Tierra de Tortugas

STREET ADDRESSES IN BAHIA de KINO

Let’s discuss, for a minute, the house numbering system in Kino Bay. That is to say the addresses posted along Avenida Mar de Cortez, the main street that follows the gently curving coastline in a long graceful arc from east to west.

As you drive along admiring the stunning ocean views and some of the very nice homes that line the beach, try to pay at least some attention to the addresses. They appear here and there in a rational, descending, order. There’s the 5400 block, followed as you’d expect by the 5300 block, then the 5200 block and so on. Some homes are missing their numbers, but many are well posted and visible as you drive on toward the western end and the older part of New Kino. You have a sense of assurance that there’s a plan, that you’ll actually find the house you’re looking for. All is well with the universe.

Then, in the 3900 block, you encounter 726, 728 and 767 (with the last 7 upside down). Somehow the numbers are now completely different and they’ve reversed; they’re now ascending as you head westward. And some numbers on the other side of the street have been following a different and entirely unrecognizable logic of their own. But you’ve managed to ignore that, so far.

The situation is, or so we’ve been told, that someone laid out all the numbers starting from the western end, and someone else laid out a separate numbering system from the east. And to make things interesting, some guy came up with a third numbering system. We don’t know where this third numbering system starts and ends and we’re not sure we want to know at this time.

So the best approach is to assume nothing as you enter Bahia de Kino. At this point you’ll be well advised to dig out the copious notes your host insisted on giving you, and which you thought would be unnecessary. Simply drive onward and pay close attention until you happen to encounter the number you’re looking for. With any luck, you’ll find your destination before dark. Or maybe not.

Fortunately, our own address is very easy to find. We’re located at 2645 Avenida Mar de Cortez. It’s right next to 1505. You can’t miss it. — PRW

Wilkes University

Yes there really is such a thing as Wilkes University. It’s in a curious place far far away – a place called Wilkes–Barre, Pennsylvania. I’ve got the hat, and the shot glass, to prove it.
My brother Steve mentioned Wilkes U. about ten years ago. He was in the area on a business trip and happened across it. Before that time, none of our family had ever been to Wilkes–Barre, although I’d long harbored a bit of curiosity about the name. Wilkes U. was still just a College back then.

My sister Joan was in the area a few years later and confirmed the existence of an actual Wilkes College. For a few more years it remained just an odd curiosity to the family. But it occupied a vacant spot on my “life list,“ and eventually I’d travel a long distance to see it for myself. It was one of the things we did on our “Retirement Odyssey, 2004.”

The towns of Wilkes–Barre and Scranton lie close together in the heart of the coal mining country of NW Pennsylvania. It’s not a place I’d call “beautiful” or “charming,” In fact the whole area looks as though it’s been dying for a very long time. Yet it’s compelling in a sad sort of way. Those who defined the “Rust Belt of America” had places like this in mind.
On the way to Wilkes-Barre, Interstate 81 passes miles of un-reclaimed mining land covered with piles of discarded rock overburden and mine slag. Rusted abandoned tractors, graders, and shovels stand idle in denuded hollows and valleys where the coal played out long ago. They’re waiting for a call that will never come, the ghosts of an outdated technology bypassed by even more massive, even more ruthless earthmoving equipment.

In addition to a declining coal economy, the historical center of Wilkes–Barre underwent the disastrous process of “urban renewal.” It was a time when most of the country seemed locked in a race to the bottom, determined to destroy its irreplaceable patrimony as quickly and profitably as possible in the short term with no realistic plan to clean up and properly develop the resulting mess of vacant land and city-killing parking lots. Like most American cities, Wilkes-Barre could not resist the lure of easy Federal money.

And then there was the flood. In 1972 the remnants of Hurricane Agnes swept through the area with torrential rains. The Susquehanna River leapt its banks, right at the point where it bends to the southwest in downtown Wilkes–Barre, and flooded much of the old part of the community – including the campus.

Wilkes-Barre has seen some rough times.

