Gone fishing 2...

I must have a prodigious quantity of mind; it takes me as much as a week sometimes to make it up.


Well, I have been thinking this over quite a bit…this feeling of a NOSTALGIC loss of my old Baja.

I better explain. I love posting on BajaNomads and this forum deserves a better explanation than I gave earlier. Nostalgia was just a catalyst to the whole event.

It was like a paralyzing numbness that overtook me last Monday…it started during a poker game. Oddly, that game was very nostalgic for me, since we used to play high stakes poker at the old Perla Hotel in La Paz... back in the day.

(Note: using the expression ‘back in the day’ means when you were a lot Younger & the time was Perfect…as oppose to today’s Dumb Old Fart on Planet Melancholy)

Between poker hands, I ordered another Pacifico michelada to chase away the oppresive nostalgic malaise that was creeping into my mood.

As the game progressed… and I had a couple more brews… the strange feeling of loss persisted, so I told Pepe the bartender that I was switching to rum and cokes. (listen...can you hear a faint air-raid siren going off in the distance?).

The poker game continued. After absurdly drawing to a few inside straights and buying another stack of chips, I ordered my third rum & coke.

My mind had trouble focusing on calling the quick raises to my pair of deuces.


I was lost in yesteryear’s memories….Daydreaming about those great old times…

...the unbelievable beauty & excitement of seeing an acre of two of giant yellowtail in a churning fish boil on the Cortez.

...the coolness before the desert sunrises…a faint smell of woodsmoke coming from the spent campfire at Baja Patty’s rancho.

...chugging thru the early dawn fog onboard my old trawler, Pompano, bound for..a place called, 'Adventure'.

... horses at some dawn campsite, calmly ground-tethered with just a rock on the reins.

...first discoveries of rock paintings at remote middens..

...the many great friendships made with pangueros, ranchers, townspeople, and Baja-lovers like me.

...the lazy, hazy, happy lives we all shared.

...hating to leave this great land when the hot season drove me out.

...and eager to return to a village full of friends in the fall

...and feeling good when they tell me I'm a Mulegeno.

...the love affair with a country that was Never-Never land to us Baja newcomers…ahh..


....indeed, it was ’Back in the Day’..


Sheesh...nostalgia?..I hate it, unless it's mine!


Okay, fast forward to the present....Back at Ana’s Poker Game. Sitting there with my ‘chip and a chair’, now full of nostalgia.. I began to notice the sun was not shining as brightly, the bay not as blue, the beach sand was gritty-looking..

.. the overstuffed bikini that had just waddled in was not exactly a 10…....whoa! Holy Mother of God!...

.. and I was almost positive that I had 4 deuces in that last devastating hand, not just that lousy pair??


I thought, ‘Well, we can sure solve this. No problemo.’ ….I waved to the bar, “Pepe, mi amigo…uno mas Cuba Libre, por favor. Make it a doble..a double.”

He gave me one of those ‘looks’ with his raised eyebrows, but brought the stiffer Free Cuba drink over, shrugged like one would over a road kill that he could do nothing about......and set it down.

Some time passed, and I think the poker was over… because when I looked up from my next double rum, I was at the bar...explaining to Pepe 'the Real meaning' of Baja.

Pepe was tactfully silent and just stood there stoically, polishing a glass…a damn fine bartender.

I was now in the pickup. I seem to recollect some highline poles going by in slow motion. The microwave tower over on the right… followed by the Pemex station...then Mulege.

The next thing I can dimly recall was a mob of people looking at me in a well-known riverside bar in Mulege. Why were they looking, you may ask? I dunno, I’m quite certain it had nothing to do with me flipping them all the bird.

I was later told that the many bar patrons were aroused by the fact that I had come in from the highway and down the hill without slowing down much. Most likely this was indeed true. Well, I have been a creature of habit on that highway since it was first laid..Back in the Day ..and I guess my too-fast speed down that bumpy hill tended to create worries amongst some of the more sober patrons. I was told to remind myself that …Kids, dogs, slow drunks, and burros in the street are not speed bumps…So slow the hell down!

Well….that’s very probably where things went south with this bar scene. I confess to be who I am…I listen to all polite and well-intentioned suggestions, but I don’t take demands or orders very well…in fact, not at all. I've worn a few caps in my time.

I am again reminded by parties who there...that at this conjecture, yours truly waved the middle digit at the general throng and told them to shove it where the sun don’t shine.

