Lakeside Living

from El Ojo del Lago - March 2022

Profiling Tepehua

Carol D. Bradley

Email: cdbradleymex@gmail.com Phone: 33-2506-7525

The Lake Chapala Society hosts Open Circle every Sunday at 10AM, a popular community gathering in Ajijic, to enjoy a diverse range of presentations. The presentations will be on the south lawn, close to the gazebo, the entrance will be by the side door on Ramón Corona, chairs will be socially distanced. Gate opens

at 9:30.

We recommend bringing a hat and bottled water, and please remove containers upon departure. Attendance is limited to 80 persons, please make your reservation if you want to attend https://

opencircleajijic.org/reservation_form.php

Use of masks and temperature checks on entry is mandatory.

Lake Chapala Society LCS, is seeking to update its list of charitable, social, and support organizations. These groups could include environmental, social issues, animal welfare, support groups, etc.—any group that contributes and gives back to the Lakeside area.

If you are involved with a group and want to ensure the group’s inclusion in LCS’ inventory, please contact Diana Ayala, LCS Development Director development@ lakechapalasociety.com

March presentations include:

March 6 - Foodbank Lakeside marks it’s anniversary and presents:

“Food Poverty in the Lakeside Communities and What is Being Done to Address It”

The Mexican government’s National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development reports that more than 44% of the country’s residents live in poverty, which the Council defines as living on less than the equivalent of $111 USD/month and the lack of access to at least one or more “social rights”, one of which is food.

The leadership team of Foodbank Lakeside (FBL) will discuss the specifics of food poverty in the Lakeside communities, describing the situations in which the organization’s recipients live and the challenges they face. They will explain what is being done to alleviate hunger in the local area by the large community effort that is Foodbank Lakeside.

The all-volunteer organization provides basic pantry items to needy families monthly and the food for Kids Kitchens run by Poco a Poco in poor, indigenous lakeside communities.

March 13 - Intro to LCS Annual General Meeting

That is on March 15th, in person and by Zoom

March 20 - David Truly: Outlook on the Community

Dr. David J Truly is a researcher/consultant, musician, and educator who lives in Austin, Texas and Ajijic, Mexico. He is a popular guest speaker/ lecturer and is considered an expert on international retirement migration and senior living in Mexico. He has taught at major universities in both the US and Mexico and is an accomplished guitarist/songwriter who has performed throughout the US and Mexico.

There will be an unveiling of Don Aiken plaque after OC - with lite refreshments. Dr. David J Truly

March 27 - Steven Nousen a returning favorite,

Open Circle welcomes back Dr. Benjamin Franklin for the March 27 event. We ask you to turn your imagination back to June 1775. You are citizens of Philadelphia. The city is alive with talk of war in New England.

Dr. Franklin* has called Philadelphia home for more than half a century. During his tenure here he built a profitable printing business, performed famous electrical experiments, authored Poor Richard’s Almanac, and he has been the driving force behind many of our civic improvements.

For 15 of the last 17 years, Dr. Franklin has represented our colony in London attempting to find common ground with our proprietors and the British Kings. Since his return six weeks ago, he has remained silent as he served us in the Continental Congress.

Today, Dr. Franklin is breaking his silence to tell you how three tyrants have shaped his life. He is going to explain how this moment marks a crossroad in history. This is the Time to Choose between our current system of government or to take a new, independent path. * Steven Nousen appears as Franklin. He has performed this role in numerous venues across the United States including the Library of Congress and the National Geographic Society.

Concerts in the Park Series: Tuesday March 15th: a benefit to Foodbank Lakeside. US2 performing Decades music from the 50’s through the 90’s at 3:00 Show. US2 Rocketman & Dancing Queen, the music of Elton John & Abba tribute at 5:30 show. Dr. Benjamin Franklin Two Performances: Tuesday, March 15, 3:00 and 5:30 PM

The concert will be held in the lush LCS Garden

The LCS Concert in the Park Series Continues on March 20th, Seth Sikes performs his Me and My Gals show.

This concert will be a benefit for Foodbank Lakeside. Seth will sing some of our favorites from the Gershwins, Judy, Barbara and Liza as he keeps alive the great American song book.

Two Performances:

Sunday, March 20, 2:30 and 5:00 PM

The concert will be held in the lush LCS Garden

Please consult Opencircleajijic.org for more information.

Bare Stage Theatre’s March production is These Shining Lives, a drama by Melanie Mamich and directed by Phyllis Silverman. One hundred years later and still relevant, the plot revolves around the true-life circumstances of women in the 1920’s, just newly accepted into the world of work but still considered expendable. A story of love and survival in its most transcendent sense, as the women refuse to allow the company, that pays them to paint glow-in-the-dark watch faces using radium, to kill their spirits or endanger the lives of those who come after them.

Cast includes: Linda Goman, Frank Lynch, Graham Miller, Gisele Phipps, Louise Ritchie & Darlene Sherwood.

Dates: March 25th, 26th & 27th. Tickets are $200. Showtime at 4:00pm

We are located at #261 on the mountain side of the Carretera in Riberas del Pilar across from the Catholic Church. Door and Bar open at 3:00 pm. Seats are held till 3:50 pm. All Covid 19 protocols will be in place: Audience limited in size; Masks are mandatory; Proof of Vaccine or Negative test; And curtains will be open for air flow. Ticket sales are brisk so don’t wait!

Reservations: barestagetheatre2018@ gmail.com. Please Like, Follow & Share our Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/barestagetheatre2018/

The next Mainstage presentation for Lakeside Little Theatre is:

CAKE WALK by Colleen Curran.

Director: Collette Clavadetscher, Producer: Margo Eberly, Stage Manager: Sally Jo Bartlett.

Show Dates are March 25-April 3, 2022. Evenings at 7:30 p.m., matinees: 4 p.m.

Five unlikely contestants clash in a Canada Day cake-baking contest, in which each character gets his or her just desserts! Cake Walk is a farce that revolves around a small-town baking competition held in 1984. The grand prize is a trip to Paris for two. You’ll have to come to LLT to see who takes the cake in the laugh out loud funny Cake Walk. Review: Billed as a comedic dive into the cutthroat world of small-town cake-baking competitions, Cake Walk comes flying out of the gate and continues at the same breakneck pace until the show ends, only pausing for intermission. THE CITIZEN Tickets are on sale on line at www. lakesidelittletheatre.com. Masks are required.

Cast: sitting L-R, Dir. Phyllis Silverman & Graham Miller standing L-R, Linda Goman, Frank Lynch, Louise Ritchie, Giselle Phipps & Darlene Sherwood

PAGES FROM HISTORY

For the first time in more than 2 years the Lake Chapala Community Orchestra is back to full strength and gearing up for an exciting concert presentation on Friday March 18 and Saturday March 19.

The audience will be taken on a musical journey through history.

Entitled “Pages From History” the concert will feature orchestral works written to

commemorate famous historical events.

“Before film music gave us a musical background to history, composers such as Beethoven and Tchaikovsky composed orchestra works depicting significant historical events” says Michael Reason, the orchestra’s conductor. 1812 by Tchaikovsky is perhaps the most famous of these but Finlandia by Sibelius and Egmont Overture by Beethoven are equally appropriate in their respective appraisal of history.

Reason believes that an orchestral concert should appeal to a wide audience and his ability to program concerts with works from diverse musical genres is a hallmark of the orchestra’s presentations.

Guest artists include the orchestra’s principal clarinetist, Susanne Bullock, in Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto and Christy Caldwell Carter singing a World War 2 song medley.

Music from the cinema will feature prominently with James Horner’s magnificent

Cast: Sofia Randall, Maloy Murdock, Pamela Johnson, Georgette Richmond, Barbara Pruitt, Tracy Foy, Glenn Kay.

score to Apollo 13 and John Williams’s moving theme to Oliver Stone’s JFK and all the music being complemented with video projections.

Since its inception in October 2018 the Lake Chapala Community Orchestra has sold out every concert well in advance and this promises to be no exception.

This enterprising concert will take place on Friday March 18 and Saturday March 19 both at 3pm at the Lakeside Presbyterian Church located at 250 San Jorge, Riberas, Chapala.

Due to covid restrictions seating is limited to only 70 people per performance so early booking is highly recommended. All attendees must be fully vaccinated against covid.

Tickets are $250 and can be reserved by emailing LCCOtickets@gmail.com.

Michael Reason (Conductor)

Lake Chapala Community Orchestra mjrmusic01@gmail.com

“The Lake Chapala Society (LCS) is holding a two-day Art Fair on March 18 and 19 from 10am to 4pm each day.

