Brother Reunion in Chile
		February 2005 Larry and Marianne, and Ray and Shelley arrived together for a family visit. It was the first time in Chile for all of them except for Ray who had come for a long weekend 5 years earlier. We cooked a nice dinner for our company, but poor Shelley had to have hers on bed, suffering from the afteraffects of a root canal on the morning that she left the USA. She recovered quickly to join the fun.

We went to visit with our friends in Melapilla at their farm, about an hour west of Santiago. We enjoyed seeing their vineyards, orchards, animals, birds, views of the valley, and topped off our day with a fun family cookout.   A Day at the farm   Fine food and fine friends made for a great day.

	We enjoyed a "family dinner" at DaDino's with Mónica, Gustavo, Flacca, Alejandro and Cote.

Zapallar, Chile We reserved rooms in a hotel for a mini-vacation in Zapallar on the Pacific coast.

		We enjoyed walks along the rocks and at the beach, relaxing at the pool, taking and sharing pictures, quiet conversations, dining together, and seeing the sun set over the ocean.

Viña del Mar and Valparaíso

We took the long way back to Santiago, driving south along the coast, so that we could introduce our company to this popular and picturesque coastal area with its scenic beaches and historic port.

Ray and Shelley found this spinning class facility available on the beach, but there wasn't time for a class.

		After checking out the beaches, we drove on to Valparaíso. This colorful and historic port city with its steep hills is known for its ascensors. The one we took to the top was built in 1893.

		At the top we enjoyed the views, did some sightseeing, went shopping for souvenirs, and ate a meal at the Café Mirador.

Back in Santiago

		We took the Metro into the central part of the city. We went to the Feria at Santa Lucia. Mónica, who lives nearby, came by with the dog she was keeping for a vacationing student.

		We wandered around in the Plaza de Armas and stopped to watch some of the chess games, reminded of the many games that Pop played, before we found a place for lunch.

After Ray and Shelley went home to the USA, Larry and Marianne stayed in Chile for another week. We visited some local museums.

Soon they left for several days for some guided tours in the lake country, south of Santiago.

		Upon their return to our city, we had time for one last drive with them into the Andes mountains.