Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all from Mexico
Dear Friends and Family:
We are here on the Pacific Coast of Mexico north of Acapulco. Our house is called Villa del Angel. It on an island. It has a garden and pool and the beach in the back and in the front is a fresh water lagoon.
10 men are working on the house to do the repairs of a very bad hurricane and storm season that has recently ended and left the Acapulco area in bad shape. But the government is rebuilding the roads and many people are rebuilding and or painting and repairing their houses. Much happiness to you all and the best for 2014.
love,
Billy
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Happy New Year from Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
January 5, 2012. As always I am not a good blogger. But at least once a year I try to say hello to the new year. I am here in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico. It has been a lovely month here in Mexico. Joaquin and I went to Oaxaca for a week. Really lovely. Also lovely here in Cuernavaca. Warm sunny days, lovely not really cool nights. Mexico is beautiful. Yet, troubled. Lot's of violence. For us it is okay. No problems with violence nor security. Joaquin's family lives all around us and watch out for our house.
We had a lovely dinner on the 24th of December, 2011 with Joaquin's family. About 40 people sat at the same table in the patio of his mothers house. Everyone brought something. We bought delicious mole coloradito in Oaxaca and Carmen (our housekeeper/cook) made mole with poached turkey. Delicious.
New Years Eve was quiet; here at home with a few friends. Joaquin made lovely quesadillas fritas.
Today I am off to Miami. The lens that was implanted in my eye after cataract surgery has fallen off and is floating somewhere in the back of my eye. I am going to Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and my wonderful eye doctor, Harry Flynn Jr will operate to remove the lens. I dred the procedure as I have had over 14 operations on my left eye; I'm tired of it. but it needs to be done.
I have just re-read, for the second time, Julia Child's memoirs " My Life In France". wonderful memories of France in a different time (50's-90's). One of the things about the book that is interesting to me are some of the things that Julia left out. In my opinion, not by accident.
Back to Barcelona on the 15th of January. Looking forward to the visit of Jeannette in February and we will go to Venice for Carnivale.
I hope all of you have a wonderful 2012. much love, Billy
We had a lovely dinner on the 24th of December, 2011 with Joaquin's family. About 40 people sat at the same table in the patio of his mothers house. Everyone brought something. We bought delicious mole coloradito in Oaxaca and Carmen (our housekeeper/cook) made mole with poached turkey. Delicious.
New Years Eve was quiet; here at home with a few friends. Joaquin made lovely quesadillas fritas.
Today I am off to Miami. The lens that was implanted in my eye after cataract surgery has fallen off and is floating somewhere in the back of my eye. I am going to Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and my wonderful eye doctor, Harry Flynn Jr will operate to remove the lens. I dred the procedure as I have had over 14 operations on my left eye; I'm tired of it. but it needs to be done.
I have just re-read, for the second time, Julia Child's memoirs " My Life In France". wonderful memories of France in a different time (50's-90's). One of the things about the book that is interesting to me are some of the things that Julia left out. In my opinion, not by accident.
Back to Barcelona on the 15th of January. Looking forward to the visit of Jeannette in February and we will go to Venice for Carnivale.
I hope all of you have a wonderful 2012. much love, Billy
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Hi from Barcelona
Today is Saturday the 19th of February, 2011.
I have not written anything on my log for a year. I guess just lazy. Or, as a Greek man I once met said to me: " Billy, you either live life or you write about life." It is very hard to fully do both.
Obviously, from my lack of blogging; I have chosen to live my life.
Marion Cunningham: Still alive in California. No one talks about her. No one has contact with her. She was born February 7, 1922. She is 89 years old this year. I remember her birthday parties. Lot's of people. Great fun. I think they took place until her 80th. Sadly all of that is gone.
I spent December of 2010 and January of 2011 in Mexico. Great time. Warm, sunny days. really lovely.
All of you dear friends out their I wish you the very best.
love,
Billy
I have not written anything on my log for a year. I guess just lazy. Or, as a Greek man I once met said to me: " Billy, you either live life or you write about life." It is very hard to fully do both.
Obviously, from my lack of blogging; I have chosen to live my life.
Marion Cunningham: Still alive in California. No one talks about her. No one has contact with her. She was born February 7, 1922. She is 89 years old this year. I remember her birthday parties. Lot's of people. Great fun. I think they took place until her 80th. Sadly all of that is gone.
I spent December of 2010 and January of 2011 in Mexico. Great time. Warm, sunny days. really lovely.
