Treasures of Peru: Part One

Greetings to those of you faithful enough to check this blog for my rather sporadic posts. I have just returned from two interesting weeks in Peru, my first foray into South American travel. My long-time friend, Marie, from Minneapolis (originally from North Dakota) and I joined a tour group for time in the high Andes as well as the in the Amazon Basin. We flew to Lima for our introduction to Peru... This is the Plaza de Armes (town square) of the city of Lima, which was founded by Francisco Pizzarro, the Spaniard who captured the leader of the Incas in 1537. It is a crowded, noisy city with some traces of the Colonial Period and is plagued by a daily fog for much of the year, which acts like a temperature inversion, holding in all the grit and pollution from the city.

Traffic was heavy. Crossing a street on foot was close to impossible; one often had to walk for blocks to find a traffic light to assist with crossing and then I felt ill at ease---cars and busses do not make way for pedestrians!

(Well, I have now learned that the photos I rotate on my computer do not stay that way when transferred into this blog! Hmmm...shall have to work on that! Maggie's coming soon and will help me!) Meanwhile, we visited a market in Lima our first morning and decided our food would contain a lot of lime and tomato!

Leaving Lima, we flew to Cuzco, the ancient Inca capital which is 10,900 feet high! Here is my friend, Marie, feeding an alpaca at a farm we visited. They have utterly amazing coats! The alpaca is a huge contributing factor to the Peruvian economy---they eat them as well as using their wool for spinning and weaving the broad array of textiles sold.

This lady, at the alpaca farm, was using a backstrap loom to weave the yarn made at the farm. She is dressed in typical dress for the country women. The shape of their hat usually indicates what village they call home.

Here is the elaborate hair dressing the women wear---please crank your neck to the left to accomodate my photo problem...thanks!

We spent time visiting the Sacred Valley, which is the route to Machu Picchu. It is a long, beautiful, glacial valley with farming terraces dating back to the Incas on all the mountainsides surrounding it

This pale photo shows you a hang-glinder enjoying the rugged mountains and spectacular views of the Sacred Valley. (You may wish to click on this to see the mountains more clearly.)

These terraces, dating back to the Incas pre-1500, show an area used for agricultural research by the Incas. They planted crops at various levels on the mountain to simulate different growing seasons within their lands; they had even masterd the skills of creating hybrids. Amazing!

Nearly all the buildings in the country and the villages are built of sun-dried bricks which are hand-made by the people needing them. The same sort of bricks are used to build walls along property lines as well as to create enclosures for animals. It appeared that after a time the mud brick buildings sort of "melt" and need to be replaced.

This was taken at Ollentaytambo, an Inca structure which shows their amazing stone masonry skills. It was not possible to slip a credit card between these huge stone blocks.
Machu Picchu was an amazing place. It was much larger than I had imagined from my reading and included such advanced features as a sun dial, a water system, various temples, and plenty of housing that would have had thatched roofs.
The Incas had fabulous views through every window!
This was taken from a vantage point beside the "guardhouse", after a climb up the ruins.
Another example of their masonry---this doorway and wall were also fashioned of well-fitted rocks. How they cut them and moved them continues to be a mystery to archeologists.

To be continued, in "Treasures of Peru, Part Two." Thanks for joining me!

Glorious Indian Summer!

Indian summer, albeit not a very politically-correct term, has arrived in the high country with all its charm and lovliness. With the remnants of six inches of snow piled in the shady spots in our yards, we are now having clear blue days with lots of sun. Each day seems like a present for at any time lots more snow and cold will come, probably to stay until April or May.

Yesterday and today I spent much of the days outside, driving up the more remote canyons outside of Silverton to have picnics and enjoy the solitude, as the tourists have mostly retreated to lower altitudes where they can still wear their shorts. For those of you who have not yet been to Silverton, the above is a picture of our village in its valley (caldera), surrounded by snowtop mountains. Lovely!

This is a view of Kendal Mountain, which is the view out my kitchen window and Suzie's upstairs bedroom. No zoom was used on the this photo---we really are this close to the peaks!

Tomorrow I am off to Peru; just had to send you these views of beautiful Colorado in the fall before I leave. Best wishes to all---I'll be thinking of you from South America! PDM

Summer is Over!

