ALAMOS BOOK FAIR 2013

A BENEFIT FOR LOS AMIGOS DE EDUCACIÓN

4—6 PM at the Hotel Colonial, Alamos, Sonora, Mexico

Thank you all for coming today!

JANET AND KELLEY, of the Hotel Colonial, Hosts for Alamos Book Fair 2013.

PATRICIA HAMILTON, emcee today, and publisher of “Our Stories of Alamos, a Pueblo Magíco.”

PART ONE 4 PM

The Making of

“Our Stories of Alamos, a Pueblo Magíco”

OUR STORIES OF ALAMOS, A PUEBLO MAGICO

In Appreciation for an Alamos Woman with a dream that grew into a book!

JOAN GOULD WINDERMAN

Joan Winderman had a dream to make known the stories of the fascinating women of Alamos – which led to the publication of “Our Stories of Alamos, a Pueblo Magico.” With pleasure we also acknowledge her dogged dedication to collecting these stories. I’m sure many of you can recall your own story of that! We know you love and collect books, Joan, so please accept this 500 Peso Gift Certificate to Kathy’s Korner Book Salon as a token of our appreciation.

I also acknowledge the contributions of Donna Love – who got the book rolling with a writing class for 25 local women and interfaced with other writers throughout — and Bernadette McAllister for photographs, and for the support of Betsy Maier.

LORNA ACOSTA, Los Amigos de Educación and Kathy’s Korner Book Salon.

Lorna Acosta created Kathy’s Korner Book Salon to honor her sister’s memory, and it has become a repository of an amazing number of books—donated and for sale—with the ambiance of the independent bookstore which has all but disappeared in America. It is also the headquarters for Los Amigos de Educación, which provides scholarships for further education to Alamos youth. With pleasure we acknowledge Lorna’s contribution to literacy and education, and gift her the net proceeds of $500 U.S., from the sale of the first printing of “Our Stories of Alamos.” PLUS Los Amigos’ ownership of all native book files for future printings and updates and the proceeds thereof.

LINDA ADAMS, Los Amigos de Educación and Kathy’s Korner Book Salon.

Linda Adams has been a tremendous help to Lorna and Kathy’s Korner and is available next door with name tags for the women writers so we can further identify each other and have our books autographed by everyone present. I’m looking forward to meeting the women writers and thanking them in person for their contribution—and have them autograph my book! There is also a sign-up sheet for any woman who may want to contribute her story for a possible second edition. Joan Winderman will also be helping with the autograph party next door. Thanks also to Louise McPherson, another Los Amigos board member, and her partner, Rob, for balloons and set-up.

43 Alamenses attended the 2013 Alamos Book Fair at the Hotel Colonial. Chairs provided by Casa de Los Tesoros Hotel.

Los Amigos de Educación board members, LORNA ACOSTA and MICHELEE CABOT sat at the front of the Hotel Colonial courtyard.

HAL AND MICHELEE CABOT volunteer to serve refreshments, which were provided by Devorah, Donna, Cherisse, Joan, and Teresita’s Panadería.

A view from the back of the room.

We’ll take a short break. Please help yourself to the food and enjoy some water or wine. Next, I’ll describe the self-publishing sequence of “Our Stories” by way of illustrating to you the steps required should you be interested in self-publishing a book through Amazon.com and CreateSpace print-on-demand or e-book services. The CreateSpace services are free! Following, I will introduce today’s authors who will speak about the writing experience. Books for sale benefit Los Amigos de Educación.

PART TWO 4:30 PM

THE SELF PUBLISHING PROCESS OF “OUR STORIES OF ALAMOS”

www.ParkPlacePublications.com

There are only two main questions an author must answer to produce a successful book:

Who is your audience? How will you reach them?

With this book we identified the audience as the people of Alamos and we would reach them by mouth and through Alamos Notes. And if it got wider distribution, so much the better. We would not be investing a large amount of money, and believed we could recoup our investment. Now, of course, we would like to sell as many books as possible to benefit Los Amigos de Educación.

CREATE BOOK CONTENT:

IDEA: Author – Joan Winderman: An idea whose time had come: lunch at Teresita’s March 30, 2011 Joan mentioned her idea of making known how special the women of Alamos are, and the other four of us—Donna, myself, Bernadette and Betsy—thought it was a great idea too. We invested our time and money to make it happen today.

