At a dinner eat wisely but not well and
speak well but not wisely.

~~ Graham Greene 

FINDERS KEEPERS

SAN JUAN -- Call it by any name -- vintage, second-hand or thrift
store -- this is one type of retail business that beguiles with its
promise of the grand hunt through discarded things old and new
often culminating in a special find.

There is plenty to hunt at Finders Keepers which recently opened on
Loiza St. From pretty porcelains and things for the home to designer
evening wear and retro or modern furnishings.

The two women behind the enterprise, sisters Mirti and Elaine
Saldaña, took over the large, commercial space and stripped it
down to look like a huge New York loft, painting the walls and
floors bright white to give the store a fresh and airy look.

The space is easy to navigate and orderliness prevails, except on
days when the store gets a deluge of new stock; goods are
displayed neatly so as to allow each item to stand out in style and
for customers to be at ease looking through an incredible variety
of things.

The merchandise, carefully edited and in optimum condition,
covers all the usual categories: furnishings, dish ware,
glassware, handbags, clothing for men and women (daytime and
elegant evening gowns and designer dresses), shoes, art, mirrors,
jewelry, lamps, mirrors, decorative pieces.

Prices overall are not exactly rockbottom but considering the
high quality of items for sales, they are not unreasonable.

Stock includes merchandise sold on consignment and items
the sister have bought to resell. The jewelry selection includes
showy costume pieces as well as lines by up-and-coming Puerto
Rican designers like Dos Pinceles, by twin sisters Patricia and
Gabriela Urrutia and Roy Delgado's Tropical Depression, a line
of attractive mobiles made out of metal, thread and rope.

Very soon, the sisters will be adding a small cafe in a separate
corner of the store next to the entrance where big bay windows look
out to Loiza St. This part of the store also is painted bright white and
already small tables and chairs are set up, and waiting to
accommodate future clients.

For Loiza St., which seems always in the throes of metamorphosis,
what with stores opening and closing, Finders Keepers is a great
new place to explore for that discarded treasure waiting to find a
new home. There is something for everyone.

And as the sisters point out on their Facebook page, "The
search is the most fun part at Finders Keepers."

FINDERS KEEPERS, 1906 Calle Loiza, corner Las Flores St.
Open from Monday to Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm
939.337.6234

Beautiful artwork on post 
office box on Loiza St.


To be alive at all
is to have scars.

~~ John Steinbeck 

AUG. 28: FOOD FEST ON LOIZA ST.

For foodies, the place to be this Sunday is the first Culinary Urban
Festival on Loiza St.

Organized by the area's food-related businesses, the event aims to
to draw attention to the diversified culinary fare available in this
popular part of town:  from pizza and hamburgers to Italian
specialties, Puerto Rican gastronomy, tacos and cachapas (these
last two to be found at El Chifrijo food truck run by chef Marko
A. Ramirez Ortiz)

Running from 10 am to 10 pm, the festival will offer food tastings,
talks by chefs and plenty of party spirit throughout the day with
night time musical offerings rounding out the event.

Participating businesses include Kamoli, Café Tresbé, Fahrenheit,
Silk, Piola, Nonna and Café Pierre.

For the activity, the four blocks between Diez de Andino St. and
De Diego Ave. will be blocked to traffic so the public can walk
on the street.

"Jupiter" by NASA

The past is the present
it's the future, too.

~~ Eugene O'Neill

⇰ A SIMPLE TIP        

Branch from a Hibiscus plant

Flowers are expensive these days but if you have a
garden with decorative leaf plants, such as Alocasia,
Rex Begonia or  Calathea, when you prune the plants
you can place the cut leaves in a pretty vase and they
will decorate the home.

If you live in an area with mosquitoes, make sure to check
the water frequently to prevent these dangerous critters
from breeding.

Let's not forget the danger of ZIKA!



Copyright © 2016 Lorraine Blasor, all rights reserved

         A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade

         they know they shall never sit in ~~ Greek proverb

       










A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM

                                           © Whitney Museum of Art, by day                  

The old Whitney Museum of American Art is now the new
Whitney Museum of American Art and the perfect time to
visit this spectacular new addition to New York's landscape
is on a Friday evening, say after 7 pm, when Pay-What-
You-Wish let's you get in practically for free.

For a (typical) donation of $1, the museum is all yours
for the next three hours, time enough to enjoy the
aesthetic delights the Whitney has to offer and to marvel
at the palatial setting in which they are shown off.

