Date: Fri, 10 Oct 1997 16:06:18 -0700 From: Charlie Ford To: type2@bigkitty.azaccess.com Subject: Me, Gus, and The Mothership I left Darrell Boehlers, and southern Illinois, on Sunday morning around 9:30 AM heading for Franklin, Ky. where I have an AmeriCorps training to perform. I look forward to doing the work and having the money for doing the work. Life is nicer that way, but only a little bit. The route I was taking, promised to be reasonably slow and easy, as a Sunday drive should be. I would drive south on Hwy. 51 to Anna and turn toward Interstate 24. I-24 would take me down to Kentucky State Highway 68. I would pick it up in Paducah, Ky. I would arrive in Franklin in only a couple or three hours. Of course the first part of the morning was spent listening to the hum of the Mothership, analyzing every little spin of the motor, and generally finishing the wake-up process. As I mentioned in my last note, sleep has definitely become my friend as of late. I would rather do it than eat at times. I think it may have something to do with fall of the year. Fall is probably my favorite time of year simply because it has that really nice "easy" quality about it. The farther into fall you get, the closer you are to winter. These two season's I believe serve to calm us, they make us drift into a semi-hibernation, as close to hibernation as humans get anyway. We go into our caves to think, and not be exposed to the extreme weather that looms outside. During this hibernation we, or at least I, tend to think, and reflect more about what the spring and summer has brought to me. Mind you this years spring and summer has brought much, the experiences, the VW events, all the great people I have met, and the many conclusions on life's great mysteries. I has also brought me a solace, a "peaceful easy feeling" if you will. The lessons we gather come to us when we reflect, more strongly than when the experience is actually happening. In this fall, I will have much reflection to do, and some anticipation of my future. I drove East, through Western Kentucky, on Highway 68, adoring some of the most beautiful farmland I have seen. I drove beside massive fields of soybeans, and corn, and tobacco. The colors of the fall had made the fields glow with yellows, and beige, and tan. Soon the harvest will be done, the fields will one more time, turn into rough looking scapes of brown and black dirt waiting to be planted next year, and the cycle continues. it is said that Kentucky has the highest illiteracy rate in the country. As far as educational success goes it ranks last on the totem pole. The State Legislature has proclaimed war on these numbers and have put forth a commanding effort to increase education in the State. One night I was in the Mothership, watching my little 6' inch TV, and a commercial comes on. it was two ladies of about 65 years of age that were sisters. They were explaining that they had recently received there GED. They explained that they were very proud of themselves, but what got them the most, was that fact that their 90 year old mother had been the proudest. They said she cried she was so proud of her daughters. What a good story, I actually wiped a little moisture from my eye after I saw the commercial. The folks I met down there were all pretty nice. They were plain and simple and seem to fit in with the land in which they lived. They were not the best orators, but all in all they said what was on their minds and justified it with good reasonable cause. Just pure southern country, as good as it gets. Never under estimate the intelligence, you just have to slow down to grasp it. I finally reached Franklin. My friend Mike Houston is the Director of a new AmeriCorps program called KYREADS. His program is just another part of the effort to increase literacy in the state. Mike is a noble gentleman of the highest order, he is my brother (there are many of you that know what I mean by that). My purpose for being here was to teach a session on "Teambuilding and Communications" in a group setting. Basically what I do is go in and put the group through some activities that are designed to teach. Then after the activity, I facilitate them through a reflective period, so they can recognize the good and the bad traits that emerged in the group during the exercise. the training lasted two days and was very successful. On Tuesday evening I pulled out and headed for Macedonia, Kentucky. this is where Darrell and Jolene and I will meet so I can finally gather "Gus". I spent that night in Pennyrile State Park on Kentucky State Hwy. #109, which spurs off of Hwy #68 in Hopkinsville, KY. This little road was also very scenic with little farms and rolling hills of prime horse pasture land. "Born in the valleys of western Kentucky.". Pennyrile is one of those State Parks that goes for the jugular. There is not only the campground, but also a golf course, shangri-la type hotel, and several cabins available so the yuppies can be closer to the great outdoors. Yes, there are even yuppies in Kentucky, they just talk with a southern drawl. That night I slept with a calm comfort knowing that the next morning, I would once again, after five years, be a dog owner, which with it brings much responsibility. "Gus" or "Augustus" is as I have already explained, a Basset Hound. I mean