QUARTZSITE: A UNIQUELY AMERICAN PHENOMENON

NEWSFLASH, Jan. 27, 2012: Quartzsite is the happening place in January!

Well, as if we hadn't done enough traveling recently, yesterday we returned to the center of our universe: Quartzsite, Arizona. If you've heard of it, then you've probably made the journey there to partake of all its pleasures. If you haven't, you're probably long past due an escape to this cross between hippie heaven, flea market, and RVers shopping paradise.

A lot has changed since our first visit 19 years ago, and actually, we had passed the place off I-10 in western AZ in the1970s and wondered what could possibly attract anyone there at any time of the year. Then, it was a small crossroads between Yuma and Lake Havasu, and Phoenix and L.A. with nothing to focus the eye on except miles and miles of nothing but sand with a few scattered buildings. When we returned there in January, 1993, after reading dozens of articles about the place, it was a booming RVtropolis of approximately 1,000,000 ecstatic souls high on shopping. Traffic was unbelievable, with it taking possibly an hour or so to make the one-mile trek through town to the next exit! Whatever you wanted to buy, you could likely find it among the thousands of vendors, and we're talking legal and illegal items. While we didn't see any actual exchange of illegal goods, we certainly spotted plenty of ex-flower children, now in their forties and fifties, having a "way too good time." Old ratty-looking, uniquely painted and repurposed school buses lined up throughout the surrounding desert alongside motorhomes that cost upwards of one-million dollars.

A way good time is what Quartzsite is all about, whether it is shopping for anything and everything, eating your way through food from all corners of the country, or just sitting around a campfire at night with assorted friends and relatives that you've located among the thousands of people shopping the miles and miles of aisles of merchandise.

It's much more orderly than it was 19 years ago, with many permanent buildings rather than the ragtag tents and canopies of the early nineties, but variety still rules the merchandising scene. Now, it's much more organized, with most of the gem, mineral and rock vendors, which after all gave Quartzsite its start, located in the same, general area. There aren't as many handmade items, which we used to love seeing, and I suspect that's because space rent, taxes, and licenses cost individual craftsmen too much. Still, there are a huge variety of antiques, junk, jewelry (much of it sold at wholesale), and a million other things plus the types of items that appeal to RVers, most of which also appeal to everyone.

This time, we drove out in the car just for the day, which limited our range of roam among the aisles because of the time limit, but didn't stop us from spending money and eating. We used to walk the 2-mile length of town, cross over I-10, and then walk the entire length back, browsing the vendors set up helter-skelter along the way. Now we concentrate our efforts along the road on the south side of I-10, since our backs and legs aren't as willing to withstand miles of traipsing through gravel and sand. And we always explore the huge tent set up behind the vendors just off Hwy. 93. We are driven to see as much as we possibly can before vendors shut down for the day, and sample every kind of food, and as usual, this time we came home with a load of packages. All those things that we've always wanted, but didn't know it until we saw them!

Oh, and lest I forget, one of Quartzsite's most prominent destinations is the bookstore, a permanent fixture in town. We first ran into the owner a few years ago when Joe went to his store (then a long, low tent) to look for a particular book while I stayed outside browsing some racks there. When someone walked up next to me and started straightening the racks, I glanced over to see if it was Joe. NO! I couldn't quite believe my eyes, which told me that he possibly wasn't wearing pants, so I got back into the car to get a better view, er, to make sure I wasn't mistaken. Yep, he wore only a hoodie, sandals and a thong (or as one woman called it, a ditty bag). The guy went back into the store and was straightening racks when Joe walked up behind him. Suddenly Joe's head jerked around to look at me, I guess to confirm what he had just seen. I, of course, started howling with laughter at his reaction. Nothing subtle about me! The owner is a nudist who apparently has been told to wear something while in town, but he supposedly regularly hikes in the desert in his altogether, so don't be surprised if you meet up with him if you decide to go hiking away from the crowds. He's not unused to having shoppers in his store request a picture with him.

There is no telling what you might see in Quartzsite or its surrounding desert. Many visitors buy gold hunting equipment and hike out to the surrounding washes and mountains to search for gold. More than a few have found a little gold to help finance their trip. January is actually the best time to visit since the temperature is usually in the 60s or 70s, but occasionally, rainy or windy may make the visit less pleasant than you planned. Still, I've never seen even that dampen shopper's enthusiasm for experiencing Quartzsite. And flowing washes sometimes turn up a previously overlooked gold nugget.

If you go there, there are three ways (that I know of) to stay overnight. One: you must make motel reservations at least one year in advance or chance a last minute cancellation that you can nab. Two: take a tent and camp out in the desert or find a quiet place to sleep in your car. Three: own or rent an RV. Or, stay somewhere like Phoenix (appx. 150 miles), or Havasu City or Parker, not far north of Quartzsite, and travel over for the day. Everyone should make the trip at least once, if for no other reason than to view the mix of people and products that can magically appear in the beautiful desert each January. You may meet a long-lost friend or find that once-in-a-lifetime bargain while you are there.

