A Little Bit of This, A Little of That
Greetings everyone~
As the calendar turns to September, Marianella and I have been back to work at school for a month now and we continue to swaddle ourselves in blankets and sweatshirts as the gray, damp Lima winter continues unabated. It seems ages ago since I was back in Minnesota for the sweltering month of July or in Banff under clear blue skies. Anyway, let me catch you up on what's been going on for myself and Marianella since I last updated the blog, and at my aunt Carol's request, finally get the picture of the hogheads off of the main page.
Minnesota
As already mentioned, the trip back was quite a whirlwind; I arrived on June 30 and was back in Lima less than three weeks later, with a trip to Calgary wedged into the vacation also (more on that in a bit). While back home, I was able to attend my niece Jessica's graduation party, take part in the 50th anniversary celebration for my aunt Betty and uncle Gerry, and witnessed the Twins lose on a beautiful summer night, along with much quality time with my Mom and several friends and family. All in the midst of the most miserably hot July my memory can recall. I won't get into the details of the copious amount of sweat that I shed while home, but it wasn't pleasant. The positive to take away from the heat was at least I didn't put on any weight on this visit.
On a walk near my Mom's, before the heat became scorching:
If I had to watch the Twins lose, at least it wasn't at the Metrodome:
Calgary/Banff
As mentioned, a trip to Canada was also a part of this visit to North America, for the annual international college counselor's conference. While the conference was quite good, I'll spare you those details. What I can tell you is that Calgary in July was quite wonderful. The mountain air was crisp and the skies shined blue throughout the entire visit. The conference was held during the Calgary Stampede and while I never did make it down to the grounds (they kept us pretty occupied during the conference), on the last night of the conference all 700 participants at the conference were bussed out to a working ranch where we were able to view an actual rodeo. Sitting three rows back in the grandstand, I was expecting a little pony show; but when the first bronco out of the gate sent its rider flying, I knew we were in for a show. The broncos eventually gave way to the bulls and before the night ended I was hooked. I'm now a rodeo fan and as you will see below I have the hat which will allow me to fit in at any rodeo or gathering of cowboys.
Pitching horseshoes before the rodeo:
The horse won this round:
After the conference ended, I had an extra day before my flight back to Minnesota so I traveled a bit north from Calgary to Banff National Park. Among the drives I have taken in my life, this was certainly amongst the most beautiful and spectacular; on my left were snow-capped mountains and on my right was an emerald-green river. I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story. . .
picturesque Lake Louise:
Joined by a little friend at the edge of Lake Louise:
The Spiral Train Tunnel:
Back in Peru
As I already mentioned, Marianella and I have been back at work for a little over a month and as we all know, once back to work the crazy fun times trickle down. However a couple weeks ago, while Marianella and I were shopping for clothes in Gamarrah (a blog post for another day) we were treated to an unexpected, colorful surprise on an otherwise pedestrian Saturday. The Day of the Virgin of Copacabana was being celebrated throughout Bolivia (where she is the patron saint) but also by the numerous citizens of Bolivia who reside in Peru. It so happened that one of the places where the celebration was occurring was on the street as we headed towards our car. Per the tradition, marching bands played the songs that were danced by women and men dressed in colorful costumes. It was loud and vibrant, a wonderful diversion from the gray days of winter.
for Jersey Shore fans-isn't he a dead ringer for Vinnie?:
R.I.P. Chocolate
Some very sad news arrived about a week or so after our shopping excursion described above. Marianella's parents' dog Chocolate was struck down by a rapid illness which necessitated the decision to put him to sleep so that he wouldn't suffer any longer. Chocolate was originally Marianella's dog, but as her travels took her first to Japan and then Minnesota, he became the constant companion and best friend of Marianella's mother. For over ten years he was a member of the Vizcarra family. Personally, he was my first friend when I arrived Lima, as we would take daily walks together through the neighborhood around the home. He was a fearless dog, unafraid of fireworks or larger dogs that he sometimes got into scrapes with. Around the neighborhood word spread of Chocolate's illness and the community shared the sadness of our family's loss. He is sadly missed.
Alright, who knows when you'll be hearing from me again, but until you do, take care and we wish you all a long, beautiful autumn.