The gauntlet was thrown…Barstools At Dawn! Stupid? Oh, yes. Childish? Hell, yes. Regrets? Of course...with a grin at friends who know me well. Regrets are useless and a waste of time on others who are going to dislike me anyway. I'm an easy target for those. So what else is new?

Things were a mite foggy leaving this booze joint, but obstinate to a fault, I decided to finish off my to-go rum/coke in the pickup and head into the village square.

I stopped at Manuel’s tienda for a cold one sitting on his store steps with some other longtime amigos. Well...Beer by now tasted like dishwater, so I mistakenly thought…’More rum is needed.’ Manuel offered to open one from his store, but I was on a mission. He knew that, of course..and told me to be careful. "You belong to us, Rogelio. You are a Mulegeno."

Well, old friend...thanks and sorry about all the excitement and the gossip running amok in gringolandia/Mulege. It's just plain ol' "Weedy-weedy-weedy, Rogelio."....as Carmen says!



Aha..another bar would have some more rum, I bet? Thank God, a good friend was on duty and has a good memory…he refused to serve me any rum. Good man. Sorry about all the excitement and the gossip running amok in gringolandia/Mulege. Hope it blows over soon...I don't want you to lose any business.

..."Time to go home, Old Nostaligic and now drunk Fart", I thought….and sought out my trusty Dodge steed left somewhere in the village square. I found my pickup without much trouble. It was parked in the middle of the street and of course that made it easy to spot…especially with the lights on.

”I’ll take the shortcut under the bridge to the highway.” BANG!..clatter,clatter Whoops, who put that garbage barrel in the middle of the street?

Driving towards the river road under the bridge, I noticed several people were having some kind of a foot race in front of my bumper. Unusual time for a track and field event, I thought, but hey…it’s Baja.

About then I finally realized what those flashing lights were in my mirror. It was a Mulege police car flashing and honking behind me…I pulled over under the bridge to let him… and whoever he was chasing… go by.

Opps...it appears they wanted to talk to me. I get out of the pickup, some prankster must have tripped me, and I was thrown forward, barely grabbing the policeman’s shirt in time to keep from pitching into the river. The other policeman picked up the pistola that I had accidentally knocked out of its holster.

My vertical support screwed up his nose while holding me up…and said…”Rogelio, have you been drinking today? Mucho rum,maybe?”

Moi? I smiled, "No…a little shot earlier, maybe. Nothing at all, really.." He moved a little further away, shining his flashlight into the cab. “You maybe have some rum with you now, si?”

“No, amigo…I am heading home….very slowly…. and go to bed. I am tired...it has been a LONG day… thinking of nostalgic things…like when I used to have a beer or a taco with your father….Back in the Day."

The other policeman opened the passenger’s door. Clink-clink-clatter….whoops... “Ah…Those are just returnos I was taking to Manuel’s tienda, but manana will be better.”

“Rogelio, you need a ride home, maybe? Come back tomorrow and get your pickup.”


“Muchas Gracias, amigos…that would be wonderful….your papa did the same thing a few times….”Back in the Day”


“What is this ‘day’ you say, Rogelio? Today is lunes..Monday…?”

“I’ll tell you about it another time. Wake me when we get home.”

Very late the next morning, I woke up feeling like I had been dragged over the Punta Chivato road…and then back. Ugh..


THEN the reality of what had happened the day and night before came to my mind like a red hot spear! GOOD GREIF, CHARLIE BROWN!!


I must have peeed off half ..maybe all ….of the gringo population of Mulege’s most famous bar scenes.

Well...I have 86'ed myself from these watering holes and will entertain more at home con amigos..No driving! I don't need any more...events of this nature.


Thankfully, my old Back in the Day townsfolk know me well enough to have me as thier friend... no matter what foolishness I can generate.

Somehow, that brings a tear and a smile and another tear.

Muchas gracias, Mulege...my home for so many years.



And so now... I am back to post again on BajaNomads..whether you like it or not! IT'S IN MY BLOOD.

To my Nomad amigos, I am sorry and surprised about all the fuss and wonder over my post. And I would really like to say how much I appreciate all the nice words from BajaNomads on this and other threads, emails, U2U's from many of you, and from Nomad lurkers around the world. I am greatly surprised that BajaNomads is such wide-read forum. What a lot of Baja-lovers there are out there. What a lot of attention for an old Baja Fart.


I got into the demon rum…. plain & simple. I knew better, but did it anyway. No excuses. It was my actions that pizzed off some. Like Co-Pilot tells me from Roma...Friends do not need an apology for this, nor want one…. and those who do…are not true friends. Be yourself, be nice, and just say Ciao. Grazie for just the right touch, tesoro.


