Good Morning, From Here, September 27 – October 03
Monday
My sister, Patrice, and I spent a couple of weeks in northern Europe this summer, mostly in Sweden, for the wedding of our niece Evelyn. Whatever city we were in, we walked for miles and miles. We rarely had a destination in mind, but roamed wherever our feet wanted to take us. We got lost often, and that was okay, too.
We talked the whole time, as we do daily, on the phone when she is back in Canada. Comparisons were made every second – ranging from, ”I have never seen that before” to ”that would NEVER happen in Vallarta!” Something was missing the entire three+ weeks I was away, and it wasn’t until I got home to Vallarta that I could put my finger on it.
There is no music in Europe. Oh, there is in the hundreds of concert halls, and we did attend an outdoor event in Stockholm at the Opera House, and another outdoor concert where our other niece, Adele, sang with her band in the middle of nowhere in Sweden. That concert started at 11 pm.
I mean music in the street. I recall buskers in London a hundred years ago, when I was there last, but they are gone now.
Just yesterday, I could hear a man singing as he walked down my street—a lovely tenor, singing in Spanish. Nobody sings in London on the streets; they don’t even hum. They walk because they have to be somewhere that evidently precludes singing.
Patrice and I saw one busker in six countries. He was playing guitar and singing in English outside the train station in Cologne, just beside the enormous Gothic cathedral. Just the sight of him made me smile for blocks and blocks.
There are no loudspeakers inside shops aimed at passing foot traffic. Not one. I sometimes wonder at the volume played here at Similares, for example, but it would be an escape to go IN to the store because no way it would be that loud inside! There is method to that madness.
It likely boils down to our lack of civilization. That we burst into song because we can, so far it’s still legal to sing or hum a tune beyond the confines of our showers. Just one more reason travelers love Mexico in general and Vallarta in particular – the city sings with glorious happiness.
Speaking of happiness – our very own Angeloo won the State singing contest La Voz de Zapopan for Boys and Girls last Saturday. A trophy, 50,000 pesos, and I don’t know what other accolades and rewards will find their way to him, but he will certainly be celebrated for a long time in Vallarta.
I looked into this contest a little, when Angeloo had first qualified. The first two years – 2025 was the third – garnered 6,000 participants! I assume that was the accumulated total of talented children under 19 in this state for two years.
La Catrina Cantina will likely give him a hero’s welcome back from the big city for his regular Wednesday night show on October 01. Join me at 8 pm to shower this young man with appreciation, who at 12 years old has the world of music at his feet—applause, applause, From Here.
Tuesday
My sister, Patrice, arrives for her winter vacay exactly four weeks from today. And here we are still dripping wet from summer heat and torrential rains. Temperatures in Southern Alberta are already in single digits, although it felt that cool to me at the end of July!
Yesterday, I sat down with my daytimer and opened VallartaCalendar.com to plot what shows I should see before she arrives, what I should wait and see with her for the first time, and shows that are so fabulous that we will both need to see them again before she heads north for the rest of the winter in December. And that’s just at The Palm and Coco Cabarets.
And, there are the venues off the beaten track, smaller in some cases, out of town in others, that are certainly worth travelling to. They are in the process of putting their events together and will be posting on VallartaCalendar very soon. I passed by Bar Frida last night, and owner Tom Finley dropped a name in my ear that will cause a major stampede in Season, but my lips are sealed.
Diana Frances returns and is bringing an improv workshop to Arte Vallarta. The game show “Match That Snatch” also returns to Nacho Daddy for two hilarious presentations only, and a Christmas show starring herself and her partner from Second City, Karen Parker. These two Canadians are seriously funny and so fast on their feet.
Here’s a surprising thing – I won a game of bingo last night at Awaysis Rio. The place was packed, and it won’t be long until the games will have to move back to the other side of the restaurant/bar, turn off the air conditioners, and deal with the transition. Puerto Vallarta Fun & Games, which hosts the Bingo at Awaysis, has added Bar Frida and, down on the pier street at Chachalaca (where the daubers contain glitter! Of course, they do!). All places are ramping up, according to ball caller Robert Henry.
