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Jack Smith and his lovely bride Denise (Denny) made the decision forty years ago (April 1969) to build their dream getaway home in Baja. I was given a signed, first edition copy of Jack's book by a friend years ago who knew that I had been a big fan of the LA Times columnist. I had followed his tales of daily life spun with smart wit and dry humor going back to the 60's when I delivered the LA Times as a paperboy. I would later spend a few years in Bakersfield, CA and met several folks who had grown up with and personally knew Jack and Denny Smith. They all agreed that the man and the character in his columns were one and the same. Seeing humor in the simple nuances in life and finding the common denominator in any story to which we could all relate.

My take on reading God & Mr. Gomez seems to evolve and mature each time I pull it off my shelf and read it again. It is easy to just laugh at some of the tongue in cheek observations he makes on his Baja construction journey with Mr. Gomez. That was always Jack's writing style and those of us who had read his columns over the years were well trained in that regard. We expected that from Jack Smith and he rarely disappointed us.

Since making the move to Baja myself years ago and now in the process of building our own dream home by the sea, I have come to a new and deeper appreciation of this very special book. Beyond the surface of his many quips and funny stories a very personal confession unfolds. Jack was a man who brought all the ideas, concerns and preconceived notions of a typical Gringo coming across the border to build a home in Baja California, Mexico and impose their own will and way.

Maybe even a lot like my very own...

He tells the story of how quickly he discovered that every decision along the way seemed to bring its own struggle. A location to build is selected but later Mr. Gomez chooses another, right in the middle of the road! The road will simply be moved, he would explain to the writer. Similar disagreements would follow over the homes design, materials, timetable, water and construction budget, which would eventually double. Imposing ones will was proving to be a quite daunting, if not insurmountable task with Mr. Gomez.

Their vacation getaway project was built on land leased from Mr. Gomez and Jack was never completely sure that Mr. Gomez was even the legal owner. But like every other battle over the construction project, Jack would concede that to Mr. Gomez as well, who never budged all along the way. In the end it was Jack Smith who in the process came to love and admire a man who built their Baja dream home on his terms, in his time and with his view of what Jack really wanted.

Or perhaps it was simply a case where it was up to him to decide what Jack really needed in the end.

Jack suspected it was God all along working behind the scenes and Señor Gomez probably had some divine inspiration. It became apparent that God had certainly given Mr. Gomez the upper hand throughout the entire ordeal.

The experience forever changed Jack Smith and I doubt that even Mr. Gomez could fully understand the part he played in that transformation. Those of us who followed Jack Smith's columns over the years saw the slow, subtle change in the writer's style and it wasn't until I read God and Mr. Gomez that I came to fully understand why.

Jack and Denny's Baja casa remains there today, on a bluff between La Bocana and Puerto Tomas along the rugged Baja coastline south of Ensenada. Taking the 20 mile or so drive out on old dirt roads to reach the quiet and lonely coastline from Mex Highway 1, it appears that not much has changed since that early spring day in 1969 when Jack and Denny made their first visit out to the point to see Mr. Gomez. Forty years have now since passed; Jack, Denny and Mr. Gomez are all gone today, but the house, its remote location and wonderful story live on.

I have learned that sometimes it is just easier to move the road. If that doesn't make any sense let's share a glass of tequila over some fresh ceviche and talk about it.

Mr. Gomez was a very, very smart man...

Satellite Location of Jack Smith Home from God & Mr. Gomez

Note the old road still visible on which Mr. Gomez built the home

Jack Smith's Baja House on Google Maps

I met Rómulo Díaz at his small store in the high seventys. In retrospect, it was a great moment.
Actually, there are lots of classy gentlemen in Baja who could be a model of this gentleman, but he was the one we know best. I'm just thankful that I had this opportunity.

Did you get a picture of / with him? They seem very hard to come by...

No...No fotos. It wasn't an issue in those days. We just used to take day-trips in all directions then....this one took me there.
I had fun with the book then and had no idea it would become a bible for expats in the area. It certainly has done that.
My wish today is that Baja, although equally enchanting, could be so simple. Everything has become extremly complicated and dangerous.
Oh well...I was there and I have the memories of a past more kind.

Today, the house is in the hands of Mark Lurie, or someone in his family.....so he attests. Mark has a Real Estate business in Cantú, here in Punta Banda. If anybody want's to pursue this with Mark, don't tlell him I sent you. It won't be in your productive interest.

I think you hit the nail on the head as far as my connection with the book. Where we are building now has the same kind of remote feel, simple life and similar challenges that Jack faced 40 years ago.

I am definitely going through a 12 step program in learning the local way of doing things.

"Hello everybody, my name is Ron and I am an impatient Gringo..."