TEXT: Writers – the women of Alamos wrote their stories (the most amazing feat of all, I think) Editors – our content editor and interface with the writers was Donna Love; a professional editor was hired for the final line edit.

GRAHICS: Photographers: myself, Joan, and Bernadette submitted a variety of photos of Alamos.

As stories and photos came in, I put up this blog to show our progress and keep us inspired.

1. BOOK FORMAT AND DESIGN

This is my main work–making text and graphics look good and make sense; i.e., form and function.

I examined the stories, their length, etc. and decided the best format would be to put them in alphabetical order by first name and use a maximum of two pages per story.

If each story did not fill two pages and there was a big white space left, I combed the photos to find one appropriate to illustrate their story, with the goal to ultimately provide a variety of photos that would showcase the essence of Alamos, its people, plants, animals, architecture, ambiance, festivals, etc.

Sample pages and covers were prepared for the committee, reviewed, and refined to create the book you see today.

I assigned an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) and purchased a barcode for the back cover.

2. PRINT AND INTERNET PRESENCE

PDF files were prepared to spec and uploaded in November to my account on CreateSpace.com, the print-on-demand arm of Amazon.com, and were immediately for sale worldwide.

We ordered 225 books printed and sent to Joan in Tucson, to be delivered by Joan, Lorna, and Louise McPherson to Alamos in time for Christmas—to give a free book to each of the women writers, and for sale to others. We were able to completely recover our initial investment of $1700 by January 15.

3. MARKETING

We planned to have a book launch back at Teresita’s on Februrary 16, 2012, to honor the women and sell books. That became Christmas 2012 book sales, expanded to include my talk about self-publishing, plus book sales and talks by local authors (Donna’s ideas)—and thus grew into the celebration today, which I named “Alamos Book Fair 2013,” at Kathy’s Korner and Hotel Colonial venues.

Donna, an entertaining writer, and one of the authors who will speak today and has books for sale, is also a good book publicist. Jim Swickard of Hacienda de los Santos gave Donna contact information for national tourist related associations. Those letters and requests will go out soon. If you have any influence or suggestions who Lorna might contact for bulk sales (the ideal way to sell a book, along with having a niche market), please let her know.

PART THREE 5 PM

AUTHORS SPEAKING ABOUT WRITING AND PUBLISHING

Please welcome five of our local authors:

Robin Ellis, will speak about writing her book while pregnant and with breast cancer, “She’s Alright.”

ROBIN ELLIS

Emily Preece, author of personal Alamos stories, “Over These Cobblestones.”

EMILY PREECE

Donna Love, who brings four books to the table: “Tell Me a Story,” “To Make the House Complete,” “Walking for Our Lives,” and “Driving for Walking for Our Lives.”

DONNA LOVE

Robert Cabot, author of several books, one of which is nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

ROBERT CABOT

Leila Gillette, who wrote and illustrated “Stately Homes of Alamos.”

LEILA GILLETTE

These local authors will be available afterwards for your questions and to sell books. A portion of today’s sales goes to Los Amigos de Educación, so I urge you to purchase at least one book from each author if you can! They will be happy to autograph books for you. Books are also available for purchase at Kathy’s Korner Book Salon – proceeds to Los Amigos de Educación.

Books are passed around during each author’s talk. Here, STEVEN FOSTER examines “Walking for Our Lives.”

Eat! Drink! Be Merry! Buy Books and Support the Youth of Alamos!

We published this book and created this event around it, to bring the people of Alamos together in community and with an appreciation of our strengths in diversity. I say, “Well done, Alamos!” Today’s event raised money for two scholarships for the youth of Alamos!

After the party’s over … Welcome to Hotel Colonial.

Photographs by Joan Gould Winderman and Patricia Hamilton.

ALAMOS BOOK FAIR

4–6 PM, Wednesday, February 20

KATHY’S KORNER & HOTEL COLONIAL

4:00 PM  Patricia Hamilton, publisher of “Our Stories of Alamos, A Pueblo Magíco,” will speak at Hotel Colonial about self-publishing and the process to produce this celebrated book of women’s stories. A check for proceeds to date from the sales of this book will be presented to Lorna Acosta, President of Los Amigos de Educación, along with all files for reprinting. The book is currently for sale at Kathy’s Korner and on-line at http://www.Amazon.com

Women Contributors to “Our Stories of Alamos, A Pueblo Magico” will autograph books at Kathy’s Korner. There will also be a sign-up sheet for other women who may want to contribute their story for a possible second edition.

