Friday Donuts

Friends, I don’t consider myself to be a superstitious man. Now that doesn’t mean I go around breaking mirrors, walking under ladders and opening umbrellas in my house –sharp shards, falling paint and poked eyeballs are, after all, real possibilities. I don’t have a rabbit’s foot, horseshoe or lucky penny. When I cross my fingers, knock on wood or tug on a wishbone it’s just an exercise in social participation. So if a black cat crosses my path, I won’t spit or throw a pinch of salt over my shoulder. Now, the fact the four preceding sentences each list three superstitions, does not mean I believe luck comes in threes (hey I just listed 13 superstitions!). On this thirteenth day of the month, which happens to be the thirteenth day of the week (start counting on Sunday and don’t stop after week one), grab yourself a baker’s dozen donuts (that’s 13) and throw your superstitions to the wind. Happy Friday the 13th!

Friends,
This week I’ve been bombarded by inappropriate thoughts. Minding my own business, when BAM!, a thought so wrong it shames me, sucker-punches my brain. It makes me question whether I’m the good person I believe, or deep-down, there’s a rotten core longing to come out. Here’s what I’m talking about: During Jeff Bezos’ HQ2 negotiations with New York City, there was an Amazon Burn Book –where they tallied politicians’ offensive remarks. Well, the news leaked, get this, as the Amazon Burned! Anybody else find the timing (and wording) a bit disturbing? In my book, this feels plain wrong.When hurricane Dorian was devastating the Bahamas, the media kept referring to their residents as Bahamian –which sounds a lot like Bohemian. This would invariably trigger an earworm… “thunderbolts and lightning, very, very frightening me! Galileo, Galileo, Galileo, Figaro… Magnifico!”Speaking of this massive thunderstorm, a recent headline…

Friends,
Labor day, that symbolic boundary between summer vacation and the school year. The time our HOA closes the pool and fantasy football returns. It’s also the time grapes in my back yard ripen. I have a brown thumb, however, I do have one agricultural achievement: not killing the grapevine that came with the house eleven years ago. In September, my ritual includes grabbing a bunch with breakfast. By October, if there are enough grapes left, I’ll make some wine. This year’s crop looks promising, so last night I bottled my 2015 vintage to start making room for the new batch. The wine is nothing to write home about, but it’s not bad either –if only my thumb were greener, I’d grow wheat for donuts. Then again, it’s so much easier to buy them at the store. Enjoy your long weekend, I’m sure it will be grape! Happy Friday!

Friends,
Whenever I travel to Ecuador people inevitably assume the climate is hot —after all, the country owes its name to its latitude.  Of course, elevation also plays a role, and when you’re over 8,000 feet above sea level (as is usually the case when I’m down there), the climate can be a bit chilly. Cuenca is the land of eternal spring. It is never too hot and, while people like to complain about the cold (because nobody has heating or AC), it never snows. A Spanish city founded in 1557, it boasts four rivers and over twenty five churches. This fine Friday morning I thought I’d share a small sampler of photos from my home town with you. Grab a donut and enjoy.
A few of the Churches (All Saints, Santa Maria de Baños, Saint Sebastian, the old Catherdral, Saint Alphonse, Turi)






Some other sites in the city. Old downtown, the “barranco” with its hanging houses next to river Tomebamba, the cross of “el Vado”, one of the “three bridges” over river Yanuncay, and a eucalyptus tree (importe…

Friends,
What do you do when you have a 21 hour layover in San Salvador, El Salvador? Spend it at the airport? Of course not! You get out and discover a place that, while not on most folks’ bucket list, surely has a lot to offer. Granted, there were some practical considerations. Could I get a visa at the airport and explore? –yes, for a $12 fee. Should I rent a car in a city ranked by the Economist as having the highest per-capita homicide rate in the world (excluding war zones)? –no, tempting as the $15 daily rate was, I didn’t want to drive to the wrong side of town end end-up dead. Could I leave my carry-on bags somewhere at the airport? –no, unfortunately there are no lockers. The solution came in the form of Julio César, my Über driver who agreed to show my son and I the sites for $50, plus gas. It was amazing! Sure we had a false start. La Puerta del Diablo (the Devil’s gate), our first stop, had been closed for remodeling for a year, so all we saw were some zinc sheets meant t…

Friends,
Wherever you go people are similar. We share the same basic needs, desires and aspirations. Whether we prefer filet mignon or guinea pig1, folks need to eat. We may live in extended families or alone, but everyone desires appreciation, acceptance and a sense of belonging. We all aspire to count, to make a difference and to have our legacy remembered. Whether we care to admit it or not, we would all like a big hand2 from time to time –and a donut in that hand would make it even better. Happy Friday!