This is the beginning of a story about our family's expedition into the wilderness of Peru where my father's parents had owned a very extensive piece of land. The family members included on this expedition were my father, Dr. Franklin Benjamin Avant, mother, Ann Jocelyn Stein Avant, sister, Rue Celia Avant my husband Walter Louis Spady and myself, Nan Jennifer Avant-Spady. My father, Dr. Franklin Benjamin Avant, was born in Cuzco, Peru. His father was an American, Texan to be exact, and his mother was Peruvian from a highly respected and educated family in Cuzco. I will write about my dad's life and history and will add his own text that he wrote on his life living in Peru and the events that led him to living in the Pacific Northwest.
In 1998 we decided as a family to return to the location where my father spent his summers, a farm and hacienda located near Cuzco. Known to have been a 3 day journey on horseback from Cuzco, Peru, and indeed it was!
The photo above was taken on day one of our journey. Our cook is featured in the forefront. Walt and Ann on the horses in the background. We were at about 11,000 ft a this point.
Here is an original piece I composed of Andean Music and an arrangement of a traditional piece from Puno, Peru
