Paris in Cuenca?!

"Is it like Paris?" I asked, hesitantly.

"No, not exactly," Mark responded.

"Is it like Rome?" I prompted.

"No, not really," he said, "at least not in the way you're thinking!"

Two weeks after we had that conversation during Mark's trip to Cuenca, we had our house up for sale and we were moving to Ecuador!

I know what you're thinking, Who in the world retires to a different part of the world without seeing it first?

It's simple. I had a point of reference and tons of pictures from Mark's trip. No, Cuenca is not exactly Paris, not Rome, not Vienna, not Bellagio, but a mixture of everything I've experienced in my past travels to Europe. Because we had lived in Sicily for six years and traveled throughout Europe, I could picture in my mind exactly what Mark was talking about.

Later Mark explained, "It's kind of like Paris without a lot of sidewalk cafes; it's like Switzerland with the huge Andes instead of the Alps; it's like Rome with a cosmopolitan feel to it; and it's like Sicily with some graffati on the walls, guards with guns outside public buildings, but it's amazingly clean."

"Are there Starbucks on every corner?" I asked.

"No. And there's no Macy's, Nordstrom's or Neiman Marcus, but you'll love this place called--Sukasa!" Mark added.

Seven months later we're still here and loving it in Cuenca (oh, and I do love Sukasa!). Under the circumstances, I think we did really well: we married a son, sold a house, packed up 35 years of marriage into four suitcases (mas/menos) and moved to South America.

My friend, Kathy, recently e-mailed me and asked if I would be her traveling buddy for Barcelona, Mallorca, and Paris this summer. I responded, "Nope, just can't do it!" We need to be careful during our first three years in Ecuador (we cannot be out of the country more than 90 days in a one-year period of time and we've already used up half of that).

To tell you the truth, I have no real desire to travel to another country. I found "Paris in Paradise"; it's called Cuenca! I'm as happy as I've ever been in one place. Traveling is a lot of work and this is a whole lot of fun!

I'm thankful Cuenca chose us and I'm grateful that Paris is waiting for me if and when I need to see the "City of Lights," but for now I'm basking in our "Paris."

Last night we attended a free "concierto" directed by Julio Levinas from Uruguay and special "guest star" Orlando Idrovo playing the "violoncello" at the Banco Central Auditorium. It was a free concert (like so many in Cuenca), and an amazing night of music--almost magical. Later, we "promenaded" up and down Calle Larga and ate at Cafe La Parola to watch the view of the city. Total cost for the evening -- $10. Where in the world could you do that?

We're looking forward to more concerts, more dinner dates and more "Paris in Cuenca"!

Until next time...hasta luego!

Casa Dulce Casa

I'm not sure what it is, but as soon as LAN Airlines touched ground in Cuenca, we felt at home! Everything went so smoothly we wondered if we had done something "wrong."
We expected delays, lost luggage, and language barriers, but instead everything fell right into place.

To our delight, two dozen roses were waiting for us in our condo and the sunset from our balcony was simply amazing. Mark swept me off my feet and took me via taxi to "El Vino" -- an Italian restaurant. Eugenio, the owner, conversed with us in Italian which smoothed over any language barriers that we might have felt. We speak Italian (mostly) and mix in some Spanish words as we learn them. Eventually, I guess we'll switch over to all Spanish at one point, but I'm not ready to let my Italian disappear completely.

During dinner at "El Vino" we heard English and then the word, "Amish." I turned around and said, "We're from Lancaster County." There were gasps, oohs and ahhs, and finally we realized that the group of students sitting next to us were from Franklin and Marshall College (right in our own backyard!). They were delightful and one of the students announced, "My parents are thinking of retiring in Cuenca!" It was such an amazing introduction to a foreign culture (another confirmation that we are exactly where we are supposed to be).

When we returned home, one of the tenants in our condo complex greeted us in English and said he was from "Coatsville, PA"...right down the road from where we lived in Lancaster. It's a small world.

We have been delighted and amazed at the generosity of the Cuecanos; they are warm and friendly, helpful with directions, and are fast becoming our friends. One thing that has amazed us is the non-presence of flies (just bees). The weather is simply amazing and the few sprinkles of rain showers during the day are simply a prelude to rainbows in the sky.

