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When I was a little kid I read a lot of books. I knew what I liked at the time- Curious George. Some kids wanted to be astronauts, or firemen. Maybe a doctor or a cop. But not me - I just wanted to be The Man With The Yellow Hat. I could walk around town with a little monkey as a friend and we could have great adventures together. As I got older, I realized that while hanging out with a monkey all day had it's advantages, it didn't really pay well. So I had to move on, and find other dreams. (Sadly, not all of us realized this - click to see an example) When I got older I started reading Dr. Seuss books to my daughter. Unlike Curious George, these books seemed to have real depth. They talked about serious issues in life, as if he were talking to the parents more than the children. Doctor Seuss wrote a book called "Oh the Places You'll Go". It's basically a poem about what life has to offer, and what you can choose to do. It's one of those things presumably written for little kids, but the story is much deeper than that. This is how it starts:
I took a ride around Woodland on a beautiful Sunday morning, to see where people choose to go when they have feet in their shoes and a brain in their head.
This family was all out in their yard getting ready for a good little family outing on their ATVs. They were trying to get the smaller, blue ATV started. I talked to the father (Steve) and asked him a couple of questions. Steve said they were going 'out to the creek' to ride around. He takes is kids out there fairly often, but they hadn't been out for about 3 months because of the weather. Since the engines hadn't been started for a while, they were having a hard time getting them all to fire up- especially the small blue one. When we rode up, they were towing the blue one with the yellow one, trying to start it without kicking it over a hundred times. I asked him why it wouldn't start and he smiled at me and gave me the look of "If I knew, I would have it fixed by now." Once they got everything started, they planned on going out and riding for two or three hours - something they do about twice a month when the weather is nice. The dad wanted to switch places for the picture- on to the larger bike. But his sons said "no, stay there, you look funnier that way."
I walked up to Jack while he was washing this car. The car was already looking pretty good, but he was out there washing it anyway. I asked him how often he washes his car, and he said, "At least once a week, it is a weekend ritual." Actually, Jack was just being a nice guy, because this is his mom's car. But the car was on the driveway, and he needed to move it before he washed his motorcycle. He figured it just wouldn't be right to move Mom's car and not wash it. He was a little wary of being interviewed. Not that he wasn't a nice guy, but he wondered if I was selling something "what's up, do you want me to get a lifetime subscription to a magazine? Or buy some steaks or something?" He had a smile on his face, but I could tell that he didn't want his work to be interrupted by someone who just wanted to sell him something. But once we started talking he really opened up. Jack was born in Woodland, and went to school at Freeman, Lee and Woodland High. He spent some time away in Washington, but moved back down to what he calls "an expensive and over-rated state." But he likes it enough to say that he will probably stay here for quite a while. Right now he works for Yohn's Lawncare as a tree-climber. We talked a little about Washington, and the car, but Jack was really interested in his motorcycle. (Click here for a picture). He's got a super-sport bike he likes to ride whenever he can. I asked him where he liked to ride, maybe out to Capay or something like that. He said, "No, I like to ride on the freeway, or some road where I can go fast." He said that he's gotten his bike up to 160 MPH. Damn...that's fast. He regularly takes it over 100 MPH. (Message to the CHP and Sheriffs Department- this was all lies, he actually never goes over 60.) He said he likes to race, but nothing short. His idea of a race isn't from one stoplight to the next - he wants to race from Sacramento to San Francisco, or anywhere else far and fast. As I was getting ready to leave, two guys on Harley's rode by. They saw Jack's bike parked on the sidewalk, and they opened up their throttles to let out a huge Harley roar. It was part greeting, but mostly it was a challenge from the big loud bikes. As if to say "yeah, you got a motorcycle, but you aren't like us." Jack said "I get that a lot...but I'll see them when they get there - they may look cool on the street, but I'll race them anytime and any place."
Riding around some more, I came across Lisa who was out in front of her house watching her fiancee Jeff while he mowed the lawn. I asked Lisa what she normally did on Sundays. "I usually do homework, or go to church if I don't have homework. I am a full-time student at American River College." I asked her why she didn't go to Woodland Community College..."They don't have the program I am interested in- I want to be a Recreation Therapist. When I finish at American River, I will transfer to Sac State." I asked Lisa about being in the wheelchair. She was in a bad car accident four and a half years ago, and she now relies on the wheelchair to get around. But, she keeps going out to do the things she loves. She likes to fish. I went in her garage to look at the collection of fishing poles, at least 6 of them were ready to go. She likes to hike, and go up in the snow. In the back of her car were a set of wheels for the chair that had knobby tires which allow her to go just about anywhere. Lisa said that getting out and doing things takes her mind of the back pain she lives with. Her attitude was that going out and enjoying life was better than sitting around and worrying about her injuries. On this Sunday she and Jeff were going to get their engagement pictures taken. They were busy with tuxedo rentals and wedding plans. They'll be married in June.
