Thanksgiving and Pre-Christmas

Sidney's hand and foot print first Christmas

I forgot a few things in the last post.  Although I had pictures of Sidney from her Spartan race I forgot to mention it.  She ran the one mile kids race.  It isn't timed, just for fun.  Although she loved the race, her major complaint were the cactus.  I second that. There were cactus's everywhere.  We mostly only had them to run and walk on.  The kids had some crawling to do on some so that wasn't good.  Everyone survived though.   

Sidney and I left for Galveston on Friday November 18 for our Thanksgiving Disney cruise.  We had a minor diversion on the way with the interstate being closed for about 15 miles. As we were early on Friday it wasn't bad.  A good detour was organized and it didn't take us more than a few miles out of our way.  

We got to Galveston and I dropped Sidney off with the luggage before I parked.  It took about an hour to clear security and wait for our time to board.  While we were waiting I got the strangest question ever.  A man came out of the men's room and asked me if there were any toilet seat covers in the ladies room.  There weren't. Strange.

We got on board and found our friends in the main dining area. I think I promptly ate 15 decent size shrimp. I was hungry and they were good but then I was shrimped out.

We spent some time settling into our room before going to our muster drill.  No one who has ever worked offshore is ever late or delayed on a muster drill.  Then the kids and I explored the ship from front to back and top to bottom.  I guess I should say we were with a friend and his wife and her son.  They were in the room next door and this was their fourth Thanksgiving Disney cruise on the Wonder.  Her son is in the same grade as Sidney and they live in Houston.  They made our cruise very special starting with flowers in our room and door decorations and a fish extender.  A fish extender is something you hang from the fish shaped hook outside your door.  It's a place where a small group of people can put little surprises for you during the cruise. There are usually 10 cabins in a group.  It's pretty fun. 

Anyway after exploring and mustering we went up on deck to push off.  We were racing the weather.  There was a great thunderstorm coming from the west with stunning lightning.  We got off ahead of it but by dinner it caught up with us.  The seas were never really bad but I definitely noticed the sway the first day.  We also enjoyed the stacked offshore equipment on our way out and dolphins.  Dinner was at Tritons Place, one of three dining rooms for dinner on the ship.  Tritons was from the Little Mermaid.  We didn't do much after dinner.  Went back and enjoyed our room and getting settled.  

Galveston Departure

Saturday was a day at sea and started with a run on the 1/3 mile track.  It was lovely.  Then breakfast at Cabanas.  There are seven restaurants total on the ship.  Cabanas is the one that is open nearly all the time.  A typical but wonderful buffet.  To the delight of the kids, they had Krispy Kreme donuts every morning.  To my delight they had smoked salmon and bacon.  There are three dinner dining rooms, Tritons, Tiana's Place and Animators Palace.  Tiana's Place was from the Prince and the Frog.  Animator's Palace was the best.  It had the pencil sketches of animations all over the walls and these large frames that showed animations being drawn.  It was super cool.  There were also two restaurants outside, Pinocchio's Pizzeria and Pete's Boiler Bites.  Finally there was one adult only dining room call Palo.  

We went to a Frozen Meet and Greet in the morning and ate a nice lunch in Cabanas while watching the flying fish.  They were super cool.  They launch themselves out of the water and then glide or fly across the top for a good 50 yards.  You can even see their "wings" flapping.  I had never really seen such a thing before.  

We helped our friend deliver all of their fish extender stuff and also took some pixie dust around.  Pixie dust are other small things that you distribute randomly into other fish extenders that are not part of your group.  They are things like bubbles, crayons, stickers and things you can use around the room.  The adults took a mixology class in the afternoon.  It was fun but I couldn't tell you a thing we made.  They were all tasty but complicated and, well, had a lot of alcohol.  The kids ran around the ship looking for trouble.  They had a club for 11 to 14 year olds and a club for 3 to 12 year olds.  The club for 3-12 years olds was very large, taking up maybe half of a deck.  The kids hung out there the most because there was more to do and it was much larger than Edge, which was the tween club.  

The Disney Wonder

Dinner was formal attire and we ate in Animator's Palace.  It was wonderful.  We had a great seat because the character parade came down the aisle towards us and then turned into another aisle right at our table.  It was good fun.  After dinner we went to a show called the Golden Mickey's.  It was a tribute to various classic Disney Movies.   It was done as a musical and very cute.  

Every evening the beds get made for the kids, chocolates get left and a towel animal.  We love the towel animals.  One of them was a bear and he was so cute we kept him the whole trip.  Also, a copy of the Navigator would be left in your room which would have all the activities for the following day.  There was also an app we used that we could look at activities on, mark favorites, look at the ship map, look at the dinner menus and text each other among many other things.  It was very handy.  

On Sunday morning I walked on the track.  Sidney went to Lava Flow, a show about volcanoes for the kids and to the Marshmallow Olympics.  We had dolphins right out our window in the late morning.  Shortly after lunch we made our first port stop to Key West.  Key West was once the wealthiest per capita town in the US.  They are located on a major shipping route and before the advent of radar navigation there would be a ship wreck per week.  This meant that wrecking was a lucrative business.  Wrecking involved first rescuing any survivors and second recovering the cargo.  Some cargo was very expensive.  We went to a wrecking museum and it was super interesting.  We also went to the aquarium which was very small and pretty old but had a lot of hands on for the kids.  Sidney spent a lot of time with the horseshoe crabs.  There were also two turtles that were permanent residents.  One had only one functioning flipper and the other had three.  It was really a nice afternoon.  After walking about we got a snack at Sloppy Joes before pushing off again.  

Dinner was at Tiana's Place.  We had a good seat again, right by the stage.  The food was supposed to be Cajun but that was the only meal that was really a let down.  It was very bland.  We still had a nice time though.  After dinner was a magic show.  It was pretty good.  

Monday morning found us in Castaway Cay.  Four of the five of our group participated in the Castaway Cay 5K.  I ran the first 3/4 with my friend and then ran that all again with Sidney.  Immediately after that we did our para sailing.  It was so much fun.  It is very scary to start and end but amazing once you are up.  The views were fabulous and it is so quite and peaceful.  We did get a decent splash coming down as they seemed to enjoy putting you in the water briefly before bringing you back onto the boat.  

After that high, we ate some lunch and then hung out.  The kids swam and we snorkeled a bit.  The snorkeling wasn't fabulous but we still saw some good stuff and the water was clear.  We were worn out when we got back to the ship.  

Sidney and I Para sailing

It was pirate night so we all dressed in our finest pirate garb and went to Triton's for dinner.  It was lobster night. Yum.  There was a pirate party afterwords complete with Mr. Hook trying to ruin the party and Mickey zip lining in to save the party.  The finale was fireworks.  It was a lot of fun.  

