O.C.F. Caretaker's Journal O.C.F. Caretaker's Journal"There is, indeed, something
inexpressibly pleasing in the annual renovation of the world, and the new
display of the treasures of nature. The cold and darkness of winter, with
the naked deformity of every object
on which we turn our eyes, make us rejoice at the succeeding season, as
well for what we have escaped as for what we may enjoy; and every budding
flower which a warm situation brings
early to our view is considered by us a messenger to notify the approach
of more joyous days."
--- Samuel Johnson
Friday 30 March Lots of visitors today including Arrow and Randy back from their fun filled adventure down there in the Southwest. I'm doing my bit to help Dr. Megadose put the screaming new DSL line in at the office, best done by getting out of the way and doing non geeky stuff like drilling holes in the floor and building a plywood shelf unit for the firewall. Tonight I went to Cottage Grove with Hilary, norma, and Dick to see the musical play CAMELOT. Denny Guehler, "The Voice of the Oregon Country Fair" played the lead as Arthur, which was our main reason for going and although it was a little overly long the acting was great and we were all glad we went.
Thursday 29 March Because of the recent vandalism out here at the Fair I have increased patrols over Spring Break trying to catch the sneaky Little Bastards. So far no luck, which looked at in another way is actually really quite lucky indeed, and so I am rewarded instead for my efforts with only solitude. As the setting Sun sends its rays filtering down into the fresh green glowing growth on the forest floor, wildflowers of every hue punctuate the entire scene. On the end of each and every twig and branch of each and every tree is a young bursting bud preparing in earnest for the inevitable oncoming efflorescence. Dark crooked Oaks produce nearly hallucinatory vibrations when viewed against the effulgent blue sky. The very air is filled to overflowing with the fragrance of the awakening Earth and the songs and calls from birds of all descriptions. Farther off in the distance yet can be heard the steady and monotonous drone of a thousand and one lawnmowers. By my watch the Sun drops behind the Coast Range at about 6:25 leaving the crescent Moon hung beautifully suspended between the twins, Castor and Pollox. The sounds of the day are rapidly replaced by the chirping of crickets and the hooting of owls. There must be a billion people on Earth that would gladly trade places with me right now if only they could. The number would be much higher except for the fact that--- The tragedy of modern man is not that he knows less and less about the meaning of his own life, but that it bothers him less and less.--Vaclav Havel. I'm a lucky man to be here and luckier still to know that to be true. Except for my trivial and good natured ongoing battle with the PC Committee and the fact I have to put up with Alfred E. Newman for President, all is well in my world.
Tuesday 27 March In Spring that old Oregon adage is doubly true---If you don't like the weather just wait five minutes and it will be something else. Yesterday I was out mending fences and working at Spring cleaning chores while Steve mowed the grass at Main Stage for already the second time. Today we recieved over an inch of rain, by far the rainiest day of the year, and so were forced to retreated into the Ware House to find our respective indoor projects to keep busy with. Actually this is what we would normally expect this time of year and we'll take all the rain we can get at this point. The potent combination of the rain and ever increasing sunlight seems to make about ninety percent of the growth happen over the next two months or so, leaving the other ten percent for the other ten months.
Sunday 25 March Yesterday was our truck "rodeo" and everything seems to be up and running. The Vehicle Shed really helps by keeping the rigs dry, so no more rusted solid brakes and such---although it looks like Godzilla may be getting a new engine because the old one is getting pretty tired and smoky. Local teenagers have been vandalizing the Fair lately but the line was crossed when a dead dear carcass was left in a sleeping bag at the front gate. Today there was a little hay and dimensional removal going on but I've also been cleaning house for the little Oscar party here tonight. You'd think this was movies.com and not caretaker.org the way I carry on, but sometimes I make the analogy that movies are a bit like the Fair, and when the credits roll you can get a sense the hundreds of people that work behind the scenes to make it all work. At any rate we had a little competition to see who could pick the most winners. Although I did managed second place norma took home the grand prize, which is basically only bragging rights. GLADIATOR was my Best Movie pick and although even I don't think that it actually belongs with the greatest movies of all time, it was badly under rated and the best thing going in a relatively lean year.
