Recap: Good Morning, From Here, December 27 – January 03
Monday
I heard yesterday that Peter Oudman sadly passed away in Calgary on Saturday. If you ever attended any Pasitos de Luz Riverfest celebrations over a dozen years at El Rio BBQ Bar, you would have met him at some point. He and his wife Teena, were responsible for building Casa Connor, the castle-like rehab facility for children with disabilities. Peter and Teena lost their grandson Connor when he was only 8 years old and have spent all their time since then devoted to raising money for Pasitos in two countries. Rest now, dear Peter, your legacy will live on and on. Love and strength to you, Teena, and the rest of your family.
Out of the blue came an Electric Light Orchestra Tribute show at Coco Cabaret last week. Wow! Fifty years ago, when ELO was playing Maple Leaf Gardens, the band – full of nice guys – stayed in the hotel I worked at, across from CBC’s main offices in downtown Toronto. When I saw guitarist Paul Lions Sellerier was heading up the tribute that included some of the best musicians in town, I couldn’t wait to go.
In retrospect, ELO was a great band. Innovative, blending classical music with rock and rock and gorgeous, rich harmonies. Their music made much more of an impression last week than it did three-quarters of my life ago, when I was buried in Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd, et al. There were so many songs that I knew nearly all the words to and had never attributed to ELO or anybody else; I just knew them. So add ‘diverse’ and ‘timely’ to the list of superlatives.
This delightful tribute played to a packed house at Coco Cabaret. It was a good 80 to 90 minutes of well-played music with appropriate light show and video backgrounds, and, can I get an amen? No dancers. Just excellent music across the board and no distractions. Take a deep bow, Paul – a wonderful concert with music that had come and gone decades before anybody on the stage was even born. I would love to see this faithful tribute again From Here.
Tuesday
The last day of the year and I have two key things on my agenda – buy broccoli and see my doctor at IMSS. Just to order annual blood work; I am a few months overdue.
I have said this before – if you want to fill every seat in your venue, bring in Effie Passero also known by her real name, Francesca Bavaro. She is away from Vallarta a lot lately since she was scooped up by Postmodern Jukebox, and is heading to Australia with them in 2025 to perform at the Sydney Opera House, then to England at Covent Garden.
For now, she is home with us and is sharing her voice and piano skills with Branden and James, tenor and cellist, respectively (and both also play piano), in the new group they have formed called Cello-Voci. They are playing on January 04 at Casita & Garden – which is already sold out but have added another performance a week later on the 11th. These are fundraisers for the Vallarta Girls School, co-created by Francie Nguyen, owner of Casita & Garden and Bonito Kitchen(s).
Cello-Voci debuted in Vallarta last weekend at The Palm Cabret with a talented ensemble including cello, piano, ‘Mimi’ on guitar, a bass player, percussionist, and voci – voices.
Prior to The Palm, Cello-Voci premiered October 17th at Carnegie Hall! The photograph of the trio with the stunning backdrop of that amazing ceiling/room was breathtaking, as was their performance here.
Their finale at The Palm was precisely a recreation of Canegie Hall’s, just the three of them, Effie at the piano, James on cello, and Branden’s golden voice sang Effie’s closing number to every solo concert – a mash up of You are My Sunshine and Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
The standing ovation was instant and prolonged and recurred after their encore.
Each one of these artists is a star in their own rite and the three of them together is a sparkling constellation called Perfection From Here.
Wednesday, New Year’s Day
How was your night? Intimate and warm? Raucous, noisy and fueled by alcohol? However you decided to greet the New Year, I hope you are home safely reading this. Welcome to 2025! I think it’s going to be wonderful start to finish with new projects, a whole passel of new people who are bright and shiny in their visions; our paths have already begun to cross, casually on the street, but with ❤.
Twenty minutes of fireworks provided by the city last night and the occasional personal rocket going off as people walked up the hill past my house (taxi drivers take NYE off). Noise is so much a part of life in Mexico and it can make you crazy if you let it. At the end of COVID, when local bars reopened with dancing, laughter and gaitey, I swore then to never complain about anybody having fun again. It’s LIFE, people, play it loud while you can, it does have an expiration date stamped on it.
With Christmas and New Year’s falling smack mid-week and thus screwing up the days before and afterwards, I thought I could gear up for this coming Monday to start really working again, but no. Monday is Epiphany, Day of the Three Kings, where lots of kids get presents just like baby Jesus did. Is this the last day of Christmas then? One would think but again, no.
On January 06, Epiphany, every business and home has a Rosca de Reyes, a soft, round cake with a plastic baby Jesus baked inside it. (Eat this very gingerly and chew thouroughly.) Often, you can win a prize, or some kind of gift BUT you also have to throw a party on Candlemas Day on February 03 and invite those present who saw you get baby Jesus in your cake. And, you have to serve tamales and atole (which is fine heavily laced with rum…). So Christmas just keeps on giving; it helps ease the lag time to Easter, which in Mexico takes a full two weeks to celebrate, but that’s another column yet to be written.