We got settled into bed and the noise started.  I have not mentioned yet that I wasn't sleeping at night because of noise.  I was wearing earplugs and covering my head with a pillow.  Our friend fared slightly better but by the time we got into bed and it started again, we were both tired of it.  It was the noise of the galley and moving tables, chairs, carts etc.  It would go well after midnight.  

We went up to Guest Services and they actually moved us from deck 2 to deck 5.  It was 10 pm but I couldn't handle another sleepless night.  I got all of our things packed, which was no easy task.  Then I tried to wake up Sidney.  That turned out to be impossible.  I ended up carrying her tied up in her sheets with her animals from the old room to the new.  She opened her eyes for about 10 seconds but she wasn't actually home.  She seriously is getting too heavy to carry.  She doesn't remember the move at all.

So we get up to the new room and, remember who did the work to move us, and who slept through the whole thing.  Well the sleeper got a Magician Mickey Mouse pillow pet with a hat that lights up.  She also got two Mickey Mouse shaped rice crispy treats.  I got a bed.... but it was quieter.  And we had a veranda.  Which was fabulous.  

Tuesday was another walk morning since I ran the day before.  We also discovered how fun it is to blow bubbles on the veranda.  They float around normally and then hit a certain point where they just get sucked away.  Totally fun.  Tuesday was also Nassau.  But before that I had a lovely two hours with my friend's wife at a private spa and with a 75 minute massage.  It was so very relaxing.  

The friends weren't going to get off in Nassau but one did with her son.  We wanted to try to go to this bird sanctuary but we weren't prepared enough for the walk.  We gave up and went to Senior Frogs for a while to get Internet and then got back on the ship.  The Disney Dream was docked in Nassau also.  I have since learned that some old friends from Findlay were on the Dream  I was so bummed.  So close but so far away....

Departure when there are two Disney ships is quite fun.  There is a horn battle.  Our ship being the smallest in the Disney line can only play the first bit of "When You Wish Upon a Star".  The Dream can play that plus two more songs.  And so there are several back and forths between the two ships.  They can play more but we could get louder at least.  It was fun.  

Dinner was back at Animator's Palate.  This time we all had a place mat we could draw on and a marker.  We could each draw any sort of figure we wanted as long as it was in the lines.  While we were eating, they made all of the drawings into animations.  They played them during dessert.  It was super cool.  Sidney drew an orange cat which was in several animations.  It really was a lot of fun.   Tuesday's evening show was a vocal talent person with some singing.  It was OK.  

Wednesday was a day at sea.  I started with another run.  I really liked running on that track.  It was a little bigger than a regular track and there were people to watch or the sunrise or things on the horizon.  The kids and I went to two animation classes in the morning.  We did Stitch and Ray the Firefly.  After the animations the adults went to Palo for brunch.  The food and selection of items on the buffet and menu were amazing and fabulous.  I left so over stuffed but happy.  They had two tables devoted just to cheese and two two seafood!  Oh so good.

We did origami in the afternoon.  We made a hat and a fish.  We also saw Moana, the latest Disney movie.  It is a very good movie.  They show the newest Disney movie at a few minutes after midnight on the day it is released in the US.  They actually had permission to show it a bit earlier the previous night but it was still after ten so we didn't stay up.  We got it the first full day instead.  Apparently there is frequently a new Disney movie released on the Thanksgiving cruise.  That was fun.  Dinner was back at Tiana's Place.  The food was a little better this time.  A bit more Cajun.  After dinner we saw the Frozen Musical Spectacular.  It was very nicely done.  I also haven't mentioned that there are Disney movies in the theaters and on several channels all the time.  We saw parts and pieces of a lot of movies.  Sad to say, some I had not heard of before.  

Towel Turkey

Our final full day, Thanksgiving was upon us.  My friend's wife and I started at the spa for a while before watching the kids build gingerbread houses.  What a mess.  We couldn't carry them off the ship so they spent some time eating at least part of the house.  We went back to the spa where I took a nice nap before seeing the juggler in the afternoon and going to towel folding.  The juggler was very impressive.  Mostly because the ceiling was very low and he really got the kids into the show with some marshmallow throwing and other silly antics.  His last act was getting onto a very tall unicycle and juggling which was extremely near the ceiling.  He had to make sure he stayed between the lights.  He was super fun to see. 

Animator's Palate

Towel folding was fun.  The folding itself isn't that hard but understanding the directions was hard.  The kids had a lot of help from the staff.  Dinner was at Tritons Place.  There was a more traditional Thanksgiving option along with others.  It was also semi-formal night.  There was always at least eight main courses to choose from, four appetizers, four soups or salads, six or eight deserts and two breads.  The kids always had interesting and fun things also.  The most popular kids dessert (sometimes for the adults too) was the Mickey Bar.  It is a Mickey shaped ice-cream bar.  The last show was Disney Dreams.  It was fabulous like most of the other shows.  No one really wanted to go to bed.....

We were up early on Friday morning.  We ate one more more really great breakfast before disembarking.  Sidney and I carried off our luggage so we were off and in our car even with the 8 block walk within 30 minutes of when we could get off.  So we were on the road by a little after 8.  However, we had an hour long delay when I stopped to get a low tire indicator light checked out.  Glad I did as they pulled a nail out and were able to patch the tire.  

We stopped and got Stormy and started the mountain of laundry.  Reality was pretty tough but at least we had Saturday and Sunday to get re-engaged.  We got Christmas more or less set up.  I actually set up the big tree this year.  I haven't put it up since the accident.  One reason is that I need the 8 foot ladder to reach the top.  It was nice to get out some of the ornaments I hadn't seen in a while, but also bitter sweet.  I am really glad I set it up.  We have enjoyed it. 

Dog Towel

I also made chicken tetrazzini on Saturday night and invited several friends over.  We had 6 people around the table and enjoyed the great food and fellowship.  It was really nice to have a full table.  

Sidney took the SAT on December 3.  It is for the Duke Talent Identification Program.  It isn't for a score exactly but more to identify areas of strength to further develop and see what programs are available for that.  She was pretty wiped out when I picked her up so we went out to see Kirk for a while.  He is still doing well but is quite a ways away from us.  He still seems content but also still as confused as ever.  

Sidney also showed her engineering talents by rigging up a square fabric box on a makeshift pulley to take stuff up and down stairs.  It is set up on one of the balusters on the bridge to her room.  The cat thinks the string is great and there just for her.  Sidney also had a swim meet at the nearby pool.  She swam in the early afternoon both days which was nice as we got to sleep in a bit.  She is making some improvement in times.  Probably not quite as quickly as I would like......

The Captain

We continue to volunteer more regularly.  We have enjoyed going to work at the San Antonio Food Bank the most and are trying to do that at least once per month.  

