Mexico, 2025

“Lord, I was born a ramblin’ man
Tryin’ to make a livin’ and doin’ the best I can
And when it’s time for leavin’, I hope you’ll understand
That I was born a ramblin’ man” The Allman Brothers Band

Memories are the refuge of an old man (I’m 78 today), but they are an incomplete, biased, and untrustworthy record of a life, so some skepticism is appropriate. Recalling my early adult life though, I remember it always being interesting. Not always fun, and sometimes I was so broke I survived on bologna sandwiches, but even then, interesting.

I think it not inaccurate to characterize myself at that time as being a “drifter,” blown about randomly like a tumbleweed, with limited direction, and no sense of purpose. Then, 44 years ago, I was teaching a class which included a student named Barbara. Today is our 32nd wedding anniversary.

I will likely always approach life in a “curiosity” mode, a mile wide and an inch deep, but her personality compliments that with a willingness to dig deep. So, after we had enjoyed several bicycle riding trips in recent years, I suggested trying a horseback riding adventure. That was the extent of my contribution. She dug in and spent hours doing research, scouring the web for possibilities, contacting trip packagers, sending emails with specific questions to vendors and facilities.

She found Rancho Las Cascades, a couple of hours north of Mexico City, where the riding is tailored to the skill and comfort level of the individual, through an open range of hills, rivers, and wildflower fields. It is so much more than that, though. There is also an infinity pool and hot tub, yoga, massage, cooking classes, hiking to three waterfalls, tasty breakfasts, filling lunches, four course dinners, and a wonderful staff that accommodate every request with a smile . The self-service bar area includes coffee, tea, an assortment of soft drinks, and a refrigerator full of beer, a complete alcohol selection, lime ice cubes and margarita solution already prepared that you only need to pour into the blender. There’s always a cake platter for a snack. The only thing with an additional cost is the Nespresso machine.

The ranch is the creation of a Swiss woman who worked in tourism and aviation all over the world and then bought the land and built her dream. It is chock-a-block with beautiful regional arts and crafts scattered throughout the buildings and landscape, all selected by her, and the horses–Quarter horses, Appaloosas, Palominos, etc.–are all mixed breeds with some Criollo genes, also all selected by her.

From there to Mexico City, Barbara found Colima 71 Casa de Arte Hotel, another beautiful facility full of arts and crafts, again with a warm and friendly staff that treats you like you are their only guest. It’s in the Roma Norte area, full of restaurants, art galleries, and vintage clothing shops, and jokingly (I think) called “Gringolandia” by one of our taxi drivers.

She has brought a richness to my life that makes me so glad this once I chose to not just move on.

Happy Anniversary Barbara.

For more of Bill’s photographs, go to https://www.billdurrence.com/index