Where have the days gone? My friend, Ann, has so kindly reminded me that I haven’t posted anything on my blog since March 30th. As always, life is busy, busy, busy.

Our trip back to Maine – April 1-12 – was great. David and his buddy, Gary, flew to Tulsa, OK for the “world’s largest gun show”. It was 8 acres of tables. For 2 days, they were in heaven. David was very impressed by Tulsa. He said that it was a very clean and inexpensive city.

We were able to connect many of our friends and family on this trip. The Thurs before we were to fly back, David had a tooth extracted. Unfortunately, there was nothing that could be done to save it. It was cracked vertically. He will have a bridge put in when he returns to Maine.

Our house improvements continue. Shown above are pictures of the built-ins that we had done in the dining room and living room. The dining room also has bead-board on the walls which really gives the cottage feeling that we have been striving for. The living room built-ins came out great as well. Above the television is a ship that David’s grandfather carved out with a pocket knife. For the 20 some odd years that I have been in the family, that ship had been upstairs under a sheet of plastic. I kept saying that we should donate it to Deer Isle historical museum…where David’s grandfather was from. When we decided to do the built-ins, we decided that it would be wonderful to have a special place to display this beautiful piece. I just love “folk-art” and this piece has such special meaning.

Our lake house, La Casita, has a new bathroom and rugs. Our contractor, Shawn, is now living there and continues to work on improvements. We are planning to put a metal roof on, vinyl siding (the style that looks like cedar shakes), fresh paint inside and the living room walls paneled with knotty pine. Hopefully, one day, we will be able to enjoy that beautiful setting.

So, now, we are back in Peru. David continues to work long hours on the project. He has been working real hard and long this week to get out a couple of big contract packages. Hopefully, after Monday, things will slow down just a tiny bit. I stay busy with my Pilates class…which I am sorry to report ended on Friday as the business is closing. The owners are looking for a new place to have the studio. I may join a local gym or just continue to do my “shuffle” in the park and workout with the weights we have here in the apartment. Also, I have started my classes with my friend, Kika. I hop the bus 3 afternoons a week to spend about 2 hours studying with her. Then, occasionally, I get a guitar class or practice in.

Our next “turn-around” will be spent at Cusco and Machu Picchu. We leave on May 10th. We will have a couple of days to acclimate to the altitude and explore Cusco. On the 12th, we are heading out to do “Weaver Way” hike. We had hoped to do the Inca Trail hike, but that is booked through September. Weaver Way is a two day hike in the area which will take us through a couple of the smaller towns. It is also a couple nights of camping out. Then, we will take the train to the town of Aguas Ciliente and spend a couple of days exploring Machu Picchu. May 21st is our anniversary of 20 blissful years of marriage….this trip will be our celebration. I can’t wait to see how we will celebrate the 21st anniversary!!!