Lakeside Living
By Kay Davis

Phone: (376) 766-4774
or 765-3676 to leave messages
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

July 2010

PAST EVENTS:

 

Two of our lovely, local octogenerian ladies, Lois Schroff and Lea Ament, got together and one asked, “What can we do for our birthday that will be a thrilling experience, including a handsome young man and getting high?”

“I know,” replied the other. “We can go flying!”

The idea of being able to fly over and check out what was behind everyone’s walls had a special appeal. After considerable detective work, they found the small airport on the lake north of Chapala. Selecting the handsomest of all the pilots, the ladies set the date.

The flight took place a week later. They had a two-seater so they went up separately. The plane took off over the lake and swung back over Chapala. Following the lake edge the pilot cruised along at a height about equal to the top of the mountains. At Jocotopec he wheeled the plane around and up the other side of the lake, beginning to gain altitude as he rose through the mountains on the south side. A beautiful, remote lake shimmered in the afternoon sun. Small villages and large, plastic covered NAFTA fields dotted the landscape. At Mazamitla he turned the plane back; they started our descent and landed.

The “girls” had brought a big picnic lunch with a powerful fruit and vodka drink. The pilots all toasted the two lovely ladies.

Information at www.aeroclubchapala.com. There is no organized rental flight. Prices are whatever you negotiate (less than $200 USD per hour). Lois and Lea’s flights were about 45 minutes, and the flight took them where they wanted to go. At this airport, there are both conventional planes and ultra-lights. Cost would depend on time and distance.



Lois Schroff with the two-seater plane

 

On June 8 at Sol y Luna’s pocket theater we saw a different “reading” that combined poetry with minimal acting. The poetry is tanka, five lines, a total of 31 syllables. The poems are usually about ordinary life but with a twist in the last line. The author of these intriguing short poems is Margaret Van Every, a local writer who signed copies of her book, A Pillow Stuffed with Diamonds. By all appearances it was a successful day for everyone involved. We thank the performers who gave life to Margaret’s observations.

 


Enacting tanka poetry for A Pillow Stuffed with Diamonds

 

VIVA! LA MUSICA premiered the summer Concert Series on June 17 at the Auditorium in Ajijic. Alla Milchtein was featured on piano, Christopher Wilshire on violin and Señor Costinel Florica on cello. They played two well known trios: Beethoven’s “Ghost” and Dvorak’s “Dumky Trio.” From the audience, “The crown of the evening was the Dumpky trio which elicited fluctuations in feelings from melancholy to exuberance, stunningly performed.”

On June 18 – 20 the Naked Stage presented Under the Skin, directed by Christine Moily and written by Betty Lambert. The shows were at Sol y Luna in West Ajijic. The story is based on a real kidnapping that occurred in Port Moody, a suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia. There are only three characters: Maggie, Renee and John. While Maggie’s daughter Emma has disappeared, the focus is on Renee’s marriage to the sadistic John with a terrible secret: John has kidnapped the 12-year-old and confined her beneath his workshop where he has been sexually molesting her. When Renee realizes the truth, it is her reaction to such a dreaded revelation that underlies the play’s theme. This is not lightweight material. It is a dramatic portrayal of how we turn away from what is happening beneath the surface of our lives because the denial is so much more comfortable.

EVENTS TO COME:

On July 16, 17 & 18 at Sol y Luna pocket theater, Barbara Clippinger directs the hilarious and touching comedy “The Dixie Swim Club.” Five southern women whose friendships began many years ago on their college swim team set aside a long weekend every August to recharge those relationships. When fate throws a wrench into one of their lives, these friends, proving the enduring power of teamwork, rally ‘round their own with the strength and love that takes this comedy in a poignant and surprising direction. Performance times are 4 to 6 p.m. Reservations are required. For more information, directions, or to make reservations, please call 766 – 2044 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

The Naked Stage presents a comedy

 

August 5 at 3 p.m. the Cruz Roja BBQ will begin at the Country Club de Chapala. There will be great food, music, dancing and plenty of fun. The BBQ is $250 pesos per person and there are only 250 tickets available for sale. They can be purchased at the Cruz Roja table at LCS, at Trattoria Axixic Restaurant or any Cruz Roja volunteer. Raffle tickets will be drawn at 5 p.m. for big winnings, and you do not have to be there to win: 1st place is $15,000 pesos; 2nd place is $7,000 pesos; and 3rd place is $3,000 pesos. Raffle tickets are still available for $100 pesos each from Cruz Roja representatives at their table at the Lake Chapala Society, at Trattoria Axixic Restaurant or from any Cruz Roja volunteer.

