Island girl

Our daughter Melinda is not from an island, although she wears one on her tank top. She is from Colombia, a gorgeous country blessed with beautiful people.

But as I was looking at this photo of Melinda in Vermont last week, modeling the Kenyan necklace she'd just bought at a flea market,



I found myself thinking of Gauguin's paintings of Tahitian women. Like this one:



I Googled Tahiti and spent some time gasping at the dramatic scenery and deciding that, like Gauguin, I'd prefer to die there, watching the sun set over the water in saturated hues of magenta and orange while improbable towering clouds rose to one side. I also came across this model in a Tahitian liquor advertisement (below, left); her rounded facial contours, almond eyes, dark long hair, valentine chin, even the shape of her nose, brought me back again to our Melinda, la linda.



Pretty women!