Today, just a little west of the remaining downtown core, sits the quiet tree-shaded campus of Wilkes University. We exit the freeway and follow the signs to this small urban university, that happens to be named for an eccentric ancestor of mine.


I stop at the admissions office and ask around about the history of the University. When I mention my connection to the namesake of Wilkes U, I get a nice tour from the director of the library and she takes my picture with the statue of John Wilkes that stands at the western end of the central greensward. I stare for moment at his bronze face to verify an important detail. I want to make sure they got it right and I can just make it out. Yes the statue is indeed cross-eyed.

Then it’s off to meet the Provost who’s extremely interested in Wilkesian history, and seemed to know much more about it than I did. I become even more of a minor celebrity when I give the Library a copy of the book I wrote in memory of my brother. They’re delighted to add a title from someone named Wilkes.

John Wilkes was a rakish character, strident journalist, and free speech advocate who was well known in London at the time of King George III and the American Revolution. Wilkes published scandalous broadsides that opposed certain public policies and were transparently critical of the King. He ran for Parliament from Middlesex and won several times, but each time the results were thrown out by the Government. After he was actually banned from running, he won on a write-in vote, but he was never allowed to take his seat.

Wilkes was once described by the essayist Hogarth as “...capable of a degree of abuse for which licentious seems too mild a word.” He was well known to the literati and was an acquaintance of Samuel Johnson and James Boswell, among others. It may well have been because of King George’s preoccupation with the outrageous antics and constant needling of Wilkes that he failed to pay sufficient attention to events beyond the Atlantic, and ended up losing the Thirteen Colonies. It must have been an interesting time to live in London.

Wilkes later invested in a mining venture (in partnership with Barre) in the former colonies. There are several books about this interesting individual, including one with the memorable title of “That Rascal Wilkes.” I hope to read most of them someday when we get our books unpacked. Today there’s a city and a University named for him in a distant land he never saw.

Wilkes University maintains a broad undergraduate curriculum with Colleges in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Science and Engineering, Business and Leadership, and Pharmacy and Nursing. They offer graduate degrees in Business, Computer Science, Creative Writing, Education, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, and Nursing.

More information is available at: 1–800–WILKES–U or www.wilkes.edu.

Community, Diversity & Dialogue

Bahía de Kino, Sonora, Mexico

Over the past couple of weeks here in Kino, we have taken part in some activities that have made us even more content with our decision to settle here. We became enamored of Kino Bay and decided to move here because of the beautiful beach, the inviting sea, the astounding sunsets, and the relaxed pace. But many have said, and it is true, that what keeps you here is the community, the people.

THE BOMBEROS DE BAHIA DE KINO

One recent Wednesday evening, we attended a fundraiser for the “Bomberos” — the volunteer firefighters — of Kino Bay. It was held at the Club Deportivo — the operable community center, especially for the ex-pat community. But on this night, the kitchen was taken over by the local volunteer firefighters of Old Kino and their wives — mostly Mexican, with a sprinkling of “gringos.” They prepared and served beef tacos, beans, guacamole, and dessert empanadas to a very diverse group of about 200.

As we parked our van and walked up to the Club entry, we passed two old, but very functional, fire trucks that had just been brought down from the U.S. and were on display for the first time. The acquisition of these beautiful, red workhorses was made possible by the efforts and contributions of a small number of Mexican and ex-pat families here. The cost was somewhere around $7,000.00, and it had taken a bit of time to put it all together.
These fundraisers, which include raffles and auctions of donated goods, and lots of good time horsing around, are annual events. As the auction progressed on this particular night, the bidding competition was ferocious, and prices paid were generous, to say the least. Why, at least one item was purchased, donated back, and auctioned all over again! (We’ve observed this behavior at a couple of other fundraising auctions here. Seems to be a strange local practice!)

