The closest saw shop was about 35 miles away

[panader0]

in a small town in central Oregon. Both of our Stihl saws needed a little care
and new chains. The shop informed us that we couldn't get the saws back until
the next day. We went to the little market for food and beer. We had to take our
cork boots off before entering, so the wooden floor would not get chewed up by
the cleats. As we sat outside, eating chicken and drinking beer, a few Hispanic
guys drove by and waved. They asked us what was up, and then invited us to their
place, a group of cabins in an apple orchard. In their broken English, and our broken
Spanish, we had a great fiesta of music, food and beer. I woke up the next morning
in the fourth bunk up, a bit hung-over. They drove us back to town where we
recovered our truck and saws. Apple pickers.

[samnsara]

1. sounds like a great night ( you ARE a guy, right?)..otherwise

[panader0]

2. Yeah, I'm a guy.

And my sweetie, later to become my first wife, was a beauty. She was waiting
for me in Warm Springs. This was about '75.

[jpak]

3. Back in the day in Maine we called the "caulked boots"

If a river driver drowned, the would nail his boots to a large tree as a memorial.

Some lasted many decades before they decayed.

[central scrutinizer]

10. Did you use this on your boots?

[link:?v=1426300535|

[jpak]

11. No - we used mink oil

n/t

[SonofDonald]

4. It's always been my experience

That minority's have the most giving, caring, wonderful and enviable family life, as a 58 yo white boy I can tell you that I've never been more welcome and accepted by others than by minorities, I've met more jerks of my own race than any others by at least a 100 to 1 margin.

I've lived around Hispanics, Philippinos, Alaskan Natives, Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese and a few others.

I feel lucky that I have been allowed into their lives and homes and my life is richer and happier because of my friends who aren't white.

Isn't this the way it's supposed to be?.

[bluecollar2]

6. My experiences

Mirrored yours.

[raven mad]

7. If you've lived with Alaska Natives, you've experienced THE most warm bunch of folks.

EVER! I've been lucky, too, SonofDonald - from Florida, where I grew up, to Alaska, to Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, the PNW, California, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma.............

Air Force life, and it was great (not my folks, me.....) - OH! And North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Wisconsin, Michigan.............

Far-flung family and far-flung travels, and loved it all. We did a Fairbanks (AK) to Merritt Island (FL) motorcycle run in 1995, 2 up and camping all the way. Hurricane in Mississippi, mild flooding in N. Florida - had a blast the whole way.

If you love, you get love back.

[SonofDonald]

8. One thing I notice is that people who travel

And see more differing people places and things have a much more well rounded life due to their varied experiences and exposure to culture even if it's right here in the states.

Where I went to high school there were two black family's with kids enrolled , one boy and two girls, that's it, the boy became our class president and the girls cheerleaders.

That was all the exposure to a minority I got until I moved to Alaska, started working in the canneries and realized the food on the Philipino side of the mess hall looked and smelled so much better so I ate there for the next six months.

Next thing you know I have lots of Philipino friends, the rest is history, I was raised by very liberal Parents so I had no preconceived stereotypes of people with different colored skin, I remember my Fathers friends from the Linfield College basketball team coming over to the house every weekend.

There I am, 6 years old looking up at a man that's nearly seven feet tall, wow!.

The problem with bigots is with an attitude like that it's no wonder you don't have any friends, so all you know are racist pissed off idiots with zero life experience just like themselves, then unfortunately they pass this on to the next generation.

They're mad because they see people going through life with a smile on their face and a song in their heart, something they don't know anything about becomes the object of their scorn and hate.

They have no idea what they're missing, and to think that they will never know how great life can be almost makes me pity them, but they don't deserve pity.

They deserve extinction.

[raven mad]

9. I know I was lucky. My folks were also liberals, and color didn't come into question.

Dad had a weekly poker game the neighborhood called "Kev's U.N.". The only thing I worried about was getting under the table FIRST in the morning to scoop up dropped change!

I can't live with hate, and that's what some of these folks thrive on.

[Fla Dem]

5. What a great story.