting a flight so nap time was over. We headed for our gate and soon boarded our flight. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! My goodness, we walked into an aircraft that was more spacious, wasn't packed to the gills, had room in our overhead bin, gracious attendants, free food and entertainment, and get this, a bag with a clean pillow and the loveliest fleece blanket. American airlines, are you listening? A little country like Peru can do this and at a cheaper cost than our flight across the U.S.? No, you're not listening are you? Viva Peru!

I slept for most of the 4 hour flight to Quito. Our arrival was dramatic as we banked over the mountains surrounding the city, seeming to barely clear the peaks that towered over a city which was itself nearly 10,000 feet above sea level. Worn around the edges the airport is scheduled to be replaced with a new facility in few years a safer distance from the city, but the economy has set back the project.

Myriam, the wife of the organizer of the music symposium, met us at the exit after we had passed through customs without any trouble. It was good to see a smiling face holding that sign reading "Leslie" in big block letters. She whisked us off to our hotel. We decided on a pick up time for the next day and then went up to our room and slept through the night.

New Photos Posted!

2011-08-06T17:50:00.000-07:00

Take a look at the right side margin and you'll notice a slideshow of photos taken while Leslie and I were in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. We are just back and my first priority was to get those photos loaded up. Done!

Now on to the journal I kept while away. I will post these as I get them edited and embed static photos that go along with the content of the blog entry. So stay tuned. I have some great stories to share of this fantastic trip, filled with adventures all over the country, where we made new friends, both Ecuadorian and others from all over the world and saw some amazing things.

Our main purpose for being in Ecuador was for Leslie to be on the faculty of the 7th Annual Choral Music Symposium in Quito. She was invited to teach students and teachers at the symposium about her method of teaching conducting and how she incorporates that into her choral rehearsals at Western Washington University here in Bellingham, Washington. I won't be going into much detail about that since that is far from my area of expertise. However, I will share our plentiful and colorful experiences while in that country for three weeks.

So, take a look at the photos for now and in the days ahead stop back by and read my thoughts about our time in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. You can subscribe to this blog over there on the right margin as well if you'd like to be notified when the next blog entry is posted. I write and share my thoughts on food, travel, photography, boating, and life in general. I'd also welcome your comments or rebuttal!

By the way, if you'd like to see the photos in a larger format, just double click on the slideshow and it should open up to a size that makes the experience more fun. I'll warn you, there are about 400 photos and that is after editing heavily! I just couldn't delete anymore. So quit if you get bored or enjoy the show!

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Coming Home!

2011-08-03T10:25:00.000-07:00

This is a bass ackwards way of writing about our adventures in Ecuador, but we are packed and ready to fly home from Quito after nearly 3 weeks. I have had no access to a computer other than the Nook Color we took along which turned out to be pretty worthless when it came to accessing the web. I was able to use it to keep my journal and we took dozens of great photos so I will be reporting on the trip beginning when we arrive home on August 4th. The reports will be transcribed, edited as needed, then posted chronologically.

As a preview, you should know that the trip was fabulous. We spent 1 1/2 weeks in Quito initially while Leslie taught at the International Choral Music Festival here. She taught her daily classes (4 hours a day) in Spanish! Then we always spent the rest of the day with new friends and students where it was necessary for her to speak Spanish as well. My Spanish even improved out of necessity, but it was pretty intense!

Part of these days were also spent traveling to the outskirts of Quito, even several hours out to visit small towns, sometimes as part of the entourage on mini choir tours and sometimes just being tourists. We traveled to Ambato where we ate Chuy or guinea pig. We visited Midel del Mundo, where we stood on the equator. We traveled with a former student of Leslie´s to Mindo, where we took a harrowing ride hundreds of feet over the canopy of a rainforest, saw colorful butterflies, orchids of every color and size, and dozens of hummingbirds zipping about feeding. On our bus ride to get there we watched, heart warmed as her student patiently sat with a local teenager, who had hopped on the bus to sell candy to make a few pennies. She read, at his request, the Bible because he didn't know how to read.

The next 5 days were spent cruising through the Galapagos Islands. This segment of the trip is worth reading about if you have any notion of going there. We had snorkeling adventures where we had up close and personal encounters with sea lions, sea turtles, fish of every size and color, sea iguanas and cormorants diving for food, Blue Footed Boobies sat on their nests. Fantastic! Then we returned to Quito for another 3 days before our departure home.