The story of the Bomberos Voluntarios de Bahía de Kino is inspiring. Just a few years ago, there was no fire department in Kino; just because you have a town doesn’t necessarily mean you will have such services here. And, as friend Al Buschorn says: “We [who have homes of concrete block and cement] don’t have to worry about fire, but our friends do. We lose two or three families every year when their homes burn down.” Many families in Old Kino, particularly, have homes “in progress” — made of scrap lumber, tar paper, and fiberboard, while they work and save to accumulate enough concrete blocks to build a more permanent structure. These people, usually quite poor, are the least able to recuperate from loss caused by a fire.

So people on all rungs of the economic ladder — gringos and Mexicans alike — got together a few years ago and started the volunteer fire department. All sizes, shapes, ages, and colors of volunteer firemen at the fundraiser wore bright red T-shirts with “Voluntario — Bomberos de Bahía de Kino” in big white letters. The fire chief is a handsome young man named Luís; and he crowned the Reina (queen) de los Bomberos 2005, after her selection was determined by a label attached to the bottom of the seat on the chair where she happened to sit!

The sense of community was powerful. I was proud to be there.

KINO YARD SALE

Right before the bomberos event, I had received a phone call from Kathy Hilkemeyer saying that our neighbor, Bob Blue, had told her I would be available to help with the annual yard sale to be held the following Saturday in Old Kino. Of course, Bob hadn’t mentioned this to me; but I got a good chuckle out of it, because he has a fine reputation for getting people to step up to the plate. I said I would be delighted. Because I can speak Spanish, I was assigned to one of the four check-out stations where we would ring up sales and take in money.

The yard sale is held by the Catholic Church in Old Kino, but the proceeds are used for needy people, regardless of their faith. People from the whole community donate things throughout the year, so that when time comes for the sale, there is literally a warehouse full of clothing, household items, tools, sports equipment — you name it! This is where all the unwanted things left in our house by the previous owners had gone, so I saw many of those items being purchased by happy people!

We arrived at 9:30 a.m. and were to work until 2:00 p.m. The crowd was into the street and pushing against the fence around the lot where the sale was being held. The gates opened at 10:00, and most of the population of Old Kino was there hoping to be the first in.

Soon we had lines of people with overflowing boxes waiting to be checked out. Everyone was polite and very happy! T-shirts, blouses, shorts, and hats were going for $1 each; really good dresses and coats might be as high as $5.00. A family could walk out with a complete school wardrobe for their kids for $10.00 to $20.00, a set of dishes for $2.00, a television for $10 — it was a shopper’s paradise.

By 11:00 a.m., we closed two of the check-out stations; most everything was sold! The organizers were tired and happy and would wait until the next day after breakfast and coffee to count the proceeds. I heard earlier today that they netted $4,600.00! That money will go to support projects for the needy, and many families in Kino have things they never could have afforded at regular prices. Things are already being accumulated for next year’s sale!

THE DIVERSITY THAT IS KINO

“A melting pot is naught but a tasteless stew.” – John Ruskin

This is a community of extremes — political affiliations, economic means (though we really have very few of those super-rich folks you find settling in fancy resort areas), background, age, religion, education — and it works. It’s not a big place; there are maybe 400 people in New Kino; and it’s hard to tell in Old Kino, but it’s just not a huge place! You soon begin to recognize faces wherever you go. We find ourselves spending quality time with people we very likely wouldn’t spend time with even if they lived on the same block with us in the U.S. “Back home,” we all have friends who look like us and think like us, whether or not we like to admit it. We spend lifetimes choosing our friends and deepening those affiliations; it’s comfortable to be with people of like mind.

Here, no one asks whether you are Democrat or Republican, Liberal or Conservative — though it will come out sooner or later. And it’s pretty great to have fun and conversation that spans those differences. We invite people for dinner who we really enjoy, and dinner conversations can go on for hours — feisty, stimulating and often dealing with things about which we don’t agree but are eager to share. There is an openness and acceptance of differences and little apparent need on the part of most to go around proving one another wrong. This is a small town and we have to get along, or it doesn’t work.

This makes me reflect on my work with Dialogue practice back in Albuquerque — the attempts to bring people from diverse perspectives together to have meaningful and productive conversation, be together respectfully in our differences, and work through conflict. That was worthwhile work — but it wasn’t easy! Here, I find it happening as a way of life. It builds volunteer fire departments, holds fundraising yard sales, gives generously to those who need, not just at holiday time, but all year long.

