Edward Hopper, The Indians, an Irish Pub, and a Death

Saludos Guillermo,

¿Qué tal? Sorry I haven’t written in a few days. Jamie was here. It’s always good to see him, really one of my few true friends. Although, I think we have passed the political arguing stage - it’s too exhausting. The drinking and talking stage is also gone, yet I don’t think Jamie knows that yet. It was good to talk science and politics, and I got him to accept and wear the ‘Impeach Him!’ button. His revulsion at the Bushies is almost as strong as mine. Of course, we all pale in comparison to the venom in your Mother heart for the Republicans. Never accuse your Mother of not taking a position. She gave Jamie a through talking to regarding illegal immigration. You know that story.

We had a good few days with Jamie. I took yesterday off. Jamie and I went to the National Museum of the American Indian and the new Edward Hopper exhibit at the East Wing of the National Gallery. The Hopper exhibit was spectacular – and my fondness for Hopper is not coloring my opinion. It was an experience. I had never seen most of the paintings in the exhibit, only a few really. Nighthawks is famous, I’m sure you have seen it. There is something haunting about his work. It’s all about color, light and loneliness. Enough on art interpretation, you’ll have you own thoughts on the paintings. Sometime when the mood strikes you give Hopper a look – I’m sure you will not regret it.

The National Museum of the American Indian was our second Mall stop; we should have left after the Hopper Exhibit. It was a disappointment; it was so bad that I’m not even sure where to begin. They had very few artifacts, the design was chaotic, and the historical thread non-existent, but why go on. No point in a meticulous description of the bad and ugly. Don’t waste you time; you’ll thank me.

Our last stop was the Dubliner Pub up by Union Station. I had never visited it – it’s been a renowned political hang-out for probably fifty years. Jamie tries to visit it on all his Washington trips. What can I say it was a pub, dark wood, the smell of beer and fried food, the service was good and the beer was cold?

I’ll probably be a year or two before I see him again, but that’s how things go. He keeps me up too late. The night owl in me has retired. I’ve reversed things a bit. I go to bed early, and get up early – usually between three and four. The evening had become a waste, I was too tired to read or write, too tired to even watch decent TV. I would watch crap TV and eat – not a good thing. Now it’s different, I get up, read, write, edit photos, whatever strikes my fancy until it’s time to get Andrew up and ready.

You will still have to be patient regarding your account; I suspect it will still take a couple more weeks to straighten it out. I have had to find a bunch of paper to confirm that the money was yours, and not mine. If we are lucky it will be sooner. I’ve been assure that it will all be resolved. I hope that your money is holding out alright. Please let me know if there is a problem.

Andrew seems to be thriving, he seems to have his nose to the grindstone – well, let’s not go overboard, yet, he does seem to be working. His Eagle project is progressing nicely; he probably will have his project write up done this weekend – if I push. As you can see he did a great poster on Hunter Thompson for his Theory of Knowledge class. He got an ‘A’ on his first AP Stat class of the year. I’m proud of him, he’s working, thinking, and beginning to engage; it’s a pleasure to watch.

I read your last letter to Mom; I empathize with your claustrophobic living situation. As nice as your family seems to be, it’s still a small space and strangers – very different than home and school. Hopefully as the weather improves and the city comes out of the chill of winter you will find some places to hang out and relax.

When I was first in Spain I lived with a woman and her Mother, Conchita and Momma. Conchita reminds me a bit of B****** – she was loud, occasionally boorish; nice but always in your face – a real little Napoleon. Conchita was always trying to get me to pay my traveling companion’s, Mike Sweeny, board – not that he wasn’t paying; she just wanted it in advance. But Mike’s another story, unfortunately he returned from Spain in a box.

Momma could barely hear, one side of her face drooped due to a stroke. I doubt she could see out of her left eye – her left lid only opened a crack. She’d slowly shuffle around the apartment with her walker. You’d hear the bang of the feet of her walker come down on the wooden floor followed by the sounds of her slippers scraping forward.