this description in the most literal sense. He is as long as a shepherd, but real short. he has paws the size of any Saint Bernard, but his legs are only 3 to 5 inches long. His ears are the most astounding thing about the dog. A person could easily make a great pair of moccasins out of those laps of leather. He is a Basset hound, droopy eyes and all. The Humane society lady said that they thought he was about 6 months old, I think he is about 10-12 months old. His color is mostly white with red pied spots on his body. His face is reddish brown with a ring of white around his nose. Good looking hound he is, he actually, sort of matches the colors of The Mothership. Like I said, if there has ever been a "VW" of the dog world, it is a Basset Hound. Darrell Jolene arrived a bit earlier and came and found me in the campground. We were supposed to meet at the front gate at 10:00 AM but they beat me to the draw, and all of a sudden here they were, along with "Gus". We spent a few minutes together and off they went leaving me a "Gus" to get to know each other. He had been neutered the day before so he wasn't really up to any jumping, running, or hard play, so we just took our first walk together. "Gus" has character. He is a gamely young dog with much in the way of personality. Even on the first day, he wanted to try and run, and play. I am not sure I would want to if someone had just removed my "nads" from my body. For some reason I think I would just want to lay around. "Gus" got to that later on, but right now he was enjoying his freedom from incarceration. We loaded up and pulled out of the park. "Gus" immediately found his space in The Mothership. He chose my bed as his turf, of course I showed him to a better spot later, it was either that or me sleep on the floor. The driver never sleeps on the floor, when he learns to drive then we can discuss the matter further, for now "Gus" resides there or on the love seat. When we are driving he tends to enjoy the passenger seat. He doesn't do anything special there, he just continues to sleep, just in a different place. As soon as the bus stops and I get out he moves out of the passenger seat into the drivers seat. Hey....maybe he will learn someday. : ) On the second day, or Thursday, he finally let me hear his bark, or bay when it comes to a hound dog. We had driven from Pennyrile to Mammoth Cave National Park, also in Western Kentucky. camp was set up and the stove was boiling the Brat sausage that Darrell had brought me, and I had to go to the facilities. I walked away from the bus and at about 30 yards away, I hear this long lonesome deep guttural boooowooooowoooooof! I turned around and looked, he was watching me, wagging' his tail, and letting another one off. I swear he sounds like the dogs chasing the prisoner in some cheesy jailbreak film. I looked at him and said "Gus', what we have hear is a failure to communicate", I am just going to the bathroom. He laid down, sort of like he understood me. The first thing I have to do for "Gus" is fatten him up. He suffers from the "severe mal-nourished, incarcerated" look. His eyes are naturally sad, but that mixed with being skinny ain't a good thing. My dogs are never un-healthy, if I am gonna have them, then I am gonna feed them. ""Gus"" has feasted on a couple of Darrells Bratwurst since joining me at Pennyrile. He has also feasted on a few cans of Alpo. He needs something on his bones to build into muscle. By the time November rolls around he should be looking pretty fit. We strolled around Mammoth Cave a little bit. I spent every waking moment with him for the first 48 hours. I learned that he is crazy about kids, crazy about sleep, crazy about women, and crazy about food. Pretty much matches me to a tee. On the way out of Mammoth Cave I met a malitia type person. It was at this little souvenir shop on the east side of the park. This lady of about fifty was the shop keeper. She started asking me all sorts of questions about what I thought about the way the country was going. I didn't respond much but listened more. She finally came up and said "now let me tell you, if you ever need a place to come to, you can come up here. There are many that are in the malitia and we can protect you from the enemy". Needless to say this was scary to even hear. I may not agree with my government all the time, but I'll be damned if I want to blow it up, that is against the rules, mine anyway! I bought two ammo boxes, and went on my peaceful way. They are good for storage, the malitia is good for nothing. Yesterday, we made it to Cincinnati. I am camping out in back of Tony Moore's laboratory and will be here through Sunday. I have to fly to Denver to do another AmeriCorps gig next week and "Gus" will be staying with Tony's sister. He should enjoy that, she has a fenced in yard and plenty of room. I will gather him next Sunday, then off we go to Nova Scotia and all parts in between. I have to beat the first big snow, I think I can if I can be there by late November. For me, Gus, and The Mothership, Thanks for tolerating the ramblings. Charlie Ford "79" Transporter, dressed for the road The Mothership The"Turning 40 Nostalgic VW Service Tour, and Search for the Beginning of Wind". http://www.slurpee.net/~keen/charlie/charlie.html "Wider still and wider.....shall thy bounds be set"