Today was our busiest day ever since we arrived on Saturday. We had to pick up our passports at the airport (TAME),get color copies made of our passports (at a speciality store), go up one block and have our documents notarized, find a "stationary" store to buy an envelope, take a taxi back to the airport, and send our documents via courier (TAME) to our lawyer in Quito. Hopefully, that will be it and we will receive our censo and cedulla within 21 days. I am guardedly optimistic that all will go smoothly, but I know from our Sicilian experience with said documents that it's NEVER over until it's over.

Afterwards, we went shopping at Supermaxi and Sukasa, then to pay our rent downtown, and back home again to fix "supper" which consisted of fresh pineapple, bananas and tiramisu. (not all that nutritious, but oh so good!).

The day wasn't complete without a bus ride (50 cents). We made a few blunders, including trying to put the 50-cent piece in the wrong slot. And then I saw a photo op and quickly switched seats. Bad move (on my part)...no switching seats while the bus is moving!

This evening right before sunset there was a rainbow that formed as Mark handed me a bouquet of roses. I'm not sure how he sneaked them in, but he kept his promise...one rose for every day of my life while we live in Cuenca (he's covered for at least the next two weeks!).

"Casa dulce casa" is not just a phrase, it expresses exactly how we feel about our new home in Cuenca, Ecuador!


Until next time...hasta luego!


Concetta y Marco

On Our Way to Cuenca

Hubby is rushing me along, so I will be brief (ha!).

We leave for the airport in one hour and will arrive in Cuenca this afternoon! We've enjoyed our time in Quito and met with our attorney Gabriela Espinosa to finalize our permanent resident visas. We feel at home already and can hardly wait to get to our condo.




Hasta pronto!





Concetta y Marco

If It Was Easy Everyone Would be Doing It!

I'm sitting in the Miami airport waiting for our connection to Columbia and then on to Ecuador.

The last ten days have been filled with joy-filled and stressful moments. I don't suggest anyone try to attempt a transcontinental move at the same time as their son's wedding. We spent the last week closing on our house, moving to a hotel, housing groomsmen, returning rental cars, settling financial affairs, hosting out-of-town guests for the wedding, and packing! No wonder I posted the sticky note on my computer "If it was easy everyone would be doing it!"

The wedding was beautiful, even though we mixed up the times (don't listen to the groom!), and showed up a little late for family pictures. I'll have to do some photo shop editing when we arrive in Cuenca. We had so much going on at the same time, I couldn't take it all in.

But today we are on our way after our oldest son drove us to the Baltimore-Washington Airport with a few more suitcases than we had intended to bring. Funny how those little scraps of paper start to add up. So at the last moment we were juggling things around in suitcases to meet the weight limit.

Our last supper in America was delightful. We dined at "The Acqua Restaurant" near Aloft Hotel. It was absolutely decadent and we toasted to our new life. We made a sacred promise to one another after Mark heard me whimper again about missing wedding pictures. He gave me that look and said, "From this day forward, we are moving ahead and we're not going to bring up the past again."

I shook my head sideways and then up and down, struggling with the magnitude of the "vow" I was about to take and said, "Okay, I promise."

That was yesterday and I feel better already. This move has been the most difficult thing I have ever done and at the same time...the easiest! Only those who have made the journey can truly understand. I know our family members are still a bit perplexed and still have questions, but hopefully as we settle in and start having them down to visit they will no longer have doubts.


If it was easy, everyone would be doing it...is an understatement. But then again, I'm glad they are not! We're keeping Cuenca a little bit of a "secret" for a while longer.



Hasta pronto!

Marco y Concetta

Partly Cloudy with a Chance of Tears!

It starts out innocently enough while I’m sorting through papers when all of the sudden, a firm lump lodges in my throat—making it impossible for me to swallow. And then—as if by reflex—a tear starts to fall, followed by a solid stream of more tears. I dab the wet from my cheeks, blow my nose, and start the process all over again!

I can’t explain it, I can’t predict it, and I can’t make it stop. As I recounted the experience to my friend the other day, she nodded with a knowing smile and announced, “You’re grieving!”

“What?” I shrieked. “I’m doing no such thing; I’m excited about this move.”

“Uh-ah…sure you are, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re going through a grieving process,” she explained.

She was right. I went through the same thing when we left Italy to come to the States, only then it was worse—I was eight months pregnant (at least then I could blame it on hormones!).