We did have a sad experience last weekend.  I saw a Great Blue Heron in a neighbors yard and quickly saw that it had a broken wing.  I was able to get hold of wildlife rescue but they couldn't find a volunteer that late on Saturday.  We knew it was still in the neighborhood when the sun went down and could only hope it would stay until morning when we could get more help.  Somehow though the neighbors cornered it and caught it.  They put it in their garage which was a relief because it got super cold that night with a windchill in the teens.  We loaded it into Stormy's kennel on Sunday and took it to  the rescue center.  They immediately put it on pain killers and unfortunately had to euthanize it the next day after the vet saw it.  The wing was too badly broken and had been broken for some time.  Sidney and I were heart broken.  

This week was the first week of break.  I worked half days Monday through Wednesday and am off the rest of the year.  Sidney swam each night but earlier so we had a semi calm life.  I took the rest of Kirk's guns to consignment.  It was hard to do but while I was there someone got so excited about one of them for his grandson that I knew they could make people much happier in use that locked up in the house.  

Great Blue Heron

Last night we went with friends to see two shows at Fiesta Texas.  The first was a musical about various letters the mailman got to deliver.  It was a cute little show.  

The second show was amazing.  It was called the Majesty of Christmas.  It was about Christ's birth and it was beautifully done.  I was so happy that a theme park had such a show.  But it was also spectacular.  First Mary came in on a real donkey.  There was a service dog in the audience that barked once but fortunately donkey really didn't care.  Then there were human angels hanging from the ceiling.  Then there were sheep and goats being tended by the shepherds.  Finally two of the three wise men showed up.  We were all looking around for the third one.  Following a very short delay he arrived by coming down the aisle from the back of the theater on a camel, a real one. The camel went up on stage where he wasn't terribly sure about the angel flying around above him.  The whole thing was spectacular and so honoring of the true Christmas story. 

We will be headed to church tonight and to our friends tomorrow before visiting Kirk.  I made a pie today and will take the green bean casserole tomorrow.  I have some fun gifts that I hope Sidney will like.  

We are home Monday and then head to Colorado on Tuesday.  We are looking forward to a short visit with my folks.  Sidney goes back to school on January 2 and I go back to work on January 3.  We will get straight back onto the swing of things.  Ugh. 

We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas where you make happy memories and spend time with your loved ones.  We also wish you the best New Year, 

Crazy and Shingles



The crazy is normal.  We are always on the run. 

Sidney has been invited to participate in the Duke TIP program based on her 6th grade STAAR test scores.  She had a nearly perfect score in reading.  STAAR is the Texas standardized test.  Because of this she will take the SAT on December 3.  The test is both to give her experience and to identify any opportunities to support her development on an accelerated or unique way.  Don't know what will happen after the test, maybe nothing, but anxious to find out. 

Sidney also did a Halloween recital where she played the piano and sang.  I was so proud I almost burst.  It's a lot more work to add singing to piano playing and it was truly lovely.  She has a beautiful voice.

The recital was at Alamo Music Center. They sell all sorts of instruments including a wide variety of pianos and keyboards.  She has long outgrown her Craig's list purchased keyboard so I was looking for a step up.  I've been thinking about it for a while.  I ended up buying a digital upright piano.  It's only just a bit smaller than an acoustic piano but has fully weighted keys with the same size keys and keyboard.  It does all sorts of things.  It records, has built in songs, multiple instruments, a metronome and 87 pages of other stuff.  She really likes it and I'm pleased. 

I completed the last race in my Spartan trifecta.  14 plus miles and 35 very difficult obstacles.  One of the hardest things I've done.  The distance and obstacles also not with life's challenges that limit training made it pretty darn hard.

Time was right at 5 hours.  I was 28 of 211 women in age group,  1671 of 5102 overall and 312 of 1617 women.   Hardest obstacle was the wade, swim, trudge through at least a 1/2 a mile if deep, muddy, fish filled water with unseen stumps and boulders.  I took off my shins and encountered far too many both live and dead fish.  It was awful.  Second worst was the sandbag carry.  Normally one of my favorites but this was on a serious hill well after the half way point. Up was super difficult and down was dangerous.  I came down with the sand bag on my lap like a crab.  It worked, I lived. 

Other obstacles were typical walls, hay walks, swamp crossing, rolling mud, a frame cargo net, log hop, tire flip, atlas carry, bucket carry, farmers carry, rope climb, monkey bars, balls and hoops you had to swing across, Spartan sled, herc hoist, inverted wall, multi carry, plate drag, javelin, dunk wall, slip fall, fire jump and at least 5 or 6 I have either forgotten or don't want to remember.  One that I don't remember the name of but I succeeded at and was proud of myself is the one where you have to pull yourself along the rope underneath with your legs locked over the rope. It's at an incline and you have to pull yourself up to the bell.  I needed a lift getting on. I couldn't reach it even jumping.  When I went to let go I did let my feet go first but then I shot up while trying to let go.  It was funny. 

The morning after the race Sidney made me breakfast in bed.  It was very sweet.  An English muffin, apple and cup of tea.  She loves to give me food gifts.

Sidney made dessert one night.  She is in an elective called FCS which we would have called Home Ec.  They learned how to make Apple Pan Betty.  She made it one night and insisted on washing the dishes by hand.  But she put the sink plug in upside down and we couldn't get it out.  We had to bail the water in the sink so I could finally pry it out.  Her desert was very good and the cleanup entertaining.  I also tried making ribs.  I can make a few improvements but I think they were very good for my first try. 

I came down with shingles right after the race.  I felt awful during the race and slid steadily down hill to misery.  A lot of pain and discomfort on the right front and back of my chest.  It wasn't fun and I was exhausted, overwhelmed, and discouraged.  Several people at church brought Sidney and I meals which really helped.  The thought of cooking or shopping was more than I could deal with.  I seem to be progressing towards getting better slowly but surely. 

I had stormy out for a walk one night while Sidney was swimming.  Stormy was pushing her luck and being generally naughty on the leash.  I was calling her a donkey for that reason.  Not sure why I chose that animal.  But we are walking along minding our business and all the sudden there is a donkey and several goats.  I had never seen them but they were in one of the couple of lots with animals around and had their heads through the fence getting grass. They startled us because it was dark.  I thought the timing was funny.  A little further on we met a skunk.  Fortunately he was busy rooting around for bugs and Stormy was distracted so I rushed us along before he decided he might not like us. 

There was one more animal that evening.  A little kitten. We decided randomly it was a she.  We heard her meow after we walked out of the pool doors.  We spent an hour that night crawling around the bushes trying to catch her to no avail. We went back the next night armed with canned cat food, fish flakes and the kennel.  I almost had her a couple of times but then she went into a hole we didn't think she could get out of.  We needed up calling animal control and they came with a few hours. She was out of the hole and they decided she was healthy and old enough to take care of herself even though she was little.  They wouldn't catch her for those reasons.  Sidney was quite upset. The kitten needed a forever home and it wasn't good for the kitten or the people that she was out there alone.  There were great big tears..... 

