Memories: Christmas Tree Lot - Part 1

Memories...one of my favorites:

A few years back, I got asked to pick up some Christmas trees from Portland, Oregon and drive them down to California.  It was for our annual Christmas tree lot that benefited our local Young Life club. I was virtually broke (less than $30 in the bank) and had nothing better to do, so I said yes.

My buddy Dylan also got to tag along. He was only a couple years out of High School (barely drinking age) and I was pushing thirty. I met Dylan when he was a little Jr High kid. We fast became friends and have been ever since.

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One time, while he was in High School, he took me on a tour of where he grew up, somewhere in the middle of Sacramento. His mom worked in the Capitol building at the time, and we got a tour of the whole place. This was during the grunge-scene era. I was in my early 20’s and looked the part: long hair, flannel shirt - just a general mess. I felt so out of place as we took the tour of the Capitol - getting a behind the scene look at the political class.

A few scenes are etched in my memory from that day.  One was riding the elevator within the capitol building. The walls of the elevator reflected back at us like a mirror. Here I was - Mr. Grunge boy in his mid twenties with a couple high school kids (Sam and Dylan) - and we found ourselves standing in a mirrored box with perfectly groomed men in expensive suits and very fashionable women in their business attire. They all looked so important! And they probably were.  I felt so out of place (as always). I’m sure they must have wondered what we were doing in the Capitol building. I looked one step away from homeless.  It was a very self conscious ride.

Another funny scene happened in Downtown Sac. There was this building that had a pillar with water falling from it, giving a kind of waterfall effect. Being stupid kids, we started splashing each other from the falling water. I’ll never forget - this elderly woman came up to us and said with a stern and angry voice “Bums pee in that water!” and then just walked away. Talk about random.  And like that would stop us! Lots of laughter and completely drenched, we adventured on.

Fun times...

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Anyway - years later - Dylan and I headed to the airport on our little mission to get trees from Portland. I think Dylan had less than $10 on him (which was actually a lot for him) and I was broke too. We were always broke, but that never seemed to stop us from experiencing amazing stories that we'd later share with our friends, embellishing them like we were poets of old.

I had a Young Life Credit Card (to pay for our truck and gas on the way down) but that was it. Broke and willing - we were ready for whatever was in front of us.  This was supposed to be a very simple trip: get the trees, make a stop in Reno to drop their trees off at a local High School (Reno YL), then head home with the remainder of trees to El Dorado Hills.

This is a phenomenon that happens to me a lot.  I never know details.

When we got on the plane - I felt completely and totally clueless. We had vague instructions to meet someone we didn't know at the airport - but that’s about it.  So often, I wonder how I’m gonna get from point A to point B. I have continually led trips throughout the years and kids always ask, “where are we going?" and "what are we going to do when we get there?” or some such question - they're always pushing for details. I pretty much always reply with, “I have no idea??” and I’m usually being honest (I think they believe I’m lying to them. ha!)  The funny thing is that it has worked out so many times that I don’t really even worry anymore. I mean, I get a little nervous if I start thinking about my cluelessness, but somehow things always come together.

We arrived at the Portland airport early in the morning with no bags to retrieve and no idea where we were going. As we walked off the plane and into the gate area, a random lady somehow recognized us and asked if we were from Young Life. (this was just prior to the 911 craziness when people could actually meet each other right off the plane).

Come to think of it, I believe she had a sign, and we walked towards her as she spoke. After introductions, she asked us, “Do you guys want to go to breakfast?” Well. ummm. This was that awkward moment when we had confess we had no money. I think we mumbled something like “maybe McDonalds, cuz it’s all we can afford.” And she replied, “Nonsense! I’ll take you out - on me.” Score!!

So we ate at this little hole in the wall diner in the middle of nowhere. This has to be mentioned: It was in the middle of winter and it was pretty darn cold. Dylan was wearing shorts, a T-shirt, and a bathrobe that he used as a coat. Yep, that's right, a bathrobe. Just...wow. He believed that he could start a new trend with everyone wearing bathrobes. He was in the last few years of his youth when he thought everything he did was perceived as “cool”. I think this was the turning point of becoming “not so cool.” ha!

We got a table in the diner and Dylan noticed the name tag of the waitress that was serving us. It was something like Margery. He started talking to her - and every sentence he used her name. “How are you doing Margery...” “Well, Margery, this menu looks really good. How are the pancakes Margery...” “Margery, what would you get if you were eating here?” etc. It always hard not to laugh when he gets in these moods. I’m always embarrassed to do things like that - but he had a better perspective - he knew we would never see these people again.

We ate our meal, and afterwards our guide drove us to the truck rental place. I was thinking the truck that was ordered for us was going to be some short u-haul truck dealy, but when they showed us the truck we’d be driving, my mouth hit the floor. It was giant! Literally the biggest truck that they had. I wasn’t even sure if I had a license to drive such a beast. I was used to driving 15 passenger vans all over the place, but this was ridiculous. It was a truck truck. Oh boy.

Dylan and I hopped in and started following our guide towards the Christmas tree farm. I was white knuckling it because the streets I was driving were very populated - cars, bikes, and lots of people were everywhere. And we were in a beast. The sides of the truck felt like they were spilling into the other lanes.

As we drove, the landscape got more rural and rural until we finally made it to the tree farm...

to be continued...