Virtual SA: The Atacama Desert- Chile

Brrr...here in the Indiana November chill...it is easy to whisk away to the virtual warmth of Chile's Atacama desert!

A 41,000 sq. mile strip of land West of the Andes Mountains.

The second driest desert in the World!

Tour

https://youtu.be/1i-mQ7rfJp8?si=hIrhaDwJjaXYsxXp 

https://youtu.be/AdRIaS0tfJg?si=zMYKwgccMxsn8Tul

This desert is known for almost a total lack of precipitation. Not even one inch for the entire year.

The soil here has been compared to Mars.

Some parts are so arid that no plant/animal life can survive.

Closer to the ocean the fog provides enough moisture for both limited plant and animal life to thrive.

The edge-towns are sparsely populated.

There are several astronomical observatories here because of the high mountains, dry air, freedom from light pollution, and nearly non-existent cloud cover.

Tour

https://youtu.be/IM4hhIwlYpY?si=yC81AtmdmAswZmB-

Chilean Skies

https://youtu.be/W4BFQJsBRuk?si=Rerg7gZtc_B4Q8bZ

The Milky Way

https://youtu.be/XQ28OXLwFl4?si=P_v5zNiWBeZ6QaIT

One of the tourist events here is solar-car racing.

The First Solar Race

https://youtu.be/GHWvWxdTvQY?si=1R77Ri-M7xcjwwZh
 

About 80 km from San Pedro is a unique valley whose bottom is filled with multiple active geysers...which we will have to see!!!

Until then...

 

 

 

This Week's Cup...

 

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...the bears are sleeping!

And Fall is slowly falling here.

Everything turning brown and slowly drifting to the ground.

And COLD in the mornings , now.

"Yep...freezing my fuzzy butt off, Mom!"

                                                             -Finnegan

John's friend, Chris, won the spookiest yard Halloween Contest.

But outside was nothing compared to an indoor shot of his bedroom...I could not SLEEP like this.

How creepy is that???

Starting to feel like there might be bodies in the crawl-space.

Just sayin'  

My guy has been biking a lot...and the bike path is beautiful!

My favorite is when he calls me from the tunnel and wolf-howls!!!

Silly guy.

Don and I, had our Fall Bunch...and it was nice...catching up and politics and omg...Chris and Tina are pregnant and due in June! 

 Going to be the cutest baby, ever!!!!

Ola and I, also caught up this week and had our Fall luncheon.

So thrilled for Kayleb, who soon will have his
FIRST EVER apartment...and is very excited! I'm seeing a shopping trip in our near future.

Looking forward to pictures...and doing lunch together after he gets moved in.

The very best part is that he will have it for this Christmas!

Cinderella Day, today...cleaning and making potato soup and looking forward to the morning Colts game with John, and an afternoon visit by James and Jess (his fiancee) and the kids.

And getting ready for Lennon's arrival.

He will be up for his 35th birthday and over Thanksgiving!!!

Busy times, and life is good.

Love,

Carla and Finn.

Virtual SA: Chile (overview)

 So today we are here...

...virtually, anyway...

And true be told...I know nothing about this strip of coastal country...and will be discovering it along with all of you.

Officially The Republic of Chile it covers the coastline...has an area of 293,000 square miles and is home to about 17.5 million people.

The country also controls several islands...including Easter Island (who knew) and which we will be checking out on this adventure!

The name originates from "...where the land ends."

The people are a mixture of Indian, European, African...and the primary language is Spanish.

The predominate religion is Catholic.

There is a mixture of climates. From the driest of desert...to Mediterranean and subtropical...and even Alpine and Glacial in some areas.

So much to see and do in this very diverse country!

Come along.... 

 

Seriously????

 

What the hell, people?

I get sick for a week and a half...come back and ya'll have GONE CRAZY while I was gone.

That's it!

You're all grounded.

Yes...even you Israel...and don't you roll you're eyes at me, Palestine!

You're the REASON we can't have nice things.

Today, I'm missing Walter "That's The Way It Is" Cronkite...a lot.

I am appalled that Associated Press has to run a column now entitled

THINGS THAT ACTUALLY DIDN'T HAPPEN THIS WEEK

WTF?????

We don't know whether Putin had a heart attack...or not.