Presidente Benjamin Anaya has been invited and we hope he will be able to attend.

Linda Adams will give tours of Kathy’s Korner and assist with the autograph party.

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 12,000 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 20 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.

FRONT COVER: “Our Stories of Alamos, A Pueblo Magico!”

BACK COVER: “Our Stories of Alamos, A Pueblo Magico!”

We did it! 81 women in Alamos, Sonora, Mexico—some locals, more extranjeros—each sent in a photo and short story of their lives in Alamos. See their photos on the cover, listed alphabetically with book page numbers.

These colorful books are on their way to Alamos, expected to arrive before December 7, and available for purchase at Teresita’s Café. They make a great gift for the holidays. 164 pages, 7×10, softcover. ISBN 978-1935530-69-5, $15 / 200 pesos

It is also now available for order from Barnes&Noble and Amazon.com

All proceeds to benefit Los Amigos de Educación

A Book Launch/Autograph Party will be at Teresita’s Café, February 13, 2013 at 4 p.m. and we hope to see you all there. If you purchase a book before the party, bring it to be autographed by the authors who attend.

Jennifer MacKay. Photo by Margo Howells.

It was a desire to do something different for a while that first brought us to Alamos. My husband, David, and our two daughters, Salina and Elly, were happily living in the Bay Area, and we were working for Backroads (an active travel company), along with several other side jobs. We lived at the base of beautiful Mt. Tamalpais, where we could step out our door to hike and mountain bike. We had great roommates and life was good. We had it in the back of our minds that, once our girls were big enough, we’d seek out an alternative life to the ‘semi-traditional’ one we were living.

The twist of fate that brought us to Alamos involved David’s mother, Margo, who fell in love with and married Richard Howells. Not only was Richard a great guy, he happened to have an old house in Alamos. In February 1994, we took a month off and road tripped down to Alamos in a big van we borrowed from Backroads. We took all the ‘libre’ ways on the highway and the journey was a long one with two small girls. As we drove into Alamos at 3 a.m., we were immediately blown away by the beauty of the town. And as the door was opened to La Ciudadela, Margo and Richard’s historic, elegant, semi-lived-in, house, we stepped into the magic of Alamos.

That was in 1994… now it’s 2012 and we are still here and Alamos is our home. In the first few years, we made our home in the magical La Ciudadela and slowly began fixing up the old place, which was an endless job, but worth it. We explored the area around Alamos on mountain bike, on foot and by car, spending much time getting lost on the Sierra de Alamos and biking all the back roads we could find. Salina and Elly played their days away in the many corners of La Ciudadela. They learned to ride their bikes on the streets around the plaza (back when there were barely any cars!). It didn’t take them long to make friends and our place was always full of girls of all ages who came to play. Some of these girls are still strong family friends to this day. We began to pick up the occasional odd job… like hanging Christmas lights in trees of the courtyards of people’s homes. We also started to take people out on hikes and rides and such. For the first four years, we didn’t have a  phone so everything was done rather creatively!

We had fixed up the Ciudadela to the point where we started renting rooms and sort of magically created a great little business. During that time, we also participated in a FAM (familiarization) trip for birding tour companies, and that is when David fell in love with birding. After several more years of back and forth, we decided to put our ‘eggs in one basket,’ and we created our business, Solipaso S.A. de C.V., which allowed us to work legally in ‘tourist services.’

Meanwhile, the girls were happily attending school next door to our house. I became president of the PTA and participated in school activities for the duration of their time in the public school system in Alamos. Being a part of the school system here has given us the opportunity to really become a part of the community and although we were ‘different’, we were always fully embraced. Salina and Elly were the first foreigners to go all the way through school in Alamos and graduate from the Cobach!

Margo and Richard retired and moved to Alamos, and we moved into the Obregon 3 building, which we remodeled a bit into Café del Sol and our new home. El Pedregal, which was Elizabeth Nuzum’s little art studio and country getaway, wasn’t really for sale, but she was happy to sell it to someone who would continue to grow her vision of El Pedregal. We bought the surrounding land from the Jacobys  and proceeded to scheme, dream, dig and build our little nature lodge and retreat center. All the girls’ friends came out to have fun. We bought them a scooter, which won us major points and allowed them to zip around all over Alamos.

