A walk back from our plant studies and whom do we find feasting on the fruits?:) Why yes...it's Pepe:)

The Oxbow Lakes where one can find the endangered Giant Otters

So sorry about the video but it was my first attempt to start taping little events in life such as Pepe eating our food...it's crude but fun...no sound on these vid clips.

Inspiration from the wild and what I bring to my current garden:)

Butterflies on the beach and they LOVE clay soil!

Me and Pepe having a chat about taking a bath and stealing clothes at night:)

Closer and then he ran:)

Watch where you walk:)

Greetings all,

Look closely to see the Jaguar...it's called casmulaje:)

By night....oh the stars in silence surrounded by caimen

As I piece together journals from the past years, I begin to look at some of the things that help me form my "style" here in the desert southwest.  Today was a fantastic day.  It has rained non stop over the past 3 days and the air smells so wonderful....there is nothing like a desert rain.  I took at walk and listened to some great music around the neighborhood.....I'll have a post on my neighborhood down the road....it will be titled, THE GOOD, THE BAD, and THE UGLY:) because that is where I live:) I always explain to people that I live between good and evil at the dead end of a road....we are kind of our own island. Okay...stay on track!!:)

The Tambopata River

The crew

My mind loves to wander and that is how I teach in my classroom.....talk about tangents!!!  The kids love it and I have to admit that it gives me a good laugh.....as I long as I get my work done:) Where was I??  Right my neighborhood:)  While I was working on the garden today, an older French lady strolled upon my secret garden and wanted to know if there any spaces available for renting. She loved the place and all the vegetation.....I was working on my cactus garden and trying to find the leak in my window from the rains. I don't know who she was but I fell in love with her....well not love...but I really liked her...the international type trying to make it in this dark world of ours.  She doesn't have a car and is 64 years old trying to get out of a neighborhood that turned bad...gangs, prostitution, drugs, etc, etc.  Her situation is characteristic of so many people today....you know the one....where you say, "At 64 I will have 10.5 grandchildren and a house made of gingerbread.", but discover that you are divorced, no grandchildren, stuck with dengue fever, and your gingerbread house was eaten by a pothead.  I'm a sucker for these cases.  We spoke for about 45 minutes. What struck me as awesome was that a person.....and a FRENCH one noticed my work and fell in love....it was a huge compliment and confirmed why I do this...not only for the love and what you leave behind stuff....but for people to stroll and smile and enjoy nature.....so it tells me that I am on the right track:) I hope that she finds a place to rent....we are a 16 unit condo property with one person selling currently....maybe she'll rent...who knows?:) So I gave her the info and we'll see if we have an educated international French woman on our property....oh yeah...she also served in the Peace Corps...nothing like meeting another PCV(Peace Corp Volunteer)....instant worldly bond:)

Our room without walls to the Amazon...awesome!!

Yummy Lunch

Okay Okay...you're saying this blog has nothing to do with the Amazon....it will:) Tomorrow I am going to jump on the roof and shoot some pics from the sky downward and post.  I LOVE what I saw today....but part of why I am doing this is to record the history of this property because every year it has been changing and like a dummy, I have not taken my "Before" pictures like most people do.....so my intention tomorrow is to do some shots of the grounds from above to keep track of the progress.  When I first moved into the property 3 years ago, we had dead trees all over the place and it was terrible....there was empty land with weeds growing all over surrounded  by rotted fences(which are still there!!!) Except the amazing 2 live oaks that somehow survived neglect for so many years....:) We had these overpaid alcoholics(yes they were....you should have smelled their breath!!!) come and rake gravel and blow leaves...no watering no planting no fertilizing....nada.  They would lie to me about things working which didn't.....so I just observed my first year and got very angry.  I was spending my own money and they were killing my plants!!!  So in January of 2008, I took the money and reigns over the property, fired the company, and started buying my garden tools that were recently stolen(that's another story!!).  I replaced old rotted wood with Mexican art and learned how to tile benches!! I had to fix things first before I moved forward if that makes any sense?.....so today, it's nice just to be able to go and buy plants and dig a hole instead of pruning trees that should have been pruned 20 years ago or cutting down dead trees and ripping out the roots....hiring people to do this is expensive!!! People freaked and complained that I was doing more damage because I was cutting down their favorite dead yew tree....yes I wrote dead:)  Apparently our irrigation system worked as well.....and I have yet to see any water come out of it:) Moving on....

