Porque Deje De Pescar

Pescando en el Rio Yakima

 

My fishing experience was very special, for safety reasons it always included family outings.  There’s no way I would be allowed near the river or lake by myself at that age (we are talking nine or ten years old).  My mother was very protective, and possible overly cautious.  I can honestly say that I inherited that from her.  When the family moved to the Northwest from Texas, is when we became (especially me) one with nature (everything and anything outdoors).  I totally identify with the large number of Dallas Cowboy fans, even if my NFL team allegiance belongs elsewhere.  When I lived in Texas, I was so young but already indoctrinated into believing that no other State mattered.  Some of the more popular television programs helped to heighten the hype.  One such program was “Tales of the Texas Rangers,” (1955-59).  There again television programing of the 1950’s and 60’s will be material for another blog posting.

 

I guess the relevance is that in Texas I was a city boy, and when we arrived in Washington State I became a country boy.  The relocation introduced me to my 21 year old step brother that I was meeting for the first time.  I swear if you looked up outdoors in the dictionary, his picture would be there.  He was a hard working foreman at a large farm (approximately 7,000 acres).  I was so impressed with his work ethic, and especially his well-rounded skills.  His truck had a gun rack and he regularly would go pheasant hunting on his way home from work (during open season of course).  He taught me how to fish, how to ride horse, drive tractor, he even introduced me to deer hunting.  I don’t think I’ve ever told him but I owe him a big debt of gratitude for helping me build the foundation that would become the life platform on which I still stand.  That is another great subject for future posting.

 

Meanwhile back at the farm; before I got caught up in the world of work (due to age limitations) fishing was a regular part of my day.  We had ponds on the property that were stocked with fish, and whenever possible we would fish off the side of the river that bordered our property.  I must remind you that we didn’t have Nintendo, Xbox, or any other Game Systems.  We actually had to use our bodies and minds to keep ourselves entertained.  It wasn’t unusual for me to be riding a horse from one pasture to another and make believe that I was being chased by outlaws, or god forbid a band of wild Native Americans (politically correct).  Now back to fishing and the reason I quit.

 

It was a typically beautiful hot summer day with not a cloud in the sky (easy 87 degrees).  The river was as usual running beautifully fast and smooth taking the mountain snow melt right past our property.  The river water level was low typical of the time of year, and there were many boulders that were sticking out above the water level.  Being the adventures type that I’ve always been I took all my fishing gear (tackle box, fishing pole, fish net, some bait, a couple of candy bars, and a soda), and jumped from boulder to boulder until I was half way into the river some 20 feet from shore.  My arms were actually filled to overload.  Approximately three and a half hours later, after catching my limit for the day, I decide to get back to shore. 

 

By now the river level was a little higher and some of the smaller stepping stones were no longer above water, so what had been a fairly easy skip and jump out to the fishing spot was now a larger jump, and jump situation.  You see, when the gap is that far apart, you have to keep your momentum going, to complete the jump.  To make a long story short the last boulder that I jumped on to had a curled snake laying on it enjoying the warmth from the boulder.  In retrospect, it was probably all of 18 inched long, but at the time it may as well have been a python, or rattle snake.  By the time I saw the snake I couldn’t do anything but land on it.  The snake wrapped itself around my ankle, and that night I couldn’t sleep from the experience.  I never went fishing again, unless it was from a boat, and only into my twenties.

 

That is about as big and bad as my fishing story gets.  What’s your best fishing story?  Stay tuned the best is yet to come…..

The King of Rock & Roll

Elvis Aaron Presley
The King of Rock & Roll
Born: 1/8/1935 Tupelo
Height: 6'0"
Died 8/16/1977

Songs, albums, and movies too many to mention on this blog (this won't the last post on this subject).

Anyone can Google Elvis and get enough material to choke a horse. As usual what you are about to read is my first hand experience and perspective. Before today, you couldn't read this information on the Internet.

September 9, 1956 was the first appearance of Elvis on the Ed Sullivan show. I will never forget that event for the impact that Elvis made in the music world, but equally important I will always remember because at that very young age, I experience mass hysteria. 1956 was one year before my family bought our very own black and white Phillco television set. Due to that fact we used to go visit with a family that lived a half block away most every Sunday after early dinner, and catch a couple of television shows with them. I loved going because they had three daughters and a son. One of the girls was my age (Norma), and the other two girls were teenagers 13 and 16. The son was younger than me by two years, and he kept telling me that Norma liked me. I guess it was an ego builder nothing else.