El Pedregal is now our home and business in Alamos. We created a sanctuary for us and our guests. I have my sacred straw bale yoga studio and massage room that I enjoy every moment I’m in there. David has his bountiful vegetable garden. The birds have their feeders and the dogs live the good life here. We continue to run Solipaso tours: small group birding and natural history trips all over Mexico, as well as a few local day trips. I’ve gotten more involved with conservation, working with Nature and Culture International, and donating my time to live the dream of creating a park and green space for Alamos.

Alamos has been a great place to be a family and to raise our children, who are now both off in the world doing their thing as amazing young women. It has provided us with the freedom to create our own reality and our own business where no two days are the same, life is dynamic and interesting, and where one can truly make a difference. All while it has always been just a good and peaceful place work and live. We continue to travel with our work and wander the world, but it’s always good to get home to Alamos.

Patricia Hamilton. Photo by Joan Gould Winderman.

I was born in California and lived in a small farming community in the San Joaquin Valley until age nine. We had many Mexican school chums, neighbors, workers, and friends. My sister, brother, and I still occasionally recall the kind Mamacita of one classmate, who welcomed us after school to her table. My love of all things Mexican was born consuming bowls of pintos and plenty of tortillas.

In 1955, my father began a three-year odyssey of moving the family around in Washington and Oregon.My love of travel was born on the side of the old Hwy 99, as my mother prepared food on a Coleman stove.

In 1977, while living in Canada as a controller for a large company—sent there to hire and train accountants—I met and married the interior landscape designer, the “Plant Guy.” I decided to publish his plant knowledge, and found a book at the library, called simply, Bookmaking. We bought a used typesetting machine, made some proof copies, and did a test market. We moved to California, where we eventually wrote, published, and marketed 20 books, which are still the standard of the industry. With the recession of 1988, our market had been saturated, I was pursuing my spiritual awakening, and the husband fled back to Canada.

I moved to Pacific Grove, California, where I had family, and enrolled in the University of California at Santa Cruz to complete my degree in philosophy and religious studies. During my final year I took advantage of their study abroad program at the University of Lancashire in the north of England. I visited three family manor homes from the 1500s while there and wrote and published a book about my British flat mates and, Peace Consciousness in Findhorn and Belfast, to satisfy the President’s Fellowship I had received.

I loved Europe and wanted to stay. On spring break I took a plane to Spain to find a job teaching English as a second language. The information booth at the Alicante airport directed me to Elche, known for its language schools. After I found a pensión that would take me (single women traveling alone were suspect), and with my bi-lingual curriculm vitae in hand, I walked the streets and knocked on several doors before securing a position. Elche has the largest palm forests in Europe (grown for Palm Sunday) and I loved to sit among them, converse with people strolling by, and enjoy the nightlife, which usually lasts into the wee hours of the morning. I began my study of Reiki in Spain, from a traveling German teacher, which led to certification as Reiki Master and Teacher in 2009. In 2010 I began practicing Transcendental Meditation and became enamored of Byron Katie and her mantra, “Suffering is optional.”
I returned to the U.S. in 1996, and started Park Place Publications in Pacific Grove, writing and publishing my own travel guides, and helping others self-publish their books, too. Travel, reading, writing, and bookmaking have been a constant theme in my life since high school.

Donna Love invited me to Álamos after I had published her book, To Make the House Complete, which included renovating two homes in Álamos. I saw her photos that were of, to my mind, the quintessential Mexican village I had envisioned since those first grade frijoles. Upon arrival in Álamos in February 2010, I was elated. My friend Sally had traveled with me and we were both enchanted and delighted by the church and plaza, the street vendors, las tiangas, the friendly expats and natives, and of course the exotic plants and animals. We rented a roomy casita from Diana Roslee. After a couple of weeks, I relaxed into the slower pace and really began to soak in the ambiance: the soft breezes, swaying palms, chatter on the streets. I bought dog food and gave it by handfuls to the street dogs. The Swickards hosted a book publishing talk for me, the room was packed—and everyone was so friendly and welcoming! While in Álamos I published two books: short stories for Diana Roslee’s grandchildren, and Good Deeds by Elizabeth Dale, stories by Americans about Mexican’s helping them.

I took Spanish lessons from Jose Trinidad Rangel. Stephanie Meyer invited me to go into the Reserve with her and for two days I enjoyed the backcountry hospitality, flora, and fauna. A lizard hibernating on the wall near my bed; a scorpion on the wall behind a pillow cushion I sat on, and I was living ‘dangerously’—cool! I determined to return.

