We have been “advised” by an avid blog reader that our last post was October 29.  We hope this entry will appease said reader and bring you all up to date.  The order of events are quite random as some things were previously penned and not posted.

November 17^th, we woke up to snow!  No, it wasn’t an ice age in the jungle, but a normal event for Winnipeg.  We came back to Canada to meet our grandson who just couldn’t wait to play in the snow.  Thomas Hilding was born in the early minutes of November 15, as we were in transit home.  Weighing in at 5lb, 7oz and about 19 inches, he is just perfect!  Both he and Emily are doing well and the new family went home November 18.

We had a long trip home.  After changing our flights (8 days early) we left Shell on Monday (14^th) arriving in Quito for some last minute items and a good night’s rest.  Thanks to Ron and Margie Grant, we didn’t have to endure the bus ride and ensuing transportation “adventures”, arriving at the airport for our 10:45 am flight.  In Miami we intended to rebook through Orlando to Winnipeg, but delays at the terminal with customs and security made us unable to make connections.  We continued with our original Minneapolis flight arriving there at 11 pm.  No rental cars were available so we stayed overnight and drove up the following day.  We learned of Thomas’s arrival when we got to our hotel that night.

Previously, in Shell.

After hearing of the probable early appearance of our grandson, we rebooked flights and Valerie began a wrap up of teaching units and reports.  The instructor Valerie had replaced was back in Ecuador and able to step in to the classroom to complete the time before the Christmas break.  Garth, meanwhile, changed worksites and was at the hospital working with the maintenance department.  Working with Spanish speakers (5 in all) has some challenges. They know more English than they admit and with my seven words, we can get the job done.  It is a very relaxed atmosphere and the jobs I am assigned have not been critical, but projects the crew cannot get to because of more pressing things.  At the moment I have been refurbishing furniture that will be put back into service. 

Presently, in Winnipeg.

This afternoon Thomas has a scheduled doctor’s appointment.  As Emily feels she is still unable to drive, we will accompany her (such a hardship!).  Everything is going well for all of us.  It is surprising that Thomas is already more than two weeks old!   He is such a good baby.  Jason is back in school so that gives us grandparents most of the day to spoil the baby.  On weekends, when Jason is home, we are able to travel to Minnedosa to visit and reconnect with family and friends.

This past week has been very intense for both of us!  It was report card time and parent teacher interviews at Nate Saint School… always a little stressful from everyone’s perspective.  However, all went well and Valerie had energy left over to enjoy Friday’s Harvest Festival, dedicated to the amazing apple.  Valerie even learned some fascinating facts during the 

Apple Trivia game.

  

Garth put in longer hours than usual as he and Ron Grant raced the clock to get the apartment finished for moving day, TODAY.  The place looks great and the teachers moving in are excited with their new accommodations.  Friday night we were invited over to the Grant’s home for pizza and a movie to celebrate completion of the apartment project. 

Today we strolled over to the school to see what bargains could be had at the grade 7/8 garage sale.  People enjoy a good sale in any country and business was brisk.  Surprisingly the sun shone the whole time!  We are pretty sure enough money was made to get the students to Quito for their field trip in November.  Buy the way; we did acquire some great English reading material for a grand total of 50 cents.

On the way back from the market this afternoon, we met a family from Missouri, an elderly woman, her son and her grand daughter.  They were taking it 

VERY SLOW

 across the swinging bridge and we had to wait for them to cross in order to not get the bridge bouncing wildly.  We were impressed with the spunk of the elderly woman who was excited to explore the town, which holds such rich missionary history.  We are also amazed at the number of visitors from other countries who cross our path.  On Wednesday we met another Johnson family, direct from Sweden.  It was fun to listen to them talk.  Needless to say there is never a dull moment around here. 

We have not had time to take many pictures this week so we are including some earlier pictures of interesting flowers, leaves, a cute frog and an interesting stick bug that Garth captured with the camera, then seconds later accidentally stepped on!!

One more week at the “Old Hanger Apartment” and then it is moving day for the girls.  Two teachers, one from Nate Saint School and one from Casa de Fe Orphanage, have been waiting for this date for some time.  The renovations will not be completely done, but the remainder is mostly exterior work. 

It seems like the overhaul of this building has taken a lot of time, however, in this land there are many reasons for delays.  Going to the building supply store is not like browsing at Home Depot.  First you must know what you need, go to the counter to ask for it, describe it if they have another name for it, wait until they can locate the item and sometimes you will leave with exactly what you wanted.  Often though, you will accept a substitute and rework that which you have already done to complete the job.  That is in regard to plumbing and electrical parts.   Lumber and millwork are another story! 