Faithful Blog Readers:

Driving home from Denver on October 5th I encountered the first serious snowstorm of the season as I drove over Red Mountain Pass, which is one of Colorado's gnarliest roads, and just happens to be one of my major routes to the grocery store, the airport, and most any other service I need. There were still a few golden aspen leaves peeking through the snow, but the view reminded me that winter is here!

Now, on October 8th, as I sit in my office writing to you, it is snowing gently and lazily outside. My fireplace is burning merrily and I am realizing that summer is over and the time is nigh for doing a better job of communicating with friends and family the world around.

The summer was wonderful---filled with visits from friends and family, plenty of fly fishing, and lots of time spent out of doors, enjoying my beautiful mountains.

Describing summer in Silverton is difficult so I'll share some pictures instead. (You may wish to click on some pictures to see details better.) A late summer trip over Ophir Pass to Telluride with friend Ruth Ann in her jeep. She is very short so I was the "shifter" when we needed to shift into 4WH and 4WL---here is shot of the actual pass.

Fishing was a big part of my summer. Below is a snap of my favorite place---the Canyon of the Upper Rio Grande River (yep---the one that separates Mexico and the US has its headwaters in San Juan County where I live!). My fishing friend and I descend 200 feet into this canyon on a rope, wearing all our fishing gear with our rods tied to our backs. It is a gorgeous place, and for some reason no-one else is ever there! This year I finally developed the skill of casting my fly where I wanted it (most of the time) and improved my stealth so I caught more and bigger fish than previously. Great fun!

Suzie and my lovely little grand-daughter, Audrey Grace, were here for ten days in August and we did a number of strange activities. (Suz and I seem to lean toward unusual activities---we've even been to the National Dental Museum and the International Weightlifting Hall of Fame and Museum!). Anyway, we dug some traditional Moore Family rhubarb roots to send to James in Pennsylvania to be planted in their yard so they can have rhubarb pie! Here are the roots and the "girls"...

While Suz was here we tried out my new window washing contraption. When one lives in the lovely mountains, one ought to be able to see out of their windows, right? Here is Suzie washing skillfully on the outside of the second-story windows. (We did the inside, too!) We thought perhaps we could hire out...the tarp-covered thing is an antique oak buffet I was in the process of stripping, which is now finished and looking lovely, and will soon display my mom's blue and white china.

Of course, as a grandmother, I feel compelled to tout my grandchildren's talents. Here is Audrey, reading. Note the skilled way she holds her book with her feet to facilitate turning the pages! She is so good at reading she can even read with the book upside down!

Summer in the high country always means a few picnics in out-of-the-way places. We went to Animas Forks, an old ghost town up the river, while Suzie and Audrey were here. They nicely posed in front of Walsh mansion (what's left of it)---the Walsh family was a successful mining family in the 1800s and owned the Hope diamond at one time.

I was thrilled to have all family members plus friends here for the 4th of July week. We had nine adults, two small children, and one delightful puppy for about ten days so lots happened. One thing I never accomplished was a family picture when we were dry but here are Suzanne, Travis, and their families plus friends Jenn and Gus from Pennsylvania in the Ouray Hotsprings Pool, having a good time! (Maggie, Finn and Travis are left and center, James, Suzie and Audrey are center back, and Gus and Jenn on the right. ) In case you are counting, Maggie's brother Quentin and his wife Karen and their puppy joined us a few days later.
Grandson Finn celebrated his second birthday while in Silverton and received a tricycle and wagon, hand-made by the Pennsylvania Amish. Here are Finn and Audrey, all loaded up and ready to go adventuring (with supervision, of course!).

Off to see the world! Our family all seems to enjoy seeing the world---

Travis and family will soon be moving home from Australia (Maggie and Finn are here now, getting settled in their new home in Denver). I am off to Peru in mid-October to see what the Andes have that the Rockies don't....meanwhile the Colorado Rockies are trying to make us all proud in the World Series...life speeds along with never quite enough time for all the wonderful opportunities that present themselves.

Have a wonderful fall and watch for a Peru posting after November 2nd when I return from the upper Amazon River basin!
.

Who Has Been to Wallowa Lake?