 

 


Cruz Roja BBQ and Lottery
– Be a Winner!

 

November 12 – 14 the Feria Maestros del Lago (Artisan Fair) will return to the Chapala Yacht Club (Club de Yates) in Chapala. We’ll give more details later, but already artists are lining up from all over Mexico. For now, just keep it in mind and maybe mark your calendar.

 

 
At the Feria, a Winter Rebozo – bigger, warmer

 

Mulitple Events:

The American Legion post #7 schedule for July:

Saturdays: 9 – 1 p.m. McLegion breakfast

Sundays except July 4: 12 – 3 p.m. Legion grill burgers     

Jul   1 – 2 p.m. Canada Day

Jul   4 – 12 p.m. US Independence Day

Jul   7 – 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.: US Consulate (no Social Security)

Jul 16 – 3 p.m. Movie: Julie and Julia

Jul 17 – 3 p.m. Maple Leaf Club: bring botanas

Jul 21 – 5 p.m. Parmesan Chicken Dinner

Jul 23 – 5 p.m. Jimmy Buffett Parrot Head Shrimp Boil (corn on cob)

Jul 29 – 3 p.m. Lone Star

For information, call 765 – 2259 or

www.americanlegionchapalapost7.org

 

Legion Memorial Day Dinner – service included smiles

 

On July 2 & 3, the Lake Chapala Society Fiesta will be in full swing. They refer to this year’s event as BIZAAR, BARGAINS & BAR-B-Q with children’s art, books by local authors and books from the library, videos and more. There will be music. Hot dogs and chili will be fired up on the barbee, drinks at the bar. Admission is free to LCS members. Please contact Patricia Doran (766 – 2228) or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Don’t miss the Book signing tables. Among the authors present:

1. Lady Mary Flemming

“Elizabeth has an Adventure” (Tad Davidson’s children’s book)

2. Howard Fryer

“El Nitty Gritty ~~ Thirty Years in Mexico”

3. Alejandro Grattan-Dominguez

“Breaking Even” (Coming-of-age story)

“The Dark Side of the Dream” (Historical fiction)

“Hollywood & Vine” (Murder Mystery)

“The Stuff of Dreams” (Romantic Adventure)

“Whereabouts Unknown” (Political Thriller)

4. Jim Jenson

“Project Sentinel” (Top Police work)

“Run From Ramadi” (First Class Adventure)

5. Robert Kaplar

“The Lincoln Conspiracy” (Historical facts book)

6. Christina, Mayita, and Irma Levy

“A LA MESA” (Mexican cook book)

7. Mia Pratt

“The Secrets of the 100 Golden Keys” (Unlock The Power of Your Creativity)

8. Eve Reid

“Fearless Aging” (Journey of Self Discovery)

 9. Richard Rhoda and Tony Burton

“Geo-Mexico” (Geography & Dynamics of Modern Mexico)

10. Margaret Van Every

“A Pillow Stuffed with Diamonds” (Poetry)

 

 

Lakeside Little Theatre news:

The Lakeside Little Theatre will present the Summer Studio 2010 Acting Workshop production, Developing Your Imagination & Creativity, as facilitated by Graham Miller. Performances run July 8 - 10 at 7:30 p.m. and July 11 at 3 p.m. Come and enjoy the selection of engaging and entertaining scenes and meet our talented actors! Open seating tickets are now available from Ajijic Real Estate for $80 pesos. Ajijic Real Estate is located at Morelos #4 (extension of Colon toward the lake) in Ajijic. It would be greatly appreciated if ticket buyers could please have the exact change ready when purchasing tickets.

During the run of the show, the Theatre box office will be open one hour before curtain. Come early and enjoy the Angel Terrace and bar.