Hearing and watching them go at one another over the Thursday paella preparation was a sight to behold. Momma’s handicaps didn’t slow her down a bit. It probably was an advantage; she wasn’t distracted by hearing Conchita’s machine gun Spanish at 50 decibels. Two simultaneous tirades going off at full blow – can’t say I understood most of it, but body language is universal, and the paella was great. The thought of paella and un vaso de tinto makes my mouth water.

I was only at Conchita’s for the first summer, after that I paired up with a couple of other students for an apartment at the end of a long subway and bus ride from the University.

We got some bad news yesterday Robin’s mother died. It was expected, she had been gradually slipping away, nevertheless it is hard on them. She had been living in Charlotte with Neil and Robin for the last year or so. Neil had multiple televisions set up in the living room so that she could watch the Steelers while Neil watched the Panther’s. Drop Robin a line - know she would appreciate it; her email is R--@---------.com.

Well, once again it is time to close. Always remember we think of you constantly.

Love you, miss you, and take care down there.

Dad

The Night Bus to Santiago or Good Bye to the Black Sands of Pucon

Greetings William,

How was your return trip to Santiago? I assume that it was an over night trip. Were you able to get any sleep? Unfortunately I can't sleep on a bus. I took an over-night trip to Tikal in Guatemala last year. It was an interesting trip, but long. I wrote about the tri in my blog – if I remember correctly you told me the story was too long and needed photographs – not exactly a ringing endorsement, yet you were right, especially for the internet.

Things are not straighten out yet with your bank account. Hopefully it will be in the next week. Not really too much new here. Jamie Jester will be in town for a few days this week. We always look forward to his visits.

Andrew is making progress on his Eagle project – the write-up is just about ready for submission. He still has to get the sponsorship letter from the Audubon Society and make arrangement for TW Perry to pay for and deliver the mulch; and then it's off to Byron Lord. Hopefully he can finish it up in the next month. Between his project, SAT's, the ice cream shop and college visits he has his plate full.

Speaking of which, his first day back at work is this morning – he's filling in for somebody; working from 11:30 am to 3:00 PM. It'll help him get into the swing of things.

Mom and I saw a film I think you'd enjoy the other night – actually Mom fell asleep and I've seen it before, nevertheless, it's an impressive film. El Misterio Galindez (The Galindez File in the English speaking world) is the story of Jesus Galindez a Basque separatist in Franco's Spain. He is a professor exiled to Trujillo's Santo Domino in the fifties. He moves to New York writes an expose of the Trujillo family and the story evolves around the reaction. Saffron Burrows 9her parents had to be hippies) plays a graduate student writing her thesis on the disappearance of Galindez. Harvey Keitel plays contemplative scotch drinking bad guy – what more could you want in a character portrait? It is in the tradition of Costa Gavras' Missing. In fact, I think it is better than missing, the story, the acting, the entire package is better – it is much less Hollywood. El Misterio Galindez is a Gerado Herrero film. If you get a chance give it a try – I know you'll be impressed.

Mom has taken up beading. Now, when I think of beading I think of little girls and brightly colored cheap plastic beads and fishing line. No, no, no once again my impression is yet another illustration of my lack of contact with reality. Beading is a high hippie art form – much in the same way that quilting has melted the folk art with hippie culture. A beading store in Takoma Park should certify the validity of my insight if you doubt me. Mom has partnered with a woman at work to bead for peace. She has acquired the basic tools for the art – a few wire cutting tools and a beading board. She came home the other day with her first efforts. I must say, very impressive – beautiful in fact; not even a hint of the middle age art & craft culture (see attached photo). She made the one in the photo for Jeannie's birthday.

Well, I better get going, it's Sunday morning and time to get moving. Mom has already used two different vacuum cleaners this morning.

Love you, miss you, and take care down there.

Dad

Western Union Money

William,

This may be obvious, but… You can not use your account until I tell you, so do not put money in your account

Just a reminder, in case you didn’t realize.

Love you, miss you, and take care down there.