Catching Piranhas on the Oxbow Lakes

The Amazon????  Almost there......I'm on summer break and therefore have some "fun" time on my hands to blog so don't think I am a complete nerd who sits at his computer all day...I don't....most of the time:) And I need to recollect things to keep this in a log for this property in case anything ever happens to me....I will be able to die comfortably just knowing that "Las Aventuras" is there for them to read.....of course, they will probably die of boredom from reading it:)  Okay I need to close my boca and talk about Peru.

My perfect breakfast with monkeys in the background

The boat ride to our site...wow!! 6 hours!

Peru is amazing and as the blog suggests, there will be 4 parts to it as there is much to see in this incredible country.  Too much to cover in one blog and  never have I seen such crazy zone change in one place.  You could be freezing your butt off in one part and several meters away, you are in the balmy rain forest.  Yes that's true...I am not lying.  I hiked the Inca trail up to Machu Picchu and I was just dumbfounded by the climate change...so there you go. You have to see it to believe it!

Los Gatos waterfall from a distance

Sunrise in the Amazon. Notice the mist rising from the forest floor!

The Amazon is something you should see before you die or before it dies.  Sorry but I am a pessimist in this area....I believe the world is going to get worse before it gets better.  The Amazon is shrinking and all you need to do is take a boat ride to see it happening.....it is so hard for me to watch.  I am very much a part of the natural world and watched several animals there trying to escape humans in a river killed illegally.  It was hard to watch....so let me stick to the positive:)  I flew from winter Cuzco into sunny jungly Puerto Maldonado.  You see ice glaciers for miles and miles...and then clouds and then you descend from those clouds and you see nothing but rain forest for hundreds of miles...no cities....no people and as far as the eye can see.....heaven amidst chocolate rivers surrounded by an enormous green emerald.....there is nothing more stunning than the Amazon.

Path out into the jungle

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Nice on a hot muggy day:)

The Walking Tree....like from Lord of the Rings...this is real stuff people!!

This was my 2008 trip for one month and I discovered that things like caladiums and other tropical beauties do well in my Tucson...with a little water and mostly in pots and in more shade than sun....and out of frosty winter nights:)  In a post back, I showed everyone some inspiration that I had in Peru.....that pic is uploaded here for your viewing pleasure.  The Amazon is everything people say it is.  You need to go for inspiration, soul searching, or just simply to relax. You will be taught about the plants and how the farmers work within the Amazon to produce things like bananas, or the Brazil nut(they argue it should be called the Peru nut), mahogany wood...those trees are HUGE and sadly many are cut and sent down the river to mills for production.

In closing, something amazing happened on this trip.....Pacha Mama(their version of Mother Nature...and P.S. They really do believe in her...no joke...I did and they didn't think it was funny) allowed me to view the very elusive Jaguar.  Never in my life did I think I would see this sacred animal.....but I did and I hope you do as well because nothing is better than seeing a live, free Jaguar in the wild as it was meant to be.  Happy Gardening!!

At our Lodge...no walls and all critters of the night came to visit including a Howler monkey who stole stuff out of my backpack:)  His name was Pepe!

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Los Gatos with a friend

Labels: Amazon, Amazon Rain Forest, hiking in the Amazon, lodges in the Amazon, packing for the Amazon, travel to the Amazon, traveling to Puerto Maldonado Peru, visiting the Amazon

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Kareena Kapoor has a strange need to befriend Shilpa Shetty.

Says Kareena, “I have always liked Shilpa, but I haven’t interacted much with her. I have been following her life and I think she is successful, smart and sincere in everything she has done.” Bebo seems to think Shilpa’s life has a dream-like quality and whether it is making international headlines through a reality show, or buying a stake in a cricket team, Shilpa has shown enterprise. “I would like to meet and get to know Shilpa and her husband Raj,” says Bebo.

Labels: Bollywood News, Kareena Kapoor, Shilpa Shetty

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Kareena Kapoor has a strange need to befriend Shilpa Shetty.

Says Kareena, “I have always liked Shilpa, but I haven’t interacted much with her. I have been following her life and I think she is successful, smart and sincere in everything she has done.” Bebo seems to think Shilpa’s life has a dream-like quality and whether it is making international headlines through a reality show, or buying a stake in a cricket team, Shilpa has shown enterprise. “I would like to meet and get to know Shilpa and her husband Raj,” says Bebo.

Labels: Bollywood News, Kareena Kapoor, Shilpa Shetty

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After sizzling on screen in the super hit Krrish, one will once again see the couple Priyanka Chopra and Hrithik Roshan in the remake of Agneepath, directed by debutant Karan Malhotra.

