After waiting and waiting to get pets we decided that we should just go ahead and do it. We got two beautiful kittens in August. They are sisters and were almost 2 months old when we got them.

They are making us very happy and are ridiculously cute and playful.

The dark gray one is Maggie and the black one is Rose.

They love trying to catch the mouse on the computer screens...

I'm not sure if this will work but we are trying to upload a video I took from my camera of the whales. If it does work, enjoy the whales!

I think you just need to press play.

More pictures from the summer....
Chris and I visited Merdith and Michael in NYC before they moved to their new place.




In Virginia (unfortunately at this point we didn't take too many pictures and didn't take any at the wonderful 4th of July party!)




Geraldine and Matt's in Goochland and a little goat-milking


Here's a picture from our visit to see Maggie, Chip and Stella near Gettysburg, PA



Chris and Maggie


Beth and Zach in the Poconos


Steve relaxing on the porch in the Poconos


Chris behind the wheel (we don't have a car



Chris and Damion...



Chris and Christopher...




Philly, on the roof...

Okay, here are some more picures from our trip home this summer....

Chris and Timmy Hickey...




Hanging out on Jon's roof in Philly with Eric ...

While Jon was visiting we went to the beach to go whale watching. We went back to Puerto Lopez - the same place we went on spring break. It was actually cloudy the whole time but we did get to see some whales up close. It was hard to get a good picture because they would only come up briefly - but here's a tail.


After the Magic Roundabout (see below) we stopped at Termas Papallacta - these incredible thermal baths in the middle of the mountains. We had private baths right outside our room.

So what is the magic roundabout, you ask.... good question.

It is a roundabout in England that is really quite insane and then I think they named a children's show after it and then a hostal in the cloud forest of Ecuador... go figure.

Hello Kitty decided to come along for the ride.

We were there for about 15 minutes and suddenly Chris was translating for a group of biology students from England about mosses.


But there was a great porch (with hammocks), a great view and we got there was a wedding reception of two local residents in the main area that we got to attend!

When we got back to town we spent a day in the Old City (UNESCO World Heritage Site). It's full of colonial buildings and cobblestone.

I think this first building is the president's house.



On the hill you can see the panecillo, she looks over Quito and there's a great view of the city from up there.


Lots of places to stop and eat.

So it has been forever, eh?

we apologize, but we have been quite busy ~ upon returning from the states we had 2 visitors at different times and went on several magical journeys...then 1 week later school started

so we're just going to start posting some pictures (and maybe some comments) and hopefully before too long we'll catch up to the present...so we'll start at the start when we came home to the states, where we had the most wonderful time and got to spend time with all the people we love more than they will ever know! ~ and then we'll come back here to Quito and go to the Magic Roundabout and Puerto Lopez with Jon ~ then we'll go to the jungle with Josh and then we'll come home to 2 wonderful new friends

so here goes...and because it's easier, we'll just post pictures

This is our stay at the Charnitski's and the poconos....

So that's our stay at home, although, of course quite a bit more happenned. We just wanted to stay longer...

So we were home in Ecuador for a bit and then Jon came down. We stayed in Quito for a day or two then headed to the "Magical Roundabout."