Dad

Money Issues

Dear William,

I am sorry about all of this. Your account is also in my name which is what I suspect caused the problems. Anyway, I have wired you $500 to Western Union through American Express. You can pick up the money from any Western Union Office in Chile. There are a couple of offices in Pucon. One is at the Tur Bus LDA, so if you get this before you leave on your bus you will have the money.

The following is what you will need to pick up the money:

1. Your passport – I told them that you passport was made out in the name of XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX – if is not exactly that please let me know right away. They will not release the money to you.

2. At the Western Union Office tell them that you are there to receive money wired to you. They will give you a ‘Receivers Form’ One of the questions will be ‘Sender’ The sender is ‘Mxxxxxxxx Ixxxxxxxxxxx’ where ‘Mercury’ is the first name and ‘International’ is the last name.

3. They will also ask you for the Money Transfer # - it is 4xxxxxxxxx.

4. At that point they should release the money to you.

You are able to pick-up the money at any Western Union location in Chile. They will give you the money in local currency. The address of the Western Union office in Pucon is located at Tur Bus LDA , O’Higgins 448 B Pucon – phone number 56 45443934. If you can not get the money in Pucon before you leave, you can get it in Santiago. Don’t wait until Saturday to try and pick it up. The money is only active there for 48 hours – then we would have to do everything all over again.

If you have any problems you can call American Express Global Assist the number is:

Globe Assist Hotline:

1 800 333-AMEX Toll Free

715 343-7977 Collect

You can call the 715 number collect if necessary; they will accept the charges. The American Express reference number is XXXXXXX. They will assist you, if any problems arise with the transfer.

If you need assistance locating Western Union location go to there web site, here is what I’ve com up with:

Pucon

Western Union Agent locations/Addresses Phone Numbers

TUR BUS LTDA
O HIGGINS 448 B PUCON
PUCON

(56) (45) 443934

---

CORREOS DE CHILE
FRESIA 183
PUCON

(56) (45) 443022

---

CHILEXPRESS S.A.
BDO OHIGGINS 524
PUCON, TEMUCO

(56) (45) 449506

---

TUR BUS
AV. COLO COLO 430
PUCON, PUCON

(56) (45) 443023

Santiago – Providencia

SERVIPAG
HERNANDO DE AGUIRRE 136
PROVIDENCIA
SANTIAGO, REGION METROPOLITANA

(56) (2) 2312658

---

TUR BUS
PROVIDENCIA 1403 LOCAL 35-D
SANTIAGO

(56) (2) 2351713

---

SERVIPAG
ALONSO DE CORDOVA 6045
LAS CONDES
SANTIAGO, REGION METROPOLITANA

(56) (2) 3422161

There are many locations in Santiago, but check there hours or call before you go. You can check the hours through the Western union web site http://www.westernunion.com

Please write back immediately to let me know that you received this email. I will try and call you. I tried tonight but you must have had your phone off, or away from signal and you phone does not have a voice box. If for some reason you can not send email – send it to me through face book.

Again William, I am sorry for the trouble. Also let us know as soon as you receive the money. Be careful carrying all that money, use your money belt. I’m not sure how soon you will be able to use your ATM card; I will let you know as soon as I know.

And finally…

Love you, miss you and take care down there!

Dad

Dictators, Scoundrels and the People Who Love Them

Saludos William,

Greeting from the northern hemisphere; I guess your adventure to the Lake District has begun or is about to begins. Pucon, the destination of the elite the Chilean smart set, the locale of a hell of a party. Sounds like fun; I know you'll have a ball � muy divertido. Are you going for the entire week? From what I can gather, semena patrias lasts the entire week with the 18^th and 19^th as the principal days of the celebration. Take lots of photos. Have a great time, enjoy the fiestas, the beauty of the countryside, and be safe. I won't go into the evils of drinking, but… Be careful.

And now for the news of the Shields clam; your mother is recovering nicely; it's really only a matter of taking the antibiotics. All and all she seems to be doing very well. She hired a new employee today; she was so happy she came home and made herself a margarita. The computer has been repaired, they came to my office within 24 hours of my call; spent about 40 minutes replacing the mother board and they were off. Andrew did not get a part in the play, so sound crew it is for him; probably all for the best, he has his Eagle project, SAT prep, school selection, etc to deal with, not to mention all the excitement of senior year. Jamie Jester will be visiting town for a few days in a week or so.

