The Book Fair

Yesterday was the Book Fair at Casa Europa on Calle de San Francisco. The stone building could soon be the cultural center of San Miguel. 

I was there selling my book "The Way Back Poems of addiction and recovery." I called it a perfect Christmas gift for your drunk relatives. Ok, not everyone laughed. Maybe my humor was too close to home.

You have to be careful not to spend all your proceeds on things others are selling.  We did not make it. I sold three books for 200 pesos each, then Bev bought a calendar, three Christmas greeting cards, a necklace from Kristine Scherber and I bought two books. The first book was written by Margaret Paul titled "Conversations with Artists." The book includes conversations with Peter Leventhal, Keith Miller, Toller Cranston, the late Mary Rapp,  andTom and Donna Dickson, etc. Those are the artists I'm most familiar. The book is 258 pages and has many pictures. You can find it on Amazon.

My second book purchase was written by Marge Fahey titled "Under the Spell of San Miguel." This is an Insiders Guide to the city. Marge is a tour guide of House and Garden Tours advertised every week in Attencion.

The guide is a spiral bound notebook small enough to carry in your back pocket. It measures  4+ X 7+ inches. It is filled with answers to the newly arrived questions:

1. Getting Around
2. Etiquette and Useful Spanish Phrases
3. Historical Overview
4. Places of Interest
5. Calendar of Holidays and Fiestas - One of the first questions could be "What do the bells mean and what is the parade for?"
6. Classes
7. Cultural Events - Every year SMA celebrates my wife's birthday on September 16th with fireworks in the Jardin.
8. Day Trips - I recommend a trip to Canada de la Virgen Pyramid. You will get an overview of our history going back to the Mayans.Be sure to ask for Albert Coffey/ He will make the day trip memorable.
9. Tours
10. Markets
11. Restaurants - we have over 340 restaurants and this recently updated guide will help you out. My current favorites are La Parada, Firenze, and Don Lupe. I almost forgot don't miss Don Felix, Nirvana, Oko, and La Grotto, for pizza. Did I mention Fat Boy and Hanks for hamburgers or Birdies in DOCE 18?

You can buy her guide at the Biblioteca,