May 3

I keep having people say, ‘Gee, it’s like we’re living in a Stephen King story.’ And my only response to that is, ‘I’m sorry.’ ~ Stephen King

Today we feature quotes about The Big Lie. No, not that Big Lie. The Big Life that computers were going to make our lives so much easier. I’ve been struggling to blog our South America trip (which ended some four months ago) in some sort of expeditious manner. Unfortunately, this computer often has other ideas. We have literally spent days trying unravel the latest attacks from Jewish space lasers and Italian satellites. Any computer updates beyond our control lead to long term recovery programs. I have twice “emptied” this computer of all programs and then re-installed everything. The common denominator in all these events is that it takes time to recover. I had to give up on stories about both our boys and girls basketball teams excelling in state tournaments. I haven’t been able to cover the usual entertainment features. Nevertheless, I will persist . . . ~ Me

There ain’t any answer, there ain’t going to be any answer, there never has been any answer, that’s the answer. ~ Gertrude Stein

December 29

A printer consists of three main parts: the case, the jammed paper tray and the blinking red light. ~ Dave Barry

[Punta Arenas (historically known as Sandy Point in English) is the capital city of Chile’s southernmost region, Magallanes and Antarctica Chilena. Although officially renamed as Magallanes in 1927, the name was changed back to Punta Arenas in 1938. The city is the largest south of the 46th parallel south and the most populous southernmost city in Chile and the Americas. Due to its location, it is also the coldest coastal city with more than 100,000 inhabitants in Latin America. Punta Arenas is one of the world’s most southerly ports and serves as an Antarctic gateway city. Located on the Brunswick Peninsula, Punta Arenas is among the largest cities in Patagonia. In 2012, it had a population of 127,454. It is roughly 1,419 km (882 mi) from the coast of Antarctica and 635 km (395 mi) from Ushuaia, the capital of the Argentine province of Tierra Del Fuego (Wikipedia).]

Any fool can use a computer. Many do. ~ Ted Nelson

[Land, ho!]

If debugging is the process of removing software bugs, then programming must be the process of putting them in. ~ Edsger Dijkstra

[Why yes, our stateroom was situated amazingly close to the bridge . . . ]

The computer was born to solve problems that did not exist before. ~ Bill Gates

[We apparently beat out another cruise ship for pier docking rights . . . ]

Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning. ~ Rick Cook

[The helpful tug helps situate out boat . . . ]

A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing. ~ Emo Philips

I do not fear computers. I fear the lack of them. ~ Isaac Asimov

[Moving into direct pier access as seen from our room . . . ]

To err is human, but to really foul things up you need a computer. ~ Paul R. Ehrlich

[The view of the Jupiter from the land side . . . ]

The question of whether computers can think is like the question of whether submarines can swim. ~ Edsger Dijkstra

On the keyboard of life, always keep one finger on the escape key. ~ Scott Adams

[A whale tail and the Super . . . ]

Computers are good at following instructions, but not at reading your mind. ~ Donald Knuth

[And even more pictures of our boat . . . ]

A computer will do what you tell it to do, but that may be much different from what you had in mind. ~ Joseph Weizenbaum

Computer language design is just like a stroll in the park. Jurassic Park, that is. ~ Larry Wall

[Views from the shore side . . . ]

I think computer viruses should count as life. ~ Stephen Hawking

[Mariners monument to Magellan . . . ]

Computers are like Old Testament gods; lots of rules and no mercy. ~ Joseph Conrad

[Ibid.]

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. ~ Arthur C. Clarke

The work “Circumnavigation”, by Francisco Gazitúa Costabal, constitutes a silent material testimony of Magellan’s journey, placing Punta Arenas as an important reference in the scientific history of humanity (https://elmagallanico.com/).]

Computers are useless. They can only give you answers. ~ Pablo Picasso

Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do don’t need to be done. ~ Andy Rooney

[Cemetery of Punta Arenas Sara Braun is the public cemetery of the city of Punta Arenas, Chile. It is established on four hectares and is located in the northern area of the city, in Bulnes Avenue, between the streets Francisco Bilbao and Angamos. There are three entrances: the main entrance is in Bulnes Avenue, and two other entrances are in Francisco Bilbao and Angamos streets. Since the cemetery had long ago reached its capacity, it has been supplemented and largely replaced by a controversial newer cemetery further to the north of the city, though the earlier site retains its status as a “monument cemetery.” The cemetery has been ranked byCNN as one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the world. It was designated a National Monument of Chile in 2012 (Wikipedia).]

Home computers are being called upon to perform many new functions, including the consumption of homework formerly eaten by the dog. ~ Doug Larson

The trouble with programmers is that you can never tell what a programmer is doing until it’s too late. ~ Seymour Cray

If you have any trouble sounding condescending, find a Unix user to show you how it’s done. ~ Scott Adams

Debugging is twice as hard as writing the code in the first place. Therefore, if you write the code as cleverly as possible, you are, by definition, not smart enough to debug it. ~ Brian Kernighan

The best way to predict the future is to invent it. ~ Alan Kay

UNIX is basically a simple operating system, but you have to be a genius to understand the simplicity. ~ Dennis Ritchie

If the automobile had followed the same development as the computer, a Rolls Royce would today cost $100 and get a million miles per gallon, and explode once a year killing everyone inside. ~ Robert X. Cringely

Beware of bugs in the above code; I have only proved it correct, not tried it. ~ Donald Knuth

The most likely way for the world to be destroyed, most experts agree, is by accident. That’s where we come in; we’re computer professionals. We cause accidents. ~ Nathaniel Borenstein

Computer dating is fine, if you’re a computer. ~ Rita Mae Brown

Computer science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes. ~ Edsger Dikjstra

It’s hardware that makes a machine fast. It’s software that makes a fast machine slow. ~ Craig Reucassel

I’m not anti-social. I’m just not social. ~ Woody Allen

[Adjacent to the Museum of Remembrance (following photos) . . . ]

There are two ways to write error-free programs; only the third one works. ~ Alan Perlis

[The Museum of Remembrance of the University of Magallanes Instituto de la Patagonia displays examples of heritage buildings, old machinery and tools. They are part of an Open Museum, with high attendance and regional identity and a significant number of foreign visitors, especially during the spring, summer and autumn seasons. It has 8 heritage wooden buildings; 40 antique vehicles and transport of great historical value; machines; and innumerable tools, mainly associated with livestock and oil production (Wikipedia).]

If at first you don’t succeed, call an airstrike. ~ Banksy

[With the purpose of keeping its history alive, the Punta Arenas Museum of Memory displays objects from the days of the pioneers. Ancient carriages rest at the Instituto de la Patagonia lawn. They belong to the Museum of Memory, an institution that owns a collection of objects, machinery and tools dating back from the origins of the population of the region. The museum, which depends on the institute, was created in 1969 with the purpose of displaying and communicating the process of development of the area and its lifestyle since 1880, the days of pioneer colonization, until 1950. During its first years, the display contained about fifty pieces, including carts, carriages, locomotives and other mechanical means of transportation and labor, scattered about the lawn (https://interpatagonia.com/).]

I realized that a large part of my life from then on was going to be spent in finding mistakes in my own programs. ~ Maurice Wilkes

Unless in communicating with it one says exactly what one means, trouble is bound to result. ~ Alan Turing

The most amazing achievement of the computer software industry is its continuing cancellation of the steady and staggering gains made by the computer hardware industry. ~ Henry Petroski

Adding manpower to a late software project makes it later. ~ Fred Brooks

There are two ways of constructing a software design: One way is to make it so simple that there are obviously no deficiencies, and the other way is to make it so complicated that there are no obvious deficiencies. The first method is far more difficult. ~ Tony Hoare

Documentation is like sex: when it is good, it is very, very good; and when it is bad, it is better than nothing. ~ Dick Brandon

First we thought the PC was a calculator. Then we found out how to turn numbers into letters with ASCII — and we thought it was a typewriter. Then we discovered graphics, and we thought it was a television. With the World Wide Web, we’ve realized it’s a brochure. ~ Douglas Adams

[Model unknown; did not appear to be local . . . ]

When someone says, “I want a programming language in which I need only say what I want done,” give him a lollipop. ~ Alan Perlis

No matter how slick the demo is in rehearsal, when you do it in front of a live audience the probability of a flawless presentation is inversely proportional to the number of people watching, raised to the power of the amount of money involved. ~ Mark Gibbs

The best way to predict the future is to study the past, or prognosticate. ~ Robert Kiyosaki

All sorts of computer errors are now turning up. You’d be surprised to know the number of doctors who claim they are treating pregnant men. ~ Isaac Asimov

Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons. ~ Popular Mechanics, 1949

I think there is a world market for maybe five computers. ~ Thomas Watson, IBM, 1943

I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won’t last out the year. ~ Prentice Hall, business books editor, 1957

[Early cinema . . . ]

But what … is it good for? ~ IBM engineer on the microchip, 1968

[Firefighter Monument . . . ]

There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home. ~ Ken Olson, Digital Equipment Corp., 1977

[Monument to Immigrants . . . ]

This ‘telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us. ~ Western Union, 1876

The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular? ~ David Sarnoff’s associates, 1920’s

[Street scene 1 . . . ]

Who the hell wants to hear actors talk? ~ H.M. Warner, Warner Brothers,1927

[Street scene 2 . . . ]

A cookie store is a bad idea. Besides, the market research reports say America likes crispy cookies, not soft and chewy cookies like you make. ~ Debbi Fields, Mrs. Fields’ Cookies

[Street scene 3 . . . ]

We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out. ~ Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962

[The Sacred Heart Cathedral Cathedral also called Punta Arenas Cathedral and Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, is a religious building of the Catholic Church which has a Renaissance tower that is dedicated to the order of the Salesians. Its construction began on December 28, 1892, on the plans made by the Father of the Salesian order Juan Bernabe (Wikipedia).]

Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible. ~ Lord Kelvin, president, Royal Society, 1895

[Virgin Mary statue, adjacent to the above cathedral . . . ]

If I had thought about it, I wouldn’t have done the experiment. The literature was full of examples that said you can’t do this. ~ Spencer Silver on the work that led to the unique adhesives for 3-M “Post-It” Notepads

So we went to Atari and said, ‘Hey, we’ve got this amazing thing, even built with some of your parts, and what do you think about funding us? Or we’ll give it to you. We just want to do it. Pay our salary, we’ll come work for you.’ And they said, ‘No.’ So then we went to Hewlett-Packard, and they said, ‘Hey, we don’t need you. You haven’t got through college yet.'” ~ Apple Computer Inc. founder Steve Jobs on attempts to get Atari and H-P interested in his and Steve Wozniak’s personal computer

Professor Goddard does not know the relation between action and reaction and the need to have something better than a vacuum against which to react. He seems to lack the basic knowledge ladled out daily in high schools. ~ New York Times, editorial, 1921

[Sara Braun (17 December 1862 – 22 April 1955) was a Latvian-born Chilean businesswoman who became one of the principal employers in Patagonia. After emigrating with her family from the Russian Empire to escape persecution because of their Jewish heritage, the family toured Europe and then looked for work in Argentina and Paraguay, before moving to Magallanes, now known as Punta Arenas, in 1874. At the time of her death, Braun was mourned as a prominent citizen and philanthropist of Patagonia. Flags flew at half mast, businesses closed in her honor, and speeches were made by dignitaries. In addition to family members, Braun left over 15,000 shares of stock in the Exploitation Society to friends, servants, and acquaintances, who were involved in helping mitigate poverty, provide for underprivileged children or elders in need of care or were widows. She left outright stock donations to the various charities she had contributed to during her lifetime, as well as the San Juan de Dios Sanatorium of Viña del Mar; the Children’s Hospital of Valparaíso; and the Sacred Family Asylum in Punta Arenas. In 1981, Braun’s mansion, which had been purchased intact with furnishings upon her death by the Union Club of Punta Arenas, was declared a Historic Monument, known as the Palacio Sara Braun (Wikipedia).]

640K ought to be enough for anybody. ~ Bill Gates, 1981

[Monument to the explorer Ferdinand Magellan, located in the Plaza Munoz Gamero or Plaza de Armas in Punta Arenas, Chile. This square is a National Monument in the Typical Zone category. The great sculptural work of Magellan was inaugurated in November 1920 and its author is Guillermo Córdova. According to tradition, if the Fuegian Indian in the sculpture group has his hanging foot kissed, it will mean that he will return to this city one day (Wikipedia).]

Louis Pasteur’s theory of germs is ridiculous fiction. ~ Pierre Pachet, Professor of Physiology at Toulouse, 1872 (and today’s MAGA)

Everything that can be invented has been invented. ~ Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899

[Entry into Palacio Sara Braun . . . ]

Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value. ~ Marechal Ferdinand Foch, Professor of Strategy, Ecole Superieure de Guerre

Science is supposedly the method by which we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. In computer science, we all are standing on each others’ feet. ~ G. Popek

I sit looking at this damn computer screen all day long, day in and day out, week after week, and think: Man, if I could just find the ‘on’ switch... ~ Zachary Good.

Foolproof systems don’t take into account the ingenuity of fools. ~ Gene Brown.

Remember, the problem is not that people are stupid; the problem is that modems are cheap. ~ Vince Sabio.

[We’ll leave you here with this selfie and will return with the rest of Punta Arenas in the next post . . . ]

The smiley is an attack on writers and readers alike. If it is funny, it doesn’t need a smiley. If is not funny, a smiley won’t help it. The smiley teaches writers that anything they write will pass as humor as long as it is punctuated properly. It teaches readers that they must ignore their better judgment, and look only at punctuation to determine intent. ~ Jim Showalter. (Editor’s note: I use smileys all the time, they’re efficient and fall within the realm of a picture is worth a thousand words.)

Microsoft has a new version out, Windows XP, which according to everybody is the ‘most reliable Windows ever’. To me, this is like saying that asparagus is ‘the most articulate vegetable ever’. ~ Dave Barry

Up Next: Day 10, Part 2 . . .

