Pictures Galore!

We took nearly 1000 pictures while in France, below is just a smattering...(I felt like captions would be superfluous, but if you're really curious about something you can always comment and I will respond with all sorts of details and anecdotes).

Rest and Relaxation Worth Mentioning

A quick note about the Foreign Service. A great benefit about being in the Foreign Service is that each tour the officer and his/her family are given an R & R (Rest and Relaxation) trip to take away from post and gear up for the time remaining on their tour. Generally people take this trip to the US to visit family or friends. However, the guidelines stipulate that you can take the trip anywhere in the world as long as you pay any expenses that exceed the allotted travel budget. We decided to use our R & R money to go to France and managed to book tickets within budget constraints. And, because of our oh so generous friends were also able to avoid lodging expenses. A big thank you to them and to all you tax payers for a glorious vacation.

Each one of the following deserves a lengthy tribute, but, the new blogging me is going to forego that impulse and merely provide a list, in no particular order, of all of the things we loved about our trip to France.

1. Our wonderful friends who were so gracious and kind for letting us stay with them
2. Crepes, crepes, crepes - especially with nutella
3. Chocolate (bread, crepes, bars, desserts, eclairs etc.) - Caleb can now say chocolate because we ate so much, so often
4. The gardens (Luxembourg, Parc Monceau, Tuileries, Place de Voges and a host of random parks and gardens scattered throughout the city where we ate, chased pigeons and rested from lots and lots of walking)
5. The Latin Quarter - loved the Gyros and scenery and the people watching
6. Lady of the Unicorn Tapestries
7. Milk and eggs that taste like milk and eggs are supposed to taste (Kenny had cereal twice a day for 2 weeks)
8. Pom Potes (applesauce that comes in a pouch so it is totally portable and mess proof - we filled our suitcases with these for the return trip)
9. Apples - so delicious, so prolific
10. The view from the top of the Eiffel Tour, even on a hazy day it was spectacular
11. DisneyLand Paris - apparently this is the top tourist attraction in all of France - Caleb loved It's a Small World
12. Saint Chappelle
13. Mont Saint-Michel - remote but spectacular
14. The American Cemetery in Normandy - the new visitor's center just opened this year is really well done and the cemetery itself, though sobering, was well worth the visit
15. Playing with Ruby (this is probably #1 on Caleb's list - they had so much fun together, clearly he needs more friends)
16. The Loire Valley - we visited 4 Chateaus, each incredible in its own way, and drove through some of the most beautiful country we have ever seen - the Villandry gardens in particular were breathtaking
17. Chartres Cathedral - stunning!
18. The Rodin Museum - 'nuff said
19. The giant ferris wheel at the Place de la Concorde in celebration of the Rugby World Cup - we made the mistake of going here early on in our trip and for the rest of the time Caleb pointed it out to us - but at 8 Euro a pop we decided one time around the wheel would have to suffice
20. The Carousel at the Eiffel Tower - leaving it was cause for much wailing and gnashing of teeth
21. The weather - sunshine, crisp fall air, and changing leaves (we have missed the changing of the seasons)
22. Indian Food - not available in Peru
23. Raspberries - another nearly impossible commodity to come by in Peru
24. Napolean's Tomb
25. Baguette sandwiches
26. The Musee D'Orsay
27. The Picasso Museum - even though most of the permanent collection was not on display
28. Sacre Coeur - one of my favorite places in France because the view and basilica are amazing, we walked through the very red light district and passed the Moulin Rouge on our way back noting that the dinner show at the Moulin Rouge can be yours for a mere 165 Euro a person - the mind reels at what transpires for such a princely sum
29. The Marais - so much to see and buy, so little time
30. Laduree Macaroons - our favorites were blackcurrent, lemon and raspberry
31. La Madeleine
32. The Pantheon - lots of famous folks are buried there and above is Foucault's Pendulum
33. Dozens of churches we stumbled upon while rambling through the city
34. Versailles - again 'nuff said
35. Les Invalides and the Musee de L'Armee
36. Fireplaces
37. Crossing the Seine for a different and beautiful view from any point in the City
38. Notre Dame
39. Shakespeare and Company
40. Breakfast in America - a typical American diner where we stuffed ourselves on bacon, home fries, blueberry pancakes and chili cheese fries
41. Clean public restrooms
42. Potable water
43. Musee de l'Orangerie - one of the finest collections of art we have ever seen under one roof
44. Staying within walking distance of a mind-blowing bakery and a toy store it was cruel to take Caleb to - Santa has lots of ideas for Christmas this year
45. Architecture, tapestries, scroll work, columns
46. Did I mention the crepes? Just soooooo good, they deserve a second mention
47. planes, trains and automobiles - Caleb has now discovered just how fun different modes of transportation can be
48. An unbelievably well-behaved, drug-free Caleb through 2 24 hour plus days of flying
49. Bagels - again, not available in Peru
50. Two whole weeks together as a family and memories to last a lifetime