Mike, the dog with attitude, is insisting more than ever to be treated as a human. Mom continues the battle, but Mike refuses to relinquish his right to use the furniture in the same manner as any other member of the family. He states his case pretty clearly, being the only dog linguist in the family; I serve as interpreter; that is, when I can get a word in edgewise with all the 'Go, go, go!' and 'Bad dog!' Nevertheless, Mike rests his legal case on the American Disabilities Act � the discrimination and intolerance he is subjected to are blatant violations of his basic right to equal treatment. His inability to speak English; and his lack of opposable thumbs in no way vitiates his expectation of equal justice under the law. Whenever the argument gets particularly tense, Mike throws Haley in Mom's face, 'How can you be so hard on me when I am such a model dog compared to Haley?' He has even gone so far as to threaten to bring Jeannie into the argument. I'm not sure where it will end; stay tuned the saga continues.

Since reading your letter, I've been thinking about Pinoche and Allende. I remember the time; I was about your age. It was an exciting time; from a continent away Allende appear to represent hope � he was democratically elected; he represented a breath of refresh air. He promised dramatic change within the confines and the law and constitution, yet that wasn't the whole story, from either side. South America was all dictatorships and oligarchies. Allende represent hope to many, fear to others. He represented a major redistribution of wealth. Pinoche was the defender of the status quo � the true believer in the system of privilege. It was part of the cold war. It happened at the time of Castro's and Che's attempts to turn South America into a revolutionary battleground. The United States feared Soviet advances in the southern hemisphere. Castro wasn't the joke he is today. He was young fresh, and still captured the hope and imagination of the oppressed.

I wish I knew more, I wish I was comfortable with my understanding of the local, national, and international context. What I do know is that it was a manifestation of evil. I don't think that Pinoche viewed himself as an oppressor or monster � yet he was a manifestation of fear � in much the same way that Lou Dobbs represents and speaks for fear. Nonetheless Pinoche was a monster, and evil. You are lucky, you have an opportunity to explore the roots of that evil, gently I hope. It should be an eye opening exploration. Remember that evil by itself is impotent, yet mixed with fear it can be the powerful, it can destroy civilizations and shame an entire people.

Pues nada, hasta el próximo vez.

Love you, miss you, and take care down there.

Dad

Volver

Hello William,

So what’s new? Have you recovered from you trip to the desert? So how is the internship gong?

Not too much new on the home front. I’ve been home sick the last couple of days with a stomach bug, and a nasty Skype virus. I’ve recovered from the stomach bug, but it is still unclear if the Skype virus has been cured. If you get a strange chat messages in Skype do not open a file to which the chat message refers, or click on the path that is mentioned in the chat message. The Skype virus does not do much damage except in Skype but it is a bear to remove. It also seems to interfere with my McAfee antivirus program. In fact, it even kept me from opening a Washington Post article on the virus. I could open any other article but when I tried to open the Washington Post article on the virus it shut Forfire down.

I got the virus from a woman outside of Barcelona, an intercambio friend; it spread like a wildfire, just about everyone I know has it. A man I know in London has had forty incidents of it. It is a worm virus. Anyway, I hope that you don’t get it.

Andrew is still plugging away at school. He has to go to English Plus this semester but is cleared for extra curricular activity; which reminds me I have to call Monte to set up an appointment to make sure that Andrew is all straight for graduation. He has tried out for the school play. I think he’ll get a part. He got a call back. He was originally going to just work sound crew but the lure of the footlights were too much. I hope he does get a part; he’s been in no-extra-curricular hell for most of his high school career, the excitement will be good for him.

He also has SAT prep class. He said that it is helping. Now that he has his cast off, he can start work again. He’s excited about his senior year.

Troop 463 is cranking up for another year, I can’t say that I am very enthusiastic – in fact I missed the parent meeting and the picnic, first time since you joined. Andrew has submitted his Eagle project to James. James replied but I haven’t seen his comments.