April 7

December 28

Future generations are not going to ask us what political party were you in. They are going to ask what did you do about it, when you knew the glaciers were melting. ~ Martin Sheen

We’re going up a fjord to see a glacier! ~ Me

I believe Ronald Reagan can make this country what it once was… a large Arctic region covered with ice. ~ Robin Williams

We must always remember with gratitude and admiration the first sailors who steered their vessels through storms and mists, and increased our knowledge of the lands of ice in the South. ~ Roald Amundsen

Ice contains no future, just the past, sealed away. As if they’re alive, everything in the world is sealed up inside, clear and distinct. Ice can preserve all kinds of things that way – cleanly, clearly. That’s the essence of ice, the role it plays. ~ Haruki Murakami

[Cruising the coast, heading toward Peel Fjord from the Sarmiento Channel, the eastern side offers entry to three other fjords. Two of these, Amalia Fjord and Asia Fjord, end in massive walls of ice slowly flowing down from the immense Southern Patagonian Ice Field (seabourn.com).]

She had never known that ice could take on so many shades of blue: sharp lines of indigo like the deepest sea, aquamarine shadows, even the glint of blue-green where the sun struck just so. ~ Malinda Lo

[The view from our balcony . . . ]

One of the reasons there are so many terms for conditions of ice is that the mariners observing it were often trapped in it, and had nothing to do except look at it. ~ Alec Wilkinson

. . . about a league on either side of us, may be seen, indistinctly and at intervals, stupendous ramparts of ice, towering away into the desolate sky, and looking like the walls of the universe. ~ Edgar Allan Poe

Like there’s actually a need for Greenland. You can get ice at 7-Eleven. ~ Steve Kluger

There it was, the land under 80 degrees, a land of stern magnificence, where icebergs rear up almost to the very mountaintops, and mountain rises above mountain . . . ~ Jeannette Mirsky

Life is only a flicker of melted ice. ~ Dejan Stojanovic

Justice has to be cold. Deal with it; it’s just ice. ~ Natalya Vorobyova

Take it all in all, I do not believe anybody on Earth has it worse than an Emperor penguin. ~ Apsley Cherry-Garrard

[We’re HERE! Passengers rush to outside decks as Amalia Glacier appears dead ahead . . . ]

To ‘walk on thin ice’ is to demonstrate how thick my common sense is not. ~ Craig D. Lounsbrough

We could hear the ice cracking but it didn’t give, and we slid across it like seals. Oh, it was tremendous fun. The ice was clear as glass and you could see right to the bottom. ~ Mary Lawson

[Where the glacier meets the waterfront . . . ]

When we encounter tiny groups of atoms, interesting questions and special rules come into play. Take water, for instance: what is the smallest possible ice cube? It has been discovered that you need at least 275 water molecules in a cluster before it can show ice-like properties, with about 475 molecules before it becomes truly ice. That is a cube with about eight H2O molecules along each edge. The importance of this kind of knowledge is that it helps us model the process of cloud formation in the atmosphere as well as understand how liquids freeze. ~ Peter Atkins

The ending of the last ice age was not a gradual event, as most people would assume, but fast and intense. ~ Brien Foerster

The noise resembles the roar of heavy, distant surf. Standing on the stirring ice one can imagine it is disturbed by the breathing and tossing of a mighty giant below. ~ Ernest Shackleton

The ‘New Yorker’ asked me to shoot a story on climate change in 2005, and I wound up going to Iceland to shoot a glacier. The real story wasn’t the beautiful white top. It ended up being at the terminus of the glacier where it’s dying. ~ James Balog

[The glacier’s height at water’s edge ranges from 50 – 70 meters . . . ]

If one looks at the glacier for long enough, words cease to have any meaning on God’s earth. ~ Halldór Laxness

This thing I’m doing can hardly be called living. Instead I’m lying dormant, like a bacterium in a glacier. Getting time over with. That’s all. ~ Margaret Atwood

Thin ice isn’t a problem for the sea; it’s a problem for the blind idiot who steps out on it. The fool who breaks it gets sucked under; the ice, it mends. ~ Jennifer Giesbrecht

[Cruise friend Rich provides perspective above and below . . . ]

There is no greater despair, than to tread with care upon ice that is already broken. ~ Johnathan Jena

Fire in her eyes, ice in her voice. ~ Agatha Christie

[Ruthie moved to the front of the photo pack . . . ]

Ice no longer scared me. Its facets were beautiful, especially when it caught and held the vibrancy of flame. ~ Elly Blake

[And then she made her escape . . . ]

I do stupid stuff like that: I’ll call my wife from the road, send her pictures of glaciers. ~ Adam Ferrara

In the Andes and the Alps, I have seen melting glaciers. At both of the Earth’s Poles, I have seen open sea where ice once dominated the horizon. ~ Ban Ki-moon

A tie is what you get after ice cubes have wrestled with hot water. ~ Mokokoma Mokhonoana

Glaciers have receded. The tree-line is changing. That’s very rapid to see nature changing in a 20-year period. ~ Conrad Anker

You could engineer a human to survive the greenhouse effect because you think that’s what’s going to happen, and then all of a sudden the glaciers are creeping down on you. ~ Paul Di Filippo

[The color of the water marked the demarcation of melt water coming off the land and the ocean-based water . . . ]

A snowflake contains ten quintillion water molecules. That’s ten million trillion. Ten snowflakes—which can fit on your thumb tip—have the same number of molecules as there are grains of sand on the earth. Or stars in the visible universe. ~ Bob Berman

[Grand explorers from the shop’s crew set off to collect ice from the glacier . . . ]

Where the glacier meets the sky, the land ceases to be earthly, and the earth becomes one with the heavens . . . ~ Halldór Laxness

[Gives on a good perspective on the size of the glacier wall and the distance our explorers had to traverse . . . ]

The iceman thawed a bit for you. ~ Sylvia Day

My dad, a geologist, was an expert in glaciers and permafrost, so we moved to a lot of cold places such as Canada, Iceland and Norway. ~ Lucy Worsley

[Ice fishing?]

Ice has a social life. Its changeability shapes the culture, language and stories of those who live near it. ~ Robert Macfarlane

[Racing back to the ship with glacier ice that will be sculpted for holiday displays . . . ]

I have two eyes, and I go to see the ice. ~ Deyth Banger

[The excitement over, back to routine living on a beautiful cruise ship . . . ]

Patience is to wait for the ice to melt instead of breaking it. ~ Munia Khan

[Several of the following photos were taken in here, the Dome Planetarium on the top deck, because what else are you going to do on a ship in the ocean? (Photo on loan from the internet.)]

f you compare Everest photographs in 1953 with its current state, things are melting. I imagine if I were a golfer in Indiana, I’d be hard-pressed to believe in climate change because nothing’s going on there. But when you’re up in the mountains and seeing the glaciers melt away, it’s an obvious physical manifestation of a warming planet. ~ Conrad Anker

[Believed to be little Jupiter on the far right . . . ]

One by one the ponds gulped down their ice like big, painful pills. ~ Anthony Doerr

[Believed to be big Jupiter in the middle . . . ]

I just thought that it was magical having to glide across the ice. ~ Debi Thomas

[As I recall, Ruthie once owned a Saturn . . . ]

This air we breathe is precious, and the glaciers helped me understand that and stay focused on that. ~ James Balog

[Since I never did see Crux live and in person . . . ]

Up here on the Ice each of us is singular, isolate, I as cut off from those like me, from my society, and its rules, as he from his. ~ Ursula K. Le Guin

[And another interesting lecture . . . ]

Ice can kill as dead as fire. ~ George R.R. Martin

[Beyond my comprehension . . . ]

There’s always that first step in skating, from dry ground to slick ice, when it just seems impossible. Impossible that two thin blades of metal will support you, impossible that because its molecules have begun to dance a little slower water will hold you up. ~ Carol Goodman

[Now Orion I can find on a cloudy night . . . ]

I went to Alaska a while back and surfed the waves generated from a glacier calving and ever since then, I’ve never been afraid in the ocean. ~ Garrett McNamara

[In his position at the Admiralty, Barrow was a great promoter of Arctic voyages of discovery, including those of John Ross, William Edward Parry, James Clark Ross and John Franklin. The Barrow Strait in the Canadian Arctic as well as Point Barrow and the city of Barrow in Alaska are named after him (Wikipedia).]

There is no point in trying to freeze the ice! ~ Mehmet Murat ildan

[Lectures on polar explorers . . . ]

Those who cannot understand how to put their thoughts on ice should not enter into the heat of debate. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

[And here are three of them . . . ]

Markets can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent. ~ Gary Shilling

[Why not gold?]

How far fewer words we need to tell our stories than we imagine we do. ~ Joyce Carol Oates

[Always a sucker for an interesting story . . . ]

The U.S. will need the equivalent of about 34 new nuclear power plants to meet rising demand for electricity over the next five years. The growing number of power-hungry computer data centers is driving the surge, which comes after three decades of falling or flat demand for electricity. ~ The Guardian

I used to jog but the ice cubes kept falling out of my glass. ~ David Lee Roth

[Next stop, Punta Arenas . . . ]

The Himalayan glaciers, China’s trade surplus, Olympic ice hockey – the world is full of pressing subjects that people never consult me about. ~ Elif Batuman

I know it’s hard to believe, but another year has passed in which I failed to qualify for the Masters. ~ Me

Up Next: Day 10

March 27

People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. ~ Maya Angelou

December 27

Life without playing music is inconceivable to me. I live my daydreams in music. ~ Albert Einstein

[A day at sea cruising to the Chilean Fjords . . . ]

There is no such thing in this country as equality before the law, and everyone knows it. ~ Michael Tomasky

[The view from our balcony . . . ]

The strength and power of despotism consists wholly in the fear of resistance.  ~  Thomas Paine

[Another view from our balcony . . . ]

It is permissible in English for a preposition to be what you end a sentence with.  ~  Merriam-Webster publisher

[A view of the viewer from our balcony . . . ]

I have many faults.  Misunderstanding politics is not one of them.  ~  Mitch McConnell

[Ahhh, the fresh morning air from our balcony . . . ]

The U.N. was not created to take mankind to heaven but to save humanity from hell.  ~  Dag Hammarskjold

[Ultimately to become my desktop background . . . ]

Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can even do much to help it.  ~  Judge Learned Hand

[Days at sea involve going to lectures and fine dining, both of which are good for the soul . . . ]

For what we do we live, but to make sport for our neighbors, and laugh at them in our turn?  ~  Jane Austen

[It’s always good to know where you are and where you’re going . . . ]

You’re on Earth.  There’s no cure for that.  ~  Samuel Beckett

[We’re not at where the yellow arrow is pointing . . . ]

A clown with a flamethrower still has . . . a flamethrower.  ~  Charlie Sykes

[We’ll be here soon . . . ]

Men are not from Mars and women are not from Venus, (but politically) they increasingly inhabit what might as well be different planets.  ~  Elizabeth Grace Matthew

Trump, who can’t help putting his name on things like a boy pissing his initials in the snow, is happy to claim responsibility for the tragedies and human rights violations we’ve seen since the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in ‘Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization’.   ~  Elie Mystal

What men in government – and it is mostly men – never seem to understand is that having a child changes a woman’s entire life, physically, emotionally, economically, professionally, and even sexually.  ~  Katha Pollitt

[Enjoying lectures creates appetite . . . ]

Never underestimate the ability of the American right to promote outlandish lies:  The litany of deception runs from weapons of mass destruction in the Iraq war to climate change denial, QAnon conspiracy theories, and anti-vaxxing pseudoscience.  ~  Jeet Heer

[Only possible under the influence of dramamine (OK, normal seas have little influence on vessels this size, though the seas are more “normaler” on the Pacific side than the Atlantic) . . . ]

The unemployment rate is 3.7 percent.  It has been under 4 percent for 24 consecutive months, a streak that has not been matched in more than half a century.  ~  Dean Baker

[Meanwhile, back in the classroom . . . ]

[W]ages have risen more rapidly and are now higher when adjusted for inflation than before the pandemic.  [T]he most rapid pay increases have been for those at the bottom end of the wage distribution spectrum.  Much of the rise in inequality of the past four decades has been reversed in the past three years.  ~  Dean Baker

[Differentiating Patagonia from Pampas . . . ]

One might reasonably expect Christians, including white evangelicals, would be a unifying, healing force in American society.  Yet in the main, the white evangelical movement has for decades exacerbated our divisions, fueled hatreds and grievances, and turned fellow citizens into enemies rather than friends.  ~  Peter Wehner

[In the broader sense of where we were . . . ]

Generations of have trod, have trod, have trod; And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil; And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell; the soil Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.   ~  Gerard Manley Hopkins

[We’ll get here by and by . . . ]

The conservation movement, born in the United States during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, came late, but mercifully not too late to save what is left of our fauna and flora.  ~  Edward O. Wilson

[Fine dining at the Viking Chef’s Table . . . ]

A politician is a fellow who will lay down your life for his country. ~ Texas Guinan

[Pack in the dark, you match navy pants with a black sweater . . . ]

The most dangerous worldview is the worldview of those who have not viewed the world.  ~  Alexander von Humboldt

[Here’s our worldview . . . ]

Persons of genius, it is true, are, and are always likely to be, a small minority; but in order to have them, it is necessary to preserve the soil in which they grow.  ~  John Stuart Mill

[May the first course be with you . . . ]

We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office. ~ Aesop

[Cheers for the entree . . . ]

Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber. ~ Plato

[And a palate cleanser . . . ]

Everyone should be respected as an individual, but no one idolized.  ~  Dalai Lama

[Must be the main course . . . ]

America’s national parks are “the best idea we ever had . . . ”  ~  Wallace Stegner

. . . even though extinction rates are soaring, a great deal of Earth’s biodiversity can still be saved.  ~  Edward O. Wilson 

I never meant to say that the Conservatives are generally stupid. I meant to say that stupid people are generally Conservative. I believe that is so obviously and universally admitted a principle that I hardly think any gentleman will deny it. Suppose any party, in addition to whatever share it may possess of the ability of the community, has nearly the whole of its stupidity, that party must, by the law of its constitution, be the stupidest party; and I do not see why honorable gentlemen should see that position as at all offensive to them, for it ensures their being always an extremely powerful party . . . There is so much dense, solid force in sheer stupidity, that any body of able men with that force pressing behind them may ensure victory in many a struggle, and many a victory the Conservative party has gained through that power.  ~  John Stuart Mill ( British philosopher, economist, and liberal member of Parliament for Westminster from 1865 to 68 )

[And the set menu for the evening . . . ]

Both teachers and learners go to sleep at their post as soon as there is no enemy in the field.  ~  John Stuart Mill

Nature is wild, nature is ancient, nature is pure, this essentially American credo [conservation] declared, and nature should not be managed except to blunt the corroding effects of human interference.  ~  Edward O. Wilson

[Here’s dessert to you . . . ]

Everything is everywhere, but the environment selects.  ~  Lourens Bass Becking

[A little apres wine . . . ]

There is a new epoch for individuals over the age of 75.  It’s called the Age of Major Surgeries.  ~  Me

[Well, you’ll notice there were a few wine pairings on the menu . . . ]

Some people ask the secret of our long marriage. We take time to go to a restaurant two times a week. A little candlelight, dinner, soft music, and dancing. She goes Tuesdays, I go Fridays. ~ Henny Youngman

Memories are like mulligatawny soup in a cheap restaurant. It is best not to stir them. ~ P.G. Wodehouse

I never eat in a restaurant that’s over a hundred feet off the ground and won’t stand still. ~ Calvin Trillin

Up Next: Day 9 . . .

