From Primo's Place Upriver By Janie Bell Burton

“Seeing those old pics and hearing Beth's name made me think of when I was housesitting their place, and a poem written there, yes thirty years ago. went scouring through the archives and found it. So different than the Point.” (janie Bell Burton)

From primo's place upriver

Awakening to sounds of a fiesta in a mountain pueblo

Ay..ay..ay no mistake- voices abounding in zest

a singing Latin love

zinging

men flinging dark senoritas round and round

sparking eyes as she tries to capture his gaze

rapture in the crowd, feet pounding ever-quickening time

Ay...Chingada and a throaty spit

I sit up in my bed,mind floating from the dancing square

Staring; in a trance- realising I’m at home

oo-oo the Spanish love songs

only on the radio of a passer-by

Only a passer-by?

walking on the path and bringing me other worlds

Now shrills and trills of child’s delight

And to recognize a laugh

no disguising that half-man’s voice,

rejoicing in the still morning

adorning the trail with joy.

A boy whistling,keeping pace with his mule

A woman boldly singing

I peep through the trees to see

but no face for this pure song; loud and proud

As she strides along,with a panting dog

Who won’t admit to last night’s cacaphony

As if daylight acquits him of his crime.

Who’s the next star vocalist?

With background harmonies from the Chicken Sisters

and their Crooning Rooster-

it’s grand to see this concert’s free

Wait.

Majesty

Back on Track

Hi, I'm finally ready to post some more stories and photos. I've had a busy summer fixing up my house...Lorenzo CacaVaca was here painting the outside and a couple inside rooms and living in The Whimsical in my driveway. He's a very accomplished painter in case you want to line him up for next summer. Then I visited Manhattan for a couple weeks and now I'm ready to roll.

Came across some photos taken in the 60's by a spunky lady named Helen. She's the mother of my friend Prudence Masseth. Pru and her husband Kim Tolleson were major volleyball players in the late 70's in Yelapa. I met them in 1978 and later reconnected with them when I moved to Santa Cruz. They were some of my Yelapa connections in this area. Victor Vanderflugt, Rob Holt, and Deeanne Hooker were the others. I bought my house from Kim and Pru in 1980 and still live here and that's what Lorenzo painted.

Pru called the other day to tell me she found some photos of her mother who came to Yelapa for one of her honeymoons! I guess she's had a few others. I'm posting her photos and the descriptions she wrote on the backs. Pru had no idea her mother had come to Yelapa when she and Kim chose to go there. It was just in the blood, I guess.

Here are some of the photo captions Helen wrote of her impressions 40 years ago. She's in her 80's now.

“Our boat coming into Yellapa (sic). The bldgs on beach are Hotel Lagunita all coconut thatch and those hills are full of wild animals. This is really a wild place. Lots of American artists & characters live here. This is all very tropical.”

“This was our hotel room. A bed, a bureau & big mosquito netting over bed. We had armadilla (sic) for lunch one day. Yellapa.”

“Yellapa Mexico. Amazing place. We slept in a cocconut (sic) thatched hut. Ate armadilla drank Ricea. Great.”

“Puerto Vallarta. Josepha in fore ground in bikini & hair to waist. Had wonderful small shop. Everything handmade. Everything embroidered. Hand made silver earrings. Very fascinating. Small shops in background - dress & food. My honeymoon with Bob Lawlor.”

“Puerto Vallarta. Church at end of street is very beautiful inside.”

“Puerto Vallarta. Our honeymoon. Dear Bob.”

Charming little photos may be hard to decipher, but I'm compelled to include them.