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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
Member Is Offline
Mood: Optimistic
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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]
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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oldlady
Banned
Posts: 1714
Registered: 10-31-2005
Location: BCS
Member Is Offline
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Will that last a week too?
So glad you are back.
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LaTijereta
Super Nomad
Posts: 1192
Registered: 8-27-2003
Location: Loreto
Member Is Offline
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You just hold that thought....
[Edited on 4-3-2011 by LaTijereta]
Democracy is like two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin (1759)
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by oldlady
Will that last a week too?
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He only mentioned RUM. Very shrewd. 
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Cypress
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7641
Registered: 3-12-2006
Location: on the bayou
Member Is Offline
Mood: undecided
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Pompano! Ciao!
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willyAirstream
Super Nomad
Posts: 1786
Registered: 1-1-2010
Member Is Offline
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WELCOME HOME
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jenny.navarrette
Banned
Posts: 275
Registered: 3-3-2011
Member Is Offline
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| 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!!! |
I fixed your typo's.
[Edited on 4-3-2011 by jenny.navarrette]
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BornFisher
Super Nomad
Posts: 2120
Registered: 1-11-2005
Location: K-38 Santa Martha/Encinitas
Member Is Offline
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As Billy Bones said (Treasure Island at the Benbow Inn). "Forgive me sir. Just a squall from an old sailing man who took too much rum over his
bowsprit. I ask your patience."
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Mexitron
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3397
Registered: 9-21-2003
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Member Is Offline
Mood: Happy!
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Nice bender....welcome back. Maybe walk to the bar next time
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Skeet/Loreto
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4709
Registered: 9-2-2003
Member Is Offline
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Pompano!
Just remember how "Baja Patty" Handled the Rum!!
God Bless from another "Ole Timer".
Skeet/Loreto
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Keri
Super Nomad
Posts: 1393
Registered: 10-31-2002
Location: La Mision, Baja Norte
Member Is Offline
Mood: muy contento
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Hey we have all been there,You're among friends ,no problemas,I remember "back in the day" when the hangovers didn't last for days, yep, being young
did have some benifits. Anyway Welcome home. We missed you, Hope to see you this summer,k
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soulpatch
Nomad
Posts: 404
Registered: 7-30-2005
Member Is Offline
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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
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ELINVESTIG8R
Select Nomad
Posts: 15882
Registered: 11-20-2007
Location: Southern California
Member Is Offline
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I knew the Triple-dog-dare would get him back.
An issued triple-dog-dare has no counteraction and must be implemented and/or carried out.
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24baja
Senior Nomad
Posts: 952
Registered: 2-3-2009
Location: Grants Pass Oregon/Bahia de Los Angeles
Member Is Offline
Mood: Wishing we were in BOLA
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Welcome. Back mi amigo, we are glad you are well and have returned to post. I feel you are a lucky man, neither you or any others were hurt during
your rum haze.....
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bajamedic
Nomad
Posts: 392
Registered: 12-5-2008
Location: Northern California
Member Is Offline
Mood: Just waitin for baja
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And now, about that Pinto Derby, the Whale Shark in front of the casa and the bait fish washing up on shore… we are waiting… OK maybe just a few
photos of some adventures with Co Pilot would hold us off for a few. JH
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
Member Is Offline
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Oh, jeeeeeeezo....another 2000 posts of goo coming up.
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Bob H
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5867
Registered: 8-19-2003
Location: San Diego
Member Is Offline
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Welcome back to earth, Roger!
I knew you would be back!!!!
Bob H
The SAME boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg. It's about what you are made of NOT the circumstance.
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Johannes
Nomad
Posts: 110
Registered: 9-29-2006
Location: / Loreto/Kenmore,WA
Member Is Offline
Mood: I love it in Loreto
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welcome back , for now, hope to see some good fishing stories soon.
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shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13049
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
Member Is Offline
Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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a huge WOOOOOO HOOOOO Pomp....most excellent bender story...now ....got any more of those short short photos from back in the day???
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Bajahowodd
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9274
Registered: 12-15-2008
Location: Disneyland Adjacent and anywhere in Baja
Member Is Offline
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Blech!
| Quote: | Originally posted by DENNIS
Oh, jeeeeeeezo....another 2000 posts of goo coming up. |
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