March 25

In life it is not where you go, it is who you travel with. ~ Charles M. Schulz

December 26

You will never get any more out of life than you expect. ~ Bruce Lee

After multiple delays in processing this South America blog (medical (doing fine), Big Ten and high school basketball tournaments, and general gremlin attacks on our computers and their apps), I’m hoping to finally get rolling again. Said delays created long distance phone calls of concern. There were also so many photos I should have broken this into two posts. Anyway, this is our first adventure outside of South American urbanity to the Chilean Lake District. ~ Me

Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that. ~ George Carlin

[Osorno Volcano is a 2,652-metre-tall (8,701 ft) conical stratovolcano lying between Osorno Province and Llanquihue Province in the Los Lagos Region of southern Chile. It stands on the southeastern shore of Llanquihue Lake, and also towers over Todo los Santos Lake. Osorno is considered a symbol of the local landscape and, as such, tends to be the referential element of the area in regards to tourism. By some definitions, it marks the northern boundary of Chilean Patagonia (Wikipedia).]

[We’re on a bus ride through central Chile to see volcanoes and lakes . . . ]

For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong. ~ H. L. Mencken

[These are a few of the several (and more) photos I took of Orsono – a beautiful, conical, snow-capped volcano on a beautiful day . . . ]

You cannot explore the universe if you think that you are the center of it. ~ Joshua Suya Pelicano

So much of who we are is where we have been. ~ William Langewiesche

We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment. ~ Hilaire Belloc

[El Galpón is an ecotourism park that has cabins to receive visitors, large green areas, children’s games, sports areas and an elegant room for social events. A space to spend a weekend in the company of the family, is located in Ayapango, State of Mexico (Wikipedia).]

We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. ~ T.S. Eliot

[Calbuco is a stratovolcano in southern Chile, located southeast of Llanquihue Lake and northwest of Chapo Lake, in the Los Lagos Region, and close to the cities of Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt. With an elevation of 2,015 meters above sea level, the volcano and the surrounding area are protected within the Llanquihue National Reserve. The most recent eruption, a major VEI 4 event, happened with little warning on April 22–23, 2015, followed by a smaller eruption on April 30. This was Calbuco’s first activity since 1972 (Wikipedia).]

Travel makes one modest, you see what a tiny place you occupy in the world. ~ Gustave Flaubert

[Suspected to be a campground . . . ]

The most beautiful thing in the world is of course, the world itself. ~ Wallace Stevens

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page. ~ St Augustine

[Orsono and Calbuco in the same shot, with reflections from the bus window thrown in at no extra charge . . . ]

Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before. ~ Dalai Lama

[Casablanca is a holocene stratovolcano in the Andes of Los Lagos Region. It is located about 90 km east of the city of Orsono and host on its slopes the Antillanca ski resort. The complex erupted lavas with composition between basalt and andesite and has no recorded historical eruptions. Several scoria cones formed after the last ice age (Wikipedia).]

The life you have led doesn’t need to be the only life you have. ~ Anna Quindlen

[The Chilean Lake District is a zone in Southern Chile defined by its many lakes in the Andean foothills. The term is primarily used in tourism literature and advertising, in Chile Zona Sur is preferred as a geographical concept. The Chilean Lake District includes the cities of Temuco, Villarrica, Pucon, Valdivia, Orsono, Entre Lagos (Puyehue),Puerto Octay, Frutillar, Puerto Varas, and Puerto Montt (Wikipedia).]

Seize the day (boys). Make your life extraordinary. ~ John Keating

[A boat ride on Lake Todos Los Santos in Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park . . . ]

In this spot, the photo at the top of this post (and all others throughout) . . .

It is a big beautiful world. Most of us live and die in the same corner where we were born and never get to see any of it. I don’t want to be most of us. ~ Oberyn Martell

[A now, the views from the boat . . . ]

Whenever I miss traveling (which is pretty much all the time), I find myself googling quotes to cheer me up. ~ Anna Faustino

[Little Ole really gets around . . . ]

I have worn the dust of many foreign streets, but to brush it off would surely be a crime. I have the memories of many foreign adventures, but to forget them would surely be a sin. So, breath in the dust and keep the memories in. ~ Rowland Waring-Flood

[Casablanca . . . ]

If you’re not moving, you’re standing still. ~ Stephen Trafton

Fear of the unknown will always be overpowered by human desire toward exploration. Curiosity is the risk, whose gifts often pays off. ~ Mladen Đorđević

[Well, I told you I took a lot of shots of Osorno . . . ]

Exploring the world is one the best ways of exploring the mind, and walking travels both terrains. ~ Rebecca Solnit

[That’s our new travel friend Rich in the middle background . . . ]

People have always looked to the horizon and feared that which they did not understand. ~ Matt Kaplan

[And our new travel friend Liz as photographer . . . ]

I’ve been to almost as many places as my luggage. ~ Bob Hope

Oh the places you’ll go. ~ Dr. Seuss

[Fellow travelers we met on the trip, Liz and Rich (in above photos solo) from Stanford, and with whom we became friends . . . ]

Once the travel bug bites, there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life.  ~  Michael Palin

The world’s mine oyster… ~ William Shakespeare

A person does not grow from the ground like a vine or a tree, one is not part of a plot of land. Mankind has legs so it can wander. ~ Roman Payne

[Even more American tourists . . . ]

We can never have enough of nature. ~ Henry David Thoreau

[And no, the guy in the background with the hat is not William Kent Krueger . . . ]

Love is a game that two can play and both win. ~ Eva Gabor

The gladdest moment in human life is a departure into unknown lands. ~ Sir Richard Burton

[Lakeshore views . . . ]

This I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. ~ John Steinbeck

It is in our nature to explore, to reach out into the unknown. The only true failure would be not to explore at all. ~ Ernest Shackleton

Every man can transform the world from one of monotony and drabness to one of excitement and adventure. ~ Irving Wallace

I will go anywhere, as long as it is forward. ~ David Livingstone

[Petrohué Waterfalls is a chute-type waterfall in the upper reach of Petrohué River in Chile, a short distance downstream of the source of this river in Todos los Santos Lake. This waterfall is inside the Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park, close to the road leading to the Petrohue locality on Lake Todos los Santos (Wikipedia).]

[Back ashore, hiking Saltos del Rio Petrohue . . .

All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware. ~ Martin Buber

The first condition of understanding a foreign country is to smell it. ~ Rudyard Kipling

Adventure, yeah, I guess that’s what you call it when everybody comes back alive. ~ Mercedes Lackey

People protect what they love. ~ Jacques Cousteau

[Trying to keep up with the Supervisor . . . ]

Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller. ~ Ibn Battuta

[From here Orsono and Casablanca are both in view . . . ]

We need the tonic of wildness…We can never have enough of nature. ~ Henry David Thoreau

I will come again and conquer you because as a mountain you can’t grow… but as a human, I can. ~ Edmund Hillary

[The crowd at the falls overlook . . . ]

To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries. ~ Aldous Huxley

In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration. ~ Ansel Adams

[The crowds, the crowds . . . ]

Equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure Science. ~ Edwin Hubble

[Rich, Liz, Ruthie, some people, and Orsono . . . ]

Drink heavily with locals when possible. ~ Anthony Bourdain

We only know a tiny proportion about the complexity of the natural world. There are always new things to find out if you go looking for them. ~ David Attenborough

We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one. ~ Jacques Cousteau

Once you get to earth orbit, you’re halfway to anywhere in the solar system. ~ Robert A. Heinlein

You should be excited to meet new people and try new things—to assume the best about them, in the absence of evidence to the contrary. ~ Brian Christian

I am just a child who has never grown up. I still keep asking these ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions. Occasionally, I find an answer. ~ Stephen Hawking

We want to explore; we want to understand. We want to believe. ~ Robert C. Jacobson

[A short bus ride to a beach on Llanquihue Lake, Chile’s 2nd largest lake . . . ]

Space is only 100 kilometers above sea level. That’s incredibly close—about an hour’s drive on most United States highways (at speed limit, of course). ~ Robert C. Jacobson

An explorer cannot stay at home reading maps other men have made. ~ Susanna Clarke

My true ecstasy is to hunt, seek, and find new things in life. ~ Helen Edwards

J. Robert Oppenheimer once remarked, “live always at the ‘edge of mystery’—the boundary of the unknown. ~ Rebecca Solnit

[The drive along Llanquihue Lake to Puerto Varas . . . ]

Perhaps there is no thrill so great as that which comes with a walk in the freshness of morning air. ~ Hellen Keller

[The Puerto Varas “boardwalk” . . . ]

As a child, a library card takes you to exotic, faraway places. When you’re grown up, a credit card does it. ~ Sam Ewing

[Lunch at Hotel Cumbres Puerto Varas on the waterfront . . . ]

Among the trees, I have come to find that there is no age limit to exploration. There is no end to learning. ~ Jessica Marie Baumgartner

[This was our view coming out of the restaurant after lunch . . . ]

To think, she could have lived and died and never seen the sea. ~ V. E. Schwab

[Our volcanoes on the far side . . . ]

There is a reason the remote Pacific was the last place on Earth to be settled by humans: it was the most difficult, more daunting even than the deserts or the ice. ~ Christina Thompson

[Really too bad we didn’t have a nice day . . . ]

Where ever humans can’t go, the earth is in peace. Not much left, though. That is why we reach out to the universe. ~ Lenfantvivant

[When telephoto lenses come in handy . . . ]

‘No Trespassing’ actually means ‘Best views this way’. ~ Rip Pereida

If ever it’s necessary to ride the bandwagon, it’s done with one leg swinging out and eyes scoping the fields. ~ Criss Jami

[International tourists?]

Emergencies have always been necessary to progress.  ~ Victor Hugo

[Note to Puerto Varas Chamber of Commerce: Please permit street art on this forsaken wall . . . ]

Is it fair to say that traveling is life itself? ~ Louis Yako

[Left side center, where we had lunch . . . ]

We tend to think things are new because we’ve just discovered them. ~ Madeline L’Engle

There’s no blank spots on the map anymore, anywhere on earth. If you want a blank spot on the map, you gotta leave the map behind. ~ Jon Krakauer

[Why yes, I am a tourist from the United States. How did you guess?]

Travel is broadening. It’s time to hit the road again. ~ Carl Sagan

Once upon a time, we soared into the Solar System. For a few years. Then we hurried back. Why? What happened? What was ‘Apollo’ really about? ~ Carl Sagan

[Why yes, I too am a tourist from the United States . . . ]

Whether women are better than men I cannot say – but I can say they are certainly no worse. ~ Golda Meir

Through a strange kind of geographic arrogance, Europeans like to think that the world was a silent, dark, unknown place until they trooped out and discovered it. ~ Tahir Shah

It is often said that there are very few places left on earth that have yet to be discovered. But those who say this are usually referring to places that exist at the human scale. ~ Mark Miodownik

Inquiring minds want to know: What’s the difference between sea salt . . . and salt? ~ Me

[A big boat . . . ]

He who is outside his door has the hardest part of his journey behind him.  ~   Dutch Proverb

[We are tendering back to our ship . . . ]

Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things – air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky – all things tending towards eternal or we imagine of it. ~ Cesare Pavese

The country remained the same, and was extremely uninteresting. The complete similarity of the productions throughout Patagonia is one of its most striking characters. ~ Charles Darwin

Up Next: Day 8 . . .

