It’s been a helluva a month or so working through the events following my mother’s death. It hasn’t been horrible — just time consuming as we work through the details. My mother went out like a rock star — on a farewell tour. Her ashes were collected and there was first an event in Toronto […]
Not Gone…Just Working On Life Stuff Read More »
A little indulgence here — as I go through the family photos (there are a lot of them, expect to see them over the coming months — this is a novel slowly unfolding). I was struck how much alike were these two "glamour" head shots — the first of my mother at about 20 (maybe
My mother, Jeanette Marie Snyder, passed away early this morning, and though I am very sad to lose her, I am relieved that her long-suffering with cancer has also passed. And she picked a remarkable day for it is also the date on which Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare died. And it
Breathing In, Breathing Out. Read More »
In the midst of all my work (and looming deadlines) I received this unexpected gem in the mail and wanted to share it. A gentleman in Madrid, NM had discovered the remnants of the 36 ft wooden statue of Jesus my grandfather, Pierre Ménager built for the Christmas light show in Madrid, New Mexico in
Jesus on The Fence Read More »
Always around Christmas, with family showing up, we take it as an opportunity to explore new canyons in the mountains. This year a lot of time was spent in Milagrosa Canyon in the Santa Catalina mountains that border Tucson. It's beautiful and very rugged. Hiking the trail is "sporty," as the rock climbers say, meaning
Climbing Milagrosa Canyon Read More »
I found these beauties sorting through yet another still-packed box in the garage. I was given these Mexican paper dolls when I was quite young and have fond memories of spending hours studying their regional costumes. One folded the arms behind the back, creating a cone shaped figure and then slid the ends of the
Trajes Tipicos Mexicanos: Vintage Mexican Paper Dolls Read More »
In 1963 my parents simultaneously received Fulbright Awards to study abroad for the year. My mother went to India (and traveled through Nepal, Bhutan, and a forbidden sliver of Tibet on the border.) My father traveled to West Africa, where he made his way down the coast through 13 countries, meeting with emerging African authors
Embroidered Postcards From Africa and Spain Read More »
Can you imagine the most mythical moment of your childhood? That moment when everything changes and you know that going forward you will be profoundly different, that your life as you once knew it would be over. My father Emile was born in Paris — his father an American ex-patriot and his mother a beautiful
Mythic Moments: The Arrival of the SS Excambion at New York Harbor, January, 1941 Read More »
Here's my favorite band t-shirt from Los Zebras, a Milwaukee Norteño duo. You can buy it at CafePress. It comes in a variety of colors (though note that American Apparel can run on the small side) and is available along with other cool items, like the tote bag, which is also awesome. You can hear
I rejoice at finding wonderful items on the internet, but I am also pleased in being found. I recently received a terrific email from a middle school English teacher whose sixth grade class was tackling poetry with some difficulty at the start. This is what she wrote to me: After teaching all kinds of dry
A Return to How They Drank In The 40s Read More »
