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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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Another Nomad is gone
Just got an email from his wife telling me that 'Herb' is no longer with us. He was a hell of a man and loved the Baja people very much. He was a
traveling pardner of 'JR's' and felt as strongly as JR did but didn't have the need to beat others around the head and shoulders when they didn't see
things his way.
I, for one, will miss him very much.
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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DianaT
Select Nomad
Posts: 10020
Registered: 12-17-2004
Member Is Offline
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Sounds like he was a great guy, and a real loss for those who knew him.
My thoughts are with his family and friends.
In Mystery we are born, in mystery we live, and in mystery we die.
Always sad for those left behind.
Diane
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capt. mike
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8085
Registered: 11-26-2002
Location: Bat Cave
Member Is Offline
Mood: Sling time!
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sad, i liked Herb's stuff.
formerly Ordained in Rev. Ewing\'s Church by Mail - busted on tax fraud.......
Now joined L. Ron Hoover\'s church of Appliantology
\"Remember there is a big difference between kneeling down and bending over....\"
www.facebook.com/michael.l.goering |
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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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Penned this last night
True passion is tempered by much thought, honed by our life experiences, and kept warm and embracing by shared friendships.
Bernie Swaim, June 2, 2007
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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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64834
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Sad for sure, 'Herb' was a nice man, posted really good photos and stories from the interior of Baja!
Bernie and 'Herb' at Book Signing #2 (May, 2004)...
[Edited on 6-2-2007 by David K]
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Natalie Ann
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2819
Registered: 8-22-2003
Location: Berkeley
Member Is Offline
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My sympathies to Herb's wife, family and friends... he was a good man, an interesting man, and he will be missed. I'm expecting he's adding his
stories to those of other Nomads past, as they sit around that heavenly fire.
Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.
.....Oscar Wilde
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fdt
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4059
Registered: 9-7-2003
Location: Tijuana, Baja California
Member Is Offline
Mood: Yeah, what if it all goes right
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Sad news indeed, our condolences to his family.
A well informed Baja California traveler is a smart Baja California traveler!
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Dave
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6005
Registered: 11-5-2002
Member Is Offline
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"Herb"
Who?
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BajaNomad
Super Administrator
Posts: 4999
Registered: 8-1-2002
Location: San Diego, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: INTP-A
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Pulled just now from the archives..... by "Herb" (some in response to you Dave!):
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Stuff I like better in Baja
1. Huitlacoche
2. Chicharron by the Chunk, crispy as a snack or soft in soups and Tacos.
3. Soups or Caldos in general
4. Sunrise and Sunset over the sea in the same day
5. Sitting in the Zocalo or Plaza in Tecate or San Ignacio on a Sunday afternoon.
6. Seafood c-cktails
7. Less Crowded Beaches
-- posted on 11-23-2004 at 12:23 PM
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Life is waaaay too short!
-- posted on 1-13-2005 at 10:44 AM
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[Re: cultural norms for acceptable societal behavior that ((differ distinctly)) between the US and Mexico]:
Divorce. The notion of a family unit is far more compelling than the notion of irreconcileable differences.
Scant clothing. Particularly in underage females. MUCH less of that down south than up north.
Sense of personal space. People get much closer to you in public places in Mexico. We think it is rude, they think it is rude when we object.
Timeliness. There is definitely a different standard for what is considered polite and not. As a college student in the US, if the professor was not
in the classroom 5 min after the start of class, we assumed class was canceled and split. I was shocked to discover in Mexico City that the "polite"
standard was to wait 20 min for each hour of class. I had one Mexican professor that would sometimes show up 20 to 40 min late for a 3 hour class. I
once had a interview with the VP in charge of Latin American operations for my company in which he stated that, "These people believe there are things
in life that are more important than always being on time and I think they are right."
Being able to relax and enjoy your meal in a restaurant and having to ask to get your check when you are ready to leave... vs. having the check shoved
in front of you as soon as it becomes apparent that you are not going to spend any more money and then having the waiter hover over you periodically
until you've paid and left.
Stopping to strike up a conversation with someone and becoming a coffee, soda, or dinner guest just because you were there and you were nice. Happens
to me about every other time I go to Baja (south of Ensenada). Has NEVER happened to me in the US.
Smiles and waves.
People stopping to help people who are in obvious need of help. I once stopped to photograph some wildflowers beside the road in Baja and had trouble
actually being able to set up and get a good shot because 4 different people stopped to see if I needed help. I've had 2 vehicle breakdowns in Baja
and in both cases people stopped and broke out toolkits and became as engrossed in solving my problem as if it was their own vehicle. I've stopped to
try and help people up here and have actually had them jump in their car and roll up the windows and lock the doors because they were leery of my
intentions.
The focus in the US business community on "strictly business" without "getting to know" the people you are dealing with. I was asked to come along as
the translator on a major business deal with one of my company's customers who had operations on both sides of the border. We negotiated over a
substantial lunch in Tijuana and I had to constantly make appologies for my "rude white friend" who was already asking during appetizers, "So, can we
do the deal?" I had to explain to him that we were still on our kids and their education at that point, no business yet, and that there would be no
handshakes until dessert.
I could go on and on but, hopefully, by now you get the point. And when I say Mexican values, I am speaking in generalities and I know that much of
the urbanized border zone from Ensenada north does not reflect these values as much as the rest of Mexico. I also know that you will encounter people
on both sides of the border that will act outside of what are considered the norms for socially acceptable behavior.
Now, I don't think the differences are genetically based. I just think that a lot of things compete for our attention and focus in the modern world.