This “LCS Art Fair” is being hosted by LCS to provide an opportunity for local artists and artisans to showcase their art and handicrafts for the last time during the high season. It is also a fund-raising event to support LCS programs that have suffered during COVID.

Enjoy a walk through the relaxing gardens and grounds, while browsing the art and handicrafts of over 60 local artists and artisans – plus the LCS Children’s Art Program.

Because this is a fund-raising event, there will be an admission fee of $50 pesos. This will be the only event occurring at LCS for these two days.

All COVID protocols will be followed, but proof of vaccination is NOT required.”

Lakeside Published Writer’s Group is back at El Gato Feo Cafe + Roastery with their “Meet the Authors” event.

There will be 3 authors reading from their works and answering a live Q+A at the end of each reader.

Authors will have copies of their books for signing.

This event will take place the second Wednesday of every month.

Next one: March 9th. Readings start at 11.

Come early: coffee is available and enjoy live music by Sergio Casas playing from his Personal Selections.

Meeting held in the lovely salon of Estrellita’s Bed & Breakfast. (Where El Gato Feo Cafe is located)

Open to the public.

Speaking of Writers, the longstanding Ajijic Writers Group meets in the garden of La Nueva Posada on the first and third Friday of each month at 11AM.

Local writers read from their works in progress. The audience is invited to offer constructive feedback and comments.

Stay for lunch to meet the writers and enjoy the inspiration. Sign up to read your original work.

La Nueva Posada is located on the lake at #9, Donato Guerra in Ajijic.

Open to all levels of writers.

Ajijic Writers Group at La Nueva Posada

The Eternal Lust for Gold

By Robert Bruce Drynan

In 1594 a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I, Sir Walter Raleigh, an experienced soldier and adventurer, mounted an expedition to South America in pursuit of a legend of a city of gold, known as

Manao. His expedition first landed on Trinidad where the Englishmen captured and destroyed a Spanish settlement and taking prisoner its governor Antonio de Berrio. With Berrio as his captive Raleigh set off through the delta of the Orinoco River into the hinterlands of what is today known as Venezuela. Berrio had made earlier ascents of the river seeking the City of Gold. In the course of the expedition Raleigh’s party reached and followed the Río Negro encountering towering table mountains, known in Pemón, the

Sir Walter Raleigh

local indigenous language, as tepuis. They may have been the first Europeans to view the world’s highest waterfall, its modern day sobriquet, Angel Falls. In any case Raleigh is credited by later scholars for having discovered the Roraima Tepui that today occupies the point where the borders of Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana meet.

The Englishmen did not find Manao, but as he departed, Raleigh left two men behind with the mission to obtain more information about the city that promised fabulous riches for the English crown and a base to contest Spanish dominance of the South American continent. Raleigh, (who is best known to Americans for his 1585 expedition to North America and the disappearance of the Roanoke Island colony that he left behind) returned to England to obtain financing from the queen to mount a larger expedition that would establish a permanent Anglo presence. He dispatched a second expedition under his lieutenant Laurens Keymis in 1596 to retrieve his two spies. Keymis learned that one had been killed and eaten by a panther. The second had disappeared (the man became a Spanish prisoner). Nevertheless, Keymis obtained further evidence of the City of Gold. He described Manao and traders that venture from it in his journal:

“It lieth southerly in the land, and from the mouth of it unto the head they pass in twenty days; then taking their provisions, they carry it on their shoulders one day’s journey; afterwards they return to their canoes, and bear them likewise to the side of a lake, which the Jaos call Roponowini, the Charibes Parime, which is of such bigness that they know no difference between it and the main sea. There be infinite numbers of canoes in this lake, and I suppose it is no other than that where Manoa standeth.”

Raleigh in the meantime found himself confronted with the problem that Elizabeth, despite her virulent enmity for Spain, could not be convinced to invest in a return expedition. The queen died in 1603 and James VII, the Roman Catholic king of Scotland, became James I of England. One of James’ first acts was to make peace with Spain. Accused of treason and conspiracy to assassinate the new king, Raleigh was imprisoned in the Tower of London and remained so until 1617, when he somehow managed to convince King James to underwrite another expedition in search of the City of Gold. With royal backing, but under the caveat that he was to provoke no clashes with the Spanish, the English adventurer set sail with 14 ships and 500 men. Arriving off the Orinoco Delta the force under Raleigh’s ever-present lieutenant Keymis entered the river. The Englishmen encountered Governor Antonio Berrio, who having been freed by Raleigh on his previous venture, established Santo Thomé, a settlement designed to interdict any further English incursions into Spanish territory. In the ensuing confrontation the invaders captured and destroyed the settlement. In the battle, Raleigh’s son, Walter, was killed, provoking a falling out between Keymis and his patron. Nevertheless, the clash doomed the expedition; ending it after only twenty-six days. Raleigh returned empty-handed to England. King James again imprisoned Raleigh, and in 1618 following demands of co-religionist Spanish King Philip III and with the assistance of an executioner, Sir Walter Raleigh’s not-so-fruitful relationship with his head was severed.

Robert Drynan

By Juan Sacelli

who knows what choices we’re called on to make that mark the faint line between fate and mistake that fly out of season and lead us to fall that seem to be reason, yet keep us in thrall but the call of a woman is the sound of the knell that sounds all the notes in the length of the scale for when she has called you, you’ll give up your will

if she calls you and leaves you you’re left like a shell if she calls you and wants you you’ve no chance at all for you’ll go to the call and you’ll fail and you’ll fall into love, into life into death, into hell

for the face of the flesh hides the face of the skull and a woman is two-faced - the false face, the true face now the woman who marked me and taught me my soul was nothing much more than a slip of a girl whose blood was the tide and whose breath swept the world or so i believed as i stood at her door unknown to myself and as cold as a stare as hot as a fire, as warm as a prayer and just as i looked at her, knew that i wanted her knew by the sight of her what i must dare:

there was silk in her skin, there was smoke in her hair and what i moved in was a thickness of air full of grace and of sin, full of roses and gin full of fight and of frenzy and fear. her breasts were like brands which smoked in my hands her eyes smoldered thickly, her thighs were a flame that burned me to fury and pierced me to shame and i loved the pride in her the wild night ride in her the musk scent all over her as deep and inside of her i mounted and died in her swollen and goaded i went . . .

and thought i might never come back . . .

yet when i returned from the black her eyes were like coals of remembrance of times that we’ve passed through but never lived in her aura etheric and thin as she told me she knew one last sin . . .

then once more she called to me ensnared me, enthralled me though all the old glory was spent and though i could sense her intent she sang siren songs to me spun tales of old wrongs to me and as she called to me one more time, one last time, i went.

and as she implored me to hear all her story her face split before me and sent my sense down into deepest descent her skin scarred in agony, showing the nag of a scrofulous aging, the crone and the hag her flesh grew putrescent her features all pustulent rotting away like the plague revealing the skull and the scrag and the nail and the powdering bone of an ancient cadaver serrated from soul which to myself seemed but my own without disguise and now framed in my eyes like a lust which had met its last mate or a mummy wrapped ancient in fate all that remained of our love and our hate

and though i know by the nightwind ten thousand such ties are loosing and binding in troths and in sighs unto morning and mourning, both equally lies to have loved or not loved, all equally dies and life is the crime, and the criminal time

for the face of the flesh hides the face of the skull and a woman is two-faced - the lewd face, the bald face the new face, the old face - the false face, the true face yes, a woman is two-faced and so are we all

By Larry Kolczak

My wife is from Iowa. I moved there from Chicago back in the ‘70s and lived there for

about ten years. Not many people move there. Even the Iowans used to say Iowa was a great place to be from—the sooner the better.

Iowa is not what you would call a tourist destination. It is not on anybody’s bucket list. There are no majestic mountains. No grand vistas. The official monument marking the highest point in the state is actually in the middle of a hog feedlot.

During the decade I lived there, not one of my relatives ever came to visit. The closest anybody got was when my brother was sent on a business trip to Kansas City, Missouri. He complained that there wasn’t much to do there in the evening. What could I say? Kansas City is where Iowan’s go when they are looking for a good time. Nobody really wants to go to Iowa . . . except maybe presidential candidates. They show up once every four years and bloviate about how much they have in common with Iowans. They don’t, of course. The only thing politicians have in common with Iowans is a mutual interest in pork.

Most people don’t know that Iowa hosts another convention of people seeking election. The National Hobo Convention is held every August in the small town of Britt, Iowa. For more than 100 years, the hobos have gathered there to elect the King of the Hobos.