On the night of the Elvis performance, Mr. Sullivan was in the hospital due to a car accident during the week prior. Some performer from England stood in for him. For this particular program the girls had invited about 6 or 7 of their close friends. When Elvis was introduced all the girls started screaming and pulling their hair, it seemed fake except that they all had tears streaming down their faces. I was amazed at what I witnessed, and it took me a long time before I could make sense of Mass Hysteria. That day Elvis performed Ready Teddy, and Hound Dog. I went on to become a devoted fan of Elvis (to this day). I even traveled to Las Vegas specifically to catch his performance in 1975 at the La Vegas Hilton. I wish I had saved the ticket stub, but how was I to know that he would die within two years.

When I arrived in Washington State from Texas, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that my new sister-in-law was also an Elvis fanatic. She had the full Elvis collection, which at the time consisted of five albums (1956-58)

Another sad note: my wife and I were married in 1977, three months after getting married we were driving the highways of Easter Washington when a song was interrupted to report that the King of Rock & Roll had died. I felt a sense of loss almost as if I had lost a close relative. In the future I will also post about other great artist, and even attempt some music comparisons across the time spectrum. Do you have any special memories or stories of Elvis? Stay tuned the best is yet to come......

Mother vs. Hulk Hogan

Mother vs. Hulk Hogan

I could give many examples of my wife’s love for me, but none is more significant than when she asked me if we could invite my elderly mother to come and live with us after her divorce from my step-father.  In all honesty I kind of longed for that type of arrangement, but I wasn’t about to impose that on her.  Again showing grace beyond belief she worked out chore responsibilities with my mother to make her not only feel welcomed but also a working part of the family.

My mother having a reputation for being a great master of the kitchen was assigned the chef duties and my wife handled everything else.  I of course was in hog heaven.  I ate the foods I enjoyed growing up, plus I had my whole family under one roof to look after, and provide for.  I’m sorry to say that the arrangement lasted no more than six or seven months.  We began to notice that my wife and I were gaining weight quicker than ever before, so my wife rearranged the duties and mother came out of the kitchen.  To be sure my wife cooked with healthy eating in mind, while my mother just made sure that the food was finger licking good.

My duties now included entertaining my mother and it involved the following, but not limited to: maintaining her in a supply of yarn, and materials for other crafts that she and my wife shared, including embroidery.  All those crafts after a while were not enough so I made the mistake of introducing my mother to Bingo at the local Casino.  We got lucky almost immediately, and before you knew it we were playing bingo on an average of 3 times a week (about two hours per outing).  It didn’t help that we lived less than a couple of miles from a very popular casino.

Another big interest of my mother’s became the WWF (later changed to WWE).  Most all the wrestlers were her favorites, Hulk Hogan, Macho Man “Randy Savage,” Kamala the Butcher, Jake the Snake, on and on.  I actually took my mother to some live wrestling matches at a nearby Domed Arena, and she had the time of her life.  There is a big reason for the build-up on the WWF.

The following year my mother for a short period of time seem to act a little depressed, so I came up with a great idea to bring her out of it.  I contacted my grandmother in California whom my mother had always maintained a close relationship with, and invited her to come to the Northwest and visit for a week.  Due to the fact that my grandmother was already in her 80’s, I also invited my grandmother’s daughter (my only aunt from my father’s side of the family).  After purchasing two round-trip airplane tickets for them, I had to make up a story so my mother would accompany me to the airport without giving away the surprise.

I told my mother that Hulk Hogan and a bunch of other wrestlers including Macho Man, and his manager Ms. Elizabeth, were coming to town for a Main Event, and that they would be arriving by plane at the airport.  I further told her that a friend gave me inside information and that we could go see them arrive and get their autograph.  Mother cheered up at the thought of meeting the Hulk, and Macho Man in person.

