Beading 201

Posted on December 25, 2009July 28, 2017 by patrice

: Look at this lady. She likes the bracelet she made too.

: Look at this ones face. She was so shy, but also so proud of her bracelet.

: This is before class they are looking at their beading projects. See the little girl with the puppies by her? She brought me a hot roll from the oven when we started the class. I think that is why she has the puppies as friends.

: A new class and a new technique. There wasn’t a problem with them not wanting to do a project.

: This is only part of the class. They sure do like beading don’t they.

: Here we are again today getting ready to do another class on beading. This is the village church. Look at the view in the background too. I think I could just sit outside and look for a few hours. But we came here for a reason might as well get to it.

Announcement

Posted on December 25, 2009July 28, 2017 by patrice

: TierraFirmeEastView

: TierraFirme WestView

This is the view to the east of Mt. Imbaburra. This was also taken with a wide angle lens to give you a broader view and from about the middle of the development. Our property is at the far end, closer to the mountain. The wall you see is the back side of the development.

Ok, here it is…[insert drum roll here]…

We bought some property here in Cotacachi and this is the view to the east. That is the town of Cotacachi you can see in the picture and Mt Cotacachi is in the background with the peak hidden by the clouds. This was taken with a wide angle lens to give you a broad view not a close up. This was taken from the Gazebo on the property. The link following is for the development. They have a pretty good description and great photos. You might be a little slow to load as it is all flash content – but it is worth it.

www.andeanretreat.com

Beading 101

Posted on December 25, 2009July 28, 2017 by patrice

View from San Pedro

I tried to do this in reverse so this is the first posting in the series and you can read down instead of reading the last thing first. we will see how this works in reality.
Patrice was asked to teach one of the villages some beading. Another one wants me to teach them how to make Pizza, (all they really want is my Sourdough). As it turns out they want 3 days of beading classes. Today was the first day. Now picture this… We barely know a few words in Spanish, the villagers know not much Spanish, they primarily speak their native language named Kitchwa. How is that for the beginnings of teaching a class?
In the picture, lower left you can see Cotacachi where we are staying. In the middle below the mountain you can see Otavalo, where the big craft market is. Those things that seem like white lines, to the right mid picture, are Rose growing operations. This picture is only part of the absolutely stunning views this village has.
The name of the village is San Pedro and is over 200 years old. It is small, and the people are shy but it was worth it just to see things like this picture. As you will see – they really got into beading. Must have been the Instructor, what do you think?
We have to pick up more supplies tomorrow in Otavalo and the second class will be Monday (Lunes).

: Before class started

: beading … lets get started

: everyone is busy

Just so you know…

Posted on December 25, 2009June 25, 2011 by patrice

We haven’t been forgetting to blog – we have been a bit to busy with some secret stuff. Watch here for some major announcements at the end of the week. But until then…
We are hearing about all the storms every where from family and friends. Well, we just wanted you to know – we feel your pain. It hasn’t been exactly perfect here either you know. We have had rain the last couple nights. It starts about 4pm and rains into the night. Fortunately it clears right up by dawn.
Even though it rained last, there are a couple of clouds in the sky and one of the mountains has a cloud on top of it. It is in the low 70’s right now. I will be walking up to the market later today and will have to put on Sun Screen.
Last trip to the Market I bought a kilo of little fingerling potatoes, 8 fresh tomatoes from the vine, 3 heads of garlic, and something else that I forget right now, for $2 even. But then I splurged for Patrice and bought 50 fresh cut roses for $4.
See so it is tough everywhere. Just remember this next time you get upset by the weather.

Otavalo Bead Trip

Posted on November 25, 2009July 28, 2017 by patrice

Today we went into Otavalo on a bead buying trip. We had found one store on a previous trip but, today we found I think 3 and a couple accessory stores too. What prompted all this Bead buying frenzy? Well perhaps there will be more on why tomorrow

I was able to look around some rather than carry packages. You can see there are some interesting “Architecture” in some of the buildings. To bad those poles are in front of this one.

Ok, finally exhaustion,(on my part for carrying all the @#$% beads), set in and we took a lunch break at a place above the market. It was a way cool view.

Yes I was wondering if this little trip was going to end. The costs were escalating too. It cost us 25 cents EACH to get there after all. At lunch we looked out over the market. This is the little version during the week.

Ok, as we decided we were done and it was time to head back to Cotacachi. I took this last picture of a couple of ladies in their native dress. Most of the vendors dress like this.

Breakfast of Champions!

Posted on November 25, 2009July 28, 2017 by patrice

Quail eggs for breakfast

How is this for a hearty breakfast? Six fried eggs. Patrice was laughing at me the whole time I ate them too. Go figure that!
Ok, so they are Quail eggs, they are still eggs. I did eat all six of them too. Besides they are better for you than chicken eggs see..
While quail eggs are so small (10-12 g), they are packed with many biologically active substances we need to be healthy. They are an abundant source of useful trace elements and vitamins. Their nutritional value is 3-4 times higher than that of chicken eggs. They contain 13% proteins while chicken eggs provide a bit more than 11%. Quail eggs contain 140 μg vitamin B1 compared to 50 μg in chicken eggs, and they contain twice as much vitamins A and B2. And quail eggs provide five times as much iron and potassium as chicken eggs. They also are richer in phosphorus and calcium.
But wait there is more!!!
Quail eggs:
* are a remedy against digestive tract disorders such as gastritis, stomach ulcer and duodenal ulcer.
* can help cure anemia increasing hemoglobin level and remove toxins and heavy metals from blood.
* help in the treatment of tuberculosis, bronchial asthma, diabetes and vegetative-vascular dystonia.
* have strong anticancer effects and may help inhibit cancerous growth.
* help eliminate and remove stones from liver, kidneys and gallbladder.
* may accelerate recuperation after blood stroke and help strengthen heart muscle.
* are a powerful stimulant of sexual potency. They nourish the prostrate gland with useful substances, phosphorus, proteins and vitamins and therefore help restore sexual potency in men.
* promote good memory, enhance brain activity and regulate the nervous system.
* strengthen the immune system slow down aging of organs and increase the life span.
* improve skin color and strengthen hair making it shiny and voluminous. That’s why quail eggs are used for facial and hair care masks.
If kids eat at least 2 quail eggs daily, they grow better and are less likely to suffer from infectious diseases.
Now don’t you wish you were eating Quail eggs – but of course you do, and she laughs at me eating them for breakfast.
Bon Appetit…
(do you think that Dave googled these facts? I don’t think he knew all of this when he got up this morning LOL)
Dave – See what I have to put up with all the time? This on top of laughing at me while I was eating.