COWPATTY CHRONICLES

COWPATTY CHRONICLES

COWPATTY PAST PAGES

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Summer 2005.......Reports are that the road is repaired past Coloradito!!!

2004-2005 ---Another season has passed so quickly!! We lost two of our dear friends and neighbors---Sid and Mary Dotinga. I can't express what a loss they are to all of us. I have only made a couple of trips since January but everything has remained much the same. The road is still bad.....Mexico plans to fix it (still), the Cowpatty is still open and for the most part we are all enduring well and still enjoying our little spot on the peninsula. Bill and Juanita are finally going to see their Dry Cleaning business open!!! Please stop by the Cowpatty and say hi.......Best wishes for a safe and happy summer....

June 2005

I had a wonderful 5 days in Puertecitos. The road is being worked on as we speak and is pretty good to KM 41. It seems there has been some govermental interest lately and things are moving forward again. There is some road work in Mexicali near the railroad tracks and Walmart...could get congested during high traffic times. Surprise!!! No gas in Puertecitos......The Pemex alarm sounded the whole time I was there just to remind me....

The weather was hot!! but the closing party at the Cowpatty made it easier....lots of cerveza and hot dogs on hand for all the great customers that have made the Cowpatty a success over the years. We saluted all of our friends that couldn't be there and look forward to seeing them next season. The ones that won't be back will always be in our hearts! It was great to see Corky's daughter Lora and her husband Gary in town. Friend Barb from Visalia took a break from "Merle's" to relax for a week. Corky is living in a very nice convalescent home in Visalia. Unfortunately Alzheimers has taken her bright smile and laughter away from us much too soon. Corky's other daughter Chris and hubby Bob are living happily in Idaho near their daughter and grandkids. My Mom and Dad (Tumbleweed and Betty Boop) are doing great in Salome, Arizona.

Enjoyed seeing Alfredo and family, Cesar and Maria and even a brief hello with Carlos! Cesar is now a pastor at the church and invites everyone to come to church! Spoke with Jose who said Marilyn is doing fine. Pancho and Tita delivered water (saved the day). Anita and Fancha were on their way to a meeting in Ensenada.

Pete and Olivia stopped by on their way to the States. Panama, Richard and Beth, Prem joined us on the porch to catch up on all the happenings. Juanita was ill and couldn't make the closing party but Bill represented her well. Thanks to the Brown's for their "porch" hospitality. Nice to see Michelle and the kids there! Bill and Suzanne are looking healthy and happy!! Charlie and Pat were dancing their way out of the Cowpatty as I was leaving.....Dale still gives great hugs even if he did tease me about gaining weight after getting married...Dave and Mark and Kim were in town keeping up with the kids. Lots of activity at the round houses.

I'll be south over the summer and keep you posted on what's happening!!!

August 2005

Watch for cowpatty south!!!!

IN MEMORIAM

2004

John Deneweth dear husband, friend and father. Johnny will be missed by all.

Don Armour

Howdy Blackburn

Dave Miles

Linda Saveland

Col. Bill (Huerfenito)

Ray Fritz

Alfonso Frias Ortiz

LUCILLE EVERETT

JOHN HAHN

CHARLIE SNIDER

KENNY HOLSINGER

JACK SECORD

CHUCK SISTO

MIKE BROWN

PHIL FLANDERS

GUILLERMO "GORDO" AMADOR

ROBERT DAVIS

CHET JOHNSTON

DICK MUTTERER

previous months......

September 2003

A new season is upon us. Cowpatty is open!! I am just back from a great trip to San Felipe, Puertecitos and Huerfenito. Nothing much new about the road, same as last season. It was still HOT!!! Locals reassured me that it had cooled off !! There was no gas in Puertecitos the week of 9-20-03.

Our sincere sympathy goes out to the Amador family whose father Guillermo (Willie) died on Sept 12. Lupe and the girls are in Tecate with their older sisters. The family asked me to let the tenents of Campo Serena know that they should contact Mari and Jose in Tecate in reference to any rent or camp issues. Contact me at mscowpatty@cox.net for phone and address info.