Hi Faithful Readers!





Thanks for returning to a blog which has been neglected since it was snowing in May. Summer in Silverton is so fleeting that I spend as much of it outside as possible---winter is the time to be seated at one's computer blogging.


Lake Wallowa, Oregon (pronounced wa-low-a, not wall-oh-wa) is a spectacular place! Coming from the glorious San Juan Mountains of Colorado, I have to admit it takes a pretty amazing mountain to impress me---the scenery in NE Oregon is just that---impressive! Our Davis Family Reunion was held in this area---near Joseph, named after the Nez Pierce Chief. Here is a view from the highway headed into the campground and resort where we all gathered:
A tramway to the top of one of the peaks gives a grand view of the lake and the surrounding farm country. We rode the tram on a day that was foggy and rainy at the top but even that experience was mysterious and beautiful.

All but one of the living "original cousins"were there---here we are enjoying lining up together. [You had to be in the line to fully appreciate the comments made by all the male cousins---Patricia and I have always received the amount of teasing that convinces us the guys really do like us even though they have always out-numbered us as much as three-to-one!] The visiting was great, with lots of laughter and joy during the three-day event.

Here is the entire family group---you can see there were lots of us so something was always going on---a pinochle game, a shopping trip, a serious discussion, a cup of coffee or beer together, a tour of the local foundary which creates bronze artworks for places such as the World War II Monument in Washington, a ride up the mountain on the tram... Then there was the food! Bacon and yak summer sausage from North Dakota, Black Angus burgers from Montana, ribs and chicken from Portland, salads and home-made biscuits and a gi-normous (is that how to spell it?) carrot cake, wonderful hot and cold appetizers, and, of course, the traditional Davis oysters on the grill. Here is grill-master Brent minding the oysters on a huge traveling grill brought by the other grill guru, Paul. Looks as if Cole came all the way from Chicago to open the oysters for the rest of us. Thanks, guys!


Of course some of the ladies, who can sniff out shopping for miles, found the best shops in charming Joseph---look at the stunning boots Lenore and Amber found! Yep---cowboy boots made out of rubber (a sort of sophisticated Wellie)---they put the rest of us to shame in our sneakers and Keens!

It was a delightful reunion, even though we were missing family members from locations including but not limited to Texas, Pennsylvania, Hawaii, and Australia. Special thanks to Paul and Ronda, Brent and Risa for choosing such a lovely spot and all their effort. 2012 will be the next reunion, probably in the Black Hills area of South Dakota so:

PLAN NOW TO ATTEND THE 2012 DAVIS FAMILY REUNION

GENERALLY HELD THE THIRD WEEKEND OF JUNE

ASSOCIATE FAMILY MEMBERS MAY APPLY!

PS: next posting will be 4th of July in Silverton when I had a houseful of welcome guests!

New Snow for Suzie's Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Memorial Day Morning and Suzanne's Birthday!! I woke to new snow on the mountains and clouds drifting through the valley---always my favorite scene!
This was the view of Kendal from my front walk---you can just see the dusting of new snow over the older snow; it was 40 degrees and my little new pansies were glad they were covered last night!

As always, Boulder Mountain had a bit more white. Actually, quite a bit of white! Also take note of the Silverton Brewery truck that now lives next door to me! (You'll have to zoom in...)

So, anyone who is coming to spend the 4th of July, bring one set of warm clothes---long pants, jacket and SOCKS!

Happy Birthday, Suz...I wish you were here to relish the snow and have tea with me by the fire!

A Week On the OBX!!

With high hopes for finding warm weather and beaches, Silverton friends Ruth Ann (my frequent travel companion) and Kim (school superintendent playing hookey from school since she had worked all the way through Spring Break) and I walked merrily onto an early morning airplace and winged our way to Norfolk, Virginia, a short 75 miles from our condominium on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We were delighted to find that our resort had one foot in the Atlantic and the other foot in Currituck Sound with less than a mile of sand between! Our first day was spent enjoying/exploring the Wright Brothers National Monument at Kitty Hawk, NC. Here we are with the monument, situated on top of the hill from which they launched over 1000 glider flights before trying powered flight on the flat sand below. I like the motto engraved at the base of the monument to Orville and Wilbur: "Achieved by Dauntless Resolution and Unconquerable Faith."