A Note About Me and My Blog

A very dear friend recently pointed out that it is painfully clear that I don't LOVE my blog (because I don't blog while traveling, I am way behind on my travel update blogs, and I fail to recognize things I should be blogging about saving them for email, phone or face to face conversations). She went on to say that while my posts are generally interesting and well presented, they are also hopelessly infrequent, entirely too serious, and altogether too obviously a means to an end (i.e. a way to keep up with those we love without having to communicate with them individually all the time - or ever, an area in which we do not excel). I tried to protest, but the facts are on her side. In the past nine months I have posted fewer than 30 times, sometimes going an entire month without posting anything - a sin in the blogging community. All tolled including last year and this year I am well under 100 total posts - an obvious problem. And perhaps most criminal of all, I have failed to pepper my posts with pictures of our very cute child whom she pointed out needs no accompanying text to justify one or 20 all about him entries. And so faithful readers, having been sufficiently shamed into reinventing myself as a blogger, I am vowing here and now that going forward I will err on the side of frivolity, frequency and fatuousness.

Calling All Francophiles

We are leaving Peru in just over a week for 2 glorious weeks in Paris - bookended by two 19 hour+ travel days with our delightful 20 month old (I can only imagine the posts that experience will yield). We are SO excited to be taking a vacation and visiting our wonderful friends whom we have not seen in far too long. We have both been to Paris in the past (not together) and have hit the highlights, which we will do again if only to take a picture of Caleb at each to remind him when he is older of just how amazing and generous and concerned about his global experience his parents really are. My parents had not taken me to Buenos Aires, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca and Paris all before the age of 2 (never mind that he will remember nothing!). But, on this trip, because we are going to have more time than usual, we want to do some off-the-beaten path, "my favorite thing to do, sight to see, place to go in Paris" or "someday I would love to go here" kinds of things. So, we are soliciting input from our pool of readers many of whom we know are Paris lovers and in some cases aficionados of the City of Light. Send us your must-see recommendations and in return we promise to think of you while we are seeing them! How's that for a fair trade? Not that our blogging happens with any regularity, but I suspect that it will come a grinding halt while we are away, though upon our return we will blitz you with images and memories of what promises to be a much needed and spectacular adventure.

PS Any comments regarding magic methods for keeping the under 2 set happy on 10 hour flights are also welcome!

Looking for a Pet?

As we have traveled to various culturally and historically significant sites around Peru we have come across the Viringo (aka Peruvian Hairless Dog). The Viringo is an ancient breed of dog (it appears in ceramic representation as early as 750 AD) kept by the Incas and other pre-Columbian cultures throughout Peru. It is in fact hairless, apart from some hair usually on the crown of the head or tail, is prone to sunburn and dry skin and feels warmer to the touch than other dogs (though actually it is not - just an illusion because there is no hair to diffuse the heat). Recently, the Society for the Preservation of Peruvian Culture decreed that each historical site in Peru must also have a Viringo on site for purposes of authenticity - never mind the fact that the dog did not exist - and doesn't thrive - in all regions or the country. When the Spanish invaded and later conquered Peru they also nearly caused the extinction of the Viringo. However, the dog was revered in some cultures as a mystical symbol and these societies managed to maintain the breeds' existence so that it is no longer on the verge of extinction. Our latest trip to the North Coast of Peru took us to the town of Trujillo (see a future post on our adventures there) where we encountered some Viringo puppies for adoption. Caleb was enthralled and I am a sucker for puppies but must remind myself always that puppies grow up.