Tonight is the last concert in the second annual Summer Series, conceived by Georgia Darehshori and produced this year by Will Walker, who will also be a guest tonight at Kim Archer’s show. Bing Young will accompany on piano, and of course, Kim will play guitar.
Construction is still ongoing at Casa Karma, so tonight’s show will be held at Avida, 505, Georgia’s home and now a preeminent concert hall! Her chef and staff from Casa Karma will be on hand, creating their signature hors d’oeuvres. There will also be a cash bar.
Doors open at 6:30, show at 7. Please pay at the door – 500 pesos, cash only, please and thank you.
To my sister in Canada: I left you on August 23 in Calgary, exactly five weeks ago today, and will see you here, in Vallarta, exactly four weeks from today. So, like, start packing! From Here!
Wednesday
What a jam-packed October this will be with the opening of The Palm and Coco Cabarets, mid-month, Halloween, of course, just after my baby sister arrives for six or seven weeks.
Today is our monthly Scrabble Tournament. I will have a chance to wear that crown once again as the current Scrabble Quine is on a boat off the coast of New Brunswick. I will play today in her honor – I miss you, Sharon!
A bingo fundraiser for Colina Spay and Neuter Clinic follows at Nacho Daddy, and later this evening, the return to La Catrina Cantina of State Champion of La Voz de Zapopan, Angel Covarrubias, better known around Vallarta as Angeloo. It will be wonderful to congratulate him and his dad in person.
Three months ago, on July 01, Patriz kicked off the Second Annual Summer Concert Series at Casa Karma. The brainchild of Georgia Darehshori, which started last year to keep live music, well, alive during our off-season, known as summer in other parts of the world.
It wound down last night at Georgia’s apartment at Avida with Kim Archer performing her first concert of this Season and the finale of the Series that was produced this year by Will Walker.
”Milestones and Melodies” had Ms Archer doling out bits and pieces of her life, happily growing up in a tiny town in Indiana. She revealed the day, in church, when she understood she wasn’t ‘from there’ or biologically from her white parents. Her mom explained about adoption, and Kim remained the only person of color in the entire town until the fourth grade.
She has since found and embraced her Mexican American birth mom and family. Her biological father is Ernest Evans, better known as Chubby Checker; music is in her blood.
Maestro Bing Young accompanied Kim and complemented her guitar on the piano that was left to Georgia to use on such occasions by the dearly departed Dennis Crow. (We have sadly lost some tremendous talent lately.)
Bing hit some milestone tunes, as did Kim, and the two could be a seriously interesting duo. Let’s see if anything happens with that.
One of Kim’s favorite groups of all time is the Irish rock band U2. She has seen them in concert more than 20 times; her rendition of ‘With or Without You’ last night would have had Bono on his feet screaming accolades had he been in the room with us.
Guest appearances by Alison Lo, Jason Mathis, and Will Walker ended a three-hour-long concert. The night was topped off by Katherine Hepburn brownies that I would eat every day if I had Casa Karma staff to make them for me! Delicious as were the always beautifully presented hors d’oeuvres.
It was great to see and hug Sunny and Rob Rossi, as well as Wendy Johnson. She and I walked home together and parted ways on Miramar, with me walking downhill to my kitty, Bogie, and her up to her house and wife, Patti Gallardo.
Wish me luck at Scrabble today, From Here.
Thursday
I am being lulled by Fall. It seems drier in the air: we haven’t had any rain for three days. The river is still high, and after walking home last night from La Catrina Cantina, it occurred to me while unlocking my front door that I was not sweating. Yay! These small idiosyncrasies keep us going in the tropics and mark the changing seasons.
So, backtracking to La CC. I went last night to welcome Angeloo back after winning the State singing contest, La Voz de Zapopan. He has not received all his prizes yet, but he certainly enjoyed all the applause he garnered after his first set last night. He came to my table to say hello and got a huge hug, of course. A switch has been flipped, the little boy vibe is gone, and a subtly confident young man stands in his shoes. Well done, Angel, you are so loved.
