More from the Middle of the World . . .

Just a few highlights for now (I´ll post pictures once I´m back in the homeland, but we get to [have to?] meet with the archbishop of Cuenca, Ecuador, in a little bit).

- Wabash College is treating us very well down here. The hotel we stayed in last night welcomed us with a hot, mint-scented damp washcloth, a welcome drink, turndown service, hot water bottles tucked between the sheets and blanket to make sure that everything was warm and toasty, rose petals scattered on the bed, and a beautiful colonial house setting.
- Yesterday we went to some Incan ruins, among which several llamas were chilling out, chewing their (or someone else´s) cud. I got my picture taken with one of them. Frank put me on an alpaca mailing list a while ago, and so it seems oddly appropriate to make acquaintances with the creatures that have been inhabiting our mailbox in the form of pamphlets, alpaca festival notices, and purchasing catalogs.
- Ecuadorean food uses a lot of banana (fried plantains), yucca (breaded and fried), hominy and popcorn, and seafood. I told some of the other professors that I grew up putting popcorn in my tomato soup just like Ecuadoreans do. Did I grow up in Ecuador, and just never know it? Or is that something that Mom and Dad learned in Peru?

More later! My love to all.

Happy Birthday, Bo!

I don't know why I remember this but today's Bo's birthday. I think it was because it was the same day as Play Day at Wilson School the year we got him and it just stuck in my head...I don't know, the brain's a funny thing (and terrible thing to waste, I hear). Correct or not, I remember it every year. So happy birthday, Bo! Remember when he used to get all worked up and race around the circle created by the kitchen, dining room, and front room at 55 East? Remember how he ran, ran, ran right into the closed sliding glass door (I think at both Wildwood and Lamplighter)? What are your favorite Bo memories?

It was really wonderful to have Dad here to celebrate graduation with us; thanks, Dad....but too short (the trip, not you...you're just the right size). I've been enjoying my new relaxed schedule. Eventually I'm sure it will get old but for now I've been enjoying a few matinee movies, reading (for pleasure!gasp!), just slowing down and noticing. (Oh, and also doing laundry, cleaning up, puttering, and even ironing.) Having said that, I'm already on the search for the next Plan, next Thing, next Trip to look forward to, craving adventure, newness, change. Where does that come from? Is it genetic? A strength or a fault? Dunno.

Hope Chris made it safely to his destination and that Matt managed to get out of the bird jungle alive! More details please, both of you!

Sending love to you all,
Annie

Update from the Ranch

We just went to see the film The Upside of Anger. Interesting and good and surprising. I don't usually like Kevin Costner, at least in the last few years, but this role fits him, or he fits it.
Chris is on the road again, after a breakdown in his new van in The Middle of Nowhere, Arizona. He had to be towed into Show Low, after driving for four or five hours. Bad timing (like there is good timing for breakdowns). He was on his way to Wyoming for his summer job, but something with the clutch system blew. But it is fixed now and he is on his way again. Praying for his safe journey to Wyo., and that this is the only trouble he has with his new/used van. Very frustrating for him. He'll tell you more about it. Two words: surly mechanic.
I think we will go down to Provo for Mem. Day, with a stop in SLC at David T.'s grave. Mom says the Webbers will be at Wildwood and we would like to see them. My Aunt Patty had surgery for lung cancer last week, but it hadn't spread to the lymph nodes or anything, so they are optimistic. That is three aunts who have had cancer. Yikes. Makes me feel good that I had my mammogram(sp?) and colon test. I really studied for that one, and it paid off.
Thanks, Annie, for setting up the family blog site. It's a great boon for the family. And congratulations on you Master's Degree. So proud.
I had a great stay in Tucson. We did alot of eating, went to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which was entertaining, saw Dave's exhibit (very impressive), gabbed, napped, had a birthday celebration for Nancy, but no cake. Just dinner out with dessert. We did sing to her back at the house. A very slow, kind of lounge act version of Happy Birthday, and a few of the other songs. Dave was a good sport. There is alot of love there, between those two sweethearts. The Betz let me stay in their condo, which was generous. They have offered it anytime we want it, so sometime, maybe we should meet in Tucson - all of us. Preferably in the winter months.
Signing off now. Sure do love you all. Yes, that means you. Love, Ma/Gma

From the Equator . . .

I´m sitting in an Internet Café in Quito, Ecuador right now. We spent the last two days in a Cloud Rainforest region, staying in a very comfortable lodge with all of the appropriate accessories: hummingbirds, views of the canopy of the forest, interesting plants, and (today) a breathtakingly beautiful day. We got up early to go birdwatching, and it ended up being a bit more interesting and exciting than I expected.
I´ve got my default trying-to-blend-in-with-the-locals outfit on, but I think it only works in Europe.
Well, I hope all you dear ones are well . . .

Great Idea!

Annie,

What a great idea . . . I read a bunch of blogs somewhat regularly, always with the thought in the back of my mind that I should do something more than just passively read them. More to come from me, I'm sure!

Hello Bentley famdamily

I am emerging from my school-study cocoon and decided to start a family website. Let's communicate!

Maddy and her team ("the lightbulbs") of ace spellers in March 2005