1998!

Summer and fall '97

Spring '97

The story of my life...

Picture Album...

Send me mail to comment on these pages or whatever (overwater@yahoo.com).

1998!

Well, it's been an entire year since I've updated this cobwebpage, and what a year it's been! I hope to have all the available pictures scanned soon, but sorry, there are none yet.

I left you last just as I was getting ready to head back to San Diego for the spring semester at Christian Heritage College. After school got out in Oregon (at UCC) I parked my car on blocks in the carport and spent all my time until the day I left for San Diego rebuilding it! My dad and I went from the brakes to the radiator with a complete overhaul. The only part we left alone was the bottom part of the engine.

The morning I left I torqued down the headbolts for the last time. By late morning Gurion and I were on the road to San Diego!. The car was packed beyond capacity as we headed down curvy highway 101 to the coast. We drove through Humboldt county and on to San Francisco. After a boat ride around Alcatraz, a trip on the famous trolley (up and down the infamously steep hills), and dinner in Chinatown we headed out of San Francisco to arrive some time near midnight at Gurion's aunt's house.

That experience alone would have been worth the trip, but we were far from done. We slept in a one-room house at the end of a dirt road. The flora around us was breathtaking. The food was different. The whole atmosphere had a relaxed feeling. In the morning we visited another acquaintance of Gurion's and saw the shop where he installs his world-famous stringbender for guitars.

Once again we hit the scenic highway 1 down the coast all the way to just north of Los Angeles. At that point neither one of us was awake enough to keep the car on the curvy road, and we camped until late morning in a state campground. By the next afternoon we had completed our trip to CHC.

Whenever Gurion is around we have notable adventures, but one particularly notable one occurred while he was down for that short time after our trip. We went sailing. We rented a 16 foot boat and sailed around in Mission Bay. It was the first time either of us had been sailing. You will soon know why this is so important!

The semester at CHC was fairly normal, at least what I remember of it. As usual, I took upon myself far too many things. In addition to a full load of 18 credits I participated in Student Senate and attempted to start a campus radio station. I had an odd freshman roommate. We never did get along. I'm sure God was trying to teach me something, although I sure can't figure out what. Hmm.... maybe God was trying to teach him something!

The radio station never did get off the ground for lack of money and interest (on the part of the school itself). I hope someday it will, but I probably won't be the one to make it happen.

Almost as soon as I arrived at school I got a call from home informing me of a job possibility. It seems that one of my junior-high teachers had a close connection to the manager of the Boy Scout Shop in San Diego. I was given a phone number to call, and with only the signing of a couple papers (and not even an interview!) I had a great part-time job! Talk about God providing!

As school came to an end, I began looking for a full-time job and another place to stay. I had been hoping to get an apartment with some other guys from the college and work at a regular labor-intensive job, but God had other plans!

I was frustrated as school ground to a close as I couldn't find either an apartment or another job. The situation was starting to look desperate when I happened upon an odd advertisement for an "attendant" for someone who needed some help. Had I known what it was, I wouldn't have called, because at that time it wasn't the type of job I was looking for. But I didn't know, and I called. Karl and I met for a short interview at his office.

Had someone told me I would be an attendant for a thirty-seven year-old quadruplegic only a month before I would have laughed. But everything fell together, and before I knew it I had moved in with Karl in his downtown San Diego condo!

My duties include putting Karl in bed, doing the housework, and generally helping him out with whatever he needs help with. In return I get to live in his condo (which is on State and F streets for those of you who know San Diego), and get money for food.

I have also continued my job at the Scout Shop. During the late summer we got a new manager, Dave. Since he's taken over we've been very busy rearranging things and I've been working enough hours to really help out with my expenses.

Thinking back to the top of this section, remember what I said about sailing being important? Well, Gurion somehow managed to convince me that sailing around the world was a really great idea (how he managed that I do not know!), so I decided to learn to sail. Over the summer I took a sailing class from the Coast Guard Auxilliary and sailed a number of times with a new friend, John, who owns a boat.

Somewhere in the course of things I scraped together some extra money and decided I ought to buy a small boat of my own in order to learn to sail better. I had in mind something from 16 to 20 feet, and dirt cheap. I called a number of times to a number of places which sell donated (pronounced "sinking") boats for around $300 but not once could I manage to talk to a real person. In frustration I went rollerblading down beside the bay. I took my camera so I could take a picture of the boats moored there.

As I was rollerblading along, looking longingly at the boats and the bay, I passed a guy who looked as if he was rollerblading for the first time. As I went by I gave him some sage advice (from an old pro who'd been rollerblading almost three weeks!). Later on I stopped, and he caught up to me. We were discussing rollerblading when out of the blue he asked, "want to buy a boat?"

