Living the Life Ecuador Coast

Down came the Rain

Well, we are into the new year and the rainy season. As you can see, as you sachet down the malecon, it has not deterred the hardy from enjoying the delights of Salinas beach.

I do hope that if you have expensive equipment in your homes, they are protected from electrical surges, as we see that the electric power is far from stable at this time of the year.

The high humidity and the lack of wind can make the days a bit uncomfortable, but you are still able to enjoy the comforts of your choice of country that you have picked to retire in.

Here are some images of the power company working on the infrastructure of the power grid in Salinas, replacing transformers and making good connections where needed. Some of the power outages are planned for maintenance. The power company is doing a great job and is very quick to respond to issues as they occur.  

This February is special,

 as it is not only Festival month, but on February 17th is the general election.

All of you who have taken the big step and been granted your residency here in Ecuador and have your cedula are given the opportunity to vote.

Have you seen the people sitting outside the Paseo and Supermaxi that have a desk and large book in front of them?

This is where you can have your cedula number checked. If you are on the list, they will tell you where to vote. Voting is optional, and takes place in the area that you registered in.

From the election committee, "voting is optional, but if you are on the list, it is better for you if you do vote." 

Well, you have the opportunity to be involved in the election process of the country that you are now calling home.

For me, this is a very exciting part of living in a country where you can stand up and be counted. There are so many places in the world that do not allow this practice to take place.

Think of all the struggles that went on in the country that you have come from to give you the right to cast a vote in an election that could change the course of the country.

Ecuador has offered you a chance to be not only a resident, but be a part of the system that molds the country that you now call home.

I hope that you will take advantage of this and further stamp your belief in the country that you now call home. Cast your vote.

Ecuadorian General Election, 2013 NO ALCOHOL CAN BE PURCHASED / SOLD, OR SERVED FEBRUARY 14TH – 17TH, 2013

This Month

February 5, 1917 - The new constitution of Mexico, allowing for sweeping social changes, was adopted.

February 6

February 6, 1788 - Massachusetts became the sixth state to ratify the new U.S. Constitution, by a vote of 187 to 168.

February 6, 1933 - The 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was adopted. It set the date for the Presidential Inauguration as January 20th, instead of the old date of March 4th. It also sets January 3rd as the official opening date of Congress.

February 6, 1952 - King George VI of England died. Upon his death, his daughter Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Her actual coronation took place on June 2, 1953.

Birthday - Aaron Burr (1756-1836) was born in Newark, New Jersey. In 1804, Vice President Burr challenged Alexander Hamilton to a duel over Hamilton's negative remarks and mortally wounded him. Burr was later tried for treason over allegations he was planning to invade Mexico as part of a scheme to establish his own empire in the Southwest, but was acquitted.

Birthday - Legendary baseball player George Herman "Babe" Ruth (1895-1948) was born in Baltimore, Maryland. Ruth held or shared 60 Major League records, including pitching 29 consecutive scoreless innings and hitting 714 home runs.

Birthday - Ronald Reagan, (1911-2004) the 40th U.S. President, was born in Tampico, Illinois. Reagan spent 30 years as an entertainer in radio, film, and television before becoming governor of California in 1966. Elected to the White House in 1980, he survived an assassination attempt and became the most popular president since Franklin Roosevelt.

February 7

February 7, 1795 - The 11th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, limiting the powers of the Federal Judiciary over the states by prohibiting Federal lawsuits against individual states.

Birthday - Thomas More (1478-1535) was born in London, England. He was a lawyer, scholar, and held the title Lord Chancellor of England. As a devout Catholic, he refused to acknowledge the divorce of King Henry VIII from Queen Catherine, thereby refusing to acknowledge the King's religious supremacy. He was charged with treason, found guilty and beheaded in 1535, with his head then displayed from Tower Bridge. Four hundred years later, in 1935, he was canonized by Pope Pius XI.

Birthday - British novelist Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was born in Portsmouth, England. He examined social inequalities through his works including; David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, andNicholas Nickleby. In 1843, he wrote A Christmas Carol in just a few weeks, an enormously popular work even today.

Birthday - American social critic and novelist Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951) was born in Sauk Center, Minnesota. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1930. His works include; Main Street,Babbit, and It Can't Happen Here.

February 8

February 8, 1587 - Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, was beheaded at Fotheringhay, England, after 19 years as a prisoner of Queen Elizabeth I. She became entangled in the complex political events surrounding the Protestant Reformation in England and was charged with complicity in a plot to assassinate Elizabeth.

February 8, 1910 - The Boy Scouts of America was founded by William Boyce in Washington, D.C., modeled after the British Boy Scouts.

Birthday - Union Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891) was born in Lancaster, Ohio.

February 9

February 9, 1943 - During World War II in the Pacific, U.S. troops captured Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands after six months of battle, with 9,000 Japanese and 2,000 Americans killed.

Birthday - William Henry Harrison (1773-1841) the 9th U.S. President was born in Berkeley, Virginia. He took office on March 4, 1841 and died only 32 days later after developing pneumonia from the cold weather during his inaugural ceremonies.

February 10 Return to Top of Page

February 10, 1942 - The first Medal of Honor during World War II was awarded to 2nd Lt. Alexander Nininger (posthumously) for heroism during the Battle of Bataan.

February 10, 1967 - The 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, clarifying the procedures for presidential succession in the event of the disability of a sitting president.

February 11

February 11th - Celebrated in Japan as the founding date of the Japanese nation, which occurred with the accession to the throne of the first Emperor, Jimmu, in 660 BC.