I finally gave up on getting Andrew to get his computer fixed. I called and they will come and put a new mother board in it later this week. Anyway they will come to my office to make the repair. The next thing we have to get him on-track with is driving. Once he renews his license, he can start to practice again. Who know if he agrees to get up early on the weekend, maybe he’ll even have it by the time you get back.

I watched Volver, Almodóvar’s film with Penelope Cruz, yesterday. It was brilliant; I’ll always remember it. Penelope Cruz was a delight, the entire cast was remarkable. The storytelling was the highlight of the film. Almodóvar does a brilliant job weaving the different story threads together at the last minute. It’s only close to the end that you realize what is going on. It makes the intertwining of the story lines in Crash seem crude. I loved the way he plays off the superstitions of the village against the modernity of lower-class Madrid. On the face of it is a sad story, but that’s not how I reacted, it was a delight. If you haven’t seen it, see it, if you have let me know what you thought about it. I have to see more of Pedro Almodóvar.

Well, once again it is time to say.

Love you, miss you, and take care down there.

Dad

Mom

William,

Thanks for the note. She is fine, up and cleaning the house today – one day in bed is about all her nerves will tolerate. Her leg is looking much better. She has an appointment in the morning. She switched internist – she has the same doctor as you and I.

Not much else new. Andrew has developed an interest in Gilford Collage. It is a Quaker school in Greensboro, NC. I think he is still interested in Johnson & Wales but is reluctant to committing to cooking – I think he sees it as a life-time commitment, if not intellectually, emotionally. We will probably arrange a visit to Greensboro in the next six weeks or so, it’ll be an excuse for Mom to visit Neil and Robin.

Now on to the news – Levi Leipheimer won the US Road Cycling Championship in Greenville SC. George Hincapie, last years champion came in second - one and two for the dissolving Discovery Channel team. Hincapie is moving to the T-Mobil team. The Steelers stomped Cleveland today; the Skins beat Miami, and at the moment Dallas is beating the Giants.

Got to go, more later.

Love you, miss you and take care down there.

Dad

Update on Mom

William,

Just a quick update on Mom, I took her to Kaiser yesterday evening. She is back on the antibiotics, so the saga continues. She has a follow up appointment on Monday. She is a bit bummed out about the recurrence, but other wise fine. The good news is no hospital, no IV drip, and it is beginning to look better after a few doses of antibiotics.

Not much else new. The car is giving me problems – something to do with the heat. I always have problems in the middle of a hot afternoon. I got stuck in the parking lot in the Randolph Hill Shopping Center on Boiling Brook Parkway. To top it off, in my frustration I locked the keys in the car. AAA came to tow the car, but forgot the kit to break into the car. They sent another truck with the kit, so it wasn’t too bad. The kit was interesting. First they tape the hinge of the door to protect the paint from the wedge. They pyre the door a little, then feed an air bag into the crack. They pump up the air bag, and presto the door opens enough to feed in a hook to pull open the lock.

OK, that’s it for now; I just wanted to fill you in on Mom.

Love you, miss you, and take care down there.

Dad

A Joke

Hello William,

Greetings from the center of the universe, or rather the fantasy land of the Bushies, although my mother holds firmly to the belief that the sun revolves around Pittsburgh.

So, how is your adventure going?

I have a joke for you.

Two women meet at the pearly gates waiting to be admitted to heaven. The first one asks the second, ‘How did you die?’ The second woman responds, “I froze to death, and how about you?’

The first woman answers, ‘I came home early from work because I suspected that my husband was having an affair. I found my husband on the couch calmly watching TV. Still suspicious I ran around the house like a mad woman; I checked the closet, the basement, and under the beds, and finally I ran up to check the attic. While running up the steps I had a heart attack and died.’

The second woman responds, ‘That’s a shame, if you had check the freezer we’d both be alive.’

