Living and Retiring in Ecuador

Mark and I have been anticipating the opening of Hansel and Gretel Panaderia/Pasteleria at the corner of Luis Moreno Mora and Roberto Crespo Toral in the Plaza Europea complex for quite some time. When I walked over to Plaza Europea to check on its progress...

Wow, it looks like I'm posting twice a year -- Christmas and Easter!
Since I last blogged we have two more grandchildren (Adeline Grace and Ellis Jon); we both have our Social Security; Mark is still teaching one ESL class per cycle at CEDEI; and I'm still writing (just not here -- it seems). Three more Chicken Soup books...

Wow, the past few weeks have been amazing and exhausting. There have been concerts, ballets, galas, private dinners, parties galore...more parties, the festival of lights, Christmas plays, musicals, symphonies, more dinners, and today is Christmas Eve...

Mark and I recently celebrated a milestone (42 years of marriage) and we didn't even have to leave town. We took a taxi three blocks up the hill (that was my suggestion), and entered the doors of the new five-star Four Points Sheraton.
The lobby of the hotel is spacious and luxurious with five-star service as soon as you enter. And the view is amazing at every turn, especially from Cook's Restaurant at sunset and there is plenty of balcony space to enjoy the city lights "al fresco...