U.S. Digital Service---President Obama's Start--Up

This year, our son in law Chase Kimball started working with what has been described as President Obama's tech start-up . . . the White House's U.S. Digital Service.  This new agency is recruiting and putting to work tech experts from the private sector to solve some of the federal government's most gnarly technology problems.  And it's working.  See this article, and feel our pride in Chase's important work!!

Chase is in this photo, left side under the last full panel
(if I was better at technology, I could put a circle around his head . . . but alas)

A Day at the Beach!

 We had a good day at the beach in Salinas.  Friends have a beautiful new condo in a top floor with great views of the beach and the coastline.  Salinas is on a peninsula jutting out into the Pacific that is known for beach life, surfing, fishing, and great ceviche!  These birds like raw fish too, waiting for it to be tossed off of arriving fishing boats.

37 Years Ago American Phar Out

Today's BIG news is the Triple Crown victory of American Pharoah, winning the Belmont Stakes with a thrilling wire to wire victory, after having won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness.  If you want to see the race on YouTube click here.  A spectacular run into history . . . speaking of history, the last horse to do that was Affirmed in 1978, preceded by Seattle Slew in 1977, and Secretariat in 1973.   Makes me nostalgic for the 70's.  Our Consulate colleagues recently threw a going away party for a departing colleague with a 70's theme, complete with BeeGees, pyschedelic lights, headbands, afros, and disco . . . here's what we were wearing the last time any horses won the Triple Crown!  American Pharoah? Far Out!

Eduardo Vega, Ecuadorian Ceramicist

Spent part of Memorial Day on a Cuenca hillside at the studio and gallery of one of Latin America's most reknowned ceramic artists, Eduardo Vega. He has murals and large pieces of ceramics on display and for sale all over the world, but his work is especially prominent in Ecuador and South America.  See more about Vega here.  Born in 1938, he is still active in his artistry, so active, in fact, that he was there in his studio where we talked with him about his work and life.  A living legend.  Just look at some of his work!

Shelly and the artist

Pat, Debbie, Bill, Cindy, and Shelly at the entry mural

Cuenca's Beautiful Vistas

View from our apartment balcony

From the Dos Chorreras Lodge entering Cuenca

Shelly and the swans

We are spending the Memorial Day weekend in Cuenca with great friends from Albuquerque: Pat, Debbie, Cindy, and Bill. Cuenca is a beautiful town sitting at 8500 feet elevation in the Andes.  It has great architecture, climate, cuisine, and culture.  Approaching from sea-level Guayaquil, it is a steep climb, and we each had a bit of dizziness on arriving.  A cup of mate de coca (tea made of coca leaves) helped ease the adjustment.  Coming up the hill are the stunning settings of Cajas National Park and the rustic Dos Chorreras lodge.  A lunch of grilled trout and locro de papa (potato soup) was just right.  We are staying in an apartment in the historic center we found on airbnb.  A wonderful, relaxing time.

Great food and a quiet venue

Waterfall Freefall

Llama Mamas and Papas

Well preserved steeples

Friends from home at Cajas National Park outside town

Happy travelers

Courthouse atrium on the town square

Cajas National Park

Pablo Neruda, Chilean Poet

Shelly at Pablo's house

The view from Pablo's garden

We've been spending more time appreciating the arts and artists of South America.  While in Valparaiso, Chile, we visited the hillside home and workspace of the Nobel Prize-winning poet and political activist Pablo Neruda.  Neruda (1904-1973) was well known for his love poems, and he was also a communist and socialist politician and diplomat. He supported the election of the socialist government of Salvador Allende, and was appointed to diplomatic posts in Argentina and Europe.  He spent time in exile from Chile, and died shortly after General Pinochet's coup in 1973.  A very interesting life, read about it here.   His Valparaiso home is now a museum and sits on a lovely promontory overlooking the city and harbor.  Indoor photos were not allowed, so we had to be satisfied with these outdoor shots.

Next to the home is an auditorium for poetry readings
and public events

Neruda's larger than life statue in a local park

Home is three stories high,
with great views
from the top floor bedroom and studio

Two old men hanging out in the park