The movie is produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Production and has Hrithik in the lead playing Vijay Dinanath Chavan. A source reveals, “Priyanka has been taken onboard to play the lead role played by Madhavi in the earlier film. Karan finds Priyanka apt for the role and approached her with the script. Priyanka said yes in a blink and is playing the lead opposite Hrithik.”

The source continues, “Priyanka and Hrithik will be coming together onscreen after almost five years. While Hrithik will be playing Amitabh Bachchan’s role, Priyanka will be essaying his nurse- girlfriend role, played by Madhavi in the original. Both complement each other on screen.”

The original was produced by Yash Johar. “Little minor changes will be made in the script, making it modern, keeping the plot more or less the same. However, the dialogue will be the same, penned by Kader Khan. The character played by Mithun Chakraborty has been totally done away with in the remake,” adds a source.

Despite repeated attempts, Priyanka remained unavailable for comment. Karan Malhotra did not comment either.

Labels: Bollywood News, Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra

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After sizzling on screen in the super hit Krrish, one will once again see the couple Priyanka Chopra and Hrithik Roshan in the remake of Agneepath, directed by debutant Karan Malhotra.

The movie is produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Production and has Hrithik in the lead playing Vijay Dinanath Chavan. A source reveals, “Priyanka has been taken onboard to play the lead role played by Madhavi in the earlier film. Karan finds Priyanka apt for the role and approached her with the script. Priyanka said yes in a blink and is playing the lead opposite Hrithik.”

The source continues, “Priyanka and Hrithik will be coming together onscreen after almost five years. While Hrithik will be playing Amitabh Bachchan’s role, Priyanka will be essaying his nurse- girlfriend role, played by Madhavi in the original. Both complement each other on screen.”

The original was produced by Yash Johar. “Little minor changes will be made in the script, making it modern, keeping the plot more or less the same. However, the dialogue will be the same, penned by Kader Khan. The character played by Mithun Chakraborty has been totally done away with in the remake,” adds a source.

Despite repeated attempts, Priyanka remained unavailable for comment. Karan Malhotra did not comment either.

Labels: Bollywood News, Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra

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He dropped by on the 'Ra.One' sets, got bonding with SRK too

Saif Ali Khan sure is a devoted boyfriend to Kareena Kapoor. Kareena's shooting in London with Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar for 'Ra.One', and Saif just dropped by on the sets to spend time with her.

Karan Johar posted this picture of them on his Twitter page, with the caption 'The Glamorous Couple'. We agree! And then Saif, of the glam couple, got posing for pictures with SRK and KJo. These KJo put up with the caption 'Dostana'. Lots of bonding certainly happened on the sets!

Labels: Bollywood News, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Shahrukh khan

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He dropped by on the 'Ra.One' sets, got bonding with SRK too

Saif Ali Khan sure is a devoted boyfriend to Kareena Kapoor. Kareena's shooting in London with Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar for 'Ra.One', and Saif just dropped by on the sets to spend time with her.

Karan Johar posted this picture of them on his Twitter page, with the caption 'The Glamorous Couple'. We agree! And then Saif, of the glam couple, got posing for pictures with SRK and KJo. These KJo put up with the caption 'Dostana'. Lots of bonding certainly happened on the sets!

Labels: Bollywood News, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Shahrukh khan

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Old English Lettering Tattoos
Tattoos made with words or phrases rank among the most favored styles of modern tattooing. It could be a name, a quote, or an adage, and the Old English Lettering style adds mystery, panache, and artistic sophistication to tattoos inspired by that theme.

The font commonly known as Old English is more accurately termed blackletter, a 12th century European script which dominated western Europe up till the 17th century. Blackletter is also known as Gothic Script.

A very popular form of Old English Lettering tattoos involves the use of the calligraphic textualis font. This striking font tends to represent most people's conceptualization of Old English lettering, and was very dominant in its hand-written glory throughout the European Middle Ages.

Inscriptions in this lettering style are displayed today in places as diverse as churches, museums, and libraries. As tattoos on human bodies, they make a bold and trendy statement. The next step, once you've decided to get an Old English lettering tattoo, is to think carefully about what it will say - you want to make sure you get this right, since this is a long-term commitment.

You will also decide on the size of the tattoo. Bear in mind that because of the ornate lettering style, tattoo artists will need to make the letters slightly larger in size than most other forms of lettering, to capture intricate details of the fonts.

Labels: Old English Lettering Tattoos

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Old English Lettering Tattoos
Tattoos made with words or phrases rank among the most favored styles of modern tattooing. It could be a name, a quote, or an adage, and the Old English Lettering style adds mystery, panache, and artistic sophistication to tattoos inspired by that theme.

