Musings and Some Other Stuff

First, my fisher friends informed me tonight that they intend to take their boat to a place that once was a forest but is now a swamp. They are going to put their boat in this water and start the motor knowing full well that their motor could be trashed. Yippee....ummmm NO. This makes no sense to me. I just needed to say this. I do hope they win the fishing tournament and I hope they bring me fish. I feeling good about not having to buy fish - and they think they do nothing for me. They are sooo wrong.  

I had a nice meal between lunch and dinner with very close friend. She would be a BFF if I were 18 and not 40;) Conversation was good as always but these meetings always remind me that we do not see each other enough. We are often to busy to get together and in turn, we have too much to say before we can part. Perhaps we need to start scheduling our monthly meetings again...hmmmm.  

Tomorrow, I should have some new pictures to post because I am taking an early morning trip to St. Augustine, the oldest city in Florida. I have been there numerous times but during the time of day when all the tourists are out and it is impossible to get many pictures without random strangers in them. So, I am going to wake up bright and early and drive up there before people are out. It is about 2 hours from here so I will leave around 6am. I intend to be back at home by noon because I have a full agenda of the "normal" stuff to do.  

I went to Barnes and Noble tonight for the first time in more than a year and of course I spent $40 on 2 photography magazines. It's all good because I haven't bought a photography book or magazine in a long time. One of the magazines had a great article on macro photography and I am thinking about pulling out the macro kit on Sunday and seeing what I can produce. I am typically middle of the road on macro. I do not have a ring flash but I do have some lighting and therefore what I produce is usually ho hummm. Perhaps I do not have the eye for it either. I do not know but it is a good time killer on a rainy day.
 

Here are some details of my trip:
Cities: Quito, Papallacta Hot Springs, Quichua Homestay, Amazon Jungle, Banos, Cuenca, The Andes, Cayambe, Otavalo.
Explore Ecuador’s spectacular Andean interior and the Amazon lowlands. This trip includes some very special experiences, including a village homestay in the jungle and a 400-year-old hacienda. Add hot springs, colonial Cuenca and the largest handicraft market in South America and you have the trip of a lifetime.

I am most excited about this portion of the trip:  

Day 3-4 Amazon Homestay (2B,2L,2D) Descend into the Amazon jungle region in the morning. The scenery changes dramatically as we leave the mountains behind and enter the lush tropical rainforest of the Amazon. Experience life in the jungle first-hand on a homestay with a local Quichua family, and enjoy the hospitality of these wonderful people.

Day 5-6 Jungle Lodge (2B,2L,2D) Travel to our jungle lodge located on the Napo River, one of the Amazon's two major tributaries. Explore both on foot and by canoe, and learn about the natural history of the area. There is also an option for an exhilarating whitewater rafting trip on the Napo.

Day 7-8 Baños
Return to the mountains and journey to Baños, a small town nestled in the hills of the Andes. There are numerous outdoor activity options, including hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking. You may also opt to relax in the town's natural hot baths.

I will post some video of this, I promise.