300 lights on the Mexican Bus
Now that the Mexican Bus was painted, a month or two later, I was contacted
by Toni and Lalo, who invited me to come down to a Full Moon Party ( a tradition
in many areas of Mexico, that occurs on a full moon, with music and dancing
and food, and always near a body of water, hopefully the Ocean )
During the past few months, since the painting of the Bus,I had attended a good
number of back yard parties on Bartlett Street...so naturally, I jumped on this
invitation!
The Full Moon Party just a few yards north of the present day Ramp / Kelly's.
Just prior to the call from Toni and Lalo, I was intoxicated playing the piano
at my old Gordon Alley shop,
and my spirit warmed by a few glasses of red wine.
I jumped into my old F 150 Ford
pickup truck, and got down to the Party.
When I arrived, the Bus was parked just adjacent to the Full Moon Party, and
naturally, thinking that Toni and Lalo would be on the Bus, I climbed aboard
to find a scrappy blond bloke,covered with grease,on his knees over the engine,
working on a generator or alternator, and with wires spewing out all over, like
spaghetti.
"Hi" I said, "Have you seen Toni or Lalo?"
Without looking up, the scrappy bloke said, "Not sure where they are, would
you mind passing me those wire cutters on the seat?"
Boy, this fellow was focused, not to mention on a mission.
I started to see what he was repairing, and I started to ask questions and make
suggestions, all the while he is still stooped over and intently working on
the alternator and some other stuff.
Scrappy Bloke, still bent over, without looking up, keeps working, and after
responding to my questions and comments he says... "pass the red wire,
green wire, black wire, and crimpers please..."
Meanwhile, there is a mountain of multi colored lights piled into a bunch of
boxes near this seemingly chaos of ongoing electrical and engine work.
Finally, after what seemed like hours or perhaps centuries, this scrappy and
greasy bloke gets up, turns around facing me and says "Good day mate, my
name is Stephan Zaborowski.
I respond, "How do you do Stephan, my name is David Erickson."
We now turn to the boxes of colored lights, but the drumming of the Full Moon
Party and the smell of cooking, and the fact that ambrosia of piano music and
red wine from Gordon Alley are waning...I suggest to Stephan that we join the
Full Moon Party.
Stephan says yes, but wait a moment..
Stephan rolls a big fatty, we smoke it, and we go off to a great full moon party
on a splendid summer night with lots of dancing, congas, bongos and plenty of
red wine.
Next, Hatuey comes to san francisco from seattle but i meet the Hatuey up north
near Oregon for my first time on a sail boat.
I start to think about my days in east oakland...
