We had a busy week, preparing for the annual fundraiser lunch for the Villa Infantil, a local orphanage run by a small number of Mexican nuns. The fundraiser is a big event, held at a large evento, and easily accommodated over 400 paying guests this year.
When the snow birds come back for the winter, the charity season starts in earnest. Hardly a week goes by without a dinner, auction, cook-off, musical performance, or sale of some sort to raise money for the plethora of local charities. Moreover, these events come heavily staffed by volunteers who give of their time, treasure, goods or services for the cause.
As last year, we specialized in what we do best: Judy was a concierge, and I was the parking czar. So she got to dress up and be (naturally) charming, while I got a safety vest, a cowboy hat, and a whistle! Woo-hoo! Oh, and I got to tell drivers in cars where to go, which (if you know me) was quite satisfying.
Every car in a space… 
Every space used!
A special thanks goes out to John King and Tom Kessinger, who completed our “tres amigos de estacionar.” As one of the guests mentioned, we looked as ready to cause trouble as ‘gilets jaunes’ (the yellow vest protesters in France).
Six or so hours of standing in the hot sun (even with a good palm sombrero) took a lot out of me, but seeing everyone have a good time, and some of the children enjoying themselves singing and dancing, was a fine tonic.
As anyone who does so knows, it is truly a blessing to participate in such events. We really do receive so much more than we give.