And beyond puppies or any variety of baby animal, I must admit I am not a pet person, actually, I'm not really an animal person. It isn't that I support, defend or condone animal cruelty or that I don't understand why people have pets, it's just that animals and I weren't meant to be. Frankly, this dislike is rooted in not wanting to be responsible for the upkeep of a pet. Kenny had/has a turtle (it lives in Utah now) and I was all too often in charge of feeding or watering him and hated it and I know if we had a dog, or cat or rabbit or monkey (Kenny's latest pet idea) the cleaning, feeding etc. would fall to me. Luckily, Kenny's chosen profession makes having pets nearly impossible. Of course we know people in the Foreign Service with dogs and cats (though we'd never have a cat since I am allergic and I tend to think that cats aren't very friendly anyway). But, the stories of shipping crates in the holds of airplanes and pet quarantines and shots and papers and on and on are typical and terrible and a sufficient deterrent. And so, for now, we are sans pets. And though the hairless Viringo puppies were awfully cute (or at least not as scary looking as you might expect a hairless dog to be), we have seen the grown-up version and it leaves something to be desired in a family pet.

Grandeur and Grandest

I am lucky enough to have 2 really exceptional individuals as parents. When I first lived away from home I thought that maybe I was just homesick all of the time and that they couldn't be that great. But, I've lived away from them on and off, mostly off, for most of the last 15 years and it isn't that I'm homesick, it's that my parents are wonderful people. They recently came to visit us in Peru and we were delighted to have them (as well as myriad other family members). My parents are predictable, in the best sense of the word, helpful, easily entertained, dependable, funny, intelligent, clever and even when they feel lousy (which they both did at some point during their visit) still a pleasure to be around. From my parents I have learned, among other things, the joys of reading, traveling, hard work, setting and achieving goals, patience (or at least the value of patience even if I don't always demonstrate this virtue), making time for fun, trying new things and being flexible. On top of all of this, my husband genuinely respects and likes my parents, a definite plus and they are SPECTACULAR grandparents. As grandparents go, my siblings and I definitely drew the short straw. Our grandfathers were good men who did their best and left legacies to be proud of.


On the other hand, our grandmothers were/are the antithesis of the typical grandmother. Not all bad, but certainly not the type you read about in books. For most of my life I remember my parents offering their apologies on behalf of their less than stellar mothers and promising to make it up to us by being great grandparents, like their own. Caleb is the first (and currently only) grandchild, after a wait my father insisted was entirely too long. And while their interaction with him is curtailed by geography, though we compensate with Skype and visits as frequent as feasible, my parents have kept their promise and then some. He adores his Grandeur and Grandest as they have opted to be called - clever, no? And especially now after their visit he loves to look at pictures of them, hear their voices on the phone, or see them on the camera phone. And really, who wouldn't love these particular grandparents? They lavish attention and presents on him, sing to him - music is high on his list of favorites, play games with him, teach him new things and generally delight in being near him. I am confident he will one day know just how lucky and special all of this is and how incredible it is to have terrific grandparents (Caleb has 2 others who are equally noteworthy) who adore him. Hooray for great parents who become amazing grandparents!