We had another swim meet this weekend.  Sidney swam 9 events in the two days. Most of them back to back. She ate a ton in between and after.  A few personal bests but mostly an average meet. 

We went shoe shopping after the swim meet on Saturday.  Sidney took my tennis shoes, rascal.  She also needed some decent shoes to wear with her dresses on the cruise over Thanksgiving.  I wouldn't let her wear tennis shoes.  We were trying on the same shoes and then fighting over who would get them.  Seriously. She has 4 inches to grow before she is as tall as I am.  

Sidney came down with some yuck during and after the swim meet.  She had a fever but tested negative for strep and flu.  She was miserable for several days but seems to be on the mend after sleeping 15 hours on Monday night. 

We head out for a Disney cruise to the Bahamas on Friday.  We'll be gone a week and are going with friends.  We are both looking forward to fun and down time.  We'll see how long it takes me to chill.....My friends think my idea of vacation is different.  I normally have to pack my own towel and toilet paper and sometimes food.  Any everything for any possible situation that might arise while away from civilization.  

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving.  Remember what is important and who you love.



The Great Egg Disaster

Ok. It really isn't that much of a disaster, unless it is me.  The disaster reminded me I needed to put up a blog post.

Capturing giant grasshopper for bug collection

Last Sunday morning I was making Sidney scrambled eggs.  I had the eggs beaten up and ready to go in the skillet, some bacon and hash browns going for me and a cup of coffee to keep me alive while I cooked.  The coffee clearly wasn't working when instead of grabbing it to take a drink I grabbed the beaten eggs and took a healthy mouth full.  It was very nearly the end of me.  I wouldn't eat cooked eggs unless they were all that was left on the face of the planet.  It took me hours to get over it......

San Antonio was subject to two or so weeks of Snout Nose Butterfly migration.  I have never seen so many butterflies in my life.  All flying generally in the same direction.  It has happened before but not for several years.  The rain events this year were timed just perfectly for them to migrate through.  It was a royal mess.  Cars covered in bodies and goo.  My work truck grill couldn't be seen for all the butterflies plastered to it.

Seventh grade seems to be the year of the project.  It started with the summer reading project and summer history project.  There was another history project and most recently a science project.  The science project was build a cell in a box.  The box was green with a bubble wrap cell membrane.  The vacuole was a balloon with beads in it.  The mitochondria were batteries and the nucleus was a remote control. The chloroplasts were fuzz balls on toothpicks and the cytoplasm was plastic airbags.

Cat thinks owl rug is her bed

The parts had to resemble the function of the parts of a plant cell.

Since the last post we have been our usual level of busy.  Work, school, piano and swimming of course consume most of our time.  I was however able to extend an offer to someone to fill the vacant position on my team and I am anxious to get help.  During the last week of September we had the EPA on site for a week.  Those were some really long days.  I was leaving the house at 5:30 am and getting home at about 7:30 pm. Bless Sidney's sweet heart along with some folks who helped me get her to where she needed to go for keeping it together that week.

Tired

We did our monthly volunteering in early October at the SA Food Bank.  We helped fill 1200 senior boxes again.  It is a fun but tiring job.  We always fill fulfilled after doing it though.  WE are hoping to schedule some time volunteering in the 30 plus acre garden next time.  They grow fresh vegetables there to distribute with other donated food.  And last Friday my team along with another small team from work packed several thousand breakfast packs for local area school kids.  We put waffles and sausages into trays that are heat sealed and labels before being frozen to distribute.  The child has to put a small hole in the plastic on top and warm it up.

Sidney also spent the night with some friends a couple of weeks ago and went to the Witte Museum yesterday with some other friends.  I use this time as quiet time to take care of a few chores as well as myself.  I also catch a little football or golf.....

Our teeth got a clean bill of health from the dentist.  Sidney still needs to loose several baby teeth and many of those are held in by suction only.  They fall out in the most random places.

Sidney had a swim meet this weekend at our home pool.  It was a huge meet.  Over 600 kids competed over three days.  Sidney had 4 events each on Saturday and Sunday.  The meet had two pools running with even heats competing in one pool and odd heats in another.  It was fairly well coordinated chaos.  She also had a piano recital today where she both played and sang.  This mom was super proud.  I also might have bought a digital piano....  Sidney really liked it and has already named it Digit.  I need to decide where to put it and will get it delivered in about two weeks.  It is slightly smaller than an upright piano but feels and sounds like a very high quality piano.  It does all sorts of things and we are looking forward to learning about it and how to use it.

Desert Squid by Sidney

I earned my Africa badge with my FitBit.  That means I have walked over 5000 miles since I have had the FitBit for just over two years.  After I did the math I decided I was crazy.

This next weekend is the last Spartan Race.  I am doing the Beast near Dallas.  12-14 plus miles with 30 to 35 obstacles.  To be honest I am terrified and wondering what I was thinking.  I haven't been able to train as much as I would like in part due to time but also pain in so many joints.  My hip still hurts most but other joints are joining the party.  My sole goal is to finish.  Even if it is slow.  I want that third piece to my Trifecta medal.  After Saturday I am taking a few days off of the gym, etc.  And trying to slow down a bit more in general.

Start School, Birthday and Other Stuff

I forgot some stuff from Peru.  I finally finished a project.  I am rather proud of myself.  I started it in Germany at Christmas.  It is a small latch hook wall hanging for Sidney.  I brought it to Peru to work on during the very long bus ride.  Urpi watched me working on it and asked if I could show her while we were riding back.  She did about half a row.  I told her if I finished I would leave my hoop, pattern, directions, etc.  She told me to hurry up....

One day when I went into the Sunday School room at the church in Peru I heard a baby crying.  There was no one int he room and I have some trouble finding the baby.  He was in the pile of clothes and blankets the ladies brought.  We was completely hidden and I only could see where he was by the blanket moving.  I didn't know what to do so I got Urpi.  By then the mother had come back and Urpi gave the mother a bit of a talking to about leaving the baby.  Baby was safely in moms arms every time I saw mom after that....

I also forgot that Urpi gave us lovely gifts when we left.  She gave all the women a knot hat and the men tea mugs.  The also gave some of the women handmade bracelets.  They were lovely heart felt gifts.  

A little surprise from the freezer

I really shouldn't go this long between posts. I forget a lot of stuff.  And of course we have been busy in the last month.  We relaxed for the most part the week after Peru in preparation for getting ready to go back to school and start swimming.  We volunteered at the San Antonio Food Bank the Saturday after we returned from Peru.  We helped pack 1200 Senior Boxes.  These are boxes of needed basic foods provide once per month to qualifying seniors in San Antonio.  Each box had 2 each bottles of apple juice, peas, beans, canned fruit, shelf stable milk and several other foods like rice.  It was hard work but rewarding.  Sidney worked really hard and I am very proud of how she gives.