I like it here. — CK

The Naranjeros

Kino Bay, Sonora, Mexico

One of the pleasures of living near Hermosillo is staying up with the local “equipo de beisbol,” the Naranjeros, and even attending a game or two at their stadium, named, “Nuestro Querido Estadio ‘Hector Espino’,” after a local baseball star of years past.


The Naranjeros (the “Orangepickers”) are part of the Mexican Pacific League (La Liga Mexicana del Pacifico, or LMP). They play winter ball starting in October, after the World Series, and ending in December. Promising young baseball players from throughout Mexico are recruited to play in the league and are scouted here by “the Bigs.” Minor league ballplayers from the US play here to sharpen their skills and earn a little end of season money, then take a few months off before Spring Training begins with their regular team. Along with names like Rodriguez and Garcia, the team has players named Doster, Johnson and Cirillo.

Some of these guys go on to very successful careers in the Major Leagues. Erubiel Durazo, one of the star hitters for the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Oakland Athletics came from this Hermosillo team, and the name Durazo is common here. And Fernando Valenzuela, former star pitcher for the L.A. Dodgers has returned to pitch this season for his old team, the Águilas (Eagles) of Mexicali.

At the stadium, everything is done with enthusiasm. The music seems louder there, the announcer puts an extra roll on his “rrrr’s,” and there are good greasy tacos and cerveza fria available at the usual ballpark prices. There is often a promotion of some kind, usually featuring young women in fetching attire. Fans toss a big inflated ball around the stands when things start to get sluggish late in the game. And there’s usually some fan who sings or dances extemporaneously to the delight of everybody in the stands. Mexicanos love to have a party.

At our first game a few years back people stared at us, especially when I stood up to cheer on the team or hail the closest ‘beer guy.’ I sensed it was because the two of us may have set some kind of record for “Gringos in the Stadium,” or maybe for “Tallest Güero (Blonde Guy) in the Stadium.” Lately we seem to pass, well, not exactly unnoticed, but perhaps just accepted as an ordinary everyday oddity. One of the true charms of Hermosillo is the double take people still do when they see us walking, shopping, or standing in a line. Gringos on the street are still rare here.

On the Sports Page (Deportes) of this morning’s paper (12/5/04) the headline reads: “Triunfan Cañeros, ” meaning the Cañeros (the Cane Cutters) won last night by a score of 10 to 8 in their home stadium in Los Mochis. The game began well enough for the Naranjeros as Dave Doster lofted a “sacrificio” into “jardín central” (center field) to bring in a “carrera”(“run”). And when Saúl Soto of the Cañeros made “un error,” attempting “el doble play,” the Naranjeros ended the first inning with a score of 2 to 0. But near the end of the game, Soto connected for a “jonron” (also called a “cuadrangular,” “imparable,” or “vuelacercas”) to drive in “tres más carreras” and put the Cañeros ahead. Soto topped that one off with “un doblete” to add “una anotación más” to the score and seal the fate of the Hermosillo team.

As the “Segunda Vuelta” (Second Round, or Second Half) of the season heats up, the Naranjeros are very close to the cellar, currently tied with Mazatlán for last place. They go on to face the “Mayos” of Navojoa in a three game series at home. Then it’s back on the road to face the “Yaquis” of Ciudad Obregón. After that, it’s the “Algodoneros” (the “Cotton Pickers”) from Guasave. They’ve already faced the “Venados” (the “Deer) from Mazatlán, and fortunately they don’t have to face the League-leading “Tomateros” (“the “Tomato Pickers”) from Culiacán again this go around.

But esperanza (hope) springs eternal in the corazón (heart) of the Naranjeros fanático (fan) as we cheer el orgullo (the pride) of Hermosillo in “Our Beloved Stadium ‘Hector Espino.’

Stay up with the latest ‘Noticias de los Naranjeros’ at: www.naranjeros.com —PRW