Ghosts of The White Canyon Ranch

So Long Old Friend

It was 1984…The White Clan …moved to Julian

Life was a little slower back then, and there were a lot fewer people in our little one horse town.

My oldest son Tim was a player on Coach Romano’s freshman 8 man football team…he loved every minute of it…

Today, in part because of Tim’s first positive experience playing for Coach Romano…he is coaching the Eagles today. Passing down a little Coach Romano wisdom…

It was through Julian football that Joe and I became friends. Joe was an All State O Lineman from Milwaukee,Wisconsin …he loved football, and as a coach was a mix of Vince Lombardi and everyone’s Grandfather…

He touched many a young boys life on their journey to man hood thru football…it was a common site to see Coach Romano with his arm around a young players shoulder sharing his wisdom…if a player needed a ride home after practice , Coach Romano was always there…

he has been a fixture on the Julian Football field for many years…retiring from Timmy’s staff just a couple of years ago.

Thru coaching , Joe shared his life not only with his players but with his friends and fellow coaches. Each football season started at the Ranch…Joe’s beautiful home at the base of Granite Mountain in the San Felipe Valley.

Head Coach Bill Nolan would marinate the lamb, one garlic and one mint…Joe would prepare the feast…a lot of lamb, even more pasta and bread , and a wee bit of tequila…then we would go to work on our football plan…

I loved Joe’s Ranch. When the land next to him came up for sale we bought it. The years before I started building I would stay at Joe’s and we would talk ourselves asleep discussing my place and listening to audio tapes of Louie La Moure …another tradition that continues …Joe was my great neighbor for 27 years…

Joe was always thinking about ways of helping the football program…he wanted to get the boys a weight room…so we planned a Barn Dance at Woody’s. With the funds that were raised along with the help of our local trades guys and some weights from the Chargers and after a few weekends we had the first Eagle weight room….

Oh, the Julian Barn Dance was a big hit…Joe taught Joan how to two step and Carmel tried to teach me…I stepped all over her feet…Our families enjoyed Easter holidays at the Ranch , Christmas and New Years at the Resturant…all great memories.

Joe and Carmel, hired our youngest son Randall to help in the kitchen, making pizza …I remember when Randall filled out his application to the CIA in NY, he mentioned his experience in the kitchen with Joe…Rand chose his carrier based in part of his first positive job experience in the kitchen with Joesuppie …

Most of our gatherings happened at Romanos Resturant on the cold foggy mornings. Joe would be prepping dishes for the day…we would be drinking coffee and expounding on the politics…we had opinions on most issues, well all issues…but Joe had a head start…he had already poured over the morning paper…he was a mix of a sports reporter and a Greek Philosopher…like Howard Cosell and Plato …the usual guys around the table would be myself, Bobbie Dummitt, Buddy Siefort, Randy Strada , and his favorite yellow lab, Busty…Busty.yano

Joe had a very unusually strong connection with his animals…his horses and his dogs were always exceptionally well trained and well taken care … I remember sitting up all night with Joe doctoring his old horse that was passing…watching Him take care of his old friend right to the end.

I was loving Julian, the perfect place to raise my family and my best buddy was a football coach and a great Italian chef.
Life was good.

Over the years of hanging out together we would go on fishing trips to Alaska. The most memorable was with Coach Coryell, Dan Fouts and my dad. One day Joe and I were dropped off in a small 15′ Lund fishing boat in the middle of the Icy Straits of Alaska, Fishing was slow and the sun was out and we were taking a little nap when an Orca breached about 20′ from us…it was so close we could see the water draining from its mouth…that was unreal

Our coaching took us to various camps with our boys …one of the most memorable was to Joe Kapp’s Camp in Berkeley. We spent hours in the car together …talking with our hands, not paying too much attention to the road . On one occasion we were engaged in a conversation and drove right by the exit…turned around , started talking again and drove by again…this happened not once , not twice , but four times…not surprisingly this action was repeated a few more times over the years.

On the horse back rides to Brawley , I would drive Joe’s, Michael Riney, Bobby Dummit, and Randy Strides camping equipment to the site of their first stop…Rodriques Canyon …they would set up a camp and I felt like I was back in time under the stars sitting around the camp fire with a bunch of cowboys…

Although Joe is gone …his spirit will always be with us….

In the San Felipe Sunset…

On the wings of the Red Tailed Hawk circling an Eagle football practice…

At Romano’s Dodge House Resturant …

and in the hearts of his family and friends….

Rest In Peace Old Friend….I’ll see ya Later Joesuppie