our thoughts are with chile

This morning, our minds are drawn back to the beautiful, amazing, awe-inspiring nation of Chile, which was rocked by an 8.8-mag. earthquake in the early hours of today. So far, it sounds as though the death toll is low, surprisingly -- probably in great part due to the modernization and solid building structures found in the busy, busy capital city of Santiago. Our hope and prayer is that it remains that way and that the more humble, coastal towns like Coronel, Puerto Montt and Vina del Mar remain safe from the tsunami threat...

A look back @ Chile, from our cruise there last year.




Our friends traveled there far more recently. You ought to take a look at the Schmutz's photos while you're browsing...

Classic MySpace

Rarely do we post a picture of ourselves on the blimbam (which apparently just became a significant and unique noun requiring a definite article), but this one was worth it. It's the famous MySpace-style self portrait, but this time not shot with a 2.0 megapixel camera phone. It's a bit harder using a Canon 30D with a heavy 17-70mm lens attached. I'm a fan because of the good lighting (it's a little outdoor light combined with who-knows-what-kind-of-lighting from the overhead Best Western lobby lights in Vina del Mar, Chile.) I'm also a fan because of how the lighting hit our eyes. PS--Don't let this post overshadow our entry from last night. Check out our travel page to see Patito in action!