That's Gneiss! #108 ~ Dispatches from South America
In which we vicariously visit the southern hemisphere, where it is spring
I am excited to share with you the first report from Nolan and Mia’s trip to South America!
After three flights they finally reached their initial destination, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. They’re at an elevation of 8,000 feet. In comparison Los Alamos, New Mexico is at an elevation of 7,320 feet, and is the highest city in the US with a population over 10,000 (source). Nolan has been excited about this trip as he will be visiting a new bioregion, the Neotropical realm. So many plants to see!
Hmmm… it’s a good thing he likes geology too.
This is Valle de la Luna, an area known for amazing geologic features.
It is one of the most visited places in San Pedro and it is located at 17 kilometers of San Pedro's downtown, in the Cordillera de la Sal (Salt mountains) area, is an interesting area with stones and sand formations that per millenia the floods and the winds have given it a series of colors and texture to the desert, it presents an extraordinary attractive by its similarity with the moon surface and the natural coliseo of great dimensions. From a great dune is possible to appreciate the wonderful and surprising surroundings of this zone.
What a spectacular start to their trip! They also sent photos of pre-Incan ruins.
And yes - some plants.
The desert is blooming! We are extremely lucky, this is a very rare event in this region!
I had a very brief connection via Instagram messages with Nolan last night, and they are eating well and having a good time. I’m looking forward to more reports from the south.
Meanwhile, here in Everett…
I’m looking forward to a short (but intense) work week. If you’re here in the U.S., I hope you have a nice Thanksgiving no matter how you celebrate. Ours will be a quiet day - just me, Michael and the dog. And if you’re elsewhere, I hope you have a great week too!
Cheers!
Tidbits
Bullet journals with amazing art from @isabelhoops. Check out her Instagram for more (I especially love these jellyfish).
I enjoy these book reviews from Books on GIF. You might too!
Think the life of an audiobook narrator sounds glamorous? Think again.
Making: this week flew by and I didn’t do much but rest and read.
Reading: I set aside The Calculating Stars for a couple of days so I could read The Scarfolk Annual. It was everything I hoped for - dark, sinister, and funny! Started a new book this week - Fungipedia: A Brief Compendium of Mushroom Lore. It’s a much smaller book than I expected, but packed full of interesting bits.
Recently eaten: Despite the fact I’ve been sharing various restaurants we try out, Michael has not stopped cooking. I found this handy chart that shows quite a few of the meals he cooks. Just this week we had toad in the hole (sausages in Yorkshire pudding). Lancashire hotpot is in our near future, after a roast chicken dinner on Thanksgiving. Don’t let anybody tell you British food is icky, except for the crap tier. That stuff looks nasty.
Video of the Week
Enjoy!
Question of the Week
If you feel like answering the question (or to just say hello), hit reply to this email. Answers will be shared next week - always anonymous.
Last night I was entertaining myself looking through this thread on Twitter. There are some real doozies! Click through if you dare…
My question for you, now that the feasting holidays are upon us is much the same - what dishes evoke horror, wonder, or make you drool (in a good way) at your family gatherings, past or present?
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Last week I asked where you would go if you could teleport anywhere…
Re. teleportation: Of course, it'd be tempting to try and take a big trip - Kazakhstan or the Caucasus certainly come to my mind. But if I'm honest with myself, right now I'd love to teleport to the nice, temperate November desert, probably somewhere around Death Valley, and wander for a few days, sleep in the open, look at the geology, listen to the silence. Hope I can teleport a good supply of water along with me.
If I had the power of teleportation, I would go to the UK, Scotland in particular, and learn how to drive on the left side of the road. I’d drive all over Scotland, England and Wales, then I’d take the chunnel to France and drive all over there (on the right side of the road). I’d eat all the foods and climb all the towers.
Omnipotent teleportation. I’ve always wanted to experience every good party on a Halloween.
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