School started on August 22.  Sidney started 7th grade.  She likes her classes and teachers so far although it hasn't been bump free.  She is in three pre-AP classes and has her work cut out for her.  Swimming started back then also.  Four nights a week for 1.5 hours.  By the end of the week I can't keep her fed and she is super tired.  On Thursday night she starts eating when she gets home and stops only at bed time.  She seems to be sprouting an inch a week.  She is at the tip of my nose now.  It's seems only days ago she could still tuck under my chin.

She had her birthday on Wednesday of that week.  She turned 11 and we went out for pizza with friends.  She was satisfied with her birthday cake which was a sprinkle covered dough nut and a singing candle....I am blessed she is so easy.

Shandy wants water

There was a lot of rain after we got back from Peru.  Everything went from brown to green super quickly.  Because there was so much rain the golf course was closed for almost a week.  I have never seen deer at the golf course before but maybe because it was closed and rainy I saw two lovely bucks just straight across from us.  It was a real treat.

Labor Day and the days leading up to it were very hard.  Sidney is really struggling with growing up and doing so in such an unusual situation without her dad.  I think she is only just now starting to get the feelings of him being "gone".  I have grieved him far more than she has.  I am content with only wanting him to be content.  He is safe, comfortable, loved and well cared for.  She has realized that he does not recognize her on site.  He doesn't recognize me either.  Usually when we tell him our names then he knows who we are.  I so wish I could make it all better for her.

Stormy tries to fit in cat bed

She really crashed emotionally the day before September 1st.  We made it through that big bump and went to Houston for Labor Day. We went to the church that sponsors the Peru trip.  It was really nice. I haven't been in many years and Sidney went once.  She didn't remember it.  She loved the beautiful stained glass windows and it was so very nice to finally be able to see old friends.  These are good folks who have prayed for us through the bumps and accepted us to represent then in Peru.

I received some heart breaking news as soon as we got back to San Antonio and ended up back in Katy for a funeral last Monday.  Beloved friends lost their daughter in a situation most of us have never faced.  Please hold them in your prayers.  A beautiful life was taken for a reason we do not know.

We have a new neighbor across the street.  A single lady moved in and she is a lot of fun.  We have gotten to hang out a bit and I have enjoyed it.  I don't feel quite as unusual in the neighborhood now.  She also grills whole onions....they were amazing....In trade I have fixed her toilet and landscape lights and installed a timer on her outside lights.  She thinks I can fix anything.  It's possible I can, but if I can do it right I learned it the hard way.....

School of course means projects.  The first was the summer reading project.  Who does dioramas anymore.  Sidney did a diorama from Eragon.  It was fun but a lot of work.

Peru (Third Mission Trip)

Tipton

Don't CLIMP up over the walls

Friday August 5

Left for airport. Checked my big back pack but carried Sidney's and a small pack on.  We are TSA pre so the beginning of security was easy. I was randomly chosen for the controversial machine. I really don't care.  There was a roll of TP in Sidney's bag that required a closer look. They also did a wipe scan of the pocket the TP was in.  The machine alarmed and I knew we weren't going anywhere fast.  I had to empty the back pack. Which meant repacking it.... And I was subject to a full body very personal touch search.  TSA was very professional and doing their job.  Our work gloves were in the pocket of interest and we have used them to do everything from roofing to yard work.  I suspect fertilizer and they will be checked on the way home.


We caught up with the rest of the group in Houston before boarding.  It was nice to see Ed, Michael, Alysa, and Anya again.  There were also two new members to the team, Allison and Jane.  Allison has been before but Jane has not. Allison came with the Woodlands church two years ago. 

The flight to Lima was long, although it was the earliest we have ever landed coming into Lima.  We landed at about 10:45.  Passport control was a disaster. It took forever. And hour or more.  Sidney and I got pulled to a "preferred" line for families.  It didn't move much faster but "A" for trying.  On the way to the line as we were walking, someone came quickly through a door that opened into the packed area.  Fortunately he hit by bag and not my face.... Still almost knocked me over. 

Water system to Tipon

We finally made it through passport control and got our bags. All of us except Anya.  Her bag never left Houston.  Hopefully it will come to Cusco on Sunday.   Sidney and I also lost our apples.  We forgot to eat them. The airport dog smelled my bag and apparently gave the "apple" bark.  The handler knew right away we had an apple. Bummer...

After all the bag getting, paperwork doing and customs, we got on the van for the hotel.  We actually got in to the very hard bed at 2 am.

Saturday August 6

Morning started at 8 which would normally be sleeping in except for not getting into bed until 2.  Breakfast of coffee and bread before heading back to the airport to go to Cusco.  Our airport adventures weren't over. Sidney had packed a bag of pencils and stuff in the smaller carry on bag.  Apparently there were scissors in the bag.  They are now in a big collection box for things you can't carry through airport security in Lima.  I guess we will buy more school scissors.  TSA in the US failed on that one.  

Kitchen the we arrived

Sidney and I got empanadas at the airport. My ham and cheese one was fabulous. Her chicken one was OK.  We needed more solid food than bread and coffee.

We arrived is Cusco and got checked in to the hotel.  We stay at Hostal Santa Rosa de Lima, www.hostalsantarosacusco.com.  It is a wonderful little hostal.  Friendly staff, clean and safe and it is located within a private girls school.  We have stayed here twice and I really like it.  We went and exchanged money in the Plaza de Armas and had a snack. Sidney ordered strawberry with milk and I had strawberry with water. They are almost like smoothies. Yum. Sidney fell asleep on the table before her drink arrived.  It was pretty funny....

Collage

We went to the market, not trying food one but the crafts and cloth market.  Sidney got some new finger puppets.  They were a kangaroo with a joey, a lion and a snail.  

After the market we made a quick stop at the hostal before dinner.  There is a play area that you walk through to get to the hostal part. There are posts similar to what you would use for tether ball. But these have a smaller ball.  It actually looks like a bit of pantyhose with a small ball inside. It is very small and soft.  Anyway, I hit it towards Sidney and naturally it hit her face.... In front of everyone.  She was fine, I was exhausted and couldn't stop laughing and I won the bad mommy award for the day. 

Bathroom

Dinner was amazing. The restaurant used local and in season meat, fruits and vegetables.  There were two soups or a salad for the appetizer.  Trout, chicken or alpaca for the main course and pudding or quinoa cake for desert.  It was all so good. But after we finished you could see us all fade into exhaustion.  We walked through the plaza to return to the hotel.  There was a free concert in the square and it was wall to wall people. 

We tucked into our much softer beds and fell asleep quickly. 

Sunday, August 7

A somewhat early morning to start the last leg to Ayaviri.  Breakfast and then haul our stuff to the bus.  Anya and Sarah went to the airport early to find Anya's suitcase. It seems it might be permanently lost....In addition to it having all of Anya's clothes it also had many art supplies.  So we will now have to get more creative.

