In answer to your questions.
What are we doing here, and more.
“Until and unless you share with us why you and Adrien are there at the ranch, there is ample opportunity to speculate.
Such as: maybe you and your family were sitting around at the dinner table one evening and [your] dad said "We could use a family member down there to watch over the operations, and you and Adrien are just hanging out here in the City, and you know you don't have to be in any location to have a career in singing now with the internet. Plus when you come back you can spoil your friends with tales of the outback, stuck trucks, calf balls and all.”
Am I close?”
“Career did not take off. I don’t know WHAT skills hubby has if any other than to make you happy. No kids?”
“I looked at your film/recording career and you could not sustain it. You are IMO, a "city girl", so why are you there?…as far as your husband goes, you are vain enough to have said virtually nothing about him in your posts. What's he all about?”.
My last post, dear Reader, garnered some pointed commentary and questions, as you can see. They say you shouldn’t read the reviews…but I do read the comments from my posts and I like to respond when I can. I’m sure my dad would tell me to ignore the above comments, but I thought this reader posed some pertinent questions, which it may be useful to answer, for the record.
First of all, why are my husband Adrien and I at the ranch?
Well, my dad did want someone from the family to oversee operations on the farms and he thought we would be a good fit. Adrien had lived in Colombia for three years on and off, spoke Spanish, and was interested in agriculture as well as the idea of developing a potential tourism business.
Right off the bat, Adrien was game on the condition that I was too.
In Baltimore, far from “hanging out”, we were both busting our proverbial “balls”. Adrien ran a food truck called “Sourced by Adrien”. The menu consisted of sweet and savory crêpes (his mother, a French lady from Grenoble, suggested it) and salads, made using only locally sourced foods. He had an assistant, but still ended up working just about seven days a week, between gathering ingredients, organizing his accounts, and scheduling. On really busy occasions, I helped out by taking orders and payments.
Meanwhile, I was performing several times a week at private parties, cabaret clubs and wine bars.
We were both eager for a change of scene. Not only that, this sounded like an exciting opportunity, and a chance to start a new life in a place we both found fascinating and engaging in so many ways. Indeed, with the internet I could keep up with my singing.
In regard to the comments about my career, it actually did take off and I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished, from modeling to dancing, acting, singing and now writing. Hollywood is a wonderful and magical place, and I miss acting. I do. I dream about it sometimes. But the truth is that I made the choice to leave it behind and pursue something different with my life. It wasn’t that I “could not sustain it”, it’s that I decided not to.
I think I covered the question of what skills “hubby” has. As to making me happy, all of you married folk out there probably know that one does strive to make their partner happy, which provides for a richer and more fulfilling marriage. And it goes both ways.
While we do not have children yet, we’d certainly like to.
Many people probably consider me to be a “city girl”, and if you ask me, I am. I’m also an adaptable girl and I figure I can find entertainment just about anywhere I go.
Finally, I don’t disclose more about my husband in my posts because I do believe in privacy, despite having chosen a very public form of artistic expression.
I hope these humble observations will put my dear readers’ mind at peace. And I want to say thank you for the questions. They’ve given me an opportunity to think, and lay down some thoughts on the matters. So again, thank you.
Back to life in the Calchaqui Valley. To leave San Martín last Friday, we had to cross the hanging bridge with all our bags. We loaded up Adrien’s truck and headed toward Gualfín, stopping in the dusty desert town of Molinos for lunch.
The Dysons came with us to Gualfín, and we’ve been having a great time adventuring with them. On Sunday, the weather was beautiful so we went to our vineyard, Pucarilla, to cool off in the river.
I made bread with the youngest of the Dyson gang, Penny (11). It came out in the form of a heart.
There’s been a great deal of rain here. In fact it rained all night, and a velvety mist covered the mountains this morning.
Stay tuned for more. And happy Valentine’s Day.
Un abrazo fuerte,
Mariah
P.S. My second Voice from the Valley video is up on YouTube, featuring a song written by Chilean singer songwriter Violeta Parra called Gracias a la vida, thanks to life. Check it out, and don’t forget to subscribe to my channel!
All photos taken by Mariah.
Hi Mariah
Never once wondered why you were there etc. just find everything you are doing very interesting, so different than in Australia were I am. Love seeing the photos and I follow the Dysons as well.
Keep up the good work, I will probably never get there but I enjoy learning about other ways of life.
Thanks for the background Mariah. Didn't ask, but always interesting to learn more about people and the choices they make in life. As members of Bonner Private Wines as well, my wife and I have thought it would be a blast to visit the area you live in sometime. Since you commented on Adrien's interest in developing a tourism business we would be game to be your guinea pigs. Wine, horses, wide open spaces. I always wanted to be a cowboy too, like your father.