August Doldrums

Things have been pretty humdrum since coming back from our adventure. Though compared to some other real adventurers, our trip was just a walk in the park. I just finished reading Death in the Sahara by Michael Asher, a French expedition's attempt in the late 1800s to cross the Sahara ends in the death of almost all the expedition team. They were surveying for a railroad that was to go from Algiers to Timbucktoo and were harassed by Tuaregs there and back. Now I am reading The River of Doubt by Candice Millard, recounting Teddy Roosevelt's South American tour and exploration of an uncharted river. Teddy would have poo-pooed our Peruvian Trip, his only instructions to the man in charge of putting together his South American tour was that he refused to be the "thousandth American to visit Cuzco".

Current Blooms:

 Dwarf Coreopsis in one of the troughs

Another Coreopsis, this one at the edge of the Peony Garden, not a dwarf, but shorter than the yellow specimen we have in another garden.

 Japanese Sedum in a trough with Mountain Rock

 Thyme and Dwarf Campanula (white flowers) in a hollowed out rock

Beers in the Fridge:

 Nice and crisp, can't decipher the aroma, once rinsed sweat sox? Great on a summers evening reading the paper.

 Wasn't planning on buying a Peruvian beer, but earlier in the summer the store on my way home just happened to have a case of Cusquena blocking the aisle and I felt obliged to partake. The bottle caps have a drawing of Machu Picchu and the bottle has interlocking Inca stonework on it. It is not bad, just a tad sweet for me.  The Hofbrau Original is very good and reminds me of our trip to Munich.
Also have Sweet Action on hand, currently my favorite summer brew.

What I took on my Summer Vacation:

 Most of these items went in my North Face large duffel. There is a Bill Bryson book there, but I didn't actually take any of his. I took Travel with my Aunt by Graham Green, Monsieur Pamplemousse by Michael Bond and 2 books by Georges Simenon. I pretty much used every item of clothing except the bathing suit. I also packed a pair of approach shoes which took up some space. It was neither as hot nor as cold as I had expected it to have been, but I was prepared for both.
In my day pack I took the first aid kit, our medications, gadget wires and chargers, snacks which I took too many of, a point and shoot, my iphone and the rain jacket.