7" of Separation

I’m running on about four hours today, but it comes at the end of a long week and weekend of little sleep and lots of work. However, there are a few neat things to report.

Pam

A beautiful grill.

Pam got her first bath last Thursday. She looks so clean. I had no idea how fresh her brown carpet would come out. Also, the top bunk has been replaced and cleaned, so shes ready for a sleepover. (This all sounded really dirty. Sorry.)

I rolled her out of the barn to wash her, and before I knew it, one of my parent’s farmhands, Juan, was standing next to me. Juan is from Mexico and I have known him for 15 years, or so. We watch soccer together sometimes. But anyway, he said with a smile, “Nice car! Yours?” After I said yeah, he went over and filled up a bucket of soapy water and was helping me wash Pam before I could say no. He was intense about it. But he kept saying, “Wow, this is cool.”

Post-bath. Juan is actually inside, cleaning the windows, going to town.

So, I appreciated the help. I really did. After her bath, she went into the shop. My Dad and I tried to get the fridge working, to no avail. I think I might need to take it into a RV place for that. But we did manage to solve a few minor problems and create a few new problems. But overall, things are starting to shape up.

I ordered a few things from Go Westy!, an online parts supplier:

• A new antenna, as Pam’s was broken. The new one is supposed to be the best one on the market for VWs.
• A new canvas for the pop-top. Mine has some mold and tares. The new one is made from Hemp and is supposed to be better for wet weather.
• New weather stripping for the roof and passenger window.

So, as soon as that all comes, I should be able to do the first big workday. I’m pretty excited.

Larry Buckles

I spent three days last week watching local sign painter Larry Buckles paint a dragon on the floor of the Monroe High School Gym. I will be publishing a story next week. But here are a few shots:

Buckles, as his friends call him, steps back to take a look at his work.

He spent eight hours a day for two days on his hands and knees working on the mascot.

Buckles is now a Free Soul, a step sideways form the Hell’s Angels.

A look at the completed painting.

Baseball

Go Beavs! I have been ribbing my Duck sports editor all day. I say dynasty.

On Saturday, I shot some sweet Harrisburg Baseball action. They lost the game I shot 11-0. But they did win their first game of the summer season this last week. neat.

A week in the life…

Emergency
After six months of work here at the paper, I had never gone on an emergency chase — until last week. In a one week span I had a structure fire and two accidents. Now, I realize that car accident coverage is something that newspapers do. And I accept it as part of the job. But, I really hate showing up at the scene of an accident and taking pictures. But, such is life.

Last week, on Tuesday, right in the middle of production, a fire was called. A furnace in a furniture shop set fire the the attic. That was exciting, and I was the first of three photographers to respond. I assume one was from Eugene’s Register-Guard, as they had pictures the next day. The other, I believe was a freelancer, just chasing the unfortunate. Showing up to fires, especially at commercial locations, isn’t as bad as car accidents. But, it is still capitalizing on other’s misfortune.

So, then, as I was getting done at the fire, the fire chief said there was a bad accident across town. A sanitation tanker plowed into a public works tractor and put the sanitation business out of business and the public works employee into the hospital with a ruptured kidney and four staples to the head.

The tractor was split into two parts and the tanker was totaled, as well.

The real kicker was this week though.

On Monday, right at 5 p.m., a call came in that I-5 was closed due to an accident. A Ford Explorer crossed the median and hit an Impala at full speed. Police are still investigating the crash. As it turns out, the women that was hit in the Impala is one of Ellyn’s oldest friends. The women was air lifted to the hospital after being trapped unconscious for 50 minutes. The worst part, she died in the ICU from her injuries. The driver of the Explorer was treated and released with minor cuts and bruises.

This was my first real ambulance chase.

So, pray for the family of this poor women. It is really a sad story. She was just driving along.

Graduation
So, Elly walked down that aisle with 4,010 other OSU students. I watched and got a sun burn.

My two favorite girls, happy as can be.

This cake was pretty good.

Aaah. I think we have the same picture from last year, just switched.

Moms and El.

Peace. Bitches.

Art

My friends the Fountain family just had a little art show in downtown JC. They make amazing metal sculptures and a lot of garden art (to pay the bills). Also, their daughter MacKenzie is an amazing musician.

I think shes singing a Queen cover here. They love Queen.

Mark got a little tired of me not helping them set up. I claimed I was working.

Van News

It shall be stated here, and known to all, that the van shall, from this day on, be know as “Pamela.” Ellyn named her. I got inside and it just felt right.

So Pam the van.

Also, while driving around the other day, I saw a sweet paint job on a Type 2 that I would like to think about for Pam.

Okay. Well… I hope to be a little more on top of things this week. Sorry to cram it all into one post.

Two out of four are sexual predators. Can you guess which ones?

So, I got some news the other day, and it was a tad troubling to me.