The font commonly known as Old English is more accurately termed blackletter, a 12th century European script which dominated western Europe up till the 17th century. Blackletter is also known as Gothic Script.

A very popular form of Old English Lettering tattoos involves the use of the calligraphic textualis font. This striking font tends to represent most people's conceptualization of Old English lettering, and was very dominant in its hand-written glory throughout the European Middle Ages.

Inscriptions in this lettering style are displayed today in places as diverse as churches, museums, and libraries. As tattoos on human bodies, they make a bold and trendy statement. The next step, once you've decided to get an Old English lettering tattoo, is to think carefully about what it will say - you want to make sure you get this right, since this is a long-term commitment.

You will also decide on the size of the tattoo. Bear in mind that because of the ornate lettering style, tattoo artists will need to make the letters slightly larger in size than most other forms of lettering, to capture intricate details of the fonts.

Labels: Old English Lettering Tattoos

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Old English Lettering Tattoos
Tattoos made with words or phrases rank among the most favored styles of modern tattooing. It could be a name, a quote, or an adage, and the Old English Lettering style adds mystery, panache, and artistic sophistication to tattoos inspired by that theme.

The font commonly known as Old English is more accurately termed blackletter, a 12th century European script which dominated western Europe up till the 17th century. Blackletter is also known as Gothic Script.

A very popular form of Old English Lettering tattoos involves the use of the calligraphic textualis font. This striking font tends to represent most people's conceptualization of Old English lettering, and was very dominant in its hand-written glory throughout the European Middle Ages.

Inscriptions in this lettering style are displayed today in places as diverse as churches, museums, and libraries. As tattoos on human bodies, they make a bold and trendy statement. The next step, once you've decided to get an Old English lettering tattoo, is to think carefully about what it will say - you want to make sure you get this right, since this is a long-term commitment.

You will also decide on the size of the tattoo. Bear in mind that because of the ornate lettering style, tattoo artists will need to make the letters slightly larger in size than most other forms of lettering, to capture intricate details of the fonts.

Labels: Old English Lettering Tattoos

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Old English Lettering Tattoos
Tattoos made with words or phrases rank among the most favored styles of modern tattooing. It could be a name, a quote, or an adage, and the Old English Lettering style adds mystery, panache, and artistic sophistication to tattoos inspired by that theme.

The font commonly known as Old English is more accurately termed blackletter, a 12th century European script which dominated western Europe up till the 17th century. Blackletter is also known as Gothic Script.

A very popular form of Old English Lettering tattoos involves the use of the calligraphic textualis font. This striking font tends to represent most people's conceptualization of Old English lettering, and was very dominant in its hand-written glory throughout the European Middle Ages.

Inscriptions in this lettering style are displayed today in places as diverse as churches, museums, and libraries. As tattoos on human bodies, they make a bold and trendy statement. The next step, once you've decided to get an Old English lettering tattoo, is to think carefully about what it will say - you want to make sure you get this right, since this is a long-term commitment.

You will also decide on the size of the tattoo. Bear in mind that because of the ornate lettering style, tattoo artists will need to make the letters slightly larger in size than most other forms of lettering, to capture intricate details of the fonts.

Labels: Old English Lettering Tattoos

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Hot Tattoo Lettering Designs and Ideas For Cool Word Tattoo Designs
You see written words have been a part of tattoos for a long time. However, it wasn't until recently that the words became the tattoo itself. It used to be that the words were used to embellish and enhance the tattoo design. For example an anchor tattoo might have the words "home sweet home" written under it. Another example might be the classic heart tattoo with the letters mom written under it. You get the idea here lettering used to be an extra piece to add on. However, these days tattoo lettering and literary tattoos have taken the main stage and they are no longer part of the embellishment but they are part of the tattoo itself.

Labels: Hot Tattoo Lettering Designs and Ideas For Cool Word Tattoo Designs

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Hot Tattoo Lettering Designs and Ideas For Cool Word Tattoo Designs
You see written words have been a part of tattoos for a long time. However, it wasn't until recently that the words became the tattoo itself. It used to be that the words were used to embellish and enhance the tattoo design. For example an anchor tattoo might have the words "home sweet home" written under it. Another example might be the classic heart tattoo with the letters mom written under it. You get the idea here lettering used to be an extra piece to add on. However, these days tattoo lettering and literary tattoos have taken the main stage and they are no longer part of the embellishment but they are part of the tattoo itself.