So.....on to getting back in the saddle? Yup, I miss posting my ramblings, thoughts, and sightings. Hells bells, it's been 6 whole days!! A lot has happened!!!

Stay tuned for a Pinto Derby report….plus a whale shark swimming out in front of mi casa right now.

And also a mysterious die-off of thousands of baitfish that have washed up on the beach here in Coyote Bay.


…and dozens of photos of me catching crappies when I was 14 in Far North Dakota. Well….after all, I can’t just keep posting Big Pike from Canada…


...and in conclusion:



A PLEDGE. SO HELP ME GOD….

I will never drink Rum again.
I will never drink Rum again.
I will never drink Rum again.
I will never drink Rum again.
I will never drink Rum again.
I will never drink Rum again.
I will never drink Rum again!!!



P.S. A personal AND A GENERAL apology was sent the very next day..Tuesday...to all present at the waterfront bar to two bar regulars..whom I knew were present. I would hope they conveyed my request. I have already made my decision to not visit those places again..for any reason. Now I am done with this.

[Edited on 4-6-2011 by Pompano]

You just hold that thought....

[Edited on 4-3-2011 by LaTijereta]

He only mentioned RUM. Very shrewd.

Pompano! Ciao!

Quote:

Originally posted by Pompano A PLEDGE. SO HELP ME GOD…. I will never drink again. I will never drink again. I will never drink again. I will never drink again. I will never drink again. I will never drink again. I will never drink again!!!

Nice bender....welcome back. Maybe walk to the bar next time

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

No stone casting here.
Stay healthy and cause no injury.
Gotta freebie there.

Take a gander at the bottom of my post. Virtually every one of the incidents in there started out with just a little pick me up.

I am quite happy you and everyone around you are, other than maybe the soul searching aspect of which I am familiar with, are alright.
Saludos

Blech!

Welcome back Roger!

Thanks for the most excellent story about why you left!

I was hoping and prayin that you liked us too much to stay away! WE ALL REALLY LIKE you...and co-pilot too!!!!

I'm already looking forward to your new stories and future adventures!

And hey...don't be embarassed in any way about having too much DEMON RUM...we've all been foolish a time or two, or three, or four!! ...I know I've made a fool out of myself a few times!!


Take care Amigo!


Michael

....now run for PRESIDENT.....you know how to FLIP-FLOP....

Is This a Cry for Help?

Im glad you're back. It takes a lot of cojones to unburden oneself so publicly. The irony is, I would have welcomed you back regardless.

But then, I don't live in Mulege.

How about Pompano in Asuncion with pics of Shari in short, shorts?! Not Juan. Go getum, Meat! Pick up where you left off! Full speed ahead, Capt. Bingomton, said McHale. Smiles, Tio

Quote:

Originally posted by Pompano A PLEDGE. SO HELP ME GOD…. I will never drink again. I will never drink again. I will never drink again. I will never drink again. I will never drink again. I will never drink again. I will never drink again!!!

Glad your OK Looking forward to your pictures and stories.

ALCOHOLIC!!!!!!!

..................................................................................................................

Sounds like he left a lot of dead soldiers behind, as well as a trash can...so he his in fact a conquer of sorts.

been there myself once or twice...and then I did this



[Edited on 4-4-2011 by fishabductor]

why do nomads glorify dwi?

Oh Roger I do miss you!!!!!!!

In your best Pirate Voice

Been there, done that and that......LOL. We now sitck to Mechaladas........You were looked after by other Mulegenos and what a privilege that is......Glad to see you're back. We don't post much but browse each day. We always enjoy your posts, stories and fantastic photos as we are always Baja Dreamin".

Hold off judgement Nomads as we have all had nostalgic thoughts of Nomadlandia of BACK In The DAY with a Cuba Libre or 2 or 3.....

Quote:

Originally posted by Cypress Pompano! Ciao!

I love Rum it can bring out the best in all of us . Happy to see you back , love to sit down drink a bottle with you some time .

Tbone, Ciao is Italian for howdy or bye, depends upon whether you're coming or going.

"Bless me Father, for I have sinned"

Well.....I missed the original post of yours. I leave for a week and you stir up the ol BN. Love it!

To come back on line as you did, making amends of the post....takes a real man to do. Once again you have painted a picture of yourself as being human......as all of us are. Show me a perfect person and I'll show you a fraud.

