Summer delights
By Nacho Cadena Owner of La Petite France
 It is not necessary to know that the next 21st of July, the summer solstice, is officially the beginning of that season of the year that I like so much; it is enough to feel the enchanting caress of the delicious heat, underneath the radiant sun, in order to know that we are changing seasons. Automatically the desire is born to drink more water and quench the thirst. You feel like changing your clothes, giving up dark colors and putting on white clothes, taking out cotton clothes, enlarging the décolletage, and in case of women, reclaiming the dresses with shoulder straps.
Even though we complain about the excessive heat, summer should be received with pleasure, almost with enthusiasm, because it comes accompanied by nice and very enjoyable things.
As a starter, summer arrives with the day of Saint John and with it comes the rainy season; the palm trees and all vegetation receive the first benefits of water, of the shower offered by nature as a gift. Other shades of green appear, many tones of green which had been hidden by a layer of dust covering them. With this the atmosphere becomes more transparent, the light of day is bright and translucent, and the town is cleaned.
The rain wipes out the thirst of the plots; the parched, unusable land becomes usable, fertile grounds, ready to receive the seeds and procreate fruits. The farmers will soon begin their day in the morning turning towards the sky, predicting the hour when the drops of life will meet the soil.
The rain is one of the great delights that we get with summer. The dry creeks get damp and in a little while they will grow strong, gathering water and delivering it to the rivers, so that it may be conducted further for the benefit of everyone. The rivers Ameca, el Pitillal, los Orcones, and all the rivers of the area will fill up with this vital element, producing well being in the region. But I will drop nature to change to a different tone.
The pleasures of summer
 It is the season of fruits, of flavors, of juices and above all of colors. Starting with the tunas (cactus fruit) and the pitahayas that hurt on the outside with their thorns and on the inside have the Mexican colors and the flavor of our homeland; from the yellow, the orange up to that Mexican red presented to the world by the architect Barragan, identifying Mexico in front of the whole orb giving origin to colors of Chinese paper, the markets, the dresses of the "adelitas". The fruit, so Mexican, is from the time of the Milpas, of the "summers"; it is the water melon, shaped in its entire splendor by Rufino Tamayo, with green, white and red, sprinkled with the black of the seeds, these water melons have gone around the world, being exhibited in museums. There are melons, totally non transcendent on their outside, but with this tenderness of color in their flavor. The s ummer melons are so delicious that they have given a money denomination, synonymous of a huge number like a million. Melons are so rich, too that they are the source of another synonym, so attractive and singular like those very symmetrical and appetizing parts that women display in front and that provoke commentaries at first sight. It is the season of pumpkins, of tender zucchinis and those fresh cucumbers that only want a little bit of lime, a pinch of coarse salt, and some drops of one of those marvelous bottled salsas produced in the area. Cucumbers also serve as a synonym for saying "goal" in soccer slang and if you really look for it, it is well employed because it refers to the looser, the one that receives the goals. This hurts?
Summer fruits give rise to refreshing drinks, guanabana, tamarind and mango water, and they are also to blame for those very well arranged small street carts, preparing without asepsis but with lots of flavor, those glasses of water melon, pineapple, papaya and not to forget the white stylized figure of the jicama with powdered chile.
More pleasures
What an intense delight coming home at noon, taking off one's shoes and thus barefooted crossing the cool mosaics or any other cool floor, it is like having contact with reality, it means receiving messages through the feet, walking barefoot can even turn into something sensual. But maybe the major summer pleasure is sunbathing, receiving the rays of the sun from the front and directly, rays that burn, that warm the feet, that make you get rid of impurities through sweating, feeling the king of the system from the front and feeling alive, feeling that your body functions, that you vibrate inside and suddenly..finding some shade, a tiled roof or even better a tree which for the moment protects you with its foliage and allows this illusion to pass, the illusion of receiving a gust of breeze that upon touching the damp blouse or shirt turns into freshness, into refreshment, into rest.
