Homemade dress and uneven bangs and failing grades.

For some reason the word "bangs" looks funny and inappropriate.

You can only buy ONE photo package, never a variety. If they let me close enough I cna do my own.


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Something about the beach makes people (and dogs) want to dig a hole.





Yea, Ruby is RIPPED because of all that gymnastics.

Lily is pure mutt! Still can't figure out all her mixes.

Click for larger view


Bean art

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So many butts, so little time. Lily runs with a new friend.



Best thing: Ruby & Lily's relationship. She is a girl and her dog.

We got a puppy! A 10 week old Border Collie mix we named Lily:




I'm sure they will all be friends. You can't accuse me of being a speciest.

More "pictures of Lily" later.

At school they dress up as a famous person rather than just a costume. Ruby goes at Amelia Earhart in my old motorcycle jacket. Just wait until those über moms hear that! tee hee

Princess Leia Devils have to make important phone calls. (yea, I did the two buns -- it wasn't easy)



Princess Leia Devil is good friends with Olga Korbut

My uncle (a certified city boy) couldn't understand why the gringos love Baños, Ecuador and didn't recommend going there. Fortunately my cousin (Felipe), who knew his customers, took us there for 2 days anyway. PERFECT! Culture! Volcanic eruptions! Excitement! Peaceful and powerful water falls! Night life with salsa bars, dancing and bad karaoke! Food -- local/tipico and vegetarian! and internet bars! WOOT.

My last day in Baños I woke up very early (along with the bunnies that ran free around the hotel grounds) to catch a glimpse of the waterfall at sunrise I had heard the waterfall all night and had gazed at it under a full moon the night before, so I wanted to be the first to greet my soothing friend. It was one of the most perfect mornings of my life.

Daule and Babahoyo rivers merge downstream to form the larger Guayas River. (Stella took this picture with my camera).

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How did she go from this:


to this so quickly!


(I'm planning her 9th birthday at the end of the month. Jesoos Crackers)

I can't wait to show this to her future boyfriends.

Take a look because, gosh, I'm adorable.

~~*.,.*'`'*.,.*'`'*.,.*'`'*.,.* *.,.*'`'*.,.*'`'*.,.*'`'*.,.*


( WARNING KITTEN PICTURES!!! )

I got the greatest birthday card (a month late...but who cares) from my friends Patty & Kris. The annotation Kris added is a hoot:

When I was 9 years old my mother told me not to explore abandoned houses (there were many) because escaped convicts would use them as hide outs. She made it clear that if I went inside those shacks I would end up nothing more than a few hacked off limbs and severed eyeballs charred beyond recognition in some incinerator (though there were none of those around). Anyone who knows me, starting with my mother, could tell you that such descriptions would only ignite my already overactive curiosity. Yes, I visited those abandoned houses often, armed with my Daniel Boone stick to stun any hidden serial killers and put a stop to their alleged superhuman strength.

Innocent small town girl moves to the big city which, of course, is nothing more than concrete jungle of murderers, rapists and serial killers and the people will eventually be their victims. My mother tells me "Women shouldn't walk after dark!" Which, of course, I do all the time. I laugh at her hysterics and refuse to hear that Twilight Zone music in the background. I refuse to think that simply because that man over there was inappropriately friendly or dressed funny he is a serial killer. But yesterday when my daughter asks "I want to explore that abandoned lot" I look at the time and find myself saying "It's getting dark, and probably drug addicts are using it now--" Ack, I hear my mother's voice so I add "I'll look with you tomorrow during the day."

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