Foto Friday: Monos en Misahuallí

Usually foto Friday is just one picture, but there's so many good ones that I can't pick. So you get some yapa this week. These photos are taken in a tourist town about an hour from Santa Clara. If you come visit us, we'll take you there.

Kirstie chasing Golem

If you have ever been around monkeys, you know they are always looking for food...

...Even if it means stealing someone's snow cone.

But they don't stoop to eating logs.

This is probably one of my favorite pictures I've ever taken.

..Isaac..

Foto Friday: The Angry Jungle Goat

Meet Kirstie's friend-goat. He likes to fight Isaac.

Foto Friday: Momotus momota

A blue-crowned motmot (Motmotus momota), also known as a culebrero, near Canoa, Ecuador.

Foto Friday: The Circus!

The one-ring circus came to Santa Clara! And was a bit disappointing... We listened to two and a half hours of very humorless payasos (clowns) and decided to call it a night before we had a chance to see Sharon the Dancing Donkey dance (we saw her outside eating earlier in the week--beautiful girl!). We did get to see a very impressive contortionist and this acrobat, and we wish the best of luck to them!

We were so scared that she would fall to her death...

Foto Friday: Baby Chicks!

In honor of the Sara setting her chicks off on their own earlier this week, we thought we'd show you some pictures of the things when they were just little fuzz-balls.

Sara and one of her babies. Not only did she incubate and hatch this little cutie, but it's also her actual offspring. Previous clutches were bought from friends in town.

Isaac and fuzziness.

Kirstie wanted to hold them, too.

Foto Friday: This is Where Milk Comes From

Foto Friday: Door Frog

Foto Friday: Clowns are Scary...

...even if they look as ridiculous as this guy.

Foto Friday: Horses

It's not just us! It seems like everyone in town has caught horse fever!

Germán takes part in the town's celebration.

Carlos and Joesi also take to the ring. They're fast!

Here's Joesi again, getting some help from Isaac during a training day. The high school kids learned some basics of dressage, which is like dancing.

Robinson ("Copy") and Estrella working on some moves. (We should mention that Copy's attire--shirt up over the belly and pants in danger of slipping off--is the style here, for both young and old men.)

 This post is part of the Forest and Farm series.

Foto Friday: Recycled Art Workshop

Last week Isaac took two teenagers from Santa Clara to the Peace Corps training center in Tumbaco for a recycled art workshop. We learned how to make many things functional and beautiful using mainly recycled materials.

Leticia with her new purse (made from a blown innertube) and Leandro.

Leandro and Leticia would like to work with us to organize a youth group in Santa Clara.

Video viernes: Double Yolk

We slacked off the last two weeks and didn't post a photo on Friday, so this week you get a video instead.

Foto Friday: Fatty and the Bulgers

Meet Fatty and the Bulgers (a.k.a. Chicken the very pregnant--again--cat). Her swirliness makes it hard to see, but she looked like she swallowed a melon at the end of it.

 Kirstie and a black and white Bulger, the only one that isn't tabby like its mom (although the black parts might be tabby--we won't know for sure until it's a little bigger).

Isaac and a little, tiny Bulger! They were born on Tuesday night. This is the noisy one.

Kirstie and the third Bulger. You can see their little makeshift cave in the back. Go recycled building materials!

Five points to anyone who can guess why they're Fatty and the Bulgers.

..kirstie..

 This post is part of the Forest and Farm series.

Foto Friday: Chocolate Kisses

Chocolate the pony is very affectionate.

Foto Friday: The "Hola Kitty" Girls

Some of Kirstie's students stop to pose for a picture on their way home from school.

Every time these girls see Kirstie, they shout, "Hola Kitty!" even if she's two blocks away. In fact, sometimes they shout it to Isaac, too...