Once upon a time, in the previous century, an old journalist and his still-beautiful bride were pondering retirement and escape from Washington, D.C. They had roots and land on the original TVA lake in Tennessee and that was going to be home, sweet home for spring, summer and football season. But Tennessee winters can be […]
Continue ReadingMy exalted editor, spelling coach and inspirational wife of more than 50 years said my chosen subject for this month wasn’t very good so we’ll skip what I thought was an award-winning essay and go directly to questions and answers. Question: I’ve read about your forthcoming book. What the heck are you doing in Mexico? Answer: Having a delightful […]
Continue ReadingEdd Bissell, 64, almost retired as a Tennessee pharmacist and gentleman farmer, has found a new home, at La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, on the Bay of Banderas, on the left bank of Mexico, in the edge of Nayarit, not far north of Puerto Vallarta, between the last range of the Sierra Madres and the Pacific […]
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Granddaughter Kim couldn’t resist. Our slender, pert redhead scampered along the flatland toward the water. Thousands of white pelicans immediately got the message. After a second or three of awkward, cumbersome struggle, they got the heck out of there. Aloft, these majestic birds are among God’s most handsome creations. Big. Graceful. Glorious. Soaring. Gliding. Circling. […]
Continue ReadingThe first time was in New York, along Seventh Avenue, near the intersection with Broadway, where the streets come together to make a piece of pie. No doubt I was gawking. Might as well have carried a sign saying “Country bumpkin at the county fair.” A dapper little gentleman, who, in real life, could have […]
Continue ReadingIn the early years of the 21st century, the beautiful Mexican town of Sayula had a wildly fluctuating gringo population. Half of it was lost in one day — when Paul and Debbie Katz moved to Chapala. It doubled 10 months later when they returned. Don Sellers was the stable 25 percent. He’s there and […]
Continue Reading2004. It’s showtime in Athens. The Greeks are all stirred up about the Olympic Games, worrying about terrorist threats and who’s going to pay the bills when the party is over and everybody goes home. Thirty-six years ago, it was a lot like that in Mexico City. Before you read what I remember about those […]
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In the early 1960s, Ajijic was gaining something of a reputation as a hang-out for ‘bohemians’ and later for hippies. Historian and MexConnect author Jim Tuck once described 1965 in Ajijic as “The Year of the Purge” when “resident hippies were unceremoniously escorted to the city limits”. In Tuck’s words, “Those who remained were serious […]
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As Yogi Berra might say, 90 per cent of the world is changing. The other half is making adjustments. Among relatively recent arrivals to the shores of Lake Lirio (formerly Lake Chapala before water hyacinth took over the top), only Tony Burton and a few astute historians can begin to describe the changes a few […]
Continue ReadingSome ask why. Others say “Why not?” Seventeen years ago, for some strange and unexplained reason, the beautiful island of Jamaica allowed a cheerful and determined but not particularly talented bobsled team to enter the Calgary Winter Olympics. The athletes were on a proverbial shoestring budget. They borrowed a sled, solicited donations and sold sweatshirts […]
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