Thursday Challenge—"wood"

My daughter Katie and I spent a night at
Hacienda Cusin in San Pablo, Ecuador, a few years
ago.  While we were at dinner, someone got this
fire started in our room, then left a huge basket
filled with wood and we kept the blaze
going until well after midnight.

[To see more of the Thursday Photo Challenge, visit Dale's meme.]

Thursday Challenge—"fire"

My daughter Katie and I enjoyed this fire up in
the Andes in Ecuador last October.  It was started for
us while we were at dinner, then we fed it until past
midnight while we played cards, talked, and polished
off a bottle of red.  Do you have a fireplace? Do you use it?.

[To see more of the Thursday Photo Challenge, go here.]

ABC Wednesday—M is for "moss"

Here's another shot from the Hacienda Cusin, in
San Pablo del Lago, Ecuador—which I've shown here
and here. Like all gardens, theirs are a work in progress,
but look like they've been here as is for centuries.

[To see more posts that feature the
letter M, visit the ABC Wednesday meme.]

ABC Wednesday—C is for "cabbage"

You can't tell here, but this cabbage
was enormous. It was growing in the
beautiful (and abundant) kitchen gardens 
of the Hacienda Cusin, my new favorite hotel
 in the world, in San Pablo del Lago, Ecuador.

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

Laundry Day

What's more sleep-inducing than slipping
between crisp cotton sheets that have been
freshly laundered and dried in clear mountain air?
(Well, the roaring fire and the bottle of wine
probably didn't hurt either.)  This is Hacienda Cusin,
in San Pablo del Lago, Ecuador (alt. 8,500 feet).

[Today is also Shadow Shot Sunday.
To see more shadows, go here.]

ABC Wednesday—V is for "vines"

Not sure what the main vine is—wisteria, maybe?
But I'm impressed with the bougainvillea
blooming in October.  This garden is in the Andes, 
where it was warm during the day but the temp 
dropped down to near freezing at night.

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

Skywatch Friday

I went to Ecuador without a very good
idea of exactly what I would find, and certainly
didn't expect to fall in love as much as I did—with
the people, the Andes, and the architecture!

[To see more Skywatch Friday pics, go here.]

Shadow Shot Sunday

This is one of the few unadorned
(by plants or tiles or art) spots at the
Hacienda Cusin, near the market town of 
Otavalo, in Ecuador. For me, these shadows 
(and that perfectly blue window frame)
provide just enough adornment.

[To see more Sunday Shadows, go here.]

Ruby Tuesday

In our travels in Ecuador, we headed up into the 
highlands of the Andes (only 8,000–9,000 feet, 
but you feel it when you're used to life at 
sea level) to the famous market town of 
Otavalo. So many colorful wares for sale, but 
I really didn't see much I wanted . . .

. . . until we returned to our digs at the wonderful 
Hacienda Cusin, and I found these flowers 
framing the back door of our suite.  
Could someone make me a necklace
that looks like this, please?

[To see more Ruby Tuesday, go here.]

The Weekend in Black and White

In Ecuador last week, I was lucky enough to
spend a night at the wonderful  Hacienda Cusin—whose
gardens are gorgeous in color or black and white.

[To see more monochromes, visit Dragonstar's meme.]