Letter From the Editor: July 2019

“I love how summer just wraps its arms around you like a warm blanket.”
― Kellie Elmore

Although here in Yucatán maybe we don’t need the additional warmth of a blanket in July, the sentiment in the quote above really rings true for me; there is something intrinsically nostalgic about summertime. On page 4 Maggie writes about “la temporada,” the very Yucatecan term for the summer season of packing up the whole family, renting a vacation house, and hanging out at the beach. She talks about her memories of the “moloch,” which refers to the big bunch of people – family and friends – who pile in to the summer house and, without realizing they are doing so, contribute to the future memories – and eventual nostalgia – of them all.

All of this coincides with my own nostalgic adventure: by the time you read this, I will have just returned from a week in California, where my childhood friend Karen and I are driving down the Pacific Coast Highway from San Francisco (where she lives now) to Huntington Beach, where we grew up from the mid-50’s to the mid-60’s. We will hang out at the same beach where we pretended to surf the waves; I can almost smell the suntan oil and hear the music of a dozen transistor radios.

If only we could store these moments of childhood bliss – and the “moloch” – in a time capsule! Well, in a way we can; that’s what our memories are for. And that’s why Maggie wrote about it: not only to share something that is very Yucatecan with you, but to inspire you to revisit your own happy childhood memories; and to share them with someone you don’t know, as she and I have now done with you.

As always, it’s a great edition with lots of delicious reads. Off you go to the seaside, with your copy of Yucatán Today in your beach bag along with the sunscreen and other essentials! Enjoy every moment, and create some future nostalgia!