March 9

As long as we know in our hearts what Christmas ought to be, Christmas is.  ~  Eric Sevareid

It’s Christmas.  So, Feliz Navidad.  We spent the entire day cruising at sea, heading for Puerto Montt (see map above).  Come to think of it, the Super would like to do that for the rest of her life . . . ~ Me

There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.  ~  Charles Dickens

December 25

MERRY CHRISTMAS

When you stop believing in Santa, you get underwear! ~  Anonymous

[A gentleman with his morning coffee, “Have yourself a merry little Christmas” . . . ]

Christmas is, of course, the time to be home – in heart as well as body (or on a cruise ship in South America ~ Editor).  ~  Garry Moore

[The grand staircase in the boat’s atrium, appropriately decorated for the season . . . ]

Our children await Christmas presents like politicians getting in election returns: there’s the Uncle Fred precinct and the Aunt Ruth district still to come in.  ~  Marcelene Cox

[A Christmas village of gingerbread homes . . . ]

Being a traditionalist, I’m a rabid sucker for Christmas. In July, I’m already worried that there are only 146 shopping days left.  ~  John Waters

[The grand staircase (no, I didn’t skip up or down) . . . ]

Godot is whatever it is in life that you are waiting for: ‘I’m waiting to win the lottery. I’m waiting to fall in love’. For me, as a child, it was Christmas. At least that eventually came.  ~  Ian Mckellen

[Those responsible for keeping us entertained, fed, and alive . . . ]

Let our religions unite us for human kindness rather than dividing us on what we believe. Merry Christmas. ~   Hockson Floin

[A lecture by someone whose face is turned and thus I can’t identify . . . ]

Abbie had survived exam week on nothing but strong coffee and homemade Christmas cookies – the kind that are 97 percent sugar.  ~  Dan Salerno

[It must have been a good one – the theatre was packed . . . ]

I’m a physicist, and we have something called Moore’s Law, which says computer power doubles every 18 months. So every Christmas, we more or less assume that our toys and appliances are more or less twice as powerful as the previous Christmas.  ~  Michio Kaku

[The cruise director gave daily briefings about events for the following day . . . ]

It kills me when people talk about California hedonism. Anybody who talks about California hedonism has never spent a Christmas in Sacramento. ~ Joan Didion

[Looking down the grand stairway to the pianist performing in the atrium . . . ]

There’s nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child. ~ Erma Bombeck

Tomatoes should be accorded with respect, for without them, Christmas stew wouldn’t exist. ~ Michael Bassey Johnson

[And with a photo bomber . . . ]

There’s never really been a real hood Christmas movie. ~ Ice Cube

[A fan of the pianist . . . ]

Don’t give me books for Christmas; I already have a book. ~ Jean Harlow

Nothing ever seems too bad, too hard or too sad when you’ve got a Christmas tree in the living room. ~ Nora Roberts

[And that’s the ship’s staff and crew caroling . . . ]

I love Christmas. Frosty the Snowman, peace on Earth and mangers, Salvation Army bell ringers and reindeer, the movie ‘Meet Me in St. Louis,’ office parties and cookies. ~ Mo Rocca

I throw a Christmas party at my house. It’s not really a Christmas party, because I don’t want to call it a Christmas party. But let’s just say I put a lot of Christmas trees around the house, so it smells good. ~ Bill Murray

[Whom amongst us doesn’t enjoy a good yarn about bonnie King Charlie . . . ]

Christmas is a juggernaut, it rolls over most interruptions, potholes or side-tracks, and just keeps right on going. ~ Alan Camrose

[The king is a year younger than me, so I know he’s hurting . . . ]

Most Christian holidays were Pagan holidays first. Christmas trees and Easter eggs have absolutely nothing to do with Jesus. They are Pagan symbols. Christianity is thinly disguised Paganism. ~ Oliver Markus Malloy

[Dr. Lawrence Kuznetz was a real hoot. He helped design the space suit for the Apollo missions and unsuccessfully tried to direct me to the Southern Cross . . . ]

The day you stop getting excited about Christmas is the day you become officially old. ~ Stewart Stafford

Life is short. Jingle your bells. ~ Eleanor Brownn (yes, two ‘n’s’)

This chap has the sort of old, lively face that one would wish for beside a cosy Christmas fire. ~ Vincent van Gogh

Real ballplayers pass the stuffing by rolling it up in a ball and batting it across the table with a turkey leg. ~ Tom Swyers

[Let’s see – what’s for Christmas dinner? As I recall the Super went for the Beef Wellington and I the Braised Halibut . . . ]

Like a sparkle of a thousand pearls; an angel touched my lips. ~ Sir Kristian Goldmund Aumann

[And what’s for Christmas dessert?]

Christmas carols always brought tears to my eyes. I also cry at weddings. I should have cried at a couple of my own. ~ Ethel Merman

[With apologies to Liz for catching her in mid-bite . . . ]

I had eight brothers and sisters. Every Christmas my younger brother Bobby would wake up extra early and open everybody’s presents – everybody’s – so by the time the rest of us got up, all the gifts were shredded, ribbons off, torn open and thrown aside. ~ Tommy Hilfiger

[As the sun sets on Christmas 2023 . . . ]

Christmas is a season for kindling the fire for hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart. ~ Washington Irving

And so, I’m offering this simple phrase to kids from one to 92. Although it’s been said many times, many ways, Merry Christmas to you. ~ Mel Torme and Robert Wells 

Up Next: Day 7 . . .

February 19

I suppose it all started with the snow. You see, it was a very special kind of snow. A snow that made the happy happier, and the giddy even giddier. A snow that’d make a homecoming homier, and natural enemies, friends, natural. ~ Frosty the Snowman

Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: All of them make me laugh. ~ W. H. Auden

If you can laugh at it, you can live with it. ~ Erma Bombeck

December 24

We got to the moon on Christmas Eve 1968, at the end of a poor year for this country. We had Vietnam. We had civil unrest. We had the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King. But we went around the moon and saw the far side for the first time. A script writer couldn’t have done a better job of raising people’s hope. ~ Jim Lovell

Yes! Yes I do! I like Christmas! I love Christmas! ~ Ebenezer Scrooge

[It’s Christmas Eve – time for a dip in the pool?]

I get a little bit tired of Christmas trees. I like to mix it up and get a big pile of dirt. ~ Lewis Black

[When Viña del Mar [Valparaiso] was chosen as a venue for the 1962 World Cup, the coastal city decided to spruce up its seafront with a large, flowery, fully functioning clock. The Reloj de Flores (Flower Clock) is a botanical landmark in Viña del Mar to this day. It has been severely damaged by both vandalism and a fallen tree over the years, but the flowers keep on blooming, and the clock’s still ticking. (atlasobscura.com)]

Pretending to believe in the Mayan apocalypse prophecy is a great way to get out of buying Christmas presents. ~ Unknown

[The Museo Fonck, also known as the Museo de Arqueología e Historia Francisco Fonck, is situated in Viña del Mar, Valparaíso. This museum was inaugurated on November 25, 1937, and is named in honor of Francisco Fonck, a German doctor, explorer, and politician who settled in Chile and is known for his exploration of southern Chile. The museum houses an extensive collection from Easter Island, one of the most complete of its kind, which allows visitors to visualize the Rapanui culture and civilization. It also displays artifacts from the primitive cultures of northern, central, and southern Chile, including the Atacameños, Mapuches, and Diaguitas. (whichmuseum.com)]

Mama, you know, poor baby, she’d had her family all finished: four daughters and a couple of sons, and suddenly, I arrived in her midlife on Christmas Eve 1922. ~ Ava Gardner

[Our Valparaiso tour guide . . . ]

As popular as Christmas is, it would be even bigger if it had vampires. ~ Andy Borowitz

[Rapa Nui, the Polynesian name for Easter Island . . . ]

Adults can take a simple holiday for children and screw it up. What began as a presentation of simple gifts to delight and surprise children around the Christmas tree has culminated in a woman unwrapping six shrimp forks from her dog, who drew her name. ~ Erma Bombeck

Rudolph, with your nose so bright, won’t you guide my sleigh tonight? ~ Santa Claus

[Where we were and where Rapa Nui is on the planet . . . ]

When I was a kid, we would get McDonalds on Christmas Eve, and that was a big deal because the closest one to the south side of Chicago was a 35 minute drive away. I remember opening the bag and smelling those fries, and even now when I smell them, it reminds me of Christmas Eve. ~ Jane Lynch

[North Atlantic meets South Pacific . . . ]

We have 40 people over for Thanksgiving, 30 people for Easter lunch, 35 people on Christmas Eve. People tend to expect to spend their holidays with us, which is lovely and an expectation I carry with pride. ~ Sonya Walger

[The inspiration for Pablo Picasso?]

I make a huge batch of cinnamon buns on Christmas Eve and bake them off early Christmas morning. ~ Christina Tosi

[Easter Island, a special territory of Chile . . . ]

Indeed, the Royal Family still retain the German custom – introduced by Prince Albert – of opening their presents on Christmas Eve rather than Christmas morning. ~ Ingrid Seward

[The inspiration for Andy of “Toy Story”?]

My grandmother was a church organist, but we only went on Easter and Christmas Eve sometimes. ~ Zach Anner

[The ‘Mapuche’ is a group of native indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. (Wikipedia)]

Tomorrow is Christmas! It’s practically here! ~ The Grinch

[Notable is the collection on the culture of Rapa Nui (inhabitants of Easter Island), starting with an authentic Moai, located in the garden, brought to the continent in 1951, which, together with those in the British Museum in London, are the only ones outside the island. (chile-travel-and-news.com)]

It’s Christmas Eve. A time of mystery, expectations, who knows what might happen. ~ Drosselmeyer

[The Supervisor with the moai (Easter Island monumental statue) . . . ]

Cheer up, dude. It’s Christmas.  ~  The Grinch

[Moai, without the Supervisor . . . ]

God bless us, every one! ~ Tiny Tim

[Escultura Gabriela Mistral, Chilean poet and diplomat, located adjacent to Museo Fonck . . . ]

I never thought it was such a bad little tree. It’s not bad at all really. Maybe it just needs a little love. ~ Charlie Brown

We got so caught up in the little things of Christmas, like love and family, that we almost forgot that it’s buying things that makes our economy thrive. ~ Diana Choksondik

[In the neighborhood . . . ]

Got all my Christmas shopping done. Now to shop for other people. ~ Conan O’Brien

Want to keep Christ in Christmas? Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, forgive the guilty, welcome the unwanted, care for the ill, love your enemies, and do unto others as you would have done unto you. ~ Steve Maraboli

[Agustín Arturo Prat Chacón (April 3, 1848 – May 21, 1879) was a Chilean lawyer and navy officer. He was killed in the Battle of Iquique, during the War of the Pacific. During his career, Prat had taken part in several naval engagements, including battles at Papudo (1865), and at the Abtao (1866). Following his death, his name became a rallying cry for Chilean forces, and Arturo Prat has since been considered a national hero [the John Paul Jones of Chile]. Prat’s name is commemorated on numerous plazas (squares), streets, buildings and other structures in Chile. His name has been commemorated by four of Chile’s major warships. One of Chile’s Antarctic research facilities, Arturo Prat Station, and the Chilean Naval Academy, Escuela Naval Arturo Prat are named after him. His portrait appears on the 10,000 Chilean peso bank note. Also, in 1984 Arturo Prat University was founded, with its main campus in Iqioque where his heroic deed took place (Wikipedia).]

Christmas is a season for kindling the fire for hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart. ~ Washington Irving

[The Navy Building, the administration headquarters of the Commander in Chief of the Chilean Navy . . . ]

The Christmas spirit is a spirit of giving and forgiving. ~ J. C. Penney

Thank you, Stockings, for being a long flammable piece of fabric people like to hang over a roaring fireplace. ~ Jimmy Fallon

You can’t fool me—there ain’t no Sanity Clause! ~ Chico Marx

[And behind us here is the Navy Building . . . ]

White Christmas’ is the ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ of Christmas songs. ~ Stewart Stafford

[I like buildings whose names tell you what they are (the Court of Appeals of Valparaíso) . . . ]

Am I just eating because I’m bored? ~ The Grinch

Of course Santa is dead. You force a guy to eat a billion cookies in one night, what do you think is going to happen? ~ Jimmy Kimmel

[It’s always fun to take a ride up a funicular . . . ]

According to Wikipedia, single hill funiculars have been around since the 1820s but it wasn’t until 1867 that the first out of five lines of the Funicular of Lyon . . .

[It appears the “street art” in the lower right hand corner translates the same in Spanish and English . . . ]

The noun ‘funicular’ descends from an earlier adjective funicular, meaning “relating to a cord under tension” . . .

[Above and below, the view of the port and the city of Valparaiso . . . ]

“Funiculì, Funiculà,“ was written to advertise the opening of the Mt. Vesuvius funicular in 1880 . . .

[And, at no additional cost, another view of the port . . . ]

A painting is worth a thousand confused art-gallery visitors. ~ Ljupka Cvetanova

[This was our destination at the top of the funicular, in full display in the following photo . . . ]

Everywhere you walk, every place you go is full of art, explicit or hidden! If you can see them, you will be the richest art collector and your memory will be the richest art gallery! ~ Mehmet Murat ildan

[The Valparaíso Fine Arts Museum, which is housed in the beautiful Baburizza Palace, is an institution that watches over the care, protection and diffusion of the important pictorial collection that the city has been gathering since 1895, under the management of the great national expert Alfredo Valenzuela Puelma, and stands out among the four most important public art collections in Chile. The Collection is composed by works done by great national artists, such as: Juan Francisco González, Pedro Lira, Alfredo Valenzuela Puelma and Nemesio Antúnez, to point out to some. Among these we can also highlight foreign precursors, including Thomas Jacques Somerscales, Johan Moritz Rugendas, Giovanni Mochi and Desiree Chassin Trubert. (museobaburizza.cl)]

Before becoming an artist myself, I used to visit galleries and I enjoy someone’s work… Now I visit galleries and I can enjoy seeing others enjoying my work. ~ Efrat Cybulkiewicz

[The works of these last artists belonged to the personal heritage of paintings owned by Pascual Baburizza, a prominent businessman and philanthropist. (museobaburizza.cl)]

Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. ~ Pablo Picasso

Painting is just another way of keeping a diary. ~ Pablo Picasso

When I go to an art gallery and stand in front of a painting, I don’t want someone telling me what I should be seeing or thinking; I want to feel whatever I feel, see whatever I see, and figure out what I figure out. ~ James Frey

The whole world is an art gallery when you’re mindful. There are beautiful things everywhere and they’re free. ~ Charles Tart

[Our gallery tour guide was young, comedically quick witted, and knowledgeable reflecting what I seem to recall an Ivy League, or British equivalent, background. He noted that Baburizza selected paintings that he liked, not necessarily those that were famous or by famed artists. What a concept . . . ]

You know how you feel somebody looking at you, and you turn, and somebody actually is? It’s the same at an art gallery. You’re looking at one portrait, turn around, and there is a work of art directly behind you. Because it’s all energy. Every single thing has energy. ~ Marina Abramovic

[Our guide noted this painting generally drew the most interest, likely due to what appears to be some sort of interior lighting . . . ]

