The scene is set: The pit, the crowd, the beer, the betting. No question about when the cockfight begins. The tension level goes up and noise soars with it. There is a violent explosion, a blur of fury and feathers, bad birds flying at each other, trying to stab and peck in an angry, bloody […]
Continue ReadingAncient American Alexander R. Pembrooke, 84, retired gospel singer, pipe-smoking trout fisherman and stock-market survivor, retains an insatiable appetite for information. He selected our south-of-the-border adventure for 20 Questions, then tacked on “Who is the most famous Mexican?” My fumbling, bumbling, stumbling answer advertised my weakness in history and made the quiz sound like multiple-choice. […]
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After an all-Mexico breakfast of fresh-squeezed orange juice, honeydew, banana, raspberries and mango, we dusted off our faithful VW bug and pointed it toward Tapalpa. (Tom McEwen of the Tampa Tribune used to begin columns with his morning menu. Then, I thought it goofy. Now, I think such small talk might calm a raging appetite, replace a […]
Continue ReadingIn Mexico, the bus, sooner or later, goes almost everywhere. And the cost is low. And there might be free entertainment, maybe an ancient dropout from a mariachi band or a youngster trying to transport a small pig in a big box. We sometimes ride the bus from Jocotepec to Chapala to stay in touch […]
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Once upon a time, in the previous century, an old journalist and his still-beautiful bride were pondering retirement and escape from Washington, D.C. They had roots and land on the original TVA lake in Tennessee and that was going to be home, sweet home for spring, summer and football season. But Tennessee winters can be […]
Continue ReadingMy exalted editor, spelling coach and inspirational wife of more than 50 years said my chosen subject for this month wasn’t very good so we’ll skip what I thought was an award-winning essay and go directly to questions and answers. Question: I’ve read about your forthcoming book. What the heck are you doing in Mexico? Answer: Having a delightful […]
Continue ReadingEdd Bissell, 64, almost retired as a Tennessee pharmacist and gentleman farmer, has found a new home, at La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, on the Bay of Banderas, on the left bank of Mexico, in the edge of Nayarit, not far north of Puerto Vallarta, between the last range of the Sierra Madres and the Pacific […]
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Granddaughter Kim couldn’t resist. Our slender, pert redhead scampered along the flatland toward the water. Thousands of white pelicans immediately got the message. After a second or three of awkward, cumbersome struggle, they got the heck out of there. Aloft, these majestic birds are among God’s most handsome creations. Big. Graceful. Glorious. Soaring. Gliding. Circling. […]
Continue ReadingThe first time was in New York, along Seventh Avenue, near the intersection with Broadway, where the streets come together to make a piece of pie. No doubt I was gawking. Might as well have carried a sign saying “Country bumpkin at the county fair.” A dapper little gentleman, who, in real life, could have […]
Continue ReadingIn the early years of the 21st century, the beautiful Mexican town of Sayula had a wildly fluctuating gringo population. Half of it was lost in one day — when Paul and Debbie Katz moved to Chapala. It doubled 10 months later when they returned. Don Sellers was the stable 25 percent. He’s there and […]
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