Entertainment coming up this week includes Bingo today at Nacho Daddy for Colina Spay & Neuter Clinic. A Gay Mixer by Out and About Puerto Vallarta magazine at the gorgeous Casa Cupula up on the hill overlooking our fair city tomorrow. New York City Broadway stars Brent and Bernie sing love songs at Act2PV on Friday, and the Museo’s First Saturday of 2025 follows.
We will enjoy today softly, this first cleansing day of the year 2025. Breathe your love into it, and if we all do that, this year will go down in history as the biggest Love-In in the world, right here in Puerto Vallarta. Peace and love, people, and hugs every single day, From Here.
Thursday
Yesterday, I wandered over to Nacho Daddy to play bingo for the Colina Spay & Neuter Clinic because I thought it would be quiet, and I needed to see if my voice would still function after not seeing humans again for a couple of days. Did I ONCE get a chance to yell “Bingo!”? Of course not. That’s two bingo days, and I have won nothing. It’s highly unusual, and I don’t like to lose. I have heard that some people actually don’t mind losing, but it rankles me. Bingo is NOT Scrabble, that’s for sure, and it requires only a modicum of hand-eye coordination to play. And, we have not met for Scrabble for two weeks; we will all have to be retrained!
Anyway, Nacho Daddy was hopping with avid bingo players. It was nearly full, which was great for the dogs and cats of Vallarta, with all funds raised going towards the 20 sterilizations accomplished every week by Colina. THAT’S what keeps me going back every couple of weeks. Every prize donated helps; every peso helps keep animals off the streets and out of the garbage.
Speaking of garbage, we have gone backward in time, which, in this case, is a good thing. In the old days, a kid with a big old cowbell would run down streets ringing it to alert everybody to bring their trash out for collection. If you weren’t home, too bad, but corners piled high with garbage didn’t exist, at least downtown, where most of our tourists gathered.
The new garbage trucks have a bell attached that the driver can ring as he drives through your colonia. It remains unclear, at least in Centro, what that really means.
However, at midnight, I could hear all kinds of hydraulics banging away with a couple of garbagemen yakking as they presumably loaded trash right below my window – I am a block away from any assigned space for trash collection. It seemed to me and Bogie that they were testing the closing and crushing of bags to ensure the system was working fine. I couldn’t get up to check on the situation as my kitty was sprawled all over me, talking and chirping as fast as the garbage guys on the street were to each other. They eventually moved on, as I knew they would, and peace, quiet, and sleep returned to my street in Lower Gringo Gulch (a self-assigned directional neighborhood name) to end the first night of the new year.
My New Year’s Resolution: to be kind, and when I am kind, I will be kinder, From Here.
Friday
I had the best time at Casa Cupula last night at Out & About Puerto Vallarta Magazine’s Gay Mixer. I was met at the door by owner/publisher Jerry Jones and his whole crew there to greet everyone, photograph the absolutely gorgeous surroundings overlooking the city, Bay of Banderas and every now and again, a naked butt in one of the hot tubs.
Go-go dancers lined the stage, then maneuvered their way through the 125-men-strong crowd, standing room only, earning tips and kisses. Jordon Carnegie arrived to mingle and promote his fantastic show opening this coming Sunday at The Palm, Hedwig, and the Angry Inch. He brought his up-and-coming costar Haley, singer, dancer, and actress from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Haley’s first trip outside the United States, she joined me as the only other straight female in the bunch. We had an eyeful.
The networking that goes on at these Gay Mixers is exceptional. I saw a few realtors, entertainers, and producers, and, even better, I didn’t recognize 95% of the people in the crowd—a lot of new people in town – Anglos and Mexicans.
I met up with Marcos Ruiz, Marketing Director, who I have not seen for years, and Zack who said the Bistro Gallery would be open soon—another reason to return to this piece of Gay Heaven at the top of the city.
Owner Don Pickens, who I did not see last night, unfortunately, has added substantially to Casa Cupula, making it bigger, better, more beautiful, and clearly, from the crowd and the staff, dearly loved by all.
Casa Cupula opened some 23 years ago in a space I used to go dancing—the first gay hotel in Vallarta. With the exception of a couple of weekly events (NKD Pool Party, Saturdays, for one), they are open and welcoming to everyone. The food is raved about, and I am looking forward to their Big Gay Brunch held every Sunday at the Pool Club in this spectacular jungle setting.
Thank you to Jerry Jones, who always takes the time to make sure I meet owners and local movers and shakers who populate the crowds at his Gay Mixers. Oh, and for the eye candy, From Here.