It’s early Saturday morning, Andrew has SAT practice in a few hours, I am planning on a bike ride to Capitol Hill. I rode down last week, but this week I want to explore. I want to ride all the way back to RFK Stadium. It’s a fairly large area. But with my trusty Bianchi Volpe distance is not an obstacle.

Einstein had it first football game last night – they beat Wheaton – 20 zip. In fact, Wheaton conceded with five minutes left in the game. Sounds strange, doesn’t it? Twenty to nothing is a thumping, but conceding with five minutes to go?

We think Mom’s infection is back. The spots are back and her leg is swollen. She started the antibiotics again – what a pain, but hopefully she caught it in time. We are waiting to hear from the doctor. No need to worry, the doctor had given her a prescription for the antibiotics with instructions to begin them immediately if the infection raises its ugly head.

Thanks for giving me permission for Facebook. It was actually a mistaken request. I joined Facebook because one of my Spanish practice groups just set up a Facebook page; and in the setup process I accidentally sent out invites or requests to friends in my address book. Andrew has ignored me, but I’m actually glad you didn’t ignore me, because Mom and I were able to see the photographs your fellow students posted on your page from Chile. Nice shots! Mom was thrilled. The photos give us a real sense of what you are up to and the environment in which you are studying. The desert is impressive; we topped it off last night by watch Motorcycle Diaries, with scenes shot in the Atacama.

Chris and Raven have accepted our invitation for Thanksgiving; so the Shields’ Shire will morph into MaraNation. I’m sure that Rob and Jeannie will come; Vickie usually goes to visit her relatives in Ashville for holidays. I’m sure the Bill, Jennifer and Nora will be here, if we’re in town and Mom is cooking; they will be here. Neil and Robin will probably be in Charlotte. Robin’s Mom is on death door. She has returned from the hospital, and they have arranged hospice care at the house. It is especially difficult on Neil and Robin since her mother has advanced Alzheimer’s so she doesn’t know where she is – I’m not sure whether or not she recognizes Neil and Robin. As difficult as it is for everyone concerned it is better the hospital, and when she understands where she is, Robin’s mother is happy.

So, that’s about it for today. Write soon, and with my usual adieu…

Love you, miss you, and take care down there.

Dad

Welcome Back from the Desert

Welcome back from the desert. I can imagine the stars, once I was out on a boat and the sky just happened to be filled with stars that night; but still, probably not like what you saw. Was there shooting stars?

Anyways, glad to hear you had a good trip. It gets quiet in the middle of nowhere, doesn’t it? Thanks for the Cameron help; it never came to me.

I have never heard the expression ‘Que fome’ can you translate. It is either a unique Spanish expression or I just missed it somewhere along the way.

Andrew got his cast off.

Everything is quiet here, oh, by the way, James has a web site on the wedding. It is www.jamesandjulie.org. Not much else new, just was saying hi. I’ll write later.

Love you, miss you, and take care down there.

Dad

Skype Is Working!

William,

Skypes should be working, your account is open and you have $10.00 of credit let me know when you need more. You also have a Paypal account.

Love you, Miss you, and take care down there.

Dad

AmEx

Hi William,

I hope all is well, and that you are having a great time in Atacama.

I can’t find the copy I made of your Am Ex card. I need the info to finish setting up your Skype account. Please send me the #, the expiration date and the security code. The security code is on the front in the upper right hand corner – it is a four digit number in white. For security purpose please send the information in three separate emails; i.e., the number in one email, the date in another, and the code in a third.

Thanks, I will write more soon. Love you, miss you, and take care down there.

Dad

By the way, check out www.williamjohnshields.blogspot.com for the sights and sounds of the Kensington Labor Day Parade.

Labor Day & The State Fair

Hi William,

Just a quick note to let you know we are thinking of you on Labor Day.

Mom went to the State Fair in Timonium yesterday with Rob and Vickie, spent the night, and dined at the Owl Bar in the Belvedere Hotel on Charles Street. From Moms description it reminds me of a shabby version of the Algonquin Hotel in New York City. She got back in time to meet me at the Labor Day Parade in Kensington. The parade was the usual and fun. We went with the Ivories, and meet the Doherty there. Nora just returned from a visit to Marquette University in Milwaukee. It’s Catholic, Jesuit and in the Midwest. It also has an excellent program in speech therapy.