Toys for Tots

Recently Caleb reached the milestone age of 18 months. In addition to requiring another round of shots and doctor's visits this also meant that Caleb was now ready to attend Nursery on Sundays at church. Hallelujah! Caleb loves Nursery. He loves playing with the other children and the toys and snack time and singing time and going for walks and all of the other fun things that are encompassed in going to Nursery. However, after the first couple of visits to Nursery it became increasingly clear that the Nursery in our small and very poor church congregation is suffering from a deplorable lack of resources. Frankly, they need toys - age appropriate, non-choking hazard, colorful, educational, fun to play with toys. So, we dutifully set out to remedy this situation. Unfortunately, we discovered that the reason the current Nursery toys are so inappropriate (not to mention limited) is that appropriate toys really don't exist. We found all sorts of toys with tiny pieces perfect for lodging in windpipes and noses. We found all sorts of toys that looked like they were on the verge of dismantling even in their packages. We found some really fantastic fisher price and playschool toys that cost 5 times what they should have cost because they are all imported. So, we thought, we are just talking about a few toys (games, puzzles, books) this can't be that hard, their must be a solution. And then we thought, maybe we know some people who could and would be willing to help? And, so, this blog is a plea for that help. Maybe you have a toy box full of well-loved but forgotten toys destined for Salvation Army or the trash, maybe you sometimes have a sudden urge to purchase something for children between the ages of 18 months and 3 years while perusing the shelves of your local drugstore, maybe you have an Amazon.com habit and are looking for a productive way to satiate your obsession, whatever it is we would welcome your willingness to do so on behalf of these tiny tots. If you or someone you know can help us pull together some better toys for these kids, they and we would be beyond grateful (what I wouldn't give for a good old American strip mall right about now). As an added incentive, in that we are American diplomats, you can send these generous donations to a US address so domestic postage rates will apply. I prefer not to post our address on the blog, so if you can and want to help, leave a comment and I'll get back to you with the details. Not only will you be preventing highly unnecessary trips to the emergency room, you will be making some pretty underprivileged kids and their parents very happy.

Though not relevant I have included some pictures of Caleb because I know blogs with pictures are always more fun to read than blogs without.

And so it Begins

The theme of this blog is, admittedly, a little less tasteful than my usual fodder. However, I find that I am an infrequent blogger because much of my life seems less than blogworthy. Of late though I have been inspired by some of my favorite bloggers to cast aside these self-inflicted chains of propriety and dive into the nitty gritty that is my/our day-to-day existence. Having made this momentous decision I would like to devote this, my first "free to be me" post to heartburn. I know this seems a little odd and maybe just plain boring, but for me it cannot be ignored any longer, it has reared its ugly head and will be my constant companion for the next 21 weeks. With Caleb, it started much sooner, sometime around the tail end of the 1st trimester. And, with this pregnancy when I made it to, through and past the end of week 13 without any sign of the beast I was thrilled, delighted, foolishly optimistic. And then, it happened, I was sitting in a restaurant, enjoying the last of my scrumptious Argentinian beef dinner and out of nowhere WHAM!! the searing, burning feeling arrived, seemingly from the great deep like some unimaginable mythological creature lying in wait only to pounce when I least suspected it, when I had been lulled into a false sense of "maybe this time will be different", when I was beginning to think last time had been a fluke. I tried to ignore it, repeating over and over again that mantra "if I don't acknowledge it, it isn't really there". But, the evidence was mounting, as was the discomfort and the frequency of craving little, chalky tasting discs of temporary relief. Over the last few days my hefty supply of American made antacids has noticeably dwindled and I have been reminded of this time 2 years ago when I never left home without them. I had industrial sized bottles stashed everywhere, my office, the car, my purse(s), my church bag, all 3 rooms of our tiny apartment, Kenny's pockets, my pockets (which also meant a fair amount were hidden in the washer and dryer as well). At the height of the pain I was popping upwards of 15 a day, much to the surprise of my OB who said "sometimes you'll have heartburn, but never bad enough to require more than one or two doses of (tums, rolaids, maalox, mylanta etc.) a couple of times a week" ha! ha! ha! I showed him. The silver lining in all of this is that after 6 months of antacids, this time around I knew in advance which ones worked and tasted the best...for me, that is. I had no idea, until I was forced to become intimately acquainted with these products, the breadth of available options. My assessment, and definitely more than you ever wanted or needed to know, is as follows: Mylanta: not convenient and yucky besides; Maalox: ditto and ditto; Rolaids: Softchews (tropical fruit, vanilla, cherry) taste great (relatively speaking) but don't work; Rolaids: Extra Strength, effective but only the fruit flavored ones are palatable; Tums: Smoothies - PUHLEASE!! - don't waste your time; Tums: EX, all flavors taste okay and it works pretty well in a pinch; And the winner...Tums Ultra, Maximum Strength, Assorted Berries flavor, 265ct (I've no doubt I'll be on bottle number 2 when this phase of my increasingly exciting and blogworthy life ends). So there you have it, a very, perhaps too, personal glimpse into the things that I am thinking about right now all day every day.