The next day we traveled to Roanoke Island. This island was where the first British immigrants settled, organized by Sir Walter Raleigh. Here I am touring a replica of the ships those 1500s adventurers crossed the Atlantic in---very small with very few conveniences. (I would much rather be on the Grande Europa, delivering cars!) In this photo I was trying to get the guide to lapse from his Elizabethan speech but was unsuccessful. He insisted on pronouncing all letters, as they did, including such words as "k-no" for know!

Next we started on the lighthouses for which the OBX (have you figured that acronym
out? Yep---outer banks!) is famous. This snap was taken looking down the spiral stairwell of the Currituck Lighthouse at Ruth Ann, and shows most of the 214 steps to the bottom. These wonderful brick lighthouses, tallest in America, range from 75 to over 200 feet tall. Several are black and white and are painted in different designs so the sailors could tell where they were.

Currituck Lighthouse has not been painted and stands as a solid red landmark on the northern end of the barrier islands called the Outer Banks. The view from the top was spectacular:

Ocracoke Lighthouse is a pristine white and is located near the cove on Ocracoke Island where Blackbeard the Pirate had his home base. (He really did exists!) We took a ferry to get to the island and, amazingly, it was free!

The tallest of them all is the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, topping out at 208 feet. Ruth Ann and I climbed it and enjoyed the view of the famous Diamond Shoals from the top. These shoals, which are very dangerous shifting sandbars, have caused the demise of endless ships through the years. We were told the area has the most dangerous quicksand in the world. As an interesting family note, Maggie and Travis saw this lighthouse being moved inland in 1999. The shore was eroding away and there was concern that the lighthouse would topple.

Finally, we saw the Bodie (body)Lighthouse--with another arrangement of black and white paint. This lighthouse, as well as the others, were involved in various kinds of danger and intrigue during the Civil War, which reminded me over and over of just how old they are.

En route home we spent a day in Norfolk and took a harbor tour of the Naval Base there. If you wonder where billions of your tax dollars go, that is the place to go look! We saw this new carrier, worth several billion dollars and longer than three football fields. It carries over 6000 crew and who knows how many airplanes and helicopters; it is huge!

What a delightful trip; I am a lucky lady to have such good friends who love to travel! Kim and I enjoyed seafood; we watched movies and slept late; everyone bought books to read about the area and did a lot of sharing---it really was a vacation!

Should/Could This Be a Budweiser Ad?

Dear Blog-Readers,

This blog entry is actually aimed at Travis and Suzie, as their parental home is in the midst of some changes and I thought they'd be interested. However, the rest of you may enjoy seeing what is going on during "Springtime in the Rockies" in Silverton. Welcome aboard!

The contractor, hereinafter called Rick (I've always loved the word hereinafter!), arrived a few days ago to cut a doorway from Travis' electronics workshop loft into Suzie's room. It required moving a good amount of treasures, starting with lumber milled by Charlie and saved by Travis for a future woodworking project.

Travis, here is your blue-stained pine. It should be wonderfully dry by now after nearly five years in the sunroom!



Next came chisel and drywall saw and the next thing I knew we had a doorway from Suzie's room into the loft! It gave a great silhouette of a neon Bud sign, which gave me the idea for a Bud commercial! (Do you recognize it?)

So, I rushed through the new doorway and looked back into Suzie's room, and what should be the predominate sight? Yep! The Bud sign!!!

Now began the tote and carry routine, as Travis still has a goodly number of containers of interesting things ranging from tools to meters to fuses to rolls of wire to nifty little paper cups printed with playing card symbols. After a considerable amount of carrying and dusting and scrubbing, the view into the loft looked like this. (Note: the workbench is gone!)

The final shot into Suzie's room clinches the Budweiser idea---please also note the shovel and garden tool division under the loft ladder!

Rick will return soon to begin the actual work. I'm already picturing Audrey and Finn chasing each other up the stairs, through Suzie's room and the loft, down the ladder, through the kitchen and then up the stairs again, laughing and shouting all the way. It will be fun!

Coming soon: North Carolina Outer Banks posting.