At nighttime during the Bisbee fishing tournament, the marina heats up with excitement as boats return after a day's fishing and everyone watches the weigh-in boards to see who's going to win the zillion dollars with their prize-winning catch. Servers from restaurants along the marina and the Puerto Paraiso Plaza bring around complimentary trays of appetizers, which they graciously serve the party-goers on the dock. There's a fiesta going on, and music is in the air. The lead singer and musician in this band played every salsa instrument she could get her hands on. The band was sponsored by the Bisbee tournament committee. We were in Cabo for the 25th anniversary of the Bisbee in October 2005.

IN CABO, I kept my eyes peeled for movie stars, of course; especially since the word was out that Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were in town. It didn't take much to convince me that I would be one of the lucky ones to spot them. And it was no surprise that Rita and Tom were hanging around since the Bisbee Bluebill tournament was in full swing down at the marina. Earlier, we had driven by their home on a bus tour to La Paz, and our guide had gladly pointed our eyes in the direction of Rita and Tom's Los Cabos residence.

So, I had my radar on for Tom Hanks.

As luck would have it, I spotted Tom and Rita down at the marina and started snapping off photos with the lens zoomed to telephoto, hoping not to invade their space. I watched them until my eyes glazed over, but since no crowd gathered around the "stars," I decided that rather than spotting Tom and Rita, I was instead watching two look-alike tourists or residents. Sure, they were hiding behind dark sun glasses, but so was everyone else.

My snapshot of "Tom and Rita Hanks " at the Bisbee

At about 10 o'clock in the evening, after hanging around the marina all afternoon hoping to see a gigantic marlin, our first sight of a prize-winning contender came when the "Felina," captained by Tony Nungaray, brought in a 321# black marlin, caught by angler Greg Leitzinger. It was crazy. Everyone was snapping photos with their cameras and cell phones, and the bikini-clad "Bisbee girls" were there to add glamour to the event.

10/26/2005