The artwork --in its myriad manifestations such as painting,
sculpture, drawing, printmaking, collage, conceptual,
photography-- excites the eye and the mind, offering a
vast panorama of human talent tackling personal, aesthetic
and social concerns through the creative act whose power
to resonate is universal and life affirming.

But all the art inside the museum is only part of the fun. In a
city of architectural wonders, the new Whitney is an exciting
building that enriches the city and feeds into a person's
recognition of the importance that our environment has on
one's spirit and mood. It is also an artwork in itself.

Propped over a cantilevered base, the structure -- a medley of
boxed forms piled atop each other, steel and glass in marvelous
juxtaposition -- rises high over the nearby High Line like a giant
geometric sculpture.

Architect Enzo Piano's design pays homage to Whitney's former
uptown base: the iconic Breuer building also has a striking
cantilevered facade but its design is more sober than Piano's version
which is playful and enriched by the use of different construction
materials. Piano's temple of the arts is a bold and contemporary
edifice that seeks to assert itself but is equally eager to sing the
praises of its city. Stepping onto the museum's various terraces at
night is an invitation to a visual feast: New York is at your feet and
there is nothing to do but be swept by the enchantment.

© Whitney Museum of American Art, by night

WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART
99 Gansevoort St.     212.570-3600
Whitney.org


A NON-PAREIL FROZEN PIZZA 

Some nights one just doesn't feel like cooking. But eat one must
and this is where a frozen pizza comes handy especially if it is
one from Amy's Kitchen and it happens to be a Cornmeal Crust
Pizza Three Cheese, the three cheeses being mozzarella, chèvre,
and parmesan.  This pizza, mostly made with organic ingredients,
is so scrumptious that you might easily eat the whole thing yourself
so in the event of company, two packages might be in order....just
in case.

Amy's Kitchen 
(Amy's kitchen includes many organic products which
are available in San Juan at Freshmart in Condado
and Supermax de Diego.)



 ⇰ A SIMPLE TIP


Aphids can wreck destruction on the best cared garden
but there's a natural way to fight these pesky pests: banana
peels. Bury the peels in the earth around the affected
plant and watch the problem go away in a few days.

Photography by Denise Blasor

To be a good human being is to have a kind
of openness to the world, the ability
to trust uncertain things beyond your
control that can lead you to be shattered.

~~ Martha Nussbaum

         Copyright © 2016 Lorraine Blasor, all rights reserved  ☀︎                             

                                                 There is a land of the living and a land of
                                                  the dead and the bridge is love, the only            
                                                           survival, the only meaning.
                                                                  -- Thornton Wilder

PAN EL CHECO     

Bread. Real bread. Bread that you can chew wholeheartedly,
that tastes wholesome, not the ersatz version wrapped in trans-
parent plastic on supermarket shelves that dares to call itself
bread but is a pathetic tasteless
version laden with unknown artificial
ingredients designed to guarantee the
product's longevity and enhance its
spurious nutrition.

Is that too much to ask for in this day
and age that promises consumers the
realization of all their wishes?



Luckily, for residents of San Juan a
new bakery has opened ready to deliver the real goods:  bread
that is crusty, tasty, nutritious, and, best of all, comes in different
tantalizing varieties. The kind you can enjoy with jam and
butter while sipping tea or coffee at any time your heart desires.

The bakery bears a simple name -- El Checo -- but behind that
name is as sweet, romantic story of love between a young man
from Czechoslovakia and a Puerto Rican woman that led him
to leave Europe to begin a new life on the island at the side
of his innamorata.

As Radim Capek told a local daily, one of the things he missed
most from his country was eating good, wholesome bread so he
began baking his own. In time, he started selling it to friends
and acquaintances, then farmers markets and eventually, local
restaurants. Recently, he opened a tiny outlet on San Francisco
St., next door to Concalma, to sell directly to consumers.

 Inside the cozy store is a small
world of bread wonders: sour-
dough and multi-grain breads,
brioches, focaccia, scones,
wholewheat and rye rolls,
carrot muffins. They are display-
ed neatly in a glass case at the
main counter or stocked up
inside baskets hanging attrac-
tively on a side wall lighted
by jazzy light bulbs on black wires.

El Checo is open four days a week.
In addition to baking, Capek also works as a chemist for a paint
company. He is working hard to support his family that soon 
will welcome a baby.

EL CHECO, #207 San Francisco St.
787.631.9424

DAYBREAK ON EARTH

Life is a peephole, a single tiny entry onto a vastness.
                           