I hope you will join me as I try and retell our amazing adventures here in Ecuador. See you soon!

Preparations

2011-07-14T06:49:00.001-07:00

After a couple of last minute shopping runs for items we are told are must-haves when in the Galapagos, a new REI hat (Pictured on the left. Geeky but functional!) with +50 sun-block protection and these little stringy contraptions that hold your glasses on your face in case they fall off when around the water, we are packed and ready to head out on our adventure to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands.

This is a copy of a poster for the opening night concert at the Choral Festival in which Leslie will be teaching.

We each have a small suitcase and large carry-ons, mine with camera gear and important papers for the trip and hers with all the important papers and gizmos she needs to teach her classes for the next week and a half. It was difficult to pack for this trip as we need the more formal wear to be in a classroom and attend concerts in the evening, but also the light weight, very informal gear for hiking and swimming in the Islands.

Also, the higher elevation of Quito (9,000+ feet) makes is a cooler climate necessitating warmer clothes versus the sea-level, near the equator warmer climate of the Galapagos. So, we layer in Quito, take a couple of nicer outfits and the rest of the clothes for the warmer days when we are out and about in Quito and in the islands. I think we have it figured out, but, hey, if we need anything. they have stores in Ecuador!

Our plane departs Seattle at about 10 pm and stops in Miami on our way to Quito (oh lord, a red-eye!). It is going to be a long journey. Sadly it will be in economy class and we all know what that feels like--can you say, "moooooooo!"

More later as time permits!

Off to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands

2011-07-12T08:56:00.000-07:00

Beginning this Friday, I will be starting a series on our travels to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. Watch for updates on our adventures--travel and food experiences, people we meet and photos of our journey.

Most of our time in Ecuador will be spent in and around Quito with short excursions to outlying attractions. We will fly to the Galapagos Islands and board a cruise ship that will take us around the islands and on-shore excursions for 5 days.

I hope you will join me as I share my thoughts on our grand adventure to another South American destination.

A Day in the Garden!

2011-06-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

After a year of ignoring our beautiful back garden, we, that is up until today mostly my wife, have begun the slow and steady process of ridding the beds of two year's growth of weeds and self-propagating plants and trees. We are under the gun a bit since we have hired an outfit to come in with, get this, 36 yards of bark to cover the beds. For those who may not know just how much that is, it is the amount that would fill a cube that is one yard wide, tall and deep. It will be quite a mountain of bark when it is dropped inn our driveway!

This stuff is supposed to dress up the beds, hold down weed growth and cut down on the amount of watering needed. So, the nasty stuff growing in the beds has to be gone before it makes sense for them to lay down the bark.

We also have the looming deadline of my retirement party for B'ham friends and family next week. Since there is the likelihood that the party will pour out into the garden, it should really look its best.

Yet to do:

Get the 3 fountains up and running.
Power wash the upper patio and lower decks.
Plant up pots with annuals for color.
Plant veggies in raised beds.
Hanging baskets for Secret Garden entrance.
Re-mount the bird house that fell when a section of fence went over last winter.
Set up all irrigation systems.
Set the front garden irrigation system.
Sort the contents of the barn and get it organized.
Cut down the cloches to fit the Secret Garden raised beds.
Round-Up weeds and ivy poking through from neighbor's yards.
Trim branches of trees hanging too low making mowing difficult.
Fix spinning art in upper raised bed.

Well, that's all I can think of for now. I'm sure my wife will add to the list but that's pretty good for now.

I must say, the yard is looking a lot better. The buttercups are pretty much gone or as gone as buttercups can ever be. The beds have been taken back from the wild and returned to civilization. A second truck load of weeds, branches and lawn has been accumulated and is ready to take down to the green dump.

Best of all, my wife said to me today that we have created something beautiful here and she is right. When I think back at what the back garden looked like when we moved into this house 16 years ago and consider it now, it is something to be proud of. Now that I am retired and have more time to call my own, I have an opportunity to make it even more beautiful and to better maintain what we already have. Hmmmm, maybe I can start work on the cascade and pond I have always dreamed of? Better stay tuned!

First day of Retirement

2011-06-23T17:26:00.000-07:00

We spent the night at The Willows last night. Had a fabulous meal that lasted 3 and a half hours and included 12 courses. Incredible! After breakfast we packed up and headed for the Whatcom Chief, the little ferry that whisked us back to the mainland.

