"Why don't you talk? I don't even know what you sound like."

The first redeeming quality of that treacherous is simple and takes far less writing than the others. Jasper and I couldn't be more different, and sometimes that is a bit intimidating. However, one of the things that we agree on is the need for quality time with a person. In expressing love, I much prefer touch and verbal communication, whereas Jasper would rather keep a three foot buffer around him with little to no invasion of that space. Jasper loves to show love through acts of service, which in turn I don't know how to receive. He also isn't terribly expressive verbally until it is really needed. But quality time we can come together on. And that trip to Pendleton, OR provided a great deal of that, as well as some leaning on one another for support and to keep spirits up. Whether it was driving in the car, walking around Wal-Mart, waiting for a miracle or a tow-truck, or spending the night in the hotel, we had plenty of quality time with each other. And let me tell you, when you see someone almost every day for 3.5 months, and then live 1,600 miles apart for 4 months, you really miss that physical presence in your life. 

Redeeming quality number two comes from a man whose name we do not know. We call him Scott because he looks like a Scott. Scott was the cook at the Rainbow Cafe. The place was set up in such a way that Jasper and I sat at a little bar and the kitchen was no more than five feet from our faces. We got to watch Scott cook and chat with him while we ate. It was really slow that night, so we got a lot of his attention. Scott is this older man, kinda rough around the edges, with white hair and a white beard, who is missing some of his teeth. Making small conversation, I asked if Scott had cooked all his life. Expecting a simple answer, what we received was so much better. He embarked on stories of going to culinary school, working at the Crater Lake Lodge and working his way up from making Omelettes to being the Sous Chef. We heard about the hierarchy of breakfast foods and what each post meant. He told us about getting to the Rainbow Cafe and how long he has been there and his highlights. He had a child tell him he made the best Reuben sandwich that she's had, and wrote him down in her list of Reubens.  He had a boy who had to be younger than 10 ask for crab cakes only to learn that they were out, and then he promptly changed his mind to a grilled cheese. I will say, writing these tidbits down, they don't have quite the impact that Jasper and I felt. That's because the importance was not in the information we acquired, but in the experience of having another human being share parts of his life with us. Scott exuded joy when telling his stories, and you could tell he delighted in sharing his experiences with us. Well, Scott, we certainly loved hearing them. If any of you find yourselves in Pendleton, OR you must go visit Scott at the Rainbow Cafe and eat some Pressure-Cooked Fried Chicken. He'll only be there for 3.5 more years, though, because he's retiring. Jasper and I want to go see him again sometime. It'd be well-worth it. 

Now the third experience is similar to our experience with Scott. However it was on a larger scale. We met Shawnie the receptionist at the Knight's Inn the night we checked in. She was the person who recommended Rainbow Cafe to us. That night I was over it all and was kind of joking and charming with great abandon. But hey, we got a sweet hotel room for pretty cheap. Anyway, that set the stage for our friendship. We chatted a little with her that night about whatever movie she was watching and about Pendleton. I didn't think much of it other than being friendly. The next morning, however, Shawnie was at the desk once again! Jasper and I had gone down to eat breakfast and ended up chatting with Shawnie for something like an hour and a half. Once again, we just made small talk about our room, the hotel, breakfast, the Rainbow Cafe. She asked us what we were doing in Pendleton and we told her. Simple things like that. Joking all throughout. She had a great sense of humor, and a boisterous laugh. It was just really fun to be around. At one point, she looked at Jasper and said "Why don't you talk? I don't even know what you sound like." Jasper replied something snarky about him being the brains and me being the mouthpiece (rude), and then proceeded to freak Shawnie out by talking in a British accent. She couldn't decide if he was American using a British Accent, or British using an America. Eventually she just said "yeah, I'm gonna need you to stop...". It was hilarious. 

Shawnie really told us a lot about her life. She told of her siblings, her mom, and what her life had looked like. It's a pretty cool redemption story. One of us asked her how she got to the Knight's Inn, and off she went. An hour later, we had heard about her perspective on taking charge of one's life. "if you're stuck somewhere, you might as well take advantage of the programs around you. Educate yourself, take yoga, learn to cook, so something! Your situations will only improve if you make them". We got to hear about learning to stand up for one's self, the importance of getting where you want to be - even if it means walking for miles in sweltering heat with your belongings on your back, the blessing of truly kind people, and her relationship with God. Shawnie has an appreciation for Life that I envy somewhat. She has come so far, and is moving up at the ol' Knights Inn in Pendleton, OR. I have hope for her. People like Shawnie just get it done, and are a light to those around them. 

People receive and show love through so many ways. Quality time is a commonality for Jasper and me. Apparently it works for Scott and Shawnie, too. There are few things I love more than a good story, and there are few things better than personal stories. I love listening to a person tell me about his or her life, and Jasper is better at listening than I am. We walked into the Knights Inn the night before wondering why we were stuck there, and pretty frustrated and saddened that we hadn't gotten to visit Justin. As corny as it may be, we left knowing that Pendleton, OR is exactly where we were supposed to be. 