On my 2011 trip I stayed with Diane Carpenter and every morning sat in reverence on her patio as I sipped coffee overlooking the plaza, town, and surrounding mountains as the sun rose. I fed carrots and apples to a small black horse on daily walks. He was suffering in the hot sun and with the help of Rigo, who works for Diane, secured and erected a tarp for his shade. Bengta Wolsing, who was providing hay to the little pony, later found a home in the country for him. One evening at Beatrice Sak’s I saw one of those red centipedes and the next day met a woman in the plaza who showed me the zipper scar she still had from its painful stings. My friend Alex Kerekes visited again and we took the McKay’s boat trip down the river where we saw luffahs growing on trees and ancient petroglyphs. I helped Lynda Borondes with a fundraiser to spay and neuter cats and dogs. I smashed eggs with locals in the plaza during the Cascarones festival and the Mexican family I met invited me to their home the next day for a barbecue. We met in town and shopped together for the ingredients. So welcoming! So loving!

On my last day in Álamos, March 30, 2011, I was having lunch at Teri’s with Donna Love, Joan Gould Winderman, Bernadette Mertens-McAllister, and Betsy Maier. Donna and Bernadette had a vision of a collection of ex-pat art and biography, which morphed into this book of women’s stories about our lives in Álamos. Joan has been relentless in rounding up stories and Donna has been religious in editing them for posting on the womenofÁlamosmexico.com blog. I have been posting them and now designing the interior and book cover. I think Betsy fell in love some where along the line! It’s satisfying to read these stories and I’m grateful to be included. I am also very thankful to Donna for inviting me and to all her friends who have welcomed me, and all the others I’ve met and love. I am looking forward to our book launch, February 13, 2013, and many more years of enjoying all things Álamos.

April Quisenberry Pruitt. Photo by Janet Anderson.

As a child in southern California, I loved the architecture of the missions, the Mexican music, and the trips with classmates to Olvera Street, a mock Mexican town in Los Angeles. Later, in Colorado I became aware of the indigenous side of the story. These Spanish and their missions didn’t just arrive into empty land, but into a rich indigenous culture. The ways that the natives lived, their homes, families, music, art, what they ate, how they entertained themselves, and especially their spirituality began to become more and more interesting. Many of my friends, both when I was a child and young adult, were of Spanish or Mexican heritage and I was further attracted by the stories of my parents’ trips to Mexico, where my mother explored the area while my father painted.

Although there was ample opportunity for exposure to Spanish/Mexican architecture and culture for me in California and Colorado, firsthand knowledge of the indigenous peoples was slight. As an adult living and working with various Coast Salish Native peoples in the Pacific Northwest and Inupiat and Yup’ik (Eskimos) in Alaska, it was my chance to learn from actual participation rather than just from books. I never lost my love, however, for the Spanish architecture and for the Mexican people. And I did learn. In the 60s, while living in Kotzebue, an Inupiat village in Arctic Alaska, I had even proposed to build a Spanish or Moorish design house with an interior courtyard, rather than a typical Eskimo house that was open to the beach, to facilitate use of the resources of the sea. I was nearly laughed out of the village, since my Mexican house would surely fill up with drifted snow. The idea of an enclosed house was anathema to the Inupiat, whose dwellings are open to all who wish to enter and to whom the ownership of the land is as foreign as a walled garden.

In 1984, as my husband, Rod, and I made the transition from commercial salmon trolling and fish camps to our more traditional careers, we found ourselves with a winter free before our new life began. We packed up our three kids and spent the winter in Zihuatanejo and San Miguel de Allende. I knew that I must find a way to stay in Mexico.

In 2003 we found ourselves once again without obligation and with an opportunity to come to Mexico for a while. Jeannie Carpenter, Diane’s daughter, suggested we come down to Alamos and stay in Diane’s house. Although still in Alaska herself, Diane graciously agreed and gave us a long list of people to meet and things to do. We were in that beautiful house for about four months and spent each summer afterward renting various places in Alamos. One of those summers we found a little three-room Mexican house in El Perico with a large lot and five mature fruit trees. Perfect!

When Rod and I retired from school administration and youth wellness program administration in Alaska, we began to remodel the house and only had to go back to work in the States once to get doors and windows on it. Teaching on the Jicarilla Apache Nation in New Mexico for two years was an adventure more than a job for me.

