The Painting Remembers:An Extraordinary Lifeimage
An interview by Terri Casey
I met Rob 15 years ago when he arrived with his family for their first visit to La Estancia de Cafayate. His family returned north, but he stayed. And for 15 years, he has been part of the La Estancia community — a quiet, kind presence at the restaurant and walking the paths of daily life in this beautiful place.
Many who know him here do not know the life that came before.
His is a life that spanned a continent and could fill a novel. From Middle America to the frozen expanse of Alaska where he worked on the Pipeline, to the trading floors of New York City as a stockbroker, to the handball courts of Pebble Beach shared with Clint Eastwood. From Mexico, where he started a family and twin girls, to an off-the-grid jungle home in Belize where he dwelled with jaguars and snakes, to dancing tango in the night in Buenos Aires — before the mountains of the Calchaquí Valley finally called him.
That extraordinary life journey was captured in a mystical painting by Calixto Mamani, now deceased and with a museum in Cafayate filled with his works.
This is not an interview about dates and names. This is a celebration of an adventurer, anchored by this painting, and held now by the community that cares for him every day — the staff, the restaurant team, and the friends and caregivers who have become part of his family.
In these recollections, I hope the readers of my web site, www.caseyargentina.com, can appreciate a few stories of a life lived fully.
Rob, we first met some 15 years ago here in Cafayate and have remained friends over these many years. You have shared many details of your life over this span of time that have intrigued and delighted and amazed me. The other day as we viewed this painting in the home you built here so many years ago, I thought it would be great to have you share the map of your life that this painting illustrates and that many of your neighbors may not know.
Q: You were raised in Indiana, an only child of a professon and radio personality in a traditional Midwest family. From early ages you demonstrated your fiercely independent nature until finally breaking loose to seek your fortune in Alaska, depicted here with the Polar Bear and the sea. What is a highlight from this adventuresome part of your early life, besides working on the Pipeline in those extreme circumstances?
Note: During the construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) tens of thousands of laborers faced a punishing combination of environmental hazards, exhausting schedules, and intense psychological strain. Driven to Alaska by high wages during a U.S. recession, they built an 800-mile engineering marvel under some of the most unforgiving working conditions in American history.
A: A favorite memory is my dogsled team of 7 dogs which was my primary source of transportation. And also I have great memories of piloting my Cessna into remote locations with hunters and fishermen to enjoy the rugged wilderness.
Q: Your summers were spent in Carmel / Pebble Beach to warm up a little and it is here you met Clint Eastwood and spent time with him. What is that you remember most from your time with him there?
A: Yes, Clint can be described as a gentleman, a kind and thoughtful person. He was a serious and excellent handball player. I enjoyed my time with him there, sharing the handball court often enough, long before he became Mayor of Carmel. He was one of the regular guys.
Q: Then NYC called you and, with no experience, studied for your Stockbroker license and were hired to manage a special division of a Wall Street firm. It is hard to imagine you in NYC! You can see a lively Statue of Liberty in the painting. What did you enjoy in NYC during your time there?
A: After the rugged life in Alaska, I enjoyed the culture, sophistication and educated environment of NYC the most.
Q: In another dramatic change of lifestyle, you went to the jungle in Belize, represented in the painting by the monkey in the branches on the beach. You built a jungle home where you lived off grid and off the land and befriended snakes and jaguars. What is the most dramatic thing that happened to you there? And why did you finally leave?
A: The most dramatic thing, besides enjoying the boa constrictors and jaguars on my deck, was the hurricane that forced my departure from my beloved home there. It destroyed the home and the village nearby.
Mexico, doing some gold prospecting, was your next adventure and where you started a family, and now have twin teenage daughters residing there with their mother. San Cristobal, Mexico is depicted here as your golden city between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Finally, having heard of the LEC project, originally conceived as a Libertarian - inspired community, you traveled to visit and the rest is history. Your painting has you settled here in the Calchaqui Valley, with the head of your spirit guide resting over the logo of La Estancia de Cafayate.
The mysterious snake the artist has placed here, that winds its way as your path travels north to south along the continent certainly signifies your Spirit Animal. A Snake is a powerful symbol of transformation. Snakes shed their skin, making them the ultimate symbol of rebirth, personal growth, and letting go of the past. It is said that a snake spirit guide encourages you to trust your inner voice and navigate hidden or unknown situations with calm awareness. These descriptions certainly could indicate that you had this powerful and meaningful guide as your unseen companion during these life journeys.
And, the large, blue face watches over the journey. A guardian spirit, blue and pale, in the water and sky is Calixto Mamani’s signature style. It is not a person but the spirit guarding your journey - placed right in the Pacific, with big black eyes of ancestors watching, and often painted with the red mouth and nose as you see here. Swirling around is the wind and sea connecting all.
Note: Calixto Mamani was from Salta, famous for mixing Inca/Indigenous influence with nature spirits. Big-eyed faces in the blue are his signature. The masks he made are now in the Buenos Aires Contemporary Art Museum. The big eyes, the swirling blue, the small mouth – in Cafayate / Andean folk painting - that is how artists paint the ‘viento’, the spirit of the wind or the Pachamama watching over the traveler. The spirit’s eyes are looking directly at the serpent path (his life path) coming down from the North. Blue is protection and the artist painted the spirit around Cafayate, meaning Rob is now inside the protected circle. It is watching his journey.
Q: You have been here now 15 years. How do you feel about the community in which you have lived all these years?
A: This community has been my home for many years. I feel like family when I am in the restaurant and I am greeted by many people. Kind neighbors invite me to participate in their asados and bring cakes to my door from time to time. It is a peaceful and beautiful place and I am content with my home and quiet life here.
It is my pleasure and good fortune to know you and call you a friend, a supremely interesting Individual (with capital I), with your insightful and dry wit, always able to make me laugh out loud. You have lived an extraordinary life and now enjoy the peace and quiet - surrounded by mountains, and by people (and spirits) who know you, who help you, and who care.
If you would like more information on options to participate in living life in such a special place as Cafayate, please contact me. With confidentiality and confidence, we can assist you in finding the right fit to enjoy this wonderful place and invest in the bright future there.
Email: caseyteresita1@gmail.com • Tel: +54 9 11 4145 6640
WhatsApp: +54 9 11 4145 6640 • Skype: tcaseyskype or +1 650 206 - 2550
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