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July 24, 2018 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Machu Picchu Commemorations

A story told to some of the early Spanish chroniclers noted a mythical place from which the Incas had come when they started out and to make the beginnings of that great empire which was to embrace a large part of South America.

Thousands of years ago there lived in the highlands of Peru a megalithic folk who developed a remarkable civilization, and who left, as architectural records, such cyclopean structures as the fortresses of Sacsahuaman and Ollantaytambo. These people were attacked by barbarian hordes coming from the south – possibly from the Argentine pampas.

They were defeated, and fled into one of the most inaccessible Andine cañons. Here, in a region strongly defended by nature, they established themselves; here their descendants lived for several centuries. The chief place was called Tampu Tocco.

Eventually regaining their military strength and becoming crowded in this mountainous valley, they left Tampu Tocco, and, under the leadership of three brothers, went out of three windows (or caves) and started for Cuzco.

The migration was slow and deliberate. They eventually reached Cuzco, and there established the Inca kingdom, which through several centuries spread by conquest over the entire plateau, and even as far south as Chile and as far north as Ecuador.

This Inca empire had reached its height when the Spaniards came. The Spaniards were told that Tampu Tocco was at a place called Pacaritampu, a small village a day’s journey southwest of Cuzco and in the Apurimac Valley.

The chroniclers duly noted this location, and it has been taken for granted ever since that Tampu Tocco was at Pacaritampu. (National Geographic, 1913)

Tampu means “tavern,” or “a place of temporary abode.” Tocco means “window.” The legend is distinctly connected with a place of windows, preferably of three windows, from which the three brothers, the heads of three tribes or clans, started out on the campaign that founded the Inca empire.

“So far as I could discover, few travelers have ever taken the trouble to visit Pacaritampu, and no one knew whether there were any buildings with windows, or caves, there.” (Bingham)

Hiram Bingham III was born in Honolulu, on November 19, 1875, the son of missionaries to Micronesia and grandson of Hiram and Sybil Bingham, leader of the Pioneer Company of Missionaries to Hawaii. He completed his studies at Yale, earning a doctorate in Latin American history.

In 1905, Bingham made his first trip to South America, following the route of Simón Bolivar, from Caracas, Venezuela to Bogotá, Colombia. He returned in 1908 and retraced the Spanish trade route from Buenos Aires to Lima.

While in Peru, in February, 1909, he visited Choqquequirau, a recently discovered Inca site that had once been thought to be the last refuge of the Inca rulers after they were defeated by the Spanish explorer, Francisco Pizarro. This visit inspired him with the desire to find the legendary “lost city of the Incas.”

In 1911, Bingham went back to Peru with two goals: to climb Mount Coropuna to see whether it was higher than Mount Aconcagua and to seek out the last capital of the Incas, the almost mystical city of Vilcabamba.

Arriving in Arequipa, in June 1911, he decided that it would not be wise to try to make the climb in winter and instead decided to look for ruins in the valley of the Rio Urubamba. (Encyclopedia)

“In 1911, a young Peruvian boy led an American explorer and Yale historian named Hiram Bingham into the ancient Incan citadel of Machu Picchu. Hidden amidst the breathtaking heights of the Andes, this settlement of temples, tombs and palaces was the Incas’ greatest achievement.”

“Tall, handsome, and sure of his destiny, Bingham believed that Machu Picchu was the Incas’ final refuge, where they fled the Spanish Conquistadors.”

“Bingham made Machu Picchu famous, and his dispatches from the jungle cast him as the swashbuckling hero romanticized today as a true Indiana Jones-like character.” (History)

“Some experts believe that parts of the city, which Bingham named Machu Picchu (Old Peak), are 60 centuries old, which would make it 1,000 years older than ancient Babylon. More recently, if its ruins are interpreted correctly, it was at once an impregnable fortress and a majestic royal capital of an exiled civilization.”

“Built on a saddle between two peaks, Machu Picchu is surrounded by a granite wall, can be entered only by one main gate. Inside is a maze of a thousand ruined houses, temples, palaces, and staircases, all hewn from white granite and dominated by a great granite sundial.”

“In Quechua, language of the sun-worshipping Incas and their present-day descendants, the dial was known as Intihuatana—hitching post of the sun.” (Time)

Four different plaques commemorate the ‘find.’ Two plaques attached to a rock face near the entrance to Machu Picchu pay tribute to Hiram Bingham and his “discovery” of Machu Picchu.

