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While all of us struggle with the pandemic, the Rainbow Group is optimistic that we will soon be able to resume much of our lives as before. There are sure to be differences, but we will still support the Four Seasons LGBT community and our neighbors as best we can. We have been reminded that our friendships are vital to all of us. As of this writing, it is uncertain when we will be able to resume our meetings, dinners and parties. We will, however, update the Rainbow Group Facebook page and email list with any late breaking developments. In the meantime, mark your calendars for Thursday, June 25 at 6 pm for our monthly meeting in The Lodge Game Room (inshallah!). Some of the group meet in the Bistro or on the patio for dinner prior to the meeting. Feel free to join us! We hope this finds our members, friends and families doing well and we look forward to seeing everyone again! If you have any questions, please contact Dale at (951) 797- 0364. ~ Dale Beckes Palermo, 1933 Chasing Memories Almost a century and a half ago, a great-grandfather of mine acquired several thousand acres of virgin lands in the Andean mountains of South America. The toil of the great-grandparents, their 17 children, and several share-cropper families turned the forest into tilled fields and pastures. Palermo, the farm, became the family larder. During the frequent civil wars, the isolated farmstead protected the boys from conscription. It also brought shelter to political fugitives in the family. But constant partisan harassment, prison and exile, drove these ancestors near bankruptcy. Yet, the clan managed to recover –and prosper– thanks to Palermo, a bountiful land. The patriarch intended for the estate to remain whole. But upon his death, some descendants claimed their share of the inheritance. Then, when bandits began extorting and killing landowners, the enterprise floundered. After twenty years, the heirs sold off their legacy. No longer real, Palermo became a family legend. Forty years later, I had a chance to visit the fabled site despite myriad objections by local relatives. Concerns like bad roads, lack of horses, a haunted place, or marauding outlaws would not stop me. Eventually, I hired a guide and some hacks. Armed with rosaries, my mother, and an elderly cousin enlisted as my bodyguards. After a strenuous horseback ride on a muddy trail, we arrived at the farmhouse. We toured the three bedrooms and the attic-granary where the youngsters used to sleep. Then came the dining room, the hidden food storage under the floor planks, the kitchen, and the servants' quarters. Outside, my mother stood quietly by a tree that, in her youth, had held a much-used swing. The house had endured time well, but, clearly, it had been abandoned. Back in town, I got an earful: The place was uninhabited for a reason. Unlike ethereal ghosts of yesteryear, guerrillas were a real and present menace. My reckless foray could easily have gotten us kidnapped or killed! On that visit to Palermo, I am quite certain that I heard the flutter of guardian angels' wings. ~ Ricardo Suárez-Gärtner Interested in writing or becoming an author? The Writers' Club meetings are suspended during the COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic. After the quarantine restrictions are lifted, we'll continue to meet on the second Tuesday of the month at 1:30 pm in the RCN Conference Room. Email mlarchibald@mac.com or zehnercorked@ gmail.com. FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JUNE 2020 39 Rainbow Group Writers' Club Just in case: Check with your club contact to confirm meeting place, date, and time.