yep, that's my question. can I just create any .html file with html/css/pictures/links, and insert the code into an email using an email client (in my case, Apple's Mail.app on MacOS X Tiger 10.4), ...

A scroll will be stopped by a powerful image. A picture on its alone won't create a reader book. A reader of a travel email needs to be moved from interest to action. That requires a swift load time, ...