it’s one of my two favorite times of day….5 +….the clouds roll over the mountains to the west, reminding me of San Francisco/Sausalito fog banks, the various flocks of birds in the finca fly in to the fountain and fight over landing rights(the smaller mourning doves lose to the larger clarineros)and to the east, where the last group of tennis players wind up, all you can hear is ‘fault! or ‘out!’….reminds me of being married, in a way.
By any measure, Lori Shea’s Antigua Music Organization show was a success/boffo/superb!….the 300 chairs were filled and another 50+ people milled around…the 2nd act, ‘Annika’ seems to have taken the prize for musical perfection/act/class etc..’according to a few people I spoke with…familiar faces in the crowd…the ever elegant Maite Morjan, Yves Goudard/wfe (they’re thinking of moving to
Morocco) and Lito/Ale, two of Antigua’s more popular waitstaff..Lito says he’s leaving in a month and moving to Albuquerque (NM)….we shared experiences…the fabulous Mexican food, mainly..I could almost live in New Mexico…almost..the climate, the culture, the food..Santa Fake, not..Taos? I never really ‘got’ Taos…
Some go, some return…’Nazi’ John, so dubbed by DVM aka Hogan…James Mullen, our 50 yr old heavy metal Goth….heart of gold…Ponzi Bob leaves Wednesday..always dreamin’ of gold..some day?
so..it’s the main month, down to the countdown of Easter Sunday…yeah, the crowds, the pickpockets…the alfombras are xlnt…works of art, in some cases….I’m not a ‘stand in line’ kinda guy, unless I’m at the head of the line..ask me about the scar on the back of my head, for an example.
and yes, the ATM thieves…two of the restaurants that Mike D mentioned as possibilities for his regretful event are old time Antigua establishments but all it takes is one bent waiter….my recent experiences with ATMs? I’d probably avoid the one in Bodegona…when it’s gone, its gone and it takes a while to get it back…the replacement ATM card might get here in 3 or 4 weeks…cash? o, that’s right…how do you get cash, in the meantime? think about it..and I’m waiting to see how Alex Long’s new cantina shapes up, La Calle…it feels like it has what I’ve called ‘critical mass’…a term for describing the perfect size for a bar or restaurant…like Hector’s or the Snug…it’s ‘people thing’, a comfort zone.