Ladies Who Lunch

There was a time in my late thirties, maybe early forties, when I used to "do lunch." It was a regular "thing" with a group of seven women. We'd take turns treating each of us as a birthday girl. So at least once every two months we'd get together, catch up, go some place absolutely MAHvelous and flirt with the waiters. That was long ago and far away.

But it was deja vu all over again yesterday in Puerto Vallarta. I had lunch with my friend Char, a PV transplant from Dana Point, with some of her friends at The River Cafe. White linens. Lots of open air atmosphere. Innovative entrees stacked up like pep rally bonfires with little sauce squiggles. Nice. Two tables over and up behind us the waiters were singing "Las Mañanitas." Someone's birthday. Sigh. Those waiters were cute -- and they sounded good.

I'd forgotten what a luxury it is to get dressed up and spend.....hmmm....would you believe three and a half hours? over lunch. Just talking, grazing, laughing and discovering common interests and very diverse origins. The women there are PV residents now, but they come from all over the world -- Goa, Australia, Ireland, Vancouver, to name a few. Char is the consumate networker, always pulling another party or connection out of the deep bag of her friendships.

Maedb (can you tell she was one of the Irish ones) has just bought a lot right on the River Cuale with a big mango tree in the middle of it, and she's building an adobe house around it. By herself. Here she's telling Patricia all about it....Patricia who teaches week long classes in oils -- one of which I may take this March in Antigua, Guatemala -- running away from Semana Santa in Guayabitos....

And when you're out to lunch, you never can tell who might drop in. This guy fell out of the tree and made quite a stir when he landed next to the table behind Char. He preened for everyone's camera and then wandered off to climb back up a tree. Now that was something that would never happen in Newport Beach.

Thanks Char! Thanks everyone! Loved meeting each one of you! It was great coming into the big city from out here in the sticks and going some place besides Walmart, Sam's Club, or Home Depot. You all were MAHvelous, darlings. Absolutely MAHvelous.