Babies and Kids

Children are the Joy of the World

Within our extended family, we have four new babies since August! My mother, Irene Miller (age 97), crochets and knits baby blankets, which she generously passes out to her daughters to give as gifts. Our Peruvian family truly honors this gift of skill and love, and appreciates that it comes from my wise elder mama.

Juana Luz surprised us. It is typical to be secretive about being in love and planning a union until it actually happens. Also the ancient Incan custom was that a couple would live together for a year with the blessings of their parents and the community. If the union proved good for all parties, then it would be fully sanctioned. Julio Cesar is a sweet husband to our goddaghter, Juana Luz, and both are thrilled with their firstborn, Lionel. This baby was born in September and already pushes off strongly with his legs and laughs when he jumps.

Juana Luz with baby Lionel and father Julio Cesar

Love that tongue!

Lionel

I'm so lucky to get to hold these babies.

Delia, Juana's sister, had her baby two days before Juana! They are both living in Puno most of the time since the babies were born, so Grandma Valeria has her hands full. Luis, Delia's baby, doesn't get quite as much attention as Lionel, since Delia is also busy with her other children, and doesn't have the same leg strength.

Lionel and Luis under an Irene Miller blanket

Fredy and Rita's Lisley is 4 years old now, and a total delight. Since Fredy is working his boat, he lives in Puno most the time and has a comfortable apartment in the Taquile Albergue. This child has taken to insisting that her name is "Seniorita Lisley." She has a wardrobe of cute hats. This one was too adorable not to photograph:

Seniorita Lisley

Our gift to our eldest goddaughter, Noemi, was to bring her and her three children from Lima to Taquile for their summer vacation. Where they live in Lima is harsh, with limited play areas close to their house. It takes a real excursion to go to a park to be able to run around and play. This visit also gives the children a chance to get to know their cousins and aunts and uncles. Here the whole family arrives at the bus station.

The bus terminal has green skylights.

Alexander looks quite elegant in his Taquile dress clothes.

Natalia and German's baby, Rolando Bradley, was born just at the end of 2017, so was a very little infant when we were here last year. Now he is getting verbal and taking supported steps. He barely wants to be held, but would rather walk around. His funniest play is how much he loves pelotas, balls. Sam would dribble the volleyball in front of him then hand it off, then dribble it again and we were all rewarded with peals of laughter. He is sitting on mama's blanket from the previous year.

Rolando

Elias and Maria were childless for 15 years of marriage, and no one expected them to have a baby, least of all themselves, but--surprise!--little Edzhel was born in October in Puno, caeserian. The family has remained on Taquile most of this time. Juana's husband, Julio Cesar, has taken over Elias's boat, the Elmar, to allow Elias to remain with Maria. Maria's godmother, Nan Brown from Santa Fe, sent a Native American patterned blanket for us to bring to Maria.

Maria with Edzhel, wrapped in the blanket

Edzhel is fat and happy.

We love the older kids, too. Here is Sam with three sisters, taking a break from having fun on the grassy area in front of the pre-Incan ruins just above their house.

As this is Ledsy, who took first place for best of her third grade room. Last year we installed solar electricity, with the help of Asa, Bradley and Danielle of Empowered Energy Systems from the North Fork Valley of Colorado. Since she had light by which to study, she used it to advantage. We are all really proud of her.

Ledsy shows off her award for first place in her class.

More Solar on Taquile

Putting advanced solar knowledge to work.
We didn't waste much time using our increased solar education after the solar courses by Asa and Bradley. In Puno we bought two more solar 100w panels plus 100ah batteries, all sized perfectly based on what we had learned.

As always, everything is carried. Here both Santiagos, German and Sam with solar panels rest on the path up from the port.

Santiago and Alicia are presidents of the Huyllano sector of Taquile this year and therefore will be hosting the Choral singing practices for Easter. They needed better power for the electric piano, or teclado. Because their own house is so small, the practice will be held at Santiago's parent's house (later the panel will be moved to their own house, which is under construction). Here Sam, German, Santiago and Delfin are at the roof of Santiago's parent's house, stabilizing the placement of the solar panel. Part of our trade for this installation are some beautiful vests which Santiago is sewing for an order I've accepted from a high school friend from Hermison, Oregon.

The second installation was over the ridge on the Puno side of the island in the home of Delia and Jesus-Santiago. Beautiful view from their house.

Notice island of Amantani in the background.

 This panel is mounted on a pole instead of up on the roof. This allows for angle adjustment if the roof isn't facing the right way, and also gives excellent air circulation under the panel for cooling.

Sam is happy to see the 10amp charge controller light up when properly installed.

Delia and Santiago had planned to delay buying a new panel until next year, just buying the battery and hooking it up to a little 30w panel they already had, but we got a good deal from ElectroSol in Puno for two panels and figure we can postpone completion of the trade with them for their handmade textiles until next year.

