Recap: Good Morning, From Here, March 01 – 07
Monday
One of my favorite days every month is the First Saturday Fiesta at Arte Vallarta Museo. The enormous courtyard was full of people eating, drinking wine, listening to the live jazz trio, and catching up with like-minded people they hadn’t seen anywhere else for a month. The fantastic David Jones exhibition, Line and Color, continues in the upstairs gallery until early summer.
Last Saturday was particularly special as Museum Director – and Chef – Nathalie Herling cooked gumbo, one with shrimp and one vegetarian with okra. Served piping hot with rice and beans – wonderful!
Outstanding Vallarta Mirror columnist Sandra Bradley and I chatted with Colette Zarry, owner of Langostinos Restaurant on Los Muertos beach and co-creator of the free Colina Spay and Neuter Clinic, whose house in Gringo Gulch is always full of rescue dogs in various stages of rehab. They bring her such joy. Remember that 10% of all sales at her beachside restaurant are donated to Colina, as if the food and view were not enough incentives!
Sandra and I slowly walked toward home, digesting the generous serving of gumbo; I left her at the bridge separating Coloso from Emiliano Zapata colonias and made my way through the crowds of people wandering the streets, stopping for churros near the ‘other’ Catholic Church and hitting the bars with passion. I stopped briefly at Reinas to hug Gabe Arciniega and plunged onto Insurgentes and more foot traffic on my way to Galeria Zenit for Qvetzal’s solo exhibition.
I have known Qvetzal for five years and have watched his style and subject matter grow and change, and I was so happy to see his beautiful portraits of sensuous men and women engulfed in fanciful flowers and wildlife return.
The tiny gallery on Calle Libertad was packed with art lovers drinking wine, sampling splendid bruschetta, and enjoying Q’s paintings and the artworks in the other half of the well-curated gallery.
A couple of our best Scrabble players, Randy Thomas (our Club founder!) and Jonathan Lander, were introducing their friends to other aficionados. I also had the pleasure of meeting Paige Newman, who wrote about Qvetzal and this exhibition on February 26 in Vallarta Mirror.
Qvetzal plans to be painting at Zenit daily. This is a golden opportunity if you have never seen a maestro at work. I will have times you can stop by and watch a miracle of expression unfolding on canvas in a couple of days.
Meeting Zenit owner and stained glass artist Miguel Orozco was a pleasure. You can see his work almost next door to Zenit at El 7 de Cristal, Glass Gallery and studio. New, remarkable glass mosaic works by uber-versatile artist Vicky Thorne-Ohly can be viewed at Zenit; she does commissioned pieces as well.
It is March, and the frantic month of February is behind us, and Easter blooms a mere 40 or so days from this week’s kick-off on Ash Wednesday. I can feel myself relaxing as we move gently into Spring, new growth, warmer weather, and to the host of new people moving into our midst; welcome, From Here.
Tuesday
I had mango smoothies yesterday afternoon at the Vallarta Factory with my new friend Jamie Brickhouse. His recent appearance at the theater at Art Vallarta has caused quite a stir in our community, with fingers reaching out to various powers that be to find space for him later this season to come back and tell us more.
The only thing Vallarta is missing is a place for people to speak. Storytelling is ancient and the only way we used to learn about absolutely everything, and yet it has never been fully embraced in Vallarta. That time may be now; just putting it out there for a special place for Keenan, Elke, Jordan, Artemis, Amy, and Jamie.
Jamie heads home today to winter, work, and his architect husband Michael. My fingers are crossed that our paths will do the same, and soon, thanks for the delicious company!
Gouda Gabor celebrated her 71st birthday last night at Nacho Daddy with a stellar lineup of singers: Enrique de Allende, Amy Armstrong, Seth Sikes, and a pop-up by Francesca Bavaro, aka Effie Passero just home from touring Australia and New Zealand with Postmodern Jukebox.
