Dunlap-Acuff-Wilmer family reunion

Family members from Alabama, Georgia, Ohio and Tennessee converged on Chattanooga for the annual Dunlap-Acuff-Wilmer family reunion. The reunion, in its 18th year, was initiated by John's grandfather and unites the families his two daughters, Johna, John's mother and her sister Alice Jane. This year family members included Johna, the children of both sisters, grandchildren and two great grandchildren on John's side. In total, 30 people spent the weekend at the Chattanoogan, sightseeing and catching up with each other.

We arrived on Friday evening, just in time to have dinner at the Broad Street Grille with John's immediate family. After dinner, the group of 16 jumped on the trolley and headed to the Walnut Street walking bridge to cross the river and ride the carousel in Coolidge Park. With several little ones in tow, the fountains were irresistible so the adults talked and watched while the kids splashed in the water.

Saturday's adventure included a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, a trip to the Chattanooga Aquarium (fresh and saltwater), lunch for 17 at Mellow Mushroom and dinner for 30 at St. John's Restaurant http://www.stjohnsrestaurant.com/ on Market Street (very good food I might add).

Sunday arrived quickly and after breakfast, the two branches of the family parted ways. John's family went for a ride on the Incline Railway and lunch at Big River Grille http://www.bigrivergrille.com/ on Broad Street. After a lot of hugs and good-byes, everyone was off in scattered directions.

I took a few pictures but not nearly as many as I thought. I have included a few below:

Crawford, John's nephew, playing in the fountain at Coolidge Park

Austin, Johna's 1st great grandchild, at breakfast

On the trolley from left: Laura (in turq shirt, John's sister), Chuck, Lee (John's son), Sam (Chuck's son), Catlin (John's niece, David's daughter), Jessica (Laura's daughter, John's niece), Andrew (Chuck's son), Beth (David's wife), David (John's brother)....whew!

Still on the trolley from left: David (John's brother), Belle (John's cousin, Chuck's wife, Sam and Andrew's mother), Johna (John's mother--do they look alike or what!) and John

John and I at the Aquarium

Daniel (John's son) and his girlfriend Kendra (cute!), who drove to Chattanooga on Saturday and met up with the group at the saltwater aquarium

Richard (John's brother-in-law and Laura's husband) and Kaleb (Johna's 2nd great grandchild)

On the Incline Railway front: Liz (John's niece-in-law, Will's wife and mother of the great grandchildren), Richard, David, Johna, Will (John's nephew-with hat) and to the left is little Austin
Finally, we don't know the two people in front but you can see John and I behind them, Daniel is on John's right and Catlin is sitting behind Daniel, Lee, Beth and so forth
The Incline and a cloudy view of Chattanooga

Six tough miles!

The last run of this week did not go well! On schedule was a 6-miler. The route began at the same place as Wednesday's run but turned right by the basketball arena and rambled through UT. The route was familiar to me as a motorist but new to me as a runner so I spent a few minutes Thursday night writing down the instructions in large print (so I wouldn't need reading glasses) and folding the information in a plastic bag to stuff in my pocket.

I was running by 8:30 AM but in retrospect, I should have started earlier as the humidity was already high. I checked my instructions as I turned left or right and the first part of the run went well. Somewhere along the way, I became too confident and quit looking at my paper. Then I made a mistake and turned on the wrong road. It is no surprise to me that my internal gps is broken, but it does surprise me that after all these years I continue to think I can rely on it.

The sun was warm, the air still and not a spec of shade in sight. Whoops! No way would I backtrack to correct my mistake so I kept running in the direction of the river and soon crossed the railroad tracks. I popped out by the UT Vet School and onto the shady greenway but it was too little too late. I was still running but feeling very sluggish.

The mistake cost me about 1/2 mile but the heat and humidity would cost me more. I began a pattern of running for a few minutes, then walking a few. Jeff Galloway style I convinced myself, knowing I was walking more and running less than he advocates. As periods of walking increased, I had to work to convince myself to run and somewhere around mile 3.5, I threw the Jeff Galloway concept out the window. By mile 4, I was pretty much toast, walking a lot, jogging a little. I reached the car none too soon!