My wife and I actually attended the convention back in the 1970s. We camped out with the hobos, sang songs around the campfire. Ate mulligan stew. And listened to the tall tales of grizzled men with monikers like Steamtrain Maury, Fry Pan Jack, Virginia Slim, and Mountain Dew.

Not all of these guys were still hopping freights. Some of the old-timers were shuttled in from local veteran’s hospitals and county rest homes. In fact, the town of Britt had actually set aside a few cemetery plots near the tracks just for hobos who needed a final resting place. The night we were in the hobo camp, we all drank a toast to those who had, in hobo parlance, “caught the westbound.”

My wife told the gathering she remembered her grandmother’s stories about hobos coming to her farmhouse back during the Great Depression. They would offer to chop wood or paint the shed. After all, these were hobos, not bums. Hobos were willing to work for a meal. Whether or not she had any chores for them, she always gave them a sandwich or piece of pie.

Fry Pan Jack nodded and said her house was probably marked with a hobo sign. He explained that hobos used to carve special markings on trees and fence posts. They had signs telling each other where there was a safe campsite, or a mean sheriff. Where there was good water, or a bad dog. Where you might get work, or where you might get shot. Grandma’s gate, he said, bore the hobo sign for “kind lady.”

I suspect that tradition has found its way down here to Mexico. Our gate must be marked. We get them all. The old man with the gangrenous leg, the lady with no leg at all, the woman with four kids and no husband, the one-man band playing his trumpet, drum, and cymbal. Somehow, they all find our house. I never see them knocking on our neighbors’ doors. We’re the lucky ones.

And don’t bother trying to get rid of them by pretending you don’t speak Spanish. That only works on Jehovah’s Witnesses. The beggars have all got hand-scrawled notes in misspelled English. One week, they need milk for the baby. The next, their child needs school uniforms. Then, their mother needs surgery. Then, their mother died and needs a funeral. Each of these people seems to have a cradle-to-grave supply of notes. The amputees need prostheses. The diabetics show you their prescriptions. The one-man band needs—I don’t know. Sheet music? It goes on and on.

I can’t really say I mind all that much. In the broad scheme of things, I won’t miss a few pesos here and there. And who knows? I might be gaining a little karma for the day when I have “caught the westbound.” I just wish that, back when we were camped with the hobos, I had known to ask Fry Pan Jack one question. What is the hobo sign for “Please don’t ring the bell while I’m in the bathroom.”

(Lakeside’s homeless dogs fly north to Canadian and American homes thanks to the tireless efforts of their volunteers.)

By Mary Lynn Winkler

Joe Howell is a frequent flyer.

His loyalty offers a great reward; escorting Mexican rescue dogs to loving, forever homes in the United States and Canada.

Joe is a “flight angel,” as they are affectionately called, for Bone Voyage Dog Rescue, a non-profit group based in Ajijic. He has been a volunteer for 18 months and has certainly earned his angel wings, flying 20 times with approximately five to 10 dogs each flight.

An enthusiastic supporter, Joe, 60, who resides in Ajijic, got involved with Bone Voyage through word of mouth. He says the work is “super rewarding” and has now taken on other responsibilities such as booking spaces on flights and handyman jobs. He says there are so many people who give their time and energy to Bone Voyage, that he is impressed with the impact the group has had on reducing the homeless dog population here at Lakeside.

A lot of the credit goes to the tireless efforts of Bone Voyage dog rescue founder and animal advocate Cari LeClair. The 52-year-old Canadian, who lives in Ajijic full time, established the organization four years ago while volunteering at The Ranch dog rescue. She says she learned that some dogs had been in the kennel for 10 years. “That broke my heart and I started to look for rescue partners.”

A dog sitter from way back, Cari took a two-month dog sitting assignment in Ajijic about five years ago. “I just kept going from house to house on dog sitting jobs; so many people need dog sitters here.” Not surprisingly, when Cari answered the phone for this interview, she was walking dogs. A little out of breath, she says she is currently fostering 25 dogs. “Oops, it’s just 22; three flew to Seattle today,” she says.

The focus of Bone Voyage is moving adoptable dogs to the USA and Canada, and that takes a lot of effort from dedicated volunteers. “We work with the local shelters as well as with people in the Lake Chapala area that have many street dogs in their care. We also assist individuals that find street dogs and don’t know what to do with them.”

Cari says she relies heavily on volunteer Annette Thompson. “She has been with us for two years and has become my right-hand woman. She has been taking on more of my roles and we discuss everything before making decisions.”

Since August 2018, Bone Voyage has flown and bussed more than 3,000 dogs from here to their new homes. They fly dogs out of Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta airports. Some have gone on the Rescue Express bus, on loan to Bone Voyage from owner Mike McCarthy. The specially-equipped bus provides travel flexibility. “We can plan trips wherever we like. We have done four trips so far and are hopeful to do another one the beginning of April,” Cari says. The bus can transport 74 dogs and hundreds have travelled this way, including to Calgary, Alberta, among many other destinations.

Bone Voyage works with rescues in Portland, Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Francisco, Chicago, San Diego, Colorado, and Vancouver, Canada. It’s even working to expand into Toronto.

Cari says when people ask, “Why send dogs north when so many people here could adopt?” she responds, “Because we do not have enough adopters here in Ajijic or there’s just not enough interest. Adopting a four-legged, furry friend is not a split moment decision and obviously adopting is more than just ‘Oh, I want that dog because it has big sad eyes,’” she says. Bone Voyage receives many adoption applications from Canadians and Americans and she believes it has become very “fashionable” to adopt a rescue.

Cari says she is grateful and appreciative of the volunteers she has but is searching for more recruits. “I have a handful, about 12 good, reliable volunteer fosters, and we also pay about six or seven Mexican families to take in dogs as well.” However, she explains, the gringo volunteers really do know better what kind of training dogs need to live with folks in the north.

Foster volunteers meet Cari at the veterinarian clinic. “We don’t just give a volunteer a random dog.” She explains they can request a small dog or a female if that’s what they desire. They train and socialize rescue dogs, getting the abandoned or injured canines from the street or local shelters ready for adoption. A foster will leash train, crate train, and potty train the rescues over a period ranging from three weeks to two months. “Over time the foster tells me how the dog is doing and gives me a report. Not all rescue dogs qualify for adoption; some are just too skittish,” she says.

Flight angels don’t need to do any dog training for this job or fill out an application. “If you will fly, we would love you. We just need your time and patience,” Cari says. “All you have to do is give me your plane reservation code and we book dogs on your ticket. We can drive flight angels to the airport or meet them there, and check the dogs in for you. We have to be at the airport early, so we do ask you to sacrifice your time,” she adds. “We ask angels to take five or 11 dogs, depending on the airline (one under the seat and the rest in cargo). Flying to Seattle is easy as all the dogs come out on the other side of Customs, so the dogs do not have to be moved by flyers at all. If we fly elsewhere, we may reduce those numbers depending on what the airline is willing to do.”

Joe says being a flight angel is “super easy.” Asked about any funny experiences, he chuckles and tells the story of Toro, the escape artist. Airline staff called Joe to take care of a dog that was loose in the belly of the plane. “I was hoisted into the belly to get Toro, who,” he says, “was a very sweet pit bull, back into his crate.” Toro had managed to chew through the ties on his crate. He says this is a very rare situation and that 99.9 per cent of trips happen without a hitch.

Originally from Seattle, Joe says many Bone Voyage flights go from Gua-

dalajara to Seattle. Once landed, the Ateam, described as a passionate group of 12 to 15 dog rescuers, meets flyers. At Peace Arch Park, the A-team hands the pooches over the border to the Canadian adopters.

“This has worked wonderfully during the pandemic. They just have to be careful not to put a foot over the border,” Cari says. During the last nine days of January alone, 58 dogs were booked to fly there.

Asked what inspires her to remain devoted and committed to helping dogs in need, Cari says, “Seeing where they come from and where they end up keeps me going.”

To learn more about volunteer opportunities, adoption opportunities, or to make a donation, visit bonevoyagedogrescue.com. Bone Voyage also has a presence on Instagram and Facebook; Bone Voyage Rescue and Bone Voyage Happily Ever After. The organization is a registered charity in Canada, and in Ajijic it is listed as one of 15 charities on the Lake Chapala Charities website. Just click on the Bone Voyage tab to make a donation through PayPal.