Andrew spent last night at Daniels, so he sort of met us at the festival after the parade; actually, he meet his friends and said hello to us in passing. He is doing well. He is in the throws of the SAT course. He is finally getting serious about driving. He is now in a hurray to get his license. Of course, he has to renew his learners permit first. On Thursday he will have his cast removed.

I spoke to Chris today. He is having a tough time of it, Raven, lack of work, exhaustion. He sends his greeting. He may come to Washington for Thanksgiving. It looks like this year will be a Mara Thanksgiving. The Maybe the entire clan will descend on Wheaton for the Holiday. It will be a strange Thanksgiving for you. Chile does not celebrate Thanksgiving, at least not our Thanksgiving. But I imagine your group will have some sort of celebration.

The only thing else going on today, the grass cutting – in the back yard it was more of a dust storm; it’s been so dry.

Anyway, as I said, just a short note. And remember…

Love you, miss you, and take care down there.

Dad

Atacama, and El Norte

Hi William,

Good morning. I assume you are viewing the wonders of the Atacama today. Viewing the salt mountains; the flamencos; feeling the driest place on earth suck the moisture out of you, what is the agenda of these trips? Do you have any free time to explore? Do you have classes? Tell us about a typical day of your adventure.

Not much new here. Labor Day weekend, I have an intercambio in about an hour with a Spanish professor of electrical engineering; he is currently doing research at a university in England. I jokingly call him the ‘spanish nazi,’ a la the ‘soup nazi.’ I like him but he is very intense – very anxious about learning English. Actually he is doing great. It is his second stint in England. This time for six months, the first time he only stayed three months. My intercambios with him are not very relaxed – he corrects every mistake, and he types as we talk, but he is great. The intercambios are helping my Spanish enormously. Speaking of which, I have one intercambios that may be of interest to you. This connection just started in the last few days. Isabel Saavedra Trijillo is a professor of English at - you guessed it, Diego Portales – rather the English institute at Diego Portales. She is not a regular faculty – an adjunct of some sort. She is from Colombia and married to a Chilean gentleman, which is her reason for living in Santiago. She lives in Las Condes very near the Parque Arauco – not actually a park, but rather a big mall. Anyways, she said that if you need anything please get in touch with her and she means it. I’m sure you won’t but it was nice of her to offer. I spoke to her yesterday; she told me that this winter has been the coldest in Santiago in forty years, but that Saturday was ‘magnifico’. She said that the pollution is bad in Santiago in the winter.

Everyone is well, Andrew had a SAT class yesterday, Mom washed and waxed both cars, and I went on a bike ride to Capitol Hill. Did you know that there was a fire at Eastern Market? They have to rebuild, the vegetables stands have moved outside. I’m not sure where the meat stands have gone. They will rebuild, it wasn’t burnt to the ground, but the roof is gone. Rob and Vickie came to dinner for Andrew’s birthday. Andrew also invited Matt and Owen for dinner; as they say, a good time was had by all. Matt and Owen are beginning to grow on me. Matt reminds me of Mathew Broderick’s sidekick in… Now I can’t remember the name of the movie, The one Jennifer Gray played his sister. You know the one Broderick plays the coolest kid in school. It is very good, a classic example of kids role parents drool movie. Anyway, it will come to me, probably five minutes after I sent this letter.

Today, Mom is going to Baltimore to go to the Maryland State Fair with Rob – they want to see the animals – Rob said something about a pig race. Something tells me that Vickie will take a pass on the excursion to the Fair. I think I’ll pass; although it would present a good photo opportunity. Mike expects his weekly trek through the wilds of Wheaton Regional, the grass needs cut, and Andrew has no interest in the State Fair. Monday - it’s the Kensington Labor Day Parade.

Otherwise all is normal, quiet, the end of summer, the heat has broken, the birds are singing, and the windows are open. So until next time…

Love you, miss you, and take care of yourself down there.

Dad