no summer for T

It's finally getting warm enough for beach weather the week before I leave. That means I'll go from winter to winter, no summer for me this year. The nice beaches are all about 1/2 hour south of Lima and have really nice sand and blue water and wide beaches, but the water is freezing cold and has questionably colored foam floating in it.

Alexa loves playing with her bucket and shovel and me carrying her in the shallow waves. Her other favorite game is pretending she's a baby and being carried around wrapped in a blanket and fake crying until we put her in bed and turn off the lights. Then she stands up and screams "mas baby!!!" and really cries until we do it again. For my last week we're doing what we always do, eating and sleeping and trying to keep Alexa entertained.

Looks like I'll have to wait until next time to see Cuszco, Machu Picchu, the jungle, lake Titticaca, Cajamarca, Ayacucho, Cohuasi Canyon, etc, etc, all of the millions of things there are to do here if you have the time and the money. I got to know Lima fairly well, and saw some places I hadn't seen before and definitely want to see again. Peru is really an adventure tourist's paradise.

We bought two pictures for Alexa's room from a famous Peruvian artist whose family is friends with Vanessa's family. She is in her 20's and is severely mentally handicapped. When she was young her parents gave her paint and paintbrushes as a part of her therapy and she's been painting like a prodigy ever since. You can see her work here: http://www.veronicapacheco.com. She came over to our house and tried to take all of Alexa's toys.

In other household drama, the two parakeets in our family (to the left) who we hang out our 8th story window have been getting attacked lately by a hawk. He sits across from them on a tree and then swoops down and attacks their cage and they fly around like crazy, but so far nobody has gotten hurt. Other times I hear flapping, and come out expecting to see a bloodbath but it's only doves that are trying to steal their food. Yes, this is as exiting as my life gets in Peru.

Below is a video of Alexa chasing pigeons in Barranco.