The second Art Walk of the season saw twice as many art aficionados mingle as attended the previous one two weeks prior. And the double book signing on the same block of Basilio Badillo the night of November 16 – at Galeria Dante and Lucy’s Cucú Cabaña – is sure to be one heck of a party. Coincidentally, both Pat Henry, author of “By the Grace of the Sea – a Woman’s Solo Voyage Around the World,” and Gil Gevins, author of “Vallarta on 49 Brain Cells a Day,” second edition, had their oceanfront homes buried by storm surge and were displaced. Yet both have demonstrated an admirable forward-thinking spirit in the face of adversity. The whole thing, however, has been a bit of a pain and now, I suspect, they’re in the mood to have some fun! Both books are well worth getting, so attend if you can to show your support for these talented local writers. Who knows? It may be your book signing one day!

Vallarta hosts an international sailfish tournament next week, and the eighth annual Festival Gourmet – by all accounts a resounding success – winds up with a gala dinner November 15 at Velas Vallarta. A collaborative effort of the fabulously creative visiting chefs, it’s sure to be spectacular. And some people think we eat nothing but beans and tortillas down here! Congratulations to all the participating restaurants – particularly La Palapa for pulling off their scheduled events with panache, in spite of the considerable impact Hurricane Kenna had on the restaurant. Bravo, Alberto Perez!

Filming continues on “Puerto Vallarta Squeeze,” the feature film being shot here based on the novel of the same name by Robert James Waller of “Bridges of Madison County” fame. It’s a challenge to find people these days, so many of them working as extras in the film. Thankfully, the hurricane spared most of the region in and around Vallarta where filming is taking place. Starring Harvey Keitel, Scott Glenn and Craig Wasson, the drama highlights Puerto Vallarta’s dramatic beauty, with several opening sequences on the Malecon in the heart of town. Thousands of tourists and passersby were able to glimpse the magic of movie-making up close as the crew and actors worked under an azure sky. With a multi-million-dollar budget and the stars involved, tourism officials are confident the movie, due to be released next spring, will be a fitting ambassador for their recently launched municipal Film Commission.

It’s great to see the snowbirds returning en masse, familiar faces popping up everywhere. I catch their looks of amazement when they see photos of Kenna’s aftereffects and hear them exclaiming that it’s hard to believe Vallarta actually looked the way it did just three short weeks ago. The clean up has been so swift that soon little evidence will remain that the unpleasant event actually happened. The stereotype that Mexicans do things slowly is really ironic in this case, I assure you.

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions about what you’re reading, you’re encouraged to let me know at heather@mexmags.com.