A week+ has passed and so much has happened at Casa Brawner Sur. Full days of walking, talking, looking and listening, followed by late nights of cooking, eating, laughing, and scribbling leaves little time for posting. Dear friends, Susan Knowles, Andy Saftel, and Stephen Jones arrived last week. Early morning walks to gather pastries in front of Pátzcuaro's Museo Regional de Arte Popular and fresh squeezed orange juice on Calle Lerin; day trips to Capula and Tzintzunzan in search of handmade pottery and 500 year old olive trees; late nights of drawing, storytelling and bebidas; scratching on copper plates, music and rooftop silliness. Whew! It all started with Steve arriving … I handed him a house key, a marguerita and showed him to his room where he soon learned to appreciate the siren sound of rooftop dogs and Gas Express. A worldly guy and an exceptional talent, the following morning I gave Steve a walking tour of Patzcuaro–its main plazas, cemetery and mercado–and he immediately embraced it all. After breakfast with Becky and a killer view at the Hotel Basilica we visited La Basilica de Nuestra Señora de la Salud, Galleria La Mano Grafica, and the amazing printmaking studio in the 16th century Ex-Collegio Jesuíta (Church and Former Jesuit College). Then we enjoyed fried chicken and onion rings with Martin and Bob that night. 2,000 photos and one luchador etching later, I think Steve found what he hoped he would find in Mexico. Susan and Andy arrived a couple of days later after delays caused by storms and flooding in Dallas. Our amigo Francisco picked them up in Leon and delivered them safe and sound to Patzcuaro. They unpacked their bags and we immediately ventured off to Ihuatzio with Steve, Bob and Rosa, and one of our guardian angels, Santiago, for the town’s Corpus Christi celebration. Surrounded by hundreds, we saw dozens of people throwing plastic pots, toys and mops off balconies while the town’s band played in the background…and the town’s people reached for the airborn goodies. We were the only gringos and felt very welcome. Pyramids and rattlesnakes followed, as well as a beautiful sunset over Lago de Patzcuaro, Cucuchucho, and Tzurumutaro. We dined at a cool little café on Plaza Grande and made plans for an adventurous week.
