deliriouslove1970. The life & times of Gary and Denise Flanders. (Free and worth every penny. If you would like to compliment the editor, send to garytheflan@deliriouslove1970.com. If you would like to complain, call your mother.)

The Republic of Ecuador (aka Ecuador). A country in the northwest corner of South America. The Galápagos Islands are a part of this country. It is bordered by Columbia to the north, Peru to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west.

Amerindians have inhabited this area of South America for thousands of years. The Spanish colonized Ecuador until independence in 1830.

The flag is a simple equal horizontal bands of Yellow (crops and fertile soil), Blue (Ocean and clear skies) and Red (the blood spilled by the heroes gaining sovereignty.) The final adoption of the flag was on September 26, 1860. It is strikingly similar to the flags of Columbia and Venezuela. In 1900 the official national flag added the Ecuadorian Coat of Arms in the middle.

Once again the question is, ‘why does this vexillologist have this flag?’ It has to do with living vicariously through your kids. In 1995 our son, Michael traveled to Ecuador with Compassion International. Well beyond cliche, the trip changed his life. He fell in love with the people, the country and the adventure of travel. He has returned a number of times and Ecuador is on his heart and mind constantly.

What an honor and privilege it has been to learn about Ecuador from someone who knows.