Other pleasures
The mischief of playing with water, feeling how it surrounds your body, putting a foot into a puddle, diving into the pool, war games with the water hose, emptying water buckets over someone or simply putting your hands under flowing water and tossing small cups of water over your face and hair, is a nice sensation that we would not enjoy, if it would not be hot.
Cover yourself with the ocean, dive down to visit the bottom of the sea next to Los Arcos or las Marietas, forget the past and even the present in order to live, even if it is just for one moment, as a fish or as a water beetle with the pleasure of getting to know other indescribable colors and another world. Mingle between the anemones, the snails or at least be a beautiful rock for a moment dressed with moss and small sea shells.
And moreover every day the morning showers with fresh, cool water reviving you, making you scream and making some of you even sing, offers you delight and enthusiasm, putting you out on the street full of optimism to confront your daily chores. Allow the soap to run from your forehead all the way to your feet and with strong and sure movements of your massage brush you feel that your soul is purified as if your skin were in touch with your intimate I. The summer bath is a true pleasure.
The pleasures of linen and cotton disbanding other fabrics, this caress of soft clothes that upon contact with the skin has the marvelous effect of achieving a temperature of zero degrees (0°), that is neither cold nor hot. Look how she cuts a dash with her long cotton dress with white embroidery right next to the cut of the décolletage, a knot underneath the skirt, lifting up the length a little bit and starting to show off a tiny bit of leg. In order to frame the straight hair, the dark complexion and the long neck, there is a necklace with "water" colored stones that serves to reflect the looks of admiration of those who pass by her side. What a delight summer is!
Gastronomical pleasures
 With this heat how we take a fancy to a well seasoned and cold Andalusian gazpacho, a fresh avocado mousse decorated with a small leave of cilantro, a vichyssoise of leek and potatoes, salads in thousands of forms and many different varieties of salad dressings, the beef or salmon carpaccios, ceviches, tuna sashimi, octopus tostadas and a frothy, well chilled beer. In the patio of the house or on the terrace with friends, the neighbor or a special guest, there is the grill with some ribs or the classical arrachera accompanied by a fruit kebab to which you give a good rub of teriyaki sauce. Or a good picnic on summer Sundays, the basket full of cheese, of Serrano ham, of salamis, on a blanket on the floor, beneath a huge parota tree, without a stereo because music is provided by the birds that sing.
Some more Drive along the boardwalk in a red convertible, or pedal a bicycle or move by roller skates. All are pleasures of summer. Playing golf, exploring the river banks, canopy swinging between the jungle trees or with less fuss, putting on your bathing suit and simply throwing yourself on the sand of the beach.
Raising a little money and traveling during the summer. If that appeals to you, I give you two suggestions. Throughout France the Music Festival is celebrated on June 21st, a formidable event, with the participation of symphony orchestras, rock groups, jazz, chamber ensembles. Everywhere there is music: on the streets, in the parks, in the auditoriums. It is an event that is worthwhile or if you prefer Italy, the International Contemporary Dance Festival during the Biennale of Venice from June 8th to July 2nd is something unforgettable. Or why not, visit el Tuito, Mascota, San Sebastian, Guadalajara, Morelia which is lovely, Janitzio and so many other beauties within the Mexican Republic.
The pleasure of loving Summer was made for love, loving with sweaty hands, an agitated pulse and hot blood. Loving friends, nature, a rock, noble causes, the unknown..even though the best thing would be to love someone of flesh and blood, with skin, with lips, with eyes, with temperament, loving someone with a first and last name, and above all love intensely since summer was made for love.
That's it for today
Muchas gracias.
Nacho Cadena - Owner of La Petite France
E-mail: nachocadena@lapetitefrance.com.mx
* From My Balcony
is an independent column of Mr. Ignacio
[Nacho] Cadena, owner of La
Petite France Restaurant
in Puerto Vallarta and source of this information.
To contact Mr. Ignacio Cadena please email
to: lapetitefrance@prodigy.net.mx
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