Goin' Fishin'

There is beautiful scenery everywhere in Ecuador. One Saturday a couple months ago we went fishing with friends on a mountain river about an hour from here. If you know Jay, you know that the fishing poles went into our luggage last August.

Jay and surgeon Mattias Egberth tried their best to catch a trout or anything else for that matter but nothing was interested in biting those funny looking North American lures.
 

 So the kids and I enjoyed climbing boulders and chasing minnows.

 Here's Jessie, Sam and Mark, Dane's buddies.

'And here's my buddy. We celebrated 19 years last week. When I said "I do", I never knew our faith and marriage adventures would take us around the globe. Who knows where we'll go next!

Wipe Out - Making Waves at the Compound

The Barton family threw their son, Nathon, a Wipe Out birthday party mimicking the TV show by the same name. Parents and older kids manned an obstacle course for Nathan's classmates.

Angelyn helped blast kids as they ran the gauntlet

Dr. Barton starts the timer as Natalie waits on the starting block.

Miriam runs through the noodles as Adrian and Lydia keep them slapping.

Nathan scoots up the soapy slide.

Randy, Dane's teacher, revels in getting his daughter with a pie in the face.

Miriam, Josiah and Angelyn enjoy the pool after the relay is over. Wet watery fun!

Don't Touch the Caterpillars!

In Ecuador, caterpillars mean business! 

Sometimes a "mean business" as just brushing their fuzz can be dangerous. We take pictures but every child knows you don't touch caterpillars here. The fuzz of some varieties will penetrate your skin. 

There is an all white caterpillar in the lab at the hospital. He is a harry fellow. The caterpillar's diameter with all that white fluff is wider than a plump bratwurst! If you brush against him, your arm will go numb. An ailing patient brought it along to the emergency room.

I wish I knew the butterflies and moths that come from these crawlers. Unique butterflies abound here but catching them on camera has proven very hard.

One of the joys of living here is experiencing the diversity of God's creation on another continent. I keep a camera handy in case we find a new, unusual bug or flower. Jayson has caught onto this idea and he takes many insect pictures for me. We'll share those another time.