Friday 23 March Forty-four years and still kicking---although of my idea of a good time these days is going out to see a movie. POLLACK***1/2 recounts the rise and fall of Jackson Pollack during the heyday of Abstract Expressionism. Pollack was an alcoholic prone to fits of depression and violent mood swings, and Ed Harris portrays the darkness brilliantly. I predict the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role will go to him for these three reasons. The first is that he played the role so convincingly that he actually becomes the painter at times. Second is the fact that he directed and conceived this movie as well as played the title role, which is a major endevour and accomplishment in itself. The third reason is that Ed Harris career has been a long and distingushed one and he has been nominated twice before without winning. His time has finally come.
Thursday 22 March Spring has sprung and has it ever and I've been out in the wild blue yonder on my motorcycle during the last couple afternoons, flying back again through the star filled skies. Leslie has asked me to give a workshop on my mutant bicycles during the Fools for the Earth Culture Jam on April First. The event, which is to take place at Amazon Park, is aimed at youth using the tenets of The Power of Hope organization, and is paid and sponsored by the Oregon Country Fair. Yesterday I attended a meeting of the organizers and I am excited to be asked to make a contribution in this new direction for the Fair. This morning there was a constant stream of people coming by as I was trying to get away, an effect of the weather more than the day of week or time of year. I had procrastinated as long as possible but I finally had to endure the flames of DMV Hell to get my license renewed on the day before it expired. I checked in with Jon at CAT about borrowing a few bikes, helmets, and literature for my workshop at the Culture Jam. The new Guidelines are here, the new Guidelines are here! A few of us perverted hardcore Guideline masochists pierced and strung up about 350 copies so that they can be suspended within booths during the Fair. With apologies to Abe, as usual I'm always here part of the time, and partly here all of the time, but apparently not always here all of the time.
Monday 19 March The Feast of Saint Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters. If this sounds to you like one of those boring old church services, then think again. Burning Man has got nothing on Las Fallas of Valencia, Spain---which culminate on this night. The origin of Las Fallas began as a pagan ritual that celebrated the onset of Spring. In the sixteenth century streetlights were used only during the long nights of winter and the wooden structures upon which the lamps were hung were then ceremoniously burned on Saint Joseph's Day. In the intervening years Las Fallas has undoubtedly evolved into one of the most unique and crazy fire festivals the world has ever seen. Three million flame worshipping revelers decend upon Valencia for this five day fiesta to witness the destruction of the huge ninots---cardboard, wood and paper mache statues---that are placed at over 350 key intersections and parks around the city. These highly crafted ninots usually depict bawdy and satirical scenes. Neighborhood organizations take about six months constructing them at the cost of small fortunes. Many ninots are several stories tall and need to be moved into their positions by crane. The streetlights are now turned off, the crowds start to chant wildly, and finally the ninots are set ablaze at the stroke of midnight. Flames lick the sky as the whole city is lit in the unearthly flickering glow, fireworks explode and sparks shower across the streets. The images are deeply seared into my memory---because when I was a boy of about eight years my parents took innocent little me to Valencia (we lived in Spain at the time) to see Las Fallas. I probably haven't been the ever same since! Burn, Baby, Burn! Yeah!
Sunday 18 March On Saturday the Quartermaster carpenter crew was in full force and the project is now nearing completion. All went well except for when I was loading my chopsaw into the truck and the blade punched a perfect little square out of the center of my thumbnail. EEEEEEEYOW! Owie, owie, owie, #*&%! (French for dagnabit). You won't try this one at home kiddies and in fact they might not even try it on MTV's Jackass---although I wouldn't bet on it as they do do some incredibly stupid stuff on that show. Most assuredly even more stupider people love to watch it, even including myself sumtimz. On a much more intellectual level is the movie BEFORE NIGHT FALLS***. It tell the story of the gay Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas, played by Spanish actor Javier Bardem---who is up for an Oscar for best Actor. The story is told in subtle ways, leaving a lot up to the viewers intellect, which I appreciate in an age when so many movies find it necessary to ram every gory detail down your throat. I did feel that the concession of making Spanish actors speak English detracted from the authenticity, especially at the point when the actual grammar became garbled. And while the portrayal of the human spirit under totalitarianism is an oft used theme, this particular film explores interesting nuances of the genre that makes it well worth watching.
Thursday 15 March A real quiet day out here on the farm. Always lots to keep busy with, because after all the Fair is a never ending work in progress, and so I can putter around endlessly. After a while though I start talking to myself, but I do have this feeling that the conversations are going to get a whole lot more sparkling once the rest of ya'll finally get out here again. I'll keep the light on for you.
