The statement above was first posted on 23 August 2010 - it's now 27 August 2011, just a few days more than a year. Whether I would ever go to Ecuador was never really an issue, especially after having got my feet wet birding in Panama for three consecutive years. The issue was a matter of when I would go. Initially I planned on a visit in the fall of 2010, hence the creation of this blog. But Joanna and I decided in early October that it was just to soon to leave our then one-year-old daughter Amelia with her grandparents. Inevitably the trip would be delayed, but for how long?
When I created this blog I thought it would be fun to place a visual reminder of our proposed trip to Ecuador somewhere in the house. It had to be something we would notice most days, and something that would remind us regularly that we do want to go; we just have to make it happen. To that end I came up with the idea of a piggy-bank, or should I say, birdie-bank! Now this was no ordinary store-bought plastic change-pot for children that would only hold a few dollars, no. This was a full-size ceramic flour pot that would hold just about every bit of loose change we could throw at it, at least in the timeframe between before going to Ecuador. As a reminder I quickly drafted up an "Ecuador Birding Fund" label, taped it to the side of the pot, and placed it on the kitchen counter next to the phone - can't miss it!