Bathroom

Getting out of Cusco took some time. We had to wait for Urpi and Gabby. Urpi has been on all our trips and Gabby is her daughter.  Gabby has good English and will be helpful.  Urpi ensures that in general we stay healthy and well fed.  She also teaches many things to the women.  Then to the airport to get Sarah and Anya.  Then to make copies of a letter to let someone get Anya's bag if it ever comes.  Then to pick up Manuel, our other translator.  Hurry up .... and wait. 

We stopped at Tipon, an inca ruin on the way to Ayaviri.   Tipton is all about water.  It was an area that the Incas funneled water into and controlled to grow crops efficiently and effectively.  Water still flows through and supplies the village below Tipon.  Sidney and I had a cob of Inca corn and a slice of cheese at Tipon like we did 4 years ago on our first trip to Peru.    We also saw the biggest hummingbird ever.  It has to have been as large as a swallow but it was indeed a hummingbird.  It looked like a slow moving giant.  I got a picture but not a good one... sad face.  

Better ladder

Urpi packed is lunch for the trip. Two cheese sandwiches, an orange, a banana, chips, cookies, quinoa bar and chocolate.  It was awesome.

We stopped about three quarters of the way from Cusco to Ayaviri at the seminary. I tried to give my corn cob to a sheep. He head butted me. Fortunately he was on a leash and I could run.  It was funny though. 

Then we had a bus problem. It wouldn't go up hill... Spent 30 minutes on side of road trying to fix it.  Something about the computer.  We left the hotel at 8 am and arrived Ayaviri after 6.  I was not sure the bus would actually make it.  It was really slow going at the end. 

We had only 40 minutes at the hotel. We have an outside room but for now it is pretty warm.  There is an attached bathroom with a toilet with a seat and TP. In theory there is hot water in the afternoons and evenings because they have solar hot water. I'll try tomorrow after how I hear it goes for others. We are sharing a room with Urpi and Gabby. For some reason our room is the warmest of anyone's. It's actually pretty pleasant. This is the same hotel we stayed at last year but it is an all new outside section.  It was pretty nice compared to the last two years.  

We went over to church to go to a service.  Except there wasn't one.  We did see the kitchen which is still missing a lot.  There is the brick oven, tile, two sinks and some cabinets.  But not all the wiring is in or faucets or burners....what is there looks nice.

Look at the red wires

While I was in the kitchen I knocked a hammer off a chair and it landed on my big toe.  Ouch.  The pastors wife started calling church members to come have at least a small service.  So we sang a few songs and prayed.  In the middle of the service Sidney shows me something. It's a tooth.  Another baby tooth bites the dust.  

We stopped for some street snacks on the way back to the hotel.  There is popped inca corn that is lightly sweetened.  Also some large noodle that is sweetened also.  Sidney was happy. 

The beds are hard as rock. We will see how sleep is. 

Monday, August 8

Scary ladder

It was an ok nights sleep considering the rock bed.  Woke up pretty earlier. Tried to make my instant coffee which wasn't very successful. It was weak and not very sweet. Oh well. Later I lost the washer from my cup down the drain at the church darn it.  First day I used the cup.  

Breakfast was at the restaurant we ate at every morning last time. Sidney has two buns, one cheese, and scrambled eggs.  She also has juice which is more like a multi fruit smoothie.  I had a fried cheese sandwich although I was forgotten (Urpi gave me hers...).  The cheese is the squeaky cheese again. It squeaks more when it is fried. Others have egg and cheese sandwiches.  There is also a cooked chicken thigh with rice and potatoes for the hearty eaters.  

Drum and chair safer then ladder

After breakfast we walked to the church.  I tripped over some rebar and hurt my hip again.  Limped a while but it is better now.  Nothing was ready at the church.  They hadn't even picked colors for the kitchen.  So we spent a couple hours deciding colors and getting supplies. Some people also worked on collages using pictures from our past two trips.  We also wrote three songs in English, Spanish and Quechua.  We wrote them on big posters so all could see them without books.  Quechua is tricky.  Very long words but few of them. They must be compounded.  

There were construction workers building the bathroom walls.  So mostly we watched.  Once the paint arrived we got started.  We had rollers but the long handles were broomsticks.  I could still barely reach the ceiling which meant a lot of paint on me. Also there were no trays so you dip the roller in a bucket.  And the paint has to be watered down.  It is easy to over thin the paint and then you have to put on many coats.  Yellow walls, purple accent and white ceiling.  

We made our name tags out of painters tape and on the first day Sidney was Zidney.

Walkway upstairs

We stand on chairs, counters and drums to paint.  Michael dropped a container of paint down the side of the counter.  Containers are made of what ever we find but usually the bottom of larger water bottles. 

Sidney helped teach English today.  We also took a rainbow ball for the kids. The kids liked it.  I have a new one for every day and a little hand pump to inflate them.

Lunch was chicken soup with squash, potatoes, carrots, quinoa, spinach and a bit of ginger followed by pulled cool chicken with onions, broccoli, potatoes, carrots with a slice of sweet potato and rice.  Always yummy food by Urpi.  

We walked back to the hotel at about 5. On the way back to the hotel we saw the most loaded truck ever.  It was a tall truck loaded at least five feet over the top and had to drive on whatever side of the road had the highest wires.  It was funny.  We took a hot shower. Steamy blissfully hot.  It was wonderful.  

Nearly complete kitchen

We did not go to the church for dinner which is the first time in the three years we have been coming.  It feels weird but it is nice to have a break.  We went to the chicken place.  We ordered 2 and a 1/2 chickens cut into eight pieces each for all of us and plates of french fries.  

We think our room has a ghost. Every time we open the bathroom door the outside door opens.  And our lights turn on and off randomly.  





Tuesday, August 9

We had the normal breakfast and I didn't get mine again.  Sad face. After breakfast we walked to the church.  I spent hours scraping paint off the floor.  Apparently drop clothes aren't used.  Every tile in the kitchen had to be scraped.  I am not sure I will be able to eat tomorrow or move. 

Tow ladders are safer than one...

Urpi was teaching about cooking today and about using normal ingredients in a new way.  She taught the ladies how to make hummus and passion fruit juice.  It was a lovely treat.  We were the taste testers.  She is also still teaching about cooking safely in a way the won't make people ill.  She fussed about how the blender had not been properly cleaned by taking it apart and so it had not been properly cleaned at the blades.  She also talks about washing dishes and ensuring they are rinsed in water with bleach.  She is trying to teach them to let the dishes air dry instead of wiping them because the towels might not be clean.  

Stairs

I took another rainbow ball today.  It and the other one were put to play as soon as the kids came. The schools are so overcrowded here that some kids have school in the morning and some in the afternoon.  There is no art or music.

Ed got shocked working on an outlet.  Wiring is questionable and there aren't volt meters.  If you get shocked it is still live.  

