A Spring Summer

It has been a nice experience to watch the valley change over the last 3 months. The rain started to come into the valley in January and rained for about a total of 16 days that month, and another 17 in February. The rain slowed down in March and was sporatic throughout the middle of this month. But when the sun does come out in the valley, it is very strong because we are so close to the sun, and then the land comes to life as the volcanic mineral-enriched soil is fed heavy doses of water and sun throughout the Peruvian summer. The people in Tuti are quick to say that we don’t have a summer in the mountains because of the rain. I think I would call it more like a spring season experience like back home in Portland, where there is a combination of rain, the sun fighting its way out of the clouds, and the plants shivering themselves back to life through the nights and morning cold. I’ve managed to wear shorts a couple times this season during early afternoon, but I can already tell that at night the winter cold has already begun approaching which forced me to dust off that sleeping bag wool liner and use it for the first time since December. Well, I guess if we don’t have a summer here, it sure was a nice spring. The valley is filled with different shades of green, yellow marigolds, snow capped mountains and hilltops that line the canyons edge, and pastures swollen with growth for the alpacas, sheep, and cows to feed on. This is the time of the year the earth exhales out one big breath, and waits to breathe back in until July.