Don Jesus opened a new restaurant and additional rooms! Looks great. We enjoyed the Dia de Independencia parade on Sept 16. San Felipe wasn't real crowded but they had a great celebration.

Enjoyed a great Italian dinner at the "new" Red Lobster. If you haven't had the chance to enjoy the rennovated restaurant I recommend you do so.

My good friend Alfonso (formerly cantinero at the "old" Red Lobster) has opened his own bar (Cristys) across from the bank. Couldn't find the piano but he does have a pool table and juke box. He also serves botanas on Friday nights so stop in for a cold one!!

Enjoyed our stay at the Pescador where it's always like going home.....

I was able to take Carl South for the first time in the 30 years we have known each other. It is always great to introduce our part of the world to someone and watch them discover what we all keep going there for!! The scenic ride to Huerfenitos and the great company of Pete and Olivia even added to the special "first trip". He can't wait to go back. Imagine his surprise when he met an amigo from Farmington Utah at the Miramar...small world...he was such a good sport about the black widows, moths and beetles!

Richard, Juanita, Bill, Beatriz, Eddie, Carl and I all had an impromptu meeting at the laundramat and enjoyed an afternoon

of new stories, old stories and just plain stories....Great to see everyone rolling back in to town.

Looking forward to seeing the Deneweths real soon!!! Prem actually went on a vacation!!! Jay is gearing up for the shrimpers whose season started on the 16th of September.

Thanks to Cesar for serving us a wonderful breakfast at the Puertecitos restaurant. Maria will be opening her restaurant soon so Cesar will be returning to his camp.

Ricky and Cecilia and (growing) kids are back at Bahia Cristina. It was great to see them and hear about their mainland vacation. They are open for business.....

See you in Mexico!!!

Cowpatty

Welcome to Summer!

It's July and I'm finally getting an update in!

I ventured south once in May and twice in June. There is construction on Mex 5 near Laguna Salada, lots of fresh tar and loose gravel (grava suelta). The last 20 miles to Puertecitos still ROCKS....Good news about the road south of Puertecitos. It has been graded almost to Black Mountain and is a great drive. Word has it that there are three mountains being removed and they are transporting the gypsum to Ensenada.

The weather was perfect over the 20th. Locals reported strong winds in the days prior. When I returned on the 27th it felt as though someone had turned the oven on. Temperature in Mexicali was 120 degrees. San Feliped logged in at 110. Thank goodness for generators and air conditioning.

Thanks for all the great emails!! Keep them coming. I do continue going south during the summer and will keep the site posted with any news that I found out about.

Cowpatty will be closed for the summer. Watch for the September Opening Party. We celebrated June birthdays at the Cowpatty on the 28th and the official closing day on the 29th. Carlitos Amador was honored with a birthday party and pinanta to celebrate his 5th birthday! Tias Mari and Blanca did a wonderful job with the food and "Spiderman" theme.

Marci and I brought a friend with us....her first visit to our part of the world. Hopefully she'll return when the weather is not so brutal.....We had a great breakfast prepared by Cesar at the Puertecitos restaurant. Cesar was the first person to cook for me when I flew in to Puertecitos many years ago......A visit south to see the Osuna's....their restaurant will close for the summer as well. Enjoyed a cooling swim with the kids and dogs. Ce Ce's margaritas were just what we needed to get through the sweltering afternoon.

Nice to see Luz Elena and Carlos. Luz was busy cleaning and I had lots of chores in progress so we only visited for a short time. Sounds as if their family is doing quite well.

Be sure to check out the new photos. I've also tried to fix the photos so you can click on them to enlarge.

Have a safe and wonderful summer.....

Cowpatty

HAPPY EASTER!!! FELIZ SEMANA SANTA!!!

April is already here and almost gone....I have had so many irons in the fire that I'm afraid I've been slow with my updates.

