Things are looking up today

I spent a good part of the morning running back and forth to our credit union, trying to get answers and withdrawing money for a wire transfer. I also opened an account at a new bank, because apparently we can't count on our own credit union! Unfortunately, when I was doing the Western Union wire, at the time, I did not know that in South America, all Western Union places are closed until Monday, as are the banks. So, everything seemed quite useless, and I was so worried all day, until I got Guillermo's email this evening. Here's what he had to say:

Things are looking up, so I would get that money back from Western Union. Tell them the offices here are closed and you want to cancel the whole thing. When we got to Puerto Pirámide, we were told that there is an ATM here, so we looked for it and found it in a little tin building pretty much sitting by itself, but I thought I would try it anyway, as unlikely as it seemed since I had already had been turned by ATMs at 6 or 7 different banks in Bariloche and Puerto Madryn. I asked for the usual amount and it told me to ask for less, so I lowered it and got the same message, so I lowered it more and got the same thing, so I went even lower and it gave them to me!! So then it asked if I wanted another transaction, so I asked for another and it gave me those too, and then I did it twice more and I got the full amount that way. Isn't that crazy?? I'm sure it charged me for each one, but it won't be as expensive as western union or cash advances. I am hoping the thing just started to work as I was in the middle of trying to withdraw money and that tomorrow it will give me all the pesos at one time. I need to take advantage of this ATM while I am here in case we have a problem in El Calafate. So, we get to eat tonight!!
This Internet place is expensive, so I won't make this long. We drove on peninsula Valdez some and saw tinamous, guanacos, a small group of female elephant seals, a colony of sea lions and a colony of Magellenic penguins.
We are fine for the moment and hope that things have been straightened out. I will probably not get a chance to write to you from here tomorrow, but we will spend the night in Puerto Madryn and I will write you from there.

So, the guys now have money in hand and for sure they AND I will sleep better tonight! And adding a picture of flowers seemed appropriate, since the guys situation looks a little brighter and the flowers are a bright spot in our yard!!