Saturday, April 24, 2010
Words
As a former copywriter, I'm always attracted to quotes that involve language and communication. This one, from British dramatist Dennis Potter, made me laugh.
"The trouble with words is that you never know whose mouth they've been in."
Friday, April 23, 2010
The Castle
Several weeks ago, our amazingly talented musician friends Jack & Frances invited us to a living room concert at a home just up the road from us. It's known locally as The Castle. We'd walked by it numerous times over the years, but had never been inside. Holy shit! We'd never seen anything like it. Apparently, it was originally built by a man Jack referred to as a "high-ranking politico." His objective? Create an out-of-the-way Love Shack for himself and his mistress. She must've been really hot stuff 'cause it looked like no expense was spared – elaborate stonework, high ceilings, a lap pool and outdoor shower off the master bedroom, a backyard pool you can enter by way of the living room, huge fireplaces in every room… Taxpayer pesos run amok. However, before it was completed, real life intervened in the form of an inquisitive and jealous wife, and both mistress and Love Shack were abandoned. Seven or eight years ago, an American stone mason from Connecticut bought the place, now considered a ruin, and has been working on it in his "spare time" ever since. He's added walls, windows, ponds, fountains and a guest house at the bottom of the property. One thing he hasn't added yet is furniture. So about twenty of us gathered in the huge living room space seated on a ragtag collection of ratty old sofas and card table chairs, drinking wine out of plastic cups, but still… enjoyed two non-stop hours of exquisite classical guitar duets, the most magical of which was a medley of pieces from Anna Magdalena Bach's Notebooks. Four years into our Mexican adventure, the surprises keep on keepin' on.Marta
This past Monday my friend Bill invited me to join him as a volunteer, essentially doing grunt work out in the hot sun at our nearby botanical gardens. Just the kind of stuff I love doing. So I immediately agreed. Our "boss" – the person supervising all the nursery staff -- turned out to be young woman named Marta. Bill tells me she knows every single plant in the place – which includes nearly every cactus and succulent that grows in Mexico -- by both its common and Latin name. She's also an expert in growing and propagating each of the various species. And she's still in high school!! Bill thinks she's about 16. She already turned down an offer to enroll in the University of Arizona and has a number of other higher education offers on the table. Next time you hear someone use the phrase "dumb Mexicans" keep Marta in mind.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Turista
Karen recently returned from a week in California visiting her family. She reports she was feeling fine when she left San Miguel, began making frequent, urgent trips to the nearest toilet a couple days after arriving, and didn't return to normal 'til she'd been back in Mexico for 24 hours. Of course it could've been caused by a little virus, or some unwashed lettuce in a salad, but I'm betting it was the water. Thoughts?? Cordell?
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Well Said