The first plaque was erected in October, 1948, by the Rotary Club of Cusco. It reads (in Spanish): “Cusco is grateful to Hiram Bingham, scientific discoverer of Machu Picchu in 1911.” The second was put in place in 1961. It reads (also in Spanish): “Tribute to Hiram Bingham on the 50th anniversary of the discovery of Machu Picchu.”

The second was put in place in 1961. It reads (also in Spanish): “Tribute to Hiram Bingham on the 50th anniversary of the discovery of Machu Picchu.”

A third bronze plaque marks the 75th anniversary of the “scientific discovery” of Machu Picchu. It doesn’t mention Hiram Bingham, nor does it mention anyone else, apart from a reference to the “sons of Inti” who built Machu Picchu (Inti being the Inca sun god).

In 1993, Peru’s National Institute of Culture decided it was time to pay tribute to the locals who helped Hiram Bingham find his way to Machu Picchu. The sign reads: “The National Institute of Culture Cusco pays homage to Melchor Arteaga, Richarte and Álvarez who lived in Machu Picchu before Hiran [sic] Bingham.” (Atlas Obscura)

Melchor Arteaga was instrumental in Bingham’s expedition to Machu Picchu. A local farmer living at Mandor Pampa near Aguas Calientes, Arteaga knew the location of Machu Picchu and showed Bingham the way.

The other two names, Richarte and Álvarez, refer to two men and their families who lived up near Machu Picchu and still farmed on its lower terraces when Bingham arrived.

Bingham and Arteaga met Toribio Richarte and Anacleto Álvarez on their tough trek up the steep, jungle covered mountain. It was Anacleto’s son, Pablo, who on July 24, 1911 guided Bingham along the last leg of the trek, into the heart of Machu Picchu. (Atlas Obscura)

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1948 Plaque-Machu Picchu

1961 Plaque-Machu Picchu

1993 Tablet-Machu Picchu

hiram-bingham

Trapezoidal entry doors at Incan ruins of Machu Picchu.

The staircase leading up the Machhu Picchu.

Machu Picchu NatlGeo

Temple of Three Windows

Inca Story, Peru

The ruins of Machu Picchu.

July 23, 2018 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Holding the Bottle for Later

A little deviation from the typical passage of time story … Before we really get into this, I want to address the not-so-fine line between “storing” and “collecting” wine.

Those who plan to eventually drink the stuff (like you and me) are wine storers. What we are doing is aging wine and letting it evolve for later drinking enjoyment.

Wine collectors may never drink their wines and either plan to resell it (check your local liquor laws prior to negotiating) or make empty boasts about the ‘names’ they have in the ‘cellar’. (OK, I sometimes refer to myself as a collector; but now you know I really mean I am a storer.)

People store wine because they like how an aged wine tastes. Bottled wine is like a living thing – it goes through changes over time. Aged wine generally softens in “mouth-feel” and flavors become more subtle and subdued.

Red wine usually starts with some tannins when young (an aging enhancer that gives the mouth puckering sensation when you drink a young wine.) After additional years in the bottle, the wine softens and the puckering sensation diminishes.

A good experiment to see how wine ages is to buy a case of wine and drink a bottle now, note what it is like, and store the rest. Periodically, drink the other bottles and experience the changes. (You really need to wait a few years for this. I have to agree, it is hard to do in the beginning – you are tempted to drink it all.)

If you find you like older wines better than younger ones, you could be on your way to an organized storing regime (your own tastes will determine the ‘right’ wine-age for you.)

Next time you go to the store to get a bottle for dinner, buy two – have one with dinner, put the other away for later. Keep this up and you will find you are becoming a serious wine storer.

I started storing wine on the floor of an interior closet. It was an out-of-the-way dark place with relatively constant, cooler temperature, (key components for better storage.) Lay the bottles flat to keep the corks moist.

In Waimea, I used to have an insulated and refrigerated wine storage room (~55° F) in Waimea (Actually, I had two rooms – and thousands of bottles.) Now, the bottles are stored in several wine refrigerators in the garage (a less expensive and more practical way to store wine in Hawaiʻi – Costco has several options.)

But, remember, you can start as I did, with boxes at the bottom of a closet.

And don’t get tense when the ritual at the table takes place.

You are at a restaurant, you have ordered your wine and your sommelier/waiter is about to return with the bottle. This is a time to anticipate the pleasure of the bottle soon to be opened, not a time for panic or despair.

The ‘ritual’ that follows the waiter’s arrival is unique among the beverages; only with wine do you get to test for quality prior to purchasing.