DID I WANT TO BUY A BOAT? Of course I did! You can say this was a coincidence, but the odds are a lot better that Someone planned it! Anyway, turns out that this guy and his brother had moved to San Diego from Arizona, bought boats to live on, and given the liveaboard life a try. He was doing well, but his brother had left almost 8 months before to return to Arizona. He had left his boat in an anchorage where it would soon be towed, and asked his brother to try to sell it. Of course the brother hadn't put too much effort into it, and he had asked me out of desperation. He wanted $350 for a twenty-four foot sloop in fair condition.

I don't think I have to write that $350 is only a little more than fifteen percent of that boat's actual worth. Needless to say, within a few days I was the proud owner of a 1966 Columbia 24'. It was full of garbage and in desperate need of some TLC. But it was MY boat! I sailed around the bay regularly (maybe "limped around the bay" would be more accurate).

On October 31st Gurion and his girlfriend Noelle and a mutual friend Jeremiah came down to San Diego. We dressed up as pirates on Halloween. November 1st I christened my boat. We sailed her to Glorietta Bay and had a bonfire and barbecue on the beach. That night before Gurion left I smashed a bottle of champagne on her bow and named her "Priorities." Hopefully while aboard I'll be able to remember my priorities!

I'll be aboard a lot more than I expected when I bought her though! In January I plan to move aboard and try out the liveaboard life for myself! While going to school I won't have time to help Karl as much as he needs, so I will be moving out and only putting him to bed. My sole residence will be my boat!

This afternoon (December 12th, as I write) I sanded the interior of Priorities. I have a lot of work to do before I move aboard, including painting, laying carpet, and installing shelves and a stove. Everything is coming together though, and God is blessing me with the things I'll need to live aboard.

Speaking of school (ok, so it was two paragraphs ago), I will be going to Miramar community college starting January 19th. My entire tution will be less than $300! I spent more on books last semester! I waited until January for just that reason: I'm getting the tuition price for a "resident" student, which I certainly am now!

My dad is going to school in Arizona right now to become and air conditioning/refrigeration technician, so my family is planning to come and visit me for Christmas. My sister is working at a plant nursery right now, but planning to attend school soon.

If all goes well, next time I update this page I will be an "old salt!" If you're interested in getting updates a little more regularly, check out my new page, "The Log." I'm planning to add to it weekly. If you're really interested in getting the "inside scoop," set up a meeting time and we can visit in the new chatroom! You're welcome to use it on your own as well. It is my private chatroom, so hopefully you can meet some of my other friends as well as myself there. Until then... bonvoyage!





Summer and Fall '97

This summer I did get my old job at Green Diamond Abrasives back. It's a good job, and I know what I am doing more than last year. As far as variety, the only variety I had was getting to drive the loader for a few weeks. It's a big front-end loader. Good experience to have.

The first exciting thing that happened this summer was getting a car. One of my favorite older ladies, Mrs. Dunbar, GAVE me a car. I was sure suprised! It is a '78 Toyota Corolla with 350 thousand miles on it. Although I work on it all the time, it hasn't let me down yet! It still has life in it. What a blessing! I needed a car, and this one is perfect for me.

Our cat had seven kittens! Of the five which survived, we still have one. They were all black and grey. It was like looking at a black and white TV to look at them!

I did get the SCUBA certification I was hoping for. Although it was expensive, it was worth it. For a couple months this summer I went to classes, and now I am PADI certified for open-water diving. I plan to do a lot of diving when I get to San Diego. I know there are a lot of good places to go and I'm sure I can find a good dive partner.

My older cousin got married this summer. The scary thing about that is the fact that I'm the next oldest! No fear, though... I have too much to do to get married anytime soon! That is definitely not in the plans!

I finally finished work the middle of September. I'm glad I am not planning to do a "normal job." A few days later, our family decided to take a vacation to eastern Oregon. We stayed with some friends, the Phillips family, who were elk hunting! I have never seen more beautiful country or had such an interesting camping experience.

School finally started. It seemed like it was never going to. I'm attending Umpqua Community College this term. God sure provides! After financial aid my tuition and books were paid for and I had eight dollars left over! All I have to pay for is gas to get to school every day! Isn't God great?!?

I am taking five classes... Shakespeare intro, health and wellness (or wealth and hellness?), Public Speaking intro, Math 111, and an HTML programming class. They don't really compare to the classes I took last year. I wonder if all community colleges are like that?

I had the privelege of attending a production of Les Miserables at the Hult Center with the CBA senior class (as a chaperone). I was impressed. I hope I can attend more of that type of event in the future.

One of the most exciting part of the fall is the job I have. I applied at Sears, hoping to get a good job there. I had seen a lot of flyers around school for UPS seasonal jobs, but supposed I was too late for them. The day I found out I wouldn't be getting the Sears job was the last day to sign up for UPS interviews, and since it fit into my schedule, I figured "why not?"

I got the job! It's only four hours a night (from 11:00pm to 3:00am!), but pays ok. I am so thankful for it! God has provided once again, as it is a perfect job for me.