More Solar on Taquile

Students get lights 

We have a reputation for bringing the first solar electric energy to Taquile in 1988, starting a movement that now has upwards of 90% of the households on Taquile with Photovoltaic power.  ¿How could we come home to Colorado and say, "Everyone has solar except our own family." Therefore we bought and installed solar in two households serving 5 school students.

The Asunta/Armando branch of the family, who usually live in Lachon on the Capachica Penninsula where grid power is available, will be in school on Taquile this year. Their house had no power, so we bought the panels and battery and installed lights to cook and study by.

we prepare for a coca leaf blessing on the new equipment

This installation will provide study lighting for three students: Kusi, Sarita and Yhoel.

Kusi is delighted with nearly-installed panel and lights

For the Valeria/Lino branch of the family, they have been living in Puno building boats, so their house was also not wired. Happily, Fredy had a panel and charge controller, so all we had to supply was the battery and lights.Juana Luz and Edith are now happy to be able to study in the evenings at home. Grandma Josefa is pretty happy, too.

Juana and Edith are happy to get school supplies as well

Natalia shows Josefa some photos

Natalia and Josefa

Arrival on Taquile 22+ January 2015

Reunited with our Taquile Family. Love abounds!

We gave gifts and celebrated our arrival.
One set of gifts continues a "pen-pal" relationship from friends of Nancy S. introducing Alicia´s daughter Jasmin Lisbeth, 3 years old, to their own little daughter of the same age with the gift of a very well made stuffed Moose. Lisbeth loves it, put a leash on it and drug it around, used it for a ball, tossing it in the air. Definitely a hit.

Lisbet with her Moose

golf ball sized hail last September broke through the skylights

We also gave away the LED lights that travelled all around Peru last year, never to arrive on Taquile, but promised to family members, and packaged and labeled. Everyone is happy to receive them. One gift is the Solar Hot Pot donated by S.H.E., Solar Household Energy thanks to Louise Meyer. We are to keep a record of use. It has, so far, boiled water, cooked beets, roasted potatoes, boiled soaked dry corn. It is rainy season, so uses are limited.

efficient Super Bright LED light strips

We also placed equipment into the store of Eufrasia and Delfin to sell. The LED light strips from Super Bright LEDs give 690 lumens for 7.5watts and can light a big room or allow fine weaving detail work under good light. The 100 watt inverters sold out in less than an hour. The charge controllers sold out within a few days. We still have a few battery indicators. They can serve as human charge controllers, warning people to disconnect their batteries if full on a sunny day. I am shocked by the number of people who run their systems without charge controllers, since an over charged battery can blow up. Wish we had brought more.

boat of Elias in progress

view from the top of Mulcina, Taquile Island

Volley Ball in the yard

Mayor Zenon and Florentino, officers of Taquile

Showing LED lights in Taquile City Hall

Snowcapped peaks across Lake Titicaca

New sports field on Taquile

detailed Taquile weaving

Taquile view to an arch

Oh dear, direct tv on Taquile

Hot water is nice

The hike to the top of Mulcina, Taquile

Visiting Chilean jugglers

Fredy is guide, interpreting Taquile clothing

Solar water pumping on Taquile Island

The beach on Taquile

Ivan makes sand bowls with water on the beach

High tech/low tech: solar panel on thatched roof with rubber wash basin

ancient wooden door lock

Clever climbs a rock

Lima-First leg 2015

We landed in Lima early in the morning of Friday, 16 January. Alejandro met us at the airport. He grew up in Lima (and north in Huacho); is the husband of Noemi, our goddaughter. They have three delightful children so we are the grandparents (¿"grand-godparents"?) of Alexander nickname Chani, age 6, Dayana, age 3, and little Bianca, 10 months (born March 12). Sunday was a good day for a family outing to Lima Central, the Plaza Mayor and Parque M            with ruins from the XVII century  plus a section with kids rides.

Sam is fabulous with wrestling and tickling and paper airplanes and lifting high in the air. He was making this little zzoop sound as he lifted Dayana up and so she would reach her arms up and say zzoop to ask to be lifted. So sweet.

Daddy Alejandro with baby Bianca

On Saturday we went into the central part of Lima to buy our airline tickets to Lake Titicaca and to get some efficient LED lights for the house of Noemi and Alejandro. We knew that Delfin and a dance troupe from Taquile were in Lima and had talked about meeting downtown somewhere, but could not connect by cell phone; did not know how we would meet. ¡There they all were in the Solar Gear Stores! Where else would you expect to find a group of people from a village with the most intense use of solar energy anywhere?

More details later. I write this from Puno, now, hanging out at 13,000 feet, first day aclimatization to the altitude, so taking it slo-o-o-o-w.