Once at the airport, the flight I was expecting (prior to the security restrictions of September 11, 2001), arrived and we were sitting nearby watching everyone come out of the tunnel.  I told mother to keep her eyes focused on the people coming off of the plane.  I was expecting that she would see and recognize my aunt and grandmother, as they entered the terminal.  When I saw them and they saw me, they walked towards and stood right in front of us, but my mother didn’t even notice them.  She was trying to look around them still looking for Hulk Hogan.  I finally said mom look who is here, she was filled with joy and stood up and hug them both, but as soon as she could she turned to me and in a low voice asked me; “Does that mean that Hulk is not coming?”  The following week was the best ever for catching up, adding details to the family tree project, and just plain fun.  That would also be the last time that my mother, grandmother and aunt would visit together.  I guess I did do a good thing after all.  Stay tuned the best is yet to come……

Love of all Music

Dance Concerts/Promotions 

My father and mother met over their love of music and dancing, my wife and I actually strengthened our interest in each other over our appreciation of music.  When my mother and father met it was over ballroom dancing to the big famous orchestras of their time.  In Tampico, Mexico the Orchestra they first and regularly danced to was “los Gatos Negros.”  It didn’t hurt that my mother had the looks of a movie star of the era, and my father had a keen eye for beauty.

 

When my wife and I met, I was very much into all kinds of music, but I was at the time heavy into promoting dances (Tejano style dances).  In fact, I was the biggest and best known promoter for five years covering the Northwest (Oregon, Idaho, and of course Washington).  I also was involved in Spanish Radio Broadcasting (I was a popular Locutor – DJ) about to become a regional known DJ covering the above mentioned States, plus Northern California, and Utah.

My favorites at the time were Los Classicos de Roberto Pulido, Los Fabulosos 4, Ramon Ayala, and Cornelio Reyna.  I had first been introduces to Ramon Ayala, and Cornelio Reyna In King City, California, where I saw them perform as “Los Relampagos del Norte,” back in the late 60’s.  Those guys were young, and I was even slightly younger.  I’ll never forget their impressive entrance, as the crowd was looking all over the place to see what direction they would walk in from after they were introduced (outdoor open field), and to the crowd’s surprise they were brought in by helicopter.

 

As a Spanish Radio DJ, I also pioneered music that was not previously played in the Northwest.  I introduced my audiences to Julio Iglesias music (when he was just getting started), also Palito Ortega, King Clave, and of course the up and comers of the time, Los Tigres del Norte, Los Huracanes del Norte.  Amongst the many performers that I brought to the Northwest Dance Promotions are:  Los Tigres, Los Huracanes, Little Joe Y La Famila, Ramon y Cornelio (separately of Course), Roberto Pulido, Carlos Guzman, Los Diablos (From Los Angeles, California), Los Muecas, Los Freddys, Los Bukis (that’s right Anotnio Solis himself), Los Cachorros de Juan Villareal.  I can write a book just about the names that I brought to the Northwest and hung out with.

 

The dance promotions went on every weekend year round even when the nasty winters were upon us.  People still needed a distraction.  There were no Spanish television programs, or movie rentals in Spanish, not much radio programing except the few hours that were provided by people like myself.  I know that many people prefer a quiet life compared to the one I had, but I was able to handle it, and have a great time doing it.  My life has always been exciting, and challenging.  I have many things going for me, amongst them two very important ones are: Whatever you do be the best at it, and equally important, know when to get in and when to exit.  Some people overstay their welcome, and eventually turn into failure what should have been a success.  The best is yet to come….

Recordando

 Soon after my wife and I got married in 1977 (6 months to be exact) I received two great money making opportunities (great examples of opening the door when opportunity knocks) One was a job as head of a non-profit organization and the other to be the Spanish voice of a northwest product that was entering its centennial celebration.  The latter was a constant money source in the way of a monthly retainer fee to keep me under contract and to use my services as needed.  Both went a long ways to make our lives (new start) a lot easier.

I’m not bragging about the money, although it was more blessing than I was used to.  In order to take advantage of the opportunities we had to pack our belongings and move across the Cascades to the West side of the state.  We discussed it only briefly, and decided it was what we both wanted to do.  I still remember having to go to work every morning and leaving my new bride at home without any relatives nearby.  But to be sure I was just as lonely at work.  I was surrounded by staff that I was responsible for, and board members that I was responsible to, and yet they were all new in my life. 