Arriving home I headed off for my first nap of my retirement. Unable to sleep I got up and mowed the lawn. We also hired an outfit to shovel in 3 inches of new bark into the back garden beds next week. The rest of the day has been about finishing the few details still unfinished with my school website and e-mailing or Facebooking thank you notes to so many that took the time to show up at my departure from school the last time yesterday.

That's it! 1 paragraph describes my first day of retirement. Not too exciting, huh? Well, there's always tomorrow!
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The Last Time!

2011-06-16T12:43:00.000-07:00

Where did the time go?

I remember so vividly those freshman at the new Kamiakin High School in Kennewick, Washington in 1978. My job was to make sure those freshman were on campus and that I was tutoring them in the subjects that struggled with--math, English, science.n I had my own portable out in the gravel parking lot and I thought this was a pretty cool job. I saw it snow for the very first time out the window of my room that year.

I remember the little pre-kindergartners who walked into my classroom in Benecia, California two years later. I had completed the coursework for my Montessori certificate and was hired at the school where I trained. It was a five year run that ended with my being the Learning Director/consultant that saw the school grow into a Pre-K through 3rd grade school. Not a great school by any stretch but a great learning ground for me. I knew within a couple of years that I wanted and needed to go earn my public school teaching certificate which I did at Saint Mary's College in Moraga, California.

At the end of that year of classes and student teaching, I was hired at little Jackson Elementary School in Fresno, California where I was hired to teach the 6th grade. My very first class is still the one I remember most. Those kids really kept me on my toes. They were and are the standard that every class since has had to attempt to measure up to. Except for a year off (I subbed in Boulder, CO) to follow my wife to do her Doctoral coursework, I stayed at Jackson from 1986 until we left for Hawaii in 1995.

A year in Hawaii working with special needs kids while my wife taught at the University of Hawaii, Hilo and then we moved to Bellingham, Washington. Here is where we at last found our home, nestled between the mountains and the sea--the place I had always dreamed of living. Here also I found Mount Vernon, Washington, a small town 30 miles south of Bellingham, where I began the final segment of my teaching career, again in a little school--Lincoln Elementary.

Here I began a 15 year partnership with Teresa Vaughn. I helped build an award-winning children's theater company, I Can Fly Productions, which produced a musical theater show each year mostly based on a Disney Broadway shows. With other teachers involved, we produced sold-out shows year after year that became huge money makers for funding field trips and other school activities that we could not otherwise have afforded.

I won numerous technology grants that brought tens of thousands of dollars in new computer hardware and software, digital still and video cameras, Smartboards, projectors and lots of training.

I also created the very first school website for an elementary school in Mount Vernon and continued as the webmaster of that site until my retirement 15 years later.

Now, I am about to walk out the door for the last time.

I have touched the lives o well over a 1,000 children in those 33 years. The exact number I'll never know. My hope is that I have done some good in the world.

Bilge Pump Issue Resolved

2011-06-11T22:01:00.000-07:00

Ever wander down the dock at a marina and notice water coming out of a hole in the side of a boat's hull? Water drains out of small holes called scuppers that can be for removing gray water used for washing hands, showering or doing dishes. These scuppers also allow the overflow of fresh water when the holding tank is full.

One other reason might be that the bilge, that place deep down in the lowest bowels of the boat, has filled to0 full of water and one or more of the boat's bilge pumps have turned on. Bilge pumps are rated as to the number of gallons of water they can move in a certain amount of time. On my boat, for example, I have two 500 gal./hour pumps and one 1500 gal./hour pump. When all are working that is 2000 gal./hour of water that can be removed from the boat. Sounds impressive but in the worst of conditions, I'd probably be heading the boat to the nearest shore to run it aground before it sank. Or, there is always the dinghy if an immediate exit was necessary.

My point in writing about this blog is that I recently had issues with one of my pumps that lead me to have to have some service done. We docked in our home slip last weekend after a tour around Bellingham Bay. After a near picture perfect landing, I shut down the engines and headed down the ladder to the main deck. A whirring sound could be heard coming from the engine room. We pulled open the hatches and peered in to discover what sounded like one of the bulge pumps was running. No amount of effort could get it to stop. Our only solution was to cut one of the power wires before it drained the batteries. I called my electrician and he came by this past week to take a look at it. While he was at it I suggested he look at the third pump hidden under the floor of the master stateroom which had never worked.