The cork pulling, presentation and wine sampling ceremony gives you an opportunity to verify that the wine is ‘good.’ It is not a tasting to see if you ‘like’ the wine; rather, it’s a confirmation that it’s the wine you ordered and some evidence of its condition.

Relax, this is a time for enjoyment — remember you are out to dinner — have a good time.

When the waiter presents the bottle and then pulls the cork he’ll offer it to you for your inspection and review.

Many people will next want to smell the cork – you do not have to smell the cork. A cork will usually smell like … cork. I usually just squeeze the cork to see if it is relatively firm.

The waiter will offer you a taste of the wine. Your nose is the best friend you have right now; if there is a serious problem with the wine, your friend will soon tell you.

Sniff, you really don’t have to taste. A ‘bad bottle’ smells like a bad bottle. If you think there is a problem, have the waiter confirm it; many restaurants will offer you another bottle for consideration.

Sometimes, I wish we would drop this ritual – it makes wine look like some elitist drink, rather than a beverage of choice.

Fortunately, the typical wine bottle is 750-ml (about 25 ounces) – around four glasses of wine; perfect for two to share over a meal.

Good Friends, Good Food, Good Wine … waaay cool.

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Wine-Holding the Bottle for Later

July 19, 2018 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Mother Baldwin

When celebrating the 100th anniversary of its founding, “Punahou pauses to pay tribute to its oldest living graduate, Mrs. Henry Perrine Baldwin (Emily Whitney Alexander) of Maui, who observed her 95th birthday in January of (that) year.”

“Mrs. Baldwin’s family has had many associations and connections with Punahou during its hundred years of existence.”

“Her father, the Rev. William Patterson Alexander, was one of the missionaries who signed the resolution passed at the general meeting in 1841 for the founding of the school. He was a trustee of Punahou when it was incorporated in 1853.”

“Mrs. Baldwin, then Emily Whitney Alexander, entered Punahou Preparatory, as the school was first known, in 1857, when she was eleven years old. She attended the school from 1857 to 1864 except for one year, and was graduated in 1864 at the age of eighteen.”

“Upon her graduation, she was appointed to the teaching staff of the school, and taught the subjects of geometry, algebra and American history.”

“At the time of her appointment, her brother, W. D. Alexander, was president of the school. He served as president from 1864 to 1870. and prior to that was acting president in 1859 and 1860.”

“Emily Whitney Alexander left Punahou in 1866, and in 1870 she was married to Henry Perrine Baldwin, at the beginning of his career as Maui’s foremost builder.”

“During the early years of their marriage, and throughout their life together, she was his constant helpmate and inspiration.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Baldwin’s first home was at Sunnyside, where the Rev. and Mrs. W. E. Rowan now reside. There their children, Harry A. Baldwin, Mrs. Maud Baldwin Cooke, Frank F. Baldwin, Arthur A. Baldwin. Dr. William D. Baldwin and the late Fred Baldwin, were born.”

“In later years, when they had moved to Haiku to live, they became parents of the late Mrs. Charlotte Baldwin Rice and Samuel A. Baldwin.”

“Before moving to Maluhia in the Makawao district, where Mrs. Baldwin now makes her home, the couple lived at Spreckelsville, where a great deal of Mr. Baldwin’s pioneering in the sugar industry took place.”

“Now known throughout the territory as ‘Mother Baldwin,’ Mrs. Baldwin is beloved by a large circle of friends throughout Hawaii.”

“Her interest in Punahou has continued down the years, and through her financial assistance many students who otherwise would not have been able to attend the school have been able to matriculate there.”

“During her entire lifetime Mrs. Baldwin was devoted herself to civic and community good. Her charities are legion, accomplished quietly and without publicity.”

“To worthy organizations throughout the territory she has been an unstinting friend, and to thousands of individuals she has given help and assistance. Deeply religious, she has been a devoted church woman all her life.”

“It is truly said of her that her life is a benediction, her friendship a blessing to all who know her.” (Maile Stevenson Kearns)

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Emily Alexander Whitney (Baldwin)-14 year old student at Punahou-The Friend

July 18, 2018 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Young Ladies Seminary in York Square

The city of New Haven is located in the southern part of the state of Connecticut along the Long Island Sound. The English Puritans who founded New Haven Colony in 1638 laid out the town according to a grid, known as the ‘Nine Square Plan,’ that made accommodations for future growth.

