My middle child and his young wife went on a vacation over this past Christmas break to, of all places–Antarctica!

I admit going into a fit of apoplexy when I first heard about plans for this trip, since this is a young man who, as a child, would come down with a horrible cough and cold at the first sign of Chicago’s winter chill. But, after viewing more than 250 photos of the more than 1,200 pictures that they took on this trip, my attitude changed to one of fatherly pride. The look of excitement and wonder on the faces of both my son and his wife as they explored this strange world made all my initial fears seem unfounded. Antarctica has a stark, haunting beauty (along with a lot of penguins, more penguins–and, still more penguins) that is magnificently captured in the beautiful photos that they took.

Quite an adventure for a young man, who rarely traveled far from his suburban home. when he was growing up.