Rence's Personal Blog

Patagonia Road Trips - Summer 2006

Fri, 17 Mar 2006 11:23:07 -0300

This past Summer, or Winter for you in North America, I had the lucky fortune to have two of my best friends pay a visit down here in South America.

Jude arrived right before New Years and stayed for almost a month. And Chris arrived a few days before Jude left and stayed for almost a month as well.

On both road trips we traveled down to Patagonia. About half the time was spent in and around Pucon, Chile, and the other half in and around Bariloche, Argentina.

Road Trip 1 - Patagonia in early Summer

Road Trip 2 - Patagonia in high Summer

CHILE - A Hidden Treasure

Thu, 22 Dec 2005 18:22:34 -0300

After years of dreaming and months of work, I finally published my first photography book. This book is a tribute to my new home, a place I grow fonder of every day, as well as a 'thank you' to all the friends and family who supported my decision to move down here last year.

CHILE - A Hidden Treasure →Buy Now

Adventures in Ecuador - November, 2005

Wed, 21 Dec 2005 18:48:24 -0300

Our main reason for visiting Ecuador was to attend Macarena's & Pablo's Wedding. However, since neither Constanza nor I had ever been there, we decided to turn the trip into a 3 week adventure.

In short, Ecuador has a lot to offer the eco-tourist. If you're looking for elegance, world-class service, and fine cuisine, Ecuador is probably not the place for you. But, if you enjoy rustic villages, outdoor activities, and friendly natives, Ecuador is fantastic.

With a few hours of driving you can visit warm sandy beaches, cold mountain villages, and humid tropical rain forests. It's a beautiful little country, with an amazing amount of diversity for its size.

The wedding we went to was in a very special little town in the North called Vilcabamba. This place is unique for its perfect Spring weather year round, and the number of inhabitants that live well over 100 years.

Photos of our Ecuador Adventure

Photos of Macarena's & Pablo's Wedding

Also while in Vilcabamba, I met two really interesting gentlemen, Joe Simonetta and William Gazecki.

Among many things, Joe is a writer, author of "Seven Words That Can Change The World", and a busy speaker. Here are just some of the things Joe lectures on:

Cosmology (the origin and structure of the universe)
Evolutionary biology (how long this planet, life, and we have been here, and what life has been through to get this far)
The world of belief systems (religions, from where have they come and why?)
Why we advance technologically easily but socially and politically continue to destroy each other and our environment
The three foundational relationships of life

You can read more about Joe here.

William (Bill) Gazecki was introduced to me by Joe. As a documentary filmmaker, Bill is best known for his Academy Award nominated and Emmy winning film WACO: The Rules of Engagement. You can read more about Bill here.

It was a great pleasure having the opportunity to hang out with both Joe and Bill for a few days.

Google Video

Tue, 08 Nov 2005 14:43:21 -0300

Google recently announced a new, free video hosting service. I decided to give it a try. If you have videos in digital format, it's a really great way to share them.

My Music Videos

Santiago, Chile

Valparaiso, Chile

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The Chilean Skiing Experience

Mon, 12 Sep 2005 13:10:46 -0300

I visited the famous Chilean ski slopes a couple weeks ago, finally. The fact that these world-class resorts are 90 minutes from my downtown apartment amazes me. Anyway, in the almost 30 years that I've been skiing, this was without question one of the best days ever.

It all started with a big storm that dumped 3 feet of fresh, light powder the night before. For most of the day, there were no more than 50 people on the mountain, including the Women's US Olympic Ski Team! And, to top it off, the area itself was just beautiful. The day was spent making tracks and floating down the mountain. I felt like I'd stepped into a Warren Miller movie. Take a look at some of these pictures to see for yourself.

Ski Photos - El Colorado Ski Resort

Winter Walks

Wed, 17 Aug 2005 14:56:13 -0300

Over the past few weeks, Constanza and I have found several great places for hiking and jogging.

Images of Santiago - Winter, 2005

Fri, 24 Jun 2005 17:55:48 -0300

Surrounded by beauty on all sides, Santiago is perfectly situated at the base of the majestic Andes mountains and a mere 100 miles from the pacific.

Visitor in my own country - US Trip May, 2005

Tue, 31 May 2005 18:15:41 -0300

My last visit to the US was great. It was a trip filled with serendipity, good luck, and heart-felt reunions with family and friends.

I managed to visit San Francisco for about 7 days, Big Sur for 3 days, Nashville for 5 days, and San Diego for about 5 days. It had been almost 9 months since I'd seen my "north american people". So, though 3 weeks isn't short, the time went by incredibly fast.

Ray LaMontagne

Mon, 25 Apr 2005 00:51:15 -0300

Discovering a new artist that truly inspires you is one of life's richest pleasures, I think. Just recently, about a month ago, I somehow discovered one such artist, singer song writer Ray LaMontagne.

In a nutshell, Ray's music is just beautiful. It's soul driven, expressed with great humility and respect, and it's also just damn good music rhythmically and acoustically.

When you get a chance, definitely check out his first album, Trouble, which was released in September of 2004.

» Listen to Ray's Music
» Check out Ray's Site
» Read Ray's Bio

Coffee in Renaca

Sun, 17 Apr 2005 09:32:53 -0300

The beach in Renaca has a series of beautiful modern cafes that line the main beach. In the late afternoon you can enjoy an espresso and watch the sun drop into the sea.

Yesterday Constanza and I did just that. I took a few photos in between sips of my coffee.

» View Photos

Body Worlds

Sat, 16 Apr 2005 13:17:56 -0300

I recently found out about this amazing touring exhibition called Body Worlds. My parents went to see this in Los Angeles a few weeks ago.

Anyway, the exhibition features more than 200 authentic human specimens, including entire bodies, individual organs and transparent body slices that have been preserved through the process of “plastination,” a technique that replaces bodily fluids and fat.

Farmer's Market Vina del Mar

Wed, 13 Apr 2005 21:13:02 -0300

Here are a few photos from our local farmer's market. Constanza and I go here every Wednesday to get our weekly supply of fruits, vegetables, and other yummy things.

Photography by Rence Winetrout

Fri, 08 Apr 2005 17:33:41 -0300

I'm very happy to finally announce the completion of my online photography site.

This project has been months in the making. There are currently over 1700 pictures organized into 84 different albums.

» Go to the Photo Gallery