playing with kids

Beautiful children are the best part of Taquile

We have several children in our immediate extended family, plus many others who have blessed our lives.
Here Erica and Bretta know how to concentrate on their work as they make new chucos for themselves for Carnaval.

But they are also chemists, having made a mixture of shampoo and dish soap to create the perfect bubble blowing solution. A cantuta flower makes an excellent bubble making tool.

Erica knows all the plants and all the trails, and teaches us as much as we can learn: 

Erica and Bretta are hot-shot volleyball players. Sam always carries a ball in his daypack, and we have given them softer, smaller balls that are fun in a small patio setting. We play a cooperation game where we count how many hits we can make before the ball hits the ground. Their little sister, Yaqueline, is getting better all the time, if she can get a hit in with her sisters' multiple volleys. With the three girls and Sam and I, our current record is about 36 hits!

We met these three little girls at the February 2 celebration on the Plaza, together with Catarina (an adventuresome woman from Italy, who was staying at our family's bed and breakfast). The next day  they are walking along the path and we begin a new set of kid friendships.

 Sometimes friendships start just because moms are playing volleyball on a Sunday Sport day at the school, and kids are happy to have someone play ball with just them, giving them fun attention.

 Lisbet is a family member; we have known her mother, Alicia, since she was about 4 years old in 1996. We had a great day at the beach with their little neighbor girl, Estefani. Even the grownups made sand castles and buried each other's feet and legs in the sand. Taquile has several sand beaches and this one is just below the house of Alicia and her husband, Santiago, where they also keep a fishing boat.

 Lisbet's brother, Bryan, and cousin Jhon, also came to the beach that day and all the kids got to climb into the boat.

We did set the fishing net, but only caught a dozen tiny fish. Not enough for a meal. The kids helped untangle and put the net away. 

The path to the beach has a slow-moving stream full of tadpoles! These are all the beach kids of that day:

Beach kids with house in the background