Fun Things to Share with You ~ We finally SAW the BIG Gecko - we keep hearing on our back porch!!!

Close by our house is Gallery KayoE  (wood) Natural Art Craft Sala(3)tiga art store and the owner/artist Pak Pramono Pramoedjo

 2011/07/08 Article Jakarta Post Pramono Pramoedjo Caricaturist (click on this link to read about this artist) was there when we visited his shop.

Our friends had told us about the shop - they had a beautiful TV cabinet made...and it was a gorgeous work.  So Nick & I wandered over there.  Pak Pramono has some really creative people working for him as well.  And one of the men made a beautiful sign for Nick -

                                               LOOK  what Nick was honored with?

All done by hand - one of the young workers did such a beautiful job!

So very kind!  

 

We were quite impressed how gifted the people were and the items that they made...! We found some beautiful pieces - and a  "container" is very tempting right now!

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Here is one of our good friends - Yohanes - !  His family lives close by but he actually lives in Sumatra right now....an area south of Lake Toba where he works.  We will enjoy his friendship here until the end of January, when he returns back to Sumatra.

 Hey ........Welcome Yohanes...! He has a beautiful smile doesn't he?

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A few weeks ago at the local market we met a man from Greece, his name is Babis - and lives here in Salatiga with his wife and children.  He worked on a Greek cruise ship and met Kristine in a tourist shop in Semarang...the rest is HISTORY!!! A very sweet couple with two beautiful children...very pretty!

 

They came by to wish us a Happy New Year! We speak English with them.....because we certainly do not know Greek...ha!

  

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We know of this Gift & Gallery Shop that we have wanted to stop at, and as Nick & I were passing by the shop we did just that...STOP! 

(we actually HAD to stop- it started raining all at once- like REALLY hard!!!) 

 Adi and his wife run the shop and there was many really cute gifts - oh my!

  

As Nick walked through the Gallery section he came across this picture and of course we recognized it...right? 

Multnomah Falls in Oregon on the Columbia River!  

We asked "Adi" about the picture, and he shared with us that the artist had found this picture on the internet and decided to paint it...can you believe that...here in a gallery shop.... in Salatiga...JAVA...a painting of a very familiar waterfall for us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GOSH!!!!!

 What fun huh...it is truly a SMALL WORLD after all!!!!

When there are weddings, funerals or any kind of celebration - people put up a big tent (rented) and just set it up on the road right in front of their house...for 1 or 2 days and yes it does blocked off the street.  You just have to go another way.  Then when the party is over the men come back and take it down again!  Look at that guy up there...taking down the metal poles...oh my goodness!

He is quite handy sitting up there...I just had to take a picture of it...one by one he hands down the poles to the guy below...until only the corner pieces are in place...better get off that FAST!

 

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 Nick saw a special bike - some handy person put this together from many different parts!

You motorcycle buff's....can you see????

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 Lookie here....a list of things that this shop does: all these words we recognize curtain/gordyn spread-sprei (sheets or bed spread) ah  bedcover - we know that one! souvenir of course... it always surprises Nick & I when we see the Dutch words - but should we be surprised?  Not really but it is so cute to see!  It  makes us feel even more "connected" here....sweet!

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 It was raining CATS and DOGS as the saying goes!  Get out the umbrella Nick..it is coming down HARD!!! Find cover Nick...we will be soaked in this one!!!!

 We found cover and just stood there for a little bit.  This lady definitely needed to get home...she was willing to take the chance and get to her destination!!!!!

Oh My Look At that rain..it floods the little streets..and then ....before you know it....the rain stops and we were able to continue our walk again. Yes...tropical rain....we are getting use to it - but just need your foldable umbrella handy and our poncho's are always with us in the seat of the motorcycle...that really helps!   

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 GECKO?!

 Oh my - I opened the back door the other evening and saw something MOVE!!! YIKES!
Every morning we find  "poo-poo" on the tile floor out back - and always in the same area....well guess what???  THERE HE WAS...THE LOUD-MOUTH GECKO!  And he was right in front of me on the tile walk.....& zipped right up the wall close by me - yikes and...so fast!

 Once I "collected myself"... (HE was BIG YOU KNOW!!!!!!!!)  I went back inside to find my camera- to show you all what he looks like....so this is a zoom picture up on the top wall of the side of the house!

 Yes he's is just stuck on the wall like that...sitting up there - waiting patiently for BUGS!!!!!  He didn't mind my flashes either...just sat there for hours! (Yes...I went outside to look again and again a few times that evening)..... But carefully mind you...sure didn't want him - this BIG guy - jumping on little ole' me!!!!! He looked about a foot long! He needs to stay up high...right?!!!! RIGHT!!!!

 Finally then "the" Gecko who makes those 'tow-kaaaaay' sounds and leaves the "poo-poo" every morning has been seen and discovered on the premises...He dares to show himself...it took 2 months!!!!!
We have really been patient, every time we have heard him...we would go out with flashlight to look and see if we might find him...but he always shut-up as soon as we came out there!  I guess he decided to make himself known to us.  He must of "heard" we were staying in the house longer....Ha!

Now we.....you & I...have seen him!  FINALLY!

"Tow-kaaaaaay!!!!!"