Originally Posted by BajaGringo

"Hello everybody, my name is Ron and I am an impatient Gringo..."

I love that book. It is one of those timeless books and should be mandatory reading.

A few lessons we have learned.

A friend told that there is a holiday every week called San Lunas

Ahorita means: later, maybe, sometime, not now, don't know when, it is a possiblity

If one has no good news, they will not answer your correspondence nor your messages

A las ocho in la mañana may, or may not mean the next morning.

If the supplies are not delievered, the worker will not show-up and tell you why he is not working---no reason to come if the supplies are not there, right?

Just one more. We used to be very impatient with letting time control our lives. If someone said they would be there at 3 p.m., we would wait, and wait, and not be in very good moods. Now, if they are not there by 3:30 or so and we have errands to run or want to go for a walk, we do so. If they need us, they will find us and no one is ever is offended.

With our house, etc., we often use the phrase, it is what it is, and it keeps our sanity. :mrgreen:

Diane

That book could have been written today. Jack Smith was way ahead of his time. We could all learn something from him, Mr. Gomez and this great story.

Upon hearing you all talking about this book, I just had to buy it for my trip down in 13 days (and counting)! It arrived today and I am so excited to read it. I've just started the 2nd chapter and am going to pack it so that I have it for the long drive. So far it is a very good read! Thanks for your reccommendation. Connie

Even Those Who Never Knew Him Feel the Loss



By Jack Smith
Los Angeles Times
November 07, 1994

Many readers have written to express their sorrow over the death of my Baja friend and landlord, Romulo Gomez. Though most of them knew him only through my columns about building our house in Baja, they thought of him as a friend.

"I was very sorry to read that Mr. Gomez has passed away," writes Dorothy Bolton of Huntington Beach. "I have enjoyed your adventures with him over the years. . . . Wouldn't it be wonderful if more of us had Mr. Gomez's attitude toward life?"

Most said they had enjoyed my book about that adventure, "God and Mr. Gomez," and wondered if they could get another copy. (I'm sorry--I have only a handful left. Maybe I can get some publisher to print a new edition.)

"This time," writes Ronnie McGee of Hemet, "God may have gotten more than He bargained for as I'm sure Mr. Gomez will organize Him."

From Michele Yepiz of Lemon Grove: "If there is a God, he is fortunate He has met Mr. Gomez. You and your Baja neighbors were lucky people to know this good-natured man."

"How touched your longtime readers must feel, having read your column today," writes Whit Brayton Jr. of Hemet. However, he notes that in saying I had used God's name in the title of my book I erred. "God's title is God," he says. "His name is Jehovah."

Oh, darn.

Eve Langstaff of Hemet writes, "What a bummer it was to read your column about the demise of Mr. Gomez. Shall we hope he's aiding and abetting St. Peter in his work, perhaps an addition to the heavenly estates?"

(If so, I hope St. Peter is a patient saint.)

"I have loved you and Mr. Gomez for many years," writes Kay Diebel of Newport Beach. 'I am sorry to read of his death. . . . Thinking of him, and the book, still brings back smiles of pleasure."

Several readers write of driving down to Baja to find our house, and others of meeting Mr. Gomez himself.

"You have enriched our lives in many ways," write Hugh and Anne Salisbury of Midway City. "But the association with Mr. Gomez's family and the building of your Baja home - such pleasure we had watching that part of your life unfold."

"My heart goes out to him and his family," writes Beverly Spiker of Los Angeles. "I did not know Mr. Gomez but I felt like I did through you. I'm sure he is with God now and doing only good things up there."

I feel obliged to print in full a letter, addressed to me and my wife, from my friend and mentor, Rabbi Alfred Wolf:

"Miriam and I wish to extend our heartfelt sympathy to both of you on the passing of your friend, Mr. Gomez. Thanks to you, he was our friend, too.

"Your column this morning, dear Jack, brought back a whole treasure of cherished memories. You gave us quite a treat by letting us share your trips to Baja. Yes, we've also been to Baja, Ensenada, Cabo San Lucas . . . by ship. We didn't really experience the place except through your writing, Jack. How else could we match your rocky rides over rutted roads, the risky hikes to your cabin, the fascinating negotiations with Mr. Gomez, the quiet seclusion of your retreat.

"Now all that wonderful material is locked up exclusively in your memory. Please don't wait for another chance event to unlock your treasure chest. Every once-in-a-Monday, open it up and share."

"I raise a glass to Mr. Gomez and to you," writes Mildred M. Bridgeford of Hemet. "The patience you exhibited, the gentle spirit of Mr. Gomez and the development of a strong and understanding friendship brought much pleasure."

