Valle de los Artistas

This weekend has been a weekend to relax, as I think I have mentioned before. The September 18 festivities are only days away. Francisco had the front gate sanded and revarnished and it looks nice.

I spent the day relaxing, listening to the music some students had burned onto a CD for me. I looked at my schedule for tomorrow for a rato (quick moment) and then decided to start doodling. I had bought a little drawing book and some colored pencils in Santiago when I first arrived and sometimes I pull it out. I was told of a great way to make some glasses out of wine bottles. My orginal thought had something to do with the bases of the bottles for a glass project but I wasn´t sure how to cut out th base. Our Nany told me all I needed was some string, kerosene, and a match. I think I will try this when I get home. I started sketching out my thoughts, but those thoughts started to turn into some creatures that could be equally as fun to make. We will see.

The rest of the afternoon was a trip to the Valle de las Artistas. If I hadn´t seen a student project with pictures of the sculptures, I wouldn´t have known it had existed. Ana and I went with another teacher, Juan (who the students call Mr. Bean because he looks like Mr. Bean and he is funny). We drove and drove and drove. Black topped roads turned to gravel roads and soon we were driving through vineyards. We laughed as we thought we would never get to this Valley that none of us had seen. Ana turned the wheel over to me toward the end of the trip, since she wasn´t so sure on some of the roads. We nearly got stuck at one turn around, as the road we had been on had a huge trench that we weren´t going to be able to cross.

We took some pictures and admired the views....thought about the sculptures, as some of them were quite interesting, or strange. We laughed some more and then I drove us home. This was the first time I really drove in Chile. I usually don´t, only because I don´t want any accidents to happen on my uninsured ass. I have to admit, though, that the one thing I realized I really miss is the freedom an automobile brings. I might have to rent a car one day and go for a drive...we will see. ;)

Well, that is the news for today. Tomorrow is Monday y voy a acostarme (I am going to sleep).

Buenas Noches,

jami