My Great Good Friend!

My oldest friends in Nicaragua are Ivan Uriarte and his wife Erlinda. Ivan had earned his Ph.D. at the University of Pittsburgh, and when I made my first trip to Nica in 1987, I visited his home in Managua to deliver some books from a Pittsburgh friend. They generously provided me with a home base for my subsequent sports project over the next six years, and their friendship has given me a real anchor here since my arrival in 2015. Ivan has supplied me with many books, and I greatly enjoy discussing literature with him. He is wickedly funny, often flamboyant, and deliciously salty, flinging about four-letter epithets with incredible gusto. He is also a bit of a national treasure.

Yesterday, at the National Theater in Managua, I and Ivan's family and many of his friends and colleagues gathered to celebrate as he accepted the 2016 Premio International Rubén Darío, a distinguished award in poetry.

With friend Carlo.

Ivan and Erlinda, left.

A number of poets from other countries were present, including Rosina Valcárcel of Peru. A glamorous cultural representative from the Honduran embassy sat beside me. It was all very international and celebratory, and everyone had many wonderful things to say about Ivan and his long career as a poet and scholar. I felt very proud of my dear friend, and was very pleased to witness his triumph!

Meanwhile, back in Carazo, the rainy season has brought along a flood of insects. It is impossible to relax in the hammock with all the flies and mosquitoes. Happily, not all the bichitos are little bloodsuckers. This katydid-like visitor is about three inches in length, and has a super-loud sustained call at night. Gorgeous color! Locally, it is called "Esperanza," (hope) and is a good omen!