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Tropical Daydreams: September 2015

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Bring on the Olympic Sailing Events! The excitement that all of Búzios felt at the possibility that the Olympic sailing events would be torn from Rio's grasp and staged out here in our clean, unpolluted waters was contagious. After all, we were told that even the great and powerful United States Olympic Committee had requested the change of venue! Windsurf event in front of our house. Sailing event in front of our house. So was the idea of bringing the sailing events to Búzios just a publicity stunt?

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Tropical Daydreams: June 2014

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The World Cup Plays Out In Búzios. Everyone all set with your favorite good luck shirt? You can sit on the street . . . Or in a nice restaurant. Nary a car left uncovered! Getting ready for the Brazil x Mexico game -. Kiwi passion fruit, the colors of Brazil. Every Argentine in town watching the Argentina x Iran game on the Praça Santos Dumont -. Back on the Praça Santos Dumont for the Brazil x Cameroon game -. Uruguay x Italy, pre-bite -. Commemorating an Argentine goal against Nigeria -. Facade of the ...

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Tropical Daydreams: March 2014

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When there’s nothing to do and our friends are out of town; when there’s nothing good on television and the movie theater is closed . . . we sit on our terrace and watch our private show:. There's our basic view . . . And sailing events . . . And flocks of seagulls . . . Stand-up paddlers abound . . . And so do kayakers . . . There are always tourist schooners . . . And once there was a cruise ship . . . And once we saw a strange-looking, glass-bottomed boat . . . We have helicopters . . . And just what ...

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Tropical Daydreams: September 2014

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And will run until election day, October 5. Television and radio commercials air three times a week in two 25-minute blocks, all paid for by the Brazilian taxpayers. (This free air time is divided up between the political parties using a very complicated formula, please don’t ask.) Mark and I can’t vote, of course, not being citizens. But the taxes we pay help fund this folderol. How dare I call it folderol? I Pini di Búzios*. Hugo of the pine tree. Whack away at will.) This other pine I am thinking ...

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Tropical Daydreams: April 2014

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Niemeyer's lasting mark on Niterói. Refuge in the center of Icaraí, "our" neighborhood. Da Carmine, our favorite DOC-pizzaria. Back atcha, Rio! Would I Ever Be Able To Repatriate? Occasionally — very occasionally — I toy with the idea of returning to the United States, and wonder how easy or hard that might be. Would I be able to re-integrate? I read somewhere recently that an expat is a foreigner in two countries, and there may be some truth to that. Besides the simple tasks I seem no longer to know...

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Tropical Daydreams: July 2014

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Back in Our Own Backyard. You'll find your happiness lies. Right under your eyes,. Back in your own backyard"*. Part of the NJ backyard. Our new house in Búzios had something akin to a backyard, but then again, it was nothing like what I thought of as a backyard. We called it our quintal. Which means backyard, among other things, but that was just to give it a name and distinguish it from other parts of the property. Our quintal. Caretaker; and, on the opposite side of the house, via a more civilized set...

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Tropical Daydreams: Brazilians and Argentines

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I have a guest blogger sitting in for me this morning, a guy called Mark Something-or-other. Hope you enjoy his take on life in Búzios. (Why, he's lived here as long as I have! You don't have to listen to a lot of the jokes that Brazilians tell about their neighbors the Argentines to figure out what it is that ticks Brazil off about the Argentines so much. "What's the definition of ego? It's the little piece of Argentina that we all carry within us." "What's the world's best business deal? Since, though ...

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Tropical Daydreams: Cactus

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Here in Búzios we have a variety of cactus growing all over the place —. And at the beach. 8212; as well as inside and outside of our house —. Affectionately called our "broccoli monster". This is our sharp "needle monster"! A nice, gentle guy on the veranda. Planted at 5", now stands tall and proud. Part of our recent trip to the States included a drive around the Southwest, which brought us face to face with the famous movie cactus —. Classic saguaro in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Also in New Mexico.

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Tropical Daydreams: August 2014

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Brazil is in the early days of a general election and everything has just been turned upside down by the tragic death of one of the presidential candidates. The neighboring states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais are in a Water War over the few drops left in the Paraíba do Sul River basin due to the worst drought in 70 years, and no authority has yet had the guts to mention rationing. Look, as the entire world now knows, Brazil has a serious problem with its Seleção. Bernardhino, boy's coach.