The results? He explained that something had been pulled up into the pump that wouldn't turn off and got the switch stuck in the on position. A little Simple Green cleaned it up and that problem was solved. The pump under the stateroom floor was a more serious problem. The float switch on it was dead and the pump was on its last legs, so it needed to be changed out completely which he did. $250 later, problem solved and I learned a few things as well. We are now good to go. Another of the older devices on the boat has been fixed and or replaced and The Key of Sea is that much more safe. The sad thing is that it is one of those "can't-be-seen-improvements" that homeowners always talk about like a hot water heater instead of say, new carpet. Oh, well! BOAT--Bring Over Another Thousand! You warned me, Rick!
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2011-06-10T10:30:00.000-07:00

The following op-ed was copied from a posted article by David Reber of the Topeka, Kansas Examiner. It captures my feelings of frustration as I retire from the profession I have loved and enjoyed for 33+ years--teaching!
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I’m going to step out of my usual third-person writing voice for a moment. As a parent I received a letter last week from the Kansas State Board of Education, informing me that my children’s school district had been placed on “improvement” status for failing to meet “adequate yearly progress” under the No Child Left Behind law.

I thought it ironic that our schools were judged inadequate by people who haven’t set foot in them, so I wrote a letter to my local newspaper. Predictably, my letter elicited a deluge of comments in the paper’s online forum. Many remarks came from armchair educators and anti-teacher, anti-public school evangelists quick to discredit anything I had to say under the rationale of “he’s a teacher.” What could a teacher possibly know about education?

Countless arguments used to denigrate public school teachers begin with the phrase “in what other profession….” and conclude with practically anything the anti-teacher pundits find offensive about public education. Due process and collective bargaining are favorite targets, as are the erroneous but tightly held beliefs that teachers are under-worked, over-paid (earning million-dollar pensions), and not accountable for anything.

In what other profession, indeed.

In what other profession are the licensed professionals considered the LEAST knowledgeable about the job? You seldom if ever hear “that guy couldn’t possibly know a thing about law enforcement – he’s a police officer”, or “she can’t be trusted talking about fire safety – she’s a firefighter.”

In what other profession is experience viewed as a liability rather than an asset? You won’t find a contractor advertising “choose me – I’ve never done this before”, and your doctor won’t recommend a surgeon on the basis of her “having very little experience with the procedure”.

In what other profession is the desire for competitive salary viewed as proof of callous indifference towards the job? You won’t hear many say “that lawyer charges a lot of money, she obviously doesn’t care about her clients”, or “that coach earns millions – clearly he doesn’t care about the team.”

But look around. You’ll find droves of armchair educators who summarily dismiss any statement about education when it comes from a teacher. Likewise, it’s easy to find politicians, pundits, and profiteers who refer to our veteran teachers as ineffective, overpriced “dead wood”. Only the rookies could possibly be any good, or worth the food-stamp-eligible starting salaries we pay them.

And if teachers dare ask for a raise, this is taken by many as clear evidence that teachers don’t give a porcupine’s posterior about kids. In fact, some say if teachers really cared about their students they would insist on earning LESS money.

If that entire attitude weren’t bad enough, what other profession is legally held to PERFECTION by 2014? Are police required to eliminate all crime? Are firefighters required to eliminate all fires? Are doctors required to cure all patients? Are lawyers required to win all cases? Are coaches required to win all games? Of course they aren’t.

For no other profession do so many outsiders refuse to accept the realities of an imperfect world. Crime happens. Fire happens. Illness happens. As for lawyers and coaches, where there’s a winner there must also be a loser. People accept all these realities, until they apply to public education.

If a poverty-stricken, drug-addled meth-cooker burns down his house, suffers third degree burns, and then goes to jail; we don’t blame the police, fire department, doctors, and defense attorneys for his predicament. But if that kid doesn’t graduate high school, it’s clearly the teacher’s fault.

And if someone – anyone - tries to tell you otherwise; don’t listen. He must be a teacher.

Great Lunch in Stanwood!

2011-06-09T20:03:00.000-07:00

Jimmy's Pizza and Pasta Italian Restaurant. Jimmy's? Doesn't sound very promising does it? We were in Stanwood, Washington with some friends to meet one of the stars of the Deadliest Catch a few months back. Our friends knew of a place they had heard was good for lunch or dinner and knowing of no other place to try, we tried it out. We loved it!

