Here are a few shots of a chilean family spending the afternoon together in the park. Little Sofia, 1 year, learns to walk. Her cousin Mathias, five, helps her get up when she falls. And mom and dad are always nearby.

and she falls every couple steps…but mom is always there to catch her!

Some school girls hang out on the play ground after a field trip to the city center.

A family outting… we got these smiles as the car passed us at an intersection on the way to the park.

Yesterday my Chilean friend Paula and I went for a ride on the Teleferico! It’s a gondola that goes from one of Santiago’s major hills to another. It took us to the highest outlook of the city!!! By the time we got there the smog was rising from the streets. The a statue of the Virgin Mary sits on the crown of the hill. People write prayers to her here and come with petitions. At the top, we meet a group of school girls (they all wear uniforms) and got roped into a portrait shoot. After our descent, we had lunch: a sandwich Chilean style: pollo, tomate y palta (avocado). So good!!!!

(Per request, I’m making these photos bigger! The layout suffers momentarily…will be fixed soon! Now, I’m off to have lunch with Frank and the another afternoon of photography in downtown :) – have great day!)

The Plaza de Armas…where we began our photo tour of Santiago de Chile. It’s a great place to people watch. Apparently the up-and-coming artists think so, too.

We hadn’t been there long when a guy came up to us asking the typical, “So where are you from?” He practically begged us to let him sketch our portrait, and after we heard his special offer — “For you, only 1,000 pesos!” which is about two dollars, my friend and photo-buddy Paula accepted.

At first our friend Oscar was a bit camera shy…

…and Paula realized it’s kinda awkward getting your portrait taken.

But we all soon lightened up…

…and got wrapped up in our conversation…

…and our work…

…and the people resting from their work next to us…

…then came to inspect the piece of art…

Well, does it look like her?

The famous “Plaza de Armas” — every Spanish city has one. This is the central square where life happens, where fanmilies gather to relax on benches and gentlemen gather to play chess. Not the safest place to start our photo tour of Santiago… about 5 minutes after arriving in this city center a random lady came up to me with stern look of concern and said: “Cuide su camera!” — “Watch out for your camera!” Certain people here prey on tourist, and it’s wise to keep your valuables safe.

After a while of people watching, we discovered the pigeons. A Chilean family had brought seeds to feed to them. They were trying to convince little Prisila that the birds wouldn’t bite….. “Look Dad’s feeding them, they won’t hurt you. Here you try…” And after the initial tears (after she got used to the pecking), she came around. Grandmother tried to entertain the niñita as well, and following her example, mom and sister did too — by putting bird food in their hair :) What in the world…!

The portrait story tomorrow….

Every time I come here I’m taken by the majestic mountains that surround the capital of Chile.

About the time that the sun rises, two hours before landing in Santiago, they appear to the east.

Descending in the early morning fog in the Santiago Valley…

I arrived at Frank’s house (on the left) and a went out to snap a few pictures. The mountains in the background, the streets still glistening from the rain the day before. The cars, the trees, the streets — everything was rinsed clean from the smog. What a day to arrive!

Yesterday, Frank and I went to lunch with some friends. The Andes, once again caught my attention. Our friends here seem to be used to seeing them everyday…they were amused by my fascination with them. It’s just that we don’t have anything like it in North Carolina! :)

The highway runs underground through the city center and emerges on the far side of the city.

What a spectacular sunset!