There is no must in art because art is free. ~ Wassily Kandinsky

Once upon a time, a girl with moonlight in her eyes . . . ~ Charles Strouse / Lee Adams

I love the art world, I love art galleries, I love what it means – I love art. ~ Nas

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up. ~ Pablo Picasso

[This is a table top . . . ]

Great art picks up where nature ends. ~ Marc Chagall

A man paints with his brains and not with his hands. ~ Michelangelo

I love going to art galleries. The Tate Modern is one of my favourite things to do. But I don’t invest in the history of it and I don’t read up on it. I am a guy who would buy a print rather than buy an original. ~ James McAvoy

In 1967 there was no place for photography in a contemporary art gallery. It was almost impossible to get an art dealer to look at, let alone exhibit, anything photographic. ~ Mel Bochner

[A view of the port . . . ]

Civilization is a movement and not a condition, a voyage and not a harbor. ~ Arnold J. Toynbee

[4-masted sailing ship in the harbor (more further down) . . . ]

One can advise comfortably from a safe port. ~ Soren Kierkegaard

[Taking the funicular back down . . . ]

Everything in a modern container port is enormous, overwhelming, crushing. ~ Rose George

I don’t mind cheese with a nice glass of port, but I prefer chocolate. ~ John Virgo

[As you’ll recall, we passed this on the way up . . . ]

[“La Esmeralda”, training ship for the Chilean Navy at her Valparaiso base. Unfortunately, the beautiful four-masted tall ship has now a bad reputation. From 1973 to 1980, it was used as a floating jail and torture chamber for political prisoners during the Pinochet years. ~ igorsolar09 (Pinterest)]

If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in port forever. ~ Thomas Aquinas

[A giant cargo ship of the modern age . . . ]

A ship in port is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for. ~ Grace Hopper

It is easy to give advice from a port of safety. ~ Friedrich Schiller

[A different angle on La Esmeralda . . . ]

Every day is like Halloween or Christmas eve for me. I go to bed, and I’m so excited to get back to work. I’m very lucky that I have a career like that ’cause not many people do. ~ Adam Green

[After a hard day of touring, Ruthie and our new friend Liz went for a dip in the ship’s infinity pool . . . ]

Sometime after dark is when we were going to open all the presents underneath the tree from Mom, Dad and the kids and everything – just the family presents was every Christmas Eve. ~ Blake Shelton

‘Safe Harbor’ is a state of mind… it’s the place – in reality or metaphor – to which one goes in times of trouble or worry. It can be a friendship, marriage, church, garden, beach, poem, prayer, or song. ~ Luanne Rice

[A view of the port from our ship . . . ]

Still bent to make some port he knows not where, still standing for some false impossible shore. ~ Matthew Arnold

[And of the city from our ship . . . ]

After a prosperous, but to me very wearisome, voyage, we came at last into port. Immediately on landing I got together my few effects; and, squeezing myself through the crowd, went into the nearest and humblest inn which first met my gaze. ~ Adelbert von Chamisso

Never break the neutrality of a port or place, but never consider as neutral any place from whence an attack is allowed to be made. ~ Horatio Nelson

To reach a port we must sail, sometimes with the wind, and sometimes against it. But we must not drift or lie at anchor. ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

[Guest lecture by Dr. James Kus on the Central Valley of Chile, the region south of Santiago, especially the Lake District . . . ]

It is not the going out of port, but the coming in, that determines the success of a voyage. ~ Henry Ward Beecher

[Leaving Valparaiso . . . ]

No wind serves him who addresses his voyage to no certain port. ~ Michel de Montaigne

[Finally, heading out to sea. Next stop, Puerto Montt . . . ]

I grew up in Beijing and Beijing roast duck is my favorite. My mom makes it every year for Christmas Eve. How crispy the skin is is how good a duck restaurant is. ~ Lulu Wang

[The Super with a shipboard view overlooking the atrium . . . ]

We have a Danish Christmas. On Christmas Eve we dance around the tree, hold hands, sing carols. There are real candles on the tree. ~ Morten Andersen

[The musicians being overlooked (so to speak) . . . ]

But sir, Christmas is a time for giving … a time to be with one’s family. ~ Bob Cratchit

My instinctive belief is that it is probably impossible for poor old homo sapiens to get to the bottom of it all. ~ Astrophysicist Paul Davies

Guns ruin everything. There are too many damned guns in the hands of too many damned idiots in this country. ~ Joel Mathis, Kansas City Star

Up Next: Day 6, a/k/a, Christmas Day . . .

February 18

December 23

Wine…the intellectual part of the meal… ~ Alexandre Dumas

OK, it’s time to get on board the ship. After all, it is a cruise. So, for the next two posts I’ll include the full “Viking Daily” so you get the idea of what’s happening on a daily basis – plus it’s an introduction to the four lecturers we enjoyed through the entire cruise . . . ~ Me

For a chase, the Cardinal recommends his excellent ’24 Cabernet. ~ Porthos in “The Three Musketeers”

With wine in hand, one reaches the happy state, where men are wise, women beautiful, and even one’s children begin to look promising. ~ Unknown

[Our last meal (breakfast) at the Santiago Marriott . . . ]

Clearly, the pleasures wines afford are transitory – but so are those of the ballet, or of a musical performance. Wine is inspiring and adds greatly to the joy of living. ~ Napoleon, 1769–1821

[On the hour and a half (70 miles) bus ride from Santiago to Valparaiso where we will board our boat, Viking Jupiter . . . ]

[b]efore the Berlin Tasting in 2004, Chile’s wines had no recognition. ~ Eduardo Chadwick

[The Santiago version of the “Hollywood” sign . . . ]

Wine is sunlight, held together by water. ~ Galileo Galilei

When there is plenty of wine, sorrow and worry take wing. ~ Ovid, The Art of Love, c. A.D. 8

[As Arnold Schwarzenegger would say, “We’ll be back” . . . ]

Water is bad for you and wine makes you sing. ~ Italian proverb

[Church on entry into Valparaiso . . . ]

Wine rejoices the heart of man and joy is the mother of all virtues. ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

[On the bus, arriving in Valparaiso wending our way to the port for our boat . . . ]

There cannot be good living where there is not good drinking. ~ Benjamin Franklin

[We’re here . . . ]

My dear girl, there are some things that are just not done, such as drinking Dom Perignon ’53 above the temperature of 38° Fahrenheit. ~ James Bond

[Check in, security checks, et al . . . ]

What contemptible scoundrel stole the cork from my lunch? ~ W.C. Fields

[On our boat balcony looking out over Valparaiso . . . ]

I never drink… wine. ~ Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi)

[Our home for the next three weeks . . . ]

I could not live without Champagne. In victory I deserve it, in defeat I need it. ~ Winston Churchill

[Assume the default position . . . ]

Pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick, and pull yourself together. ~ Elizabeth Taylor

[When you empty your backpack after several trips . . . ]

[The Solidarity Monument is a Chilean sculptural monument made with a copper coating located on the side of the building of the National Congress of Chile , in the central lane of Avenida Argentina in the commune of Valparaiso. It was designed by the Chilean sculptor Nario Irarrazabal. (Wikipedia)]

Fair thoughts and happy hours attend on you. ~ William Shakespeare

The problem with the world is that everyone is a few drinks behind. ~ Humphrey Bogart

[Valparaiso street scene as we bus to an evening at a Casablanca Valley Winery . . . ]

There comes a time in every woman’s life when the only thing that helps is a glass of champagne. ~ Bette Davis

Wine is the most civilized thing in the world. ~ Ernest Hemingway

[This reminded me of the dire need for building codes . . . ]

Penicillin cures, but wine makes people happy. ~ Alexander Fleming

Chile is making a shift up from the lower echelons of the pricing spectrum into more premium territory…now it’s clear producers are focusing on imbuing the wines with elegance, restraint and great capacity to age. This is very promising news. ~ Peter Richards

The quality-price ratio is hard to ignore: highly rated Chilean bottles that cost $15 to $30 a bottle in the United States can easily compete with European or Californian counterparts that would cost three to four times as much. ~ John Suckling

[We have arrived for an afternoon at a Casablanca Valley Winery . . . ]

[These wines] offer a completely different face of Chile, a style of wines that give the country a way into the conversation… and joins the eternal search for wines of authenticity. ~ Patricia Tapia

During the 17 years I have covered Chilean wine for Wine Enthusiast, never have more boutique wines made their debut than right now. Now more than ever, the little guy in Chile is making waves. ~ Michael Schachner

This is not the industrial and boring Chile you might have had in mind. THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX. ~ Luis Gutierrez

[And who knew it came with entertainment?]

It’s a little depressing that sommeliers who seek out wines from the most obscure regions of France, Italy, Spain and California apparently can’t seem to find even a single Chilean bottling that meets their standards. Are [sommeliers] even bothering to look at this vinously diverse country’s wines at all? I wonder because today there are many excellent wines available from Chile, as well as countless outstanding values. ~ Josh Reynolds

[The Super was looking for either a chair or a dance partner . . . ]

Every time I’m in Chile I’m impressed by the breadth of great wines being produced, though many of them tend to never leave the country. ~ Nicholas Gill

Wine in Chile, as is the case across the American continent, was brought by Spanish colonisers and spread across the territory thanks to the insistence on converting people to Catholicism. ~ Ricardo Grellet

Moving beyond workhorse bottles, you’ll find a country full of distinct regions and a broad range of grapes. Explore Syrah, Cabernet Franc, and find out whether or not Cabernet Sauvignon is Chile’s best red grape. ~ Michael Schachner

I’m coming across Chilean wines that have that hard-to-define little extra that makes a wine worth shelling out a few quid more for: that bit of extra verve, complexity, character, or concentration to make them stand out from their cheaper peers. ~ David Williams

Chile is a unique country with a profound history and culture of winemaking. The country is situated in one of the world’s most diverse and dynamic New World wine regions. The historic wine roots go deep in time. The Maipo Valley is arguably Chile’s most historic and famous wine region. ~ thisdayinwinehistory

It is straightforward to fall in love with Chile – the landscape, its gregarious people, and the excellent wines. ~ James Lawrence

Ask anyone who knows my wine-loving-side what my favorite wine country in the world is … I have always responded … “CHILE!”  ~ Veronique Cecilia Barretto

Chilean wine tourism severely trails that of places like France or Napa Valley. Most wine producers are just not set up to accept winery visits. ~ Felipe Tosso

[Wine tasting with palate cleaners . . . ]

Chilean wines have sparked tremendous interest throughout the world and their success is now explained by this account of the origins and development of an industry with a rich 450 years winemaking tradition. ~ Rodrigo Alvarado

[If I read the bottle label correctly, this was a quite tasty Casas Del Bosque Sauvignon Blanc . . . ]

The Casablanca Valley is relatively new to the wine industry with wine production beginning as late as the mid-1980s. Situated on the coastal plain between Santiago and Valparaiso, it is Chile’s fastest growing wine region. ~ knowmadadventures

In Chile, the large temperature differences between day and night, the relatively high degree of humidity of the ocean and the many hours of sunshine provide the perfect conditions for good wine-growing opportunities.  ~ Grandcruwijnen.nl

Chile’s vintners are increasingly thinking about how to adapt to shifts in climate and drier weather that has seen the Andean country gripped by drought for over a decade. ~ Reuters

Of all the wine regions, in all the countries, in all the world…one of the ones I was most excited about visiting recently was Chile’s Casablanca Valley. ~ clustercrush

Located just about an hour’s drive east of Santiago, between the capital and the coastal city of Valparaiso, the Casablanca Valley is a relatively new wine region that was first planted in the mid-80s. ~ clustercrush

Wine can of their wits the wise beguile, Make the sage frolic, and the serious smile. ~ Homer, The Odyssey, 9th century B.C.

Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever. ~ Aristophanes

Anyone who tries to make you believe that he knows all about wines is obviously a fake. ~ Leon Adams, “The Commonsense Book of Wine”

In vino veritas. (In wine there is truth.) ~ Pliny the Elder, 23–79 A.D.

[And say “Good Night”, Ruthie . . . ]

Wine improves with age. The older I get, the better I like it. ~ Anonymous

Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance. ~ Benjamin Franklin

Come quickly! I am tasting stars! ~ Dom Perignon

Up Next: Day 5 (i.e., Christmas Eve)

February 8

Editor’s note: This missive has been delayed for reasons of extended recovery periods from the ravages of international travel . . .