When you don't have things like personal wealth and your nation's prominence on the world scene to take up so much of your thoughts and attentions, it
leaves you to focus more on the more traditional things like family and community which I personally find more refreshing.
-- posted on 10-12-2004 at 01:22 AM
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When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.
– Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
We know we must go back if we live, and we don`t know why.
– John Steinbeck, Log from the Sea of Cortez
https://www.regionalinternet.com
Affordable Domain Name Registration/Management & cPanel Web Hosting - since 1999 |
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Sharksbaja
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5814
Registered: 9-7-2004
Location: Newport, Mulege B.C.S.
Member Is Offline
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Thanks Doug, I needed that! Very astute observations. We'll miss Herbs presence and contributions. Vaya con dios amigo.
DON\'T SQUINT! Give yer eyes a break!
Try holding down [control] key and toggle the [+ and -] keys
Viva Mulege!
Nomads\' Sunsets
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Dave
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6005
Registered: 11-5-2002
Member Is Offline
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Understand but...
Herb who?
Are we not allowed to know his surname?
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vgabndo
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3461
Registered: 12-8-2003
Location: Mt. Shasta, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Checking-off my bucket list.
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DAVE WHO?
What does it matter. Just reading the observations above I share the loss. My condolences to those who were close to him.
Undoubtedly, there are people who cannot afford to give the anchor of sanity even the slightest tug. Sam Harris
"The situation is far too dire for pessimism."
Bill Kauth
Carl Sagan said, "We are a way for the cosmos to know itself."
PEACE, LOVE AND FISH TACOS
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Bob and Susan
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8813
Registered: 8-20-2003
Location: Mulege BCS on the BAY
Member Is Offline
Mood: Full Time Residents
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Ken (herb) Thomas ... artist
http://herbsphotos.smugmug.com/
[Edited on 6-2-2007 by Bob and Susan]
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Dave
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6005
Registered: 11-5-2002
Member Is Offline
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It matters
| Quote: | Originally posted by vgabndo
What does it matter. Just reading the observations above I share the loss. My condolences to those who were close to him. |
Unless you want to treat life and death anonymously.
Death is cold enough.
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
Member Is Offline
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Com'on Dave..............
The man died.
Why do you have to have fun with it?
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Bajafun777
Super Nomad
Posts: 1103
Registered: 9-13-2006
Location: Rosarito & California
Member Is Offline
Mood: Enjoying Life with Wife In Mexico, Easy on The Easy
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Bob and Sue, good thought on sharing what mattered to Ken (Herb) Thomas by way of his photos he posted on his website. Interesting and something and
meant a great deal to him as his expressed in his open statements on his website. Sorry for his families loss.
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vgabndo
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3461
Registered: 12-8-2003
Location: Mt. Shasta, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Checking-off my bucket list.
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Bob and Susan...thanks for sharing the website. Not just his friends but the world, it seems, has lost a gentle man with a keen eye for beauty.
Undoubtedly, there are people who cannot afford to give the anchor of sanity even the slightest tug. Sam Harris
"The situation is far too dire for pessimism."
Bill Kauth
Carl Sagan said, "We are a way for the cosmos to know itself."
PEACE, LOVE AND FISH TACOS
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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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Dave
It was my post and I didn't use his name because 'he' chose to use the name Herb..............When his wife contacted me with the news I did not think
to ask her permission and would have felt awkword after the first contact. Now that his name is posted here I will tell you all that I have never met
his wife, Pat, but I understand that they both have traveled extensively in Baja and I believe on the mainland.
He was a very interesting, perceptive man who had a great grasp of the Mexican culture and he had the guts to tell his pushy bosses to back off when
necessary.............Knowing you, I believe that you would also have thoroughly enjoyed his mind and perhaps even his concern for his fellow man.
I do understand what you have said about death being so cold and I guess without a name to lean on it does not impact as much as if you had shared a
beer, a picture, or even a hand shake.
I hate funerals but I do plan on attending his because I really liked and respected this man.
Here is just a little of what I wrote to his wife.
"Two mature men who went about our lives with a quiet passion for other people and a place that allowed us both a peace that we were never able to
find in the normal world. Baja and its people have a way of doing that for some and it is a blessing."
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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koru
Newbie
Posts: 3
Registered: 11-10-2006
Location: San Diego and Baja Norte
Member Is Offline
Mood: peaceful
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Hello - all ya'alls
I've been one of those lookie loos on this site for a couple years. I've posted only a few times so I'd best get my profile and etc updated! I promise
to get more involved!
I just met Bernie at Ken's funeral services today. What an amazing and kind person. In the past, I had heard about Bernie thru Ken. Glad I met you
Bernie!
There is a group of travel buddies that has traveled with Ken in SoCal and baja for years. We called your bajanomad "Herb".... "Xterra Ken". Some of
those baja pals could not attend the services today and some do not live in SoCal any longer. A few of us could attend and it's been a difficult week
for many of us. It was a really nice service and long....2 hours. Lots of people and good stories were shared. Ken loved life and although he
understood his days were numbered....he lived life to the fullest. Our thoughts are go out to his family.
Here are two sites that will display Xterra Ken's awesome photography skills....enjoy and remember.
http://www.pbase.com/jugheadken
http://herbsphotos.smugmug.com/
I will write more when I can...
Lory
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8084
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
Member Is Offline
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How unfortunate for many of us that we find out more about a man after he leaves us than when he's still with us.
Herb was an interesting man and I wish I had met him.
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