Recap: Good Morning, From Here, December 06 -12
Monday
Forty-five years ago today, John Lennon was shot and killed outside his home in New York City. I was living in Victoria, B.C., an entire lifetime ago. I remember reading that shocking – and breaking – news running across the bottom of my TV screen, and it took hours to find out what happened. Today, it would take mere seconds.
I chatted briefly with David Flannery last evening after an amazing concert at Nacho Daddy when he made a comment about my upcoming ‘retirement.’ He also seemed to think it was common knowledge that I was fading into the wallpaper.
I am not, repeat, NOT retiring. What IS going away is the Vallarta Mirror and the Rearview Mirror, at the end of this year. I will continue to review shows and write about life in our fair city, which will continue to be published at VallartaCalendar.com (Around Town) and on Facebook.
So, nothing will change for those who read me, and everything will change for me, freeing up my days away from my computer, which is exacerbating a neck problem I am trying to get to the bottom of. So, onto what I got up early this morning to write about!
Fado.
The traditional music of Portugal, brought to brilliant light yesterday at Nacho Daddy by Tromba Vetusta, aka Alejandra Matus and Dabit Azofeifa. This gorgeous couple from Costa Rica has enthralled us for the past four or five years in a number of productions – all of them full of surprises, wonder, and childlike awe, the kind only generated by the circus.
Last night was new in so many unexpected ways. With the exception of a few songs I had heard Ale and Dabit perform before, the emotionally charged music was uncharted territory for unsuspecting ears. Our supremely delighted ears by the end of the nearly two-hour concert. Ale was simply beautiful to watch and to listen to, her voice soaring into sweetness mingled with tears, ours and her own. Her duet with Diego Guerrero could have been a brand new career launch for both of them, so heartfelt, moving, and hauntingly lovely.
Fado Night borrowed the only female aerialist/acrobat from Airotic’s ‘Tease’ over at Coco Cabaret to contort and tumble her perfectly muscled body right before our unbelieving eyes! Don’t miss that show, and don’t miss the next Fado Night coming in about 30 days. I will let you know the exact date.
The First Saturday at Arte Vallarta Museo featured Mexican printmaker Alejandro Barreto, who studied in and has blended Russian folk heroes and styles with those of North America. Alejandro says his Russian is better than his English, which was certainly sufficient to personally lead a curious bunch of expats to view his colorful body of work upstairs at the Museo. Arte Vallarta Museo also featured Montse singing jazz and doing it very well indeed! Check VallartaCalendar.com for more information on this talented young woman and her tribute to Michael Jackson.
See you at Casa Karma tomorrow at 6 for the Vallarta Garden Club’s Welcome Back party, From Here!
Tuesday
Patrice and I will make one more run out to Coapinole this morning to see if there are any fabulous sweaters or down vests to keep her warm when she flies home to southern Alberta the day after tomorrow. Of course, my eyes will be peeled for anything chiffon-y or so pretty I cannot ignore the fabric!
We had the lovliest dinner at Abbraccio Restaurante last Friday night with Jan Dorland and Rob Burton. We always sit on their patio as opposed to the main dining room, which is enormous and kept cold enough to hang meat. Because it’s so big with soaring ceilings, it’s also noisy and was packed with mostly Mexican families celebrating at long tables last weekend! The patio is small, intimate, and perfect for conversation, and with Rob and Jan, lots of laughter. We have loved the food at Abbraccio (Italian for ‘hug’) every time we have had the pleasure. Its only drawback is its location close to the Marina and the Hotel Zone, not a comfortable walk from Centro.
Lucky for the folks who live and or stay there on vacation, however. I remember Abbraccio’s Opening Night, years ago. It was also a fundraiser for Pasitos de Luz, and I was astonished by how great the food and service were then, given the hundreds of invitees. If you are up at that end of town, find them behind the Outback Restaurant with lots of parking. I am happy Abbraccio has become a traditional stop – with Rob and Jan, whenever Patrice is visiting.
Two other traditions observed with Patrice are coffee at La Comer, which comes with a couple of complimentary pastries that I am glad La Comer does NOT sell, or I would eat bunches of them daily! The other is frozen yogurt with strawberries at Costco. We have been known (and scolded for) going in through the out door, indulging in the icy cold treat, and then leaving without buying a thing at Costco proper! Small things, but little guilty treasures I rarely indulge in when she is not here.
