We're on a farm run by a couple from Calgary. They aren't the founders of this place, who are on sabbatical. The view stretches out over the whole valley, which is mostly farmland. We see a fellow plowing a hillside with two oxen. We sign the kids up for horseback riding and then catch a ride with Wayne down the hill to town. The street is not bad except for occasional ditches across it where the stone is missing. Apparently, strikers created these during the recent general strike as a method of disrupting traffic between Quito and the rest of the country.
We hit the cash machine which won't give us $200 but offers to give us the somewhat odd amount of $146.
![Various people on the street [8,8]](2-28/KarenGloves.jpg)
We go to the Wednesday market where we see lots of clothing and ''art." Karen buys some of everything - or so it seems. We seem to have acquired three sweaters, one painting, two gourd rattles, two pair of gloves, and a wood turtle. Maybe I need a new hat after all.
The market gives me the same impression that many such markets give me. There's lots of similar merchandise of questionable value. I have to remind myself that it doesn't matter how good a deal it is, if I never use or wear it, it has no value. We pay the correct fare ($2.50) for the ride from downtown up here.
It's a little difficult to understand all the relationships here. Diana with help from husband Wayne run the place night now. Jason is a volunteer from England that I think helps run the computers for the associated foundation that does environmental work.
Deb, whom we met this morning and is also from Canada, is Diana's assistant. We also met her son Israel, four months old. She has a harrowing adoption story about finding him on the church steps when going to get rosaries for the baptism of her goddaughter. The child's grandmother had brought him to the church as dead. Deb pointed out that he wasn't dead and took him to the doctor over the objections of the grandmother. Eventually, she got permission from the family to take him - but not to the hospital as the mother already had outstanding child abuse changes against her.