School is almost over now, and the Christmas season is upon us. UPS will be busy for a while. I plan to take a road trip to San Diego after Christmas to get to Christian Heritage College for the Spring semester. I'm really looking forward to it. At the moment I plan to stay in California for the summer and get a job (hopefully with UPS). Next fall I plan to attend Miramar Community College to get my mechanic's licenses for aircraft (A&P). Miramar is near San Diego. However, only God knows the future!

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Spring '97

I got out of school at Christian Heritage in San Diego May 8th. Gurion flew down on Tuesday, the 13th. In between, I painted a couple signs for the ends of the dorms to earn my keep. That was a much bigger job than I had anticipated.

The next day we spent in Ensenada Mexico with Sara M., buying blankets and eating fish tacos. We had a sales pitch for some "good green bud..." yah, right. We spent the night at Point Loma Nazarene College. After an interesting morning in a riptide, we headed for Phoenix, AZ.

We headed down I8 in 110 degrees plus without air conditioning. but we were on our way. We stayed in Tempe (pretty much Phoenix) with one of Gurion's friends that night, and were up late the next morning to continue our pilgrimage to the Grand Canyon

We drove through some beautiful scenery on the way to the Canyon, what a contrast! Oak Creek Canyon was amazing. Green trees and grass against red rock formations... It was a nice break from the desert. We also stopped by Montezuma's Castle. It wasn't a castle, and Montezuma never lived there; but I was quite impressed by the first cliff dwelling I'd ever seen.

We entered the northeast entrance to Grand Canyon National Park about dark. It really does cost $20 just to get in! We drove down to the rim lodge and looked for a good place to camp. Over a dinner of nutritious ramen, we decided where to spend the night. The campground cost $16... it was also full. A simple solution lay close at hand, or maybe I should say at foot.

We spent the night in an excellent culvert. It was one of those nice 2.5' diameter ones that goes under the path to a big building. Although the park ranger checked out our vehicle, our night was comfortable and uninterrupted. (Best culvert I've ever slept in!)

The next day we arose at dawn to see the Grand Canyon. That is one BIG hole! Starting at about 8:30 we hiked down Bright Angel trail to a lookout point about two thirds of the way down. We were very tired when we got back to the truck about 2:30.

Through the desert we drove. (Do I hear an echo?) We crossed Hoover Dam as the sun set. It looked like something out of the game Myst. I was impressed. Las Vegas, however, was amazing. After a quick dip in a hot tub at some motel and a quick change of clothes in a construction area, we headed downtown.

Although tired (and grumpy?) we were impressed as we walked around the Strip on sore feet. We finally found someplace to eat about midnight. After eating, we struck off across the desert.

We drove all night. Then we drove some more. Then we drove some more. (Is there an echo in here?) The sunrise was neat. There was a circle of rainbow adjacent to the sun. I really don't know how exactly that worked, but it made for an impressive sunrise.

We drove.

It got hot.

We kept driving.

We visited Rough & Ready, a small town in the Sierra-Nevada range where Gurion lived when he was young.

We drove.

Yah.

We arrived home as the twilight came out. (?) We really did come all the way from that culvert without stopping to sleep. What a trip. We had about $3.00 and change when we arrived. Good thing we slept in a culvert!


Two days later I received a call from Glenbrook Nickel. I'm now working at Green Diamond Abrasives in Riddle, OR.


This summer I plan to become a certified scuba diver. I'm pretty excited about that.

Next fall I will be attending Umpqua Community College to get some general ed. out of the way. Hopefully I can hold a part-time job that semester. In the spring of '98 I'll be heading back down to San Diego to complete my general ed. core. After that... who knows? I may take a year off and go traveling to Australia or Europe, or I may continue on to flight training. Only God knows.

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The story of my life...

This is for those of you who don't know me very well, and would like to know a little more.

I was born in Roseburg, Oregon May 26, 1978 to Gene and Rita Radford. I grew up here in between Riddle and Canyonville about 20 miles south of Roseburg. We had a very middle-class sort of life. I enjoyed it a lot. Since we had no TV, I turned to reading. I read all the time.

I attended school through the sixth grade at Douglas County Christian School in Myrtle Creek. It was there that I realized my art ability and my affinity for learning things.

For junior high, I went to Canyonville Bible Academy, where I attended until I graduated. I was always ahead in my classes, math in particular. I enjoyed teaching an advanced math class my senior year.

I also started a school newspaper which was quite successful for the quarter that it was produced. It was called "The CBA Weekly Stuff." A weekly paper is a LOT of work! That newspaper has continued for the two years since and is now the bi-weekly "CBA Chronicle."

I graduated as valedictorian with a 3.98. I had gotten B's two quarters in calculus.

I have always worked. I worked in mechanized parts manufacturing, the greeting card industry, the Alaskan fishing industry, and at Green Diamond slag products through high school.

After my summer at Green Diamond, I attended college at Christian Heritage College in El Cajon, California. I am majoring in Missionary Aviation, a field that I feel I have been called into.

I got two A-'s, and so finished my first year with a 3.95 GPA.

As life goes on, I will add to this page from the "What's happening" area. Please see above for my present adventures.

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