Tuesday 13 March When I first moved to Oregon some sixteen years ago, for some inexplicable reason I longed for a crash course in our culture of the Great Northwest. Accordingly I landed my first job with Skookum and was out soon practicing the fine art of reforestation. After a few years of flogging through the brush, slash, rain, and mud, as well as inhaling the smoke and soot while fighting wildfires in the Summer, I felt I had justifiably arrived and could move on to other things. Even now though, I seem to look back those days of working in the woods with a certain je ne sais quoi that I am quite positive was not actually present at the time. Today Steve and I were out planting trees along the property line on Highway 126. It is many years later and I realized I've traded a tree bag and hoedad for a truck and tractor. Auger a gigantic hole, fill it back up with compost, then plant the little cedar conventionally. It takes a couple hours to do about thirty this way, in what may have taken me less than ten minutes in the good old days. But our trees were Planted with a capital P. There is a sign with a saying on it at Coyote Steel and while I don't have it exactly, the gist of it is this: We do three kinds of work--- Fast, Cheap, and Good---but you can only have two. / You can get it fast and cheap, but it won't be good. / You can get it cheap and good, but it won't be fast. / And you can have it good and fast, but it ain't gonna be cheap. My latest project is refurbishing the sink in Entertainment Camp that has been constantly leaking since my day one and covered in slime. I told Steve that I am tired of looking at the thing in my front yard and could I please oh please just fix the leak and build a "funky" little roof over it? Once under way the project of course takes a life of its own and it is ending up looking more like a Shrine. My work around here generally falls into the good and cheap, but sure as Hell not very fast category, which is okay because Time is certainly the one thing that I have in abundance.
Sunday 11 March While the Fair is still a full four months away, things are certainly beginning to heat up again out here on the Site. Lots of different folks out to either work or just take walks. Yesterday the QM shed was a veritable beehive of activity and work today continued towards getting it remodeled before Main Camp---safe to say that it will happen in plenty of time as there is a spirited group of that has really been enjoying the work early in this early season. I enjoy it as much as anyone, for this is a time I can work uninterrupted on a single project alongside others, the one luxury I definitely do not enjoy closer to Fairtime. Howard started the first mowing of the year this morning and by late afternoon he had completely mowed Main Stage Meadow, Chela Mela, and the Dragon. Last year, as I recall, I drove the mower through a foot of water on Snivel Lane to make the initial cut through foot deep grass in Chela Mela, so what a difference a year makes. Oh yeah, the radios were broken out for the first time today, and although I cleverly managed to avoid using one, yet another minor Spring milestone has definitely been reached. By our reckoning Spring is a least two weeks early this year and in fact the first Trilliums, Creeping Violets, and other pioneering wildflowers have already started to bloom. In the next couple of months the Site will be covered in a glorious succession of native wildflowers and it is definitely one of the best times to appreciate the simple natural aspects of our beautiful property.
Friday 9 March The last couple days have been more typical for early March weather-wise, contrasted to the previous unseasonably warm weather it feels a bit chilly, and yet the "rain" has registered less than a tenth of an inch. Last night Hilary cooked up a dinner for Clif and I, the three of us being (more or less) the organizing force for our Embassy down at Burning Man. Clif is leaving for Bhutan in a week and will be spending a total of two years there in a program similar to the Peace Corps, doing computer-geek sorta stuff. Happily he will be be able returning during the Summers only in order to observe his devout religious obligations--- these of course being the Oregon Country Fair and Burning Man. Speaking of BM, they too are starting to get ready and they too have problems with people throwing "unpumpables" down inside the Port-a-Johns. In their case however the local sewage treatment plant is going to refuse to accept the waste unless something is done about this problem. This could be a very big problem indeed when you realize that there isn't another one for over a hundred miles. On this note the Slogan this year will be ---and ya gotta love this--- If it hasn't gone through your body, then it doesn't go in the potty. The easy Winter around here has enabled us to get headstart and I am drawing up the lists a lot faster than I can take them out at this point---and so needless to say I can stay as busy as I need to be and then some. Here and here are a couple pages of pictures from another journal that I found while surfing that may wet your appetite for the upcoming dry season.