It made perfect sense. That’s why I threw things away and then got up in the middle of the night to reclaim the little pieces of my heart and put them back in my suitcase, like the Mother’s Day cards I couldn’t part with, Jon’s emotion book that he wrote in fourth grade with the words…”Love is being with my family…I express this by smiling!” Or the poem Jeremy wrote on my fortieth birthday titled, “Thank you from the heart…” And the strangest “souvenir” of all—my son’s umbilical cord clamp. Yes, you heard me right. I’m literally taking a piece of each child with me!

Today, after cloudy skies and a thunderstorm of tears, I built myself a treasure chest filled with life’s little pleasures: a Christmas ornament that represents each child, two baby photos, birthday cards, Mother’s day cards, a music box, and our sons’ baby rings.

I closed my suitcase and started downstairs when Mark said, “You forgot this!” In his hand was a handpainted bud vase that he bought for me on our tenth wedding anniversary.” He smiled warmly and said, “I’m going to buy you a rose every day for the rest of your life!” I’m not sure if that will happen or not, but it’s the thought that counts (right?).

For now the weather is less stormy, the skies have cleared and there is sun in the ten-day forecast. Our youngest son gets married on Sunday (May 30), and we leave for Ecuador on June 3, 2010 with a slight chance of “rain.”



Hasta pronto!



Concetta y Marco

Organized Chaos!

The house is ready for the "Cuenca or Bust" garage sale tomorrow and The living room is littered with boxes and our suitcases are semi-packed. In other words, it's organized chaos around here.

A frequent phrase that pops out of my mouth is, "Do you know where I put that?" As soon as I find what I'm looking for, I've already lost the thing that I just found! The boxes keep shifting.

Yesterday, I found out that my clothes were taken to the incinerator by mistake! I'm not sure that Mark will be making that one anytime soon. Now, I keep a tight reign on the "throw-away" pile and don't let it out of my sight until I'm certain it's ready to go.

The wedding is in eight days and I had the distinct privilege of writing the guest list on rocks (Cleveland rocks). I thought it was a clever way for our son and his bride, Kim, to incorporate their new home into their wedding. They will be living in the Lakeside Community by the shore.

As I wrote the names on each rock, I thought about how the waves (yes, Lake Erie does have them!) cause the crevices to form...some are rough...some are smooth and some are a combination. I wore out three fine-tipped pens writing on the rough, craggy surfaces. And finally it was time to pick out the bride and groom's rock. I found one that was almost in the shape of a heart; it was smooth and almost flawless. As I wrote their names in cursive with a purple pen, "Jonathan and Kimberly Pombo" I realized that my job was finished (not just with the rocks), but in my role as a mom. Although Jon will always be my son, he now has a new life with his lovely wife -- Kim.

After the calligraphy on the rocks, I headed down to the basement to bring up some more garage sale items and found a book laying on top of Mark's suitcase, titled: The Book of Us: A Journal of Our Love Story. It was a gift for Mark on Valentine's Day almost 11 years ago. I filled out every page in detail, except the last chapter..."The Later Years!" It's hard to believe that we're already in that phase of our lives!

Going through 35 years of "stuff" has taught me that the things that matter most are treasured in our heart and although a lot of those things aren't physically with us, we have the joy of knowing we can revisit them at any time (they're called memories!).
Tonight, I put the rocks to bed; I cleaned up the remaining dishes out of the cupboard, organized photo boxes to send to my mom in California, and looked around the dining room (the only place that still has chairs) and thought, So this is what organized chaos looks like.

Until next time....hasta luego!


Connie and Mark

Back to the Embassy!

Did you ever wake up in the middle of the night and think, I better check on that!

Last night was one of those nights.

Yesterday I blogged on our Ecuadorian Embassy experience and ended with, "What about those criminal records?" We walked into the building with them and walked out without them. I turned to my husband in the car and asked, "Do you think it's important?"

"Nope, I think they just needed to see them," Mark answered, patting me on the shoulder with that "you worry too much" kind of gesture.

I gazed out the window as we passed by the Washington Monument and had that pit in the stomach feeling. "I'm not so sure about that," I said, gently putting my husband's hand back on the steering wheel! "Maybe we should go back and check on that. What do you think?" I added.

"You worry too much!" answered Mark, with a hint of irritation in his voice.

Well, it turns out that "yes" I do worry too much and the "voice" in the middle of the night was right!

We are headed back to the Embassy (next week) with our criminal records (notarized). Evidently, they lost them and "yes" we do need them!

