Pedro, me and the view taken  by www.lauriesmithphotos.com

There are people who I can hardly wait to get off the telephone with, and others, whose company I enjoy immensely and  I  can never get enough of.  So I came up with the perfect plan for my vacation this year.  I rented a beautiful spacious house in one of my favorite places in the world, Oaxaca, and invited some of the people I most enjoy to join me there to convivir  for one or part of one week each. I really would have loved to show Oaxaca  to my dear friends Arthur Schwartz and Bob Harned, and others,  but they could not make it.  However several members  of my core group of friends and my sister, Marina and her husband Joel Diaz de Leon were there  It was  the most satisfying, glorious vacation I ever have taken.  Everything and everyone  clicked.

The rental of the house had been an odyssey. I had first found a gorgeous  home through airbnb or Home Away that filled  two of my original requirements–a pool and a bathtub. Fortunately, I found out in time that is located in the picturesque and very chichi town of San Agustin Etla but no where near downtown Oaxaca which is where we thought we’d be.  We wanted to go to museums, restaurant, and shops.Thankfully,  the owner of the house most generously let me out of the contract and I had to scurry around to find another 4-bedroom house.  I lucked out with Casa Union ,in upscale San Felipe del Agua even if I had to give up the pool and the bathtub. and a chorus of dogs kept me up at night and a rooster and a donkey woke me up too early.   Other things made up for it.

The ever-changing view

the spaciousness and beauty

the fabulous terrace where we had breakfast, lunch, cocktails and dinner and where we entertained. Here the table is set for 12 with a view of the spectacular garden

Entertaining and singing

The kitchen was workable if a little challenging for a real cook

snapshot by Laurie Smith of my sister Marina and me

The guests were terrific- —  helpful, generous, fun, and, most important of all, great conversationalists.

Alicia Rodriguez and Lazaro Azar

Victor Nava

My sister, Marina and her husband, Joel Diaz de Leon

Sweet, sweet Laurie, my comadre and heart and soul mate, her camera ever ready to shoot many memorable moments that you will see in my Oaxaca posts.

And my adored Pedro Luis de Aguinaga, frequent travel companion, confidant, and dear,  dear friend

As I wrote in a previous post, Oaxaca Luncheon, it would not have been half as much fun if Henry Wangeman of Amate Books and his wife Rosa had not introduced us to some of their friends.  I’ll write about the others, the places we visited and the things we did next.

Photos be Laurie Smith, Pedro Luis de Aguinaga, Lazaro Azar, and Alicia Rodriguez