On one hand, the run was a disappointment. I know I can run 6-miles. Sometimes I wonder if my mind not in the right place. On the other hand, it is summer and I am still running. I should consider this a win! After this effort, I have decided to purchase a visor and a fuel belt for future long runs. Maybe hiding my face from the sun and a bottle of water and Powerade will help me through the rough patches. I plan to try the effort again next week.

Now John and I are off to Chattanooga for his family reunion...

Summer shuffle

I went for a run this morning, well maybe a jog.....okay, a summer shuffle, but I did get outside! I am in the middle of the 1st week of my summer running plan and both scheduled running days have gone according to plan!

Monday was my first day out after a weekend of feeling pretty bad! I decided to drive to Cherokee Blvd because it has a nice 1.5 -mile out and back greenway (3.0-mile total), lightly rolling hills (slightly noticeable if one is driving) and some shade along the way. I started a little later than planned but not so late that I would quit because of overheating. I must say, it was hot!

The out went slow and smooth. At the turnaround point I was warm but still comfortable although I looked forward to the many shady spots on the return trip. About 2/3's of the way home, I saw 2 familiar faces coming my way....Will and Kim were out for their morning run. We waved as we passed but they were just getting started and I was almost done so we didn't stop to chat. The parking lot came into view and I could see the end of the trail. Yeah! Three miles complete, success for my first run of the "summer plan."

But wait, there is more. I had my bike on the back of my car. I haven't been on my bike in 2 months. With a couple of months of solid eating and reduced exercise, I am on my way to a chubby lifestyle. Time to up the exercise output (and cut back on the food).

Climbing back on the bike was fun! I was hot and sweaty from the run so the breeze generated by the ride quickly cooled me off. The ride was short and sweet, 6-miles at a 13.2 mph pace. Bicycling is a great way to go during the summer!

Today's run was scheduled to be a little longer, 4.2-miles. I decided to run on Neyland Drive for the same reasons I have mentioned before, mostly flat with areas of deep shade. Although humidity was on the increase, a nice breeze drifted off the river so all was well. I finished in a slow 54 minutes but I was pleased with the effort. The run was capped off with 3 sets of 50 steps.

Running, eating, friends

Another run was in order yesterday so once again I headed out on my neighborhood streets. The sky was overcast with the threat of spotty thundershowers but unfortunately no rain fell. I am still feeling like I have been slammed so I was pleased to have completed the 2.6 mile rolling hill course with little effort. Next week I will begin kicking up my mileage, next week I will feel better!

My dad knows I have been feeling bad, mostly because I call him daily and tell him so. Late yesterday afternoon, he calls and asks if I have been running. The answer is of course, yes. He informs me that the air quality in Knoxville is somewheres around toxic and suggests I lay off the running until either 1) I feel better or 2) the air quality improves. This is followed by a moment of silence to be sure the information sinks in. Oh! Well, I am feeling pretty bad so taking his advice will not be too difficult.

Last night we had dinner with some friends. A couple of photos are below:

From left: Ginger, Ron, John, Kim and Will. John and Judi were our hosts. Judi is an artist, a weaver, and their home reflects their interest in all art...fabrics sculptures, pottery, glass and paintings.
From left: Kim, Will (John's head barely shows behind Will's), Judi and Ginger. Note Judi's beautiful woven jacket.
John and Judi had beautiful dinner music playing in the background. The music, clear and soft, was not from an instrument we recognized. On questioning Judi about the music, Will learned that the sound came from a series of glasses filled to various levels and played with by rubbing the finger (or other instrument) around the rim to produce different notes. Above you can see Will attempting to recreate the sound. He needs a little practice.....

Dessert! Yum, yum!

It's grape time again!

Yeah, my favorite food is finally in season! Nothing like a handful of ice cold grapes after a warm summer run. Grapes are available almost year round but I am picky about my grapes. They must be smallish, firm and $1.99/pound or less.

