Date: Thu, 27 Mar 1997 22:47:13 -0500 From: Charlie Ford Subject: Asta la vista San Francisco San Francisco Well I am about to leave the San Francisco area and head north. My time here has been pleasant, lucrative, educational, and very restful. I have met so many people while living this month in California. It is a beautiful area with beautiful people and flowers in their hair. The experience has varied from not so good to stupendous. This is the way it should be. Upon arrival I was confronted with all sorts of trouble. I was supposed to get in touch with Marty, an old friend of mine from Atlanta that had moved out here a couple years back. He sent me the wrong number (by one digit) by e-mail. I couldn't find a place to hook up so I just sort of found myself in a helluva hole. On the first day I drove around looking for a place to park and sleep for the night. I went to the prettiest place I could find, San Francisco Bay at the Saint Francis Yacht Club. I spoke with a Park Ranger at the office and he said it was fine as long as I had this little sticker on my back window. He explained to me that the night shift guy was something of an ass, and might try and roust me out when he came on shift at 12 midnight. He said, "don't let him bother you, he thinks he's a cop or something, just tell him your a buddy of mine from the Navy." I said fine and commenced to get comfortable after a day of fighting the wind coming from Santa Cruz. I lay in the bunk watching TV and taking in the beauty of the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset. I cooked me a pack of Ramen Noodles, and drank my last beer. Finally I retired and fell asleep dreaming pleasurable dreams of buxom young (over 18 of course) females running across the California beaches. Hey, I'm heterosexual male and that is the content of some of my dreams, like I can help, or better yet want too. Suddenly I was dreaming that as they ran they were clinking and clanging, like a bag of bolts. Then one of them looked out toward the ocean and started squinting here eyes, and three loud bangs made me sit straight up in the bus. half asleep and half awake I said who the hell is it! the voice outside was one of a genuine narcissist pig wanabee. it yelled back that it was against the city laws of San Francisco to camp or sleep in any vehicle. I in know uncertain terms slid open the door of the bus and pile my large tall frame out and came face to face with the damned ugliest little guy I have seen, to date. maybe it was just the darkness, or maybe it was the fact he was rousting me out of my rest at 1:30 am. Or maybe it was just his attitude. Whatever, he was ugly. I told him what the other security guard had said and gave my most convincing act of the "old navy buddy routine", but all was lost with this pip squeak of a pork dreamer. needless to say after sleeping for three hours and then being rudely awakened by a rapping on my bumper was just not very cordial. I remained civil in the face of this inner boiling rage. I moved my bus after trying my best to reassure him I wasn't a mass murderer. I drove across the street and up to the safeway grocery store and slept like a baby the rest of the night, except for the jerk that decided he wanted to pee on my bus when I first pulled in. He quickly found out that he wasn't making a very good decision especially when the owner stepped out of the bus, surprising him just before release. I was already frustrated and really wasn't in the mood to be cordial. He had not realized I was sitting on passenger side seat and only opened the door when I saw what his intentions were. He decided immediately that it might be better if he pissed elsewhere. He moved to a light pole apologizing while walking with his privates in hand. I had to smile a little after closing the door, even if it was 2:00 am. The next day I started to once again search for Marty. I knew I had to find a place to settle in and find some work, I was down to 100 bucks and that doesn't go very far in San Francisco. I called another friend and he said immediately to come to his house. Julien Phillips is a guy I know from national Service. Over the years he has played several roles, but for the most part he has co-directed a program called Partners in School Innovation. He and another friend Kim Grose started the program about five years ago, and so far it has been praised by all in the Frisco region that take advantage of what they have to offer. The program works with schools to develop new methods and resources for teaching children. They are in several schools in the Bay Area. They are also an AmeriCorps program, one of the best. Julien and his wife Diane live in San Mateo and as most of you know that is where I have been living while here. Diane is a minister, and Thisbee is their dog. This is one great family. They are a bit more polished than I, but I enjoy them and they enjoy me. Good friends don't care what you have, how smart you are, or where you are from, they just like you! I like that! Many of