An Heir and a Spare

A terrific benefit to being pregnant in Peru is that every doctor visit involves an ultrasound. So, at about 17 weeks we went in for my usual appointment to see if the genetic test results were normal (they are) and if the baby was growing as it should be (it is) and the doctor asked, "do you want to know the gender." Of course we want to know the gender! Since I found out I was pregnant I have been fantasizing about a whirlwind US shopping spree where I envision myself with heaps of clothing being gathered up as if my life depended on it. And, of course, the clothes in this daydream are always frilly, bedecked with flowers, ruffles, ribbons and rosettes, deliciously cute and above all PINK! Add to that my endless cravings for all things sweet (cupcakes, brownies, cheesecake, milkshakes, s'mores, candy and on and on and on) which usually means you're expecting a girl


and you can imagine our surprise when the doctor said...


Of course we are thrilled and not just at the inevitable financial benefits we will garner now that a whirlwind shopping spree is unnecessary (don't get me wrong, there will be shopping, though perhaps not to the degree I had planned). We are thrilled that he is healthy and developing normally and that this pregnancy has been uneventful so far. We are also delighted our family is expanding. And boys are great, we love boys. Furthermore, as my mother pointed out, boys are generally easier than girls over the long haul - she's got several of both so we'll trust her assessment. And, despite my daydreams, I have never really been the frilly type so perhaps this is just as well. And, depending upon how things go, baby #2 probably won't be our last so we could still have plenty of ruffles in our future. The only real issue expecting a boy creates is coming up with a name. We have had a girl's name at the ready since well before we ever needed one. But, as we found with Caleb, boys name are hard for us. We didn't even name Caleb until almost 2 days after he was born. Plus there is all kinds of pressure as you consider ways the name could be turned into something insulting or cruel, or what the initials spell or who to name the baby after (or rather who not to name the baby after for fear that you'll be reminded of that gross boy who drove you crazy in 7th grade) and the cadence of the first name, middle name, last name combination presents a challenge as well. At this point we don't even have any contenders and are hoping lightning will strike convincingly and soon.

If You're Interested, But Not Interested Enough To Look For It...

Of course we have spent the day responding to concerned family and friends and scouring every news source on the planet for any information about yesterday's earthquake, incidentally now upgraded from 7.9 to 8.0. Locally, the US Government has mobilized Embassy and Military personnel to assist with the response and we are sure there will be many immediate and future opportunities to provide the affected regions with aid. The Embassy also sent around some information from the USGS which we thought might be of some interest. The aftershocks are still rolling in as are the reports of damage and sadly, the death toll has reached more than 500.

