We met our new friends clandestinely, at the only hotel in the area. They are French, a psychiatrist and her neurologist husband. They arrived just as the country was shutting down and locking up. They were at the hotel when the stay-at-home order came down five weeks ago. They are still there.
Read MoreWaked by the trumpet sound,
I from my grave shall rise;
And see the Judge with glory crowned,
And see the flaming skies!
Read MoreGualfin is inspiring. One guest composed songs which he later recorded and performed in Brooklyn. Another guest wrote a novel, set in Gualfin. The following is the last chapter…
Read MoreEight gauchos rode up, after crossing over the pass from the high “puna.” They dressed in traditional regalia, with their bombacho pants, chaps, boots, wide hats… and each with his knife behind his back.
Read MoreCaesar was one of the leading mass murderers of his time. And one of its greatest generals.
Read More“It’s amazing that any of us survived at all,” said Natalio, sitting in the back seat of our truck, holding on to the passenger grip above the seat to cushion the bumps and turns, as he recalled his life in the Andes.
We were driving up through the valley, with bare, stony mountains on either side, and a dirt road snaking through the hills between them…
Read More“Is he okay?”
“We don’t know yet.”
“But he’s at home?”
“Yes, the doctor said there was nothing they could do.”
Read MoreEven after eight months without a drop of rain, there is still some green grass down in the valley where the river cuts through the mountains to an adjoining ranch.
Read MoreWhat was wrong with the thousands of generations that came before us?
All their antique courtship rituals… sitting on the front porch, chaperones, and pitching woo.
Read MoreYou already know about our ranch in Argentina. As we explained last year, it is not very productive or practical.
Read MoreWe put on a pair of jeans, boots, a flannel shirt, a scarf, a sweater, gloves, and a hat.
-Bill
Read More…during which time your editor drove 350 miles (mostly on dirt roads)… got stuck in the desert… took a long walk by starlight… and was wanted by the police…
-Bill
Read MoreThis past weekend, we went over to the vineyard to do some chores. Among other things…
-Bill
Read MoreThis weekend, we drove down to the valley to check out the new farm.
It’s about 500 acres along the river, abandoned for 50 years, but can be irrigated and put back into service. And it’s a two-day cattle drive from the ranch at Gualfin.
Read MoreHave you ever wondered what you would do if you had a health emergency in a remote location? We never thought about it… until last week. Then we found out.
Read MoreWe rode out to one of the high valleys on Sunday. Leading the way were the ranch foreman, Gustavo, and his son, Agostín. Agostín is 10 years old. But he is already a gaucho – sure of himself on a horse… unafraid of the cows… ready to work from sunup to sundown, as long as he can be outside.
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