All of these things brought me here but on a “long and winding road” that passed through tipis and tents, babies and teenagers, gurus, shamans, fishing boats, and even silk-shirt-and-high-heel jobs. The road always pointed me toward Alamos. There was a way all along to earn money in Alaska and live in Mexico; it’s called retirement and it took us many more years to reach that goal. Now that we’re back in Alamos, I have been able to continue learning about indigenous cultures of this wonderful country, thanks to my dear friend, Elena Chavarría.

I learned to love Sonora young in life; some of the sweetest memories I have are on the beach in Puerto Penasco in the 60s when it was a tiny fishing village with one small 12-room motel.

Fast forward 25+ years: married with kids of my own, Tommy and Laura, then four and two. My husband, Dave, and I decided to take a six-month “sabbatical.” After considering a few options we decided to do a stint in Alamos for cultural exposure. Friends from Tucson and Puerto Penasco, the Rollings, had property in Alamos and helped us find a place to rent one Christmas vacation for a “Look-See.” It didn’t take us long to commit to a long term rental and move down—for what grew into seven years.

The first house we rented ran out of water when the weather got hot and dry, but I had volunteered on the house and garden tour and knew many of the homes well. I thought I could find another house quickly. Barbara Schofield reached out a friendly hand by letting us stay at her house until we could find another place. We ended up renting the home of Dr. Antonio Acosta and his wife, Lorna Pabst. Dave and Antonio became business partners in commercial honey production and elastomeric roof coatings, and Lorna and I discovered we have an uncanny multitude of life experiences in common. We loved living there, but it did take me months of chasing the Telemex guy around in the wash to finally get the phone hooked up!

One day Dave suggested I go by an estate sale to look at some chairs. I liked the chairs, but I liked the house more and wanted to invest. It was in desperate need of TLC. We rationalized we could renovate it while living there, and sell it for a profit when we left. Well, we did fix it up, but we never did sell!

We made many friends in both the Mexican Community and among the ex-patriots. The history of Alamos is fascinating, but the generosity of spirit and simplicity of life was truly the best. People could not have been more welcoming to our little family. We were included in parties, family gatherings, carpools, and patient friends helped us get through PTA meetings when we had trouble understanding. I volunteered with the Comadres, organized rebuilding/upgrading of the bathrooms at Bartolome, enjoyed potlucks with Las Lunas, and relaxed at many “cafes” playing loteria. The kid’s friends learned to swim in our pool. I didn’t worry when the kids were out on their bikes because everybody knew them and kept an eye out for their welfare too.

For several years Jennifer MacKay and I would meet every morning in front of Bartolome and run out toward the dump, then back into town on the backside. Those mornings were so beautiful. Three days a week we’d follow our run with Mary Lynne’s excellent yoga class. What a great way to start a day.

We kept a huge garden at our house, and one of the greatest luxuries was to just wander around before dinner picking what looked good that day. David MacKay grew a number of very select vegetables in our garden and in trade he said we could pick what he grew too. That was a very satisfying arrangement!

Teri Arnold Shannon welcomed me to town, became a good friend, helped me through diets happily, and generally was ready to instigate an activity or dinner at the drop of a hat. She still adds so much to all our lives—from exquisite catering and parties of her own, to the general flare she carries around brightening the spirits of all, to her capacity to listen and empathize. My first evening in Alamos was spent drinking wine with her and trading stories, no wonder I stayed.

Alamos attracts interesting women. Leila Gillette was one of the first ladies I met. She was, and is, an inspiration. Ginger Combs was another gifted person I was lucky enough to get to know. She practices Reiki, and sometimes I think she knew my thoughts and condition even better than I did. She rehabilitated my running and tennis injuries regularly. Sadnah explained that, “the veil is thin” in Alamos, that’s why we have such a presence of ghosts. I loved each and every one of the energetic young teachers we recruited to run the English School of Alamos, and enjoyed many fascinating clients who bought and sold property with my help. Las Lunas—the once-a-month ladies potluck—was something I looked forward to.

Alamos celebrations we attended were the best ever. The dining and dancing that went on when the dove hunters were in town, weddings, and New Year’s Eve were exquisite. The Mills, Shannons, Stewarts, Scotts—they were all so generous—their parties were among the finest I have ever attended. We danced all night savoring the mariachis and friends accompanying the musicians with song as the night wore on. I remember one Ortiz Tirado Festival when we were on the balcony of the Palacio (great spot!) and everyone there joined in singing. Food for the soul.

