WATERBABY'S CIRCUS

I went to see a show last week with Margareth Menezes. It was at the Catussaba Resort Hotel. It was a great show and included an enormous and tasty feijoada buffet. My camera at this point was out of batteries and I couldn't really do much before it completely died. So click here for a much better picture. If you or maybe someone you know wants to visit Salvador for the first time, doesn't speak Portuguese, and has the bucks (it ain't cheap), the Catussaba is the place to go. And for more about Margareth Menezes and Carnaval 2009, go to her site .

I just learned about a fantastic promotion that American Airlines is having. For a short time only, they are offering roundtrip fares to Brazil for about half the regular price. If you had been planning, or just dreaming about, a trip to Salvador for Carnaval, this is it, but you'd better act now, at these prices seats will go fast. If you don't like trying to check and book online, call my favorite travel agency, Santours . Don't just take my word for it. Here's what Realtravel.com had to say about them. A good travel agency to book your ticket through is Santini Tours, 6575 Shattuck Ave., Oakland, CA 94609 (tel. 800/769-9669 or 510/652-8600; www.santours.com ). The owner as well as many of the travel agents are Brazilian and can give you many useful suggestions on air-pass routings and answer any questions you have about your itinerary. In addition to selling tickets and air passes, Santini can also arrange customized tours, including everything from airport transfers...

Oi! Not only is Christmas and the New Year rapidly approaching, but even better, the biggest party in the world is gearing up. In a word: CARNAVAL! I've been remiss in including Brazilian stuff here, and I promise I'll be making up for it. One of the ways is to share info about Brazilian music. Some folks have noticed an addition on my front page about the music. Guess I caught some of you off guard. I have to admit I'm not one to rock the classics while I'm painting. A lot of people don't realize there's more to Brazilian music than samba, jazz and bossa nova. So I'll be dropping some current stuff, kind of a pre-Carnaval warmup. Now, for those of you in the Bay Area, San Francisco Bay Area that is, here's a chance to check out some great live music and for a great cause. Tomorrow, Dec. 6, in Oakland there will be a live benefit show, DANDARA and OS GAROTOS HEADLINING !!! Who you ask? Click here to find out. For details, leave a comment. Time to get ...