Dec 28, 2014 After Christmas in the desert
in Mexico you can find a pinata for every occasion
my new friends enjoyed their photos
so many smiling faces
On December 26, we crossed the border into Mexico at Algodones and met some boon docking friends. After I picked up my new glasses, we had lunch (margaritas and chile rellenos) and then I went back to find my new friend, the crippled street vendor/grandmother. She said, in Spanish, that she had told her granddaughters on Christmas Day that I would be back “manana.” As before there were children playing all around her. I brought her copies of the pictures I had taken of them, and then Doug took pictures of us all. I hope you can see something of the joy of life in her eyes and the eyes of the children. Too soon, it was time to leave. She asked when I would return, and I explained I live in Florida and simply didn’t know. She replied with a smile, “I’ll be here waiting for you.”
For years I’d heard about Quartzsite, AZ, a sleepy town off of I-10, 22 miles east of the California border and 100 miles north of Mexico. This non-descript spot in the desert is surrounded by Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land and sustains a population of maybe 3,000 during the brutal heat of the summer. However, in the winter Quartzsite becomes an RV’ers mecca. As many as 500,000 RV’s come in from all over the country to park in private RV parks and the open Bureau of Land Management property. It’s still a bit early in the season, but the snowbirds are migrating in, gathering for the annual RV swap meet in January. It sounded like the RV version of Sturgis and Daytona, and I’ve skipped both of those big motorcycle rallies because I don’t like crowds.
But then Doug casually mentioned the naked man who runs a bookstore in Quartzsite who when it’s cold, wears three socks. I googled “naked man, bookstore, Quartzsite” and quickly decided the crowds wouldn’t be that bad. Among the things I learned from Google about Paul Winer is that his daughter, Celia, died at the age of 8; he and his wife set up Celia’s Rainbow Garden as a memorial and the town as well as RV’ers actively support it. The garden continues to grow as a memorial to various loved ones.
It was in the 50’s, unusually cold; as Doug and I bundled up, we made bad jokes about what a naked man wears in the desert in this kind of weather. It was about 80 miles from our boon docking site to Quartzsite, and once in town we headed straight to the Reader’s Oasis Books. It’s a bit unusual – ahem – and has an incredible variety of used and vintage books. After we’d been browsing the stacks for a few minutes, I saw a man hurry by in a coat, cowboy hat, and bare brown legs. I recognized that face from my computer research, so I walked over and introduced myself to Paul Winer and asked what he had by Herman Hess; he responded quickly, “Nothing. I had Siddhartha, but I sold it. It was right here.” When he walked away, I saw a totally bare behind that looked like sagging leather, or maybe like a very skinny elephant butt. I looked at more books and then began another conversation with Paul. He’s articulate, fascinating, and very intelligent. He stocks over 180,000 titles. He does not own a computer, has no website or email address; he doesn’t own a smart phone. If you want to contact him, you call him on the phone at the bookstore. I asked if I could have my picture taken with him; when he took off his coat, I swallowed hard. His strategically-placed sock had two little turquoise stones sewn into the top lip; the sock/pouch was tied around his waist with nylon fishing line; the sock stones matched the turquoise necklace he was wearing. While I was checking all of this out, I couldn’t help but notice that he shaves his pubic hairs. I gave him a copy of my book, Public Secrets and Justice, and he invited me to participate in his Author’s Fair in January/February. Paul is an accomplished musician, playing boogie blues on the piano; he keeps a baby grand piano in the middle of the bookstore. Paul has many tales to tell, including long legal battles to be able to perform as Sweet-Pie, in the nude. He also explained that in the 1970’s his sing-along boogie anthem contained the phrase “fuck ‘em if they can’t take a joke” – a line that was picked up later by Bette Midler. While Paul is out-there, literally and figuratively, he is also compassionate, quick-witted, well-read, and someone with whom I could spend much time talking.
no caption is necessary
Paul at work
cauliflower plants just after harvest
cauliflower too small to harvest
lettuce
and more lettuce
On Sunday we rode over to Yuma – what an amazing variety of crops are grown here! Acres and acres of – cauliflower, lettuce, and beets; groves of lemon trees and Medjool dates.
Monday, we head back to Tucson. Soon I’ll head back to Florida.