A-OK

Hola from Peru. As many of our faithful readers know I grew up in Hawaii, land of lush beaches, sparkling blue water and fragrant air so sweet it takes your breath away. And, to be fair, the land of Hurricanes, Tsunamis, Volcanic Eruptions and Flooding -- all these we had, all were devastating, sometimes deadly. What we did not have were Earthquakes. Last night, with my brother, his wife, her brother and my parents visiting, Kenny and I stood with Caleb and them in the doorways of our seemingly impenetrable house for nearly 2 minutes as a 7.9 Earthquake rolled through Peru, the epicenter less than 100 miles south of Lima. Since moving to Lima we have felt 2 previous earthquakes each lasting less than 10 seconds and of far less strength than last night's, but significant enough that we know the warning signs, and, we thought, what to expect. We were not prepared (emotionally, that is) for the events of last night. And, while we did not rush out into the streets to join our fellow Limenos, some escaping buildings they should never have been in in the first place, some looking for signs of the end of the world, many crying and wailing and reportedly seeing a strange light in the night sky, we were a little shaken (not just literally) and it took some time for the adrenaline to stop pumping. As we watched the news last night and have continued to read the reports rolling in today (Washington Post, New York Times, El Comercio, BBC) we are feeling exceedingly blessed to have come through this major event with next to no damage. We are happy to report that all of our elementary school and foreign service training instincts kicked in the instant we heard the glass begin to rattle and we darted for Caleb and the doorways. It is devastating to look at images of damage in places we have visited which are now lying in ruin and where so much death has occurred. Among the many things we are grateful for today is that our house is structurally sound and built to withstand the mighty clashing of tectonic plates.

One final note, yesterday we celebrated our 4th anniversary, still deliriously happy and looking forward to another 40 years...at least. Needless to say, it was an anniversary we will not soon forget.

Please Sir, I Want S'Mores

Once upon a time a young, newly married couple walked through a Washington, DC, Linens 'n Things and spied, as if in a dream, a S'mores Maker! It was truly a moment of Kismet, because like all newly married couples, this couple believed not a single appliance or kitchen accoutrement existed that they did not own. This was not their first romp through stores of this ilk, but this time they were pleasantly surprised to find one more thing to squeeze into their minuscule, yet cozy first apartment. Completely wrapped up in the moment, the young couple thought of other young couples they knew and purchased, not one, but four of the serendipitous and totally superfluous apparatuses. The couple gave away three as gifts and carefully found a place for the fourth in their increasingly cramped living space where it was promptly forgotten.

Once upon a time a not quite as young couple had a baby, moved to Peru and were visited by their parents/in-laws. Their father/father in-law walked into their kitchen and in a vaguely familiar ah-ha moment said "A S'mores Maker, really? Can you actually make s'mores with that." The young couple looked at each other and thought, who knows, we certainly don't, never having used it or many of the other boxed items stored on the same impossible to reach shelf in our kitchen. The next day, one half of the young couple went to a local grocery store in search of graham crackers, Hershey bars and marshmallows (miracle of miracles, they all exist in Peru). That night the young couple, their parents/in-laws and the aforementioned baby roasted marshmallows (conveniently designed with a flat bottom, perfect for s'mores) in their dining room and had their fill of honest to goodness American campfire fun. The moral of the story is, impulse buys are always a good idea.

Caleb wasn't interested in the s'mores, just the chocolate which he ate like a piece of corn on the cob

Hail the Conquering Heroes

My 30 year-old husband and my 60 year-old father have just returned from hiking the historic Inca Trail from the Sacred Valley to spectacular Machu Picchu. To say that the trek was anything but grueling, would be to diminish their achievement, not to mention an abject lie. They hiked for 4 days, usually going up (and up and up) and down (and down and down) rough stairs hewn into the sides and ridges of the mountain itself. They slept on less than adequate mattresses in completely adequate sleeping bags provided by their tour company for the bargain price of $15. We hired a half a porter for each of them to carry their packs (they were allotted 18 pounds apiece) and both admit carrying their own packs would have been next to impossible. They each had a head lamp, a camelbak, well broken in and sturdy hiking shoes and a book, in case they had some down time...they did not, and each night fell into bed/bag utterly exhausted from the day's travails. They braved what sound like the most pitiful excuse for toilets on the planet, fairly treacherous conditions (no railings on the Inca trail) and sometimes extreme temperatures for a trip of a lifetime with spectacular views. On the morning of the 4th day they hiked through the Sun Gate on their way down to Machu Picchu where my mother, wisely opting not to have this particular experience of a lifetime, waited for them having arrived by train and bus. Tired and none too clean, to say they were thrilled to be done would not do justice to their emotions, but the pictures might. While Kenny may someday undertake another such trek, to make clear that he would not, ever, my father gave their guide his trekking poles and camelbak. He had arrived and was most decidedly, done.

