Holiday Letter 2002

December 2002 Holiday Letter From Marianna & Federico

Dear Family and Friends, 

Although at this point we have an incredible gratitude to be here together and functioning, this letter is the hardest I have had to write. But the thought of not sending a holiday letter is even harder. Most, but not all of you, of you know that Freddie almost died from an infection this October and was in the hospital in Spain for three weeks. That story is on our web site in the Spain 2002 writings. (If you want a hard copy let us know.) Then, five days after we arrived home Freddie was again re-hospitalized for the infection, which had settled in his lower back with a white count of 17,000. He was discharged a week later with a pick line in his arm, a thin tube which goes through his vein directly to his heart, operated by a portable battery pack. Through this he uses a drip of penicillin 24 hours a day. He just finished ten days of Gentamycin (a strong antibiotic) that he took in addition to the penicillin. On Christmas Eve he will switch to six weeks of oral penicillin. After this time period they will check to see if his infection returns. If it does, which it may, he must repeat this sequence. He cannot have his back operation until this process has been completed. Last Friday, November 29, Freddie was re-hospitalized for a day and night with a heart problem, atrial fibrillation. Blood tests showed that he did not have a heart attack, but his heart rate was very high, fast and irregular and his blood pressure was up. 

Freddie first became ill at the beginning of October in Sevilla. We had rented an apartment this trip and we were having a wonderful time studying dance and guitar and attending the Flamenco Bienal. But since October, life has been a challenge as we have been dealing with Freddie’s health and our reactions to this grand disruption and wake up call of our lives. 

Last January and February now seem so far away. During that time our friends Ryan and Christine from La Carboneria in Sevilla, Spain stayed with us and we all deepened our friendship and growth. In May our old friend, guitarist David Serva, who lives in Spain, brought for the second time the legendary dancer/singer Miguel Funi, with dancer Clara Mora and singer/dancer Pepito de Moron. They again performed here in a house concert and taught workshops here at our Academy of Gypsy Flamenco Arts.  

Between then and June Freddie converted the Sunset Room space at the end of the studio into an actual room. Its sliding glass doors and its windows look out into the middle of the canyon. The eagle trees are slightly to the left and the sun sets below the canyon. Its view is exquisite.

In June, Marianna’s beloved Flamenco dance teacher Concha Vargas came with her whole family for two months. Max (our renter and friend) moved temporarily down from the Loft to the Sunset Room and Concha and Rafael’s kids stayed in the Loft. Concha and Rafael stayed in our guest room, whose window looks out on our blooming rose garden. There, over the walkway, the two arches twined with roses have finally grown together. The colors are vivid: white, yellow, pink, red, purple, and mixtures in between. Our vision is starting to show here.

Concha’s husband Rafael sang for our dancing and sang also while he cooked for us all, almost every day, in our barn kitchen. He is a wonderful and feeling singer and he also taught thoughtful and interesting classes in Gypsy Flamenco song in our living room. And his food was delicious too.

Their twenty-year-old son, Quintin, had a wonderful time here with the American rock and roll, which he loves above all else. Fifteen-year old Curro accompanied all the Flamenco dance classes with his guitar and also played in all the performances. Eleven-year old Carmen, who looks sixteen, danced and sang and almost became a fish swimming in the swimming pool every day! Freddie set up a basketball hoop and he, Carmen, and the boys played basketball at every break in the day. 

It was an ideal summer. We laughed, and played and ate vegetables from our new garden, dining together outside in the barn breezeway. We all did a Flamenco House Concert here at our Paraiso and Concha taught dance classes here in our studio, in San Jose, San Francisco, and Walnut Creek. Concha and her family also did a show in Santa Clara with Arte Flamenco. 

Within two weeks of their departure for Spain Freddie and I were in Sevilla with them. And the rest of that experience I have outlined above.

Our children are all doing well but have their own trials. Elun (Marianna’s son) has finished his dissertation and now has his Ph.D. in history. We attended his graduation at UC Davis. His wife Donna has a tenured teaching position at St. Lawrence University in upper New York state. Elun has a temporary teaching job there. They have bought their first house and love it. They have three cats. Marianna went to visit them at their old house near Colgate University last May. Donna had a temporary teaching position there last year and Elun also taught some classes there.

Freddie’s son Manolo is working as a plumber in Henderson, Nevada. His wife Alta is working there in the medical field. They are both doing well.

Freddie’s daughter Maggie, her husband Jason, and their beautiful children Kyle, Katie and Kerra are still living in San Diego. Jason is in the military and is now away a lot so their life too is at a time of great challenge. But they handle it well and are a sweet and loving family.

Freddie’s mother Bea is almost 84 and still living in Monterey and driving her Blue Bird of Happiness car. Marianna’s father Jack, 83, and his wife Peggy, are doing well and still are almost always traveling, including a recent trip to Bali just after the nightclub bombings. Peggy has a publisher for her next book. Our collective sisters and brothers are doing well too. 

Here at our Paraiso we have some wonderful new renters, Tami and Brent, in Max’s old cabin and Max is again living and drumming in Freddie’s Loft above the dance studio. Celeste and Johnny still live in the pool house. 

And Freddie and I, in spite of recent events, we still sit on our wooden bench, a little broken down (like us?) at the moment, by Mama’s tree and look out at the ocean, especially every Wednesday on garbage nights. We still stroll around the property oohing and awing at the beauty here and also at our enduring love. 

We wish you, our family and friends, a rewarding and happy Holiday Season. We wish for peace and happiness in the world. 

Love to you all. May your holidays be filled with peace, beauty, health, and love,

Marianna and Freddie Mejia, Flamenco Romántico