BORING HISTORY MADE FASCINATING

Retirement is supposed to be about sitting back and enjoying life without responsibilities, or so I mistakenly thought. Or maybe I dreamed it. And if I wanted to retire to Arkansas (state of my birth and a beautiful place to retire) and sit in a rocker on my front porch to watch the world go by, it might be true. Instead, our lives seem to get more hectic each day. Responsibilities leave very little time for writing now. And that's why this blog hasn't been updated for a few months.

One thing I continue to do is read in my spare time. I steal a few minutes and find time between chores to keep up with what is happening in the world, and read stories about the past. I recently picked up a book titled: Lies My Teacher Told Me -- Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen. Wow, someone who believes, as I do, that students always remember what they learned in history class as b-o-r-i-n-g.

I will bring this blog up-to-date with what I find in the book as I read more. Unfortunately, what with visitors, traveling, etc., this has been a busy summer and reading is going slowly. Meanwhile, I recommend that anyone interested in learning more about American history get a copy of this book and read it. It attempts to answer such burning questions such as: Who really discovered America, and do we even know for sure? And: Does history accurately portray the struggle between Native Americans and European settlers?

By traveling and studying, I have learned that many of the lessons I studied in school about our country's history were distortions of the truth, and sometimes downright malicious untruths. History is fascinating as I travel and unravel some of the hidden stories behind our wonderful country. People didn't always act in heroic fashion, but they did what they had to do in many cases to survive, and more than a few acted as vicious, selfish conquerors of a vast territory that seemed endless and full of boundless resources.

I've been lucky enough to hear wonderful stories told by the children of a few of those original settlers in the West who heard stories first-hand from parents and relatives who traveled across the country by covered wagon.These stories usually come from elderly individuals whose parents lived to be a ripe old age with intact memories and stories about the struggles they faced as they conquered a new land. In one case I met the grandchild of an infamous bank robber who turned his life around and became a leading citizen (and an official at the bank he had helped rob). This man lived for nearly 100 years, and his grandchild heard his stories at his knee. And she is definitely not elderly, or even close. That's how recent western history is in many instances. My grandparents would have been alive while most of the West was being conquered and settled.

As I say in my book, Looking Back, students must be taught by teachers who can explain the emotions behind historic moments so those students will will find the stories more fascinating. Most students will never get to travel as much as I have, or if they do, it probably won't be a road trip where they can stop and talk to interesting citizens from the areas where they roam.

I was lucky that my first cross-country leisurely trip happened to go through Washington DC and Philadelphia in my early twenties, so I was able to visit national monuments, including climb to the top of Washington Monument (which was NOT 100 steps, as my husband had assured me before I started the long climb! Instead, it is almost 800 , heart-thumping, lung-crushing steps to the top.) It's no longer possible to climb the 555.5-foot monument. Too many people suffered heart attacks attempting to reach the top.

Today, most people make trips by plane to reach a destination, and then stay a few days for a particular event, then catch another plane to return home, missing out on any local history. They'll bypass the beauty, the drama, and the colorful stories, and as a result will never know the precious, exciting history they've missed.

That is, unless they've had teachers who loved history and learned the background behind historic moments that can bring history lessons to life. I don't mean to malign teachers, who have enough problems in today's educational system, but unfortunately, few really try to make history more interesting. And speaking from first-hand experience as a student in the public school system during the fifties, not one of my teachers appeared interested in making history more interesting. Just facts, names and dates are all I remember learning in history class--and it was indeed B-O-R-I-N-G!

ALL HISTORY IS RELEVANT NO MATTER WHAT MAY HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE

Lately, things have been frantic here, so no time to post to this blog. I apologize to those of you who follow the blog, and I do read your comments, both good and those not so great (and I delete those that are obviously commercially motivated). And yes, it almost 2012, so why did I write about Katrina? Well, if you've followed my blogs, you know how important I think being reminded of past history is to the future and well-being of this country and the world. People who don't remember and respect history, and learn from its lessons, cannot make logical choices about the future. Katrina was a huge catastrophe that had been in the making for many years while those in power ignored warnings about the potential problems. It was only a matter of time before disaster would strike. And it can happen again unless those in power change their focus from disaster recovery to disaster prevention, and obviously, even recovery to the Gulf Coast has been an almost impossible task.

If the person who commented that 2012 is near and that Katrina wasn't relevant was perhaps referring to the "predictions" that the world will end in 2012. I have news for you. Your world or mine can end any day, even today, one minute from now. One bad car accident, one dangerous tornado or hurricane, one heart attack, one flood, one gunshot can end any of our lives at any moment. Does that mean that we ignore the past and don't even try to make the future better, no matter how much or how little remains? Somehow, I still think people are important. Whatever happens will happen, but that doesn't relieve we human beings of trying to be as caring and concerned as possible. We must all live our lives in ways that benefit humanity, no matter how much longer any one of us has left here on earth.