I just returned from a whirlwind trip to San Felipe and Puertecitos. It's always nice to spend some time with friends in San Felipe. Enjoyed steamed clams at Rositas on a sunny morning with my travelling companion, Mari Amador. The population was starting to grow as racers entered town and the Semana Santa celebration began. Thanks to the Kalish family for their always warm hospitality and a nice dinner at the Lighthouse Restaurant overlooking San Felipe on a beautiful starry night. I even got to look in on Arnold and Colorado for a sociable Cuba Libre.

Enjoyed a Friday afternoon at the Cowpatty where I was happy to announce a unannounced happy hour with free cervezas for everyone there. Memo is just about to leave on another "vacation" so we will be seeing Ricardo behind the bar more often. (note: there was some concern about "cowpattys" on the window sill but I am happy to report they have disappeared.) Perhaps we should start a "cowpatty hunt" with a prize for the most disposed of????

It was nice to get a copy of the long-missed "Puertecitos Happenings" for the 2002-2003 season. Mary Dotinga and Rose Hartelt do a fine job of keeping track of all the great activities in Puertecitos.

I will post some of the news on the Puertecitos page.

I made a trip south to Huerfenito to see the Martina family. Had a nice breakfast with Pete, Olivia, Juan Pablo and Carmen. I must say their new bathroom is a sight to behold. I still have to take a trip down memory lane and visit the Blue Lagoon now and again. There were about 20 dolphins playing in front of Pete and Olivia's palapa where we enjoyed a quiet and relaxing visit.

The road is still rough and slow. The scenery is so gorgeous though that I'm glad to have the time to enjoy it as I drive south.

I took a special bottle of wine to share with Margie and Bill (just north Cobo's camp). It's great to spend some time with some of the truly adventureous Americans who have made a home in the desert and have some of the most incredible vistas in the world. We talked about some of the boating incidents over the past few months. Unortunately there was another fatal accident in which 3 persons lost their lives. The Sea of Cortez can be cruelly unforgiving so please be careful out there. A VHF radio is critical as well as careful attention to the water and weather conditions. There's a lot of people monitoring the radios so don't be afraid to ask for info!!!

No matter how many years I drive in Mexico I always marvel at how many different places I can get my truck stuck. At least I was off the road and in town this time. Alls well that ends well--it keeps Panama in practice.

Maria's restaurant is still open and it's always a pleasure to visit with Maria and Tita and savor their wonderful food.

The Puertecitos road is terrible as always starting about 20 miles south of San Felipe. Drive slow.

Richard is expecting a mini-me of Comet in the near future. Beth faxed him a copy of his paw prints and he is looking forward to his new addition.

Cinco de Cowpatty is coming........

Hasta luego amigos

December 2002

SISTO FLIES WEST.....

I am sad to report that my dear friend Chuck Sisto passed away in Santa Paula last week. He had been ill for the past few months. Chuck was 91. Many years ago Chuck and Annie welcomed me to their home in Puertecitos and introduced our family to this beautiful part of the world. I have been fortunate to have flown with and been instructed by this pioneer aviator. Chuck forgot more about flying than I will ever know. He flew for American Airlines for years and later retired from Japan Airlines. I loved to listen to his stories about flying to Bangladesh, Casa Blanca, Europe, Asia, and around the world to places I never heard of. I spent hours gazing at photos of his small plane landing on the beach at Santa Monica...the experimental flying car he test piloted, trying to guess that the photo of an airfield with nothing around for miles was LAX. There were helicopter escapades, banner towing for special events, flight instruction, as well as the famous and infamous people that passed through his hangar. Chuck's whole life revolved around flying and his dear Annie.

Jackie Werle put it well....."Sorry to hear about Chuck, but, nobody has got out of here alive and he had a good flight."

He made a request of me on his porch in Puertecitos over 25 years ago. "Patti, when I die I want you to tell people that I always believed that "People are no good". He then added, "Every once in a while someone will prove me wrong and then I have a friend". I will remember him often and fondly.

Adios mi amigo.

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Greetings!!

January has been unseasonably warm and enjoyable. San Diego survived the Superbowl and I am long overdue for a trip south.

