COWPATTY CHRONICLES

COWPATTY CHRONICLES

EARLIER ARTICLES

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Hola Amigos! Fall 2007

Another season is upon us! We look forward to seeing everyone down south. We still do not have a beer license, however, it hasn't stopped us from having a good time with our visitors!!!   Fridays bring your own libations and join the group for an old fashinoned get together.

Beth is holding yoga classes several days a week. A beautiful setting for relaxing your body and mind. Stop by Richard's house for details.

Spent a wonderful summer in Utah. Traveled for a month with my Dad to OSHKOSH for the annual airshow.   AMAZING.......Visited my bros in Minnesota and Oklahoma, Uncles in Tennessee and Kansas. Marci joined us in Nashvile and we hit the honky tonks. Then on to Memphis to visit the KING's Graceland---what a place.

Looks like the 1000 will by pass our part of the world this year. Unfortunately politics seem to affect everyone. If you want to see some of the race, the closest place would be the cut off to Mike's Sky Ranch or south of Gonzaga Bay at Coco's Corner.   Bikes leave at 6:30 AM on Tuesday the 13th of November, Trucks leave approximately 11:00. Start is in Ensenada.

Check back in December and we will have some more updates!!!!

Hasta Luego!!!

Winter 2006-2007

The Baja 1000 races brought a little vitality to the little port. It was fun to have the racers in town and seeing all the great racers on their way south.

The annual potluck dinners, bake sale and swap meet are among many of the activities going on. Other activities include painting class, quilting class, bible study and many more.

Our family is sad to report that our dear Betty Boop passed away in November. Thank you for all you kind thoughts and prayers. Tumbleweed will be joining us in Puertecitos in March.

January was cold with lots of windy days. The road work is coming along--just a small stretch between km 70 and Playa Escondido remains to be paved. The highway will go over the hill West of Puertecitos with construction continuing. What a delight to get to San Felipe in only an hour!!

Another sad loss, Jack Lee passed away in February...A nice memorial was held at the Cowpatty to celebrate his life.

Looking forward to a few more people returning in March and April.

Hasta Luego

Cowpatty

articles you might have missed....

Spring is coming!

October 2006-March 2007

I finally have retired and have time to spend doing what I love....hope to keep the site updated more frequently.

I arrived in Puertecitos on October 6th. Sadly, I joined Corky and Jack's children to spread her ashes in the bay. It has been a difficult year for all of us. Chris lost her husband unexpectedly in June just shortly after their mother passed away in May. My Mom passed away in November.

Alfredo and Anita lost four family members in a tragic auto accident. Our sympathy and thoughts are with them. Our loved ones are in our hearts always.

In October a wonderful memorial service at the boat ramp was given for Corky by Cesar. It is forever engraved in our hearts. Many thanks for Clara translating the scriptures that Cesar recited in heartfelt emotion.

The Alfredo family accompanied us and spread beautiful flowers over her burial place. All of the grandchildren helped spread flowers. Corky and Jack must have looked down with so much pride and love.

Thanks so much to Annette for providing the boat, Jay for being captain and everyone for being so loving. Thanks to everyone for all the kind thoughts and prayers. A spot in our hearts will always be reserved for our special friends and family.

November brought the 1000 through Puertecitos. We had a great time on the porch of "Marvins Mansion". The Checkers pit crew took up camp at the old Pemex and kept us entertained! The pit crews got a big kick out of all the campo "charangas"--one crew chief lamented.."we spend all this money and time and the car breaks down--you guys just keep on going in cars that shouldn't even run! Goodyear took more pictures of the Flintmobile than we did of their cars. What a great time.

A wonderful memorial was held for Jack Lee at the Cowpatty in February. Here's to Guadalajara!

Looking forward to the spring activities and returning faces.

Hasta La Pasta

Cowpatty

September 2002

Welcome to the long-awaited COWPATTY website. I had the site designed early in the year but an intentional virus took my computer out of business. Many thanks to Taller Panama for getting my equipment repaired and back in service.