We weren't put on earth to selfishly live for today with no thought for tomorrow. We weren't put here with any promises of how long our time here might last. I was brought up to care about the past and the future, and to do whatever I could to enrich the lives of humanity, no matter how small my contributions might be.

So the world ends in 2012 ... which might happen, or it may not. Meanwhile, I'm not giving up yet on life or this beautiful earth and the wonderful people who inhabit it.

READ MORE ABOUT KATRINA

The best book I have read on Katrina and its aftermath was, The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast by Douglas Brinkley. Brinkley includes a detailed history of what happened and delves into the reasons for so much confusion following Katrina.

IT'S BEEN FIVE YEARS SINCE KATRINA, YET THE WOUNDS REMAIN

Five years ago, on August 29, 2005, one of the biggest tragedies in terms of total devastation ever to hit the United States took place in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast of Mississippi.

This tragedy in New Orleans wasn’t by any means unexpected. Many warnings of just such a possibility had been discussed and published for years. But to millions of casual observers, as well as government officials, the hurricane and subsequent flooding appeared to come as a complete surprise. Despite warnings and official reports, local community, state, and national officials, and the city’s residents, were unprepared.

There had long been warnings that a hurricane that zeroed in on New Orleans could cause tremendous damage, loss of lives and homes, and disruption of public services, including law and order. This flood wouldn’t be the first to hit New Orleans, since major flooding had occurred on several previous occasions, including during and following hurricanes. The city sits in a giant basin, and water will always run to the bottom. In this case, thousands of people and their pets happened to live in that basin.

In 2002, The Times Picayune, New Orleans, published a 5-part series of articles, June 23-27, outlining the problems that a hurricane and flooding could bring to the area.

The articles reported on the probabilities of a major flood, and stated that many people would not be able to evacuate because of age, sickness, poverty, and lack of transportation to leave town. As for getting help from the outside following a flood, approaches by road would likely be impossible since roadways would wash out. According to the articles, thousands would become stranded, and most of them would be left homeless. Still, people were stunned as they watched the sickening aftermath on television.

As these Times-Picayune articles were being written in 2002, FEMA was studying evacuation procedures in case of a major storm, and rescue strategies to follow the expected storm. At the time the articles appeared, FEMA expected a preliminary report to be finished within months. At the time, FEMA director Joe Allbaugh stated to the Times Picayune, "Catastrophic disasters are best defined in that they totally outstrip local and state resources, which is why the federal government needs to play a role.” Yet the federal government failed to respond immediately.

We could all watch the drama and horror of the days following August 29, 2005, play out on our television sets. It took seeing it with our own eyes for most Americans to believe that such a catastrophe could happen in our own country.

Yet, in the aftermath, I heard complaints that the people there should have done more for themselves. For the ones left behind, those who lacked a home, money, food or water, utilities, and a roof to shelter them from scorching heat while they waited for help because there was no way to travel, what, exactly, could be expected?

The wounds still persist in New Orleans. Neighborhoods still remain devastated. Homes remain damaged and destroyed. Lives are still in limbo. Many of New Orleans’s former residents have not returned because there is nothing to return home to.

In my book, Looking Back, two essays appear that were written by Katrina survivors. Neither of them lived in New Orleans. One lived in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, which received flooding from the storm surge. Air Force Major Risa Riepma and her family had relocated to Mississippi from Arizona just six months earlier. She (expecting her third child) and her husband and two children were required to seek shelter at Keesler Medical Center, while her parents, who had followed her to Mississippi, fled to Florida to find a place to stay until it was safe to return.

They were lucky in that they only lost things: their homes and all their belongings. The Riepmas also lost their vehicles, one of which was parked in the parking lot of the hospital. Yet they were still alive, had income, and were left with hope and an appreciation for what really mattered.

Maria Russell and her husband, Dave, who lived in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, also evacuated their neighborhood. They returned home five days later to find their entire neighborhood wiped out. All that remained of their two-year-old home were the footings of the foundation. They lost everything except what they evacuated with. Again, they were left with what really mattered, themselves.

You can read their stories, along with 22 other poignant stories about major historic events that have impacted the authors’ lives, in Looking Back: Boomers Remember History.

ILLEGAL ALIENS OR TERRORISTS? WITH SHRINKING RESOURCES, JUST WHO SHOULD WE TARGET?

It gets harder for me to understand government policies as I grow older. Is this a government by the people and for the people, or is it a government for those who hold the power and have the most money? I sometimes think it is only for the latter. And most of the time, it just doesn’t make sense.