I think the cruise industry has come of age. And older people my age are attracted to the cruise ship industry. And they are booming right now, and all over the world they are booming. And I think they’re for the golden oldies, and there are more and more of them around. ~ Julian Robertson

Mining created Chile. The story of men who go down into the mountain and chip away at minerals in the darkness and then suffer an accident that leaves them at the mercy of that darkness is part of the DNA of Chile, an integral part of the country’s history. ~ Ariel Dorfman

December 22

When I was growing up, the Spanish-speaking world was Balkanized. We were isolated. We didn’t know what was happening in cultural terms in Ecuador, Colombia and Chile. Nowadays, this has changed a lot – fortunately for writers and readers. There is much more integration. ~ Mario Vargas Llosa

[A view from our window to the courtyard below . . . ]

Chile could work as a double for L.A.; it’s very production-friendly and there’s terrific talent down there. ~ Eli Roth

[Using the windows perpendicular to our room as a mirror on the world . . . ]

If a country like Chile can fix its social security system, there is no reason a country as great as the United States… can’t fix our Social Security system. ~ Bill Flores

[This was a day to roam the city of Santiago unattended and unsupervised. We opted for the hop on/hop off bus located 1/2 mile away from our hotel on Av Presidente Kennedy . . . ]

Only two countries in this hemisphere are not democratic, but many countries in both Central and South America, and in the Caribbean, are really fragile democracies. ~ Warren Christopher

[Said hop on/hop off bus . . . ]

When we say Afro American, we include everyone in the Western Hemisphere of African descent. South America is America. Central America is America. South America has many people in it of African descent. ~ Malcolm X

[Why yes, there are mountains here – the Chilean Coastal Range runs parallel to the Andes . . . ]

When Harvard University opened its doors in 1636, there were already well-established universities in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru. ~ Oscar Arias

[Costanera Tower, the tallest building in Latin America at 300 meters, will be featured often in this post . . . ]

I’ve never been in any country for more than four years, and I’m learning different languages all the time. It gives you a different attitude. ~ Santiago Cabrera

Latin America is not that different from the rest of the world. Some of us have been trying to get from the edges into the centre, but we’re very few. The world is still very resistant to understanding the diversity of human beings. ~ Daniela Vega

[Plaza de Armas decorated for the summer Christmas season . . . ]

There’s nowhere like home for me, but there has been something so interesting about most of the places I’ve visited. One that sticks out in my mind is traveling around South America. It’s a huge continent, and I only got to see a small portion of it, but I’ve always liked going there. ~ Brittany Bowe

[Don Pedro de Valdivia, the guy on the horse, in the Plaza de Armas De San Fernando, and the Metropolitan Cathedral on the right . . . ]

I can promise you that women working together – linked, informed and educated – can bring peace and prosperity to this forsaken planet. ~ Isabel Allende

[The Metropolitan Cathedral . . . ]

Birds born in cages think that flying is a disease. ~ Alejandro Jodorowsky

[Despite all security measures, there appears to be a missing person here . . . ]

I think in South America people are very, uh, they have no inhibitions and wear their hearts on their sleeves – what’s the word? They’re very expressive, demonstrative. ~ Bernard Sumner

The only continent where social movements have led to political parties that have pushed through serious social and political reforms is in South America. ~ Tariq Ali

Two prominent terms, ‘Latino’ and ‘Hispanic,’ refer to people living in the United States who have roots in Latin America, Spain, Mexico, South America, or Spanish-speaking Caribbean countries. ~ Ilan Stavans

[Palacio de La Moneda, or simply La Moneda, is the seat of the president of the Republic of Chile. It also houses the offices of three cabinet ministers: Interior, General Secretariat of the Presidency, and General Secretariat of the Government . . . ]

Latin American Art is an operational term used to describe art actually made in the more than twenty countries that make up Latin America and that encompass Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. ~ Mari Carmen Ramirez

[I have reason to suspect the nutcrackers are appendages of the season . . . ]

There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is having lots to do and not doing it. ~ Andrew Jackson

I realize that humor isn’t for everyone. It’s only for people who want to have fun, enjoy life, and feel alive. ~ Anne Wilson Schaef

[I liked the fire escape . . . ]

I don’t really watch what I eat. I love sitting around with friends and eating loads and drinking loads for hours. Maybe when I’m 40 I’ll worry about my diet. ~ Santiago Cabrera

[Street scene . . . ]

When people refer to ‘Back in the Day,’ it was a Wednesday. Just a little fun fact for you. ~ Dane Cook

You can be childlike without being childish. A child always wants to have fun. Ask yourself, ‘Am I having fun?’ ~ Christopher Meloni

[Central Post Office Building . . . ]

The problem is when that fun stuff becomes the habit. And I think that’s what’s happened in our culture. Fast food has become the everyday meal. ~ Michelle Obama

[Santa Lucía Hill (Spanish: Cerro Santa Lucía), also known in Mapuche as Huelén Hill, is a small hill in the centre of Santiago. An adjacent metro station is named after it. The hill has an altitude of 629 m and a height of 69 m over the surrounding area. The hill is the remnant of a volcano 15 million years old. The hill comprises a 65,300 square metre park adorned with ornate facades, stairways and fountains. At the highest point there is a viewpoint popular with tourists visiting the city and meeting point. (Wikipedia)]

When you start recognising that you’re having fun, life can be delightful. ~ Jane Birkin

Dreams don’t have deadlines. I’m thinking of doing bigger and better things and having more fun with it. ~ LL Cool J

[A big brown building, a/k/a, Gabriela Mistral Cultural Center . . . ]

Technology is so much fun but we can drown in our technology. The fog of information can drive out knowledge. ~ Daniel J. Boorstin

[Approaching Sky Costanera . . . ]

You must enjoy the journey because whether or not you get there, you must have fun on the way. ~ Kalpana Chawla

[The Super getting tickets for the elevator ride (one minute) to Sky Costanera . . . ]

We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

[The view, the view . . . ]

Old age and treachery will always beat youth and exuberance. ~ David Mamet

My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style. ~ Maya Angelou

[Sky Costanera, on the 61st and 62 floor of Costanera Tower . . . ]

Old and young, we are all on our last cruise. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

[Reeking of American tourists . . . ]

I had a pretty modest upbringing; it was no pleasure cruise. ~ Vanilla Ice

Violence is one of the most fun things to watch. ~ Quentin Tarantino

[Our personal photographer . . . ]

It didn’t get any more glamorous than Havana, Cuba, in the 1950s. I used to go there when I was a waiter on a cruise ship. ~ Sino Maccioni

Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

No matter what happens in life, be good to people. Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind. ~ Taylor Swift

Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them. ~ Dalai Lama

We do not remember days, we remember moments. ~ Cesare Pavese

I spend six months of the year on cruises. Travelling the world with your mates, it’s such good fun and I hope that comes across. ~ Jane McDonald

I found out retirement means playing golf, or I don’t know what the hell it means. But to me, retirement means doing what you have fun doing. ~ Dick Van Dyke

A chair is a very difficult object. A skyscraper is almost easier. That is why Chippendale is famous. ~ Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

The skyscraper establishes the block, the block creates the street, the street offers itself to man. ~ Roland Barthes

What I like about cities is that everything is king size, the beauty and the ugliness. ~ Joseph Brodsky

The skyscraper style first advocated by Louis Sullivan – a tower of strongly vertical character with clear definitions among base, shaft, and crown – has remained remarkably consistent throughout the history of this building type. ~ Martin Filler

I’ve searched all the parks in all the cities and found no statues of committees. ~ Gilbert K. Chesterton

[Continuing the “loop” – the hop on/hop off bus was a two-hour, 12-stop tour of the city. We circled twice hoping the funicular might open on the second pass. It didn’t . . . ]

A culture, we all know, is made by its cities. ~ Derek Walcott

[Headquarters for the hop on/hop off bus, basically an enlarged telephone booth . . . ]

The land created me. I’m wild and lonesome. Even as I travel the cities, I’m more at home in the vacant lots. ~ Bob Dylan

[Appears to be a Lady Bird Johnson-like attempt at urban beautification, i.e., climate induced drought has required the use of attached water bags for new plantings . . . ]

I think there will be a 200-story skyscraper someday. However, it will require a developer who will not think in conventional terms and for whom economic restraints won’t apply. ~ Helmut Jahn

Doing a house is so much harder than doing a skyscraper. ~ Philip Johnson

The one thing that all great cities have in common is that they are all different. ~ Cate Blanchett

[The funicular to the hilltop was closed because of wildfire hazards. (As I type this on February 6, there have been fatal and destructive wildfires in this area.)]

There are certain romances that belong in certain cities, in a certain atmosphere, in a certain time. ~ Sammy Davis, Jr.

[Mapocho River through the city . . . ]

You probably don’t need more weapons than what’s required to destroy every city on earth. There’s only 2,300 cities. So, the United States, by that criteria, only needs 2,300 nuclear weapons – well, we’ve got more than 25,000! ~ Carl Sagan

[Street scene . . . ]

Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

[Academia Diplomática Andrés Bello of Chile is the institution responsible for training Chile’s future diplomats and has also contributed to the preparation of diplomats from South America, Central America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. It is one of the oldest Academy on the American continent. (Wikipedia)]

Forget the damned motor car and build the cities for lovers and friends. ~ Lewis Mumford

If we wish to rebuild our cities, we must first rebuild our neighborhoods. And to do that, we must understand that the quality of life is more important than the standard of living. ~ Harvey Milk

But geography, if used correctly, can be used to redesign sustainable and more livable cities. ~ Jack Dangermond

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to the challenges facing our cities or to the housing crisis, but the two issues need to be considered together. From an urban design and planning point of view, the well-connected open city is a powerful paradigm and an engine for integration and inclusivity. ~ Richard Rogers

I would like to use architecture to create bonds between people who live in cities, and even use it to recover the communities that used to exist in every single city. ~ Toyo Ito

I have never felt salvation in nature. I love cities above all. ~ Michelangelo

[Clock tower of the San Francisco Church . . . ]

I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong. ~ Bertrand Russell

[Pontifical Catholic University of Chile . . . ]

I have my own boat, but when I first thought about taking a cruise, I thought, ‘You’re going to trap me on a boat, and I’m going to walk in circles and go crazy,’ but it’s awesome. ~ Guy Fieri

[Known, amazingly, as the yellow spiral sculpture in the central business district of Santiago . . . ]

I tell anyone who will listen to me: On a cruise, you can be with all these people, or you can be by yourself. You can find tranquility, you can find party, you can find new friends. I’m a cruise convert. ~ Guy Fieri

Since the 1920s, when some U.S. cruise ships decided to fly a Panamanian flag to avoid Prohibition regulations, ships have commonly flown the flag of countries foreign to their owners. The benefits are obvious: lower taxes, laxer labor and safety laws. ~ Rose George

I would not want to be on a cruise ship. Some ferry crossings I’m not too thrilled about. ~ Jennifer Connelly

[I really have no idea . . . ]

I don’t believe in nudity for nudity’s sake, but it’s really beautiful when it’s done well, when it’s within a story. I’m very comfortable with my body. I grew up mostly in France, where nudity is not taboo. ~ Leonor Varela

[Tourists on a bus . . . ]

A bigger business is like a cruise ship: There are lots of amenities and you can go a lot further, but it’s harder to turn quickly. ~ Tony Hsieh

[Our Marriott . . . ]

Broke my femur on a cruise with my wife in Italy. I’d walked back to my cabin after dinner with half a plate of spaghetti when I leaned in to open the door. Turns out it was already open, so I fell flat on my face like something from the Keystone Kops. ~ Art Donovan

[Our Marriott . . . ]

I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong. ~ Bertrand Russell

[Our Marriott, placing an unnatural significance on our hotel . . . ]

Someone asked how I feel about Captain Crunch. I’m capable of eating an entire box of it without any milk. It is a sweet taste that is indescribable. Captain Crunch is its own flavour. ~ Pedro Pascal

[Does anyone see any significance in this?]

The idea of elegance and aristocratic indulgence of an ocean cruise was born out of the image of the rich men and women who ruled the British Empire slowly sailing to India and the Far East while sipping gin and tonic on deck – served by men in white jackets. ~ Adam Curtis

[The hotel interior court in the background (see first pic in this post) . . . ]

I’ve never been on a cruise. ~ Philip Seymour Hoffman

I don’t like cruises. Period. My biggest nightmare is being stuck on a boat. ~ Joe Flanigan

[Bottled water from Tuscany?]

I’ll be 65 in September and I work as much as I want to, take cruises with Kay, relax with my family, do everything in moderation, because I want to enjoy my life. ~ Frankie Avalon

[After a long day of touristing, Little Ole was ready to chow down. Say “good night,” Ruthie . . . ]

Not life, but good life, is to be chiefly valued. ~ Socrates

The secret of getting ahead is getting started. ~ Mark Twain

Up Next: Day 4

January 22

A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows you are slightly cracked. ~ Bernard Meltzer

IN MEMORIAM David F. Berg May 1, 1947 – December 23, 2023

It is with much sadness we announce the passing of Alexandria Golf Club member Dave Berg. Dave was a gentleman’s gentleman and will be greatly missed. The AGC family extends our deepest condolences to the Berg family. David Fredric Berg May 1, 1947 – December 23, 2023 Dave Berg, 76, of Plymouth, MN passed away with his family at his side on December 23rd, 2023. Preceded in death by parents Dorothy and Joseph Berg, sister Carol Lynn Stenzel and brother-in-law Ryan Stenzel. Dave was a humble man of high character and integrity, who put his love of family above all else. Heaven has gained one of the most positive, optimistic souls the world has known. Born in Minneapolis in 1947, Dave spent his youth on the lakes in Alexandria, and graduated from Robbinsdale high school in 1965 before attending the University of Minnesota. He married Suzanne Burglund in 1968 and together they had 3 children. He was a devoted, loving father, extremely involved in his children’s lives in every aspect possible. He coached many of their sports teams, and never missed a game or competition. Dave was seemingly good at everything. He was a talented guitarist and banjo player. Along with his brother Jeff, brother-in-law Ryan and a family friend, the “St. Philip Four” played in church services and other events. He was also a proficient wood worker, building tables, shelves, and anything else his family requested. He was probably most proud of the handmade Yahtzee boxes and shakers he made for various family members. Dave was an excellent cook, and even created his own stir fry recipes affectionately known as “Wok to Dave’s.” Dave had a successful career in the banking industry where he was bank President at both The Bank Group, Inc. in Crystal, and Center National Bank in Plymouth. He also enjoyed 14 years as CFO at the Foursome Clothing Store. Dave married Karin Thaemert in 1998, and they had 25 wonderful years together. In 2006 they bought a house on Lake Carlos, in the Alexandria area where the Berg family had owned a resort in the 1950’s. Dave and Karin spent many weekends completely renovating their new house, and eventually moved there full-time in 2019 when he retired. They loved lake life and enjoyed many beautiful sunsets on their deck with a gin and tonic or glass of red wine in hand. Dad was an avid golfer and loved being part of the Alexandria Golf Club community. Above all else, Dave loved time with family and friends. He cherished gatherings…including holidays and the annual week at Viking Trail Resort…with his children, grandchildren, siblings and extended family, time on the golf course with his sons and brothers, pull-tab winners over a meal with his daughter, Monday night poker with the guys, and his life with Karin and their beloved dog Gracie. He is survived by wife Karin, children Christopher (Beth) Berg, Jodie (Chad) Moeller, Jeremy (Janna) Berg, grandchildren Emily Berg, Kate Berg, Jack Moeller, Alex Moeller, Oliver Berg, Addison Berg, stepsons Christopher Thaemert and Andrew (Jessica) Thaemert, brothers Loren (Delores) Berg and Jeffrey (Nancy) Berg, and sister Cynthia (Kevin) Ryan.A celebration of life will be held at a date to be determined.