I couldn’t wait to go home and be with someone that I knew had my back, and I could relax around.  I knew my wife also looked forward to the end of the day so we could stand back to back against the world.  Eventually the babies started arriving and the family grew, into exactly what we both wanted.  I loved it when my babies were young only because I could be in total control of their safety, their needs, in general and their happiness.

This song is dedicated to my children

 

Progress is one of the requirements of life.  I’m sure you’ve heard the saying that, “time waits for no-one.”  You need to put things in perspective in order to get the most out of life.  To get to where you need to be, some things will need to change.  While change is inevitable, it’s not always welcomed.  My babies grew up and went through the school system, and now they are scattered all over the State.  I have three in the Eastern Washington and 4 in Western Washington.  I’ve been told by friends that I stopped to soon; cause if I’d had only 5 more I would qualify for my own Casino.

Mitad Tu Mitad Yo dedicated to my beautiful wife

 

There comes a time in the progression cycle where we find ourselves caught between raising our children, and helping our aging parents.  Been there done that.  I never complained, and my wife has always been a great partner, she stood side by side with me and shouldered her share of the load.  I won’t say fair share because at the time it was my parents that I was dealing with, and she was gracious and helped me get past it.

Our babies are all grown up, and some have babies of their own.   I guess you could say that, that is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  Along the way and at different times a couple of my children have told me that when they grow up, they are going to take care of us.  I always give the same answer; if you just grow up to take care of yourself, I will take care of your mother and myself (so far-so good).  I can’t say my life is perfect, because I don’t know what a perfect life is like, but I can say that I wouldn’t change anything if I could start over.  The only other thing I can say is that the best is yet to come….

Welcome/Bienvenidos

I have no doubt that my family's life is not much different than all the other families that came to the USA in an effort to live the American Dream.  There are of course differences that make it interesting and good reading.  My immediate family has never followed the agricultural migrant stream.  Back in the 1940's and 1950's on through the 1970's, I was aware of families that still traveled around the country following the crops from state to state as a way of life.  In almost all cases the families had a base (home) that they always returned to. Some of the States that provided the larger numbers of migrants were Texas, Florida, and California.  The destination States are numerous but I am most familiar with Washington State, and the Northwest in general.

My family tree like many others is diverse, and has roots and branches all over the place.  I was born in Tampico, Tamaulipas Mexico, where my mother and father were fairly well of, and when we did immigrate to the USA, it was a joint effort between my father and his family in California.  My father retained legal services out of Monterrey Nuevo Leon, and my California uncles retained legal services out of Los Angeles California. 

• Tampico is a city and port in the state of Tamaulipas, in the country of Mexico. It is located in the southeastern part of the state, directly north across the border from Veracruz. Tampico is the fifth largest city in Tamaulipas with a population of 297,284. The Metropolitan area of Tampico is populated with 859,419 inhabitants. Economic development during the 1920s made the city a pioneer in the aviation and soda industries. Oil is the chief export, but the city also is a major exporter of silver, copper, and lumber, together with wool, hemp, and other agricultural products. Containerized cargo, however, is mainly handled by the neighboring ocean port of Altamira.

 I've learned in life that any effort that involves government bureaucracy, and lawyers, is destined to be complicated and this effort was no exception.  At some point we were told to move closer to the border crossing (Mexicali) because the application for permanent residence was approximately 6 months from approval.  Before I go any further I want to mention that I have a few strong beliefs in mind that pretty much guides my life.  Perhaps my strongest belief is that; "everything you say and do today will come back to you positive, negative or indifferent, but it will come back to you."

The fact that our crossing to the USA was delayed by as much as a year, completely changed the trajectory of our futures.  My life as of the day we left our home to be near the port of entry (which was later delayed) set in motion my destiny for complete and total change from the expectation.  You will want to check here regularly so you can eventually get the whole story.  You will find that my story isn’t very different from your family story, we have infidelity, divorces, death in the family, periods of struggle and moments of celebration.  The big difference may well be that I am taking the time to document our family’s journey.

I am in the process of writing a book about our life as a family, from my point of view, and through my mind’s eye.  The book is into some 180 pages already and is only approximately 30% completed.  The working title of the book is “East Lincoln.”  I am bilingual Spanish/English, but have a preference for communicating in the English language.  Please don’t judge me. I am happily married, and happily retired (retired early).  I enjoy retired life doing the things I like and enjoy doing.  The best is yet to come….