Beautiful! Freshly washed grapes (with a few missing sorry about that :-)

We have been home for 5 days now. For some reason, after international travel, John and I come home with some type of respiratory infection. In 2004, after spending the hours before our flight home in the musty, stuffy catacombs in Lima, Peru, we returned to 10 days of congestion and stuffy noses. In 2006, after spending 10 days gazing at the brown, polluted China skies, we returned home to a week of congestion and stuffy noses. Now, in 2008 after avoiding the catacombs and staying out of the polluted cities, we are again suffering from congestion and stuffy noses. Maybe we are having a bad reaction to returning home :-)

When I woke up this morning, I felt like I had been slammed by the train from Cusco to Puno but decided to run anyway. I would have preferred to leave from my front door, but opted to drive to Neyland Drive along the Tennessee River because the route is mostly flat and more appealing than facing my neighborhood hills again.

I started off slowly. At 9:15 AM, the sun was warm but with the temp somewhere in the 60's and a breeze drifting off the river, I was quite comfortable. I enjoyed feeling my feet hit the pavement and listening to my breathing. My thoughts drifted aimlessly and occasionally tuned into my iPod, which was plugged into one ear.

At the turn around point, I had the breeze to my back and started to get really warm. I set small goals of running to the bits of shade that dotted the route. I reminded my self that I was 2 days away from my latest summer run. The date was June 21 in 1998. I was running a lot at the time but couldn't gut out the summer heat and humidity. After that, I mostly quit running, picking it up occasionally but sticking with it for only a month or two at the time. This year I have a goal to stick it out, to get beyond my dislike of summer running and come into the fall with a solid base. I am determined....

The run covered 4.2-miles out and back. I took away from the run the sights and sounds of the river, the sweet smell of the mimosa blossoms and a sense of accomplishment. I am one day closer to my goal.

Back in my running shoes

Today, finally, I was ready to run again. I laced up my running shoes and headed out the front door for a short, 2.1 mile adventure. Lawns along my route were damp from recent watering (just how much water does the US public consume keeping their yards green?) and I could feel the the moisture floating up from the surface. We are in the middle of a "cool" front in Knoxville so the temperature was tolerable but still warm, especially after spending a cozy winter week in the southern hemisphere.

The run felt easy and just the right length to leave me looking forward to my next effort. Along the way, I enjoyed the sweet, citrusy scent of magnolias. I am always very thankful to live in the south when the magnolias are in bloom.

Below are some final pictures of Peru. I will eventually put a larger selection on Smugmug.

Plaza de Armas in Cusco. The city holds a parade every Sunday to highlight school kids, dignitaries and the military.

One of the narrow, brick streets in Cusco. Many streets in the towns we visited were not built wide enough to accommodate today's traffic. This one isn't too bad.
Sunset in Cusco from our hotel balcony. The town crawls about halfway up the forward mountain (look close and you can see it).
Leslie on the streets in Aguas Calientes. Lots of shopping, not too much else to do in this town.

"Downtown" Aguas Calientes. The railroad runs through the middle of town. Rail is the only way to get in and out of town, there are no roads leading to AC.
Lee admiring one of the trapezoid doorways in Machu Picchu.

Looking through one of the three windows at the Temple of the Three Windows in Machu Picchu. It is hard to take a bad photo among the ruins of this magnificent city.
This structure (part of the Temple of the Condor) highlights how the Inca's built the city using with the existing rock. By the way, the condor represents the heavens in the Inca culture.
Another beautiful shot of Machu Picchu. This section is in the urban or home section of the Incas. A beautiful young Peruvian face! Taken by John's son, Lee, when the Cusco to Puno train stopped in the high plains (some 13,000') to do what else but shopping!
John, Lee and Daniel in one of the reed boats on Lake Titicaca, preparing for a ride from one island to the next.

