Brian here-
Yesterday morning a patron of the opera threw a brunch party in honor of Nancy Herrera, my colleague in the cast. She is a mezzo-soprano from the Canary Islands, and has a devoted following among the opera goers here. It took place in a phenomenal mansion not too far from where we are living. It had an open courtyard where lavish tables were set for the festivities. The food was delicious- an amazing selection of fresh tropical fruits, orange duck, carpaccio of sea scallops, delicious foie gras (we felt a little edgy with the foie gras since it is now illegal in Chicago). But the best part was the amazing mariachis who came in about an hour into the meal. We had already been enjoying some great music from a marimba band in the mezzanine. These mariachis were good. They played really well, and several of them had excellent voices. It was really great to see the locals- many of whom were mouthing the words to the songs with the singers. You could see that these songs were in their blood.

A beautifully set table. Ann and I opted for water and fresh juice, rather than wine and champagne.

The front entrance of the mansion.

Colin loved the mariachis. He spent the earlier part of the meal running the nanny who was there ragged and trying to take over the fruit display. He made lots of friends though. People seem to want to touch his hair like it's a good luck charm.

Just before leaving. Colin was over ripe for a nap. You can see more pictures of the festivities below in the first ever Stuckihouse slide show! Thanks to Julie for introducing us to blogspot slide shows.