Pine Mountain News
Hello again from Pine Mountain. This week we have been harvesting vegetables from our hydroponics garden. Juicy tomatoes, bell peppers, lettuce, beets, and onions.
We have been making more wood chips for mulch. The weather has cooled off a little from what it was last week.
Local News
Saturday August 8 is the annual "Run to the Pines" car show beginning at 9:00 AM at Pine Mountain Village center.
Poem of the Week
Our Feature story
Peru
Train in the Peruvian Mountains
by Jordan Williams
Rich and I got to Peru in the middle of the night, which is
not generally how I like to start trips. Night landings leave
me feeling out of synch with the rest of the world for days
to come, which is no state to be in. Of course, we were
there to see Machu Picchu, a place where thousands of
years were peeled back, so maybe being out of synch is
appropriate.
Central Lima
We were staying in Lima, the country’s capital and, as is
often the case, it’s largest city. This is not especially near
Machu Picchu, but Lima has a lot to recommend it. Like
most South American cities, it has an incredible depth of
churches and religious architecture, to say nothing of the
food.
I am a great huge man, so I always like to check out the
local cuisine. Rich is not a great huge man, but he’s
willing to eat things that I’m not, like ceviche, which is
citrus infused seafood, which assures me is delicious.
Me, I stuck with anticuchos, which is marinated and
skewered meat, and is a meal that is definitely more
my speed.
In Lima, most of what you’ll really want to see is in the
Historic Center, which is two districts in the city
dedicated to the preservation of history and culture.It’s
filled with churches, museums, and the work is flamboyant
and colorful, well worth the tour. One thing to look at is
the Balconies of Lima, hundreds of ornate balconies
constructed for royalty.
After enjoying the sites and sounds, it was off to
Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu is known as the lost
city of the Incas, constructed in the early 1400’s, a
scant century or so before the Incan empire was wiped
out by the Spanish.
Machu Picchu
The stone city basically clings to the side of a mountain,
and being there really is like being returned to the past.
It’s also easy to imagine falling off the side of the mountain.
It’s not entirely clear why the Incas would choose to build
in such a precarious spot, but the place is spectacular.
They call Machu Picchu ruins, but they’re barely ruined.
The Incas constructed them using a mortarless technique,
and most of the stone works looks as if they might have
been built last year and not six hundred years ago.
The city seems to have served as a kind of astrological
observatory; it’s hidden heights giving perfect access to
the stars. You can still see that in The Intihuatana stone,
which predicts the equinoxes. Supposedly, touching your
forehead to the stone will infer a mystic vision, but I wasn’t
going over the ropes to find out.
Ultimately, what I was left with was a tremendous sense
of time and place. There’s an awe inspiring aspect to the
ancient city, nestled and largely hidden from the world by
the mountains. You get the sense of a time and a people
long past, and that alone would be well worth the trip to
Peru.
Pine Mountain Evening
It is evening once again at Pine Mountain ranch. We have
just finished dinner of pot roast and mash potatoes and
are now gathered in the family room.Tonight I am relaxing
with this weeks sample coffee Tropical Vanilla from
This is a smooth American roast coffee.It is a blend of
Pacific coast coffees and vanilla beans. It goes just right
with a plate of fresh sugar cookies.
My cookies and coffee are finished now and it is time for
bed. Good night all see you next week.
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