So this was a costly error. Not only do we have to pay for our criminal records again, but we need to get them notarized and make a trip back to Washington DC and have them apostilled.

Lesson learned.

When in doubt, don't leave Washington DC without checking twice and then a third time! Listen to those little voices of wisdom that haunt you in the middle of the night; they just might save you a trip back to the Embassy!

Until next time...hasta luego!

Connie (for Mark who is running around getting our criminal records notarized!)

P.S. The good news: We get to have lunch at that great restaurant, "Tuscana West" and have the carcioffi and gamberetti pizza al fresco!

How to Move Gracefully

As I wrote the story, “Moving Coffee” in the book, Coffee Lover’s Devotions to Go, I felt a tear slip down my cheek, then another, and another. Until finally, I just gave in and decided to have a good cry! It felt terrific and I’m finally done with the book (two weeks ahead of the deadline).

But in the process, I learned some important principles about moving and how to do it gracefully. Granted, if you are thinking of retiring overseas, you will have a lot of considerations to make and one of them will be, “What do I do with all this stuff?” Some couples decide they need to bring their belongings with them and will ship a container to their destination. We did that when we moved to Sicily and it proved to be a good decision for us.

This move to Ecuador is different; we’re gracefully separating ourselves from 35 years of stuff. It also comes at a time when our son is getting married (May 30th), and so the sorting out process is more complicated.

Here are some things I found helpful through the process of sorting, sifting, selling, saving and gracefully moving on…

*Learn to let go. This sounds easy, but in reality it’s not. As women we are nurturers. Our home is more than a building with four walls; it’s our “nesting place.” It is where we find comfort; it is filled with memories and a place where we feel safe. Give yourself permission to let go in whatever way feels best: to donate, to give away, or to sell. You still have the memory; that’s yours to keep!

*Let others have a say. Recently my youngest son—who is getting married—came home for the weekend and asked about a paper he had written in high school. I pointed to a cardboard box and said, “It’s in there...I think!” Then I realized, it’s time to hand over all their stuff: school treasures, baby clothes, and pictures. With the exception of their baby albums, I am giving them back their things. They now have a say in what they keep or give away.

*Feel the loss. As I go through boxes, I find treasures, like the boys’ baby teeth. Remember the tooth fairy? Well, all those teeth had to go somewhere and so we saved them (all of them!). I guess I’ll ask the boys if they want them (or not!). No matter how old our children are—they will always be our “babies.” They have memories too and we need to respect them. We have asked our boys (now 23 and 28) how they feel about our move and allowed them to voice their opinions along the way. By the way, it’s all been positive, so we feel we have done our job well (we gave them roots and wings).

*Saying goodbye with grace. If you look at retirement abroad as a new chapter, it’s easier to close the chapter on your other life. That’s not to say that there won’t be moments of sadness, but you will be able to say your “goodbyes” with grace and take your cherished memories with you. And if you’re like me, you’ll find lots of laughter filtering through the tears (like the Mother’s Day cards I found the other day!). My youngest son printed his on computer paper (he’s the saver). The card had a dollar bill printed on the inside that read, “Sorry, I’m poor, so this is all I could afford. Happy Mom’s Day!” Jon was eight years old (it’s a keeper!).

We have moved 29 times in 35 years of marriage, so “moving” is something we do well. But this is also a new chapter in our lives and we plan to do it gracefully. Everyone is different, so do it in the way that is most comfortable for you.

Until next time…hasta luego!


Connie and Mark

We're Getting Closer!

Little red check marks on the calendar indicate that we are that much closer to Cuenca, Ecuador!

The wedding plans for our son are in place and the rehearsal dinner invitations went out last week. We also took some time to visit our son's bachelor pad in Cleveland, Ohio and practiced being "retired." We went out for breakfast, took long walks in the afternoon, slept, and went out to dinner. I think we've got the rhythm down (almost!).

Jon is a marketing specialist for Rosetta Corporation and has an interesting job -- something about being a search engine optimization specialist! The best part of being a parent is seeing them grow up, have careers that they love, and NOT living at home. Jeremy, our oldest is a high school World Cultures teacher and is looking forward to taking a sabbatical in South America next year, so we'll see more of him than Jon.

With the house under agreement and the inspection slated for the end of the month, we are now in the packing stage of our move. With four suitcases to lock and load, we have three distinct piles: to keep, to sell, and to give away. Goodwill runs are now a part of our daily routine along with the storage unit which has the things we will ship to my mom in California (mostly heirloom items). We now have a home for our cat, Bianca, and buyers for our cars (not exactly in that order).