The kids did English as well as beads today. The Sunday school teacher class also continued.  This is a class being taught to help Sunday school teachers know how to develop curriculum and teach.  I also have some great pictures of wiring.  There are no wire nuts used here. The wires are connected and shoved in the walls.  It's a good thing everything is build of bricks, mud bricks or cement.

Painted oven

After lunch of semolina soup with fried potatoes followed by rice with a tiny bit of beef, potatoes and carrots I helped wash dishes and make ties for the concrete forms for the pillars for the bathrooms.  The builders paint diesel on the forms so the concrete won't stick.  I went with Manuel to get the diesel in two 1 liter water bottles.  It was all very interesting.  

Tomorrow we have a bit more painting to do.  Just around the oven.  There used to be a rooster and a chicken at the church but I have not seen the roosters mate.  I think she must be gone. Someone tossed out some rice in the grass fir him though and he was a happy rooster. I found him in one of the classrooms also.  The classrooms are multi purpose like everything else.  There are mattresses up against the wall in every class room that can be pushed onto the floor for the visitors. 

We had pizza for dinner. There are 13 of us and we devoured 4 large pizzas. We also had two bottles of hot sweet red wine. That was really nice.   

Wednesday August 10

Not sure what I was thinking

Had the normal breakfast for me, squeaky cheese sandwich. Sidney got special of the day which was orange chicken with rice and potatoes.  Breakfast and lunch are the big meals in Peru.  Sidney made a pretty big dent.  

Anya's bag came.....finally.  It is was like Christmas for Anya and for art. She brought art supplies to stamp, paint, and collage.  The kids made some amazing collages. 

Jane and I painted the bottom of the oven.  We painted a blue section on top and yellow below, like the walls.  Michael, Rusty and Ed helped pour pillars for bathroom walls.  I brought the largest rainbow ball but it was difficult to inflate.  I brought a small pump but I didn't have the right fitting for this ball.  So it became how many people does it take to blow up a rainbow ball.  There were at least six of us involved.  It was the biggest hit of the rainbow balls but unfortunately it was too loved and only lived for about 24 hours.

Lunch was beets with onion, green beans and red pepper with crackers followed by chicken with potatoes and rice.  I mentioned the art supplies earlier.  The older kids made some lovely art.  They painted and stamped their boards first and then decoupaged with fabric.  They are a talented young group.

Roof coming off one

Wednesday is market day.  That is the day all the streets in the center of town have everything you could imagine.  The fruits are brought in from the Amazon forest area of the Puno region. There are new fruits every year as they are discovered. We tried many different fruits thanks to Urpi.  There are all kinds of clothes, tools, household items, and food.  The chickens on market day may be live.  There is also trout and smaller fish.  Oh and of course potatoes.  More than you could imagine.  The most fascinating item to me is the meat.  There is a wide assortment and no part of an animal is wasted. I saw a whole sheep with his skin and head on the sidewalk and the rest of him on the sales table.  He had been skinned right there.  People come from many miles to sell and to buy on market day.  It is the main day to do shopping, like Saturday in the US.  And as always Sidney's hair attracts a great deal of attention no matter how she tries to hide...

Roof coming off two

We went back to church in evening for the Wednesday service. It was a rather long service.  Each member of our team received a loco llama.  It was a very cute llama with an open mouth.  The son of a church member makes them.  After the service we had a traditional Peruvian dinner of rice with sweet milk and raisins.  

We watched some swimming after getting back to our room.  Sidney made the following comment about Michael Phelps big hands - all the better to breast stroke you with. 



Thursday, August 11

We went to the market with Urpi before breakfast to get fruit.  There is a small indoor market. On our way back we saw a motorcycle with two men on it.  One man was going to drive and the other was going to hold a piece of 4 by 8 foot ply wood. I really wonder how far they made it down the road.  What's really funny is the guy holding plywood is the first person on a motorcycle wearing a helmet.  

Roof coming off three

Sidney got something in her eye right before breakfast.  Urpi made camomile tea to wash whatever was in her eye out.  It worked.  

Michael and I cut 100 pieces of rebar for the bathroom project before helping take the roof off of the toilets.  We started taking the roof off by removing each individual sheet of roofing.  We were pounding out nails from underneath and wearing a lot of gross dirt.  We shortly changed strategies to removing the roof in one piece. The whole thing was held in with wire.  We cut all the wire and used long boards to lift the roof and push it backwards into the street behind the church.   Then we carried it in one piece around to inside the church walls whole so it could be used again. Best project ever!

Roof coming off four

After the bathroom ceiling Michael and I helped install the chimney for the kitchen oven.  This involved getting on the roof of the kitchen and removing part of the roof of the connecting office.  The roof was cool because you could see so far....Once we did that we had to move a support for the office roof and then pound a hole in the cinder block wall between the two rooms.  It was another interesting project. 


Right before lunch I observed the construction guys using a manometer to get a level line all around the new bathroom walls.  Who needs a laser level. 

Lunch lamb and Kancacho Ayavireño.  Lunch was a traditional Ayaviri meal.  We were honored to have lamb and this time is was cooked pretty good.  The side was creamy rice with potatoes and corn.  It was really good.

The roof being stored to re-use

I never thought I would think standing on drums was safer than standing on ladders.  All the ladders are homemade and made with nails and wire.  I know one rung moved while I was standing on it.  The wire needed to be tightened.


The concrete pillars poured yesterday for the bathrooms were too tall and 10 centimeters needed to be removed.  I helped with this using a hammer and chisel.  I needed to borrow a hammer from the construction workers.  They laughed and said they weren't used to a woman asking for a hammer.  It doesn't happen in Peru. I got my pillar chiseled down in the amount of time it took Michael to do two.  I was too conservative with my hits.  

Using the manometer

After that project and the bathroom roof I was super dirty and had gravel in my hair.  I took a nice shower before heading back to the church for our fair well ceremony.  During the ceremony we handed out small bags from the Woodlands church to the kids.  They had craft things in them. We also gave some Spanish English dictionaries that the kids illustrated.  They were really cool. 


After the rather lengthy ceremony we went to bless the new oven and kitchen.  The oven was being used to cook chicken and potatoes.  It was very crowded and very smoky.  It was more or less the last straw for Sidney as she slowly turned yellow.  We had also gone too long without food, which is my fault.

Lighting the oven

After the blessing we sat down to the eat the chicken and potatoes. After eating about two bites of the fabulous chicken Sidney was done.  Too hot, too tired, too smoky and too many people.  She turned really green and bailed.  She wanted to walk back to the hotel to cool off and get air.  We walked home a different way than our normal in case we needed a moto.  We got to see a house being torn down which also had a major road through town closed.  As such a semi trying to get out of town was stuck.  He could go down the street and he couldn't turn because the side streets were too narrow.  And there was a van behind him honking away.  

