Here in Atenas, we have a restaurant called La Terraza. It's run by two local guys, Wilber and Omer. They are nice enough and trying really hard to be a part of the community. And we've been there often enough that they know us by name. [Katy is a hard name to say in Spanish -- and the only Katy that these guys know is the singer Katy Perry -- so every time we come in they shout out "hola Katy Perry."] So far, they haven't quite been making a go of it, but they are working at it.
Another thing we have here in Atenas is a local band called Flashback. These are all retired musicians who've moved here from the States (or in one case Holland) where they were very good. The drummer played on a couple of Michael Jackson's albums. The keyboardist was a session musician in Nashville. And so on.
Their audience is the local Atenas retired Gringo crowd. They play oldies, like "Peacful Easy Feeling" and more recent stuff like "All About the Bass." And they play really well. The crowd is filled with people of a certain age who still like to dance -- but also prefer their concert to start at 5 PM on a Saturday (like it did last night) so that they can be home and in bed by 9 PM.
And that's the joy of it. Last night Flashback played at La Terraza. The owners had a great night and made a mint. The band played and we danced and danced and danced. Drank wine and had pizza. Ran into a half-dozen of our neighbors and said "hi" to those we hadn't seen in a while and ... just listened to great rock and roll, with the entire crowd signing along.
Was it great art? Nah. Was it the best food we've ever had? Totally not. But in truth it was one of the most enjoyable evenings we've had in a long while. Music, dancing, drinking, food, and friends. What more can you ask for. Life is good.
