(South) America the Beautiful By Leah Katherine Saal
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
So, as the 4th of July approaches, I was reflecting on this song. I am pretty sure that Katharine Lee Bates was not writing about Chile, South America in the song, but, after 48 hours of overwhelmingly diverse natural beauty, she could be. I had a hard time coming up with other adjectives as we traveled by car from Concepcion to Quillon yesterday, and Desembocodura del Itale and Cobquecura today. Chile is simply, beautiful.
My mind has a hard time constantly adjusting to the changing topography. It is difficult to conceive that you can be in a bucolic valley surrounded by stoic mountains one day, and, the very next, following a winding road lined with vineyards to the edge of the vast Pacific Ocean to catch a glimpse of sea-lions basking in a clear but crisp sunset. The Pena family has been so generous to open their home, culture, and country to me. After sharing family car rides full of hearty conversation (including an occasional game of "I went to the store, and I bought...") and post card moments, I only hope, one day soon, to return the favor for them.
But enough musings, judge for yourself.
DAY 1
DAY 2
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
So, as the 4th of July approaches, I was reflecting on this song. I am pretty sure that Katharine Lee Bates was not writing about Chile, South America in the song, but, after 48 hours of overwhelmingly diverse natural beauty, she could be. I had a hard time coming up with other adjectives as we traveled by car from Concepcion to Quillon yesterday, and Desembocodura del Itale and Cobquecura today. Chile is simply, beautiful.
My mind has a hard time constantly adjusting to the changing topography. It is difficult to conceive that you can be in a bucolic valley surrounded by stoic mountains one day, and, the very next, following a winding road lined with vineyards to the edge of the vast Pacific Ocean to catch a glimpse of sea-lions basking in a clear but crisp sunset. The Pena family has been so generous to open their home, culture, and country to me. After sharing family car rides full of hearty conversation (including an occasional game of "I went to the store, and I bought...") and post card moments, I only hope, one day soon, to return the favor for them.
But enough musings, judge for yourself.
DAY 1
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| River cascade on the way to Quillon, July 1 |
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| Musicians at German Heritage Restaurant and Attraction in Quillon, July 1 |
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| View from the mountain valley, July 1 |
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| Pena children playing in water globes in valley in Quillon, July 1 |
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| Conne and I in Quillon, July 1 |
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| View of the mountains from the river outside of Quillon, July 1 |
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| River meeting the waters of the Pacific Ocean with mist of temperature change, July 2 |
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| The rolling vineyards of Desembocodura del Itale, July 2 |
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| Chilean "Cowboys" at work along the route of Desembocodura del Itale, July 2 |
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| Tide rising on a black igneous sand beach in Cobquecura, July 2 |
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| "Sea-lion Rock" on coast of Cobquecura, July 2 |
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| The not so "pacific" sea mist assaulting the skyline, July 2 |
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| Tide churns at Sea-lion rock, Cobquecura |
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| A Cobquecura Sunset, July 2 |
Beautiful!!!
ReplyDeleteHi.Leah, I love you pics.
ReplyDeleteI'm Edward Saal from South Africa.
We have something in common, our surnames.
Keep on with you beautiful work.