By Michael Hogan

St. Patrick’s Day is very special in Mexico because it is a time when Mexicans remember the San Patricios, or the Bat-

talion of St. Patrick. One of the leastknown stories of the Irish who came to America in the 1840s is that of this Irish battalion that fought on the Mexican side in the U.S.-Mexico War of 18461848. They came to Mexico and died, some gloriously in combat, others ignominiously on the gallows. United under a green banner, they participated in all the major battles of the war and were cited for bravery by General López de Santa Anna, the Mexican commander in chief and president.

At the penultimate battle of the war, these Irishmen fought until their ammunition was exhausted, and even then tore down the white flag that was raised by their Mexican comrades in arms, preferring to struggle on with bayonets until finally being overwhelmed. Despite their brave resistance, however, 85 of the Irish battalion were captured and sentenced to bizarre tortures and deaths at the hands of the Americans, resulting in what is considered even today as the “largest hanging affair in North America.”

In the spring of 1846, the United States was poised to invade Mexico, its neighbor to the south. The ostensible reason was to collect on past-due loans and indemnities. The real reason was to provide the United States with control of the ports of San Francisco and San Diego, the trade route through the New Mexico Territory, and the rich mineral resources of the Nevada Territory, all of which at that time belonged to the Republic of Mexico. The United States had previously offered $5 million to purchase the New Mexico Territory and $25 million for California, but Mexico had refused.

Before the declaration of war by the United States, a group of Irish Catholics, headed by a crack artilleryman named John Riley, deserted from the American forces and joined the Mexicans. Born in Clifden, County Galway, Riley was an expert on artillery, and it was widely believed that he had served in the British army as an officer or a non-com in Canada before enlisting in the American army. Riley turned this new unit into a crack artillery arm of the Mexican defense. He is credited with changing the name of the group from the Legion of Foreigners and designing their distinctive flag. Within a year, the ranks of Riley’s men would be swelled by Catholic foreign residents in Mexico City, and Irish and German Catholics who deserted, once the war broke out, into a battalion known as Los San Patricios, or “Those of Saint Patrick.”

The San Patricios fought under a green silk flag emblazoned with the Mexican coat of arms, an image of Saint Patrick, and the words “Erin Go Bragh.” The battalion was made up of artillery and was observed in key positions during every major battle. Their aid was critical because the Mexicans had poor cannon with a range of 400 meters less than the Americans. In addition, Mexican cannoneers were inexperienced and poorly trained. The addition of veteran gunners to the Mexican side would result in at least two major battles being fought to a draw. Several Irishmen were awarded the Cross of Honor by the Mexican government for their bravery, and many received field promotions.

At the Battle of Churubusco, holed

up in a Catholic monastery and surrounded by a superior force of American cavalry, artillery, and infantry, the San Patricios withstood three major assaults and inflicted heavy losses on the Yanks. Eventually, however, a shell struck their stored gunpowder, the ammunition park blew up, and the Irishmen, after a gallant counteroffensive with bayonets,

Continued on page 48

were overwhelmed by sheer numbers. They were tried by a military court-martial and then scourged, branded, and hanged in a manner so brutal that it is still remembered in Mexico today.

In September 1847, the Americans put the Irish soldiers captured at the Battle of Churubusco on trial. Fortyeight were sentenced to death by hanging. Those who had deserted before the declaration of war were sentenced to whipping at the stake, branding, and hard labor. Fueled by Manifest Destiny, the American government dictated terms to the Mexicans in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. More than two-thirds of the Mexican Territory was taken, and out of it the United States would carve California, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, and parts of Kansas and Colorado. Among all the major wars fought by the United States, the Mexican War is the least discussed in the classroom, the least written about, and the least known by the general public. Yet, it added more to the national treasury and to the land mass of the United States than all other wars combined.

After the conflict, so much new area was opened up, so many things had been accomplished, that a mood of self-congregation and enthusiasm took root in the United States. The deserters from the war were soon forgotten as they homesteaded and labored in the gold fields of California or, as the 1860s approached, put on the gray uniform of the Confederacy or the blue of the Union. Prejudice against the Irish waned, as the country was provided with a “pressure valve” to release many of its new immigrants westward. The story of the San Patricios disappeared from history.

For most Mexicans, solidarity with the Irish is part of a long tradition and they remembered the help they received from the Irish and their friendship. In the words of John Riley, written in 1847 but equally true today, “A more hospitable and friendly people than the Mexican there exists not on the face of the earth… especially to an Irishman and a Catholic.”

Riley sums up what cannot be clearly documented in any history: the basic, gut-level affinity the Irishman had then, and still has today, for Mexico and its people. The decisions of the men who joined the San Patricios were probably not well-planned or thought out. They were impulsive and emotional, like many of Ireland’s own rebellions, including the Easter Uprising of 1916. Nevertheless, the courage of the San Patricios, their loyalty to their new cause, and their unquestioned bravery forged an indelible seal of honor on their sacrifice.

Each year commemorations are held in San Angel, in Mexico, to honor the Irish who died in the war. A marble plaque in the town square reads “In Memory of the Irish Soldiers of the Heroic Battalion of San Patrick Who Gave Their Lives for the Mexican Cause During the Unjust North American Invasion of 1847,” followed by the names of 71 of the men. A color guard of crack Mexican troops marches forward with the Mexican and Irish colors to a spine-jarring flourish of drums and bugles. The “Himno Nacional” is then played, followed by “The Soldier’s Song.” Students and dignitaries place floral tributes on the paving stones, and an honor roll is called of the fallen soldiers as the crowd collectively chants after each name, “Murió por la patria!” (He died for the country!). In addition, a bust of John Riley has been presented to the people of Mexico by the Irish Embassy. In Clifden, County Galway, the birthplace of John Riley, a similar ceremony is held each year. Recently a special dedication of a John Riley memorial was held by the Mexican Ambassador to Ireland and the revised edition of The Irish Soldiers of Mexico was presented to the Irish public at Trinity College Dublin and the National University of Ireland in Galway.

This February the audio version of The Irish Soldiers of Mexico was finally released, and many people are ordering it for St. Patrick’s Day. In addition, there have been commemorative events in Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Chicago.

Michael Hogan is the author twenty-five books, including the Irish Soldiers of Mexico, one of the major historical works on the San Patricio Battalion which encompasses six years of research in the U.S., Mexico, and Ireland. As a permanent resident of Mexico, he was the first historian to be granted complete access to Mexican archives and military records. For more information or to order Irish Soldiers go to www. drmichaelhogan.com

In addition, friends of the San Patricios, including Shaun Cassidy, a descendent of an Irish soldier who fought with the battalion, help maintain a site on Facebook which contains more of the history, as well as Irish music, Mexican and Irish cultural events, and updates on films, movies, and articles related to both countries. www.facebook. com/Irish/Mex

Michael Hogan

The Four Keys to Happiness: Advice from the Lakeside Curmudgeon

Don Beaudreau wbeaudreau@aol.com

When I was 12 years old, I took up the sousa-

phone—an oversized tuba that wraps around the body and is named after John Philip Sousa, the man who was obsessed with writing marches. I didn’t choose to play such a concoction of plumbing, but was asked to do so by Mr. Zucker, the junior high school band teacher who looked like Groucho Marx. “You are big for your age,” he told me. “In fact, you are the only seventh grader who can pick it up without getting a hernia.” In 1957, I didn’t know what a hernia was, but I knew I didn’t want one. And even if I really wanted to learn to be a trumpeter, I agreed to Mr. Z’s request.

I always did the right thing, even if I didn’t want to.

Ours was not a marching band, so I didn’t have to actually walk around with the thing very much. Except when I had to fetch it from its shelf in the music storage closet and carry it to the sousaphone chair—a straightbacked device with various adjustable metal rods, screws, and sundry gizmos attached to it that made it look like an electric chair. I had to make sure to carefully place the big horn into correct position in the chair and then tighten the screws so that the restraining devices would hold it in place. Once that was done, I had to get on my knees in front of the contraption, crawl into it head first, and know exactly when to twist my body into position so that I would end up facing forward and be able to sit in the chair. I sometimes felt that I was a spy who had been sentenced to be electrocuted. Other times, I felt like I was attempting to get back to the womb.

Nevertheless, I learned to play the instrument better than anyone else I knew, which was easy to do because I didn’t know anyone else who played it.

