George E. Puckett
<b>Foreword</b>
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Kent Anderson, PhD
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For centuries, people have left their homes and familiar surroundings in search of "the other." This is a term long used by anthropologists to describe the urge in so many people to seek and experience "the exotic." Many humans seem willing to depart from a common culture, extended family and native tongue to enter a very different and unfamiliar setting.
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What you are about to read in BAJA DIARIES are the experiences of "the other" by George Puckett and his wife, Tina, a Black couple from Tucson, Arizona. In 1998, they embarked on a great adventure, leaving behind the United States of America, many friends and family, to settle in a beautiful enclave near the Pacific Ocean in the Mexican city of Ensenada in Baja California.
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The episodic nature of BAJA DIARIES reveals the high accomplishments of the Pucketts, their dashed hopes, and, ultimately, tragedy. The reader will learn about the many characters the Pucketts met during their stay, some saintly and some unsavory. A large portion of their experience details the religious infighting among the Americans they encountered in Ensenada.
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After several years in "paradise," George and Tina were overwhelmed by systematic Mexican skulduggery in the form of dubious real estate dealings (and double-dealings!) and the brutally pernicious behavior on the part of law enforcement. At the same time as their taste of "the other" was coming to a nasty climax, they were beset with a tragedy of unbelievable circumstance.
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I invite you to experience these strangely unsettling years of George and Tina Puckett.
Meet the Author of Baja Diaries, Chronicles of a Paradise Lost
by Kevin Byrd
This is not the first book to be written by George Puckett but it is his first attempt at Creative Non-Fiction at age Sixty two.
He is the father of three. He has two Sons and both are paralyzed. The youngest is paraplegic and the oldest is a quadriplegic.
Some of the proceeds from this and other books will fund Ev's visit to Project Walk in an attempt to get him on his feet and walking. George also has a beautiful daughter, Alysia Marie.
George is a 1962 graduate of Mitchell High School in Memphis, Tennessee.
George attended undergraduate school at Morehouse College where he was active in the Civil Rights Movement.
After an Honorable Discharge from the U.S. Air Force, George attended San Jose State University and became a member of the Phi Kappa Phi honor Society.
He attended graduate school at U.C. Berkeley working towards a degree in Political Science.
He and his wife Tina spent seven years in Baja California Norte, near the town of Ensenada. This book is about those times, the good and the bad, which they experienced while there.
You may contact the Author at: bajadiaries@hotmail.com
Ch 16
The Cesspool
The Cesspool has existed for many years
and has been a gathering place and a liars' den for the local American
men in Punta Banda. The first owner was a guy named Johnny, hence the
name Johnny's Place. Some say that it was originally "Thomas' Place."
After Johnny Thomas went back to the States under mysterious
circumstances it was taken over by Patty, one of his former employees.
Now it's Patty's Place.
The hamburger stand, known as the
Cesspool, was moved about 20 feet east of its original location at the
request of Senor Pabloff.
Patty's Place had both covered and open
air dining. Her hamburgers were the best for miles around. Greasy
burgers and greasy French fries and strong coffee. These were the
Patty's specialities. Patty would also prepare burritos and tacos on a
daily basis. This was not exclusively for the Mexicans but she had a
large Mexican lunch crowd.
Her hamburgers are still the best around
but the prices went up a bit. "I had to go up" Patty said. "Now I
have real expenses. I have Social Security to pay, electricity,
propane and employees." Actually only one person worked for her, a
waitress, and she worked mostly for tips. I kinda wish for the old
days."
The Cesspool was a place of tall tales. Every liar tried to outdo the other. Every liar had his day.
One of the superstitions of the group
was that people died in groups of three. In other words, when one
person died two more people in the community would die and when the
count got up to three it would start all over again at some point in
the future. Mexicans did not count. They had their own groups of
three....
This chapter has been greatly expanded in the book. The foregoing is just a preview.
George Puckett
The Author