Flash forward to last weekend. I had promised a student I would come watch him play lacrosse. His games happened to be in Stanwood. Jimmy's! We had to stop at Jimmy's for lunch. Jimmy's is a bit of an anachronism both in its decor, a very friendly staff, but best of all the food is great.

I ordered my favorite spaghetti and meatballs and my wife ordered the ravioli skillet. The waitress asked if I'd like mine baked? I thought a minute and said sure. The dish arrived in a skillet, a plate with a handle on it. I could hear the skillet sizzling. It was red hot with the cheese bubbling over the top. I waded into the plate starting from the edge. The sauce was a deep red indicative of one that had been simmering on the stove for hours. The pasta was perfectly al dente and two enormous meatballs rich and flavorful. My wife's ravioli was great as well, but this time, I won! The ravioli was great but my spaghetti was fabulous. With each main comes a salad choice or either a ceasar or green salad and a thick slab of garlic bread. Neither of us could finish the enormous serving and so we had a delicious second meal.

Stanwood may not be on any of the main routes, but it isn't that far west of I-5. So stop by and try it out. You just might like Jimmy's.

Retirement Recognition!

2011-06-09T10:09:00.000-07:00

The first of several recognitions for my 33+ years of teaching occurred last night at the Mount Vernon High School. The school board (most of them) were there. Our principal's introduced their retirees and spoke about their accomplishments over the years. My principal, Kris Wollan, spoke about me, then I received an apple with my name and year of retirement on it from the superintendent and then each board member shook my hand and congratulated me. Afterward, the group of about 20 retirees was invited to a reception with pink lemonade and cake and ice cream. Leslie was there beaming at me, with the same look she gave me the first time I laid eyes on her some 40 years ago. We had a glass of punch, shook a few hands and then left. She had a dinner to get to with some of her students and I headed home to watch NCIS reruns and look over the latest details of our trip to Ecuador coming up next month. It was a little anticlimactic considering the number of years those people being honored had devoted to this profession, but I guess it is pretty reflective of the state of education and befits the quiet way most of us go about living our lives. Quietly doing whatever you have chosen to do with our lives and then, quietly walking off into the next phase of life. The real excitement remaining is in the classroom anyway. So this morning I arrived as I always do and will continue to do for the few days left, to do my job, be with the kids, my colleagues and finish packing up my room. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Nearing Retirement!

2011-06-02T19:34:00.000-07:00

Each day I try to pack another box or clean off a shelf or empty a file cabinet drawer and now that I have done that a bit at a time over the past couple of months it is actually starting to look noticeable. So I have had to slow down and not clean areas that are more or less out in the open as students are beginning to notice and get concerned.

They know I am leaving, they just don't want it to happen and it kind of creates a negative aura around the room. So I have decided to only clean the spaces that are not obvious or out in the open.

What to do with 33 years of belongings? Books, activities, the worm bin I built out of a Rubbermaid storage tub 20 years ago, the the terrarium that has been home to so many critters over the years, tub after tub of science related materials, thermometers, funnels, motors, wiring, switches, light bulbs, microscopes, slides, butterfly and rock and fossil collections? The detritus of a teaching career about to come to an end.

A friend from early in my career, who retired last year, suggested I could make a pretty tidy sum by selling off the books and materials on e-bay or Amazon. "Don't throw it away," she said. "I made enough initially to take my entire family to Disneyland including food and souvenirs!"

So, I continue to pack. Quietly. Drawing as little attention to the task as possible so as not to suggest to my 5th graders that I may abandon them tomorrow. But a box at a time are being filled and sealed and slid under the tables along the walls of the classroom, marked with a description of their general contents on the side. I'm waiting for the best time to walk them out to my car for their trip home to the garage to be stacked out of the way until I decide what to do with their contents.

I took my students to the annual sing-a-long event the school district sponsors each year for the 4th and 5th graders. Students from across the district fill up the 1,000 or so seats of the theater at the local junior college to sing songs the children have been learning all year. Near the end of the event, one of the music teachers up on stage who was helping leading the singing announced that "we have a special teacher in our audience today. He is going to retire this year." And I began to sink into my seat and my students all turned to look at me. "Mr. G has always been so supportive of music in our district. Let's give him a great big hand." While I was honored by their outpouring, I wasn't moved to any sort of emotional response, except the redness of my face due to being singled out at all.

