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<\/a>in Mexico you can find a pinata for every occasion<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>my new friends enjoyed their photos<\/p><\/div>\n
so many smiling faces<\/p><\/div>\n 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 \u201cmanana.\u201d 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\u2019t know. She replied with a smile, \u201cI\u2019ll be here waiting for you.\u201d no caption is necessary<\/p><\/div>\n Paul at work<\/p><\/div>\n cauliflower plants just after harvest<\/p><\/div>\n cauliflower too small to harvest<\/p><\/div>\n lettuce<\/p><\/div>\n and more lettuce<\/p><\/div>\n On Sunday we rode over to Yuma \u2013 what an amazing variety of crops are grown here! Acres and acres of \u2013 cauliflower, lettuce, and beets; groves of lemon trees and Medjool dates. Dec 28, 2014 After Christmas in the desert 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 … Continue reading <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>
\nFor years I\u2019d 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\u2019ers mecca. As many as 500,000 RV\u2019s come in from all over the country to park in private RV parks and the open Bureau of Land Management property. It\u2019s 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\u2019ve skipped both of those big motorcycle rallies because I don\u2019t like crowds.
\nBut then Doug casually mentioned the naked man who runs a bookstore in Quartzsite who when it\u2019s cold, wears three socks. I googled \u201cnaked man, bookstore, Quartzsite\u201d and quickly decided the crowds wouldn\u2019t 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\u2019s Rainbow Garden as a memorial and the town as well as RV\u2019ers actively support it. The garden continues to grow as a memorial to various loved ones.<\/a><\/a>
\nIt was in the 50\u2019s, 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\u2019s Oasis Books. It\u2019s a bit unusual \u2013 ahem \u2013 and has an incredible variety of used and vintage books. After we\u2019d 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, \u201cNothing. I had Siddhartha, but I sold it. It was right here.\u201d 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\u2019s 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\u2019t 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\u2019t 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\u2019s 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\u2019s his sing-along boogie anthem contained the phrase \u201cfuck \u2018em if they can\u2019t take a joke\u201d \u2013 a line that was picked up later\u00a0 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.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>
\nMonday, we head back to Tucson. Soon I\u2019ll head back to Florida.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"