I flew to Santiago, Chile, last Sunday afternoon and arrived there the following Monday morning – wow, it’s a long flight! It’s winter in the Southern Hemisphere, which was a welcome break from D.C. heat. The mornings were chilly, and I was glad for my beautiful alpaca wrap I bought last spring in Bolivia. It was kind of overcast a lot of the week, but the last day was just glorious – sunny and clear. I could catch glimpses of the snow-covered mountains through the tall buildings.
Monday evening I went to dinner with the TDY consular chief and his wife – they are both delightful. Friday night, several of us from work went out for an excellent dinner and enjoyed several bottles of wine. I happened to catch a nice wine tasting at a liquor store one night and got to sample several really good ones. The prices are incredibly low, even in the restaurants – and boy, what great wine.
My friend Carla from Pakistan invited me to the Ritz for a spa day on Saturday – we enjoyed massages and the rooftop (glass-enclosed) pool, along with lunch and a little bubbly. We talked so much and time just flew by. Before I knew it, it was time to catch a taxi to the airport, and I got home mid-morning on Sunday.
Yesterday afternoon, my friend Pamela and her family dropped by while they were in the neighborhood – a welcome impomptu visit with them! The kids are getting all grown up!
John got a great “congrats” note from our Hendrix College “peeps” – very clever!
Today marks the one-year anniversary of losing the funny, wonderful Howard DePietri – what a great guy.