All of you dear friends out their I wish you the very best.
love,
Billy
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Happy New Year 2010
I have not written on my blog since October of 2009. Lazy and busy.
Hope you all have a great 2010.
much love,
Billy
Casa de Billy Barcelona
http://www.casabillybarcelona.com
Hope you all have a great 2010.
much love,
Billy
Casa de Billy Barcelona
http://www.casabillybarcelona.com
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Marion Cunningham dying in California
Hard to believe that Marion is dying. 87 years old. Hard to believe she is 87. If I did not think about her age I would of thought she was about 55. How the mind can decieve.
Go swfitly dear friend. No more pain.
I will look for you on the sunrise at the beach here in Mexico.
love,
Billy
Go swfitly dear friend. No more pain.
I will look for you on the sunrise at the beach here in Mexico.
love,
Billy
Marion Cunningham Editor of Fannie Farmer Cookbooks, Food Writer, dying in San Francisco Bay Area
Dreams of Marion. Dying, living , all of it.
One of my memories of Marion.
In the 1970's. Michael James and I were catering a party for Frances Dinkelspeil Green, great grandaughter of Isaias W. Hellman, the founder of the Wells Fargo Bank and also heirss of Hellmans mayonaise which became Best Foods. For about 10 years, fromm 1973 until about 1983 we did approximately 5 dinner parties a year for Mrs. Green plus a huge fourth of July party every year. Marion always worked with us on the July 4th party. The guest list ranged from 150-300 people every year. Given at their house in Atherton, outside of San Francisco. Marion, Michael and Akiko Matsuo always did the desserts. and they were wonderful. I especially remember Marion's bread pudding made with crusty baggette. Wow.
Somewhere along the way, we did the Green's youngest daughters wedding , Florence Green Marchick, 7 layers of weeking cake each with it's own seat for the plane ride from LA to SFO. They were too fragile to put in the baggage area of the plane. Quite a cake. Done in that wonderful style of Gaston Lenotre.(Richard worked for Gaston Lenotre, as had Michael James) Pulled sugar decorations, 7 layers of cake presented on huge slabs of nougatine and pillars of nougatine and fondant. Also, he brough along more tan 3,000 sweet amuseguele, petitfours, tiny chocolate and coffee eclairs, etc, etc.
Marion helped us alot with this party. Their was a staff of over a hundred people.
But guess what. No dishwashers. How is it possible? Where are the dishwashers. Drunk. Not to be seen. Was it possible they were never hired? Well, she asked for 20 waiters to volunteer, strip down to their shorts, she put on a bathing suit and in they went in the pool and washed all of the dishes in the pool. Must of cost a mint to repair the filtering system in the pool. But it worked. We laughed for days; until we were literally sick. The person that laughed the most was Marion. She was a trooper. A great person. A great friend.
One of my memories of Marion.
In the 1970's. Michael James and I were catering a party for Frances Dinkelspeil Green, great grandaughter of Isaias W. Hellman, the founder of the Wells Fargo Bank and also heirss of Hellmans mayonaise which became Best Foods. For about 10 years, fromm 1973 until about 1983 we did approximately 5 dinner parties a year for Mrs. Green plus a huge fourth of July party every year. Marion always worked with us on the July 4th party. The guest list ranged from 150-300 people every year. Given at their house in Atherton, outside of San Francisco. Marion, Michael and Akiko Matsuo always did the desserts. and they were wonderful. I especially remember Marion's bread pudding made with crusty baggette. Wow.
Somewhere along the way, we did the Green's youngest daughters wedding , Florence Green Marchick, 7 layers of weeking cake each with it's own seat for the plane ride from LA to SFO. They were too fragile to put in the baggage area of the plane. Quite a cake. Done in that wonderful style of Gaston Lenotre.(Richard worked for Gaston Lenotre, as had Michael James) Pulled sugar decorations, 7 layers of cake presented on huge slabs of nougatine and pillars of nougatine and fondant. Also, he brough along more tan 3,000 sweet amuseguele, petitfours, tiny chocolate and coffee eclairs, etc, etc.
Marion helped us alot with this party. Their was a staff of over a hundred people.
But guess what. No dishwashers. How is it possible? Where are the dishwashers. Drunk. Not to be seen. Was it possible they were never hired? Well, she asked for 20 waiters to volunteer, strip down to their shorts, she put on a bathing suit and in they went in the pool and washed all of the dishes in the pool. Must of cost a mint to repair the filtering system in the pool. But it worked. We laughed for days; until we were literally sick. The person that laughed the most was Marion. She was a trooper. A great person. A great friend.
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