Elena Hiatt Houlihan

Issue 57, April 2025

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BARBARA AND AL GARVEY AT HIS EXHIBIT OF TANGO PAINTINGS IN PUERTO VALLARTA, 2018



LA VIDA VALLARTA...SAVORING PUERTO VALLARTA

Dear Friends and Family, Old and New, Near and Far,

It's a time of turmoil and trauma in much of the world, love and loss. And yet, here I am with my periodic musings, hoping to remind you that light, color and joy are ever present when we take time to look.

As many of you know, my life in Puerto Vallarta has been enriched by a cosmopolitan tango group. Several days after my arrival in 2011, I read an announcement by Barbara Garvey about a tango dance that weekend. I later learned that she and her husband Al had been key figures in the tango renaissance in San Francisco and then started teaching tango in Puerto Vallarta. Al was an accomplished artist and architect, and we all enjoyed many elegant milongas, dancing in the home that Al designed way up the hill with a stunning view of the bay.

We celebrated his 92nd birthday last winter; yet sadly, his health had been declining, and when I arrived in December, he had slipped into a coma. He passed away shortly thereafter and Barbara lasted only a few weeks longer. I commemorate them, their talents and their joy of dance and will never forget how Al would light up whenever we arrived for tango. Here they are, still dancing, a bit slowly, just last year.

Relatives, friends and family gathered for a celebration of life for the Garveys in February. It was so poignant as some of us danced our last tango in that beautiful house. The unexpected touch was that the family offered each of us keepsakes from the Garveys' collections. I was overjoyed to inherit this colorful painting of the "Feet of Tango" painted by Al. And it was so fitting that Froyamel Corro, one of our favorite tango teachers, happened to be visiting from Buenos Aires, and he helped me hang it in my living room.

Believe it or not, I'm nearing the end of finishing my book, and the official cover design is below. I'm aiming for a late summer book launch and will definitely let you know when you can preorder. Ideally I will be having book parties in a city near you. Anyone who decides to host one will receive a free book.

I'd love it if you forward this email to your book-loving friends who might be interested and ask them to sign up.



My book design, as well as the content, has undergone several metamorphoses and will now be even more colorful. Here I'm trying to find the exact Pantone numbers for the chapter headings, which ironically seem to be very close to the hibiscus and the bougainvillea on my terrace.



I can't sit in front of the computer all the time, so I go for a walk on the beach, never knowing what I'm going to discover. It can be a wedding, a pregnant mother posing with flowers on her belly (yes, I've seen that!), even mermaids with authentic looking tails. This gorgeous creature was part of the show from the pirate ship. She appeared after the treasure hunt. I bet those pirates were happy to see her!

And then, I occasionally wander upon a celebration of love. Here a proposal in glowing letters is being recorded by a photographer. The young couple re-enacted this scene several times with the bride-to-be leaping into her fiancé's arms to get just the right pose.

The other day this young woman was dancing around trying to catch the sun while at least three family members were capturing the moment. Maybe from their angle the sun was in her arms, but this was the best I could do.

Please absorb, Dear Reader, that adding to the continual joy in my life are all of YOU, whether you are close enough for a spontaneous dinner, or whether I see you only once a year as I wander. I am warmed and enriched by your messages if you are distant, and by your presence if you are near. Know that I am keeping you close in my heart.

I hope this finds you joyful wherever you are in the world, exercising your creativity, and surrounded by loved ones. Once again, remember to take care of your special selves, follow your dreams, and express your love fully to those around you. We are more perishable than we think.

Abrazos y besos,

Elena

CONNECTING AND RE-CONNECTING

You are receiving this email because I met you somewhere in my travels and wanted to stay in touch...dancing tango in DC or Buenos Aires perhaps? A Fair in the Park in Pittsburgh? At a riad in Marrakech? A party in San Miguel de Allende? You may have forgotten me, but I have not forgotten you. If the tales of my travels don't spark your interest, just hit unsubscribe. Or, if this has been forwarded to you, you can subscribe here. There's a bonus gift of my downsizing guide called Get Rid of It!! for new subscribers! Merci mille fois! Y muchas gracias!