Chucky the Lawn Gnome lives on the grounds of the Cerro
Tololo Inter-American Observatory in La
Serena, Chile.
He's a short (2 feet), portly gentleman in a yellow shirt and bright
red hat, though his garb has reportedly faded with the years.
During
the early weeks of June 1995, he must have grown a bit tired of
standing on Richard Elston's lawn (where he magically appeared some
weeks earlier), because every morning, the residents of the CTIO
compound noted him, as they trouped off to work (hi ho, hi ho),
standing on different parts of the grounds. One day he would be
across the street in the Smith's yard; next day he would be sneering
sinisterly through the Filhaber's living room window; and once he was
even found floating on a piece of Styrofoam in the CTIO pool.
Apparently, though, local visits were not enough to quench Chucky's thirst for adventure. The following photo-essay documents Chucky's excursions on the summit of Cerro Tololo during the later weeks of June 1995. Sadly, though, Chucky's obsession with travel would result in disaster back at the La Serena motel.