Six months later came the annual spring concert, when we band students could show off to our families and friends. I was assigned to play a sousaphone solo in the middle of the “Flight of the Bumble Bee.” As always, I was jittery about performing before an audience. And that spring evening in 1958 was no exception. Picture it:

The clarinets were buzzing, the bass drum was attempting to egg them on (and was terribly offbeat in the process), and my three-measure solo was fast approaching. The beads of sweat on my forehead were starting to run into my eyes; my hands were so clammy that I feared they would slip off the sousaphone keys, even if there were only three keys. Faster and faster the music went, with those little pre-pubescent clarinetists’ fingers dancing over the buttons, often missing them and often squeaking. I am sure had our musical piece de resistance been the “Minute Waltz” we would have finished it in 43 seconds! But my time to star in our current musical offering was getting closer and closer. My heart was about to pop. Two more measures to go. Then one. Mr. Zucker looked at me hopefully. Then two more notes. I took a deep breath, instinctively leaned forward in the electric chair, and blew so hard that the chair tilted forward with me and the plumbing, and in an attempt to prevent from toppling over, I leaned back too far, and the chair and big horn fell backward on top of me, causing my larger-than-average shoes with their built-in arches to go up in the air. I felt like Bozo the Clown.

The rest of the “orchestra” ceased playing. And after a collective gasp from everyone in the auditorium, there was only silence. Everyone was in shock. But then the first little chuckle started somewhere in that audience of culture vultures, followed by another, and then another until the entire room was having one big guffaw at my expense! Oh, I was not hurt physically, but my pride was snuffed out that day. Lying on the floor trapped in the electric chair, with the sousaphone on top of me, I remember trying to laugh with everyone else, but deep within me, I was humiliated; I was crushed. I just wanted to run away.

But I was stuck—literally. *****

Eventually, I got unstuck. But it took years. I kept playing the sousaphone in

junior and senior high school (including being showcased for four seconds on national television while marching with my plumbing on a very frigid day during the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1961). Still, I never wanted to play the damn thing in the first place. And yet:

I always did the right thing, even if I didn’t want to.

Even if I really wanted to be Keith Dinger, our drum major, and the leader of the pack. I wanted to wear his fancy, well-tailored uniform with the golden sash and coordinating epaulets, buttons, and tassels. I wanted to don his high hat with the flowing plumes. And blow his whistle. And thrust his golden mace into the heavens. I wanted to be six feet tall and imperially slim. I wanted to have perfect teeth. And be cocky as hell because of it all. I despised being in the back row. Lugging around the plumbing. Being the oompah guy. Getting my lips stuck on the frozen mouthpiece. Having my back “go out” because of all that excess weight. Being invisible except for those four seconds on television, according to Mrs. Boyle, our next-door neighbor, who was the only person who saw me that day. Then again, Mrs. Boyle loved her cocktails and saw lots of things nobody else did.

But I continued to do the right thing during the parade and for decades after it. I followed the beat. I blended in with the rest of the group. I played the notes as written. I followed the composer’s work as interpreted by the conductor.

I did what others told me to do. Even if I didn’t want to. Musically that included learning to play various instruments and to sing, but always obeying the directions of others. Even if I suspected that maybe I wanted to march to the beat of my own drum— musically or otherwise. Then, one day I dropped the sousaphone (symbolically) and auditioned to be the high school choir’s piano accompanist. I won the audition hands down. No longer was I the oompah guy in the back of the band. I was the front man on stage. People knew who I was at last. I was even voted the “Most Talented Boy” by my graduating class and got my photo in the high school yearbook as one of the “Senior Ideals.”

I was getting unstuck! *****

Fast forward six decades to Lakeside. I now play professional jazz piano. At long last, I feel that I am doing the right thing. This means that I am mostly unstuck these days. I express who I want to be musically. This freedom makes me very happy and comes to me because I am being creative, not merely imitative. I am my own band director and drum major. The four basic aspects that constitute the jazz I play are also ones I apply to the life I now lead. Here they are:

The Four Keys to Happiness: Advice from the Lakeside Curmudgeon . . . 1. Syncopate: Put the accent on beats you might not normally accent. Be offbeat.

Sometimes things do not go according to plan. Sometimes there are reasons that make sense, sometimes there aren’t. One’s understanding of “how it’s supposed to be” might not fit here. Life can be like that anywhere, but in this vibrant, diversified, and growing community we live in, we cannot always keep the beat we are used to.

2. Be polyphonic: Create your individual sound while harmonizing with the individual sounds of others.

It happens in classic jazz bands. No one performer just does his/her thing. Each musician contributes to the community of sound. Each shares a common purpose: to express unity in diversity. They blend together. And often, individual performers are showcased for a few measures while the rest of the band supports them. 3. Improvise: Make it up as you go along. Ad lib.

This implies freedom to question, to explore. It is about change, process, fluidity, growth—rather than sameness, stricture, entrenchment, and stagnation. It’s the same in jazz music. You have to trust yourself, your acquired and innate skills. Listen to that deep, intuitive self. Hear what your instinct is suggesting to you. 4. Distort: Deliberately alter the pitch (key) and timbre (sound).

Jazz performers—and their audiences as well as those who follow the beat of their own drum—have been labelled by detractors as reprobates, radicals, and “heretics” (a word of Greek origin meaning: one who is free to make choices). Such “heretics” feel compelled to alter the key and sound. And sometimes everyone else has to do so as well.

Yes, this is a time in world history that is requiring all of us, wherever we live on the planet, to adjust to ways we never expected we would be asked to do. I am thankful that there is music to help us in this process (for me, jazz in particular). Indeed, I agree with the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche who wrote: Life without music would be a mistake.

So, c’mon, Lakeside, let’s be about Jazzing It Up in Magic Town!

I’ve never participated in organized team sports and only took part in individual sports when bribed by friends or threatened with a starting pistol at my

temple. But I am a sports fan and watch a lot of ESPN and weekend afternoon television.

I have found, however, there are many slow-paced sports that are as much mental as physical. As a result, they might be boring to the average viewer. Therefore, I recently asked myself, while watching golf, “You know what would make this more exciting?”

Cheerleaders.

Yes. Cheerleaders. They perform a public service probably more vital to the American way of life than Walmart greeters, public restroom attendants, and roadside sign spinners. But they have been grossly underused.

For decades, cheerleaders have been limited to football and basketball, with little opportunity to expand their visibility. When I was in high school during the 1960s, for example, and our baseball team vied for the league championship, the school’s pep squad was at a loss how to deal with it. “We have to do something,” they said. “It’s the championship and our team needs our support.” But, alas, they had no appropriate outfits or cheers. So, the girls attended the game, sat in the front row, and thought about what they’ll wear to the prom and day-dreamed about losing their virginity during the first week of college.

Male members of the squad attended, too. They, also, did not know what to do. They, however, could have gone commando and worn pants so tight fans would have been torn between which bats and balls to focus on.

Individual urgings from the stands could have been turned into group cheers. “Batter Batter Batter!” could have come alive with suggestive choreography, perhaps to the score of The Bad News Bears. Jeers like “You’re blind, Ump!” could have been rhymed with nice rump.

Golf, like I said, needs something to make it more exciting and cheerleaders are the answer. They wouldn’t support individual players, but would root-on all the golfers. But how many cheerleaders are appropriate for professional golf? The answer is obvious: Fore! Lined up behind the player, to avoid disturbing tee shots, sand trap blasts, or putts, they would wear green in order to blend into the verdant environment. “Hole in one!” they could whisper. And “Par, par, par.” The aforementioned “Fore!” could be yelled an appropriate four times as a warning when an errant golf ball sails toward distracted spectators who are texting friends that they are watching the world’s Tiger Woods wannabes.

And what about tennis? Certainly, like golf, the cheer squad would have to work in hushed tones. And probably between points. But their uniforms could match the neon-yellow of the tennis balls and could feature two large, breast-high ball appliques, to remind spectators they are, in fact watching tennis, not jai-alai. Their routines could be simple. They could merely raise their arms and sway them back and forth, like stereotypical tennis onlookers’ eyes, during volleys. Or they could chant “Ace” when the ball is served well or “Ass” when a losing player smashes his racquet during a temper-tantrum. They could personalize their yells, calling the names of individual players when encouragement is needed, monikers, especially Eastern European ones, that explode from mouths like morning phlegm, names like Krejcikova, Sabalenka, and Basilashvilli. Crowds could replace rah-rah and olé with Pavlyuchenkova, and Van de Zandschulp.

Alpine sports, too, could use peppy cheer squads. Downhill and crosscountry ski courses could be lined with scantily clad young women frantically shaking their mammary mountains to prevent the silicone from freezing. Males on the squad could wear Speedos stuffed with tube socks to disguise shrinkage. And the cheers—well, it wouldn’t really matter what the cheerleaders chanted as they’d be shivering so severely no one could understand them. But they could try to yell “Shuss. Shuss. Shussing,” “Faster. Faster. Faster,” and “TREEEEEE!”