“Arguably, this makes New Haven America’s first planned town. Incorporated as a city in 1784, early New Haven was a thriving port and mercantile center, as well as home to Yale College. In the 19th century, industry dominated.” (Connecticut History)

“The layout of New Haven’s nine-square grid, though not the plan itself, is attributed to the original settlers’ surveyor, John Brockett. Evidence of this can be found in the Records of the Colony and Plantation of New Haven, from 1638 to 1649:”

“‘Itt is agreed by the towne and accordingly ordered by the court thatt the Neck shall be planted or sowen for the tearme of seaven yeares, and that John Brockett shall goe about laying it out forthwth, and all differences betwixt pty and pty aboute ground formerly broke vp and planted by English there shall be arbitrated by indifferent men wch shall be chosen to that end.’”

“‘Itt is ordered that Mr. Davenports quarter, Mr. Eatons, Mr. Newmans and Mr Tenches quarters shall have their first divisio of upland to begin att the sea side after the small lotts are layd out, and so goe on to the cow pasture, and to have their meaddow in the east meaddowes. ..’”

“Brockett laid out a street a half a mile long running parallel to West Creek, the original landing point for the colonists arriving in Quinnipiac Harbour from Massachusetts aboard the Hector in 1638.”

“Using the street as a baseline, Brockett mapped out a town plat (or area of land) a half-mile square, which was then divided by two parallel streets running east and west and two running north and south.”

“Forming nine equal squares, the plan left the center square as common space with the meetinghouse in the middle. The common space, called the market-place, is today New Haven’s Town Green.”

The other eight squares or quarters were fenced and assigned for house lots in relation to the amount invested in the common stock of the company. … New Haven’s Nine Squares are bounded by the streets known today as George, York, Grove, and State.” (Connecticut History)

“There are several public squares in the city. The central one, commonly called the Green, is equaled by but few in the country. It contains the State House, and three Churches, and is surrounded on all sides by rows of stately Elms.”

“Wooster Square, in the eastern part of the City, is also a beautiful inclosure; also York Square and several smaller ones, in various parts of the city.”

“The City enjoys the reputation of being one of the most beautiful in the United States, and there is probably no other so extensively ornamented with as great a profusion of trees as this. The principal are the elm and maple. From their great abundance in all the streets, New Haven is familiarly called the ‘City of Elms.’” (City Guide to New Haven, 1860)

In 1843, Miss Naomi Emma Morse and her elder widowed sister, Mrs Mary Merrick, moved their Seminary for Young Ladies into a rented house on the North side of York Square.

“(Morse) was born in Westfield, Mass., June 13, 1802 …. the youngest of the twelve children of Jacob and Naomi Morse. Her mother did not survive her birth.”

“Her eldest sister, afterwards the wife of Rev. Lyman Strong, of Colchester, Conn, faithfully performed to her a mother’s part. She was educated at the Westfield Academy, and at Albany, NY.”

“For several years, in company with an older sister, who was afterwards Mrs. Merrick, she taught in Troy, N. Y. Subsequently she spent some time in Virginia, in the family of her brother-in-law, Rev. Stephen Taylor, then professor in the Theological Seminary in Prince Edwards County …”

“… and afterwards, until his death, pastor of a Presbyterian church in Richmond Returning North for a visit, she was induced, in connection with Mrs. Merrick, then residing in New Haven, to open a school for young ladies in that city, which in 1839 had fewer of such institutions than often since.”

“This enterprise prospered and grew into the widely known ‘Young Ladies Seminary in York Square.’ This after a time passed entirely into the hands of Miss Morse. In connection with this, was the great work of her life. She brought to it several qualifications of a high order.”

“Always courteous, quiet, and self-possessed, firm in her purpose, yet gentle and winning in her manner, she readily gained the confidence of her pupils, and strengthened their resolutions to do well.”

“She was happily, by her own varied experience, fitted to sympathize not only with others, but with those who, from peculiarity in health or temperament, especially needed a mother’s care and counsel.”

“She aimed to fit her pupils for the sober realities of life. Truthfulness and fidelity to duty, in her judgment, were more than learning. To be useful was more excellent for a woman than only to be accomplished.”

“Skilful in reading the motives and in discerning the deficiencies, quick also in appreciating the worth and the honest endeavors of those she instructed, she sought with rare patience and tact to correct the one and develop the other.”

“Apparently devoid of selfishness, it was her delight to enter heartily into the plans, and to promote, at whatever cost to herself, the welfare of her friends. Her Christian character was built upon firm faith in the Bible, and deep conviction of the value of the gospel.”

