My father was a friend of Mr. Gillespie. He is mentioned in the book "Gillespie's Gold." James Gibson, or as he preferred "Jaime," would often host Mr. Gillespie in our home in Rocky Point. One summer, when I was around twelve, my father, my sister and myself were invited to stay at his home at "La Pinta" in his stone walled house near the estuary. The trip from RP was an adventure in itself as the entrance was miles out of town, then down a single track dirt road quite a few miles down to the estuary. Once there, we were completely alone, save for Mr. Gillespie's helper, an elderly man who was named "Eduardo," if I remember correctly. No other human presence was visible. It truly was a paradise with the pristine sea, dunes and vegetation. We got to ride around in a small fiberglass bodied go kart. I recall scrounging around at low tide, turning over a stone and finding a small octopus. Beautiful sunsets and brilliant stars at night, with only the sound of the distant surf. I recall reading of Mr. Gillespie's passing years ago, and the ensuing controversy of the land ownership. I only hope it hasn't gotten too built up and ruined. Maybe somone has photos to post? Incidentally, I still own the copy of "Gillespie's Gold" given by Mr. Gillespie to my father, complete with a note and signature.
On an unrelated note, my father passed away in Tucson in 1996. His ashes were left in our trailer on our lot in RP. A few years ago my sister went down to pay property taxes and found the trailer was stolen, ashes and all. So, my father remains there, somewhere.