Musical Director David Maiocco on the keys, worked his fingers off with the most challenging piece left until the very end of the birthday celebrations – Nessun Dorma from Turandot. Enrique unleashed that difficult aria and sent chills up everybody’s spine. It has become his signature piece. Preceding Nessun Dorma, Effie sang Never Enough from The Greatest Showman, which should become her signature piece.
Nacho Daddy enjoyed a full house, and we will all be back tonight for Open Mic at 7:30.
But first, Sharon Gerber Scherer and I are off to the tianguis in Coapinole to see what we can find, then La Comer and Costco, home, eat, sleep, and then I head up the Cuale River to Paso Guayabo.
The third-to-last Tribute Tuesday at Rancho Santiago at 5:30, stars award-winning Tribute Artist Matt Cage as Elvis Presley. I have seen Matt every time he has come to Mexico, and he blows my (bobby) socks off once a year! I am not so much an Elvis fan as I am a fan of Matt Cage! He looks, sounds, and moves like Elvis at his rawest, gutsiest beginnings. Heady stuff!
There are still tickets to see What a Drag this Sunday, March 09, at 8 pm at Teatro Vallarta. This critical fundraiser is for Casa Esperanza, the only Women’s Shelter in Vallarta. While the premise is hilarious- straight men in drag walking, dancing in high heels, and entertaining- the reasons behind the hilarity are not. It’s for a great cause, and your ticket includes an open bar.
That’s all I have for you today, gotta save some energy for the tianguis. A full report in the morning From Here.
Wednesday
Yesterday started with the great tianguis in Coapinole, Sharon and I wandered and dug through piles of clothing and came out the other end with three choice pieces each: sum total spent, 180 pesos between us! We also stocked up on beautiful veggies for about half the price of “in- town.” From there we went to La Comer for more exotic veggies and Costco for things only they provide our community. We had never seen La Comer so busy; funny for this time of year. Our nearly five-hour shopping spree ended at 1, time for lunch, nap, then I was on the road to Paso Guayabo on the bus at 4 pm.
The bus dropped me right in front of Rancho Santiago. I could hear the band, but a voice, not Kurt Sinner’s, stopped me in my tracks. Yup, it was Elvis Presley– Perros del Rio sounded extra special! Matt Cage, still in shorts, joined the band for a tune or two, adding to the delight of the early afternoon crowd.
Talking to Tribute Artist Matt Cage, after his debut with PdR and before he ‘suited up’ as Elvis, we determined it was Matt’s eighth year in Mexico and his fourth or fifth with Kurt Sinner. The memories flooded the space and the dancefloor for everyone in attendance who had a favorite song or something special that happened to them during the late fifties and sixties. Thanks, Matt and Merv Buchanan, who has been delivering these amazing tribute shows to Banderas Bay for over a decade. The Beegees arrive next week, and Tribute Tuesdays conclude on March 18, with Neil Diamond.
The bus from Paso Guayabo to Nacho Daddy for Gouda Gabor’s Open Mic took just 20 minutes. Mark Hartman at the keys, with Richard Lucas, Gouda’s alter ego, kicked things off with a song from Grease. Patriz, beautiful as ever, promoted her upcoming show, as did Robert Ryan, whose lovely pianist Michael Ferreri is finally back in Vallarta. Joelle Rabu – remember her Piaf show? – her handsome son Nico Rhodes and newcomer Buwa are at The Palm Cabaret. Delilah Beaucoup’s Jazz run closes tonight at Act2PV. A new show from her is expected soon, so stay tuned.
Dash Robles played guitar for an unknown singer in a skull mask, and Aldo played his guitar and sang a clever original song, then tore the roof down with Gabe Arcienega, taking Mustang Sally for a ride through the crowded house. Tonny K and Sargento appeared, and several tourists in town on vacation dropped by to entertain us. A long, tall, dazzling drag queen with taller hair than Gouda’s, sang and danced and was looking for work. I would bet she finds it.
Scrabble today at Qulture at 12:30 and Purr Project Bingo at Nacho Daddy at 4. See you around town From Here.