Labels: Hot Tattoo Lettering Designs and Ideas For Cool Word Tattoo Designs

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Hot Tattoo Lettering Designs and Ideas For Cool Word Tattoo Designs
You see written words have been a part of tattoos for a long time. However, it wasn't until recently that the words became the tattoo itself. It used to be that the words were used to embellish and enhance the tattoo design. For example an anchor tattoo might have the words "home sweet home" written under it. Another example might be the classic heart tattoo with the letters mom written under it. You get the idea here lettering used to be an extra piece to add on. However, these days tattoo lettering and literary tattoos have taken the main stage and they are no longer part of the embellishment but they are part of the tattoo itself.

Labels: Hot Tattoo Lettering Designs and Ideas For Cool Word Tattoo Designs

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Hot Tattoo Lettering Designs and Ideas For Cool Word Tattoo Designs
You see written words have been a part of tattoos for a long time. However, it wasn't until recently that the words became the tattoo itself. It used to be that the words were used to embellish and enhance the tattoo design. For example an anchor tattoo might have the words "home sweet home" written under it. Another example might be the classic heart tattoo with the letters mom written under it. You get the idea here lettering used to be an extra piece to add on. However, these days tattoo lettering and literary tattoos have taken the main stage and they are no longer part of the embellishment but they are part of the tattoo itself.

Labels: Hot Tattoo Lettering Designs and Ideas For Cool Word Tattoo Designs

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Thursday was the last day of the trade show and I spent a lot of time going around and picking up flyers and order forms from various companies on behalf of Custom Crops. I found a new line of paper called Lillie Bee  that I really liked, the new e-craft machine (the new die cut machine that does not use mats), the Spellbinder's new really big cutting & embossing machine, and peel-offs - awesome gold and silver card or page embellishing strips.  There were so many amazing products.  I found some "must have" tools and the papers - OMGosh!  The papers were so pretty, so varied, and so amazing.  And the papers were used in such creative ways, like this "store" with it's paper flowers.

I love this Christmas banner - the glitter and elegance of the design.

The trade show ended at 3:00 pm and then it was time to set up the booth for the Super Show.  The staff at Custom Crops did a super job of setting up the booth - it is open but has lots of product.  It has the most unique and fabulous paper, wood, and tag tree.  I just love it.  It is truly a work of art and I would love to take it home.  I suspect the airline would not be as excited about the trees.

One of the elements of the "Centers" theme booth layout (or stations if you prefer - DVD Stations, Demonstrations, Pink Stamper, Retail lines, and make and take area) that I particularly like is the Framed Photo area.  There is a Custom Crops contest for those who use the frame and post photos to the Iternet.  Below the uber-talented Amy Chomas and I are goofing in the photo booth while we were trying to get it into position.

Thursday night included dinner out with part of the Custom Crops group; I just hated that Maria couldn't be there because she is so nice. Kelly took us out for authentic Chicago pizza and it was FABULOUS!

( Maria McGuire, Me, Donna Mundinger, Diane Campbell Payne [Capadia], and Melanie Brown.)

Friday morning I had a two special treats - I attended the Cricut Circle gathering.  It was really nice to see so many Circle folks present.  Mike from Provo Craft spoke for quite some time attempting to dispell rumors and such.  I have enjoyed getting to know him this week.  He is such a nice guy.

(Me, Joy Tracey, Diane Campbell Payne and Melanie Brown circling.  I loved spending time with these three women.  Diane was my roommate and Melanie & Joy are just fabulous!)

We had a special guest at the circle gathering and he was so amusing:  The Cricut!  The photo below was taken on the floor of the show but he was so cute I decided to use this photo instead of one from the gathering.

My second treat on Friday morning was my friend Peggy from home was in Chicago for a few days and she was able to join me at CHA for a few hours of shopping and make & takes!  It was so nice to be with a good friend and she had fun seeing the new products and viewing all of the booths.  As a HUGE bonus, Peggy took two large shopping bags full of products home so that my luggage will not go over weight and my carry-on will not dislocate my shoulder.  While Peggy was here, of course I HAD to photograph her with the Cricut!  You cannot come to CHA and miss the Cricut!

We also had to visit the Custom Crops photo booth!

I purchased a two of these AWESOME stamps, but I wanted to purchase more! 

After Peggy left, I helped out in the Custom Crops booth.  The CC booth was one uber-busy place!  Each of the five areas was constantly packed.  It was awesome.  The next few photos are from the booth:

And now I am off to day two of the Super Show and then tonight I fly home.  If all goes well I will be in my own bed tonight!!!

Labels: CHA

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