                                 Yann Martel, "Life of Pi"



  ☞ A SIMPLE TIP
WORN fabric can be recycled into scrap material for use around
the house in lieu of paper towels. Cut up material into pieces of
different sizes and store in one location for easy access when needed.

Puerta de San Juan, Old San Juan

photo by Denise Blasor

                   What matters is how well you 
                          walk through the fire.

                         -- Charles Bukowski

The past is never dead. It's not even past.
William Faulkner

                                         

        It's Happening at "La 18"

SAN JUAN -- A convergence of art, design and gastronomy
this week-end at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Puerto
Rico is sure to give everyone a taste of the best these three
creative fields have to offer.

La 18 Art & Gastronomy on Wheels 2016 follows on the heels
of the museum's popular Timbiriche Design Fair, held at the
end of last year. La 18 refers to the museum's central location
at the confluence of two busy roads leading in and out of San
Juan.

Over the course of two days -- Saturday April 23 and Sunday
April 24 -- artists and designers will take over the museum's
arcades to show off their talent. Some 72 participants have
signed on so far with culinarians rolling into the museum's
forecourt in distinctive food trucks.

The museum has invited artists and designers before and even
held gastronomic events as part of its fundraising activities but
this is the fist time that food trucks are brought into the mix,
said Jorge Pardo, museum store director and the man behind the
event.

There will be seven of them each devoted to a particular
category: juices, pizza, hamburgers, mexican specialities, Puerto
Rican food, Japanese food, and the finishing touch to any meal,
barista coffee.

As if there weren't enough creativeness for one place, corollary
activities to be held at the museum over the week-end include
singing by the San Juan Children's Choir, literary readings,
contemporary dancing courtesy of La Trinchera Dance Group,
live painting and living sculptures.  

The fair runs from 11 am to 9 pm on Saturday and from 1pm
to 7 pm on Sunday.

Museum of Contemporary Art of Puerto Rico
corner of Ponce de León Ave. and Roberto H. Todd Ave.
787.977.4030

Farmers' Market at Gallery Plaza

A new farmers' market has opened, widening the circle of open
air markets that have mushroomed around San Juan in recent years.

The Gallery Plaza farmers' market, which will be held every third
Sunday of the month in the luxury condominium's center court,
kicked off bright and early on April 17. In comparison with other
such markets, this one was definitely a more modest affair but it
nevertheless did not disappoint.

In addition to a selection of farm fresh fruits and produce, there
were also beautiful potted plants (including herbs like fragrant
basil and sweet tomato plants clearly eager to be purchased and
planted in a welcoming garden), hemp-based health products,
homemade cookies, handmade cheeses, and beauty products.

As the market gets more traffic, it is bound to offer more choices.
At a time when Puerto Rico's economy is in very bad shape, this
sort of initiative enables the public to support local businesses
and contribute to strengthening the island's agricultural sector.

Gallery Plaza is located at the corner of De Diego Avenue and
Loiza Street.

Listen to the wind, it talks.
Listen to the silence, it speaks.
Listen to your heart, it knows. 

--Native American proverb


Photography & artwork by Denise Blasor

       


DEPARTAMENTO DE LA COMIDA MOVES TO NEW LOCALE

For years, the Departamento de La Comida has been supplying
the best, freshest, organic farm products and now that it has shown 
us what to eat, it has decided it is time to show us how to eat.

Towards that pursuit, it recently left the Miramar area where it
operated out of a far too large warehouse and has moved into a
former restaurant space in Punta Las Marias where it will
concentrate on the kitchen while still continuing to sell the high
quality organic produce from its network of farmers.

It's a marvelous spot to have lunch and get away from work or
the office. The mostly open space is sunny and plant filled with
metal tables shaded by either large beach umbrellas, palm-thatched
roofing or wooden planks at the bar area. The vibe is easygoing and
relaxed; on a regular week-day you can find a fair amount of diners
enjoying eating al fresco. You might even think you are in the
countryside except for the occasional rumble of cars.

PASTELÓN DE BATATA WITH KALE

The restaurant features a small but seasonal vegetarian menu
that celebrates the harmony of flavors that transforms the
humblest of foods into a culinary rhapsody. Aesthetics also
matter and the plating of each dish is a delight to the eye.

Departamento de La Comida
2413 Calle Laurel
787.722.2228
Wed through Friday, 11:30 am-9 pm
Sat. & Sunday, 10 am-4 pm


       ☞ JAZZY AFTERNOON
Three jazz greats -- percussionist Richie Flores, pianist Eric
Figueroa and base Ramón Vazquez -- will perform their musical
magic this Saturday at Fundación Casa Cortés in Old San Juan. 