After we got back to the hostel I got us ready for bed and when I went to leave the bathroom the door nob came off.  

This is the fourth country we have watched the Olympics in.  They are on 6 channels here.  It's pretty cool.

August 11

Last squeaky cheese breakfast. So sad. 

Into the same bus we came in...it apparently is fixed because it did much better.  

Marathon Coat (I didn't bring it)

We stopped at the high point between Ayaviri and Cusco and bought a blanket and scarf.  The scarf is basically fluffy alpaca fur.  

I am always fascinated by how far up the terracing is in the mountains and how steep the slopes are that it is on.  It's amazing.  There were also cultivated trees way up on some pretty steep slopes. Most of the cultivated trees are eucalyptus.  Once we started seeing trees again I realized I missed them while we were in Ayaviri above tree line.

We stopped in Andahuayillas for lunch and to see the church there.  Lunch was three courses.  The first course was either half an avocado with dressing or mushroom soup.  I had soup and Sidney had avocado.  We both had trout for the main course. For desert we had ice cream and a pancake. 

Smallest fire hydrant

The church is called the Sistine Chapel of the Americas.  There are amazing murals and paintings all over the church. The frames of the paintings and the Chancel and altar are covered in gold leaf.  The church is called San Pedro Apostol de Andahueylillas.  There is so much history in this church and it truly is beautiful inside and out. The church like many in Peru, has a conflicted history between Catholicism and local religions in place before the Spaniards.  The town is also historical as it was a resettlement village in 1572 for local native populations following the Spanish conquering of Peru.  It was chosen for having good land and water to support population.  It is worth looking up more about this beautiful building and town.

We arrived in Cusco at about 5 just after the Inca Temple of the Sun museum closed. So we went to the chocolate museum instead.  We learned about making chocolate and tried a variety of samples from pure chocolate to high quality milk and white chocolate.  I bought a bar of 70% dark chocolate for me and milk chocolate with blue berries for Sidney.  I also bought chocolate tea which is made from the shells of the cocoa beans. It was really nice.  And finally I bought some chocolate and coffee infused liquor.  

After the chocolate museum we ate dinner at Papachos where Sidney and I shared Mac and cheese.  It was ok. Not as good as the bowl we had at the Lima restaurant last year.

After dinner, bed.  The beds were wonderfully soft....

Saturday August 13

Moray

Display of art work

After a decent nights sleep we were off to the Moray salt mine.  We had a few missteps on the way.  The driver had different instructions so we headed out of town the wrong way.  We did get many nice views of Cusco and Saqsayhuaman before getting stuck in bad traffic going the other way out of town. There seems to be no concern with stopping on the railroad tracks here even in a bus....We were stopped because of construction.  While we were stopped I observed a remote controlled compactor being used.  It was very cool and certainly would relieve stress injuries and noise.  

The salt mine is as cool as we remember it.  There is a stream of salty water that comes out of a hillside part way down into a valley.  Many pond have been built to divert the flow into.  The flow tot he ponds is controlled with stones such that pools are always being filled.  After a pond is filled the water evaporates at least part way and the salt is harvested.  All by hand.  The ponds are managed to get various salt qualities from that used for animals to culinary and medicinal salt.  Every pound of salt produced here relies on human power to harvest it and carry it to the loading area, 50 kilograms at a time.  

Sidney teaching rainbow loom

After Moray we headed over to Chinchero for a "light" lunch and some textile lessons.  The "light" lunch was quinoa soup followed by chicken with potatoes and salad (which we could safely eat as Urpi taught these ladies to cook).  The lunch was no remotely light and we rolled out of the dining room stuffed to the gills.  

The ladies showed us the various techniques for harvesting, washing, spinning, dyeing and finally weaving.  They had lovely, high quality wares for sale.  We bought a few things there and enjoyed the education.  Only natural products are used to dye the yarns (bugs, leaves, other plants....).  

Moray

After our visit in Chinchero we headed back to Cusco to go to Qorikancha, or what was previous to being a catholic church, the Inca Temple of the Sun.  Inca's worshiped things that provided or controlled life, including the sun.  Before much of the site was destroyed to build the church, there was a large Inca stone structure that included an amazing sundial and was covered in gold.  Inca's did not value gold as money but as something for nobility.  Fortunately although much of this area is dominated by the church, there are still well preserved areas of Inca architecture and culture.  

While we were at Qorikancha, there was a rather large and loud strike or protest in the main street.  It was a protest against violence towards women.  Unfortunately women have fewer rights in Peru and alcohol and poverty make violence against women too common.  

We made a last trip to the market before heading off to a dinner of pizza.  It was a nice dinner and our last one as the whole team.  Jane would be going to Machu Picchu on Sunday while the rest of us started the long journey home.  

Sunday August 14

This was a day of travel and lines.  We headed to the airport to go from Cusco to Lima in the morning.  We all tried to get on the wrong plane in Cusco.  The lines for planes were not well marked so we went to the longest one.  Fortunately we were straightened out.  

Moray

After getting to Lima, we were off to the market there an then two museums.  The market stop was for a few more purchases for the Webster church market.  They will be selling the items they brought to raise money for further trips or to send back to the church in Ayaviri.  

The first museum was called AMANO.  It is a museum started by a Japanese man to preserve pre-columbian textiles.  The textiles that have survived were amazing and interesting.  The museum also talked about primitive and more complicated fabric making.  It showed a variety of textiles of all ages and conditions.  It was quite interesting.  

Hauling 50 kilos of salt

After AMANO we went to Museum Larco.  This museum has more than 45,000 catalogued archeological artifacts, most of them pottery.  There is the standing exhibits and thousands of items of pottery catalogued and stored on floor to ceiling shelves.  The museum was founded by Larco as he studied artifacts and developed timelines of civilizations as well as locations by studying pottery.  Many of his timelines have shown to be accurate over time.  The collection and descriptions are amazing.  One of the best museums I have been to.  

This is also where we ate dinner before heading back to the Lima airport.  The restaurant is high class great food.  A very pleasant place to enjoy our last meal in Lima.  

We were off to the airport for the long night flight.  Sidney and I did not have great seats.  She slept enough, I slept enough to be more grouchy....  We did get home safely with no problems.  

Rainbow ball fun

There was a tome of rain while we were gone and since.  I think over 10 inches since we got home. There has been so much rain the golf course has been closed most of the time.  I saw two bucks just on the other side of the course on Thursday.  I have never seen deer over there.  

Sidney and I volunteered at the San Antonio Food Bank on Saturday.  It was good hard work to help fill 1200 boxes with food for seniors in the course of two hours.  We were amazingly tired and more than a little sore.  

School starts tomorrow and Sidney's birthday is Wednesday.  She will be 11 and she is starting 7th grade tomorrow.  She is excited about school starting and we met all her teachers on Thursday.