Today, finally, I was ready to run again. I laced up my running shoes and headed out the front door for a short, 2.1 mile adventure. Lawns along my route were damp from recent watering (just how much water does the US public consume keeping their yards green?) and I could feel the the moisture floating up from the surface. We are in the middle of a “cool” front in Knoxville so the temperature was tolerable but still warm, especially after spending a cozy winter week in the southern hemisphere.
The run felt easy and just the right length to leave me looking forward to my next effort. Along the way, I enjoyed the sweet, citrusy scent of magnolias. I am always very thankful to live in the south when the magnolias are in bloom.
Below are some final pictures of Peru. I will eventually put a larger selection on Smugmug.
Plaza de Armas in Cusco. The city holds a parade every Sunday to highlight school kids, dignitaries and the military.
One of the narrow, brick streets in Cusco. Many streets in the towns we visited were not built wide enough to accommodate today’s traffic. This one isn’t too bad.
Sunset in Cusco from our hotel balcony. The town crawls about halfway up the forward mountain (look close and you can see it).
Leslie on the streets in Aguas Calientes. Lots of shopping, not too much else to do in this town.
“Downtown” Aguas Calientes. The railroad runs through the middle of town. Rail is the only way to get in and out of town, there are no roads leading to AC.
Lee admiring one of the trapezoid doorways in Machu Picchu.
Looking through one of the three windows at the Temple of the Three Windows in Machu Picchu. It is hard to take a bad photo among the ruins of this magnificent city.
This structure (part of the Temple of the Condor) highlights how the Inca’s built the city using with the existing rock. By the way, the condor represents the heavens in the Inca culture.
Another beautiful shot of Machu Picchu. This section is in the urban or home section of the Incas. 
A beautiful young Peruvian face! Taken by John’s son, Lee, when the Cusco to Puno train stopped in the high plains (some 13,000′) to do what else but shopping!
John, Lee and Daniel in one of the reed boats on Lake Titicaca, preparing for a ride from one island to the next.
One of the floating island on Lake Titicaca. Note the reed boat in the back of the inlet used to transport tourists. I have just about decided that the small reed homes we visited are used strictly to show tourists how the islanders once lived. My guess is the islanders now inhabit the tin roof homes (above).
A picture from Lake Titicaca and the Puno harbor. The city is spread out along the shores of the lake.
