Zero Degrees Latitude

Adventures & Inspirations from Ecuador, as told by my mother, Deborah.

Meeting Tata

Tata was Raul’s mother, Melodia’s Ecuadorian grandmother, and the person I eventually learned would be my best friend and partner in crime while I was

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OFFERINGS/OFRENDAS

Dedication: The post “Offerings/Ofrendas” is dedicated to my daughter Melodia Mendoza-Medley in remembrance of her father Raul Alfredo Mendoza who passed away before father and

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GIFTS FROM HER FATHER

by Deborah Medley Melodiaʼs father, Raul Mendoza, was a musician, a very good musician. He was a self- taught Latin percussionist who specialized in Latin

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CALDO DE PATA

CALDO DE PATA Dedicated to my daughter Melodia who always oversaw the lunch preparation in our house in Ecuador. Though she was too young to

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Ecuador River Wash

LAUNDRY DAY WASHOUT

Itʼs a gloriously sunny Vilcabamba day in the middle of a long and rainy Spring, perfect for making the trek by horseback down the mountain

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Honey Bees

BEES GETTING BUSY

Stories for Melodia by Deborah Medley My brother-in-law Jaime walked into the cottage one sunny, warm afternoon carrying a large bowlful of honeycomb freshly excavated

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TWO GIFTS OF LOVE

An Oven and an Onion Poultice by Deborah Medley for my daughter Melodia Our little farm kitchen in Vilcabamba had one modern appliance, a two-burner

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