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WANDERING MUSE FEATURED IN INTERNATIONAL LIVING!
Dear Friends and Family, Old and New, Near and Far:
Guess what? International Living magazine is featuring Puerto Vallarta lately because their Ultimate Event will occur here from June 4-7. Experts from many countries will be touting the joys of living in various climes around the globe, but some of us are already fortunate enough to know that. If you click on this link, you can read my article from the April issue, and also the stories of several others who relocated to the Bay of Banderas.
Long-time readers are aware of the details of my journey, (and if you're new, you can read back issues here) but in the beginning I'm sure my decision made me seem untethered. "You're going to live near an ocean?" my friends asked. "Which ocean?" "I don't know yet," I'd answer. My son, Brendan, the practical engineer, said "Mom, your lifestyle as an artist hasn't exactly prepared you to buy beachfront property." Yet after exploring Southeast Asia in 2000, parts of Europe in 2005, and South and Central America in 2008-9, here I am, ensconced in my apartment with the Pacific glistening below, and connections to an amazing coterie of talented and very helpful friends. So what does she DO all day, you may ask? I have no typical days, but I'll describe a few elements that make up my life here. Perhaps I'll fold some fresh Ataulfo mangos into crepes served with foamy café con leche for breakfast on the  terrace (OK brunch, esp. if I've been out salsa dancing the night before.) Maybe....you could get this in a restaurant, but not near your own personal palm. Food here is often shared, so if I see Kim drive by below me, I wave and invite her up to taste my banana-carrot bread. Or Erica and Mary Ann might gesture from the other balcony and invite me over for teriyaki chicken. MMMMMM, delicious! |
Then on to a bit of gardening. The oval jitomates in the markets here are crisp and flavorless in my opinion, so I brought 5 types of tomato seeds that I had dried over the summer, and my neighbor Erica and I planted them in mid-January. In hopes of savoring a juicy tomato with that sun-kissed flavor of Indiana, I jealously hover over my plants warding off insectos and "plagas," (generic word for any unknown tropical plague that causes leaves to shrivel and die.)
 This was my first tomato to ripen,
a Campari, and I loved every bite.
So far, I have 22 pots of tomatoes, bougainvillea, azaleas, palms, ferns, leticia, and mandevilla, and I would cram in more, but I need to have room to walk along the terrace.
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CAPTURING CULTURE....
I long ago realized that I could be classified as a "Culture Vulture," and in Vallarta there are so many things to do that I always want to be in two places at once. Last week alone I photographed the Folkloric Dance Festival at Los Arcos (3 nights), the International Day of Jazz Festival and part of the Dia de los Niños (Day of the Children) celebration, both at CC's on the Malecon. Dancers came from all over Mexico and even Poland and India to tap rhythmically, and whirl their skirts into the air in the outdoor ampitheater. For a color addict, it's hypnotizing. 
Then on Saturday, Esther Zermeño of Cuates y Cuetes restaurant, and the jazz group, Faralae, organized many activities to entertain and teach children about music. Each pelota here was labeled with all the musical notes, and later used in a game. It was a week of riches, including dinners with friends who are flying home, lots of laughter, and "talking story," as they say in Hawaii. Once again, remember to take care of your special selves, follow your dreams, and express your love fully to those around you. Abrazos y besos, Elena |
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MUSE BRIEFS
Yoga on the Beach! Sun Dance Pose (I made this up!)
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There's always room for personal development in Puerto Vallarta. Classes in Mexican cuisine, Spanish conversation, workshops on Younger Next Year (great trick!), and yoga abound. My friend, Arlene and I have been repeatedly asked to participate in Candlelight Yoga, but we packed up a few snacks and went to the beach instead. We made up a few poses on the sand...hers involved balancing with a beer bottle in hand. Great for the abdominals!  |
NOTE: I've added you to my mailing list because I met you somewhere along the way and wanted to stay in touch...dancing tango in San Miguel, perhaps? Wandering in Oaxaca, or maybe long ago in France or Bali. You could even be a distant cousin I haven't seen for years. You may have forgotten me, but I have not forgotten you. If the tales of my travels don't spark your interest, just hit unsubscribe. OR, if this has been forwarded to you, please click below to subscribe . Merci mille fois! Y muchas gracias!
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HELPING OUT...AND STILL HAVING FUN...
In a previous issue I mentioned my creative friend Gavino and showed some of the purses he makes using aluminum pop tabs. The entire process is done by hand, quite time-consuming.
So I invited Gavy and his wife Yolanda over to learn how to sew using a machine. That way they can make the linings faster, and hopefully use the machine to sew some of them into the purses too.
After breakfast at their house one day, their daughter began crafting more purses. I feel blessed to count all of them as part of my extended family here in Puerto Vallarta. | |
ICING ON THE CAKE!
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And to close the day, after listening to jazz and photographing musicians, I treated myself to Food as Performance Art: Spanish Coffee at CC's. Artistically pouring Cointreau and other flaming liquers from one pitcher to another, this magician/waiter always attracts a crowd. The results are both delicious and spectacular!  |
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