Tourism-promoters often resort to grandiose pitches that may not be exactly correct—we've got the fastest this or the biggest that. And so Mexico claims that its Copper Canyon, in the northern state of Chihuahua, is larger in area than the Grand Canyon in Arizona. It all depends on how measure them. The Copper Canyon is in fact …
Author: Alfredo Lanier
My husband and I live on an off-the-grid ranch outside San Miguel, along with the challenging but dear company of four off-the-street dogs and three cats. My interests lie in politics, writing, photography and sundry forms of spirituality.
My cameo as a Sports Illustrated cover model
Decades, though it feels more like eons, ago, when I was a junior at St. Agnes Cathedral High School, in Rockville Centre, New York, I had the good fortune of catching the attention of Sister Malachy, a Dominican nun who taught English, moderated the student newspaper and sparked my interest in photography, which burns brightly …
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Moments and teachers that changed my life
Wednesday's Guardian newspaper carried a moving testimonial by famed Shakespearean actor Patrick Stewart to Cecil Dormand, a high school English teacher who "spotted" Stewart's talent and essentially put him on the path to a brilliant acting career in Britain and the United States (Remember Capt. Jean-Luc Picard in "Star Trek: The Next Generation"?) In the testimonial, effectively …
Storm warnings: Be careful what you brag about
Yesterday, Oct. 4, we awakened to the umpteenth cloudy/drizzly/gloomy day in this seemingly endless rainy season in San Miguel de Allende. Let us now bow our heads and ask for forgiveness. Forgiveness from our friends in Chicago, New York, and points north of Indianapolis, for all our constant hee-hawing about the unpleasant climate in which they …
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The medieval cookie cure for your pandemic blues
It's tough not being at least a bit depressed these days, pelted every day as we are, with news about the Covid pandemic and the paralysis of our national government. To cope I've developed what I call "The Ostrich Solution," to filter out potentially upsetting news and focus instead on the more whimsical, bizarre or …
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San Miguel's special kind of autumn
Tuesday was the autumnal equinox, the official beginning of fall in the northern hemisphere or if you live in San Miguel, the peak of a colorful season that rather feels like spring, with cool temperatures and a cornucopia of wildflowers. Up north, by Chicago, New York or Toronto, people eagerly await the leaves taking on their …
Perched on the edge of anxiety
I realize many folks don't like to read whiny blogs, but whining a bit is just what I feel I need to do right now, and since this blog is my baby, why not?Or to paraphrase the lyrics of the late Lesley Gore's semi-memorable1964 pop hit, "It's my blog and I'll whine if I want …
Hasta la vista, Félix. Bienvenido, Guadalupe
Though his attempt about three months ago to cross the border to get work in the U.S. ended disastrously, somehow I sensed it would not be long before Félix, who's worked for us for 12 years, would make another run soon to the Golden North. When you've lived most of your life in a poverty-stricken …
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There was never an easy way out of Afghanistan
To help readers understand America's chaotic exit from Afghanistan, I've drawn up the following imaginary, yet too real, scenarios: You're hosting a dinner party at your home, for six or eight of your closest friends. After the dessert course, you hear Attila and a gang of Huns banging insistently at the door. Your reaction would be:a. …
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Try saying a little prayer for yourself
A few weeks ago I returned to a daily habit I'd once embraced for several months, but later abandoned, which is to begin each day with some form of meditation. It doesn't have to be of the wu-wu variety. No bells, incense or tambourines required. Some times I follow some conventional prayer format, others I practice …
El Rancho Santa Clara 