Happy Birthday Dear Ernesto!

I have been on the road in Spain for most of the last three weeks, following my story, as they say.  I apologize for being slow to post new material and reply to emails, but oh, what material I am gathering!

This morning we are leaving the lovely town of Mojacar, a beautiful coastal town 60 miles north of Cabo de Gata, on the Southeastern corner of the country. We have spent the last three days getting to know Ric Polansky and his gracious wife Karen, an American couple who moved to Spain 42 years ago. Can you guess how they were inspired to come to Spain? (I bet you can). Ric and I originally corresponded becasue of his passion and vast knowledge of bullfighting, especially in Spain.

With sheer determination and a tremendous sense of adventure, Ric and Karen have raised a family and built a life here that that is admirable by any measure. Last night, (by coincidence, Hemingway’s birthday), we sat for several hours in the fading Spanish sunlight drinking wine and talking about bullfighting, expatriatism, the past, the future, life and death and all things Hemingway. Ric’s friend Jeff Ramsey, an American Matador and Hollywood stunt man (among other things), was there, adding stories about his experiences in the ring. My notebook, tape recorder, and head are overflowing! Both Ric and Jeff spoke in depth about the bullfights they had seen, the matadors they know, and the meaning of bullfighting. The interviews with both Ric and Jeff will be published here soon.

These last few weeks have convinced me that Ernest Hemingway may truly be the center of the universe (just kidding). To be more accurate, the life stories I have encountered by asking about Hemingway’s influence are bigger and bolder, richer than I could imagine. .More than any other writer, Hemingway has and will continue to inspire his readers to make more of their lives than they would have otherwise. To travel, to experience as much as possible, to see our lives as something we alone can create, is the legacy a Hemingway reader inherits. I include my own life in this assessment.  So Happy birthday Ernesto, and thank you for the gifts you continue to give all of us.

Allie Baker, Mojacar, Spain