I only hope that Scott and Shawnie got a fraction of what they gave us. 

Oh, the Places You'll Go: Pendleton, OR

I honestly had never heard of Pendleton, OR, so I obviously did not suspect that I would ever be staying the night there. But there I was, on a hotel bed with one Jasper Gerhardt on the other bed, trying to figure out what had just happened. What on earth was that day about?  Why were we stuck in Pendleton, OR instead of visiting Justin in Baker City? Why did the car break down while the two of us were driving it across central OR? Why was it on a Sunday when no mechanic shops were open? Why couldn't we have just gone a little further and meet Justin in La Grande? Why aren't I that upset?

I'm sure there were other questions. yet those are the ones that come to mind as I am writing this a couple days later. Now, I'll just get on with the story you all know is coming.

I've been in Oregon with Jasper since the 26th. The 27th, we got up and left the house at 7 a.m. to go see our friend Justin in Baker City. Probably about a four hour drive or so. Well, we were there was some snowy roads, so we were taking it easy, but still making decent time. After maybe 150 miles or so, the RPMs kept spazzing out on us, and lights were flashing on the dashboard. We pulled over, exploring various options. When Jasper opened the hood, I said "this ends my knowledge of how to fix the car". It's true. So, we poked around, Jasper called his parents, and we ended up checking the transmission fluid. There was zero fluid on the dipstick. Turns out we had a leak. That's okay, we will call triple A and get towed to Hermiston where it can't be that hard to fix. So, Jasper walked a ways down the highway to figure out where we were exactly, and the tow truck was on his way. Dave came to save the day, driving us to Hermiston with the car in tow. Only, then he gave us some tough news: All the mechanic shops in Hermiston are closed because it was Sunday.

Enter creative Sean and Jasper. We were dropped off in a mechanic's lot at First and Elm, right across the street from the Wal-Mart with very little hope. After some thinking, we thought we should check with Wal-Mart, so we walked over there and asked if they thought they could help us even though it was out of the realm of "lube and tire" service. They said yes, and hope was kindled once again! We just had to get the car across the street to Wal-Mart. Calling Triple A was a possibility, but did we do that? Of course not. It's just one major street that only takes 11.45 seconds to walk across so surely we can simply push the car across the street. We were poised and ready to do so. I mean, we had the timing of the lights down, we knew approximately how long it would take us, I was prepared to push like I'd never pushed before, and then a truck stops and offers to help. Turns out the guy is a mechanic of sorts, and he quickly assessed the issue: There was a cut in one of the transmission hoses. Wal-Mart could no longer help us. We were a little put out. We called Jasper's mom and she told us we probably needed to get a hotel in Hermiston for the night. Neither of us had any desire to do that. There's no way that our epic trip to visit Justin could end this way.

After trying to think in the car, I suggested we find wifi so I could be somewhat helpful in finding a hotel at least. Eventually, we walked into a starbucks, dejected, and went to work. However, I then thought of searching for mechanics is nearby towns and things like that. No luck. Back to hotels. However, once again determined not to be bested, we discovered the brilliant plan of getting towed to La Grande, and having Justin meet us. The game was on. We called triple A, it was all set, and then they asked our location. I told them we were in the parking lot of a mechanic's shop in Hermiston, and they told us they couldn't tow us. "We can't tow out of a mechanic's shop." "even if I haven't had any correspondence with the mechanic?" "Yeah, we would need some kind of verification" "Can you tow me if I get the car out of this parking lot?" "Yes" "okay, I'll call back". So I jumped out, Jasper steered, and we pushed that car about 500 feet into the next parking lot over, called back, they said someone would do it, and we were set. We went to Subway with a spring in our steps, ate lunch, got a call from triple A saying it would be 2.5 hours until they got to us but that was okay because we were going to Justin! We decided to walk back to the car after eating and after approximately 45 minutes had passed. As we were preparing to cross the street, our buddy Dave from D & R towing in Hermiston was already there getting the car ready to go! We climbed (literally climbed) into the cab and waited for the same driver as before to climb in with us. Off we went in good spirits and a little bit of excitement! Until Dave the driver told us that we might not be able to get through the pass to La Grande, but he would investigate. Investigation occurred, and he determined that it would not be wise, so he took us as far as Pendleton, and left us there.

At this point in the story, I think neither Jasper nor I had any care left. We were just accepting of our circumstances and doing whatever we could to make it through. We googled hotels nearby, settled on the Knight's Inn and walked about a mile in pretty good spirits. I think we were just happy to have a conclusion for the day and to be done trying. We ate dinner at the Rainbow Cafe and called it a night.

The next day, Jasper got up early and went down to the mechanic shop to find out that they could get us in early. They proceeded to do so, and then we were on our way back to Madras. Because this post is getting lengthy, I'm going to write a second one about the redeeming qualities of this trip. Jasper and I have had some really cool experiences together, this trip is actually among them.