An early Sunday morning…
My family vacationed in Puerto Vallarta during spring break since our son was in the third grade. We moved here as he entered his Junior Year. He turns 21 in September. We eventually determined we wanted to make our home in Puerto Vallarta. And began to explore the glorious Bay of Banderas.
For several years, we stayed for a week at Vallarta Shores. Vallarta Shores was filled with charm and peace. On Sundays, Mexican families arrived in mass like possums, holding each other’s tails, loaded down with umbrellas, ice chests filled with drinks and food. Papa and mama leading the way, at the end of the trail is abuela and abuelo, lead by a teenager. Our son joined in the soccer games and played with the children. This warmed my heart as I shared the afternoon with my husband under a palapa with a margarita.
Just north of Vallarta Shores was the famed Blue Chairs, the infamous resort. During the day, gay men of every shape, size, and nationality crowded the blue beach chairs, cruising, dishing, and imbibing. At night the party moved to the rooftop pool with an enormous Statue of Liberty, proclaiming freedom for all. The pounding bass of the disco music was comforting, reminding me of younger, wilder days before we became parents.
Many people will disagree with me. This portion of Los Muertos Beach has become overcrowded, noisy crammed with beach clubs playing techno music 24/7. There are now huge timeshares, and Vallarta Shores added: “Sky Suites” that look like they will topple the traditional Mexican structure that supports them. I used to dream of living there. However, I cannot imagine a life with all of that chaos and noise. The charm is gone.
Early one Sunday morning, when our son was nine or ten, I took my trusty Sony point-and-shoot camera and headed out with my best boy to take photos for inspiration. The light glowed with magic as the beach clubs were being set up. It was a very productive morning. Several pieces have emerged from these photographs, including “Periqueras” and “Blue Chairs, Sunday Morning.”
These works were breakthroughs for me, establishing a style and color palette. “Blue Chairs, Sunday Morning” now has a mate, “Blue Chairs, Earlier Sunday Morning.