Special memories of the kids are endless too—parades and more parades, Laura doing her poesia before the town council when she was in 3^rd grade, and dancing folklorico in the plaza during December festivities. Her graduation from kinder was an all day event with skits, luncheon, and a formal dance (she danced with the Presidente, Poncho Valenzuela). Tommy’s favorite afternoon activity was to go out hunting with his air gun and then prepare dove breasts wrapped with bacon on the hibachi. Once we took the kids out to a mine Robert Mark Anthony was working and we got to see them blast. (Wow!) Tommy played baseball in the stadium and was a formidable competitor. Once, when Tommy was about seven, he got picked from the audience to be a volunteer at the circus. He was so funny we cried laughing so hard—he got free popcorn and a coke out of the deal. Pablo Mejia gave both kids horseback riding lessons at Rancho La Colorada. Joan Gould taught them to make paper. Elizabeth Nuzum and local seamstresses made them formal wear and costumes for special events. Laura and the MacKay girls sold bolsas of naranjitas smashed up with chili and salt from our door stoop using Laura’s karaoke machine to broadcast their goods for sale. They went to horse races on ranches and Tommy rode the mechanical bull in the wash, one Cinco de Mayo. We enjoyed plenty of fireworks at Camahuiroa, too!!

There is no question Alamos was an amazing experience for the whole family. Alamos will always be with me, forever a sweet spot in my heart.

LeeAnn Wehr. Photo by Jim Wehr.

I came into this world as the first of seven children born to loving and supportive parents. Being the oldest, I learned about integrity, work ethic, high standards, and expectations for myself. I grew up, lived, studied, and worked in Nebraska until 1971 when I moved to Colorado with my first husband to teach high school Spanish and English. The beauty of the mountains and Estes Park attracted us in our search of self discovery.

A mutual love of travel ignited a healthy relationship of over 32 years with my current husband, Jim. He supports me, encourages me, and allows me to be the Light that I Am. Together we’ve explored South America, where we married at Machu Picchu. We continued our travels into Central America and Mexico, New Zealand, and Europe. The tranquility and peace of Alamos, Sonora, Mexico drew us to purchase a lovely home there. As we enjoyed 12 winters there, I immersed myself in the Mexican culture and service work. Alamos, enchanting place that it is, attracted me the moment we entered town: The charm of the colonial architecture, the small town atmosphere where everyone is friendly and open encouraged us to stay, along with the beauty of the surrounding mountains and the peace and tranquility. Fond memories of hikes, social gatherings, fundraising for Amigos de Educacion de Alamos and Comadres bring a smile to my face, as a parade of wonderful characters walks before me.

Not everyone is “brave” enough to venture into Mexico or even buy property and live there. But that makes the “gringos” that do so a very interesting and eclectic group of people. It’s a gathering place for the more adventuresome and curious. Alamos attracts GREAT women, and I will always hold a special place in my heart for the dear friends I met there. And even today I count them in my “special people” category!

I found the time, energy and courage to begin my career in energy medicine, healing, and the sharing of my knowledge in Alamos. Today I look back at those beginning times and am amazed at how much has transpired, and how we have all shifted and changed.

Another learning experience during this time, breast cancer, prompted me to heal myself and, after a promise to help others, I began my quest to assist others. And now 25 years later I’m still sharing my time and energy with clients and working with another wonderful scholarship program.

We currently reside in San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico. My strong connection to nature guided me here (plus my husband’s love of the water, boating, and fishing) to learn from and play with the whales and dolphins, as well as understand the strength, power, and flow of water. The constant flow of energy and synchronicities permit me to seek what calls me and follow to where I’m guided.

Janet Anderson.

by Joan Gould Winderman

Janet arrived in Alamos ready to take on the enormous project of designing a world-class hotel and restaurant by herself. She is originally from New Orleans and is unique in the expat community with her southern accent and manner. She brought with her gorgeous furnishings and a sense of style that have blossomed into the Hotel Colonial, where many Mexican families now come from all over Sonora to celebrate weddings and family reunions in the lovely garden surroundings. For a time she operated a restaurant with the best pizzas in all of Alamos. She too has offered her help and kitchen in times of emergency, as when Alamos was flooded. And we all remember those Mardi Gras parties celebrated for the first time in Alamos. The little red Alamos train snaked through the streets spraying beads and getting everybody’s attention.