Casa Cortés houses one of the most extensive private art collections
in Pueto Rico, open to public viewing free of cost on Thursday, 
Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm. There is an excellent 
cafe/restaurant on the first floor with a menu revolving around the
famous Cortés Chocolate. 


From 1:30 to 4:30 pm. Entry fee: adults $6, children $3.

Casa Cortés
# 210 Calle San Francisco 
787.523.4642
  

Bring me all of your dreams,
You dreamer,
Bring me all your
Heart melodies
That I may wrap them
In a blue cloud-cloth
Away from the too-rough fingers
Of the world.


Langston Hughes

Copyright © Lorraine Blasor All Rights Reserved☁

     ARTWORK BY SERENA BECROFT       

                 LIVE TO THE POINT OF TEARS
                           -- Albert Camus


 POETRY OUT LOUD IS BACK!


Poetry is the art of the heart to heart.

The poet's heart is touched by some aspect of life which turns
into the emotional material for a poem that touches the hearts of
readers across time and space.

The oldest love poem in the world dates to more than 4,000
years ago and was written on an ancient Sumerian tablet
unearthed in the 1880s. It still beguiles with its amorous charm:

"Bridegroom, dear to my heart, Goodly is your beauty, honey-
sweet. You have captivated me, let me stand trembling before
you. Bridegroom, I would be taken to the bedchamber."

For all its ups and downs, poetry remains amazingly resilient
thanks to small poetry presses, poetry clubs and poetry slams,
poet laureate programs and in more recent times a magnificent 
initiative known as Poetry Out Loud.

Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the
Poetry Foundation, Poetry Out Loud aims to inspire young
people to learn about poetry through performance and recitation.

The program is carried out across the 50 states, the District
of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Students
compete at the state level and winners compete at the National
Finals in Washington, D.C. Prizes at both state and national
competitions total more than $100,000.

In San Juan, this year's competition will be held Saturday,
March 12, at the Francisco Arriví theater, Stop 23 in Santurce.
There are no tickets to buy; the entrance is free.

So if you'd like to hear an enthusiastic group of young people
declaim their favorite poetry, drop by the theater at any time
between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and open your heart.

FOR INFORMATION ON THE PROGRAM AND STATE
COMPETITIONS CHECK:
poetryoutloud.org   

Each of us narrates our life as it suits us.-- Elena Ferrante

 ☞ A SIMPLE TIP

IF your white tiling is looking the worse for wear a simple 
solution of baking soda and vinegar will produce amazing
results.Working on a small section at a time, generously dust
some baking soda over the tiles then pour a little vinegar to
create a bubbly paste; let it soak for a short while, then scrub 
vigorously; move on to the next section and repeat until you
complete the whole floor. Mop the whole area and repeat the 
process should the floor require extra work.

CREATIVE RELAXING

Remember when you were a
kid and coloring a book was
such great fun? Coloring
books are the latest craze as
a creative means for adults
to relax and de-stress. If
you'd like to try it out, head
to  your nearest Walgreens
which has a whole collection
of them, including such titles as "Lost Ocean," by Johanna Basford, and "Folk Art Escapes" and "Whimsical Escapes," both put out by Crayola. The books are filled with beautiful images and just flipping through the pages will put you in a good mood.

Prices between $12 and $17. Coloring pencils not included.

Photography by Juliette Blasor

                           Feet, what do i need them for
                                    if I have wings to fly.
                                                           --  Frida Kahlo
                                                               
      Copyright © 2016 Lorraine Blasor  all rights reserved☆
 










THE ART OF THE GIFT


The best gifts are not things but experiences,
experiences that lift you above everyday life,
that bring you new knowledge and appreciation
of the world, that change you and stir you into
new directions, new ways of thinking.

One such experience might be attending a filmed
performance of a

I want to taste and glory 
in each day,
and never be afraid
 to experience pain.

Sylvia Plath

Photography by Denise Blasor

              CURVVY SHAYPES

"Dog Hows" by Paula del Toro at Etsy.com

PUERTO RICAN ARTIST Paula del Toro's funky designs
are now emblazoned on the white T-shirts she sells on Etsy,
the popular internet site for handmade and vintage products.

Del Toro's virtual shop offers six bold graphic designs that
she says are part of a collection titled "Daily feels."
Printed on regular white T-shirts, the designs feature
people and animals rendered in del Toro's quirky style.
The result is a cool and eye catching top that reflects
the artist's wry sense of humor and colorful imagination.