Dave, Karin, and their labradoodle daughter Gracie lived on the far NE corner of Lake Carlos. Their little slice of heaven here on earth, home to beautiful sunsets on the classic Minnesota lake. Through the years, however, we always marveled at their ability to join us for in-town social events when they had such a long drive home after 8:00 pm (we were all real night owls). We live about two miles from “downtown” Alex while the Bergs were way out there in the exurbs, maybe 10 miles from downtown. In their last few years there, they did begin consideration of a move closer to town.

Dave and I first met at the Alexandria Golf Club (AGC) double digit years ago. By federal, state, and local law, it is a requirement that first meetings of retirees must take place on a golf course. We had similar games and had many fun times together playing in the AGC’s senior men’s league. Then about eight years ago I was struck by a sudden bolt of sanity and decided that life is short and golf just takes too much time. Fortunately Dave, Karin, Ruthie, and I would still be knit together by mutual love affairs with wine, fine dining, and live music.

Ruthie and I had just started our 3-week cruise around South America when we received notice that Dave had died. ~ Me

August 2012

Fan the sinking flame of hilarity with the wing of friendship; and pass the rosy wine. ~ Charles Dickens

[Here Dave (far right) and Karin (middle, putting) are competing in the annual senior men’s league Steak Fry and Bean Feed at the Alexandria Golf Club . . . ]

To like and dislike the same things, that is what makes a solid friendship. ~ Sallust

[Dave and Karin provide the background for two native Alexandrians who returned home in retirement because it was the only place that would accept them . . . ]

Friendship is a wildly underrated medication. ~ Anna Deavere Smith

[At the aforementioned Steak Fry and Bean Feed . . . ]

Friendship is being there when someone’s feeling low and not being afraid to kick them. ~ Randy K. Milholland

[Awards at the steak fry were handed out by Dave’s older brother Loren (standing) . . . ]

It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like ‘What about lunch?” ~ A. A. Milne

All you need to do to be my friend is like me. ~ Taylor Swift

I’ll stick to finding the funny in the ordinary because my life is pretty ordinary and so are the lives of my friends—and my friends are hilarious. ~ Issa Rae

November 2013

No man who has once heartily and wholly laughed can be altogether depraved. ~ Thomas Carlyle

[Over the years, a home away from home for the four of us – initially, Sixth Avenue Wine & Ale (SAWA), succeeded-in-name-and-ownership by the Garden Bar on 6th. Lisa Lynn (between Karin and Dave) was a favorite performer of ours at this venue . . . ]

My friends and I are crazy. That’s the only thing that keeps us sane. ~ Matt Schucker

[I think this was an example of flash/no flash . . . ]

June 2014

I don’t like to commit myself about heaven and hell — you see, I have friends in both places. ~ Mark Twain

[If we were not to be found at SAWA/Garden Bar, the likely next choice would be at Carlos Creek Winery (CCW) as always ISO a music venue . . . ]

September 2014

The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they’re OK, then it’s you. ~ Rita Mae Brown

[Again at CCW with Bob, Vivian, and Angie Annen at the next table . . . ]

May 2015

Most of us don’t need a psychiatric therapist as much as a friend to be silly with. ~ Robert Brault

[A time of year phenomenon (too cold to be outside), here Karin taking photos indoors at CCW . . . ]

Friendship is born at the moment when one man says to another, “What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” ~ C.S. Lewis

September 2017

The imaginary friends I had as a kid dropped me because their friends thought I didn’t exist. ~ Aaron Machado

[In the Grand Hall at CCW for a music event. Dave discovered a handy holster for his bottle of wine . . . ]

One measure of friendship consists not in the number of things friends can discuss, but in the number of things they need no longer mention. ~ Clifton Fadiman

[I detect a western theme . . . ]

May 2018

Friend is someone to share the last cookie with. ~ Cookie Monster

[A fundraising soiree for Theatre L’Homme Dieu (TLHD) at the Alexandria Golf Club. (Note: It’s Theatre L’Homme Dieu; and Lake Le Homme Dieu. Go figure?)]

It’s important to our friends to believe that we are unreservedly frank with them, and important to the friendship that we are not. ~ Mignon McLaughlin

[TLHD’s executive director Nicole Mulder talks shop with TLHD board member Dave while Karin chaperones . . . ]

Anybody can sympathize with the sufferings of a friend, but it requires a very fine nature to sympathize with a friend’s success. ~ Oscar Wilde

[Looks like a first class beverage . . . ]

Come at once if convenient. If inconvenient, come all the same. ~ Arthur Conan Doyle

[Dave and Karin have left the building . . . ]

June 2018

No one will ever be as entertained by us as us. ~ Your Friend Who’s a Riot

[Younger generation family members joined Karin and Dave for The Killer Vees at the CCW Grand Hall . . . ]

Some people go to priests; others to poetry; I to my friends. ~ Virginia Woolf

[Another flash/no flash event . . . ]

Friendship is not possible between two women, one of whom is very well dressed. ~ Laurie Colwin

September 2018

Whoever says friendship is easy has obviously never had a true friend! ~ Bronwyn Polson

[Likely the Grape Stomp at CCW with older brother Loren . . . ]

Friends come and go, like the waves of the ocean, but the true ones stay. Like an octopus on your face. ~ Unknown

[Was that a ’57 T-bird?]

June 2019

Only your real friends will tell you when your face is dirty. ~ Sicilian Proverb

[Another oft visited music, wine and dining venue – the Lure Lakebar patio overlooking Lake Le Homme Dieu . . . ]

Friendship must be built on a solid foundation of alcohol, sarcasm, inappropriateness and shenanigans. ~ Unknown

Instead of the mahi mahi, may I just get the one mahi because I’m not that hungry? ~ Anna Faris

[Another cropping/no cropping example . . . ]

A good friend is a connection to life – a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world. ~ Lois Wyse

True friends don’t judge each other, they judge other people together. ~ Emilie Saint-Genis

[Yes, I think it was that ’57 T-bird . . . ]

September 2019

Friendship consists in forgetting what one gives and remembering what one receives. ~ Alexandre Dumas

[And here we are back at the winery patio again. It must have been a cold September . . . ]

December 2019

Friends make you smile – best friends make you giggle till you pee your pants. ~ Terri Guillemets

[Rockin’ around the Christmas tree, Have a happy holiday – the usual suspects at the winery again . . . ]

A good friend keeps your secrets for you. A best friend helps you keep your own secrets. ~ Lauren Oliver

[Fine dining at the Garden Bar . . . ]

Friends should be like books, few, but hand-selected. ~ C.J. Langenhoven

[The Group of 6 (Paul and Deb Trumm are closest to the camera) at the Garden Bar, likely to listen to the musical stylings of Tuesday Night Club . . . ]

Time doesn’t take away from friendship, nor does separation. ~ Tennessee Williams

A man’s friendships are one of the best measures of his worth. ~ Charles Darwin

Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends? ~ Abraham Lincoln

June 2020

I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let’s face it, friends make life a lot more fun. ~ Charles R. Swindoll

[Another member of the Berg family (left, Dave’s daughter, as I recall) decided to join parental units in all the fun they have on the winery patio . . . ]

Of all possessions a friend is the most precious. ~ Herodotus

August 2020

Awards become corroded. Friends gather no dust. ~ Jesse Owens

[Dave signing in to compete in the annual Resorters Tournament at the Alexandria Golf Club . . . ]

The only way to have a friend is to be one. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

[Karin caddied for him in the golf cart . . . ]

There’s not a word yet for old friends who’ve just met. ~ Jim Henson

[The tee off on hole #10 . . . ]

Happiness is a long walk with a putter. ~ Greg Norman

Nobody asked how you looked, just what you shot. ~ Sam Snead

The proper score for a businessman golfer is 90. If he is better than that he is neglecting his business. If he’s worse, he’s neglecting his golf. ~ St. Andrews Rotary Club Member

Don’t sell yourself short Judge, you’re a tremendous slouch. ~ Ty Webb, Caddyshack

At the end of the day, if I can say I had fun, it was a good day. ~ Simone Biles

[The usual sixsome at the winery listening to Erik Schultz . . . ]

September 2020

Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one. ~ Dr. Seuss

[Listening to Anthony Miltich at the winery . . . ]

April 2021

We just like having fun with everything we do. ~ Young Dolph

[The Grand Hall at CCW for The Bands Played On fundraiser . . . ]

Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game. ~ Michael Jordan

Never, ever underestimate the importance of having fun. ~ Randy Pausch

[Dave always had to check with Anthony to make sure Anthony was taking good care of his 8-string guitar . . . ]

June 2021

Life is too short to not have fun; we are only here for a short time compared to the sun and the moon and all that. ~ Coolio

[Road trip to Munsinger Gardens in St. Cloud to see Harper’s Chord, a long time favorite area group . . . ]

You just do what you can and you have as much fun as possible. ~ Frank Ocean

August 2021

Fun is like life insurance; the older you get, the more it costs. ~ Kin Hubbard

[Ruthie and I usually spend the first week of August at summer camp in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. That week also coincides with our local Resorters Tournament. The two years of COVID cancelled summer camp so we got to follow Dave in the golf tournament again . . . ]

Winning is only half of it. Having fun is the other half. ~ Bum Phillips

If you watch a game, it’s fun. If you play it, it’s recreation. If you work at it, it’s golf. ~ Bob Hope

When you start recognising that you’re having fun, life can be delightful. ~ Jane Birkin

[Panorama of the Mick Sterling concert at the Legacy of the Lakes Gardens . . . ]

September 2021

There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is having lots to do and not doing it. ~ Andrew Jackson

[Dave happy amongst his fellow guitar players, all performers at CCW and other area venues: l-r, Erik Schultz, Jeff James, Robb Justice, Dave, and Anthony Miltich . . . ]

I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints – the sinners are much more fun. ~ Billy Joel

[This, and the above photo, were taken at the Grape Stomp at CCW. Karin and Dave’s friends Sue and Bob from The Cities joined us here . . . ]

December 2021

Aging can be fun if you lay back and enjoy it. ~ Clint Eastwood

[The Those Who Stay Behind dinner at Arrowwood . . . ]

I just like having fun. ~ Katy Perry

[With Warren and Ann Smith to see Elsa Lee at the winery . . . ]

March 2022

We are driven by five genetic needs: survival, love and belonging, power, freedom, and fun. ~ William Glasser

[Wednesday night fine dining, at this time of year at Lure Lakebar, and joined by Jim and Mary Pohl . . . ]

You don’t fall in love with people because they’re fun. It just happens. ~ Kirsten Dunst

[And Tom and Jeanne Mulder on the right . . . ]

I realize that humor isn’t for everyone. It’s only for people who want to have fun, enjoy life, and feel alive. ~ Anne Wilson Schaef

People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing. ~ Dale Carnegie

[And later that same month by an additional cast of thousands . . . ]

Searching is half the fun: life is much more manageable when thought of as a scavenger hunt as opposed to a surprise party. ~ Jimmy Buffett

May 2022

If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s gathering people together to do something fun. ~ Dave Grohl

[Run for the Roses fundraiser for TLHD at CCW Grand Hall . . . ]

The fun for me in collaboration is, one, working with other people just makes you smarter; that’s proven. ~ Lin-Manuel Miranda

Of the seven deadly sins, only envy is no fun at all. ~ Joseph Epstein

[Jim Pence, the “CEO” and Dave, the “CFO” of TLHD, and yes, I can be blamed for nominating both of them for the board . . . ]

Don’t get older just to get wiser. If you get older, you will be wiser, I believe that – if you dare. But get older because it’s fun! ~ Maya Angelou

July 2022

Astronomy’s much more fun when you’re not an astronomer. ~ Brian May

[An outdoor concert at Theatre L’Homme Dieu . . . ]

When people refer to ‘Back in the Day,’ it was a Wednesday. Just a little fun fact for you. ~ Dane Cook

[An outdoor concert with Josie Nelson at Gathered Oaks . . . ]

I only do this because I’m having fun. The day I stop having fun, I’ll just walk away. ~ Heath Ledger

[A Tribute to Bread outdoor concert at TLHD . . . ]

I like to go to parties where I know everyone. How are you going to have fun with people you don’t know? ~ Mary-Kate Olsen

[TLHD fundraising soiree . . . ]

Skiing combines outdoor fun with knocking down trees with your face. ~ Dave Barry

August 2022

Between two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before. ~ Mae West

[Breaking in a new venue – Rolling Forks Vineyards on Lake Minnewaska in Glenwood . . . ]

To love what you do and feel that it matters how could anything be more fun? ~ Katharine Graham

[We were there for the Cheese Bots, another of our longtime favorites . . . ]

As long as I’m having fun, I’m not quitting. ~ Sue Johanson

As a rock star, I have two instincts, I want to have fun, and I want to change the world. I have a chance to do both. ~ Bono

November 2022

Are we having fun yet? ~ Bill Griffith

[Joined by John and Helen Etnier, the prince and princess of Ashby, to see Elsa Lee at the winery . . . ]

January 2023

As long as you’re having fun, that’s the key. The moment it becomes a grind, it’s over. ~ Barry Gibb

[To see Anthony Miltich at Willy T’s . . . ]

Summer means happy times and good sunshine. It means going to the beach, going to Disneyland, having fun. ~ Brian Wilson

The universe is hilarious! Like, Venus is 900 degrees. I could tell you it melts lead. But that’s not as fun as saying, ‘You can cook a pizza on the windowsill in nine seconds.’ And next time my fans eat pizza, they’re thinking of Venus! ~ Neil deGrasse Tyson

April 2023

Comedy is a reflection. We create nothing. We set no styles, no standards. We’re reflections. It’s a distorted mirror in the fun house. We watch society. As society behaves, then we have the ability to make fun of it. ~ Alan King

[Wednesday night fine dining at Lure Lakebar . . . ]

May 2023

It’s kind of fun to be sexy. ~ Tea Leoni

[Galaxy Road playing at the winery . . . ]

July 2023

There is no sunrise so beautiful that it is worth waking me up to see it. ~ Mindy Kaling

[Dave, Karin, and super volunteer Janet Baker join the star of the show, Don Shelby, after the play Love Letters at TLHD . . . ]

August 2023

Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence in society. ~ Mark Twain

[TLHD’s annual fundraising soiree . . . ]

September 2023

I walk around like everything’s fine, but deep down, inside my shoe, my sock is sliding off. ~ Anonymous

[The usual suspects gather for an evening of entertainment with Anthony Miltich at Stella’s in beautiful downtown Battle Lake . . . ]

You know you’ve reached middle age when you’re cautioned to slow down by your doctor, instead of by the police. ~ Joan Rivers

[The Berg’s Twin City friends, Bob & Sue, join us at the winery for an afternoon with Anthony Miltich . . . ]

I never feel more alone than when I’m trying to put sunscreen on my back. ~ Jimmy Kimmel

There’s no need to dress like everyone else. It’s much more fun to create your own look. ~ Twiggy

[Or why I’m also more comfortable behind the camera . . . ]

November 2023

When I’m in social situations, I always hold onto my glass. It makes me feel comfortable and secure and I don’t have to shake hands. ~ Larry David

[November 17, 2023, our last get together, dinner at Biaggi’s in Maple Grove. They had recently moved from Alex to Plymouth to be closer to family and health care. They got away before we could take them out to dinner in Alex. Maybe some day we can get together again for a round of golf?]