Only three more days to try and get to sleep before midnight without hearing church bells. Besides the ringing of the bells marking the time four times per hour, other bells announce each peregrination by peals and peals of rejoicing bell-smashing. Trying to figure out what time it is (by the number of bells rung) is often impossible during the 12 days of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. If you have never been down by the church on the night of December 11th (Her feast day is the 12th), go this year around 11 pm when Las Mañanitas is sung by thousands of people for the Virgin. It is joyous and lovely.
Patrice and I will be renewing our Vallarta Garden Club memberships at Casa Karma late this afternoon. We may have a chance to walk the labyrinth while we watch the sun drop into the sea, From Here.
Wednesday
It’s just past 5 am, and I am on my second cup of coffee. Why so early after a relatively late night?
I have an appointment at 8 this morning for a couple of X-rays and maybe get to touch base with my IMSS doctor, who is in Aurora and close to one of my fave restos – Abbraccio. No telling if that will take 15 minutes or the rest of the morning.
Then Scrabble at Qulture at 12:30, followed immediately by Bingo for Colina Spay & Neuter Clinic at 4. After bingo ends at 6 pm, Patrice and I have 15 minutes to walk from Nacho Daddy to Casita & Garden to meet fab black-and-white photographer Deborah Cole for cocktails and dinner with Chef Roman Ventura. If I can keep my face from falling asleep into the soup, it’ll be a grand evening!
As was last night at Casa Karma at the Welcome Back party and membership drive for the Vallarta Garden Club. Casa Karma is one of those jaw-dropping, eye-popping houses you see a couple of times in your life that is perfectly placed geographically, and the furnishings, paintings, and staff blend into an Architectural Digest feast for the senses.
Music was provided by La Bohemia quartet, and Gloria Fiona sang a couple of Adele songs. The band was perched at the edge of the labyrinth, jutting into the rocky coastline of Conchas Chinas. It’s always interesting to talk to people, such as Kay Nash, a case in point, who are seeing Casa Karma for the first time.
A couple of white love seats bookended the band and provided seating for Rick and Monica Miller and their entourage. Robert Rossi, husband of Sunny, who is the president of the Garden Club, manned the membership table.
Gorgeous hors d’oeuvres – a Casa Karma specialty – were passed and enjoyed. It was the first time this season I have seen Charlene Rehfeldt Baily Crowe, and her Beau, Bob. And, fresh from a successful fundraiser for the Gay Community Center, were singer Robert Ryan and husband Martin Methot. Robert’s new show will preview at Casa Karma next month on January 13, and half the tickets have already been sold! See VallartaCalendar.com for how to get yours!
A night of firsts and surprises! Lars Sundberg joined Patrice and me; I had not seen Lars since the summertime. He had suggested then that Patrice and I should visit the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen while we were there in August, and we did! Lars leaves Sunday for Denmark and his first Christmas with his family in Europe in 20 years!
With drinks firmly in hand, Patrice and I carefully made our way down the stairs onto the labyrinth where the bulk of the party was taking place, when she turned, glanced back up the stairs, then stopped in her tracks, her eyes getting bigger and bigger and her smile broader and wider. I turned to see who on earth could be responsible for such a reaction. It was our dear and darling friend Brian Bott who had schemed to surprise us with his presence; we had not expected to see him until next year. Welcome Back, indeed, From Here.
Thursday
Yesterday was so long and so busy, I didn’t have time to get tired! The overstimulation continued into a calm, quiet corner of Casita & Garden, where three large, round tables were simply, but elegantly laid for dinner with tiny roses in small vases clustered loosely in the center, offering up delicate scents and unobstructed views across at all our dinner companions. Place cards with our names took the guesswork out of where to sit; I was so honored to be next to Deborah Cole.
It was the first time I had been available to attend one of Chef Roman Ventura’s Supper Club dinners, and I guarantee this – it will not be my last. What an extraordinary way to spend Patrice’s last night in Vallarta!