It's been an incredibly busy work season for me! I will be updating the site more frequently. Thanks for all the great letters and positive responses to the site!!!

Happy Valentines Day!

I am sorry to learn of Charley Snider's passing this week. I've included the memorial from the Ogden Standard Examiner.

Alfred C. Snider (Gramps)

OGDEN- Alfred C. Snider (Charley), 83, passed away February 2, 2003. He was born in Everett, Washington on February 21, 1919 and was raised in Coos bay, OR.

Charley lived most of his adult life in southern California, where he owned and operated many retail meat markets. He was married to Marguerite Dillard for 58 years until her death in 1995.

In 1980, he moved to Ogden, Utah, to enjoy retirement and his hobbies of collecting antiques and woodworking. In 1983, he and his family opened Snider"s Family Meats in Ogden, where he enjoyed cutting meat and serving his valued customers.

Charley served as a sergeant in the United States Army during World War II.

He is survived by his two children, Janet Hermenau, Ogden, UT, and Alfred Snider, Jr., Burlington, VT; three grandchildren, William, Salt Lake City, Lynda, Mesquite, NV and Sarah, Rochester, NY. Also surviving are 11 great grandchildren, Annie, Rachel, Will, Jake, Katie, Allie, Hannah, Mattie, Johnny, Dakota and Dillon.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Marguerite; two grandchildren, Kevin and Wendolyn, and a great granddaughter, Jacklynn.

The family would like to express sincere appreciation to the staff at Crestwood Care Center for their loving, professional and compassionate care provided to Charley.

DECEMBER 2002

The weather was wonderful for the races. It was grand to see so many familiar faces gathered to watch the racers come through Puertecitos.

I don't have the final results but Mike Jones reported Tractorland finished 11th in class. Their team had a lot of set-backs but they finished!!

If anyone has any information on how to reach a member of Mike Brown's family please email me!

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November 2002

Seems like the summer slipped away before I knew it. Reports are that the annual Halloween party was a great success as usual. Thanks to all those dedicated folks who make a lot of kids (and parents) happy each year.

Great news that Bill and Suzanne Lynch were expected in town! A big welcome back to both of them.

Lots of folks in town and plenty of festivities. The anticipation of the Baja 1000 coming through town has everyone planning where they will watch the race. We are trying to get permission to keep the Cowpatty open late for those avid race fans that like to see the racers come through the night (like me). We expect the trophy trucks to start coming through about 4pm.

I don't think the gas station was open so be sure to come supplied with enough to meet your needs......The airport is open and I understand the fees have lightened up a bit. Nice to see the aviators making a comeback to our little village.

The road hasn't changed much. Still terrible after Dr. Lopez's office.

Welcome to our new neighbor to the North, Kathy. She just bought Bill and Juanita Kalish's house in Colorodito. She definitely has the great Baja attitude and will be a pleasant addition to our South Campos.

Sincere condolences to the families of Fred Millard and Mike Brown who passed away recently. They will be missed.

Our hearts and thoughts are with Sara and her family as they mourn the unexpected loss of her baby.

Hasta luego

October 2002

I spoke with Bill and Suzanne Lynch. Bill is out of the hospital and currently undergoing outpatient treatment. He is in great spirits and has lots of positive things to say about his recovery. Get well soon Bill!!

The runway was open on October 3. Nice to see the Raubers' plane in town.

Bahia Christina is open and the corvina was delicious!

Sr. Goyo and Sra Carmen are happily reporting that they expect their first grandbaby in December. Congratulations!

The Evans and Deneweths are back in town and lighting up the west side of the bay. Also great to see Tom Wallank and Gordon.

Happy Birthday to Jay Krueger. He and Carol celebrated in Laughlin, Nevada.

Happy September Birthdays to Richard and Wes.

The road is pretty good until km 32. It's rough as ever after that.

CINCO DE COWPATTY

The party was a great place to be. Carne Asada, Tacos and lots of fun. Standing room only for awhile. Lots of south campo amigos we haven't seen over the summer as well as a lot of new friends. Welcome!!!

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