David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64849
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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REVIEW: 'Think (You Know) Baja' by Bernie Swaim
Baja Bernie Swaim's THIRD publication contains 239 pages of Baja California stories from the past to the present and should be on every Baja bookcase
for both fun and reference!
The start of Baja's recorded history is a bit clouded and confusing and Bernie dives right into the Vermillion Sea (Sea of Cortez/ Gulf of California)
telling the story of the island/peninsula of California in a way that clears the clouds.
Bernie takes you around Baja with fresh stories that tie in the old with the new. His research on the Mexican American War (1846-1848) is very
detailed and interesting.
The Trek to San Ignacio circa 1938 chapter is one of my favorites. It describes the auto journey taken by Jimmy Smith's esposa Doņa Lupe when she was
a child.
The chapter on healing plants, the history behind ejidos, a Soviet MiG pilot defector, Baja Patti, and so many more will make you appreciate the
addition of 'Think You Know Baja' to your personal Baja book collection.
The members of Baja Nomad Forums will enjoy the many contributions from Baja Nomads contained in Bernie's book including the early history of Baja
racing by 'thebajarunner', Dick Hagerty. Dick ran against the likes of Parnelli Jones and Mickey Thompson in those days!
The day we met Antonio Muņoz ('BajaCactus') and 'Jesse' at JR's La Barca home is detailed. Enjoy reading about Baja personalities that include Jimmy
Smith (The Grinning Gargoyle), and Baja's best known pilot, Francisco Muņoz.
As in Bernie's previous books, this one is well illustrated with cartoons that tell the story finer than photos!
'Think You Know Baja' is one book to read, enjoy and keep!
Get yours at http://mibaja.com or your local book dealer.
[Edited on 2-4-2007 by David K]
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64849
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Larry, the jpeg I used above was off Bernie's web site and is much cleaner than my scanned jpeg... I imagine it came from Doug who is a computer
guy...
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thebajarunner
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3718
Registered: 9-8-2003
Location: Arizona....."Free at last from crumbling Cali
Member Is Offline
Mood: muy amable
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Working with Bernie was (well....) it was just terrific!!
Bernie and I became the best of friends, crafting and revising this opus.
And, as it says in the foreward, we had never met, and to this day have not yet done so.
We have had lengthy conversations, endless emails, a few minor spats (and a couple not so minor) and we are still "the best of friends."
Yeah, David, that is my name on the upper corner of the cover.... as I told Bernie, early on, my personal Nomad cover will be thoroughly blown by
this, although many of you on the board know me by name and by our correspondence.
Buy the book!
Read the book!!
If it sells 100,000 copies by June then I get some royalties (as yet to be determined)
Dick Hagerty a.k.a. 'thebajarunner'
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64849
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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That's okay Dick, because Bernie has my last name in their too! (not that it was
any secret)!! As long as people know that it (KIER) rhymes with BEER!
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Baja Bernie
`Normal` Nomad Correspondent
Posts: 2962
Registered: 8-31-2003
Location: Sunset Beach
Member Is Offline
Mood: Just dancing through life
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Well, now!
That do make my day!
Writing, to me, is just a way to reach out and touch my friends or those who will shortly be friends.
My books were the result of a good friend, now gone as so many of them are, who chided me and demanded that as one of the only survivors to witness
the beginnings of a small campo along the blue Pacific, that I tell the story of their passing. So I tried and the result was "Mi Baja No Hurry No
Worry." That proved to be fun and got me introduced to many more Baja friends, one of them is well known to many of you.........Fred Hoctor the
author of Baja HaHa, Fred helped me for a while but then he ran off and left me dangling when he suffered his last heart attack.......who indicated
that they really enjoyed my tonge in cheek approach to the 'serious' stuff about Baja.
As I was writing, "Bouncing Around Baja," I came to the conclusion that, while I had been visiting and living in Baja for a good many years, I really
knew nothing much about Baja.
It was about this time that I met that.........'showing the way guy,' David K, and with his help started my fairly large library of books on Baja. He
also helped me a ton with the setting and routes in my last two books...............AND I started talking to the folks, like Don Jimmy Smith who had
been kicking around Baja since Christ was a Corporal. He wrote, "The Grinning Gargoyle Spills the Beans" and his passing left a huge hole in my heart.
Anyway, I kept studying and listening to other folks.........stole a whole bunch of stuff off of this board. You guys & gals don't know it, but
many of you helped heal some of that hole left by Don Jimmy.
I stole so many stories that I decided to con a few of the real authors into allowing me to publish their stories in this book................Not in
any order they are Perry Sims...... The God of Thunder......one unknown fisherman's wife......Bajalera (writing a book herself, she has a problem with
her book because she knows a whole lot about her subject--Baja)......Corky Behrle......and last but not least 'the schoolmarm', my Nomad friend, and
the guy who pricked my bubble everytime I sent him something to review.............Dick 'Sterling' Hagerty.
As I keep saying...............'In Baja friends are made fast and mostly to last' and 'Baja is People helping People.'* I truly believe this and wish
to thank all of you for making this board a fun place and for allowing me to continue to learn about.......................... Mi Amor----Baja.
Many of you I have never met and never will........but I do consider many of you as my 'Baja Friends.'
*Believing in this I still carry Baha HaHa and Don Jimmy's book on my website and sell them with all of the profits going the the respective widows.
[Edited on 2-6-2007 by Baja Bernie]
My smidgen of a claim to fame is that I have had so many really good friends. By Bernie Swaim December 2007
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Baja Bernie
`Normal` Nomad Correspondent
Posts: 2962
Registered: 8-31-2003
Location: Sunset Beach
Member Is Offline
Mood: Just dancing through life
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Goodness!
A whole day has passed and the schoolmarm has not unleashed his red pencil.
Runner, are you ill?
My smidgen of a claim to fame is that I have had so many really good friends. By Bernie Swaim December 2007
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thebajarunner
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3718
Registered: 9-8-2003
Location: Arizona....."Free at last from crumbling Cali
Member Is Offline
Mood: muy amable
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Don't change the subject!
Bernie, we are talking about how much fun it is to read this book- stick to the subject at hand.
Nope, not ill, just off on another thread about border crossing routes, trying to straighten out their spelling glitches.
(sound familiar?)
and yes, folks, buy the book,
my royalties don't start until we hit 100,000 copies sold, at retail, which I expect to happen very soon.
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Mike Supino
Nomad
Posts: 351
Registered: 10-16-2002
Member Is Offline
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Bernie,
How do I get a signed copy?
Therianthropic
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Baja Bernie
`Normal` Nomad Correspondent
Posts: 2962
Registered: 8-31-2003
Location: Sunset Beach
Member Is Offline
Mood: Just dancing through life
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Mike
Just go to my site, http://www.caballeropublishing.com and order any book you wish. If you, or anyone else, wishes to have it addressed to someone then just include
those desires in the comments box and I will pick it up as it is processed.
Normal shipments are restricted to the United States because of costs..........I have had a few folks in the UK and Canada agree to cover the added
costs and they did this in the same comment box.
Thanks for asking
My smidgen of a claim to fame is that I have had so many really good friends. By Bernie Swaim December 2007
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