Being an ex Bar and Night Club owner.....I watched many men in business suits and women in their night's best attire....get smashed with the loco water.........unintentional. To call these folks drunks and/or boozers would not hold true....just a human with a drink too many.

I always find it refreshing to see that Bajanomads are human.....lets treat them as such.

[Edited on 4-4-2011 by mcfez]

Ditto

" ONE IS TOO MANY, AND A THOUSAND IS NEVER ENOUGH"
Took me 20 years to understand exactly what that quote really ment.
So be sure to think thrice before u pick up that first one.
Glad you dodged the bullet one more time. YOu gotta stop playing American Roulet cause one day you just might loose or win depending how you look at it.

Now, how bout a fishing report?

[Edited on 4-4-2011 by Arturo]

Weren't you ever in the Army?

No harm no foul

Well....thanks. And, since I'm not taking anything in this thread seriously, I'll continue with that as my goal.

How right you are, Igor.

Nostalgia is not what it used to be.

If you've been coming to Baja for a long time then you suffer from Nostalgia. Not a real bad thing just common to remember when, no?! First I came to San Miguel and then south to Casas. Great era of innocence and adventure. Later the southern climates called. Again, wide open places! We've all adjusted our outlook and perspectives! Hell, if I don't lower my expectations a little , I'm gonna be disappointed! Even worse up north. Very few small towns ! I'm still very lucky to be living fulltime in Baja . Seguro que si! There's a dozen or more places I can hide out in. Go getit! It's still there, Amigos. Sale, Tio

Nostalgia or Grieving ?

When I read comments about "nostalgia" being the source of emotional/behavioural turmoil, I see that in some of those situations, what folks are really struggling with is the impact of "Loss".

I agree that nostalgia isn't what it used to be...

When we look back at "The good ol' days", we tend to get semi-mental about it all...

People need to recognize that we can never "go back" to anything....we are only moving forward to a memory of the past....we can't go back....only forwards

That idea of "expectation" only sets up the "disappointment " that is the flip-side of every expectation

Thinking one can recapture the past is part of the transitional phase of struggling with accepting the present...some might say it is an aspect of denial of the unpleasant present situation...but I wouldn't call it denial....I would call it "bargaining"....

Denial is a term we must reserve only for those notions which our mind has not yet entertained and/or accepted...

Once we have entertained a concept, any other dealings with it are aspects of management of that notion....accepting it and integrating it into our life....or resisting it and creating only conflict within ourselves (and externally for others)...

When one gives up a place, people, and a significant part of their personal identity and sense of Self...it is a huge transition that is usually earmarked by all sorts of transitional adaptations....and mal-adaptations.

Sadness is part of that grieving, as is anger, confusion, uncertainty, and deal-making....and after a while, a person usually moves forward into their new reality.

No one can return to the old days....they can only pretend to for a while...then they realize the illusion of it all....and claw their way forward.

For some folks, setting a goal is like throwing an anchor in front of us and dragging ourselves towards it.

For others it is a cheerier activity...

I am a nostalgic type myself...I will sometimes shed a tear or twenty of sorrow with the bitter-sweet taste it sets up...and am learning how to see how those attachments are sometimes the anchors that keep me from moving forwards.

Who said some changes would go smoothly?

AA is for quitters!

Or just photos of Co-Pilot

Motoged, sorry but, whaaaat!!!!t??! Don't understand complex psychological explanations! Sadness, despair, ...not! Suck it up, amigos!! It doesn't pay to wallow in the darkness! Hope I'm right but it's worked so far! Smiles Tio ps be my pillow?!

The old days are ours to do with what our capabilities allow. It happened and we were there. No illusions about that for a healthy mind. Relive it to your hearts content. Process the negatives, discard them and move on taking the positives with you.

The present and future are the stuff of illusions and will be nothing but illusory until they too have happened. The healthy mind will design a positive transition of illusions to beneficial realities to be drawn upon when a need for self-approval arises.

Be good to yourselves. Design good memories and live in the past as often as possible. It's a safe, healthy place to be.

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS The old days are ours to do with what our capabilities allow. It happened and we were there. No illusions about that for a healthy mind. Relive it to your hearts content. Process the negatives, discard them and move on taking the positives with you. The present and future are the stuff of illusions and will be nothing but illusory until they too have happened. The healthy mind will design a positive transition of illusions to beneficial realities to be drawn upon when a need for self-approval arises. Be good to yourselves. Design good memories and live in the past as often as possible. It's a safe, healthy place to be.