Example of termite damage
from one of several walls replaced
a few weeks ago

The renovation to this building was due to insect damage; so all the materials used in the repairs have been naturally insect resistant. The wood is so hard that often you must drill before you nail and it must be custom milled to fit.  Over the last several days we have been making window and baseboard trim.  Prior to that, the doors all had to be framed and installed.  Although this type of work has taken more time, it has been very enjoyable.  As you can see in the pictures, MAF has a well equipped shop for this work.

Step 2- Get a flat, square edge

Step 1- Select termite resistant wood

Step 3- Run it thru' the saw

Step 4- Plane it to a uniform size

Step 5-Push it thru' the shopmade shaper

Step 6- Apply finish

This will be my last week with MAF.  In the new month I will walk the opposite direction every morning and begin      working with HCJB in the hospital.  This promises to be a new challenge in that the entire maintenance crew speaks Spanish.

Thanksgiving

Albert and Clara Johnson
65 years

Visiting via Skype

 We have so much to be thankful for.  As well as family, friends, beauty and bounty, we would like to add technology.  Because of today's technology, we are able to be a continent away and yet still share in celebrations!  Saturday, we attended Mom and Dad Johnson's 65th wedding anniversary celebration...virtually, via Skype.  My sister Ruth carried us from table to table so we could visit during the meal and also set us up to view the program that was prepared for the handsome couple!  It was almost like being there, except for the smell and taste of the Thanksgiving turkey and pumpkin pie!   

Monday evening, here in Shell, about 45 people gathered at the Nate Saint House to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving - potluck style!  The evening began with singing the Doxology as the blessing (three part harmony!) then two of Valerie's students read their own psalm of thanksgiving.  Everyone enjoyed a traditional yet varied Thanksgiving meal.  Traditional with turkey, potatoes, corn and salads and varied with refried beans, chilli and several unidentified vegetables.  Valerie and I (as the Canadians) supplied the turkey, cornmeal buns and scalloped corn.  Thanks to Barb for the recipe on short notice! 

At the end of the evening while cleaning up, the town of Shell went black.  It is the beginning of severe electrical storm season.  For the next two months we are to expect intense lightning storms.  The locals tell us the storms will mostly occur at night.  We received almost 2 inches of rain that night, and yesterday it rained all day, but today was clear and cooler with a view of the mountains and snow capped volcanoes!

One of the many things to be thankful for!

As we write this it is raining.  Since we arrived 6 weeks ago, the rain guage has measured over 24 inches.  Today looks like there will be another 1/2 inch.

This past Friday, Valerie and Beth (another teacher), combined classes and came to visit the renovation worksite.  This is an environmental class and they've been discussing the differences in new construction and renovations, as well as looking at the materials used in the different styles of construction and how this impacts the environment.  There is a new concrete house (Ecuadorian style) being built that they will visit next week.

 
The renovation is to the point that you cannot see into any open walls, so we let the kids into a crawl space to check out the plumbing and electrical that is hidden within the walls.  This apartment also required a fire escape route and all the kids had to test that out!  This was the highlight of the visit.  They seemed to have fun and hopefully learned something.  When they returned to school, the rest of the afternoon was spent with the Casa de Fe (orphanage) children that had come over for games and an art activity.

The jungle called to Garth again this weekend.  He felt it would be the last opportunity to see the location of the water wheel that Nate Saint had built to generate power for his home/hospital in the early 50's.  The scrap iron collectors had discovered it, along with the old dump site, and were hauling out all sorts of stuff.  Mostly old rusty barrels, pipes and other scrap steel, but also parts of a wrecked airplane including sheet metal from the fuselage and wings.  They were working on the wheel late Friday so Garth trekked out on Saturday to take a look...alas, already gone!  All that remained was a portion of the concrete aqua-duct that lead the water to the turbine.

Warehouse (note tree across trail)

Main House

Also while trekking, Garth came upon an abandoned tea plantation.  Although the property has been seized by the bank, it is likely that it is not vacant as squatters usually take over quickly.  For this reason the main house was viewed from a distance.  A second building, a distance from the hacienda, looked to be a warehouse but inside were many rooms filled with bunk beds.  I guess it was a warehouse, for labor.  It won't be long before the jungle reclaims this building and the others around it!

Each room contained 4-6 beds

Tree across the trail

Check out this jungle spike belt!  I saw other palm-like trees still standing with these spines, but have no idea what they are trying to protect.

Walking for us is an everyday activity.  We walk to our work places, we walk for groceries, and we walk for recreation.  In Shell walking has it's hazards.

