Ben there....

Was it done on a whim, or was it finally the fulfillment of a two year quest (from our last Baguio trip where we literally hunted down the subject of this entry in Tam-awan village)? Was it destiny that led us to that quaint little coffee shop that changed our lives forever.. Questions haunted the four sisters. In-law that is -- me, plus my 3 fave sisters in the whole wide world Meg, Lia and Mel. That afternoon in Baguio, July 28, right after having a leisurely cup of coffee in 'Cafe by the Ruins', serendipity took effect and the world stood still - as women in their fourties (ok, plus baby Mel in her thirties) regressed into a shrieking bunch of groupies. For we had just gotten word that we would finally have the chance to meet our idol, National Artist Bencab -- right in his own studio in T____ street, with the black, red and white gate, right across the B____ store, near the B____ church. (I am doing this to intentionally confuse the readers since the privilege of spending an afternoon with this great man in his very own studio is bestowed only on a chosen few, and thus I am taking great care not to disclose his exact location!! Haha.)
The four of us, plus brothers Jomie and Pancho and my art loving daughter Nikki were greeted with much warmth and hospitality as he chatted with us, toured us around his studio and the gardens, showed us his bonsai tree collection..then back to the studio where we continued our small talk. Never mind the faux pax like when in genuine ignorance I asked who Annie was (in a tone that seemed to ask WHO the HECK she was), or when Jomie commented in a trying-to-sound-intelligent way that a certain painting would look so beautiful when finished (It was actually finished.) My three sisters made up for this via their eagerness in placing their names in the long long waiting list of....more than 200!! So here we are... our moment with the master...

My daughter's version in link below:
http://swimthroughme.multiply.com/photos/album/35/Francisco_Baguio_Trip_--_Day_2