Dear Readers. I cannot tell YOU how happy SHE is to 'travel back in time' and to remember these lovely friends of lonng ago.
Sadly SHE was the youngest of this happy, motley crew of folk of lots of different nationalities. Most of HER friends worked, some were retired and some were 'wealthy' but remember that in those days in Andalusia, a little bit of money went a very, very lonng way.
WE say sadly, because a lot of them are now dead. Some are still alive but are 'creaky', SHE is, of course, in HER early sixties but most of them are now eighty and over.
Four 'characters' are here for YOU to meet, one canine and three humans. Christian van Merkestyn, Harry Hubert and Lee Setomer.
A charming man who was often at the Hoad's Campo de Tennis was Jack (can't remember his sirname), he was always accompanied by an immaculately behaved very BIG dog, a Boxer.. the dogs' name? Come along now, Jack and a Boxer, it could only be Dempsey!
In the 70's and early 80's, there were the most beautiful film and television adverts for Martini, they were shot by a film crew who were based in Pueblo Lopez.
The camera and ideas man was a Dutchman called Christian van Merkestyn. Hugely popular in the advertising world because he always produced a great advert.
Christian was a 'local' and adored by everyone. The Martini advert of the balloon sailing over the exquisite city of Granada was one that SHE can still 'see'!
A whole bunch of them drove up to this wonderful city to act as extras and to be in on the 'action' as it were, happy days indeedy!
Did YOU ever read a book called 'The Drifters' by James Mitchener? If so, do YOU remember that when the characters were in Torremolinos, they spent most of the time hanging out at a bar called Los Alamos.
The bar, under this name, actually never existed. What did exist was a bar called Bar Central owned and run by an American called Harry Hubert, an ex-marine with whom James Mitchener became friends whilst he was doing research for his book.
SHE remembers going up to Ronda with a gang of friends for Corridas Goyaesca in September and being in a bar, suddenly there was clapping, many "Ole" were called, Harry turned around with a huge smile, it was Antonio Ordonez, brother in law to Dominquin, and himself an extremely famous Matador.
Ronda was his 'home' town.. a beautiful place, it sits up high over an enormous gorge and was where the bull was first 'caped' in a Bullfight in the days of Goya.. hence Goyaesca.
Harry, when SHE met him, was running a very
'neat' bar in Calle Medina, a street in the old part
of Fuengirola. What an extraordinary and amazing bunch of people used that bar! And it had a
telephone!
Nobody had telephones! Lew and Jenny did at the club but no-one had a private telephone at home!
How times have changed!
SHE is not sure when Lee Setomer bought his land but he bought acres of it, acres and acres of land between Torremolinos and Los Boliches, on which he built the most spectacular house.
SHE has just remembered a very funny detail! The guest's lavatory on the ground floor was papered in Stock Certificates! The company which the certificates represented? YOU have to be of a 'certain age' to remember this scandal, Bernie Cornfeld and IOS.
The other thing Lee built was a full size Baseball Diamond, complete with stands! He was a retired American civil engineer and SHE seems to think that his speciality had been building airfields.. so to 'knock' up a 'Diamond' was no trouble!
Teams from all over would appear and play, the best was when the American Navy would send a team up from Rota, the base near to.What a 'party' and a half those days were!
Where have all these type of people gone? SHE asks. Is it money that has taken all fun out of life? It certainly is much more expensive, even with cheap fares to go places and then everything is so expensive when YOU get there!
Maria la Gorda and her husband owned their Finca (farm), her brother Jose-Luis his own boat, people did stuff.. nice stuff without it costing an arm and a leg.
No-one was followed by intrusive photographers and people didn't tell 'stories or tales' to the press about their 'close' friends. WE guess it was a different life.
GeeGee Parrot.
May 26th, 2013.
Sadly SHE was the youngest of this happy, motley crew of folk of lots of different nationalities. Most of HER friends worked, some were retired and some were 'wealthy' but remember that in those days in Andalusia, a little bit of money went a very, very lonng way.
WE say sadly, because a lot of them are now dead. Some are still alive but are 'creaky', SHE is, of course, in HER early sixties but most of them are now eighty and over.
Four 'characters' are here for YOU to meet, one canine and three humans. Christian van Merkestyn, Harry Hubert and Lee Setomer.
A charming man who was often at the Hoad's Campo de Tennis was Jack (can't remember his sirname), he was always accompanied by an immaculately behaved very BIG dog, a Boxer.. the dogs' name? Come along now, Jack and a Boxer, it could only be Dempsey!
In the 70's and early 80's, there were the most beautiful film and television adverts for Martini, they were shot by a film crew who were based in Pueblo Lopez.
The camera and ideas man was a Dutchman called Christian van Merkestyn. Hugely popular in the advertising world because he always produced a great advert.