Let's go downtown to get some groceries!  First we cross this swinging bridge, 80 feet above the river and through the jungle canopy.

Now avoid as many dogs as you can and keep a watch out for traffic.  Remember, sidewalks are not necessarily flat and smooth.  You must be constantly aware of elevation changes, open manholes and water pipes coming up on the foot-path.   

 

Then there is the usual rubble from ongoing construction "improvements".  If you can avoid the utility poles and guy wires sprouting out of the centre of the sidewalk, you might finally get to the most recently improved road in town. 

As we approach "Karen's" the 

gringo grocery store, we can see that it is closed.  It is mid-day, so we will return in an hour and the store will likely be open for business.

 

Urban trails and jungle trails both have hazards.  Just off the route that Garth walks from his work site is an interesting opening into the jungle.  The trail is steep and with the constant rain, very slippery!  The image to the right was captured as he clutched the camera while careening, out of control, down the slope toward the river.  Other than mud caked clothing, a cut elbow and bruised ego, he was able to crawl back up the slope and has another experience to tell the grandchildren!

Trail above Banos

Banos town

Last week was a short week at School, Friday being a day off.  The School principal and her husband invited us on a hike above Banos.  Banos is a resort town about an hour from Shell.  It lies deep in the surrounding mountains and is shadowed by the ever threatening volcano Tungurahua.  As we walked the damp wooded trail, we commented to each other about the lack of mosquitos, black flies and other insects.  This is one of the contrasts to Canada that we are very aware of.  The  goal on this hike was 'La Virgen', a statue high above the town.  Our approach was from the side of the monument and after a short rest and viewing of the surrounding vista, we began our descent to the town.  654 steps and some sloping streets brought us to a lovely restaurant and delicious lunch near a waterfall.

654 steps

After lunch we wandered the streets of the town centre, enjoying the sights and sounds of the artisan market and the beauty of the surrounding mountains.

Earlier in the week we had supper in Puyo with 5 missionary wives and their children.  All of the women were single parents at that moment, as their husbands were away attending conferences, meetings or other business of their mission assignment.  We have become more aware of the specific needs and support the missionary families require since we have been here.  Many times the families are left behind as one parent or another must travel and be away for extended times in the course of their duties.  The supper out was a kind of support gathering for the women, Garth was the token male, and we enjoyed the ultimate snack food of Puyo.  The restaurant served only one dish called Volquetero, which loosely translates to Dump Truck.  It consists of large portions of chochos (bean), tostados (toasted corn), chifles (plantain chips), diced red onion and tomato and topped with a can of tuna.  You season with lime juice or aji (hot sauce) to taste.  Eaten with a spoon, it is very tasty and filling.  We shared a grande order and left some behind...a pequeno order would have been enough for both of us!

Volcano Sangay, visible from kitchen window

We are fortunate to be surrounded by beautiful views of mountain ranges to the west and lush jungle to the east, that is when it is not raining or the humidity is so high the haze in the air blocks your vision.  The image above was captured yesterday around 7AM, but even at that time the air was warming and the clouds were gathering.  There have been a few days that have been clear and bright, but mostly the sky is overcast.  Not too much risk of sunburn most days!

We have kept a record of the temperature and rainfall since we arrived in Shell about 3 weeks ago. We have experienced low temperatures of 60F (15C) and highs of 84F (29C).  We understand that 84 is about as warm as it gets, but when the sky is clear the sun is really close and it feels much warmer!  We also have experienced some rain and have measured an accumulation of 12.2 inches!  Even so, the drainage and absorption rate is such that you seldom see surface accumulation even after a hard rain.

Recently, on Facebook, we have noticed some photos and discussion of the beginning of harvest at home.  One recent email from home commented "no frost yet".  This seems strange to us because here we are in a constant state of summer.  It is easy to forget that the seasons change and autumn is upon you.  We will no doubt notice a dramatic change when we return in November. 

Today we plan to go to the vegetable and fruit markets to see what is being offered.  One might think that in a tropical country all varieties of fruit and vegetables would always be available. Some are, but many are seasonal and simply not available in the local markets.  We have also noticed that fruit, such as bananas, are very fresh but must be consumed immediately.  They are the real thing....not engineered for transportation and long shelf life!  It is difficult for us to get in the habit of shopping daily for fresh produce.  Being Canadian we tend to want to stock up, but this is not wise in a tropical climate.

We have just returned from the market, shopping at two stalls.  Potatoes didn't seem to be available today.  This is what we bought....for about $4.00.