VC
11/05/2009, New Orleans, LA

A blast of furnace hot and greenhouse humid air walloped us in the face as we exited the small Avianca air craft that brought us back to Cartagena on the last leg of our return from New Orleans, LA. There we had enjoyed some brisk seasonal fall weather during the week long family and wedding festivities and the difference was quite a shock.

Looking back at the "wedding week" of celebration for Daisy and Keith, it is hard to choose my favorite from the multitude of happy scenes and sweet moments, so here follows a collection of some of them.

Daisy whirling in dance amongst her closest high school friends and her two brothers at a concert at the New Orleans Circle Bar, where I also met Keith's father and his wife for the first time.

The pleasure of watching Keith as he lead the way proudly around the French Quarter to find us a restaurant serving the rich and spicy Creole food of his hometown.

Embracing my brother Mark the night he arrived with my mother from England. Although we seldom see each other he never fails to make me laugh and wish we were able to spend more time together. He is a special person and a very gentle man.

Barbara (fresh from a recent replacement hip operation) waving her walking stick above her head as she sashayed among the crowd down Bourbon Street while the jazz bands played on.
Mummy flushed from a walk in the New Orleans sunshine and a ride on the Mississippi boat Natchez.

After decorating the room with fresh, homemade flower arrangements the morning of the wedding, I sat breathing in the heady scent while enjoying the unexpected treat of the band "Or the Whale" (see side bar for link to their amazing music) as they practiced some of the melodic songs they had lined up for the wedding festivities. I was tired, but their music in that intimate setting filled me with emotion and energy.

Daisy with her eight year old flower girl (cousin Rosa) at the hairdressers having their tresses arranged around the incredible floral crowns that were part of their wedding finery. Squeezed for time, we commandeered a taxi to escape traffic stopped at a police swat scene and made it to the wedding only fifteen minutes late.

The sight of Richard leading Daisy, so alike in stature, on his arm up the aisle ( a tough walk if ever there was one) as beloved family and friends looked on with huge smiles and wet cheeks.

Keith's beautiful wedding proclamation to Daisy, full of his love for her and his joy of sharing his life with her in the future.

Archie dancing with Lindsey and Katie Levy and Grandma, looking like he has spent way too many hours clubbing into the early hours in the last two years, but boy is he good.

Rupert and Thomas dressed as luny hippies for Halloween night, one with a huge afro wig, the other with a Rasta beret and a peace pendant, both with round hippy sunglasses and an arm around each other. It took me all the way back to California Terrace.

It was quite a week of family reunion and reaffirmed friendships filled with intimacy. I missed David and Jo, Abuelito, Manda, Lucy, Alma and Alison many times over as we celebrated the joining of an incredible, inspiring woman with the sweet man of her dreams. We are so thankful to everyone who made the journey with us and we feel blessed.

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VC
11/04/2009, New Orleans, LA

Cousin Rosa and Daisy get curled and prepped at the beauty salon on Magazine St.

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RC
10/22/2009, Cartagena, Colombia

We fly today to New Orleans for our daughter Daisy's wedding. Mandy is securely Med moored to the dock at Club Nautico and we are off to have a big a big pow wow. No posting for a couple of weeks.

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RC
10/20/2009, Cartagena, Colombia

It has been interesting to see the varying importance of music, particularly public music, in the countries we have visited.
Mexico bursts with sound. Every street, square, store and open window booms with sound. It is normal to be sung to by your taxi driver. In contrast Central America seemed strangely quiet. With no home grown musical genre, music here seemed to be an extra not an integral part of life. One evening in Leon, Nicaragua we went to an advertised "music festival". It rained and less than two dozen people showed up. It is strange that in the land of poetry, music did not seem so important.
Now, in Caribbean Colombia public music is again prevalent. Here in Plaza Bolivar, these beautiful people gather nightly to put on this wonderful show for a few hours.

Columbia

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RC
10/19/2009, Cartagena, Colombia

We're here in Cartagena, the oldest colonial city in the New World. (painting by Enrique Grau)

Columbia

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RC
10/04/2009, E. Holandes Cays, Kuna Yala

Virginia and I have slight differences on our time in Kuna Yala (the San Blas Islands). It is true that it was not for us the wonderful experience it has been for many others, in spite of the physical beauty of the place. This only proves that a single experience of a place cannot render a full description and remains merely a moment in time image reflected in the circumstances and constraints of the viewer.
There is a sizable "resident" population of mostly U.S. cruisers in a small part of the San Blas and here we felt a debilitating ennui. Most are there for long periods of time, sometimes years, and basically do nothing but snorkel. This is not for us. To get an understanding of the local Kuna Indians requires moving further east away from the highly visited islands and spending time, far more than we had available.
Life here consumes time. Travel needs high sun to pilot through coral heads in and out of anchorages and in the rainy season in particular this can limit available sailing time to a few hours a day and sometimes several days a week are not suitable for moving around. Then to meet and spend time with the locals also requires spending long periods of time.
So without investing that time our view of the San Blas was restricted. It's OK we're off to Columbia now and that will be a contrast for sure.

Panama

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