Missing Missing 7/31/9

No, don't worry, Woody is NOT missing. He writes to tell me stories but only a line here or there. Buenos Aires has been nice, good times with A*** and G***** and adventuring about. It is quite a large place and the SPOT, although working has been requiring over 40 minutes of "open sky" time which is hard to come by in a large city, especially when staying on the 9th floor of an apartment building above a busy street. I've assured him that we don't need the updated maps if he is in the same place. I'd probably be more worried if he were standing in Argentinian traffic just to notify us.

You may have seen the recent NY Times article about the fabulous historic district bars throughout the city. Very cool. Pa and I are hoping Wood has tried the delicacies, like blood sausage, canned eel and sweet and sour pork.
check it out at: http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/07/12/travel/12journeys.html?scp=2&sq=Buenos%20Aires&st=cse

Is Woody frequenting these places? Place your bets ladies and gentlemen...

Going back to the days of crossing the salt flats in Bolivia -- he wrote to say that he lost another camera (pretty sure this is number three but truthfully, I've lost count.) I'm going to try and post a picture here:





From Wikipedia:
"Salar de Uyuni (or Salar de Tunupa) is the world's largest salt flat at 10,582 km² (4,085 square miles). It is located in the Potosí and Oruro departments in southwest Bolivia, near the crest of the Andes, 3,650 meters high. The major minerals in the salar are halite and gypsum. Some 40,000 years ago, the area was part of Lake Minchin, a giant prehistoric lake. When the lake dried, it left behind two modern lakes, Poopó Lake and Uru Uru Lake, and two major salt deserts, Salar de Coipasa and the larger Uyuni. Uyuni is roughly 25 times the size of the Bonneville Salt Flats in the United States. Also, Salar de Uyuni holds half of the world's reserves of lithium, a metal which is used in high energy density lithium batteries."

So Woody is bouncing along the flats, apparently keeping his camera strapped to the outside of one of the panniers. A*** and G**** are up ahead and pause for something like a flat, as I recall. Wood looks to take a photo and realizes his camera is missing! Most likely recognizing that I would skin him for losing another one, he decides he better "just run back a ways". Why not bike, you ask? Oh, because he was afraid he'd run out of gas. Wouldn't that be unfortunate? So he starts jogging through the salt (look at those mounds and read the stats, can you imagine finding ANYTHING out there?)

The charmed young traveler crests a mound and what does he see? You guessed it folks, he found the darn thing. It was filled with sand and didn't work for three or four days but has apparently since resumed its functions. What next, I must wonder, SPOT in the toilet, camera in the sand...

-- luludilly

Enjoying the Big City...

Apparently someone somewhere has heard from the guy. He's still in the bustling city of Buenos Aires, Argentina.


View Larger Map

I will try to make things a little more interesting WITHOUT the promised story.

Some things you might not know about Buenos Aires:
Actor Robert Duvall, poet Pablo Neruda and director Francis Ford Coppola ALL LIVED HERE! For those who have crushes on Mr. Viggo Mortenson, Jr. he ALSO lived here.

The state of Ohio (!) is apparently twinned with Buenos Aires, as well as the state of New Jersey and Miami, Florida. Go figure...

The tango (a dance few heavy-Norwegian-bloods have attempted, let alone mastered) was born in the suburbs of Buenos Aires. It wasn't considered respectable until the 20's when Paris society stamped it...now isn't that something. Who out there can picture big oaf Woodrow doing the tango? (Note: if you can, I do NOT want to hear about it.) I guess there is now a style "Finnish tango"...no comment.

So, until the great white man sends another spot...try to wipe some of these mental images out of your mind. I'm going to crank Bobby D. and crack another beer. It's Wednesday after all...

-- luludilly

Buenos Aires, Argentina 7/21

Well, news from Woody is that the Spot might be nearly dried out. He'd find out if he weren't on the ninth floor of a high-rise apartment building that his friends A*** and G**** are renting out. It is pouring rain there and he is whining about it, of course. Tonight's plans include making a Hawaiian dinner for them. I'm sure some of the readers can smell that dinner which we have all been treated to by Wood. Yet another trick he learned from his good life of travels. It reminds me of our little one room cabin, where the fear of fulfilling our father's prophesy of the old brother and sister in the woods, growing old alone, following failed relationships one after another...egad. Typically, in those days, I and the Latvian gypsy would determine and make every meal but maybe once a month we'd be pampered with Woody's cooking -- using every pot in the plumbing-free, one fuse bungalow, and oh yeah, girls, can you wash the dishes...ah, brother. A*** and G**** are in for a good meal.

Other than that, bike is getting worked on finally and he is playing a lot of pool. Okay, I made that last part up; I have no clue what he does with his days -- if he is taking pictures, running for public office, getting in fights with tourists, or saving rare species of turtles. It could be anything. We'll have to hear what he has to say before I make anything else up ----

-- luludilly

Spot News

So...not surprisingly there has been yet another electronic device malfunction/casualty. This time it wasn't a camera (he has had three now!) I do not expect that we will be getting any new location updates for a while --- as Wood's trusty Spot took a swim. Anyone out there remember when he dropped a cellphone in the toilet at the Marion Street house in college? Yeah...I think this was similar, although I'm guessing the toilet was cleaner in South America. Correct me if I'm wrong, but pretty sure that toilet --- servicing eight football players and their numerous friends and party goers --- went uncleaned for four years. I think the scum built up thick enough to flush down every year or so.

Sorry, I just wanted to paint a colorful picture and show why it was difficult for me to advise Woody to send the toilet drowned Spot home for a replacement...

First he is going to try and dry it out for a few days or maybe a week since I kinda doubt this is covered under the warranty.

He is in Argentina, happy and spending time with his friends A*** and G****. Go ahead and give Woody a hard time; he expects it.

-- luludilly

New location as of 7/11/9

View Larger Map

I got a postcard from Woody the other night. It was written before he crossed the salt flats. Seeing his handwriting was too much for this big sister to handle. The habit goes on without notice but missing your brother is that sort of slow ache that never goes away. Here's to safe travels and the KTM staying in good working order for a while.

You are missed Wood, and loved more than you know.

-- luludilly

Location(s) 7/5/9

View Larger Map


View Larger Map


-- luludilly

Location 7/2/9

View Larger Map

-- luludilly