I live in a state where the state's budget shortfall would scare any concerned citizen, where unemployment is rampant, where the housing market went bust, and where foreclosures on home loans continue to spiral upward. Instead of passing a budget and making hard choices to cut spending realistically or raise taxes, the state's leaders have chosen to try and pass an additional sales tax that will only hurt the already poor of the state who can barely afford to pay for necessities.

If the tax fails, supporters claim that teachers, firefighters and lawmen will be cut. Meanwhile, even while threatening to cut police protection, the state has passed a law that illegals are illegal, (really?) and people can be asked to provide proof of citizenship on the street, at home, or while driving. They probably won't be stopping people who are obviously white, even though any one of them might be an illegal immigrant from European background, plus any one of them might be a terrorist hell bent on destroying this country.

My concern is that with the budget cuts in law enforcement, less attention may be paid to preventing terrorists from entering this state and the country, but instead will focus on stopping those of Mexican descent to question them about their legality. Yes, illegal crossings into this country need to be stopped, but they need to be halted at the border by fences and law enforcement. Money needs to be allotted there, and then laws should be passed concerning what to do with those illegals already living in this country.

Most "illegals" who come here from Mexico are only seeking work so they can provide a living for their families. They're not interested in doing anything harmful to the place they seek refuge in. Most aren’t criminals intent on committing violent crimes, or drug runners. I do not condone anyone crossing our borders illegally, but a solution to the problem of what to do about them once they're here should be decided by the federal government--not at a state level by a state that claims to lack the necessary resources to enforce laws that protect the general public and prevent violent crimes.

We are all descended from immigrants to this country (except for Native Americans); many of our ancestors came illegally and later found ways to get legal status. Any number of our ancestors did exactly what illegal immigrants from Mexico are doing today--slipped into the country to seek the American dream and a better life. They managed to blend into society until they could manage to get legal citizenship. Most became contributors to society and upstanding citizens.

Intolerance towards one group of illegals only breeds suspicion, contempt and hatred on the parts of both them and us. Must we condone racial profiling in order to make sure that we get rid of illegal aliens from Mexico and Central America, or shouldn't we worry more about stopping the people who are entering this country legally and illegally each day and intend to do us all harm. Terrorists are our biggest threat, or has something changed recently that I don’t know?

I for one don't mind paying taxes in order to provide protection for our country and its freedoms, but I do resent seeing my tax dollars used in a discriminatory way to get rid of those who probably mean us no harm and may, some day, become upstanding citizens--teachers, doctors, lawyers, firemen, and police officers--if given half a chance. And yes, some of them survive with government aid, but shouldn’t studies be done to see just how much impact they actually have on limited government resources? Is it really as large as one terrorist who might kill and maim thousands, or at minimum, cause law enforcement to spend thousands to prevent their hideous acts while causing immeasurable fear among citizens?

So how will this latest uproar in this state play out in history? Several federal government and citizens' groups plan to sue the state to prevent this new law from becoming effective. Meanwhile, the governor is threatening to spend what little money she can commandeer from other budget sources to fight these lawsuits. So what will be cut next to pay for lawsuits?

Has society become too extreme to think clearly? Have personal prejudices blinded us to the real threats to our well-being? It's terrorists we need to target, then we can afford to worry about illegal families and what to do about them. We need to erect barriers that will prevent terrorists from entering the country. When those are in place, illegal entry should automatically cease. What has happened to common sense?

Book Review: Waiting for Snow in Havana

I recently finished a book by a Cuban who as a child who was airlifted out of Cuba following the Revolution. Those of you who have read my book, “Looking Back” probably remember the story by Celeste Cañizares Dieppa, who was on one of the last airlifts from Havana to the United States at the age of fourteen in 1966. This book, “Waiting for Snow in Havana” by Carlos Eire, is about growing up the son of a judge, then having to evacuate Cuba at age eleven in 1962 with his older brother. He left behind both his parents to start a new life of freedom in the States, first in foster homes, then in the home of an uncle in Illinois until his mother could join them more than three years later.

This is a very warm, touching, detailed story of paradise lost followed by the tale of a marginal life in Chicago, and of never seeing his father alive again. I recommend it to those who enjoy reading about different cultures with a slant on history that is little understood today in this country. In the late fifties Cuba was almost like an extension of the United States because of its tourism and American business interests there, but possessing a unique culture of its own when Castro took over on January 1, 1959. He soon declared individually owned homes, land, and everything valuable to be “owned by the people” in what was to become a communist country in the midst of the Cold War, sending chills down the collective spine of the United States. After all, this country was within 90 miles of the United States, striking distance for communist missiles!

"Waiting for Snow in Havana" is a rich and very personal insider's story about what it is like to lose paradise and move to a very different climate and culture in search for the one thing that was deemed more important than both of those: to regain freedom.