I can’t go too much into it, but settle to say, someone let me down a bit. My hope for mankind is actually a little zapped by it.

I assigned a story a while back about a man who was working with kids. This man turned out to have a great story, a story that really touched the heart. A good man of faith who loved those around him — at least, that’s what my reporter saw. And in my limited interaction with him, so did I.

Well, turns out this man had to resign from his job working with kids because of some sort of pornography issue.

I know little, can say even less. But it isn’t about this one event.

There are many like it.

I had a middle school teacher who was arrested for looking at porn during class time. We, as students, knew he was doing it.

In fact, just this week we ran a story on a man involved with a Catholic school who was molesting girls.

Why is it that so many men, especially, it seems, men of established faith, have trouble keeping it in line?

This is a debate that has come up around the office, and I’m curious of what the few friends I know read this blog think.

Comment below, please.

Oh, and the answer to our quiz?

The priest and the woman in white. The man happens to be a pervert and a sex addict, but I think you will find the question asked specifically for “sexual predators.” The woman in black is delightfully nice and actually leads a quite normal private life. She enjoys the game of cribbage. As does the priest.

Thanks for playing.

It’s the American dream. Kerouac, Kesey and Furthur, even Bugs Bunny (why do you think he always tunnels in at the beginning of each cartoon?) have all experienced the road trip. Now, it’s my turn.

Last Friday, before a pretty decent Mirah show at the Aladin, I cleaned out my savings account on my new ride — a midnight blue, 1983 VW Vanagon Westfalia. Fully camperized, she contains a pop-top tent, two beds, a stove, fridge and sink. I love Ellyn, but I also have a second girl in my life now.

A bit of rust on the hub caps, a horrible, peeling paint job and 200,000 miles are her only drawbacks. The pop-top is a little moldy, as well. Nothing that can’t be fixed over the next 8 months. Why 8 months? Well, come next March, I hope to call it quits as the editor of the Tri-County and embark on an adventure to all 48 continental states. Hell, I might even try to make it to Alaska, why not?

Of course, I will be updating my adventure on the blog — including the countdown and my work to get the van ready.

So stay tuned. And here are some of my first adventures…

What’s in a name?

So… the list is pretty short right now. She needs a name.

Elly suggested Guenevere, which has a cool King Arthur/Death Cab thing going for it. But at the same time, it has a nerdy King Arthur/Fake-Padded-Sword-In-The-Park thing going for it, too.

I like Penelope. Not sure it fits, though.

I could use some more ideas. Help name my van, if you want.

Inside

One of the best parts is the analog clock in the dash.
And, of course, there is the stove and sink.

And the part that seemed to impress the guy I bought it from most… the tiny ice tray.

The DMV

So, after driving my beauty home from Portland, and then driving it around uninsured and unregistered for two days, I went in to the DMV on Monday to take care of things. So, the DMV in Junction is tiny, staffed by two women, who were about as helpful as you can expect DMV employees to be.

So, I walk into the tiny, one-room DMV, expecting a fast trip, seeing that it is empty save me and one other young guy looking to renew his Jeep’s tags. So, I take my title and begin to fill out my forms. I grab the “Title Transfer Form,” seeing that I am transferring a title. All goes well. I take my form up and… its the wrong form. I need the form with the blue boarder, called the “Title registration Form.”

“But, I’m transferring a title,” I say.

“Yeah, but you are also registering it. Get the other form,” she replies. She was gruff, for no reason.

So, blue boarder. Done. Back to the desk.

Things move along. She types in my VIN. Ahh…

“Looks like this is registered as a motor home,” she says.

“What’s that mean,” I ask. Obviously seeking the repercussions of such a vehicle rating.

“It means it has a stove and stuff like that,” she says, shortly, as if I’m a moron.

NO FREAKING WAY! I know what a motor home is… but why do I care, as far as registration is concerned? But, I am polite. I move on.

“Looks like your tags expire in September. Want to renew now?”

Tags don’t cost a ton. “Sure,” I say.

So, this is when she pulls out a calculator, and I know I answered the last question wrong.

Entering a series of totals, she rings me up for something like $300.

“So that’s what a motor home rating means,” I say. “That’s what I was getting at.”

She looks up. Just with her eyes. Daggers.

“Yeah. It is done by the foot. Length costs with motor homes.”

Thanks. I cancel the tags, and just transfer the title, which is still $55. No cards. $1.90 fee on the ATM.

I hate the DMV.

Her history

Born in Germany, she moved to Portland shortly after her birth. After a few years in the Rose City, she was taken away to San Fransisco, where she lived most of the 1990s. In the early 21st century, she moved back to Portland, where she was bought by Chris and his wife, a late-30s couple from North Portland. After two years of weekend camping, the couple listed her on Craigslist. That’s where I found her.