Something to Talk About...or To

One of the things that Embassy employees love to do is visit each others houses and compare notes on who has the better digs. To date, we have learned the following from our numerous visits:

1) Our yard is a joke (as opposed to the football field sized yards of nearly anyone else not living in an apartment)
2) Sometimes a pool is just a large, unheated hot tub
3) Garages are non-existent
4) All furniture is EXACTLY the same and comes in cream, green or red (we have green, the most subtle and kid-friendly of the three)
5) We know exactly one person with a dish washer (it's not us)
6) In terms of interior materials, our house is by far the most beautiful (original hard wood [mahogany] flooring and staircase, marble, wrought iron etc.)
7) Wealthy Peruvians favor gaudy and tacky over tasteful and refined (most Embassy housing is rented from well-to-do Peruvians)
8) Decorating with things purchased in Peru is extremely common, and frankly, perplexing

Which brings me back to my current entry. Time and again as we visit friends and acquaintances I am struck by the amount of Peruvian stuff in their houses - art, crafts, weavings, figurines, leather goods, silver whatever, clothing, reed baskets and on and on and on. Initially I thought that they were just first time posters like us and, like us, had little in the way of decorative objects and so went to the craft markets and went a little crazy to compensate for that. But, more and more I am realizing this is just not the case. We are talking about folks who are in their 4th and 5th countries. I wonder, do they also have whole households full of objet d'arte from previous posts as well just sitting in their massive storage unit in Maryland waiting to be joined by the Peruvian clutter when the family next moves to Thailand or Mali? Really, I am totally perplexed by this. And, don't get me wrong, there are some lovely things to be had in Peru, but, frankly, not that much!

Our approach to accumulating what I like to lovingly refer to as "Peruvian Crap" has been to shop around, invest in some high-quality, very traditional pieces and leave our walls blank for future acquisitions from other locales. In that vein, our trip to Cuzco earlier this year yielded two such pieces. Both have become conversation pieces for anyone visiting from near or far. The first is an example of traditional Andean weaving using fine alpaca thread, dyed with natural dyes. Examples of this weaving technique are available all over Peru, but there are only a few places where you are guaranteed that what you are purchasing is genuine (and be prepared, you will pay for authenticity). These weavings take many months to complete as just a foot of cloth is produced each month. Our piece is roughly 5 feet long and represents about 5 months of the weaver's life. We thought is was beautiful and as soon as we come up with an appropriate means of display will, I'm sure, be even more thrilled with our purchase.

Our second purchase is a replica of an Inca mask thought to be worn by the Inca elders and royalty during the 14th and 15th centuries, before they were conquered by Pizarro. It is plated in gold and decorated with the semi-precious stones that are native to the mountains of Peru, lapis lazuli, red coral, Andean turquoise and serpentine. We just got it back from the framers and I decided it was blog worthy. It is definitely a source of conversation even though is it currently propped up in the dining room and not yet on the wall. An added bonus of having acquired the mask is that Caleb has taken to talking to it. Full-length, highly animated conversations between him and the mask. I get the impression that in some way or other the mask is responding because Caleb will finish what he is saying, walk away and then abruptly turn around, come back and say something very pointed to the mask. At this point, I am inclined to leave the mask where it is until I can figure out what "they" are talking about. The pictures don't give you an idea of scale, but with the frame it is about 3 feet tall and 2.5 feet across. One final note, being the frugal, deal-loving person than I am, I am thrilled to report that framing in Peru is practically free. You may notice from the picture that the mask is double framed and sports a double mat as well. Cost: prepare yourself...$50! Needless, to say, we are walking around the house thinking of anything and everything that might need to be framed. I have had to draw the line at post-it notes and church programs!