Bowling, I believe, is another sport that demands cheerleaders. They would wear, of course, bowling shirts, perhaps lowcut to accentuate their bowling valleys. Chants could include “Strike! Strike! Strike!” which, of course, would send management into a tizzy. And the squad could do the splits when the seven and ten pins are left standing. If there are ten cheerleaders, they could perform between frames at the end of the alley, in triangle formation, trying to avoid getting knocked down or knocked up.

And finally, there is ice hockey. Oh, how that elegant athletic endeavor cries for cheerleaders. Of course, the squad would be required to have missing teeth and facial scars. The primary chant, appropriate to yell at any time, particularly during televised games, would be “Puck! Puck! Puck!” This could, of course, throw television censors into a state of apoplexy.

Apoplexy? Doctors treat apoplexy. You know where cheerleaders are needed? Operating rooms. Examination rooms. Yoga classes. Courtrooms. Yes! Courtroom cheerleaders could wear mini-skirted judge’s robes, red or blue ones depending on the area’s politics. The squad could chant “Defense! Defense!” “Go, Bailiff, Go! and “Order in the Court” until they are the only ones out of order. And, instead of pompoms, they could shake color-coordinated gavels.

Blue state courtroom cheerleaders could chant “Lean to the left. Lean to the ri…left. Fight. Fight. Fight!” while red state ones could yell “Lean to the right. Lean to the right. White! White! White!”

But I digress. Sports. We’re talking sports, like at the Olympics. Oh, my god. The O-L-Y-M-PI-C-S …

Tom Nussbaum

By Judy Dykstra-Brown

The sun was at its zenith and although I ventured bare out to my jacuzzi, I had no intent to share a peepshow with my neighbors, for tall bushes masked the view from their high terrace to my bedroom, and my hot tub, too. I’d forgotten that leaf cutter ants had lately been to dine upon the hedge between us, depleting leaf and vine.

So when birds perch upon it, they’re exposed from tail to plume.

I can see them from the terrace and see them from my room as they feed upon the flowers against a bright blue sky, exposed there as they lately are to every human eye. In addition, I’d been duly warned by neighbors recently that since the ants had visited, they can’t help viewing me as I go about life’s duties on my terrace, in my yard, and if my drapes are open, they had found that it was hard to deflect their eyes from bedroom views. I’d been duly alerted that if our mutual embarrassment was to be averted that I should be more careful until our hedge filled out lest I inadvertently forget and walk about in fewer clothes than usual or pursued private actions not intended to be shared for neighborly reactions. So, when I left the hot tub seeking to slake my thirst and headed for the kitchen, I, too, witnessed the worst. Through bare branches, void of leaf, male neighbors stood askance viewing me against their will as I took the chance naked as a jaybird, to scurry to the house devoid of any raiment—swimsuit, pants or blouse.

Now this might have been exciting when there was less to see in my earlier years, preceding seventy-three, but I fear the scene they viewed was more a shock than titillating. Certainly not the scene that they had been anticipating as they strolled out with their guests for a visual interlude.

I’m sure they’d no intent to view their neighbor in the nude!

“O Paddy dear, and did ye hear the news that’s goin’ round?

The shamrock is by law forbid to grow on Irish ground! No more Saint Patrick’s Day we’ll keep, his color can’t be seen

For there’s a cruel law ag’in the Wearin’ o’ the Green.”*

The Seventeenth of March each year. We’re puttin’ on the green In sympathy with Ireland, dear, Opposed to King or Queen.

Sure, join in the hilarity, Enjoy a pint or two And drink to solidarity With Paddy and his crew.

We welcome then Saint Patrick’s Day From every town to Galway Bay.

Mark Sconce

*Anonymous Irish street ballad, 1798

A House of Hope

By Carol L. Bowman

She sat at the top of the stairs, her big ebony eyes peering through the banister slats at the commotion be-

low. Mia stuck her tongue out in pure playful innocence, made a funny impish face, then squealed with laughter and put on her small red and white speckled sunglasses, as if to hide her glee. The tiny four-yearold, in her white and orange striped dress and her black, shiny bobbed hair, seemed to be looking for action. Her absolute delight revealed a child relishing in the joy, safety, and love she felt in this country farmhouse in Biancavilla, Catania, Sicily.

Her older brother stood one step above, wearing a round Styrofoam ring on his head like a crown, teasing and taunting Mia with his own bag of mischievous tricks. These two must be a handful, I thought, wondering how anyone keeps up with their inquisitive energy.

The siblings’ excitement centered on the group of 13 Overseas Adventure Travelers, myself included, who shuffled inside the front door of Casa di Maria. I was eager for our scheduled visit to this Grand Circle Foundation support site. The Foundation currently sponsors 109 desperately needy projects in 59 countries, using a percentage of every traveler’s tour fees for funding. The mantra of the Foundation is this: We are giving back to the world we travel because travel has the power to change the world, one school, one village or one person at a time.

The Foundation, supporting Casa di Maria since spring 2018, has already donated funds to purchase a wheat grinder and a rotary plow. Our group had the privilege of having lunch at this foster family home for refugees and displaced children, teens, and adults. The foster kids, numbering 10 at the time, emerged from every corner, bounced with enthusiasm, and approached us with wide-eyed curiosity.

Resident teenagers handled their assigned tasks upon our arrival and carried trays of snacks from the kitchen. Our hosts, Sergio and Carmela, foster parents of this heaven-sent project, greeted us with open arms. Carmela managed to hug a few of her guests despite holding a little child who needed a cuddle during this noisy intrusion.

We sat in a circle as Sergio explained the origin of Casa di Maria. “For many years, Carmela and I lived in metropolitan Catania with our four children. But in 2009, after many discussions as to how to make our lives more meaningful, the concept of the Casa di Maria was born. We decided that the way to give service to the weakest comes from the roots of the strongest, which in our case was our faith. So we moved here in the countryside near Mt. Etna into this old Sicilian farmhouse and took on the tremendous responsibility of providing a temporary foster care home for children or adults who needed a refuge from terrible troubles.” A heavy sigh left Sergio’s chest and I sensed the struggles the couple must endure to provide a loving, caring environment, plus the basic personal needs like food, clothing, and health care to 10 or 15 distressed individuals at a time.

Referrals for temporary foster placement come from the Court of Minors in Catania. Sergio and Carmela provide safe haven for unaccompanied underage foreigners, mothers and their children who have been victims of domestic violence, political refugees and children with mental or physical disabilities.

Carmela emphasized the focus of their program, as she stroked Mia’s hair to calm the wiry child. “We try to make everyone feel loved. Each day we face challenges linked to the tragic circumstances of those we serve. Mia and her brother are Romanian refugees and we hope to fill their void until their mother can resume her parental role. Carmela looked up to a young 15-year-old who waited atop the open staircase. “That’s Hope and she has been practicing to tell you her story. She’s so nervous, but so courageous,” Carmela said with a comforting smile directed toward the girl whose name summed up the atmosphere of this home.

Hope edged down the stairs and began her tale of horror in halted English, her words uttered in a soft, trembling voice. With poise and grace, she related the story of her terrifying experience. She told of her life in Nigeria, of being oppressed and abused. She told of making the frightening crossing from Tunisia’s coast across the Mediterranean to the edges of Sicily in a rubber boat. She told of the flimsy vessel capsizing in rough seas, of some of her friends drowning, of the joy of finally stepping onto free land alive. She told of being immediately forced into sex trade activities against her will by the cruel men who organized the voyage. She told of the nightmare of mistreatment and abuse yet again.

But then she told of a God-sent opportunity, one moment when she was able to call the police and reveal her capture. Officials rescued her and other girls, and now she said, “I am in a place of safety and a home of love and I am so grateful for Casa di Maria.” She looked at Sergio and Carmela with sad eyes that had seen too much for a 15-year-old, but a tinge of hope, like her name, seemed to radiate through the memories of terror.

I asked Sergio how they financially support the needs of their large Sicilian family. He proudly announced the success of the catering business they started which not only provides income for the project, but also acts as a training tool for the older girls. They learn how to cook for large groups and to serve food at social events. They demonstrated their skills at lunch, as our group feasted on Serrano ham appetizers, homemade pasta and bread, homegrown

olives, dessert and topped off with delicious red wine made from grapes of the vineyard on the property.