Love when you can. Cry when you have to. Be who you must, it’s part of the plan. Await your arrival, with simple survival, and one day we’ll all understand. ~ Dan Fogelberg

January 14

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page. ~ St. Augustine

In 2003, I almost died of an intestinal blockage when I was on a mountain in Chile, filming a segment for ‘Scientific American Frontiers.’ ~ Alan Alda

[Little Ole signature photo representing the trip with Orsono Volcano in the Chilean Lake District as the background . . . ]

Our first cruise since the summer of 2019 when we went to Norway. My fondest memory of this cruise will be that I didn’t gain a single pound, a singular accomplishment in the world of cruising. It took us a full day to get there: From Minneapolis, to Atlanta, to Bogota, Colombia, to Santiago, Chile. The trip added five new counties to my repertoire: Colombia, Chile, Falkland Islands, Argentina, and Uruguay. I also added a couple of other firsts. I now have to answer the medical question “have you fallen down?” with a yes, twice. The first time was on the last week of the cruise while on the top deck star gazing (I still haven’t seen the Southern Cross) when I tripped over the barrier to the bocce ball court and fell flat on my face, bracing my left hand to protect my phone and will now do shoulder rehab. The last was in the Minneapolis airport when I should have known better than to use an escalator when overloaded with luggage. I took a lovely tumble that chewed up both shins. I made it home and am now on full reclusiveness at home in recovery. We are postponing today’s book club gathering until next weekend – even for lifelong Minnesotans, it was decided that a temperature of 40 degrees below zero wind chill would best be endured in the comfort of one’s own home (and in my case to avoid further injury). And now, our report . . . ~ Me

December 20

Not all those who wander are lost. ~ J.R.R. Tolkien

[As usual, the Super graciously volunteered to be the perspective model in our photos. Here in MPLS enroute to Atlanta on the first leg of the journey . . . ]

It can hardly be a coincidence that no language on earth has ever produced the expression, ‘As pretty as an airport.‘ ~ Douglas Adams

[In the Atlanta airport for leg two of the journey to Bogota, Colombia . . . ]

Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home. ~ Anna Quindlen

[Readying for the third and final leg . . . ]

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. ~ Mark Twain

[To Santiago, Chile . . . ]

December 21

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. ~ Marcel Proust

[Atrium of the Santiago Marriott Hotel . . . ]

Jet lag is for amateurs. ~  Dick Clark

[Little Ole came out to celebrate our arrival . . . ]

Travel far enough, you meet yourself. ~ David Mitchell

[Santiago has a population of 5.6 million and they all passed through the airport this morning!]

I think you travel to search and you come back home to find yourself there. ~ Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

[And a Merry Christmas from Santiago . . . ]

Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world. ~ Gustave Flaubert

[The hotel patio . . . ]

Why do you go away? So that you can come back. ~ Terry Pratchett

[The hotel restaurant . . . ]

Never did the world make a queen of a girl who hides in houses and dreams without traveling. ~ Roman Payne

[Dinner at said hotel restaurant . . . ]

But that’s the glory of foreign travel, as far as I am concerned. I don’t want to know what people are talking about. I can’t think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything. Suddenly you are five years old again. You can’t read anything, you have only the most rudimentary sense of how things work, you can’t even reliably cross a street without endangering your life. Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses. ~ Bill Bryson

[The view from our hotel room . . . ]

I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world. ~ Mary Anne Radmacher

[View from our hotel room side window . . . ]

There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

[Our first bus tour, cruising Santiago . . . ]

If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and avoid the people, you might better stay home. ~ James A. Michener

[The Super organizes her touring stuff . . . ]

We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next to find ourselves. ~ Pico Iyer

[Our tour guide, in seasonal antlers for the upcoming holiday . . . ]

Do we really want to travel in hermetically sealed popemobiles through the rural provinces of France, Mexico and the Far East, eating only in Hard Rock Cafes and McDonalds? ~ Anthony Bourdain

[Our first objet jour – our hotel . . . ]

Make voyages. Attempt them. There’s nothing else. ~ Tennessee Williams

[Gran Torre Costanera, previously known as Costanera Center Torre 2, and also known as El Costanera (The Costanera) by the locals, and previously known as Torre Gran Costanera, is a 62-story skyscraper in Santiago, Chile. It is the tallest building in South America. The tower was designed by Chilean architects Alemparte Barreda & Asociados, the Argentine architect Cesar Pelli and the Canadian company Watt International. ~ Wikipedia]

Travel brings wisdom only to the wise. It renders the ignorant more ignorant than ever. ~ Joe Abercrombie

[Plaza de Armas is the main square of Santiago. It is the centerpiece of the initial layout of Santiago, which has a square grid pattern. This urban design was accomplished by Pedro de Gamboa, which was appointed by Pedro de Valdivia in 1541. ~ tripadvisor.co[m]

Self-consciousness kills communication. ~ Rick Steves

[Christmas in the plaza . . . ]

It is always sad to leave a place to which one knows one will never return. Such are the melancholies du voyage: perhaps they are one of the most rewarding things about traveling. ~ Gustave Flaubert

[Pedro Gutiérrez de Valdivia or Valdiva; April 17, 1497 – December 25, 1553) was a Spanish conquistador and the first royal governor of Chile. ~ Wikipedia]

Every one of a hundred thousand cities around the world had its own special sunset and it was worth going there, just once, if only to see the sun go down. ~ Ryu Murakami

[STGO = Santiago . . . ]

There is strange comfort in knowing that no matter what happens today, the Sun will rise again tomorrow. ~ Aaron Lauritsen

[Perfect for kids . . . ]

I saw in their eyes something I was to see over and over in every part of the nation- a burning desire to go, to move, to get under way, anyplace, away from any Here. They spoke quietly of how they wanted to go someday, to move about, free and unanchored, not toward something but away from something. I saw this look and heard this yearning everywhere in every states I visited. Nearly every American hungers to move. ~ John Steinbeck

[Of course you already know the description . . . ]

Travel is glamorous only in retrospect. ~ Paul Theroux

[Our tour guide in photo center explaining all you can see in the plaza . . . ]

Anyone who needs more than one suitcase is a tourist, not a traveler. ~ Ira Levin

[The building on the right is the seat of the municipality of Santiago – the city hall – at the corner of the 21 de Mayo Street. It was built 1785-1790 by the italian architect Joaquín Toesca. First it was the seat of the cabildo, the colonial administrative council of the city, while it also served as the prison of the city. ~ panoramastreetline.com]

If I’m an advocate for anything, it’s to move. ~ Anthony Bourdain

[With City Hall as the background . . . ]

No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow. ~ Lin Yutang

[A tree not native to Alexandria, Minnesota . . . ]

That’s the place to get to—nowhere. One wants to wander away from the world’s somewheres, into our own nowhere. ~ D.H. Lawrence

Every hundred feet the world changes. ~ Roberto Bolaño

[The Palacio de la Real Audiencia de Santiago is a building located in the north central village of the Plaza de Armas in Santiago, Chile. The building dates back to 1808 and houses, since 1982, the National History Museum of Chile. ~ Wikipedia

The Palacio de la Real Audiencia de Santiago, which today houses the Museo Histórico Nacional (MHN – National History Museum of Chile). It was built 1804-07 by Juan Goycolea for the Royal Courts of Justice of Chile. Later it also served as the seat of the government of Chile. ~ panoramastreetline.com]

We can’t jump off bridges anymore because our iPhones will get ruined. We can’t take skinny dips in the ocean because there’s no service on the beach and adventures aren’t real unless they’re on Instagram. Technology has doomed the spontaneity of adventure and we’re helping destroy it every time we Google, check-in, and hashtag. ~ Jeremy Glass

[The Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago . . . ]

You don’t even know where I’m going. I don’t care. I’d like to go anywhere. ~ John Steinbeck

[The Super fronting a flock of lupine . . . ]

The saddest journey in the world is the one that follows a precise itinerary. Then you’re not a traveler. You’re a f@@king tourist. ~ Guillermo del Toro

[Washingtonia filifera, the desert fan palm, California fan palm, or California palm, is a flowering plant in the palm family Arecaceae, native to the far southwestern United States and Baja California, Mexico. Growing to 15–20 m tall by 3–6 m broad, it is an evergreen monocot with a tree-like growth habit. ~ Wikipedia]

There are two kinds of travel: first class and with children. ~ Robert Benchley

[Simon Bolivar fountain and monument to American Liberty at Plaza de Armas Square . . . ]

Did you ever notice that the first piece of luggage on the carousel never belongs to anyone? ~ Erma Bombeck

[Again, the cathedral . . . ]

The farther you go, however, the harder it is to return. The world has many edges, and it’s easy to fall off. ~ Anderson Cooper

[Inside the cathedral, where we were allowed a quick photo op . . . ]

Men read maps better than women because only men can understand the concept of an inch equaling a hundred miles. ~ Roseanne Barr

[Now this is an urban street as urban streets should be . . . ]

Travel does not exist without home….If we never return to the place we started, we would just be wandering, lost. ~ Josh Gates

[Another wonderful urban street . . . ]

Only it seems to me that once in your life before you die you ought to see a country where they don’t talk in English and don’t even want to. ~ Thornton Wilder

[Our tour bus. I know that because that’s what the sign says . . . ]

The only way I knew how to live the best day ever was on an expedition. ~ Hendri Coetzee

[The Former National Congress Building (ex Congreso Nacional) is the former home of the Chilean Congress. Congress met in this building in central Santiago until Salvador Allende’s socialist government was overthrown by Augusto Pinochet’s military coup d’etat on September 11, 1973. During the Pinochet dictatorship, Congress was moved to new premises in Valparaiso; the old building was declared a national monument in 1976 and between 1990 and 2006 housed the ministry of foreign affairs. The Senate moved its offices in Santiago to this building in December 2000. On January 26, 2006 the Chamber of Deputies recovered its old offices. ~ Wikipedia]

I heard an airplane passing overhead. I wished I was on it. ~ Charles Bukowski

[Continuing my urban street theme . . . ]

The best traveler is one without a camera. ~ Kamand Kojouri

[Close up of the plaza statue a few pics below . . . ]

I wonder if the ocean smells different on the other side of the world. ~ J.A. Redmerski

[See explanation above . . . ]

You can’t understand a city without using its public transportation system. ~ Erol Ozan

[The official government building, seat to the President of the Republic, is generally known as La Moneda. It also hosts the Home Office, the General Secretariat of the Presidency, the General Secretariat of the Government and the Ministry of Social Development. ~ thesingular.com]

It’s in those quiet little towns, at the edge of the world, that you will find the salt of the earth people who make you feel right at home. ~ Aaron Lauritsen

[Statue of Pedro Aguirre Cerda located at the Plaza de la Constitución. ~ Wikipedia]

[Plaza de la constitución (Constitution Square), Santiago de Chile. Occupying a full square block in the heart of the civic district of Santiago, Chile. It is located in front of the northern facade of the Palacio de la Moneda and is surrounded by other government buildings such as those housing the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Banco Central de Chile and the Intendencia de Santiago. ~ deviantart.com]

When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable. ~ Clifton Fadiman

It is better to fill your head with useless knowledge than no knowledge at all. ~ Jim Hinckley

[DIEGO PORTALES: (June 16, 1793 – June 6, 1837) was a Chilean statesman and entrepreneur. As a minister of president José Joaquín Prieto Diego Portales played a pivotal role in shaping the state and government politics in the 19th century, delivering with the Constitution of 1833 the framework of the Chilean state for almost a century. Portales influential political stance included unitarianism, presidentialism and conservatism which led to consolidate Chile as a constitutional authoritarian republic with democracy restricted to include only upper class men. ~ deviantart.com]

He didn’t really like travel, of course. He liked the idea of travel, and the memory of travel, but not travel itself. ~ Julian Barnes

Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. ~ Cesare Pavese

[An outdoor craft fair – the Super alleges she didn’t buy anything there . . . ]

Leave home, leave the country, leave the familiar. Only then can routine experience—buying bread, eating vegetables, even saying hello—become new all over again. ~ Anthony Doerr

[Adios, from Santiago . . . ]

Everything I did, all my actions, all of the problems I had I dedicate to God and to Chile, because I kept Chile from becoming Communist. ~ Augusto Pinochet

Chile has done a lot to rid itself of poverty, especially extreme poverty, since the return to democracy. But we still have a ways to go toward greater equity. This country does not have a neoliberal economic model anymore. We have put in place a lot of policies that will ensure that economic growth goes hand in hand with social justice. ~ Michelle Bachelet

Up Next: South America . . .