Thursday
Ash Wednesday yesterday, the start of Lent that will end with Semana Santa and Easter, which means we have 40 days of so-called High Season left. By the Sunday following Easter Sunday, the touristic doors slam shut; everybody goes home to their other lives, leaving us empty sidewalks and beaches. Oh, and bank accounts.
I am sure it’s the same in other cities that depend solely upon tourism for their livelihood; it’s just weird to live in it as we have no other income streams like regular cities.
So, Vallarta limps along all summer when it’s too hot and too humid to complain, with the very air draining what’s left of our assets.
However, for those of you who have heard about the diabolical heat and the humidity straight from hell and impossible to survive, guess what? Summer in Vallarta is gorgeous!
The days are languid, and slowing down is a rule, as is carrying an umbrella, even if the skies are clear, take the thing wherever you go. It won’t keep you dry, per se, it’ll just keep the water from pouring down your back.
Vallarta only has one major storm a month, so five a year. Not a lot of “bad weather days” in the scheme of things. Granted, some of those five days can be freaking scary hurricanes, but they generally come with notice so that you can be sure to be indoors and safe. (We are grateful for the hurricane center warnings.)
It is hot, but the actual temperatures are lower in Vallarta than what my sister experiences in southern Alberta in August. We rarely get close to 40 degrees.
It takes a couple of weeks to build up to summer humidity when merely standing still in September, for example, can cause your eyelashes to sweat. Clothing is not simply taken off at the end of the day. It’s more like peeling away so much excess saran wrap. But it’s only a few weeks a year!
A lot of people use air conditioning. Maybe most. Expats, I mean. I can’t imagine how the average Mexican worker could afford the cost. I don’t like it personally and have never used it nor missed it in more than 30 years. A fan is sufficient at night, and a breeze during the day is just fine.
For something completely different, try Vallarta “off-season,” aka summer; you might just like it, and we will love you for it!
I am going to see Well-Strung this afternoon at The Palm. It has been a few years since they have been together here, so very much looking forward to listening to their brilliant mashups of classical and contemporary music. Strings are the most beautiful instruments in the world, and these classically trained musicians are the best. And they are excellent vocalists, young, fit, and gorgeous!
Enjoy this perfectly clear day From Here.
Friday
With the exception of a few solo concerts by first violinist Edmund Bagnall, it has been six long years since Well-Strung has performed in Vallarta. Judging from the reaction of the packed house at the 5 pm matinee yesterday at The Palm, they have been sorely missed.
And not just their heart-stirring music – if there is anything lovelier than a string quartet, bring it – but their humor, love, and respect for one another, combined with their wealth of knowledge and level of musicianship, create fantastic magic.
From their beginnings 13 years ago in PTown, Massachusetts, Well-Strung has played to Popes and Presidents and classical-music-deprived Vallarta. Their brilliance in combining old and new compositions, classical and contemporary, are seamlessly performed and without giving away and fun stuff – two notes on the cello that sent a shiver through the entire audience – be prepared to be whisked off to some enchanted place where nothing interferes with musical notes blended and crafted with perfect skill and love.
I had the best afternoon, and so did everyone else in the audience, who responded with two prolonged standing ovations. A highlight was the homage to John Williams’ movie music with appropriate film clips. You will recognize every single one! Even the waiters commented on how heartfelt the concert/cabaret performance was.
Four excellent voices, two violins, one viola, and a cello, combined with the incredible imaginations to mashup Lady Gaga and Radiohead with Mozart and Vivaldi, are both brilliant and beautiful. I have always considered Well-Strung a perfect way to get young kids into classical music.
They will perform at The Palm over the next two weeks, escaping New York City winter. Check VallartaCalendar.com for dates and times; don’t delay, or you will miss a chance to witness some of the finest music ever written over the last 300 years.
It’s the weekend! See you at Art Vallarta Museo on Saturday, NIA dance class at noon on Sunday at the IFC, and Teatro Vallarta at 8 pm for What a Drag.
See you back here Monday morning; take care of one another From Here.