you already know about the manpower fiasco so I will skip that part and tell you about some of my favorite experiences while here. I got the chance to meet Don Kane and his family. Don is an amazing fellow. On Saturday before last he and I dropped our first VW engine from a 67 he has just come to own, and since meeting him I have come to know him as a hardworking family man, and one heck of a musician. His wife Bess also works and they together raise three children. They also live in San Mateo and have more VW's than most of the listies I have seen. Good people they are. On the day Don and I pulled the engine from the 67 I got a special treat. Don and I cleaned up and he asked if I wanted to ride with him to pick up his youngest son Allen. I said alright and off we went. We pulled an airport and he explained that his father was a pilot. When Don's dad and Allen arrived Don asked him if he would take me up for a short hop. Mr. Kane said "no problem" and off we went into the wild blue yonder. We flew over Half Moon Bay and along Rockaway Beach and then back to the airport. This was a stupendous experience. I love to fly in small planes and this was one that will live forever in memory. I could see for miles, San Francisco and all of the Bay. Thanks Don! I met Martha or "Busgirl" as many of you recognize that name. She and her daughter Sarah were at the campout. In fact she did a good portion of the work to organize it along with Ron Lussier. Martha invited me to come back and camp at her place a couple nights. I met her Husband Nate who by the way is quite an impressive man in his own right. Look on some of your albums that might have violins and look for the name Nathin Rubin. Nate is not a VW person, but he is one good ole boy. Any man that can burn horsehair like he can is alright in my book. This past week a friend of mine came in from Atlanta. Mary Anne Lahey is a friend that simply defines the word. She has recently had a bout with breast cancer and has become stronger in the fight. Many times she has come to my rescue by just being there. She is one of the best listeners I have ever known. And with me being such a talker we just seemed to sort of fit. She came out to do some consultant work for the navy . She explained that since I saved her a bundle by picking her up at the airport she would treat me to lunch. She took me to the Tadesh Grill in the financial district of SF. We had lunch for two that cost $60.00 bucks. Then we went to a strip mall and she went shopping for new clothes. It was great to see her. She is one of those people I would walk a hundred miles just to take a bullet for , very special indeed. This past weekend I went to Pinnacles National Monument. Joining several folks from the type-2 and vanagon list. I met Martha, Ron, Russ, Steve, Anne, Bradley, saw Jack, Bren, Joe, Malcom, Jed, and many others. We didn't see a comet but we burned our retinas with several large chunks of Magnesium. Bradley and Steve helped me get the radio that Dave Robinson gave me installed, so I now have music. Breathing those magnesium fumes makes one glow inside and outside. Sitting by that fire takes ones breath away, literally. of course we all sat around the fire and discussed what harm this might be doing to our lungs, but no one got up and moved, to rapidly anyway. The glow got us more than the fumes. The Magnesium Comet Campout was truly an adventure, with fun and games shared by all. We had folks drop in from far and wide, many wandering "what the hell is that bright light?". I am sure many thought we were shooting a movie. When they left we sent them away with a yellow glow in front of their eyes, a beer (one of Jacks delicious home-brew), a hearty smile and a "ya'll come back now, ya hear!". I think I spoke more southern for these people than anywhere else I have been. I shared with them the proper way to drawl, and they shared with me the valley language and ebonics. Both of which I think are strange. All of these folks were great. I heard much about many trips. Makes on want to come to California just to be around so many VW bussers. San Francisco has been fine, fine indeed! The job was fun, and the experience even more fun, but as of Saturday I will be heading out. I have set myself to drive up highway 5 after covering some of the coast. I would like to meet as many of you as I can. Please drop me a line if you want to have coffee or beer, or tea. I made need a place to camp a night, so if anyone has a drive available I would appreciate it. The Mothership is running great, but if anyone has a temp sensor they don't want let me know what you want for it and we can deal. That is the only thing right now that I know of is in need of replacement. It has a frazzled wire on it and I have rigged it with electrical tape so it is doing fine at the present but for how long I am not sure. Thanks for tolerating my 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.armory.com/~y21cvb/charlie/charlie.html "Wider still and wider.....shall thy bounds be set"