One of the floating island on Lake Titicaca. Note the reed boat in the back of the inlet used to transport tourists. I have just about decided that the small reed homes we visited are used strictly to show tourists how the islanders once lived. My guess is the islanders now inhabit the tin roof homes (above).
A picture from Lake Titicaca and the Puno harbor. The city is spread out along the shores of the lake.

A fine Peruvian meal at a very good price!

Good, fresh food is widely available in Peru. For the most part, food is prepared from scratch and each plate is served as it is prepared. This means the polite US custom of waiting till everyone is served before eating is impractical.

Most restaurants, from large to very small, offer pages of selections including such categories as lamb, meat, trout, cuy (guinea pig) pasta and chicken. Guinea pig and trout are Peruvian specialties; the meat category includes beef and alpaca. Most meals include an accompaniment of sliced cucumbers, tomatoes and avocado (all peeled). Almost all meals are served with some type of potato. The potato originates in Peru and the country grows some 2,000 varieties.

While we really enjoyed our $/.15 sole (roughly $5.45 US) soup/salad, meal, drink lunches in Aguas Calientes, we splurged for a number of meals. A splurge means spending between $/.23- $/.36 soles, or $ 8.40-13.00 US. Hey, good food does not have to be expensive!

Below are some pictures from our splurges:

This is a polenta dish with a chili sauce served with pieces of the local, mild cheese thinly sliced on top. John was not disappointed with this option. The meal came from Cicciolina's, a local tapas restaurant. Everything, including the pasta is handmade. (John, our friend Barbara and I enjoyed lunch at this restaurant in 2004)
This was my meal at the same restaurant, a basil pasta dish with garlic, tomatoes and mushrooms...delish!
Daniel ordered a purple ravioli stuffed with lamb. We are not sure exactly what was used to produce the purple color but again, yummy!
From another restaurant in Cusco, this is a sliced cuy appetizer (so to speak). Cuy is usually served gutted, laying on it's back with it's feet straight up in the air. John and I did not have enough nerve to try cuy on our last visit but bravery can come in numbers so we ordered this dish as an appetizer.

No one really had much of a stomach for this dish but we each took a slice. The meat is dark, greasy and definitely does NOT taste like chicken. The bones are small and hard to pick out. I think we each had a bite or two and left the rest on the plate. By the way, the salad had a wonderful vinaigrette and the potatoes were great!

My meal at the same restaurant as the cuy. This is an alpaca steak with caramelized onions and potatoes. Alpaca does not taste like beef or buffalo. When cooked properly (as this was) it is melt in your mouth tender and tasty. Restaurants suggest that alpaca should be cooked no less than medium.
Andean sushi. This was our appetizer on the train from Cusco to Puno (10 hours). We are not sure exactly what was in the dish but it was great! The base is a vegetable wrap. The top is a combination of rice noodles and sweet potato sticks.
Food on the train was served with precision. Waiters would line the aisle and each person was served at exactly the same time. As the recipients of this service, we were fascinated. The waiter above is holding John's meal, sliced beef, potatoes with a bit of cheese on top.
This is my train meal, vegetable lasagna stuffed with mushrooms, onions and other vegetables. The only cheese in the dish sits on top...again the local, mild cheese. Note the glass of orange juice just above the plate. This is fresh squeezed OJ. Every glass we ordered, even at the smallest restaurants, was fresh squeezed.
The last picture is the dessert served on our train trip, rice pudding. Strawberries were the fruit of choice for this dish. IMHO, rice does not belong in pudding. After one bite, my pudding went uneaten.

The crops were hit hard!

My patio crops did not fair well in my 8 day absence. The temperature in Knoxville soared to 95* and we had little rain. While our travel is usually scheduled for late August and the crops do not come back, this trip occurred early in the growing season and most damage appears to be temporary.

Pepper plants are in the terracotta pots. The beige pots contain tomato plants (note the shriveled tops) and the most forward plant is a spicy, basil. I need to cut the basil back!
This red pepper started developing before I left. At $4.00 per for the brightly colored peppers in the grocery stores, this one pepper will just about pay for the red, yellow, orange, chocolate and green pepper plants I purchased.
The pepper plant in front is totally unaffected by my absence but the plant in back, not recovering very fast!
The basil is in serious wilt but it will recover with no serious effects.

