Riffs, Roams and Raves: A Weekly Column Riffs, Roams and Raves uncovers the creative, noteworthy and accomplished in the Wimberley Valley and beyond with tips on who to hear, where to go and what to see from managing editor Teresa Kendrick.
Last Saturday I inadvertently overheard my loud-talking neighbors, a couple I call “The Bickersons,” while raking leaves in my garden. Mr. Bickerson had a penchant for mansplaining everything to his long-suffering wife who was in possession of a very short fuse. Mr. B started things rolling by mansplaining a 1987 Guns & Roses concert in which Axl Rose punched a security guard. Mrs. B reminded him that she had been there. WITH HIM. This did not deter Mr. B from continuing to describe the full episode anyway.
Fortunately for me, the HoneyFest was underway in Wimberley and I arrived just in time to hear Los Gatos 512, a five piece Latin ensemble from San Marcos. Before long, Los Gatos had bodies moving to songs built on the delectable beats of cumbia and salsa rhythms. I became an instant fan.
The day proved to be golden with great music, kids and dogs running the grounds of the Ponderosa Ranch and vendors offering everything from healing sessions to Tarot card readings. Plenty of food and drink was available along with baked treats and lan-guorous conversations in the warm sun.
The two-day festival was inching to a close with performances by the Hill Country Honeys and the Beat Root Revival, once the Los Gatos set came to a close. On Friday, the fest brought together six singer-songwriters: Walt Wilkins, Bill Small, Elliot Rogers, David Byboth, Rose Gabriel and Susan Gibson to play and share some of their experiences in crafting “the song.”
Roams: “Dining with the Dead” in Blanco
My roam this week took me to Blanco to the Arnosky Family Farm and Market for their Marigold Festival. Texas flower farming pioneers, the Arnosky’s Farm is now the marigold capital of Texas. Just in time for Día de los Muertos, their fields were bursting with marigolds, the traditional flower for the Day of the Dead observances. In the Arnosky’s big blue barn I said hello to Pam and Frank Arnosky who were hard at work cutting and preparing flowers for the Texas Specialty Cut Flowers and HEB Blooms markets.
I was there to visit with Mariana Nuñoz Ruiz and Ian McEnroe, authors of the cultural cookbook, “Dining with the Dead: A Feast for the Souls on Day of the Dead.” This superb 360-page book was beautifully photographed by Ian and designed with stepby- step instructions on how to prepare the traditional food of Michoacán and Jalisco by Mariana, who is an architect by trade.
The book also explains the origins of the Day of the Dead and shows readers how to construct altars and offerings at home. Each altar has multiple levels with particular components. Basic elements include a photo of the departed, candles, pan de muerto (Day of the Dead bread), flowers, a cross made with sea salt, water, small food offerings, some memorabilia, and papel picado, the cut paper banners that are strung overhead. Sugar skulls and a little chair for the soul to rest on its journey round out the altar basics. The book also explains how to make crepe paper marigold paper flowers, pompoms and garlands, as well as the long-stem marigolds used on the altar.
Recipes for traditional main dishes like pozoles, moles, tamales, snacks, desserts and drinks are beautifully spelled out for the reader. For cold nights or early morning chills, the book also offers recipes for atole, the bracing hot drink made with masa harina stirred into milk that is sweetened and flavored. Atoles are the preferred drink for staying up all night in Pátzcuaro to wait for the dead.
I have seen and used many Mexican cookbooks and this one-ofa- kind book is worth every penny and more of the $43 asking price. To find out where and when the lovely Mariana and Ian are selling their book, go to diningwiththedead. com.
Raves: Outlaws in the Opera House Jack Schutze can claim a home run for his latest episode of the “Outlaws in the Opera House” comedy show last week. Each of the three performers kept the full house laughing following Schutze’s brief intro in which he told the audience that he realizes he needs therapy but it’s too expensive. The only way he can get help is by sharing the log in on his friends’ Therapy.com account, confusing his therapist no end at the range of his issues.
Evan Lopez, a return act, riffed on HEB and liked how outdoorsy and sporting the people in Austin were. “A lot of them even like to camp under the freeways,” he joked. Lopez interacted with the rowdy crowd and showed his skills at taking their comments and weaving them into a well-placed joke later in the set.
Donna Lee, the daughter of a Thai mother and Irish father, kept the crowd laughing as she proclaimed herself to be “Thai-rish” and regaled the audience with stories of her mom who started off each crazy telephone conversation with a drawn out “Donnaaaa.” Lee competed in the funniest Mom in America contest and placed as the seventh finalist in the competition.
Ellis H. broke up the audience with his hilarious body language and bits about looking for a sugar mama in the crowd. He confessed to proposing marriage to his girlfriend and upon sharing the news of his proposal he heard her mother say, “ You can’t marry my daughter, you only got half a name to give her.”
If you’re not a fan of Outlaws in the Opera House comedy shows at 7A Ranch, become one. The very popular performances will leave you with cheeks sore from laughing every time you attend.