A fairly common question I get asked is about the name "Cowpatty". The story follows....it only seemed right to make the little place in the desert a "tokaya"......

My unlikely name of Cowpatty came into being many years ago after flying from Santa Paula, CA to Coalinga. My Dad and I experienced an engine failure and made an emergency landing in a cow pasture, just 10 miles south of the runway. The proximity of a line of tumbleweeds in front of us made for a tense landing as we glided silently over a herd of cattle and anticipated the worst. A good landing is one you walk away from. A great landing is one you walk away from without hurting anyone or the plane. This was what all the practice for all those years was for. Stepping in a large soft "cowpatty" while exiting the plane didn't bother me in the least......Dad and I have been called Tumbleweed and Cowpatty since that day.

This website is designed to promote tourism and travel within the Baja Peninsula as well as the United States. The focus will be on the area from San Felipe south but may cover other areas of interest both sides of the border.

Adios,

November 2002

As the Baja 1000 race day nears I find myself thinking about how I got to Puertecitos 25 or so years ago.

Tumbleweed had just purchased a Cessna 182 and I was nearing my time for a private pilot check-ride. We were invited to provide air support for our friends from Torrance CA who were racing in a Class 10 that year (Dave Stevenson and Andy Pembroke). The course went through Puertecitos and we knew a fellow pilot with a house there (Chuck and Annie Sisto). This would be our maiden flight to Mexico and the excitement and anticipation level was high. I drove with the chase car crew to Ensenada the night before the start. Tumbleweed and the pilot (Ken Jamma) of the driver's plane missed each other (they waited for hours at different ends of Torrance airport). Tumbleweed was still at the Tijuana airport at sunset so he elected to wait until morning rather than risk violating any nighttime flying regulations. Of course the ground crew and the other pilot had no way of knowing what happened to him which made us all quite nervous. I had never been to an airport with soldiers who had guns and pointed them at you...By sunrise, with little sleep, we still had no word of Tumbleweed. Everyone, except the racers, went to the airport in the morning to look for him. Our racers were the only ones who had to push their own car at the start line and didn't have a cheering section!! We did finally find Tumbleweed surrounded by soldiers at the Ensenada airport. He hadn't slept well either--not wanting to risk losing the race parts or perhaps damage to his new plane, he chose to sleep underneath the aircraft at the Tijuana airport. He learned why pilots always say to not sleep under the fuselage if you want to stay dry.

The old truck and camper didn't steer well and the c- clamps bounced like they would come off at any moment. We made it to San Felipe and the check point to see our guys go through. The chase car drivers were having a blast and I don't believe we left any tequila in San Felipe. The guys all piled in the chase car to go to town looking for excitement....Tumbleweed only came back with a new hat so I guess the excitement wasn't that great. Of course none of us spoke more than a few words of Spanish. This was my first night to sleep on a beach in Mexico--I watched a helicopter doing spectacular aerobatics overhead, fireworks everwhere on the beach and then fell asleep. I heard dogs and realized I had five dogs laying in a circle around me. Of all the things I had worried about being afraid of, I hadn't thought about being attacked by dogs. The largest dog growled when I started to get up so I decided to lay down, cover my head and wait until they left. At sunrise the dogs left without a trace.....Another long, sleepless night.

The ride to Puertecitos is what convinced me to get my check ride as soon as we returned to the States. It took 4 hours over an extremely rough and dusty road. I didn't drive again until the road was paved.

Our drive stopped in Puertecitos. The pilots went on to pick up the drivers in La Paz and go to the big party. We spent three wonderful days in Puertecitos,kissed the mayor (Marvin Gardener) and danced the nights away at the old cantina. Raphael was very kind to us. Pepilo made us laugh. We slept on North Beach and promised ourselves we'd be back to spend our winters there. So it began.