This man was selling ice cream out near the Woodland High School pool. There was a swim-meet going on, with tons of people. Surprisingly, it seemed like nobody was buying from him which is too bad. Personally, he's got some of my favorites, I really like the chocolate cream popsicles- the ones with the little guy on the clear plastic wrapper and the chocolate shavings that have all settled to the bottom. I don't know if he could be called a Paletero, because isn't Mexican- he is Indian or Pakistani. I tried to interview him, but he doesn't speak my language (English), and I can't speak his language. So I bought my ice cream -only a dollar- and gave the international sign for "Can I take your picture". (I put my hands up to my face, and did a little clicky-clicky thing with my finger). He shook his head that yes, it was fine to take the picture. So here he is, the local ice cream man willing to stand out there all Sunday just trying to make a few bucks.
This is another guy who was just trying to make a few bucks. Richard was sitting out in front of the Jack in the Box on Main and East street. I have tried to interview quite a few homeless people. Most of them refuse. The ones who 'work' out in front of Wal-Mart do it in shifts- it is serious business. I have seen people drive up behind Applebee's in a fairly decent car, get out, drag some poor under-nourished dog and a cardboard sign with them, then stand on the median to collect donations. Those people never agree to be interviewed, and get fairly pissed off when I ask them. Many of them hold a 'Will Work for Food' sign. I have offered them jobs, but nobody has accepted the offer yet. So when I approached Richard, I had no idea what to expect. I asked him if he minded being interviewed, and he said it was no problem. I asked him about where he lives, and he said "I am over here at the shelter right now (Wayfarer Center). I like it because it is out of the weather." He is originally from Napa, and has only been in Woodland for 4 days. After talking to Richard for a few minutes it became evident that he was 'slow' or 'mentally challenged.' He was a real nice guy, but I don't think he is fully capable of taking care of himself. That is not meant to be a judgment of Richard as a person, but I felt it could have a lot to do with him being on the streets. I asked him how he came to be homeless. He told me that he lived with his mother up until she died. When she died, he inherited her house, but had no means of getting a job. He ended up selling the house, and then was encouraged by 'some people' to invest the money from the house into their business. He said that the people he trusted actually cheated him, and took his money. With no house, and lacking the ability to get a job, Richard became homeless. I asked him if he ever had a job, once he was a security guard "I enjoyed that" he said. I didn't feel bad about giving Richard money. I don't think it will be going to drugs, or to alcohol. He seemed like a guy who genuinely needs help. I hope he gets it. (Of course I am not an expert on these things, I am just telling you what I thought about the situation)
When I saw Frank drive by in this Impala, I knew I had to talk to him. I followed him until he came to a stop, where he had pulled over to talk to a friend. I asked if I could interview him, and he said "sure, no problem." Frank's had this car for about 11 years. Right now it's painted in a rich metal-flake red called 'Wild Berry', but he wants to get it re-painted silver. "Raider Color" he says. I asked him if he was in a club, and he said no, but sometimes he takes the car to shows. I also attempted to ask him about hydraulics, but I couldn't come up with the right terminology. He says it has 'air bags' which I am sure means something different to him than what they talk about on a Volvo commercial. This is his weekend car, not his daily driver. His favorite part of the car is the fact that it is a convertible - it's great for cruising around on a morning like this, but he said he avoids it "when it gets too hot." Here's one more picture of Frank, check out his t-shirt. Frank's obviously got a hobby with this car, and I was a little jealous. He's got a sweet ride that he only takes out when it's nice.This isn't his primary transportation, so he doesn't have to mess with it if he doesn't want to. He just puts the top down and cruises around to see his friends. He's got a pretty nice deal and he'll probably hang on to it for a while.
This is Mike and CC (Mike is the one wearing pants). I found them, along with Edi (Mike's wife- who didn't want her picture taken) out in front tending their yard. Mike and Edi both had shoes that had turned green from mowing the lawn. Their yard was very nice, the grass was a bright green, and I didn't see a weed anywhere on their property. It was obvious that they take pride in their yard, and enjoy doing the work. They've got a weekly routine; Mike does the edging, runs the weed whacker, and trims the bushes. Edi mows and sweeps up. I was there on a beautiful day in March, and Edi said it was her "favorite time of the year." Their yard has beautiful Modesto Ash trees out in front. Mike said that they had been be sprayed recently with a small blue dot at the base. He surmised that the city was possibly going to trim them to keep them out of the power lines. The trees still hadn't leafed-out, but they were starting to get tangled up in the over-head wires. I asked if they they had any big projects coming up in their yard. Edi said "we're going to paint our house, starting next week." I asked them what color and Mike said "the same colors." I asked if they were going to do it themselves, and they both replied "oh yeah." I wasn't surprised, because the seemed to be enjoying themselves out on this day. It seemed that to them the painting project was a challenge, not a chore. Something they wanted to do to keep their house up, and something theyt could take pride in. I asked them what their favorite part of the yard was, and Mike said without hesitation, "The pool." The Dr. Suess story of "Oh The Places You Will Go" ends like this:
Everyone's mountain is different. I met a lot of people today- and every single one of them was interesting, with a story to tell. Each of them has chosen a direction to steer themselves, using the feet in their shoes and the brain in their head. Like me and my monkey, I am sure that all of them have changed their dreams from childhood. We've all had our successes, and we've all had our defeats. But we go out to enjoy a sunny day in March, because that is what life is all about. At least that is what the Cat in the Hat told me.
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