 Is alive...or dead...or being paraded around like Weekend at Bernie's

War still rages in Ukraine with Russia.

Israel and Palestine now, like 

Hold mah beer...and watch this.

Wall to wall coverage of Trump and family...because...yeah...indictments...crime...gag orders...Truth Social....and more. 

And Taylor Swift is eating my brain...and has taken over my football team.

And no...I NEVER wonder if Travis calls her Tay-Tay in private...okay????

Big Deep Breath.

So, OTHER than that Mrs. Lincoln...how was the play?

 

Woke at 7 AM with the cats....all the cats...

My Finnegan...his sister, Maggie...the feral Black Tom..and the neighbor's Charlie-Cat...

"Heard you serve breakfast."

Apparently, in Cat World...word travels fast.

And I am The Crazy Cat Lady for this winter...lol!

But it feels good to feel good again!

And, by tonight, I will have restored some semblance of organization/cleanliness to both myself and this house. 

Totally missed Week 7 and my team (Kansas City) plays Miami..at 9:30 in the morning...in Germany!

...which is 1:30 PM, there...

It is coffee, John, cherry pie and football for breakfast!!!

No word whether Taylor will be there, yet...or not.

...sigh...

Off for a hot bubble bath and then my Cinderella Day...and maybe a nap!

Love,

Carla, 

Finn and Maggie

 

Update:

 

And I'm loving this Sunday Morning Football from Germany!

 

Coffee, John, My Finnegan Cat, Bacon...an omelette, toast and butter, orange juice, and 21 (us) to 0 (them) at half-time!!!

And no TAYLOR SWIFT!!!!

What a great game so far....

 

We won...we won..we won!!!

Now I have to turn my attention to finishing up this place...I've a Fall Brunch to host tomorrow!!

 

 

 

 

 

October is Over...Our Road-Trip and Leaf-Peeping...and In Bed with a Bug.

 

Feeling a bit like Rip Van Winkle, after finally waking up and feeling a little closer to human, today!

Came home after our outing and proceeded to get really really really sick.

BLEAH!

Somewhere between a bad URI and cold...but less than the flu or pneumonia. After the second day of high fevers and sweats I did have the presence of mind to Covid Test...and it was negative...so there's that.

But the headache and fevers are gone...I'm re-hydrating and starting to actually feel hungry again for the first time in days...I'm rested (slept through two days)...and have to slip out and get my mail and pay the rent before they think I've died.

Anyway...October is over...bring on November!!!

An absolutely outstanding Fall!

John and I spent a few days in Terre Haute...plundered Val Demmings Park...

Set picnic dates for next Spring, Summer and Fall, here!

Went back-roading from Bridgeton...through Mansfield...Leaf Peeping all the way home!
 

Down into valleys with an abandoned population and over-grown wooden shacks.

"These people don't even know there IS a president."

Past outlying towns so far off the grid

 "These people KNOW...but they just don't care."

And hours later when I believed we were so fucking lost...I mean absolutely...completely...might have to move out here...lost...

We came on the Dunbar Covered Bridge and it was like

"Hey...I KNOW where we are!!!!!"

And in 11 minutes...we were back to civilization..and home.

It was an amazing adventure, honey!

But Fall has fell...and everything is turning the lovely shades of rust and brown that is November.

My black locust changing from green to yellow..then orange and rust...now depositing its tiny leaflets everywhere.

"And it is COLD, Mom!!!!"

                                            -Finnegan

Whose sister, Maggie, has started piling in with him for warmth...and maybe morning treats.

Gadget's position on the cold.

Pulling this mess back together and grateful to be feeling better!

Love,

Carla and Finn

 

 

 

 

Elect Clowns...Expect a Circus

 

First they oust McCarthy...then they say Scalise isn't extreme enough...Emmer lasted a record 4 hours before withdrawal...and currently Mike Johnson is "...in the barrel..."

WHO?

Yeah, I had to google him, too.

House Representative from Louisiana...election denier...wants no funding for Ukraine or Israel...Voted against abortion, same-sex-marriage...Trumper...

I've heard enough.

Not only no...but hell no!