I keep waiting for the emotions of this milestone to come crashing down on me, but so far it just hasn't sunk in. I just look forward to it and whatever it brings. As of this writing, 15 more days!

Cruise to Anacortes and the Waterfront Festival

2011-05-24T09:55:00.000-07:00

We left Squalicum Harbor about 16:30 hours this past Friday and headed southwest across Bellingham Bay towards Eliza Island, then south across Samish Bay and into Padilla Bay finally cutting across the Guemes Channel and tucking into the Cap Sante Marina in Anacortes. Total trip time about 4 hours 30 minutes.

The sea was flat calm and the skies clear and cloudless on the outward bound leg of the trip. Right up until we made port. Then the wind came up and was blowing 10-15 knots as I tried to go into our assigned slip. Unfortunately, our slip was already occupied and we needed to make a sudden turn in mid waterway.

I made a perfect turn and headed back up the waterway to more open water where I could phone into the port and find out what was going on. As the wind was tossing us around pretty badly I decided to tuck into an empty slip. It was a 60 foot slip so what could go wrong? Plenty!

I made my decision too late and angled into the slip incorrectly considering the wind speed and direction and so I nearly went in sideways which would have worked fine considering it was a 60 foot slip. However, some good samaritans happened by and we tossed the line to them. The stern was tied off PDQ and the bow line was tossed over and another helpful soul pulled our bow into the dock. Whew!

Next order of business was to call port security and ask what we should do since our assigned slip was occupied? We asked if we could just stay where we were and were granted permission so we began settling in.

First order of business was dinner. We had brought along some hamburger with the idea of trying out our still unused BBQ. But setting it up and prepping it was more than we had the energy to do after our landing so we opted to cook our burgers on the stove top in the galley. Hot water was put on for some tea and I got the burgers ready in no time. Dinner included a couple of salads we had made at home, some fresh pineapple and Leslie also had a glass of wine from our modest shipboard wine cellar.

About 21:00 hours we had friends Jason and Carole Leander over for some appies and wine. We gave them the tour of the Key of Sea and had a great visit. They left about 23:00 and after cleaning up we headed off to bed. Slept well considering that the mattress in the master stateroom is really pretty shot. We need to do something about that!

Woke about 09:00, had oatmeal and coffee along with some fruit for breakfast. Then we headed up the dock toward the port offices to pay our fees. Surprise! Due to the waterfront festival going on we only had to pay $4 for the shore power. No moorage fee! Cool! We walked through the festivities which really amounted mostly to food vendors of the type you'd find at a county fair, artisans selling their jewelry, candles, clothing and what not. Then we walked on towards the farmer's market a couple of blocks down where there was more of the same along with a few other vendors selling homemade baked goods and farmers selling their cheeses and meats.

We decided to walk one more block to the Croatian cultural center where we split a sandwich of Croatian sausages and sampled one of their desserts.

Next up was a walk down Commercial Street, the main shopping street downtown Anacortes. My main destination was Marine Supply and Hardware. Anyone who loves boats needs to visit this store. It is a real live chandlery! The oldest on the Pacific coast. If they don't have it, or can't get it, you don't need it. Every time I walk through that store I just get this overwhelming thought that I need to buy something. I don't necessarily know what, but something! You ca smell the age of the place, the oiled hardwood floors, the items on the shelves that look like thwey have been waiting for a home forever.

We walked south on down Commercial back toward the festival and after a few blocks turned east toward the port and back towards our boat. A final walk through the festival didn't turn up anything new except the Zoomba dancers at the entertainment stage which was entirely too, well, energetic! We walked on around them and I headed back to the boat to begin preparations for our departure. Leslie decided to head over to Q dock to see a friend's boat and take some photos.

By the time she returned we were set to go. It was about 14:00 and the time we had scheduled for our trip back home. That departure time gave us the best currents and additionally the weather had cleared a bit since the rain we had received all night and into the early morning hours.

Our trip back was a bit bumpy in places but nothing big. One foot swells, a few white caps and the usual craziness of Bellingham Bay. We tucked into our slip without incident despite the 10 knot winds. This time I made a picture perfect landing!

New Motor For Our Tender

2011-05-16T19:43:00.000-07:00

Finally, the old 4 horsepower 1980's vintage Mariner outboard can be put to rest! Kind of sad actually. I'd spent a lot of hours working on it, repainting it and replacing parts in an attempt to make it last a couple of more years. So, onto Craig's List it goes so someone far more mechanical than I can hopefully make use of it. It does start, but only after far too many pulls!

