Ditto New Vigor of the Mind

This is the post from my other blog too old to die young. I wanted to share it here since it is about my trip. I will start blogging here about the specifics of the trip, about the wild White Continent, incredible Antarctica, about glorious Chile which I love and about exciting Peru which was all new to me.

NEW VIGOR OF THE MIND

"I just got back from a terrific 6+ week travel/vacation to South America and Antarctica. How wonderful it was to focus on nature- seeing new and exciting sites, meeting people from all over the world, experiencing things new everyday, learning about flora, fauna and history, culture and life style, getting out of my comfort zone and living in the moment. It was an adventure everyday!

We saw mountains- the Andes in Chile and Peru! We saw deserts in northern Peru and the Atacama in Chile. We saw beautiful scenery in Chiloe, Chile and the Sacred Valley in Peru. We saw magic in Machu Picchu and the Amazon River in Peru. We lolled on beaches in Punta del Estes, Uruguay and Mancora, Peru at the beginning and end of our trip- perfect bookends for this long vacation.

And the crowing glory of our trip was the 10 day cruise to Antarctica where we took zodiacs out to the great White Continent to visit the penguins, seals and whales who inhabit it. We visited them, learning about where they live, observing the beauty and stillness of ice, sculpted by nature.

It was a pleasure to get away from doctors, treatments, and appointments- from the past and future and just be in the moment! To enjoy each day which was new, filled with new adventures- new places to go, new people to met and often, new places to stay. We stayed in incredible hotels in some awesome places.  I am already dreaming about going back- once is not enough to visit Chiloe, Chile, for example. Refugia is so special. It must be visited again! Same for DCO Suites in Macora, Peru or tierra atacama in the Atacama Desert in Chile. The places and the hotel stays were exceptional!! I felt so relaxed and in tune with the places and times there.

Not that cancer doesn't always come with me. It does. I am always aware. I take a pill every day to keep the cancer away!! I notice the different texture of the right breast. I notice the ache and pull of the muscle under my arm from the scar from the lymph nodes  and the still discolored skin, but getting paler and less noticeable. But being away made such a difference and gave me such a break from the whole cancer experience- diagnosis- biopsy, surgery, radiation treatment. I did not see or think about doctors for over 6 weeks.

Now that I am back, I have to schedule my first mammogram since surgery for April and then see the surgeon, Dr Dahlia Sataloff. I am overdue for my next appointment with the medical oncologist, Dr David Mintzer, which was supposed to be in January but I was away. I am calling today for an appointment soon. I also will see my radio-oncologist, Dr Marisa Weiss, early this summer. My cancer team consists of these 3 doctors. Luckily,  I have a crackerjack team! Cannot say that I missed them while I was away though. But I come back, ready to deal refreshed and renewed.

      Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.  ~Seneca"

Edge of the World

Patagonia is a magical, special place to me. The scenery is gorgeous. The natural wonders of glaciers, lakes, mountains, vast blue skies create views that I will never forget. The fact that I am at the edge of the world, as far away from home as I can go on the same continent and that Antarctica is a stone's throw away, makes it an exotic and distant place. Though sparsely populated, the people who live there are special- warm, friendly, adventurous. Patagonia is a place I will visit again and again.

Edge of the World is a mixed media image that conveys the mystical feeling I have for the place as well as the glacier blues which abound in the landscape.

Strait of Magellan

Cruising through the Strait of Magellan, we headed for the "uttermost part of the earth." Southern Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego offer native forest and glaciers, fjords and channels. This unique and mysterious place at the end of the earth is one of my favorite places. It intrigues me, capturing my imagination and stimulating my creative process.

This series of mixed media work includes from the top: Exploring the Edge 2, Revisiting the Edge 1 and Reaching the Edge 1.

The Edge of the World

Traveling to Patagonia, the southern most section of Chile and Argentina, is a thrilling adventure. The landscape is amazing- glaciers, the Andes, lakes galore, the Beagle Channel, Cape Horn. Remote and dramatic, the vistas calls to me. Just a hop. skip and a jump away is Antarctica. These three abstract mixed media works, created using monotype and collage techniques, capture the colors, textures and emotions of being at the edge of the world.

Bottom titled Edge of Space; middle, Travel to the Edge; and top Winter Travel.

Torres del Paine National Park- Patagonia, Chile

This national park is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It has inspired many works and has influenced my sensibilities. The colors, majesty and natural beauty remain in m y mind's eye.

Here I am showing you some of the photographs I took and then some of the mixed media art I created after the trip. The top image is titled Icy Andes and the next photograph if from the park so the mountains are not the Andes but the Torres del Paines. The next image is Blue Shadow, reflecting the glacial water and the vast mountains as does the photgraph belw. As an artist, I am not interested in recreating a replica of the actual scene. I use it as a reference point and then create from my mind's eye the feeling or memory I have.

Central Market

The Central Market in Santiago is of British design with wrought-iron ceiling parts that were imported from England in the mid 19th century. The colorful fruits and vegetables are a feast for the eye.

Santiago, Chile

Resting on an inland plain, with the Andes glimmering in the distance, Santiago, the capital of Chile, is the 5th largest city in South America. It was founded in 1541 and destroyed six months later. But soon the Spanish returned and build it up again. Today it is one of the most modern cities on the continent, home to 5 million inhabitants, over a third of all Chileans.

These photographs show the charm of Old Santiago and the combination of old and modern in the architecture of downtown Santiago.

Torres del Paine National Park- Patagonia, Chile

Chile is a thin ribbon of land (2610 miles long) along the eastern coast of South America. Because of its unusual geography, it has a hugely varied climate- desert in the north, Mediterranean in the center and snow-prone Alpine in the south.

Patagonia is a vast region in the southernmost tip of South America. Torres del Paine Park is considered one of the most beautiful places on Earth. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1978.

The park is filled with lakes of glacier water and impressive mountains, part of the Paine range (Cordillera del Paine.)

The photograph is one of hundreds of pictures I took on this trip to the park. The top image is a mixed media entitled Reflection and conveys the stillness, magnitude and awe this scene inspired.