Over the past few years, more than 700 volunteers, ranging in age from 14 to 70 have descended upon Casa di Maria’s farmhouse in small troops for two-week retreats. It’s like Habitat for Humanity, however these youth and church groups are not building houses of bricks and mortar. They are fostering character, trust, and patience in the disadvantaged residents who need attention, guidance, and distractions from their difficult situations. Carmela called these unselfish helpers, ‘the small army of God.’

After lunch, the kids’ excitement swelled. Some remembered that OAT travelers never came to visit them without surprises. After we gathered in the large comfortable sitting room, Mia grabbed a basket that equaled her size. She and her brother shared the task of taking the basket around the room and their eyes grew wide with anticipation as each guest deposited crayons, coloring books, games, and goodies into the container. Carmela wisely removed the brimming coffer to be shared at a later time in small portions. After whimpering her distress at having to wait for the treats, an exhausted Mia crawled onto the lap of one of the guests and fell into an angelic sleep.

Before leaving this house full of hope, I asked Sergio about their greatest need. He didn’t hesitate, as this problem and the enormity of the solution plagues him day and night. “We need an artesian well dug on the farm, so that we have a plentiful supply of clean drinking water for those who dwell in this house, no matter how many. It may cost upwards of 80,000 Euros. It is my dream,” Sergio said with longing. Strange how this man didn’t wish for anything for himself, but desired only that which will help the multitude of those he and Carmela have chosen to serve. When my husband and I returned from Sicily, I reached for my checkbook. Who knows what might happen, one traveler at a time?

Grand Circle Foundation gives 100% of tax deductible donations to the school or organization of your choos- Carol L. Bowman ing. foundation@grandcirclefoundation. org www.casadimaria.org

ACROSS

1 Aggressive feelings (slang) 6 __ and span 10 Altar of ancient church 14 Main bread ingredient 15 South of the border crazy 16 On top 17 Used the oars in a boat 18 Top point 19 Dashes 20 Possess 21 Wading bird 23 Cherry 25 Soon 26 Unrefined metal 27 Of the Andes 30 Predictive calendar 34 Uproar 35 Trounce 36 Watch chain 38 Black 39 Scrambled food 40 Adios 42 West by north 43 Lotion ingredient 44 Winged animals 45 Soviet leader Boris 48 Snare 49 Set 50 Dueling sword 51 Assault 54 Patriotic symbol 55 Freudian term 58 Wound 59 U.S. Air Force 61 Rage 63 Vegetable 64 African nation 65 Cut of beef 66 Perceives with eye 67 Cob 68 Comforts DOWN

1 Hairstyle 2 Shine 3 Surgical garment 4 Regret 5 Common 6 Killed 7 Dads 8 Winter hazard 9 Conceited man 10 Desolate 11 Decorative needle case 12 Bergen 13 Niche 22 __ fire 24 Time period 25 Long time 27 Some (2 wds.) 28 Lumpy 29 What a boring speaker does 30 Element 31 Sled 32 On fire 33 Dorm dwellers 35 Cafe 37 President George 40 Deny 41 Coin 43 Insane __ (pl.) 46 Horse-like animals 47 Thai 48 Government agency 50 Mischievous 51 Famous cookies 52 Rice wine 53 Beget 54 Syllables used in songs (2 wds.) 55 Self-esteems 56 DNA component 57 Mined metals 60 Spied 62 BB association

By Rico Wallace

Eighty year old Melody was ready for the dating scene,

again. Still sharp as a barbed whip, she sat in the coffee shop waiting for her, Mature Online Dating, contact. An old-timer entered wearing a rumpled gray suit, no tie and sunglasses. He looked around and said to Melody, “I’m Riff. I hope you’re my date.”

“Yes I am,” Melody said. “Have a seat. I want you to know from the start, I don’t neeed a maaan. I have a beautiful home with a view. I’m happy with my space and I know you don’t live here full time. If you did I would be sure to know you. I know almost everybody in this town. If I don’t go out, how am I supposed to meet people?”

Riff’s jaw dropped and a little drool rolled out the corner of his mouth.” I will now reconsider that,” he said. “ I have the option to go full time.”

“You do?” Melody asked as she batted her eyes. “I have a lot of money, too,” she blurted.

Riff smiled, real big, flashing his crowns and implants. “I’m calling my real estate agent, asap,” he said. “I like you already.”

The rest of the conversation went like this:

Melody: “My last boyfriend kept falling down. I had to drop him. He-he.”

Riff: “I’m good on my feet.”

Melody: “You got money?”

Riff: “Money can’t buy love.”

Melody: “What do you know about love?”

Riff: “Everything still works.”

Melody: “You’re a real card.”

Riff: “They used to call me Ace.”

Melody: “How do I know you’re not a con man ?”

Riff: “Honestly, to tell you the truth, I’m not. Believe me.”

Melody: “You speak with a snake’s tongue.”

Riff: “From your luscious lips to mine.”

Melody: “This smells a little fishy.”

Riff: “You would be a good catch.”

Melody: “I buried 3 older men already, with good life insurance.”

Riff: “I buried 2 younger women with good life insurance. You got insurance?”

Melody: “‘You’re a little rough. I can’t make a silk purse from a sow’s ear.’”

Riff: “I hear ya.”

Melody: “You’re suffocating me already.”

Riff: “You take my breath away.”

Melody: “I smell a rat.”

Riff: “You’re a little nosey.”

Melody: “I never want to see you again.”

Riff: “OK, I’ll see you later.”

He gave her 2 thumbs up.

Melody left the coffee shop, went home, telling her friends the date went really well, although the guy seemed a little hot and bothered and she had to throw some cold water on him, but that said, they may get together again, sometime, after things cool off a little bit.

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FOR SALE: For sale refrigerator, washing machine, Cabinet , trunk coffe pot, blender, etc. Information: Carmen 55 2717 1657

FOR SALE: I have a Mexican Dresser Bright colors and the size is 4FT- 18 Inches wide and 41 Height, it has 5 Drawers. Asking $1500 Pesos. I also have 4 TV Trays Ash Blonde in color and very Heavy. In excellent shape asking $500 Pesos. I also have Metal Utility Cart- 3 Shelves color is Chrome. Asking $500.. Pesos. Please Contact 331-767-7708 if Interested.

WANTED: I am in need of a Air Bike: Schwinn or Rogue Echo or any similar. Send PM.

FOR SALE: Queen bedspread 900 pesos. Matching drapes 2 panels 35 inches wide x 95 inches long. 900 pesos. 376-766-4032.

FOR SALE: 2 Shaw remotes that can be used with 600 or 800 series receivers. 400 pesos each or 2 for 700. 376-766-4032

FOR SALE: Shelving from cabinet material plus blocks. Use as is or cut to size / go higher. As is: boards 96” L x 14” D x 5/8” thick Blocks: 11” D x 4 ½. W x 5 ½ H Contents NOT included $ 400 pesos. PM to Natasha OR call 376 766 3580 Gardenerstyle metal wheelbarrow $500.

FOR SALE: Pair Talavera lamps. One demaged but not visible with shade in place. Base portion 16” H x about 10” across. Height with shade 27” $800 pesos (pair only) PM to Natasha OR call 376 766 3580.

FOR SALE: Large earthenware ceramic bowl (bigger than any on Amazon these days) 14 ½ in across top x 7.5 in H. Crack does not go thru and has held bread dough (6 loaves), pickles in ice wáter overnight, fresh sauerkaraut etc. For 50 years. Does NOT leak. Weighs over 8 pounds! $300 pesos. PM to Natasha OR call 376 766 3580.

FOR SALE: Inogen One G5 state of the art oxygen concentrator used for only 2 months by now recovered pneumonia patient. Designed to run 24/7 for 5 years. Only weighs 4.7 lbs in its own bag. Includes all accessories, battery with AC and DC chargers. Perfect for COPD, emphysema, pneumonia. Gain total freedom again. Private sale not commercial.

FOR SALE: Vintage Mexican Pottery Collection 1930’s - 1960’s . 80 pieces US $2,000. Eva Fox

Email: ch4001eva@yahoo.com

FOR SALE: Schwinn electric bike. Gently used for 3 mos. US$900 or best offer. Comes with lock.

FOR SALE: Moved into a smaller house and bought a smaññer sofa. This one was made for us in Monterey 3 1/2 years ago at a cost of $23500 pesos. Selling for $10000 pesos. More info, call Rick at 3314423930.