Wednesday 7 March Monday's Board Meeting was an interesting one, lots of Lot Crew there to show support, but it was on the whole fairly congenial and my feeling that they are actually somewhat okay with having a new coordinator. With the 2001 budget passed I've got two exciting Art projects to work on---along with all the rest of it. The Site will soon have its very own brand new used Gator. Only norma didn't get her wish, a new computer. Apparently some on the Budget Committee would like the entire Fair to shift Windows. I can assure you that they will have to pry the mouse out of norma's cold dead fingers before she gives up on her Macintosh, but what frustrates me beyond that is why our organization is even considering throwing our support to the Ultra-evil Microsoft Bastards. Then again it has always slightly perplexed me as to why the Fair hasn't embraced the principles of Vegetarianism, for if we can't even do that then what hope is there for the World. As you can plainly see, I am an unabashed idealist. The Beautiful Weather we have been enjoying is a good litmus test of sorts. Ask recent transplants about it and they will say something like, "It's about time the sun shined around here!". Ask long time Oregonians and they might just shake their heads and mumble "This ain't gonna be no good for nothing". The one good good thing that may come forth however, is new awareness and conservational activism. THE MEXICAN*** humorously blends the action adventure guy type movie with the relationship therapy genre chick flick to create and original and stylish mystery where nothing is ever quite what it seems. One of the best movies of the new year so far.
Sunday 4 March A full weekend considering that it is only the beginning of March. Joe Newhall and a couple of his friends were out Saturday to continue work on the QM Shed. It seems we suddenly have a full blown low-budget Fair construction project on our hands here, but out of the gates over three months early it is entirely possible to take the all the time necessary in using a relatively high standard of craftsmanship to do the job right. There is a huge amount of satisfaction involved in being in absolutely no hurry at all to get the job done. Simple work induces a calming Zen-like state, each detail slowly and methodically considered before moving on, a luxury rarely granted in our modern world where time equals money. Only on our own time through our hobbies and the like are we actually able to take our sweet time and many people are too conditioned by our fast paced society to do even that. By the end of the day we had produced only part of the framework for the counter, but as a golden Sun set over the blue hills of the Coast Range, we all had an early chance to feel that inexplicably good feeling that comes from doing a good day's work out here at the Oregon Country Fair. Steve and I then worked into the darkness changing the tractor tires for today's VegManEC workparty. We intended to completely remove the bale dams but due heavy rain this morning they were merely moved to the side. Bear Wilner showed up this afternoon and nearly took the plunge after I talked him out into the middle of a logjam to help me pluck the old bottles out. Far less garbage in the river than in years past---somewhat due to the fact that I got a lot of the backlog it is true---but it is mostly because there have been no floods to sweep stuff down off the banks and from further upriver.
Friday 2 March Bright and early upon this frosty morn I departed the safe bosom of the forest to meet with Virgil Courtwright and others of the Archaeology Crew at his home. Our mission---to travel to Sweet Home for the purpose of splitting an old Cedar log into boards, which in turn are to be utilized in the construction of a demonstration lodgehouse at Ye Olde Fair. Yet a full hour and a half has passed and our moronic attempts to pair the electrical systems of the hearty Site Truck and an ancient behemoth of a trailer are becoming monumentally unsuccessful and driving us into communal despair. Surcoming to the ever mounting desire to be on our way I agree to drive sans lights between the ever watchful eye of our highly trained escort vehicles front and rear. The action of shutting the truck door for the commencement of said journey however, created centrifical G-forces (higher now due to recently extended mirror brackets) which caused a previously cracked mirror to bid fond farewell and adieu to its longtime companion frame and begin its final downward descent towards the asphalt. This auspicious portent was rapidly realized no more than a couple miles up the road as the motorcycled Man chances upon our wicked little endeavor. After no more than a twinkling of an eye I received from him my rightly and justly deserved citations, and we humbly retire to seek professional wiring help at the House of Trailers. From there a rather more uneventful drive towards our destination is to be had. Then finally our Quest complete, the Grail gotten, and we can set our compasses once again towards home. Ascending a long lonely winding hill the load shakes, it shimmies, and it shudders. . . . . then is quite suddenly silent. Our four wheeled trailer has become tripodular as the forth rolls onward to join the among the tall timber forevermore. Stealthily we continue now, slinking and sliding (in as much as that is possible for a OCF vehicle pulling an enormous mocking bullseye) to pass this time right under the noses of Springfield's Finest undetected and return to the great promised Land of Glenwood. And so our merry little band of idiots lives happily ever after, to fight another day, a lot older and hopefully a little bit wiser!