I Heart Cupcakes

Cupcakes, well cake in general, are a totally foreign concept in Peru. And, I have always been an enormous cupcake fan. Not just the Magnolia Bakery or their competitor Buttercup Bake Shop or Cake Love varieties either. I will eat any and all cupcakes...seasonally frosted cupcakes from Safeway where the dyes are so intense they turn your whole face blue or green, Betty Crocker from a box with frosting from a can varieties that can be whipped up in mere moments (sometimes at 2 am - been there, done that), even questionable cupcake shaped offerings frosted with something less like frosting and more like sweetish glaze. Clearly, I'm not picky. But, for all my willingness to take whatever is offered and be happy, even ecstatic with said offering, Peru is a veritable desert in desperate need of a sweet fountain brimming over with cupcakes (and don't even get me started on the lack of muffins and bagels).


In contemplating a life overseas, I was fully prepared for the fact that we would actually not be living in the USA - a reality that some of our compatriots seem often to overlook when deciding that a life in the Foreign Service is for them (one wonders what they are defining "foreign" to mean instead). And, I might have a skewed view of myself, but in general I think I am a fairly adaptable person who can make things work under most circumstances. I enjoy change and adventure and new things and all of those characterize our present and certainly our immediate, if not long-term, future. I make friends easily and am good with languages and am willing to try most things, at least once before passing judgment. After nearly a year in Peru, I am confident that most of these perceptions about myself are fairly accurate, all things being equal. But now, I am pregnant, and things are most decidedly unequal! The pregnant me is not exactly irrational, but is, shall we say, FAR LESS CONTENT with change and adventure and new things and most importantly doing without certain things than my "normal" self. So, tonight, as I was blog-surfing, I found myself drooling over The Cupcake Blog and also, for the umpteenth time in an embarrassingly short period of time thinking about all the things that I miss about being essentially anywhere stateside and thus counting the days until I will be there again.


I am compensating for this dearth of cupcakes, this catastrophe (for indeed it seems like one to me) by making more batches of these things than ever before, but we are South of the Equator and something highly scientific about that makes these blossoms of goodness fail to rise and while they are still good enough in spite of this failing, there is just something missing. My list of things to do and, apparently, eat immediately upon landing in the States is growing daily, and consuming my fill of cupcakes has just zoomed to the very top!

Jumping on the Bandwagon

No pictures this time, just a quick note to say that we are joining nearly everyone we know it seems (Adrianne, Katharine, Kate, Mary, Kristy, Kim, Lilita, and a host of other non-bloggers) and are expecting a new addition to our family unit. Assuming all goes according to plan, baby #2 will be making his/her debut sometime around January 24th. Our limited experience with Peruvian hospitals has convinced us we are not brave enough to have a baby in Lima so Caleb and I will be heading to UT to stay with my parents and await this new bundle. None of us is looking forward to being separated for 3 months (6 weeks before the baby is due and 6 weeks after it comes), but we are all feeling good about the decision we have made and know that the time will pass quickly. I know Caleb will love being surrounded by grandparents and aunts and uncles for such a long time including the Christmas holidays. No news on the gender yet, but when we know, you'll know too!

PS A note of clarification, some of the above referenced bandwagon riders (Adrianne, Mary, Kim) have already welcomed their babies and are not, as far as we know, expecting another one anytime soon -- I included them because our pregnancies overlapped, confirming my belief that there actually is a bandwagon upon which to jump

Happy 4th of July

Spending the last few years in Washington, DC, we have become used to blow-out Independence Day Celebrations. This year was our first 4th of July not on American soil and it was, frankly, a bit of a bust. The Ambassador threw a big shin-dig at the residence for various muckety mucks (which included Kenny, but not me or Caleb) so even though it was technically a holiday we didn't get any family time until late, late, late afternoon. We joined some of our American friends for hamburgers, hot dogs, seven layer dip, homemade raspberry ice cream and homemade rootbeer. There are no fireworks to be had in Peru so we improvised with balloons and a box of sparklers. It certainly wasn't "A Capitol Fourth" but it was a good reminder of why we are proud to be American and all of the wonderful blessings and benefits we enjoy.

too cold to go outside so we lit our sparklers inside
hoping the marble floors were flame-retardant enough

Caleb loved the sparklers but was none too thrilled at not
being allowed to hold them himself

God Bless America!