"I reread my copy of 'God and Mr. Gomez' this afternoon," writes Alice Stearns of Woodland Hills. "Laughed a lot, and cried too. Certainly a tequila to a very wise and kind soul . . . and I'm sure it will ever be . . . God and Mr. Gomez."

In my column on Mr. Gomez's death, I said that some readers had mistakenly thought he was something of a con man. Not true. He was honorable to the last. It was only that sometimes his vision of propriety was different from mine.

For example, when I decided to sell the house (because the road was getting too long), Mr. Gomez was my agent. After all, he was the real owner of the house.

I gave him a figure that I hoped to get for it. Later, in talking to the buyers, I found that he had charged them somewhat more.

When I remonstrated with him about this he said, "Well, Jack, I had to make a commission ."

Can't argue with that, Mr. Gomez...

Ron- It's been such a long time, and maybe my memory is failing, but does not his book actually incorporate many of the columns he wrote in the Times? That's what I seem to remember. And I guess you actually made it out there to the house. Heading South soon. What would you estimate the round trip time to be, highway one and back?

Originally Posted by Bajahowodd

Ron- It's been such a long time, and maybe my memory is failing, but does not his book actually incorporate many of the columns he wrote in the Times? That's what I seem to remember. And I guess you actually made it out there to the house. Heading South soon. What would you estimate the round trip time to be, highway one and back?

His book was exactly that...a compilation of his weekly articles.
Last time I took that road, three years maybe, it was a well used and maintained dirt road. Twenty miles of it.

One thing strikes me as odd. I havn't stood and gawked at the house for a lot of years but, my recollection is that it was farther back from the bluff than the foto shows it. In fact, that was an issue in the book. Gomez moved the building site back without discussing it with the Smiths and his logic prevailed. Maybe erosion has brought the bluff to the house. Quien sabe.

Or I got the wrong house???

It is possible. I have a hand held GPS I could bring and re-check the coordinates on Google.

Who knows? The dude with the motorcycle on that link I posted elsewhere mentioned that the house looked much smaller than he imagined. However, Gomez' son told him where he could find it and that it had two arches. He also mentions confirming with a nearby neighbor. All that being said, Pacific coast bluffs are constantly eroding into the sea.

I found a faded black and white photo of Jack Smith with the fabled and elusive Mr. Gomez, taken while the author's house at La Bocana was being built...

In a shoe box out in the garage?

I found it in another book. It was the best I could do with my scanner and the book condition...

I have no idea why but I can't seem to get google earth to open or even download.

Just came back to this thread and saw your post soulpatch. Was it the link in this thread or your google earth???

I realize this thread is old, but since you responded to soulpatch i guess it bumped it up to the top. One of the posts talked about being a gringo, and not having any patience. It made me think of an instance when I built my first house in Bahia. I hired a local named "Nacho" and he was building a block garage for me. It seemed to be taking forever. One day I noticed that they were not using the cement mixer that they had but were mixing cement by hand. I asked what was wrong and they said that the mixer would not start. I'm fairly handy so I started looking at the thing and found that the old Briggs and Stratton motor's carbueretor was completely plugged with mud, so I cleaned it out. then the gas tank was also full of mud, so another cleaning. Then the spark plug needed replacing, etc. etc. etc. Finally after an all day job, I pulled the rope stater and it ran like a charm. I was so proiud of myself, and Nacho was also impressed. That afternoon when they left they took the mixer with them. The next day when they returned, they didn't bring the mixer. I asked what happened to the mixer? Nacho assured me that it was running fine but they needed it at another job so they are using it there. I was so mad I couldn't see straight. My garage still took forever to finish but atleast someone else got their job done a little faster. Those were the good old days.
Larry

Originally Posted by rplarry

I realize this thread is old, but since you responded to soulpatch i guess it bumped it up to the top. One of the posts talked about being a gringo, and not having any patience. It made me think of an instance when I built my first house in Bahia. I hired a local named "Nacho" and he was building a block garage for me. It seemed to be taking forever. One day I noticed that they were not using the cement mixer that they had but were mixing cement by hand. I asked what was wrong and they said that the mixer would not start. I'm fairly handy so I started looking at the thing and found that the old Briggs and Stratton motor's carbueretor was completely plugged with mud, so I cleaned it out. then the gas tank was also full of mud, so another cleaning. Then the spark plug needed replacing, etc. etc. etc. Finally after an all day job, I pulled the rope stater and it ran like a charm. I was so proiud of myself, and Nacho was also impressed. That afternoon when they left they took the mixer with them. The next day when they returned, they didn't bring the mixer. I asked what happened to the mixer? Nacho assured me that it was running fine but they needed it at another job so they are using it there. I was so mad I couldn't see straight. My garage still took forever to finish but atleast someone else got their job done a little faster. Those were the good old days.
Larry

Great story, Larry. Only in Baja.