Always Fall, Never Spring

I sleep between flannel sheets all year. We're just a few hours south of the equator, so we don't experience changes in seasons. At 9390 feet above sea level, our daily temperature ranges between lows in the 40's and highs in the 70's. We have fall weather all year.

From our rooftop terrace, I can see 4 snow-capped mountains on a clear day. We are about 45 minutes by car from the snowline of Mount Chimborazo (pictured at the top of the page). When we want to experience winter, we can drive there and play in the snow. The only place that my children have ever seen snow fall is at 16,000 feet!

Summer is a 7 hour trip away. We spent the New Year holiday on the Pacific Coast, where we enjoyed the hot, humid climate of the beach. We played in the waves, explored tidal pools and came home refreshed.

I think that I miss spring more than any season. I haven't experienced spring since 1998. I miss seeing the change from the drabness of winter to the colors of spring. I love to see trees budding and violets peeking through the ground in the woods. Spring reminds me of new life and new beginnings.

At this altitude, the foliage is a drab green. Everything seems to be the same color. The dryness of the air and the low concentration of oxygen limit the growth of the foliage. When it rains here, most of the water runs down the mountains into the Amazon area.

When we travel over the eastern ridge of the Andes and down into the Amazon basin, we see the foliage change. I am always fascinated as the greens get greener and the colors get brighter and deeper. The plants become larger. The leaves are broader and thicker. The flowers become flamboyant. Color bursts out everywhere! This is as close to spring as I've gotten in Ecuador.

I love living in the Andes, but I miss spring.

"Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness." Acts 14:17