Kudos to Francie at Casita & Garden, who chose the music of conversation and laughter to reign over dinner with nothing in the background but the chatter of excited voices eager for the next course to be served.
Close to three hours were spent slowly savoring the carefully curated menu, celebrating Mexico’s food gifts to the world, including tomatoes, corn, and beans, and so much more.
Five courses ensued – soup, salad, appetizer, main, and dessert. Each one so delectable that it was impossible to answer Chef Roman’s question as to our favorites of the evening. Each course had a surprise taste; the main, for example, had tiny cobs of corn simmered with garlic that were so sweet they tasted almost candied. The appetizer was a trio of small traditional Mexican bites – taco, tostada, and sope. After finishing one of them, a sudden rush of heated flavor filled my mouth with deliciousness so unexpected that I made a comment to Deborah. She replied, ”It’s like an orchestra with each instrument playing something different, and they come together somehow in a beautiful symphony.” Yes, exactly that.
The dessert – my personal favorite (there’s a surprise!)- was a 10,000-year-old bow to corn, each person at our table had a different edible flower as a garnish on an already gorgeous presentation. I will quote the menu description, which I am sure was written by Edward Potocek: “…corn and cheese flan on a warm tart, crowned with a brulee, dusted with cacao, and served with vanilla ice cream and fresh blueberries.” OMG, every part melted in my mouth faster than the ice cream on the small plate.
Roman and Edward offer overnight tours to nearby Pueblos Magicos, Mascota (where Roman’s family lives), and Talpa de Allende, besides offering their intimate dinners under the auspices of the Ventura Supper Club.
Chef Ventura has a following of foodies, so if you are interested in trying one of his Supper Club dinners (reserve at Casita & Garden), you will have to wait until the end of February, as they are sold out until then! Or hire Roman privately; there is likely a long line for that, too, From Here.
Friday
Bogie and I were abruptly woken up at the stroke of midnight by explosions of fireworks and all the bells in the church banging and crashing in collision with the overhead cacophony of sounds celebrating the first seconds of Guadalupe’s Feast Day. Bogie meowed in protest and fled under the bed. I waited until it was over, thinking back to the afternoon hour or so I spent at Vallarta Eats office situated a tiny stone’s throw from the front steps of the church.
I have seen these Peregrinaciones – Processions – in parts, 40ish times in my life here in Vallarta, but watched from a different angle yesterday. Stephen, the owner of Vallarta Eats, invited me to a small party at his office on the street flanking the front steps of Vallarta’s church. It was a bird’s-eye view of devotion.
On the slate yesterday were various parts of Mayor Luis Munguia’s city workers, and their wives, kids, and the odd dog tagging along. Each delegation has a type of uniform, often a white shirt proclaiming ‘Renace’ or ‘Reborn,’ Mungia’s slogan, with blue jeans. Or ‘Third Agers,’ women over 60 in white with wedding veils, dancing and moving slowly and with grace through the streets. Some toothless, all smiling and dancing with intent for the Virgin. An unseen hand tells the people to slow down, give each delegation their spotlight to dance, pray, and surreptitiously check a phone message. I did not see a bored expression, a worried glance at a watch, even the children paid attention, a four- or five-year-old girl, dressed as Guadalupe, struggling to keep her green satin veil from sliding off her freshly washed hair, all eyes on the front door to the church, waiting patiently to enter the sanctity of that holy place, and receive blessings from the priest, and through him, the Virgin’s.
I saw a pickup truck stop at the foot of Independencia Street on Juarez and offload at least a dozen boxes full of foodstuffs and huge bouquets of flowers. Burly guys, one on each side of the boxes, struggled to walk up the streets bearing their gifts over the cobblestones and into the packed church.
A different group of strong guys picked up wheelchairs that included their occupants and manhandled them safely up the dozen or so steps and into the church.
Portraits of the Virgin were carried with reverence, candles burned in styrofoam coffee cups, hands held flowers, some fresh, some made of palm leaves; all held with love and deep faith.
Today, the ‘Favorecidas,’ those who have received blessings from the Virgin, take over the processions and will fill Calle Juarez shoulder to shoulder and move as one to the Church, the epicenter of life in Vallarta on this Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe day, From Here.
