Playa de Cortez

I'm writing this post from the deck of our condo in Puerto Vallarta.  We bought it almost ten years ago and have never lived in it.  While we were cruising we had it rented out.  Lucky for us to just one renter who took good care of the place.

It took us seven travel days to get from Seattle to PV.  We land travel like we cruised.  Slow.

We came across some beautiful wood carvings from the early 1940's hanging in the bar at the Hotel Playa de Cortez in Guaymas. The hotel is old, about a hundred years, and a bit down on its luck.  But it's former splendor is still evident.

Playa de Cortez lobby

There are four carvings, each about five feet square, occupying prominent wall space in the bar.  Given the subject matter: Conquistadors and indigenous women getting to know each other, the bar was perhaps the only place they would have been appropriate back when they were new.

 Alan Riding in his book "Distant Neighbors" writes that these early contacts between the Spaniards and the indigenous people were and still are a bit of a touchy subject with Mexicans.  These women, mothers of the first Mestizos, were either rape victims or collaborators.

A bit racy for the times, but Hotel Playa de Cortez was a beach resort where the rich went for some fun.

Fear and loathing

That's pretty much how I am feeling about Trump.

Here's an example why:  Trump's initial response to the anti Trump demonstrations was a tweet declaring that the protesters were:

 "professional protesters incited by the media".

He wants us to believe the demonstrations are the product of the media conspiring against him, and that the folks on the street are merely paid professionals.  And I am afraid that this might be what he really believes. And that he cannot stop himself from being petty, paranoid and  non presidential.

He's a bit better his second tweet:

"Love the fact that the small groups of protesters last night have passion for our great country. We will all come together and be proud! "

No doubt his handlers had rushed in and got him tone it down.  They couldn't stop him from that one little twist that the protests involved only "small groups". 

He obviously in a slow study when it comes to controlling his impulse to shoot from the hip in his nasty, cynical, narcissistic blaming way.  And I wonder how in control he is when dealing with his staff.  My guess is that there may be a lot of fear and loathing in Trump headquarters too. 

Kellyanne Conway is looking really tired and stressed lately.  I hope I'm wrong and that she's not afraid of what she helped loose on the country.

One last thing on this.  Here are the county by county results.  Pretty much rural vs. urban America.