200 years of independence

 On July 28 Peru inaugurated new president Pedro Castillo and celebrated 200 years of independence from Spain.

Here in Sauce Lourdes invited 15 grandmothers from the community to a celebratory lunch at Las Cabañas restaurant followed by ice-cream in the Plaza de Armas.

Posing at Lourdes' son Luis Justo's Pizza Castle under construction.

                                                              Our community is called 'Sauce' which means willow in Spanish.

We begin building a new small house

 White string and stakes indicate the planned 8 meter x 8 meter (25ft x 25 ft) footprint of a one-bedroom house overlooking Lago Sauce on 2 hectares (5 acres) of land we have owned for the past ten years.  I'm remembering as a child seeing the construction of  my paternal grandparents Victor and Doris' retirement home at Lechlade on the river Thames in the UK and I guess we are doing something similar here in Peru.

We have in mind some solar power, organic raised-bed gardens, chickens and fruit trees.

We will proceed 'poco a poco' (little by little) with the construction and right now are at the very beginning figuring where the house will go, levelling the building site and clearing brush.

Also planned is a a rainwater collection tower that will double as an elevated lake viewing platform.

So far there are 4 posts in position next to a huge Ojé tree where the tower will be built   Stay tuned for future developments.