Swiss visit, late April 2008

Dwight Peck's personal website

Alison B. Peck

Alison is presently based in Santiago, Chile, but visits the old dad in Switzerland whenever she's in the neighborhood . . .

. . . for as many Swiss national dishes as can be got down in a few days and a lot of hiking in the countryside roundabout. Late April 2008.

La Foirausaz farm from atop a nearby bluff in the forest

Down through smooshy snow in the forest

Sometimes VERY smooshy snow

La Foirausaz as we pass by it

Farther up the valley, the Pré de St-Livres farm

Alison near the meadows of St-Livres

About half snow these days, and half not

Peeking down the gouffre. The stair and railing leading down to a little balcony down the inside have been laid on in recent years.

The Gouffre or cavern at the meadow of St-Livres

Carpet of spring flowers

Alison contemplating cool clouds worth photographing

Alison settling for just photographing the old dad instead

The old dad photographing Alison macro-photographing defenseless little flowers.

And fingers.

Very mixed snowshoeing in late April in the Swiss Jura

The next day, not far from the Mondion farm above Bassins, we're fed up with clumping over grass in snowshoes and choose just to sink knee-deep in the snow on every third step instead.

Alison in the forest running with melt-water

We're thoroughly lost by this time, but still hopeful.

The trail has disappeared, only wet hillsides now, but it's okay.

Ali's off tomorrow for Chile by way of Germany, but coming back soon, we hope.

Addendum

On this trip to Europe, Alison's come by way of a working spell at the NRAO, the VLA (Very Large Array) at the US National Radio Astronomy Observatory near Socorro, New Mexico, where she took her Ph.D. a while ago.

But here's where she's working now, at the ALMA project in the Atacama mountains of Chile at 5,000 metres (16,500 feet) above sea level. ALMA stands for Atacama Large Millimeter Array.

Alison and colleagues and one of the new thingies.

Alison and a colleague

Visiting the nearby Valley of the Moon

Alison Beth Peck