MEMORY I FEEL FAINT HAVE I CROSSED AN ANGEL JAN. 1978

One very vivid memory of my early times in Peru was at the time of my arrival to our worksite in the Andes Mountains, north and east of the main city of Arequipa, Peru. To arrive at the Canadian encampment, you had to travel about 50 miles north of Arequipa, thru the Atacama Desert (the driest place on earth), make a sharp right turn and proceed about 80 miles up in the Andes, to an elevation of approximately 12,000′ above sea level. The first thing you notice, is that the air is very thin. You are not running and jumping about! More, you are thinking “geezus how did I get myself into this”?

The H…d mouth, you might respond, and wouldn’t be too far off. This was my first trip to the site which was to be my work place for the next 2 years. The previous week had been spent in a luxury hotel in Arequipa, acclimatizing and having daily blood tests. These, to determine, if I was fit to proceed up into altitude. Apparently, after a week, I was, and here I am, at 13,000 feet in the Andes, standing, outside of the office, full of self pity and trepidation at the task ahead. There, I was met by our site manager, a Canadian from Ontario. He proceeded to guide me thru the main office complex and show me around.

It was during this time, while we were walking down the hallway between offices, that the most beautiful image entered my space. I didn’t know it at the time, but as it turned out, I had just had my first vision of my future life partner. She came storming down the hallway, didn’t even look my way and flounced right past me, wafting the most alluring aroma I had ever smelled. All of the sudden I was even more short of breath, and could barely gasp out “what the hell was that”. My boss said, after giving me a very stern look, “that is my secretary” and at the same time introducing me to the site accountant, he said “and this is her brother”! This memory of our first encounter has been with me ever since. The rest is history!

Bubba at the time of our first meeting, breathtaking. More so than the 12,000′ altitude