JANUARY 2004

WOW! It's a new year and I haven't posted since September!!

Marci and I hosted a first time group to San Felipe and Puertecitos over the Shrimp Festival in November. Brian, Robin and Christian and Monica spent a perfect weather weekend in Paradise. Many thanks to Mr. Marschke who shared his boat with Brian and Christian for a full day of fishing with the pros (BudLight was there to keep him tame).

The girls and I had non-stop visitors and enjoyed Baja recreation to it's fullest.

Thanks to Bill and Juanita for giving me a quiet get away during the festival.

My next trip was in January with pilot Mike (first driving trip) and Candy Man Duane. We re-discovered the driving trip south. I even found some new spots and treasures in our own back yard. Thanks to these guys for giving me a kick-back trip to be a passenger.....

Panama seems to be making progress on his shop with some help from his compadre Ann. Who says a woman can't make a difference!!

Glad to hear that Bud and Jeri Coleman made it in for a visit. It's nice to have them back!!

Not much news about the road, it's still bad after Doc Lopez's.

Many thanks for my neighbors Don and Marion who graciously chauffeured me around town! A visit to the Shores for laughs and fun, then to Marias for extraordinary comida and finally the COWPATTY for more good times with folks I haven't gotten to visit with for a while.

Enjoyed belated Christimas tamales with Cecelia and the kids at Campo Cristina. We are planning a DIA DE MUJERES sometime in February or March.

If you haven't stopped by Alfonsos Christy Piano Bar in San Felipe do so next trip. He makes a wonderful Margarita!!! Tell him Cowpatty sent you.

Marci and I are off to join Carl in Laughlin this weekend for Superbowl--first visit since Halloween so we are ready to enjoy some fun in the sun! Some day we might even settle down and live in the same place.

Hasta Luego

Cowpatty

Pete Martina celebrated his 80th birthday in El Huerfanito with a party hosted by good friends and neighbors, Frederico and Elisabeth. About 50 friends attended and enjoyed carne asada, birria and a Dolly Parton birthday cake.

Happy March birthday to Mary Hester and Wanda Buta!

The Matomi Strippers Qult Guild held their first quilt show at the Community Center on February 14th --along with arts and crafts and a bake sale followed by a great chili dinner.

Get well wishes to Lorna Clay, Don Trunnell, Mary Dotinga, Suzanna Lynch and Maria Romo.

Bobby Calderon and Sid Dotinga brought in lots of goodies for the annual Easter event.

Nice to see Bud and Jeri Coleman and Adrian and Gail Ledbetter in for a visit!

John Williams muses over what the radio protocol is in the south campos and invites comments from the "Happenings" readers.

Flying for Jesu missionary organization headed by Joe Vaine has been disbanded after ten years of ministry to our area. Plans are in the works for a full-time doctor in the community.

2004-2005

(excerpts from "PUERTECITOS HAPPENINGS"

Carla's annual Halloween Fiesta

...The children payed "music numbers" and then a pinata--a big witch full of candy. Next the line formed for the haunted house. The carnival was a great success. Start thinking about next year's activities. We would like to see new games, costumes for kids and more donations of prizes. See you next year for "lucky thirteen"... Carla

Matomi Strippers.....we begin our mystery quilt......December 20th is our annual Cookie Exchange and Mad Hatters Christma Tea. Make up a crazy hat to show your Christmas spirit......

...(Hank Nelson).....The fishing has been moderate to good on the days that the wind would let us out. We have had 3 good fishing days in the last 3 weeks. The seas has yielded corvina averaging 2-5 pounds and some small bay bass and triggerfish. The islands are yielding goldie eye and a few other bottom fish. All in all, not too good! No report from the reef at this time.

Best wishes for speedy recoveries: Lu Gallant, Patsy Humphrey, Don Stephens and Suzanne Lynche.

PATRICIA C HAYNES CONSULTING