When we lived in Álamos back in the 1980s many of the foreign residents throught we were “nuts” for buying a place so far from the city center. Living at la Huerta (the citrus grove at the end of the airstrip) was truly tranquil and secluded. Only one house on 32 hectares! The sounds of the coyotes, owls, and other fauna were the only things we could hear at night.

We were in our early 30s then and eager for a little night life, but the most action you could find in town was having dinner at Polo’s, drinks at the Hotel Portales bar with Memo Alcorn, and listening to the trio that played there two or three times a week. Every few months, and especially around Christmas, dances and weddings were held at the Palacio Municipal, but even the New Year’s Eve party would fade quickly after one or two in the morning. I immensely enjoyed hanging out with the Nuzums, Hector Valencia and Bill Wilkerson, or chatting with Adolfo Bley about the “good old days” in Álamos,

Nowadays it seems young Mexicans need to stay out until sunrise of the party is considered to be a failure! Here in Dolores the closing time is supposed to be 2 a.m.--yeah, right! I like to get up at 6 a.m. for my morning walk, and this morning, as I was heading out, I ran into my son Henry Allen scurrying home like a vampiro looking for his coffin before the sun came out! Amusing, but not really funny. What is in store for us in the future? Will someone invent a way to make the nights longer?

Yes, times have changed. I often worry about the high decibel levels. Having played in a band as a kid, I now find I’m losing my hearing. We were considered to be loud back then, and we had a hard time finding a place to rehearse without people complaining to the cops.

I guess I have come to two conclusions: (1) the Mexican world-view is not too different from Zorba the Greek--eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow.......... and (2) I am getting old, and my philosophy is to “live and let live!”