Audition announcement for LLT’s first show of Season 46: Our Lady of the Tortilla. This is a comedy written by Luis Santeiro, eight time Emmy award winner, and directed by Sally Jo Bartlett. Set in Hialeah, Florida, Our Lady centers on a Cuban-American family. When the son brings home a new girlfriend, the flamboyant mother goes off in mad pursuit of her straying husband, and the old aunt sees the face of the Holy Virgin in a tortilla, turning their suburban home into a basilica. English-speaking Mexican and gringo men and women between the ages of 25 and 60+ are required for this hilarious and heart-warming story about faith, miracles, and the endurance of family love. Auditions are scheduled for July 30 & 31; two men and four women are needed. Performances are October 2 - 10. For scripts and information, contact Jerry McDonald at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Lakeside Little Theatre encourages and welcomes everyone interested in acting, new or experienced, to attend auditions for any of this season’s plays. If you would like to volunteer behind the scenes, the LLT is always looking for people to train in lighting, sound, wardrobe, props, make-up, stage managing and other positions. Contact Don Chaloner at 766-1975 or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. See you there!

 

A former Playbill for Our Lady, a comedy set for October

 

VIVA! La Musica summer schedule starts with the Philharmonic Beethoven. Air conditioned buses await. The orchestra is playing all the Beethoven symphonies. July performances are:

Jul   9,    4:30 – Reineke flute concerto, Beethoven No. 3: Seats available

Jul 18,  10:30 – Beethoven symphonies No. 9 and No. 1: Bus full

Please call Marshall Krantz at 766 – 2834 ASAP. Reservations are not confirmed until payment is received. Tickets are $200 pesos for members and $300 pesos for non-members. The bus will stop for dinner at a good restaurant in Guadalajara before Friday evening concerts.

For tickets to the wonderful concerts this season, visit the LCS Ticket area daily from 10 a.m. - 12 noon. Series tickets are $1,100 pesos for members, $1,250 pesos non-members. Single tickets for members are $250 pesos (except $300 pesos for the Opera). For non-members single tickets are 300 pesos ($350 pesos for the opera).

Season tickets (auditorium, 7:30 p.m.) go on sale at LCS June 1 – June 17 (10 – 12): members $1,100 pesos $1,250 for non-members. Single tickets are $250 pesos for members and $300 pesos for non-members. Add $50 pesos for the opera.

Jul.   15      Jalisco State Chorus

Aug. 19     Issac Ramirez, cello; Andres Sarre, piano

Sep.  14      Ensemble Filarmonica: Luciano Perez; soprano, Dolores Moreno

Oct.  21      Rigoletto, a fully staged opera, conducted by Luís Rodriquez

VIVA still needs volunteers to help with ticket sales, hospitality and other concert related duties. Please call Rosemary at 766 – 1801, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

Opera Rigoletto

 

Excerpt from John Steinbeck’s Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech (1962):

“Literature is as old as speech. It grew out of human need for it and it has not changed except to become more needed. Writers are not separate and exclusive. From the beginning, their responsibilities have been decreed by our species...the writer is to declare and to celebrate man’s proven capacity for greatness of heart and spirit – for gallantry in defeat, for courage, compassion and love.”

What I see in those words is how noble we all are. Someone recently sent me this as encouragement because I do not consider myself a writer of substance. But you and I do the best we can, and thus we exhibit what Steinbeck referred to.

What did he win for? Two books. He wrote The Grapes of Wrath (1939) and Of Mice and Men (1937). In total he wrote twenty-seven books, including sixteen novels, six non-fiction books and five collections of short stories. Can’t you just see items and kids bouncing off the overloaded truck in The Grapes of Wrath? TCM plays the movie now and then.

Trivia questions about the Nobel laureates (winning names we know):

1.  Which Canadian won the Peace prize in 1957? (Lester Pearson)

2.  Which Mexican won for literature in 1990? (Octavio Paz)

3.  Which US President won the first Peace prize? (Theodore Roosevelt)

4.  What year was Barack Obama awarded the Peace prize? (2009)

5.  Who won the Peace prize in 2007? (Al Gore)


The Nobel Prize: a medal, personal diploma and a cash award

 

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