Christian was a 'local' and adored by everyone. The Martini advert of the balloon sailing over the exquisite city of Granada was one that SHE can still 'see'!
A whole bunch of them drove up to this wonderful city to act as extras and to be in on the 'action' as it were, happy days indeedy!
Did YOU ever read a book called 'The Drifters' by James Mitchener? If so, do YOU remember that when the characters were in Torremolinos, they spent most of the time hanging out at a bar called Los Alamos.
The bar, under this name, actually never existed. What did exist was a bar called Bar Central owned and run by an American called Harry Hubert, an ex-marine with whom James Mitchener became friends whilst he was doing research for his book.
SHE remembers going up to Ronda with a gang of friends for Corridas Goyaesca in September and being in a bar, suddenly there was clapping, many "Ole" were called, Harry turned around with a huge smile, it was Antonio Ordonez, brother in law to Dominquin, and himself an extremely famous Matador.
Ronda was his 'home' town.. a beautiful place, it sits up high over an enormous gorge and was where the bull was first 'caped' in a Bullfight in the days of Goya.. hence Goyaesca.
Harry, when SHE met him, was running a very
'neat' bar in Calle Medina, a street in the old part
of Fuengirola. What an extraordinary and amazing bunch of people used that bar! And it had a
telephone!
Nobody had telephones! Lew and Jenny did at the club but no-one had a private telephone at home!
How times have changed!
SHE is not sure when Lee Setomer bought his land but he bought acres of it, acres and acres of land between Torremolinos and Los Boliches, on which he built the most spectacular house.
SHE has just remembered a very funny detail! The guest's lavatory on the ground floor was papered in Stock Certificates! The company which the certificates represented? YOU have to be of a 'certain age' to remember this scandal, Bernie Cornfeld and IOS.
The other thing Lee built was a full size Baseball Diamond, complete with stands! He was a retired American civil engineer and SHE seems to think that his speciality had been building airfields.. so to 'knock' up a 'Diamond' was no trouble!
Teams from all over would appear and play, the best was when the American Navy would send a team up from Rota, the base near to.What a 'party' and a half those days were!
Where have all these type of people gone? SHE asks. Is it money that has taken all fun out of life? It certainly is much more expensive, even with cheap fares to go places and then everything is so expensive when YOU get there!
Maria la Gorda and her husband owned their Finca (farm), her brother Jose-Luis his own boat, people did stuff.. nice stuff without it costing an arm and a leg.
No-one was followed by intrusive photographers and people didn't tell 'stories or tales' to the press about their 'close' friends. WE guess it was a different life.
GeeGee Parrot.
May 26th, 2013.
Lee Setomer bought his land after WW II. He was a pilot during the war and later purchased a pair of open cockpit planes from the Spanish Air Force. He also had a tennis court at his home where many professional tennis players would visit prior to Wimbledon. Hugh Hefner was also a house guest of Lee's. Lee was famous for sending out creative Christmas cards every year with pictures that often included his son and daughter. Lee died of a brain tumor about 20 years ago.
ReplyDeleteHis daughter Juliet and his sons name was Sonny I do believe.
ReplyDeleteI saw this a few years ago Lee Setomer Memorial baseball tournament.
Benamejí se adjudicó el Memorial Lee Setomer celebrado en la localidad cordobesa. El primer encuentro disputado a las 9 de la mañana enfrentó a cordobeses con los Tiburones de Málaga, siendo el resultado final de 4-2 a favor de los locales. En el lado malagueño destacaron al bateo Manolo Heredia, con un hit que sirvió para anotar dos carreras. Diego López conectó un soberbio batazo, siendo igualmente acertados en el aspecto atacante José Gómez y Jesús Hita. En el apartado defensivo destacaron Diego López con una eliminación directa así como Mariano Pozo con otra eliminación directa, siendo ambos efectivos en el juego defensivo del outfield (exterior).
Sevilla Red Sox se impuso posteriormente a los Venenciadores de Jerez por un tanteo de 7-6, cayendo en la final con Benamejí por un contundente 9-1. Los premios a los mejores del torneo lo consiguieron Miguel Aguilera (Benamejí) como mejor pitcher y el mejor bateador se lo llevó Juan Carlos Frías del cuadro sevillano.
El Memorial dedicado a Lee Setomer se ha convertido en un clásico en el beisbol andaluz. Setomer llegó a Torremolinos en los años 60 y fue pionero no solo en el deporte sino también en la vida empresarial costasoleña. El fue quien posteriormente, junto a Miguel Padrón, entrenador de los Tiburones de Málaga, comenzó a promocionar el beisbol en Málaga, con partidos con los barcos americanos que hacían parada en Málaga rumbo a otros destinos.
Los equipos andaluces continuarán con la preparación de la temporada 2015 con diferentes torneos amistosos, uno de ellos previsto como Torneo de Navidad para el próximo 14 de diciembre.