"Slimmy," T-shirt by Paula del Toro

The T-shirts are available for $20 plus shipping. One caveat:
unless you know the name of Del Toro's virtual store
it will be difficult to locate it as Etsy's search engine does
not recognize her name. So here's the word to remember:
cvvyshypz. When asked what's behind the letters, del Toro
quickly dispelled the mystery. She said that in trying to find
the right name for her virtual shop she turned to an abstract line
of images she produces under the tag "curvvy shaypes."

It's all in the spelling!


cvvyshypz at Etsy.com

Photography by Denise Blasor

Life is a peephole,
a single tiny entry onto a vastness.

Yann Martel,

"Life of Pi"

☞ A SIMPLE TIP

  This simple tip comes courtesy of Matilsha Marxuach who runs the lovely "Concalma" 
   store in Old San Juan, purveyor of cotton totes, T-shirts and jewelry handmade by
   artists.

   In the absence of wrapping paper, a humble brown pape bag can be of service. All you 
   need is a hole puncher,  a short colored ribbon, and a small piece of brown paper folded
   in half that will serve as the card. Place the gift in the bag, fold the top, overlay the paper
   card, punch two holes on the top left side of the bag, thread the ribbon into a pretty bow.

   Dedicate the card and VOILA!

Photography by Adam Silcott

THE ONLY RECOGNIZABLE
FEATURE OF HOPE IS ACTION.

GRACE PALEY

THE RIGHT TUNA

A new brand of tuna
has turned up on the
shelves of the chain
Supermax and it is
so tasty that it merits
a mention.

This tuna sells under
the brand name of Ubago
and if one is to take the label at face value, it is wild caught
somewhere around Cape Verte, off the northwest coast of
Africa. The tuna, which comes packed in olive oil in a 4.2 oz
can, retails for $3.35.

A second product that has come to our attention is a
whole wheat past sold under the brand name pastaZara.
The manufacturer, located in the Veneto region in northern
Italy, has been producing pasta products since 1898.
This whole wheat pasta is tasty and at under $1.50
it is an excellent buy.

Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think
it does. Love is a battle, love is a war; love is growing
up.   -- James Baldwin




© 2016 Lorraine Blasor, all rights reserved★

 I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

W.B.Yeats

Photograph by Serena Becroft




A GUIDED TOUR

The Puerto Rico College of Architects and Landscape
Architects has been around for 37 years promoting
professional excellence, helping to improve the
environment, and fostering the island's urban heritage.

Its latest initiative seeks to familiarize the public with
the island's urban patrimony. The group recently kicked
off a series of guided tours to each of the 12 historical
zones in Puerto Rico. During each visit, participants take
in the buildings and streets within the historical zone while
gaining valuable insights on the designation and the
history of each city in which the zone is located.

Sign up for the next guided tour on Feb. 27. It will focus
on Ponce, Puerto Rico's second largest city also romantically
known as La Perla del Sur (Pearl of the South). There is a
fee of $10 that covers the written material and map
you will receive. You're on your own getting to Ponce
but once there participants meet up at a convened spot.

For more information, call the Colegio de Arquitectos
y Arquitectos Paisajistas at 787.724.1213. The
organization is based in a beautiful house in one of
San Juan's older neighborhoods at 225 Calle del
Parque. It is well worth a visit.

 "Certain memories...rise from somewhere
 in the depths of what we call memory.
Like balloons, these memories are light
and bright and irretrievable..."    Azar Nafisi


  ☞  A SIMPLE TIP

How many times have you used a public bathroom only
to discover that there are no paper towels to dry your hands
or the hand dryer machine is out service? Be prepared for
this inconvenience by always carrying a small hand towel:
it fits easily inside a bag and will always come in handy.


LUCI SOLAR LIGHT

Imagine an inflatable, super bright light that needs
no batteries: all it requires is sunlight to stay charged.

MPowerd is the New York-based company behind this product
which is marketed under the name of Luci. There are several
versions of Luci, the most inexpensive being Luci EMRG,
a collapsible lantern, flashlight and emergency light all-in-one.
It is waterproof, lightweight and, according to its maker,
extremely durable (last up to 10 years). Price: $9.99.

As a socially conscious company, MPowerd also has a program
that enables people to donate a light to people living in parts of
the world that lack electricity

www.mpowerd.com

Those afternoons that would never vanish, all ended.

James Salter, "Light Years"


© Copyright by Lorraine Blasor, all rights reserved♡