We made an Excel spreadsheet of our household belongings and what doesn't get sold between now and May 30th, will be sold at the "Cuenca or Bust" garage sale.

We still need to make our appointment at the Ecuadorian Embassy in Washington D.C. and we will do that next week. Our paperwork is lined up and ready to go. The only little matter left is my book, which I am happy to report is going to make the publisher's deadline -- May 15, 2010! I'm ahead of my projected goal, so with any luck I'll have it done two weeks before the wedding!

My laptop crashed, so that allowed me to get a Dell PINK laptop (Mark thinks I did it on purpose!). My e-mails still need to be formatted into my Outlook Inbox, but I can live with that! But the thought that my book was almost lost, nearly put me into a catatonic state. Now I have three back-up systems in place!

Mark reminded me last night to enjoy the journey, but he's not the one with the deadline right now (he's totally retired!). So I've found a new writing place -- Elizabethtown College in the library! At this point, I need "quiet with a view" and the college provides me with both!

Oh and there's the little matter of medical insurance. Mark received his retirement package which also included his medical. We have to pay $600 a month for coverage that is not that great, so we're going to pay for it for two months until we leave for Ecuador and then discontinue it. Mark has had three major surgeries in the past two years (all related to his running/biking/triathlon days). A broken hip and two back surgeries have made us realize we're thankful for good insurance, but we were still left with whopping bills! We realize that the health care system in the States is terribly broken and won't be fixed for a long time.

Getting closer to Cuenca also means that we will be leaving family and friends behind, which is another post entirely. Most of the reactions we have received have been positive, but a few have left us totally baffled. But we also realize that the retirement we have chosen isn't for everyone and we respect that.


Until next time...hasta luego!


Connie and Mark

One Step Closer

On Thursday, April 8, 2010 our house officially went under contract and we are one step closer to Cuenca, Ecuador!

After four showings in two and a half weeks, we finally reached an agreement with a buyer. Phew! I'm so thankful that part of our life is out of the way; we can go back to living in our home rather than having it on stage 24/7.

Hubby finally dragged the coffeepot, toaster, and mop back in the house last night from the backseat of our car and said, "Do you think it's safe to put these things back?" I wish we had a video of us preparing for a showing, including Mark trailing behind me with paper towels after I mopped the wooden floors down with Murphy's Oil Soap.

Thankfully, all the showings on our house occurred on Wednesday night which was Wing's Night at McCleary's Pub, so we made it into a date night. Now all that is left is our son's wedding, the "Go to Cuenca or Bust" garage sale, a trip to the Embassy in Washington DC, editing my book, and packing (that's all!). Four suitcases will fill up quickly, I'm afraid!

Yesterday was my future daughter-in-love's bridal shower and I have to admit a few tears betrayed me as I realized we were one step closer to May 30th (the wedding day!). Jon and Kim will move to Cleveland shortly after the honeymoon and we have a departure date set for Ecuador on June 16, 2010.

Lists and Excel spreadsheets are part of my life: one for the wedding, one for the book, moving and selling, and things to do. My hubby is a list-maker too, so between the two of us at least one of us can tell the other one what is the next step.

Some days I wake up and think, Will this all fall into place? And other days, I wake up and shout, "We're one day closer to our dream!"

Until next time...hasta luego!

Connie and Mark

Blessings

In the past two days we've had two showings and two offers on our home (amazing!). Our house has never been so squeaky clean. But running out every time there is a showing is already getting to be a chore, but a necessary one in order to get it sold.

Last evening we packed up the car with the coffeemaker, toaster, mop, and non-essentials on the countertops, lit the candles, popped in an Andre Boccelli CD and left our "staged home" before the realtor and prospective buyers arrived. But instead of circling around the block for an hour, we treated ourselves to dinner at McCleary's Pub (Wings Night). There was a special treat waiting for us...a singer by the name of "Adam Blessing." We were seated in a private booth with candlelight and the wings were served along with our favorite beverage. When our server left our table, I felt a tear, then two, then three and before I knew it I was sobbing. The tears continued to pour into my hot wings until they were all soggy!

My hubby gave me a perplexed look, leaned over the table, and whispered, "Now what's wrong?"