Home from Peru

After 23 hours of travel, we are home from Peru. I have been mostly awake for the last 36 hours with a few small snatches of sleep and consider myself functional but very dull. As I wait for a reasonable hour to crawl into my own comfy bed, I am working on laundry, photos and notes.

We had an incredible trip! Aside from excursions to Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca, our trip included visits to 3 very distinct cities: Cusco, Aguas Calientes, and Puno. At 10,800', Cusco is the gateway to the Scared Valley. It is a tourist town and is a center for shopping and eating. We did an abundance of both. Aguas Calientes is at the base of Machu Picchu mountain and is the entry and/or exit point for Machu Picchu. AC is a laid back town filled with international tourists toting backpacks and trekking poles. Finally, Puno is the highest town we visited. At 12,500', Puno is geared toward locals and accommodating to tourists. Puno is one of 3 entry cities to Lake Titicaca. The other 2 are in Bolivia.

I will write more about our trip in later posts but thought I would post a few photos of us in various places.

John and me just inside the gate at Machu Picchu. The guy with us is Freddy, the SAS expedition guide who led our 4 day Inca Trail backpack in 2004 (see photo below). Freddy recognized John immediately and stopped to speak to him. He has moved to a different expedition service because he says SAS treats their local porters poorly.

A photo from our 2004 trek on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. On the left is Freddy, our guide and yes, he has cut his hair. This picture was taken on Dead Woman's Pass, which is roughly 13,800'
The classic photo of Machu Picchu with Huayna (younger) Picchu mountain towering on the right side of the city. Note the smaller mountain just to the left of Huayna Picchu.

John and me on the top of the smaller mountain. John's son Lee hiked with us and is taking the photo. We had a private tour of Machu Picchu, which started later than we initially planned and ran some 40 minutes longer than expected so we ran out of time to hike Huayna Picchu. We decided to climb this little mountain instead and were not disappointed with the view (see photo below).

This is our view from the smaller mountain. The city of Machu Picchu is literally carved into Machu (older) Picchu mountain. The upper part of the city (terraces) was agricultural. Pretty impressive, huh!

Another view from the smaller mountain. Machu Picchu is surrounded by mountain ranges as far as the eye can see!

John and me on the train from Cusco to Puno and I am not feeling well. It was a 10 hour train ride and I was on Day 1 of a gastrointestinal bug. I didn't realize how sick I was until the next night when we finally took my temp and realized it was almost 102. Oh well, the train ride was fun and the food artistic! I slept for several hours as we rumbled through the mountains. Most of the rest of the time we sat in the open car on the back of the train and watched the ever changing landscape.

Sunset in the high plains of Peru. Photo shot during our train ride several hours outside of Puno. We are at about 12,800'.

Our group on one of the floating islands on Lake Titicaca. We are sampling the root end of reeds that grow in the lake. The reeds are used for food, housing, fuel and to maintain the island. Believe it or not, the reeds taste something like cucumber. Our group from left: my sister Leslie, John's older son Daniel, his younger son Lee, John and me. Behind us are a group of houses. Locals usually just use their homes for sleeping and spend the rest of the time outside.

Here we sit inside a reed home. Selling crafts to tourists is the main source of income for the islanders and we did our part to help support them. I purchased the mobile in my hand. My sister has a beautiful embroidered tapestry in her lap (she purchased an embroidered pillow). From left: Lee, John, me and Leslie.

John and me on the boat ride home from the floating islands. You can see the reeds behind us. The area around the reeds was full of beautiful waterfowl including a duck that had a bill as bright blue as my jacket.

A group of school children participating in a parade on the main square in Puno. The parade was a once a year celebration to give the school kids (grades 1-5) a chance to show off their costumes and dances. Each school had a different costume and dance and there must have been 50 schools. We spent over an hour watching and taking photos.