FOR SALE: Used 6 disc CD player. 885. Pesos. valeriekpearce@gmail.com

FOR SALE: Organic Merino Wool & Cotton Mattress Topper - Twin - Like New! My Merino certified organic wool & cotton mattress topper / pad. Size Twin (one person size). Fibromyalgia? Neck stiffness? Night sweats? Insomnia? Tossing/ turning? Back pain? Muscle aches? Allergies? 5-star customer reviews from real people that have found relief from these conditions!! 1.5” (nearly 4cm) thick - like sleeping on a cloud. Purchased for $299 US (about $6,000 pesos) and used only a few months under a mattress protector in a smoke-free/pet-free environment, so it’s in perfect condition. Selling for $3,000 pesos (price is firm/non-negotiable). Please CALL or text 332 921 6096 with any questions (calls preferred) or to come check it out. More pictures available.

FOR SALE: Wrought Iron dining room or kitchens set. 60 inch round, 1/2 inch beveled glass top. Four captain chairs with stain resistant red cushions. 650.00 USD. Call Richard at 33 1698 5401 or 33 2264 8972.

FOR SALE: Over 250,00 karaoke songs on a WD My Passport Ultra 3TB external hard drive (with carrying case for hard drive). All styles of karaoke songs on many different labels in CDG+MP3 format. 5,000 pesos. Call 376-766-4389

FOR SALE: Used just a few times, a Roche CoaguChek XS Meter for checking the INR value (International Normalized Ratio) from a drop of capillary whole blood. A simple, precise and reliable tester, plus

24 Test Strips and professional training DVD for the system. 500 pesos. Call 376-766-4389

FOR SALE: Swamp cooler for sale it is a Ninja Master cool, Brought it at Sams club hardly ever used, Asking 75.00 US dollars. Call 376766-4971

FOR SALE: Off-Line Chlorinator preowned $1000 mn. Product Description Efficient and maintenancefree, these durable, corrosion-proof automatic chlorinators are ideal for new or existing pools or spas and work automatically with your pump and filter system.

FOR SALE: BRAND NEW Tribest Greenstar Elite Commercial Grade Juicer / Juice Extractor. Tribest Greenstar Elite GSE-5000 Commercial Grade Jumbo Twin Gear Juice Extractor / juicer. Bio-ceramic Magnetic Twin Gears produce the freshest, highest quality juices possible from any cold press juicer by preserving living enzymes and vitamins and preventing nutrient degradation for a longer shelf-life. This complete masticating slow juicer has the highest user ratings in the industry!! You can also use this machine to make nut butters, sorbet, sauces, and pate. Perfect for home or small business use! BRAND NEW IN BOX with all the attachments. Great savings - $14,217 on Amazon; selling it for $9,000 pesos (price is FIRM/NonNegotiable). More pictures available. Please CALL or text 332 921 6096 between 8am-8pm (calls preferred)

FOR SALE: Metal shelving unit with 7 glass shelves 68 inches high x 26 inches wide x14 inches deep 376766-4032 $2000 pesos

FOR SALE: Kitchen Aide Gas Cooktop. 5 burners, looks like new, no scratches or dents, 5 years old. Works great just traded for an electric one. 5 burners. Asking 25,000. Pesos. OBO Contact Arlene at 3767665545

FOR SALE: 9-Kokopelli Leather padded swivel Bar Stools for sale, very good condition. 1,000 pesos each or best offer. Call 331 602 2785

FOR SALE: Genuine Honda type 2 coolant. Almost full container approx 4.5 litres. 400 pesos. Nissan wheel locks 99998-A7003 Google to confirm that they will fit your vehicle. 300 pesos 376-766-4032

FOR SALE: Golf Cart- Looking for a used or nearly new golf cart. 333 251 9010

FOR SALE: Large blue painted lamp. 21 inches high. 800 pesos 376-766-4032

FOR SALE: Share IShop mailbox. Med size. 1 year + 1 Mo...$US65 Dennis 376-766-5322

FOR SALE: Double MALIBU TWO sea kayak with oars, life jackets (adult and junior) and seats. All in excellent condition. This kayak has only been used ten times. The asking price is 17,000 pesos You can contact us at 331 545 8333

FOR SALE: One double winter bed sheet for 450 pesos. One queen winter bed sheet for 500 pesos. There are in very good condition. You can call me at 331 545 8333

FOR SALE: LARGE DINING ROOM TABLE. Dark wood dining table, 87 inches long by 47 inches wide. $300 US. Ken 376 766-7026.

FOR SALE: large black granite table must sell moving, make offer, San Antonio Tlayacapan. 376 766 2668.

FOR SALE: Original Prada Shoes, size 24.5 Mexican, Only 1 time was used, price $3,000 pesos. Call Alma 331-005-3109

FOR SALE: Individual Brass Headboard, Price $2,200.00 pesos. Call Alma 331-005-3109.

Next Article

Profiling Tepehua

Carol D. Bradley

Email: cdbradleymex@gmail.com Phone: 33-2506-7525

at 9:30.

opencircleajijic.org/reservation_form.php

March presentations include:

“Food Poverty in the Lakeside Communities and What is Being Done to Address It”

March 13 - Intro to LCS Annual General Meeting

March 20 - David Truly: Outlook on the Community

Cast: sitting L-R, Dir. Phyllis Silverman & Graham Miller standing L-R, Linda Goman, Frank Lynch, Louise Ritchie, Giselle Phipps & Darlene Sherwood

PAGES FROM HISTORY

Cast: Sofia Randall, Maloy Murdock, Pamela Johnson, Georgette Richmond, Barbara Pruitt, Tracy Foy, Glenn Kay.

“The Lake Chapala Society (LCS) is holding a two-day Art Fair on March 18 and 19 from 10am to 4pm each day.

Ajijic Writers Group at La Nueva Posada

The Eternal Lust for Gold

In 1594 a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I, Sir Walter Raleigh, an experienced soldier and adventurer, mounted an expedition to South America in pursuit of a legend of a city of gold, known as

Sir Walter Raleigh

Robert Drynan

My wife is from Iowa. I moved there from Chicago back in the ‘70s and lived there for

(Lakeside’s homeless dogs fly north to Canadian and American homes thanks to the tireless efforts of their volunteers.)

Joe Howell is a frequent flyer.

St. Patrick’s Day is very special in Mexico because it is a time when Mexicans remember the San Patricios, or the Bat-

Continued on page 48

Michael Hogan

Don Beaudreau wbeaudreau@aol.com

When I was 12 years old, I took up the sousa-

I’ve never participated in organized team sports and only took part in individual sports when bribed by friends or threatened with a starting pistol at my

Tom Nussbaum

A House of Hope

She sat at the top of the stairs, her big ebony eyes peering through the banister slats at the commotion be-

Eighty year old Melody was ready for the dating scene,

directory.chapala.com

DIRECTORY

EMERGENCY HOTLINE 911 CRUZ ROJA 376 765-2308, 376 765-2553 FIRE DEPARTMENT 376 766-3615 POLICE Ajijic 376 766-1760 Chapala 376 765-4444 La Floresta 376 766-5555

* ADVERTISING / DIRECTORY

- EL OJO DEL LAGO

* ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

- ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

Pag: 57

* ANIMAL CLINICS/PET SHOP

- SOS CHAPALA DOG RESCUE Pag: 40 - LAKESIDE FRIENDS OF THE ANIMALS AC

- MASKOTA’S LAKE

- PET PLACE Pag: 26

* ANTIQUES & FURNITURE

- GALERIA ALFREDO

Pag: 24

* ART GALLERIES/HANDCRAFTS

- DIANE PEARL COLECCIONES

- FINE ART FOR SALE Pag: 10 Pag: 50

- GALERIA ALFREDO

- KIMBALL & URZUA GALLERY Pag: 30 - LA BELLA VIDA

- TANGLED THREADS Pag: 60

* BAKERY

- COLIBRI GARDEN

- EVA ANTUNEZ

- LA VIE EN ROSE

* BANK INVESTMENT

- INTERCAM

- MULTIVA

* BEAUTY

- CHRISTINE’S

- GLORIOSA

- HILDA WORLWIDE

- NEW LOOK STUDIO

* BED & BREAKFAST

- CASA TRES LEONES

Pag: 13

* BEER & LIQUOR STORES

- BETO’S WINE & LIQUOR

Pag: 18 * BOUTIQUE / CUSTOM SEWING

- LA BELLA VIDA

- MANOS DE AJIJIC

- MI MEXICO

- MIA’S BOUTIQUE

- SO CHIC BOUTIQUE

* CANOPIES

Pag: 30

Pag: 42

Pag: 53