Do you know what? I didn't -- or I couldn't -- explain it. Me -- the writer -- who is never at a loss for words, couldn't put my feelings into a sentence.

And then I reviewed the last week: We have been running around...making frequent trips to Home Depot to get materials to do last minute touch-ups on the house, sorting through 35 years of married life, planning a rehearsal dinner for our son's wedding, preparing for a writer's conference, trying to finish a book without my laptop, and still attempting to explain to family and friends why we're doing what we're doing. When I stop long enough to catch my breath, the tears start to flow.

Tears are a blessing. They come spontaneously for me when I'm sad, when I'm happy, and sometimes when I'm overwhelmed -- like yesterday! And then I check up on my new Ecuadorian friends via their blogs and wonder why I managed to get my face so blotchy in the first place. Last night I read Clarke and Brenda's blog and felt somewhat relieved (yep, they're going through the same thing too!).

So now I have a little Ecuadorian flag by my computer with a reminder: "If it were easy, everyone would be doing it!" I'll be the first to admit that it's NOT easy, but it WILL be worth it.

What a blessing to know we're not alone in this great adventure!

Until next time...hasta luego!

Connie and Mark

House for Sale!

Yesterday we went over things with the realtor and we are putting our house up for sale on March 22nd. We plan on leaving for Ecuador on June 15,2010. We were afraid to put it up any sooner because our neighbors sold their homes in less than two weeks! Yikes. Well, I guess we can always pay the new owner rent until we leave (hmm...I think we can do that?!).

I made a slide show of our house, for memory keepsake (not that I'll miss all the stairs!). I call it our "Tuscan Townhome" because it reminds us of our apartment in Italy (Andre Bocelli is singing in the background). Nice touch...eh?

For those of you who are thinking of this journey, don't try to do it with a son getting married, book deadline, packing your life in four suitcases, and possible knee surgery (all before June 15). My goal is to get out of the States alive!

I changed my life insurance today and we made appointments for the Embassy in Washington, D.C. to get our tourists visas and start the paperwork for our pensioner's visa. We continue to juggle all kinds of balls at the same time. Mark is painting the basement with dry lock right now and I think we're both sick from the fumes, but it had to be done!

My brain is on overload; I walked around with the paint roller in my hand looking for the "paint roller." I ask you, "Who does such a thing?"

Crazy? Maybe! Excited to sell our house? Absolutely!

Cuenca...here we come!

Until next time...hasta luego!


Connie and Mark

Click here: to view slide show!

Little Black Bags

Today was exhausting! Mark and I managed to clean out several closets. The walk-in closet in our bedroom is now living up to its name, but not without the accumulation of many little black bags!

I had to take a break from it to write this blog because it's overwhelming when you try to extract your life from files, manila folders, journals, letters, cards, and photos. Since I’m a writer, I find the need to “ooh and ahh” over everything and many times during my escavation I thought, That would make a great article! But I simply ignored the temptation until the job was done!

One of the treasures I unearthed was my original red leather journal from Sicily. The first entry was dated October 23, 1980. It started out with the words, “Saying goodbye is certainly difficult…”

I’m not sure that will get any easier in June 2010, but maybe a little easier in that we have moved 29 times in 35 years of marriage, but somehow we always managed to drag the little black bags along with us!

Today it feels like we accomplished something toward our move, although my book deadline is not budging (May 15, 2010), and I’m afraid I may have to lock myself in one of our “clean” closets in order to get it done. When I signed the contract—ages ago—I had no idea that we were going to move to Ecuador. I thought we were going to retire in Italy (as if that would have made any difference!).

I can also use the excuse that my laptop is fried (the motherboard is cracked), but the technician told me he can still extract the information from the hard drive. I’m looking at pink laptops online and have narrowed my search (I think!).
Then my hubby popped in the door and shouted, “I found it...look here!”
What he was referring to was the MagicJack. It’s a must for anyone living overseas. Using your computer, a phone receiver, and the MagicJack you have created a “land” line and can talk to anyone – anywhere! We communicated with our realtor in Cuenca using the MagicJack and found it better than the real thing! The cost is $20 a year. Next month we are disconnecting all our landlines.

We are having guests this evening (Scrabble night in Spanish), so I need to clear the living room of little black bags.


Until next time…hasta luego!


Connie and Mark



P.S. As promised, I inserted a photo from Mark's recent trip to Cuenca. This is the "Neuva Catedral."