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Hola amigos,
"Amigos" is the masculine plural of "amigo". Even though I know that there are more ladies reading my letters then gentlemen, the correct Spanish is to address mixed groups by the male plural noun. Even if I were addressing one thousand ladies and only one man, I would have to put "amigos" instead of the feminine plural "amigas". The same rule applies in Italian with amici (male plural of friend) and amices (feminine plural). That is enough of the learning and apologies to the majority of you who no doubt already know this. I cannot resist passing little bits of knowledge that come my way.
On the farm with El Rey, (The King), Emanuel, Kasilda and Andres.In our house in Bocas, we usually entertain guests on the upstairs terrace which is over the water. Most times, a cool breeze keeps the temperature at a comfortable level and the view out over the bay is spectacular. I am showing a photo of an evening this week when four friends came by for drinks and crostini. I will tell you a little bit about them.
Oscar Attilio Cortinovis comes from Sassari, one of the most beautiful coastal towns on the Island of Sardinia, which belongs to Italy. He is the owner of the town's best shoe shop which has been his place of work for forty-two years.
Paki Juan Cristian is from Argentina. He is a medical doctor and film producer. He became world renowned for his documentary of life in Sarajevo during the siege of the city by the Serbs in 1998. Paki first arrived in Bocas in 1997, the same year as us, and was instrumental in Bocas becoming the location for many of the Survivor programs. Now he is about to start shooting his own sequel to the Survivors, "La Isla del Tesoro" (Treasure Island).
Aperitifs on the terrace with Italian and Argentinean guests: Oscar Attilio Cortinovis, Melisa Shock, Paki Juan Cristian, Marie Judith Shock.Melisa is Paki's significant other and also the daughter of the fourth person, Marie. She is a television executive producer from Rome. She came to Bocas to direct the Italian Survivor program and fell in love with Paki. Currently she is working on Italian Disney programs.
Marie was born in England, where she attended a special school for the Arts. She specialized in acting and dance and at nineteen left home to dance around the world. Marie did not get very far because while dancing in Milan, Italy, she was courted by an Italian journalist and for the past forty years has lived with him in Rome dancing and acting on stage and TV.
As you can imagine it was an evening of interesting conversation.
Near to Malcolm's farm, two dear friends of mine have a property of great beauty. Ten or so years ago, Dave and Linda Cerutti sold their home in San Diego and built a house on the shores of Buena Esperanza, (Good Hope). Dave used volcanic rocks that littered the ground to build the the foundations and first floor and for the top floor used local hard woods. The house is modest in size but a delight.
Their surrounding land they then turned into a haven of exotic flowers and an arboretum of tropical trees. Added to this they grow Cacao (the beans of which are the source of chocolate) and Linda organizes the local ladies in the making and marketing of bags woven from fibers of coconut fronds and colored with natural dyes. Green Acres, as they call their property, is much visited by those lucky enough to have repeat invitations. Often when Malcolm is bound for his farm, I get him to drop me off at Green Acres.
Linda Cerutti shows Pat her prize Miss Joaquin (Vanda) orchid.Linda is the founder and president of the Bocas Garden Club. The meetings gather a large attendance of locals as well as us Gringos.
Well, this week I have given you a little bit of the local color. I wanted you to know that it is not all work and no play, though in truth when I am here, I do indulge in a great deal of time painting and I have to be persuaded to take even short excursions.
This week I have reached the completion of another painting depicting a scene from Frederick, Maryland, a town that delights me with its historic buildings and gracious church spires. The principal subject of this painting is the Carillon Tower. Before starting the painting, I thought about how to bring out the character of the tower and at the same time pay tribute to some of Frederick's spires. In this picture the tower holds center stage and the spires stand behind, for once the supporting cast.
The Carillon Tower, Frederick, Maryland.The more I become involved in the subject, the more my imagination ranges and at times I saw the tower as a president, surrounded by his cabinet. As I painted the houses on either side of the tower, I imagined living in each of them in centuries past. If you can follow me on this, you will see how it is that painting is such a joy to me.
Work in progress.Back to my painting.
Love,
Pat
The Moss
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©P. Buckley Moss 2004