Today I took possession of a brand new Honda 2 horsepower outboard motor. Air cooled, only 27 pounds (the Mariner was closer to 40), a full 5 year warranty and it starts first time, every time!

After researching what to buy and where to get the best price for the past couple of months, I thought I'd found a supplier out of Florida. Further research uncovered a couple of issues. First, it turns out Honda dealers can't ship outside their area. Buyers out of the dealer's sales area must physically pick up the motor. Too bad because the price was really great. As it turned out I couldn't find any good reviews on the quality of service from that company.

Then, last weekend, West Coast Marine Services held its grand opening here in Bellingham advertising great prices AND they are a Honda dealer. I stopped by and got great help from the staff who walked me through everything I needed to know about starting the motor, basic maintenance, they even started it up in their tank and discovering the oil level was a little high, drained a bit off and retested the the motor. It was the best price I have found outside the one in Florida.

I can't wait to attach it to our year old 11-foot Mercury tender hanging off the stern of the Key of Sea. It should be so much easier to hang the Honda on the transom and start it on the first pull.

See you on the Sound!

My New Garden Tractor

2011-05-14T15:27:00.000-07:00

Okay, so maybe "tractor" is pushing it a bit to describe what it really is, but when combined with "garden", tractor sounds more like what it really is--a garden tractor. Its main function is mowing the lawn so it might best be called, and it is often referred to, as a riding mower. Either way, I can finally say, after of years of wanting one, I have a John Deere tractor in my barn.

At 10' by 12', it isn't much of a barn, but it is as close as I am likely to ever get to a big red barn on a 100 acres of land (I have a 1/3 of an acre). It houses my garden tools, power and otherwise, and even has a bench in it for making repairs. It has electric power and there is water on the corner outside the door. So it is a pretty nice out-building. I stained it and painted the trim a nice forest green after we built it back about 12 years ago.

As for the new tractor? It is a John Deere model D130. No, I didn't spend an additional $1000 to get into the X series. One does need to draw the line somewhere. This model, particularly impressed me when I read the specs about it on-line and went to the local dealer to kick the tires. It has a 22 horse V-Twin engine, much more power than my old Craftsman. The hydrostatic transmission removes the need to stop and shift gears. Just depress the accelerator and away you go. It has a heavy metal front bumper and larger back tires to make going through slippery spots and up hills easier. I can easily check how much fuel I have left on the gauge. Other features include cruise control and a higher back on the seat so no more whiplash in the middle of my back when I take off. I've added a mulching kit to it so I will no longer bag my grass and haul it off to the green dump every week, but rather leave it on the ground to feed the lawn.

And I even like the color!

Initially I went to the local dealer up in Lynden to make my purchase, but I was put off by the salesman who didn't seem interested in whether I bought or not. Plus he had this annoying habit of spinning his keys in a large circle on a key chain I swear was a couple of feet long. I had to keep my eye on his keys to avoid them flying off and hitting me up beside the head. I guess he was hoping I was going to buy a BIG tractor or combine or something. Plus he wanted to charge $75 for delivery. I needed time to think and so the salesman wandered off back inside the store. When I went in to ask to borrow a pen to write some thoughts down, there he was spinning his keys talking to one of the other employees rather than being available for me to ask questions to outside--especially since he obviously didn't have a thing to do.

I called my wife while sitting on the tractor I wanted and we decided (great idea) to think it over. So I drove off with the line of tractors in my rear view mirror.

In the meantime, I called our local Lowe's and asked if they happened to stock the same tractor. They did. "Do you deliver?" "Yes, we do!" "How much?" "It's free!" Hmmmmm!

So, this morning we drove over to Lowe's. I know, I know, what happened to "buy local?" Well, Lowe's was willing to deliver it free AND when I opened a Lowe's account I found I would also get 5% off the purchase price of the tractor (same price as the dealer). It took a little doing but we got it done and for a somewhat less expensive price than buying through the local dealer, who will, down the road, be happy to come do any repairs even if I didn't buy it from them. Buy local is great, but you know, I am really tired of being taken advantage of by local businesses that are unwilling to deal at all. The concept of buy local, but expect to pay more, is okay with me if you are actually getting more for your money--a knowledgeable staff and great service after the sale. All too often, you don't. The local John Deere dealer didn't know anything more than they did at Lowe's and, like Lowe's, the salesman at the local dealer wasn't interested in finding out the answers to any of my questions. So, all things being equal, I'm going with who makes the best deal for me. In this case, Lowe's wins!