Not going to get real worried, though...because

A.  Moderates probably won't vote for him.

B.  If they do...he will be gone in a year when we re-take the House...

C.  The Senate and President Biden will rein this guy in if he attempts to pass anything too crazy.

Got to love those checks and balances!

Off to start the day....

Sister's Day...Smurf Slaughter...Finnegan...Food & Football

 

Wonderful week and weekend!

Lisa was sick...and so Tina and I got together for October's
Sister Day...with  cornbread and beans and pumpkin desserts with caramel and cream cheese...and chat about life...politics...and love..and everything...she brought me one of her grown-on-the-farm pumpkins...and turned me on to this...

An air-fryer.

I LOVE deep fried foods...but am way too unsteady to use boiling oil anymore...enter a new way (for me) to get that deep fried taste, but much much safer!

We did the "test drive" with frozen Pumpkin Empanadas...in 10 minutes they were fully cooked...crisp and flaky with hot pumpkin filling.

From frozen uncooked dough!

IMPRESSIVE!!!

We drizzled plates with soft caramel and set them in the center

TAH DAH.

She gave me a cheat-sheet that showed what you could make....how it was to be prepped and how long at what temperature.

Later that evening, I would try potato wedges...which cooked to a crisp golden brown outside with light fluffy center in minutes.

Also realized how many things that can be made in an air-fryer...including potato chips!!!

Just like The Summer of Smoothies

...when I first got the Magic Bullet and blended all summer...

Now my shopping list criteria centers around what I can try to fix with an Air-Fryer.

Seriously, they ARE fairly amazing!

About the Smurf Crime Scene...

I blame Loretta.

...who, years ago, gave me matching fashion sense...which I had never had...
 

It all started with a turquoise blue turtleneck.

This one.

See that thumbnail which is exactly the same shade of polish as the shirt???

Yeah...that is how it all started...

In a rush to meet Kayleb for brunch...and running a bit behind (always)...I grabbed the recently purchased polish to match my sweater.

...actually I had  bought three different shades/bottles to match a tan sweater...a red one and this blue one...

I had already tried both the tan and the red out, and they were quick drying...easy to remove...very nice.

I had failed to noticed that the blue was gel.

OMFG!!!

And I was in such a hurry...rushing around to get ready...that I didn't notice for a long time that I was leaving blue splotches pretty much everywhere in the bathroom...and my newly painted nails were a mess.

Then I saw the blue splatters...and smudges...

To make a long story short...it looked like I had murdered a Smurf in the bathroom with my bare hands.

Stopping to get the polish remover...clean up the mess...then wash it all down the drain...now, it looked like I was disposing of the evidence of fore-mentioned Smurf killing.

...sigh...

Repainted the nails...made our brunch meeting...and reflected on the fact that fashion is highly over-rated.

 

My feral turning domesticated, Finnegan, is becoming more and more relaxed with me.

...at this point he will put his front paws and head in my lap...or across the threshold of the patio door...so half of him is domesticated...while his back half remains quite feral...

It's a PROCESS.

We're getting there.

And there was Football!

Sunday, John and I, watched The Browns and The Colts...then Kansas and The Chargers...then Miami and The Eagles...

 "Are you not entertained???"

The Colts Game was close...and good!

The Chiefs Game was not so close but very good...well...it would have been GREAT, but this

should have been the end of it.

But nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

...seriously...why did she have to start dating a guy on MY team???

Now, football has become Football and The Taylor Swift Show.

Look, I LOVE politics.

But not during my football.

I keep a pretty close eye on the Ukraine and Israel/Palestine Wars.

But not during my football, okay???

So every time Kelce moves...or coughs...or whatever...they have to immediately pan to Tay-Tay for her response.

Or now her BFF (Brittany Mahomes) who has made up a handshake with her...which they showed over and over and over...until you threw up.

And don't even get me started about the Swifties...who have now taken over the running football chat commentary with names like Twinkles16 and Rain and the like.

Gushing like fangirls...because...well..they are.

Honey...can we just skip ahead to the Break-Up Album???

 

And the late night game with Miami and The Eagles.

Ruined by These Guys.

I get that you have to hire the handicap...but 10 penalties on Miami and ZERO on The Eagles????

Who ya gonna believe...us or your lying eyes?

The company and snacks were good, anyway.

Getting the new week started.

 Love,

Carla and Finn