Family Fetes 25 Years
An appropriate greeting in La Manzanilla on New Year’s Eve was Happy Anniversary. Joe and Barb Hostetler were the guests of honor at a gala 25th wedding anniversary dinner hosted by their children Jessica and Chad, Jarrod and Bianca, K.C., and Cody.
The Hostetlers, who share their time between La Manzanilla and Anchorage, Alaska, were one of the original American families to put down roots here. Over their 30-year tenure, they’ve gathered a cornucopia of friends – young and old, expat and local – the rich diversity of which was reflected in the by-invitation turnout.
Like a high-school gymnasium on prom night, the interior of our cinderblock casino was transformed into a grand salon for the event. Fresh flowers everywhere, subdued torchere lighting, and a sit-down dinner for 300 guests, with place cards, contributed a touch of class rarely experienced in our laid-back beach community. The strawberry tree next to a fountain of melted chocolate clinched it.
After a dinner featuring chicken cordon bleu, served by a uniformed wait staff, Barb and Joe cut into one of the many flower-topped cakes. When the music started, they shared the first dance and, responding to “Beso! Beso!” shouts from the crowd with a kiss. Then the party, which lasted well into the new year, was afoot.
Importance of Diacritics
Whether you call January 6 Dia de Reyes, Epiphany, or the 12th day of Christmas, the partridge in a pear tree and its entourage have finally left the building. The holidays are officially over. It seems as though they’ve been going on and on and on this year. I could swear I saw a Day of the Dead figurine wearing a Santa Claus suit. Enough, already, and none too soon! I’m Feliz Navidaded out.
While most expats and visitors to Mexico can handle Merry Christmas in Spanish, a proper New Year’s greeting often goes askew. Many people were wished an inadvertent Prosperous New Body Part for 2010. Prospero Ano Nuevo without the tilde (~) over the n in Ano takes on an entirely different meaning.
Sometimes the faux pas was the result of faulty Spanish by persons who have yet to grasp that the ~ gives the n a nyo sound. Not helping the problem were U.S. standard computer keyboards. Most, regardless of operator acumen, seem incapable of inserting essential diacritical marks above letters, such as the ~ over the n. This is especially challenging on the electronic greeting card and social networking sites many of us use to keep in touch.
As a result, wishes were widespread for a Prosperous New Anus. Fortunately, it’s the thought that counts.
Music Goes to the Dogs
It was standing room only at Cisco’s Amigos 7th Annual Music Night on January 4. That just made it easier to move to first-rate live music throughout the night.
The fundraiser was again held at the hillside home of Rusty Schuetz and Julie Wagner. Julie, who organizes the popular event each year, estimated that close to 150 guests were there. Most brought food, to help defray costs, so tables overflowed with salads and pastries and finger foods for every palate.
The music was danceable and nonstop. Local resident Domatilo Rosa and his quartet provided traditional Mexican music. La Manzanilla Lounge Lizards, Willy Mason and Dan Crosby, performed several sets of their motion-motivating blues. The big draw for the evening, however, was Simone belting out Jazz and R&B standards with a Motown influence.
Simone Lamers and her husband Michael, on guitar, are Salt Spring, British Columbia, residents who spend seven months of the year at their home in Melaque. This is their second appearance at Cisco’s Amigos Music Night, and they play at Restaurant Maya in Melaque on Wednesday and Friday nights.
All proceeds from ticket sales benefit the Cisco’s Amigos free spay and neuter clinics sponsored annually for reproductive pets in La Manzanilla and Melaque. They also provide health check-ups and other treatments, all at no charge, and have been known to take their show on the road to outlying areas.
The clinics are staffed and supported totally by volunteers, from sign in through triage. Veterinarians from this area and as far away as Mexico City and Zihuatanejo donate their surgery skills. To date they’ve treated over 2,000 animals, including 268 in during the five-day Melaque clinic in November. Despite donations of time, however, money is also required.
Julie estimates this year’s La Manzanilla clinic, scheduled for March 19 through 23, will cost around 40,000 pesos, to cover medicine, equipment, transportation, etcetera. The almost 26,000 pesos collected at the recent Music Night puts them over halfway to that goal, and another Cisco’s Bingo and Silent Auction fund raiser is in the works.
10 New Artists Hung
The new year brings an entire new gallery of La Manzanilla artists for the month at restaurant Café de Flores. The January 3 opening drew a lively crowd. Admission was free, and patrons were treated to a display of paintings and photographs by talented residents whose work might otherwise never be enjoyed by the public.
Art and food seem to go hand in hand in La Manzanilla, and Alex Mayberry’s hors d’oeuvres, dips and spreads were as popular as the artwork. Café de Flores is located on Calle Playa Blanca and is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Thursday.
Coming soon: information about the 2nd annual Art Walk scheduled for January and the February Fiesta de Toros. For up-to-the-minute information about what’s happening in La Manzanilla, visit our message board at www.lamanzanilla.info.
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