Eternal bloom from the barrister

Posted on by Felipe Zapata

orchid

STEVE COTTON, a retired barrister from Oregon who now lives occasionally in the “little Mexican village” of Barra de Navidad, Jalisco, and writes now and then on his website Mexpatriate — In the Key of Steve, came with family in February to stay in our downtown casita for a spell.

Señor Cotton, being a well-bred sort (tip of the sombrero to his Mom and Pop), as a token of apreciation — I didn’t charge him for the rental — left this orchid for us. We transported the flower from the downtown casita here to the Hacienda where we live, and we sat it atop the dining room table.

As I said, that was February … of 2017.

Yes, the orchid has graced our table for over a year, and it’s never lacked flowers. I find this remarkable. I didn’t know any plant flowered for more than a year.

So every morning especially, as we chew toasted bagels with cream cheese or the occasional croissant with orange marmalade, we think kindly of the former Oregon barrister who now lives occasionally — when he’s not flying all over the place — in the “little Mexican village” of Barra de Navidad, Jalisco.

21 thoughts on “Eternal bloom from the barrister”

  1. Beautiful pic. I had often been to Barra de Navidad in the past. Close to La Manzanilla where I lived and much prefer for its tranquil ambiance and broad shorelines.

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    1. Mark: I took the shot from the Master’s Seat at the end of the table, which is where I always plant myself. And that’s the view I get every morning over bagels or croissants. It’s nice.

      What I recall your telling me about your time on the coast is that you were eaten alive by bugs on a regular basis. I recall that was a big part of your fleeing inland, which is what sensible people do.

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  2. I actually discovered your blog from reading Senor Cotton’s blog. You were always making some snide remark which I found amusing. For a retired guy Steve sure moves around a lot between dealing with a myriad of issues in his Barra hacienda. That’s an amazing flower you have. It may have magical powers.

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    1. Brent: Steve is a good resource for me and others. Snide remarks?! I do not make snide remarks. Occasionally, I made sardonic remarks, an adjective that even ole Steve has (correctly) applied to my comments on occasion. There is a difference. Most people make snoozer remarks, so someone has to keep things sharp and interesting. I gleefully fill that role.

      Steve does move around a lot. It’s a distraction for him and a source of entertainment and education for the rest of us. As for the flower, I think it does have magic powers. I am sure of it.

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      1. You are right, of course. Sardonic rather than snide. My snide remark was meant to be sardonic. I can hardly open my mouth these days without at least some sarcasm leaking out.

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  5. Steve’s a great guy. Hopefully I’ll one day have the opportunity to earn an orchid.

    By the way, it’s common knowledge in orchid circles that the plastic comes off after the first year anniversary.

    Saludos,

    Kim G
    Redding, CA
    Where we too have been known for the occasional sardonic remark. Or was that snarky?

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    1. Kim: The plastic comes off? Harrumph! You probably don’t even have plastic on your living room sofa.

      Humor aside, the stalk is soft and likely would fall over if we removed the plastic. We want it standing tall and proud. There is method to our madness.

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  6. We had an orchid for several years and one year it put out about a dozen blooms at one time. I guess that was its swan song because it fizzled after that. I’d love to have another one, but I’m afraid I’ll kill it.

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  7. While in Puerto Escondido, a friend of mine, a professor of metallurgy from Mexico City, collected orchids. He had over 100 varieties in his yard. We made occasional trips into the wild to find them. One time we brought home a rotten log that weighed about 100 lbs. covered in white orchids with purple and yellow highlights. The rest of his garden was impressive too. I had all the starfruit I could eat.

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  8. Felipe,

    Like Brent, I found your blog via Sr. Cotton’s. I liked your wit, sense of humor, style of writing, and last but not least, your libertarian point of view.

    Now, fast forward a couple of years, and I’m happy to have had the privilege of meeting you in person and enjoying a stay in your downtown casita.

    How’s spring progressing in your mountaintop paradise? It’s wonderful down here in gringolandia. Will soon be much quieter as all of the snow bird Canadians head home in a couple weeks. Migration has already begun but will be a mass exodus by mid April.

    Kind Regards,
    Troy

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    1. Aw, Troy, you made me blush. As for my libertarian point of view, it has resulted in The Moon being deleted from the Blog Rolls of most other Mexico-oriented blogs run by Gringos. A non-PC point of view makes them gag and turn blue in the face. They just cannot stand it. Oh, well.

      Spring is progressing as usual here. We just received our new cooler from Coppel yesterday, and debuted it here last night. Works pretty well. Just wonder what it’s gonna do to my electric bill. Could be an issue.

      Kind regards to you two too.

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  9. Now, this is a coincidence. Christy and I were talking this morning about the orchid. The purchase was originally her idea. We had hoped to get up your way for a visit this winter, but time is running out on their stay this year.

    As for my reputed itchy feet, I plead guilty. Traveling seems to be part of my makeup. It probably started with my Norman ancestors invading England — or my Viking ancestors invading Scotland. We need to spread the DNA around. And, of course, orchids.

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