A GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY ALL

As I’ve mentioned before, one great thing about living here in Cuenca is how easy it is to make friends. In the last blog I talked about our “Cuencano” amigos, and still yet, we “Gringos” (slang for North Americans) seem to be everywhere, too. Over the course of the last year we’ve met many friends on the street, in supermarkets, restaurants, and in and around our neighborhood. 

We all stand out a bit, even to each other, so if there’s a spark of interest on both parts you easily get into the typical “how we ended up here in Cuenca” stories. From there you discover all you have in common (or not, as the case may be). 

 So, with all the great friends we’ve come to know and love over the past year, I yearned to bring everyone together for a one big party. Our apartment has a lot of outdoor terrace space, and it’s large enough to handle a fairly decent crowd (especially if it doesn’t rain.)                       

                                                                                                                              But what would we celebrate? Well, October is both Jeff’s and my birthday month, but we didn’t want that to be the focus. So what the heck? It turned into a 
“We’re Getting Older, and Getting Better” party to celebrate everyone's birthday, no matter when it was.

And to make it even more special, our dearest friends Fran & Randy from Costa Rica came all the way to join us. Woohoo!

Of course, if you’re going to celebrate properly around here, you need to do it “a la Cuencana”. That means that a party isn’t a party unless it’s centered around a “chancho” (roasted pig). As luck would have it, a local catering service comes to your home with the whole pig (tasty head and all!), golden rice, mote pillo (hominy), salad and dessert. They even bring the plates and utensils and serve buffet style. We had over 40 people, and the entirely reasonable cost was under $300.Now that’s a bargain.

Now of course, I’d envisioned the buffet to be served outside on the terrace under the tents we’d rented. But at exactly 4:00pm (after a gorgeous sunny day, no less), guests started to arrive and that’s when the sky opened up. It rained so hard and sideways, the caterers had no choice but to set up in the narrow kitchen (which already included the very active bar.) But that didn’t stop anyone. The rum punch and everything else flowed, appetizers nibbled, and then the incredible chancho feast was served. Thankfully the rain passed through quickly, so people could still go outside to eat at the tables as planned. 

Once that was all done, the music was cranked up, the glittery hats donned, and it was 
time to PAARTTY!

What a great gang. We were ridiculously silly, danced like nuts, and just had way too much fun. The age range went from four months old (our newly “adopted” grandbaby Juanito), to seventy-eight. Yep. We’re getting older and getting better all the time. 





Okay, so some might call it “regressing”, but they’re probably
 not having nearly as much fun...

As you get older, are you getting better? I remember my father insisting that with age came wisdom. I'm not quite so sure about that, but I do think our generations may be wiser about living life more fully in midlife and beyond. What do you think?