As the calendar turns to September, Marianella and I have been back to work at school for a month now and we continue to swaddle ourselves in blankets and sweatshirts as the gray, damp Lima winter continues unabated. It seems ages ago since I was back in Minnesota for the sweltering month of July or in Banff under clear blue skies. Anyway, let me catch you up on what's been going on for myself and Marianella since I last updated the blog, and at my aunt Carol's request, finally get the picture of the hogheads off of the main page.
Minnesota
As already mentioned, the trip back was quite a whirlwind; I arrived on June 30 and was back in Lima less than three weeks later, with a trip to Calgary wedged into the vacation also (more on that in a bit). While back home, I was able to attend my niece Jessica's graduation party, take part in the 50th anniversary celebration for my aunt Betty and uncle Gerry, and witnessed the Twins lose on a beautiful summer night, along with much quality time with my Mom and several friends and family. All in the midst of the most miserably hot July my memory can recall. I won't get into the details of the copious amount of sweat that I shed while home, but it wasn't pleasant. The positive to take away from the heat was at least I didn't put on any weight on this visit.
On a walk near my Mom's, before the heat became scorching:
If I had to watch the Twins lose, at least it wasn't at the Metrodome:
Calgary/Banff
As mentioned, a trip to Canada was also a part of this visit to North America, for the annual international college counselor's conference. While the conference was quite good, I'll spare you those details. What I can tell you is that Calgary in July was quite wonderful. The mountain air was crisp and the skies shined blue throughout the entire visit. The conference was held during the Calgary Stampede and while I never did make it down to the grounds (they kept us pretty occupied during the conference), on the last night of the conference all 700 participants at the conference were bussed out to a working ranch where we were able to view an actual rodeo. Sitting three rows back in the grandstand, I was expecting a little pony show; but when the first bronco out of the gate sent its rider flying, I knew we were in for a show. The broncos eventually gave way to the bulls and before the night ended I was hooked. I'm now a rodeo fan and as you will see below I have the hat which will allow me to fit in at any rodeo or gathering of cowboys.
Pitching horseshoes before the rodeo:
The horse won this round:
After the conference ended, I had an extra day before my flight back to Minnesota so I traveled a bit north from Calgary to Banff National Park. Among the drives I have taken in my life, this was certainly amongst the most beautiful and spectacular; on my left were snow-capped mountains and on my right was an emerald-green river. I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story. . .
picturesque Lake Louise:
Joined by a little friend at the edge of Lake Louise:
The Spiral Train Tunnel:
Back in Peru
As I already mentioned, Marianella and I have been back at work for a little over a month and as we all know, once back to work the crazy fun times trickle down. However a couple weeks ago, while Marianella and I were shopping for clothes in Gamarrah (a blog post for another day) we were treated to an unexpected, colorful surprise on an otherwise pedestrian Saturday. The Day of the Virgin of Copacabana was being celebrated throughout Bolivia (where she is the patron saint) but also by the numerous citizens of Bolivia who reside in Peru. It so happened that one of the places where the celebration was occurring was on the street as we headed towards our car. Per the tradition, marching bands played the songs that were danced by women and men dressed in colorful costumes. It was loud and vibrant, a wonderful diversion from the gray days of winter.
for Jersey Shore fans-isn't he a dead ringer for Vinnie?:
R.I.P. Chocolate
Some very sad news arrived about a week or so after our shopping excursion described above. Marianella's parents' dog Chocolate was struck down by a rapid illness which necessitated the decision to put him to sleep so that he wouldn't suffer any longer. Chocolate was originally Marianella's dog, but as her travels took her first to Japan and then Minnesota, he became the constant companion and best friend of Marianella's mother. For over ten years he was a member of the Vizcarra family. Personally, he was my first friend when I arrived Lima, as we would take daily walks together through the neighborhood around the home. He was a fearless dog, unafraid of fireworks or larger dogs that he sometimes got into scrapes with. Around the neighborhood word spread of Chocolate's illness and the community shared the sadness of our family's loss. He is sadly missed.
Alright, who knows when you'll be hearing from me again, but until you do, take care and we wish you all a long, beautiful autumn.
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