Brownsville Update

"Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can." Danny Kaye

So what have you done to make your life colorful lately? Adam has taken up smoking the pipe, and touring ruined palaces, Margo has just come back from a week of touring France and Belgium, Barry's new job is, well colorful, and he is jetting to Miami as I write. As for me, I am sampling the foods of the area which are indeed colorful, getting lost with colorful language involved and learning to communicate in Spanglish with the emphasis on Anglish.

The paperwork mounts on trying to line up the sale of the house with the gov. or privately. The house here needs to go to inspection so we are setting that up asap. Found really decent Chinese food at the Lotus cafe. They have three here in town and their cousins own a few in Harlingen and McAllen. I had lunch at the New York Deli, they've been here for around 50 years, and it was very good. Sandwiches N.Y. style salads a soup of the day but no real hot Deli type stuff, like Stuffed Cabbage etc. The owner is a Beetles nut so they have memorabilia and he plays Beetles all day. I think the staff probably goes loony at night. Hell, I hear my cell phone in my sleep.

We went to McAllen yesterday, about an hour plus north of here it is a slightly larger city, with two large downtown buildings. Like Brownsville there is no real city center just a very worn out old town area. What once was the shopping hub and main street it is now very decayed and relegated to "old Rags" Ropa Viehas ( a meat dish as well here) shops, perfume discount stores, and cheap ladies undergarments. It is surround by a very depressed area and rickety homes. Driving east of main street, we did find an upscale area and the Holy Grail of Grocery stores. The HEB that has the most organics and high end food stuffs south of San Antonio. We had our coolers and stocked up. There is a Borders, and a Chico's just West of the interstate.

Rossana, is the wife of a Meterologist at B's work. She is Mexican and Sephardi. They have invited us to the Latka making party at the Temple, where all the guys make and cook the Latkas. It sounds fun and it will be our introduction to the Shul here. Amazingly I found a super Stylist/Colorist who worked for Jose Eber. She was trained in Europe before she came to the states. I went to the (Eber)salon many years ago but Rita had just moved to Vegas and was working there. She has phenomenal credentials, is a permanent makeup artist, has a theatrical makeup degree etc. Needless to say my hair looks great!! She and I hit it off, and I now have a new friend who has a very interesting story to tell.

It is my intention to bring as much color to my new home and new friends as I possibly can. Eccentricity is all it is cracked up to be.