“In her eyes, the young lady who had not become a disciple of Christ, lacked one thing of transcendent importance. Her family and school were repeatedly the scene of a blessed revival, for which her Sabbath instructions aided directly to prepare the way.”

“Not a few of her pupils returned home with new and elevated views of their obligations to live to do good, as well as to prepare for the life to come.”

“To the measure of her pecuniary ability, and often far beyond, she aided girls who desired the advantage of her school and were unable to pay the expense.”

“One of these, now herself honored and beloved, says, ‘A more unselfish person I have never known, nor a purer life. My feeling towards her, from my earliest childhood, was one of extreme veneration and respect.’”

“Another says, ‘I have ever cherished for her the deepest affection – words are weak to tell how much. I know her memory will be ever sweet and precious to those of whom she had the care in early youth. She was untiring in her devotion to the welfare of her pupils.’”

“The continued love and gratitude of her former pupils was manifested a few years ago in a way at once surprising and pleasing to her, and honorable to them.”

“Aug. 24, 1852, (Naomi Emma Morse) became the wife of Rev. Hiram Bingham, who is so widely and favorably known as one of the pioneer missionaries at the Sandwich Islands, where two of his daughters (one of them, educated at Mrs. Bingham’s school) are now engaged in conducting a young ladies’ seminary of a high order.” (Hiram’s first wife, Sybil, died in 1848.)

“In 1864 the school was relinquished; but Mr. and Mrs. Bingham remained in New Haven. After Mr. Bingham’s death, Nov. 11, 1869, her health gradually failed, and partial paralysis made her largely dependent on the kindness of friends …”

“… some of whom thus returned, with filial tenderness and assiduity, the rich fruits of her example and instruction in former years, until suddenly the message came, and she departed to be with the Lord.”

“The world is richer for such a life, and the hearts of many are made at once sorrowful and glad when it disappears. It was fitting that loving friends, as they stood around the coffin to look for the last time on that calm, sweet face, should, by singing some of her favorite hymns, give utterance to their own feelings of Christian hope and thankfulness.” (Congregational Quarterly, 1874)

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New Haven-map

New Haven-1868-map

July 17, 2018 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

‘Hometown Proud’

The Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) was founded in 1926, bringing together independent grocers across the United States to ensure that the trusted, family-owned local grocery store remained strong in the face of growing chain competition. (IGA)

Unlike the chain store business model, IGA operates as a franchise through stores that are owned separately from the brand. (IGA)

“Instead of trying to set up the ramifications for how these local businesses should be run – say, specific building designs, like you might run into at a McDonald’s – it instead offered different kinds of help to those retailers. “

“That help, traditionally, has come in the form of marketing and access to a consistent supply chain. After a few years, the company even began making its own canned foods.”

“And though IGA helped its members, when it came down to it, the owner of the store was still the guy in the stockroom, writing reports and cutting the checks.” (Smith)

“This organization has helped independent grocers in 46 states to increase their sales and modernize their stores. IGA has become the world’s largest voluntary foodstore chain.”

“It has given its members the same tools as those of their larger corporate competitors, and there are several markets where IGA independent grocers are the sales volume leaders.” (Sen Mike Mansfield, 1966)

One such Hawai‘i IGA store was the Hale‘iwa Super Market. Kasaku Sakai had the first store in 1907; it was situated where First Hawaiian Bank is now located and it was named K Sakai Shoten. (Miller, MidWeek)

Former plantation workers Kasaku and Tomi Sakai served the Hale‘iwa community and plantation workers for many years. “It used to be a horse and buggy days they used to go out plantation camps Dole and sugar plantations. Take orders and deliver them.”

Later, Kasaku’s illness forced his son, Charles Sakai, to take over the small general store. (Advertiser)

In the mid-1950s, Charles and his wife Myrtle Sakai moved the store across the street (where Pioneer Ace Hardware now stands) to expand it into a supermarket concept and a cash-and-carry system. (Advertiser)

In 1975, they expanded the business again and moved back across the street to its last location on Kamehameha Highway next to the town’s courthouse. (Advertiser & Miller, MidWeek)

For over 100 years four generations of one family ran the Haleiwa Super Market; at its peak, the market employed more than 60 people. It shut down in 2009 and a Long Drugs replaced it.

Today, the Independent Grocers Alliance includes nearly 5,000 Hometown Proud Supermarkets worldwide, with stores in 46 of the United States and more than 30 countries, commonwealths and territories around the globe. (IGA)

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