Happy August to all, Rocky Point! Wow, as our summer is winding down already I wanted to point out that through this writing in July, while the temperatures sizzle in the Southwestern United States to the upper 100’s…our Rocky Point beach temps have been in the 80’s and warm and breezy…PERFECTO! And what makes Rocky Point even better?? FRIENDS, FRIENDS and more FRIENDS…Whether they are dear, old friends or a super, new friend that sparked a connection at a local watering hole or fun spot, friends are what makes us who we are. It is our chance to give back to the world and what better way to give back then to give the gift of what only YOU can give to another…YOUR friendship!
On a recent road trip, my son Zack and I (and of course my faithful friend and pug, Lucky) rented a trailer to take my Polaris Ranger back to Rocky Point after getting some cool, tricked-out additions to the ride. Knowing my friends call me (or is it self-named??? Either way it is way true!) M.O.D. for the Master of Disaster…I decided to rent a trailer and attempt the journey with the 3 of us. About 3 miles into the trip, I knew in my inner depths that this was not going to end well. Surprisingly, we made it to the border crossing with few debacles and I was beginning to reach slowly around to pat myself on the back and say, “Gee, take that ya’all…this Master of Disaster is a changed man!”. Well, not so quick there Sparky! We crossed the border and made it about half way to Rocky Point with about 30 miles to go. Suddenly, we heard a rather large POP and the alarms were going off in the SUV and the trailer was waiving around and fish tailing behind us. I slowed the vehicle and everything seemed to resolve itself…crisis averted! So, onward we drove a few more miles until two friendly fellows drove by with very wide eyes pointed and howling at the trailer. Suddenly, I knew…M.O.D. strikes again. We pulled over and sure enough, it did not take a detective (although I did miss the blown tire on the first pass around the trailer) to see one skinny shred of rubber covering the rim. Damn…how, why , who, when…none of the answers seemed to come to me…only a bad idea to take something like this on…me, son, dog, pulling trailer…hmmm…I believe that everyone has their niche in life. For some, it is sports, for others in may be cooking or gardening. For some others, it may be selling or public speaking, bartending or healing patients in a hospital. And finally, for some, ah-hem ME, long-haul tow driving is NOT in my bag of tricks (not everyone pulls a Mac Guyver like Kenny Wallace when they have issues towing a trailer in the middle of the night on a desolate stretch of the Mexican highway!). Although we do have our Green Angels that drive between the border and Rocky Point to help us with our car problems, I realized a few things…

1- We were nowhere near the beach and the temps were soaring at 109 degrees

2- I was with my son and a pug…and Lucky looked a bit parched…not to mention me with visions of myself sitting at Tekila Bar, Boo Bar or SWIM Lounge with a frosty libation

3- My 2/3 tank of gas that is the norm from Scottsdale to Rocky Point was no longer registering anything and was pinned on ZERO as apparently towing trailers with heavy toys on them eats up a lot of gas

4- And finally, and most importantly…I have FRIENDS that if I can just limp into cell range, they would rescue us.

Well, the last 30 miles of the trip were filled with sweat and silence…sweat from the lack of AC that we had to turn off to save gas and silence from the shear shock on our faces…well all except Lucky…Not much phases that Pug! As we reached neck breaking speeds of 35 miles an hour, we FINALLY crawled into the first PEMEX we could find on Benito Juarez. I seem to recall hugging the gal that pumped the gas back in as my SUV breathed and let out a few gulp, gulp, gulps! Immediately after, I phoned my friend Tomas to meet us at the gates in 5 minutes as I had reached my breaking point. Tomas is a pretty good read…after seeing our faces, he simply said, give me a couple hours and leave it to me! I never looked back at the tire until two hours later when I realized Tomas had gone to town and repaired it! Now, THAT’S a FRIEND! MUCHAS GRACIAS TOMAS!! I am sticking to what I know best…beaches, laughter, good times and FRIENDS!

A few FRIENDSHIP quotes that I believe are good for each of us…

*The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for. Bob Marley

*Love those who will love you when you have nothing to offer but your company. Unknown

*I would rather walk with a friend in the dark, than alone in the light. Helen Keller

*What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies. Aristotle

*Friends are like bananas. Some start out green and fresh and end up a bit brown and rotten…but in order to pick the best bananas, sometimes you have to go out on a limb. Marco

See you at the beach soon…your FRIENDS are waiting for you so HURRY down!

ADIOS AMIGOS…GOD BLESS…

Marco