The mower will be delivered on Thursday, ready to begin work. My old 2005 Craftsman LT200 is on Craig's List for sale and the new John Deere will take its place out in the old barn.

When it arrives I will register it and wait for the ultimate gift for any John Deere lover--a John Deere hat! With the purchase of a John Deere tractor the new owner traditionally gets a hat which signifies that you are the proud owner of a John Deere tractor. I certainly am.

Anchor Update

2011-03-25T11:55:00.000-07:00

Purchased a new 15 kg Bruce-style anchor at Pacific Marine for $125. I was told it was a good price since it had been around the shop a long time and they hadn't raised the price on it. Then went home and my wife asked me if I had checked around comparing prices? No, I hadn't so I spent the evening doing just that. I did manage to find it cheaper on-line but the shipping charges made it slightly more expensive than the one I had just purchased. Hmmm.

Then, I decided to try the local marine stores--LFS and Redden Marine. Low and behold, there, on the Redden Marine website, was a North Star Bruce-style anchor, 15 kg and only $95. A quick call to them and I found out they had 15 of them in stock. So, I'll be taking back the used boat store anchor and getting my choice of one at Redden's for $30 cheaper. That's $30 more towards the new outboard dinghy motor I want to get this season. $30 I can use towards the new scope for the anchor that also needs to be replaced this season.

Can't wait for this weekend.

New Anchor System On The Way!

2011-03-19T19:40:00.000-07:00

Our 10 kilogram Bruce anchor hanging off the bowsprit of The Key of Sea gave us plenty of reason during last boating season, to suspect it was too little anchor for our boat. Several times, we found ourselves drifting off of our anchorage even though we had carefully gone through each step necessary to secure us to the bottom. After setting the anchor we also set the GPS proximity alarm to warn us should the anchor slip. In every case we had to reset the anchor more than once. Fortunately, we never had to depend on it during an overnight stay or stormy weather.

We were confident in our anchoring ability. So why the problem? I bought a book on anchors and anchoring and read it front to back. I began to suspect we needed much more anchor than we are currently carrying. Fast forward to a visit to Pacific Marine, a used boating supply store here in town. I had a long conversation with one of the staff regarding my options. In the end they recom-mended that I have at least as much chain as the length of the boat. In our case probably 35-40 feet would be a good length just to be sure. We will also replace the well-frayed anchor line and upgrade to a slightly larger diameter rope. We will continue to use a 3 strand nylon line for its strength and elasticity and that will give us an overall scope of about 300 feet.

As to the anchor. Well, it turns out we have been using about half the anchor we should have. We will keep the current 10 kg Bruce as a back up and go to a 15 kg model for our permanent anchor. We'll need to mark the scope every so many feet in order to keep track of what has gone overboard when we are setting the anchor.

So, we have a job ahead of us and I am looking forward to it. Thought I'd get to it during the upcoming Spring break in another week. I have an eye on a used 15 kg Bruce down at Pacific Marine that looks to be in good shape. I may go down and buy it next week. I think some sort of rubberized mat placed in the bottom of the anchor locker on deck might help curb future scratching and denting of the fiberglass locker.

Another addition to this year's cruising will probably have to be a new small hp outboard motor for the dinghy we bought last season. Still looking for a deal on that. My old motor which I spent a lot of time last winter fixing up just hasn't paid off the way I had hoped. It is just to old, unreliable, difficult to steer and start. It works and it could continue to serve us, but a new motor would be much lighter and easier to get running. Well see. We can always use the oars that came with the dinghy! We'd get some exercise that way as well. ha!

With the new paint job and zincs in place since last Fall, our mechanic, Travis, is all set to do the annual physical in two weeks--new oil, filters, etc., we are about set for the 2011 boating season. And we are planning a lot more boating this summer. Oh, and one more update. When Travis visits to do the annual check up, he has also promised to move the port side engine sea strainer further aft. It currently sits just far enough forward to make it just inaccessible for me. As it needs to be looked at before and after every trip, it is quite bothersome to have to ask someone to squeeze into that space just to check that one concern. Now I'll be able to get to both of them easily.
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