Artistically Inspired in Mexico

It’s been a joy for me to watch Bob’s creative spirit the past few months. He’s been inspired to paint and to play music. Ever since I’ve known him, he’s been inspired to paint and to play music, but here in San Miguel, he’s inspired in a special, happy way.
He performed two solo concerts in June in the beautiful Santa Ana Theater, housed in San Miguel’s public library. Playing banjo, guitar, and ukulele, his repertoire included the following:
--Mountain banjo songs such as Cookoo Bird and Red Rocking Chair
--Sailor songs such as Haul Away Joe and Lord Franklin
--Miner songs such as 16 Tons
--Irish tunes such as Wild Mountain Thyme
--Blues tunes such as See That My Grave Is Kept Clean
--Folk tunes such as Don’t Think Twice, It's All Right
--Ukelele songs such as Somewhere over the Rainbow
He had a good time working on these and other songs and then performing them for two welcoming audiences. He also did instrumental improvisations on all three instruments. He hopes to have more such opportunities in the future.
In the past, as a painter, Bob worked mainly from his imagination. Then, a few years ago, he took a landscape painting workshop in Slovenia, where he discovered the beauty of plein-air painting—painting in the out-of-doors. He would like to offer similar workshops here in Mexico, so this summer he spent his time on the edge of town or in small villages painting some of the many chapels in and around San Miguel. The architecture and simplicity of these chapels appeal to him. So do the bright colors that he decided to use as his medium. If any of his paintings appeal to you, they’ll be on sale soon. (I’m his agent—I have to say this!) You can see his paintings from the past ten years and listen to some of his improvisational music at his website: http://www.rgravelin.com/. Enjoy!

Our Favorite Water Spots

Bob and I love being near water—lakes, rivers, waterfalls, and oceans. We recently spent a few days in Puerto Escondido on the Pacific coast. With a hotel and restaurant right on the beach, we were pretty content for four days, without needing to explore too much of the town or outlying beaches. Each morning we watched the local fishermen bring their boats onto shore with their catch from the night or early morning hours. Each morning Bob bought fresh fish directly from the fishermen, and then the restaurant prepared it for us. Each morning we had grilled fish for breakfast—red snapper, white snapper, and sail fish. Life doesn’t get much better than this—eating fresh fish, watching the activity on the shore, and listening to the waves and the wind. Playing in the waves, walking the beach, and watching surfers were a great pleasure as well. There’s nothing quite like the ocean!

While at the ocean, we took time to reflect on some of our favorite water spots that we’ve enjoyed over the past ten years since we first met. I wanted to make a top ten list, but it was too hard to choose only ten. Here are some of the places we love and what we love doing there:

--Snorkeling in the Red Sea in Dahab, Egypt
--Swimming in the crystal-clear Adriatic Sea on Korcula Island, Croatia
--Camping on the Green River and Colorado River in Utah
--Rafting on the Green River
--Soaking in the hot springs in Main, Jordan and Budapest, Hungary
--Cruising on Egypt's Nile River and Alaska's Inside Passageway
--Eating fresh corn-meal covered trout by Bosnia's Buna River Spring
--Bird watching on a Danube Delta cruise in Romania
--Canoeing on the Hocking River in Ohio (watching turtles) and the Manatee River in Florida (watching alligators)
--Walking the Oregon coast and the North Sea Coast in Denmark
--Walking along Frankfurt's Main River and Berlin's Spree River
--Watching street performers on the Charles Bridge over the Vltava River in Prague
--Gazing at castles while on boat trips outside of Frankfurt and Vienna
--Swimming in the thermal waters at Gan Hashlosha in Israel
--Standing on the Stari Most Bridge over the rushing Neretva River in Mostar, Bosnia
--Riding on the canals of Amsterdam and Xochimilco (Mexico)
--Watching the masses on Moroccan beaches
--Walking along the top of Niagara Falls on a moonlit night
--Dipping in Bob’s favorite ice-cold waterfall in Vermont
--Hiking along the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon
--Playing in the cave and river at Tolantongo, Mexico
--Playing in the waves in Zihuatenejo and Puerto Escondido, Mexico
--Tubing on the Potomac River in Big Big, West Virginia
--Camping on the Atlantic Ocean in Virginia Beach
--Camping besides lakes—anywhere and everywhere
--Soaking up the sun at our favorite Sarasota beach—Lido Beach

Since we are water people, send us your recommendations. We’d love to add to our list!