WEEK GONE BY

       Today is my lecture on Serial Photography.  It conflicts with the once a month Men's Happy Hour at Casa Charles House.  We get together, toast the world and solve all it's problems.  I will try to squeeze both activities in.
        The complex is back to normal and I'm off to have lunch with Eric and his wife at Cabuche.

              They arrived just after me and were pleased with the menu and the choice.  They felt very comfortable there.   The owner came over with some Pulque (Aztec Beer...really...fermented Agave nectar with recipes going back 3000 years).  We toasted and started ordering.  We arrived at the "cusp" of Breakfast and Lunch so I ordered Muchaca Eggs and frijoles , fresh orange juice and Cappuccino.

So Good I ate most before I remembered to Photograph it.

         They ordered Corn soup with Corn Mushrooms...a fungus that grows on the corn and very healthy for you.

Opp's the Soup was so good that was gone before I could show you.

  After their salad,they they shared some Chili Relleno with Oaxaca Cheese and a Spicy Squash side dish. They enjoyed everything.

They invited me to join them and their Cumbia dance instructor for Friday evening at the Candela Dance Club (est 1935).  I accepted and we parted until then.

The Star...The Chef

Another Star...THE MENU

       I stopped at my local La Noria Mercado to buy some eggs..18 for $1.32, celery, Chorizo, and Ricotta Cheese before returning home. I noticed my favorite mural but now overgrown since the last photo I took of it two years ago.

They have hair now!

 I repacked my bag with some Brie Cheese and Concho de Toros Chilean wine and headed for my lecture. The complex had returned to normal with some of the Christmas still left.

My entrance

      Arriving just as they started the lecture/slide presentation on Serial Photography, I sat in the back so I could duck out for my Men's Happy Hour at Casa Charles.  The Photographer was from Richmond, Virginia, one of my favorite cities and some of his slide presentation was Telephone Poles, Churches, and Recycled buildings of Richmond as well as shoots from Oaxaca and Columbia, S.A.   Serial Photography is taking a theme and following it whether it be Gravesites in Oaxaca or Zocalos of Columbia and trying to hone in on a theme.  Give the photos emotion, meaning, a story.  I thought it fascinating but departed for Casa Charles Happy Hour about half way through.
     It was like old home week...Charles greeted me, Dan the Canadian florist and now Gay B&B owner/operator was there.  Allen, ex-banker , wine expert and world traveler...my pool playing opposition for tomorrow was there.  Bill my friend and author, whose book I bought but haven't read welcomed me. David and Al a nice couple. Richard from NY or Boston but a world traveler also and Milton, who retired here and a few years later lost his wife to cancer and now rides a motor scooter around town when he comes in from the country where he resides in the Casa he and his wife retired in.  Very open , friendly and great person.  Chuck, a retired lawyer from NOLA who took a case to the US Supreme Court and won, was just leaving when I arrived.  He also does the collection plate at the Santa Domingo Basilica on Sundays occasionally.  Good Catholic stock.  We all had a great conversation on several topics, a few glasses of wine, and maybe a toke or two before 7 pm when Charles needs his beauty sleep...just kidding...but a bunch of old timers having fun can go on forever.
        Allen gave me a lift home and hopefully some pool lessons tomorrow.