This afternoon is the Celebration of Life for Patrick Henry Murray. Lots of singers are planning to stop by La Catrina Cantina to help spread the love. See you there at 5 pm.
My dear friend, dear Sharon Gerber Scherer, sent me a message from the wilds of New Brunswick last night asking how the Scrabble tournament went. She was shocked to learn she won’t be playing me for the crown in November. Our newest member, Andre Couvillion, from Colorado and a relatively new resident of Vallarta, won two out of three games at Qulture yesterday. A handful of points only separated us every game, and he caught me with a mitt full at the end. That’s how it’s done; very well played, indeed!
I walked down to Nacho Daddy for the second bingo game of the Season to benefit the Colina Spay and Neuter Clinic. A good crowd turned out to support this worthwhile charity, which sterilizes 20 cats and dogs for free every Saturday, and has been doing so for the last 13 years. I won a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon for my sister, who arrives in 25 more sleeps. And – this is the most annoying thing about bingo, I was one number away from winning on four other games! That only counts in horseshoes, right?
Today, Thursday, is when I will put the Rearview Mirror together for publication bright and early tomorrow morning. That aspect of the Vallarta Mirror is the compilation of all the articles published this week, from Sandra Bradley’s metaphysics column to Tommy Clarkson’s in-depth look at tropical plants and particularly their medicinal qualities. You can also read about Richard Coleman’s walks around Manzanillo. And there’s more! Subscribe to that with your email address. It’s free! https://vallartamirror.com/rearview-mirror-signup/
Tomorrow is Friday, which means the fabulous first Saturday of the Month follows with the big fiesta at Arte Vallarta Museo. See you there, From Here.
Friday
How is everyone doing this gray morning? The highlight of this day so far has been watching my kitty Bogie creep up to his elevated food bowl and cautiously dip one foot into the soggy mess, dig around a bit until he snags a chunk of whateverthemeatis and carefully pop it into his mouth. Most of the time, he spits it onto the floor first. For a closer inspection, maybe? He doesn’t always use his paws to eat, but then I wonder why today, why use your paw like a bear when yesterday you ate like a cat? They are aliens in disguise, I swear. But on to more introspective topics, like last night’s early show at La Catrina Cantina.
We came together as a community to Celebrate the Life of Patrick Henry Murray, who would have turned 58 years old on November 02. According to Juan Alvarado, the owner of La CC, who has been working closely with the authorities in this case, mentioned that the men responsible will be taken into custody soon. Cheers and much applause followed that announcement that ended our evening, which was full of song, heartfelt remembrances, and the love everyone had (has) for Patrick.
Bing Young kicked off the program, singing without a piano, and was followed by Juan Alvarado, who touchingly introduced a video clip shot at La CC, debuting a new tune and marking his last appearance at that venue. Patrick had learned the song at Juan’s request.
And so, the night went on, not in sadness; there were too many hilariously funny stories about Patrick for that, but the underlying sense of profound loss kept tears hovering on the edge of overflow for hours.
Everyone who took the stage with a song or a story gave back a piece of the life that was Patrick Henry’s to every one of us.
Through the words and lyrics, combined with the video loop that played throughout the evening, we experienced some of his joy, his voice, pictures of his family, his songs, and, oh, that smile!
There was a sound healing meditation with singing bowls and small gongs that was juxtaposed with some good ole’ Louisiana line dancing that brought us back to the present.
The dance floor quickly filled, mainly with those familiar with the steps, and it was a delight to watch. A few other brave souls threw themselves into the ordered melee and raised the level of laughter, which is precisely what Patrick Henry would have done.
Thanks go to Juan Alvarado and the staff at La Catrina Cantina, and to Jason Mathis for hosting the event with such great poise and composure. To the entertainers who came to play and sing in celebration of their friend and collaborator, thank you.
The vibration of the voices will go on and on. The energy will help heal the physical loss of Patrick, and you can be sure his legacy of love and kindness to everyone he met will linger in the corners of the hearts who knew him, and will, in turn, touch those who did not, From Here.
