timbslim

July 26, 2006 Day 13 Driving through Missouri We left Gothenberg, Nebraska this morning at 8:45am. We camped there last night. It was the worst of the KOA’s that we have seen on the trip. I met the Dunlops, the Powells, and the Blantons last night. Jason was taking a shower. So, I decided to walk around. I took a walk through the woods too. Jason and I cooked Ramen Noodles for dinner. It was a sad excuse for a meal. It filled an empty spot. We met a guy named Gill. Gill is fifty years old. He has a dirty beard that reaches to the middle of his belly. He has long hair. All of it is gray with some black, here and there, mostly gray. He had engine oil on his hands, under his nails, on his clothes, and was holding a Busch Light. He had an orange truck, around a1967 model. In the back of the truck was Kawsaki 750. Also in the back was a bunch of stuff. The cab of the truck was quite loaded down with miscellaneous items, a few Cherry Coke cans. Behind the truck was a ratty c...

Day 6 July 20, 2006 Chula Vista, California We got up around 8:00am. We got all our stuff together. I handled a couple of phone calls while Jason packed some stuff. Then, we left Las Vegas for California. Jason didn’t want to leave. He liked Vegas. Most people do. Las Vegas has so much energy. It never sleeps, my kind of town. Last night we walked all over that place. I bet we walked around four miles. My butt was worn out. We were dragging. We still were sore from our hike in the giant hole. We looked like too old men walking around town. We realized, after we had painted the town, that The World Poker Tour was being held at the Rio Casino and Hotel. So, we took a left on Tropicana Blvd and headed to the Rio. We could see it in the distance. Jason said, “It’s not too far.” I thought we would never get there. We walked and walked and walked. God have mercy. I thought I would die. We finally got there. We got in the Rio. I was thirsty. Really thirsty doesn’t des...

Day One or Two July 16, 2006 Somewhere in New Mexico We have been traveling for about 16 hours so far. I drove the first shift. I drove from 8:00pm till 7:30am this morning. I drove all the way to Oklahoma City. It feels like one huge day. I don’t remember where one began and the other ended. We started yesterday around 6:00pm trying to get of Huntsville. I had been trying to get hold of John Honea since the day before. When I couldn’t reach him by 3:00pm, I began to think that he wouldn’t be accompanying us. I was right. Jason got to the house about 5:30pm. I had already talked to Wes. He couldn’t come either. He had squirted eardrops in his eye instead saline solution. It burned his cornea. Jason Espey and I were the only two left. We ate at Oodles of Noodles. We finally got out of town around 8:00pm. John’s reason for not going with us was that he didn’t get the job he was hoping for. Therefore, he had to stay behind and job hunt. He is supposed to have two interv...

I’m about four years old. My sister, Christy is about six. My dad is feeding us a line of bull. I am sure some of you have heard this one before; “This hurts me more than it does you.” You guessed it. We were about to get a spanking when my dad had the bright idea that he would break new ground in the parenting area by using a life-changing example. It was life changing all right. My dad takes my sister and me into the bathroom. He brings along with him something that we called the Fanny Wacker. The Fanny Wacker was a thin 1/8 inch thick piece of plywood cut into the shape of a paddle. On it in large green letters were the words “Fanny Wacker.” This tool of abuse would be used many times in the near future on my butt. It was only discarded years later after being broken, likely on me. We attempted to hide it on several occasions. Of course my mother would use whatever she could get her hands on – sticks, bats, poles, guitars, pool sticks. That’s a joke. Though, I have s...

I’m about four years old. My sister, Christy is about six. My dad is feeding us a line of bull. I am sure some of you have heard this one before; “This hurts me more than it does you.” You guessed it. We were about to get a spanking when my dad had the bright idea that he would break new ground in the parenting area by using a life-changing example. It was life changing all right. My dad takes my sister and me into the bathroom. He brings along with him something that we called the Fanny Wacker. The Fanny Wacker was a thin 1/8 inch thick piece of plywood cut into the shape of a paddle. On it in large green letters were the words “Fanny Wacker.” This tool of abuse would be used many times in the near future on my butt. It was only discarded years later after being broken, likely on me. We attempted to hide it on several occasions. Of course my mother would use whatever she could get her hands on – sticks, bats, poles, guitars, pool sticks. That’s a joke. Though, I have s...

I had this friend named Jill in high school. Shawna, Jill and I actually were inseparable. Truth be known, I didn’t want to be separated from Shawna. Jill was a part of the mix because she was first Shawna’s friend. I didn’t mind. Anyway, the three of us hung out together all the time. Trouble was usually right behind the three of us. Our senior year proved to be our bonding time. We did everything together. I believe it was the three of us who broke into the school once. I am sure at least that Shawna and I were involved. I believe we were getting something for Shawna that she had left in class. Those were the good ole days. Jill had this Camaro. It was a special edition. She would fly like a bat out of hell in that thing. I remember her taking me over to her house once. I swear to you that I thought we might die. She was doing like 90mph on a country back road. One time I was with her over by the country club. We had been at Shawna’s. We went into this curve way...

It was a normal Christmas Day for most folks, I guess. Not for us. It never was. Christmas Day almost always seemed to have some kind of excitement for the Martins. This day particular day would be no different in promising adventure. We had even changed locations for our Christmas celebration. I was probably around the ripe age of 13. My mom's family had decided to come on Christmas Day to our house. This was out of the ordinary. I don't remember us doing this before or since. We were enjoying the day, had finished lunch, and had finished opening gifts. We were actually cleaning up the wrapping papar and boxes. Both my grandparents were alive at the time and were there. My uncle Ken and aunt Cindy were present with their kids, David and Heather. I believe that my uncle Donald Joe had also joined us for the festivities. Some were actually leaving when the excitement began; some may have already escaped before it began. I had asked my mom if I could burn the paper ...

Just an update: Had dinner with the Pohly’s last night. As always, it was an adventure. I love to watch them just beat the crap out of each other. I think it’s funny the way Gregg gets in on it. Lori just sits and watches. She is definitely a patient woman. Stefan was an exchange student from Germany. Why, for the love of God, he wanted to live in Walker County for his exchange is beyond me. The only thing that I could figure is that you don’t get a choice. I guess living on Smith Lake is the only redeeming quality. But, Curry wasn’t like Düsseldorf, Germany at all. Either way, Stefan was on the scene. Stefan was possibly the nicest guy I ever met. I never heard him raise his voice at all. I remember begging him to yell just once. He just laughed at me. Of course we did the usual getting him to tell us curse words in German and dirty phrases. Go ahead and judge me. I don’t give a scheise (I had to). Stefan spent about a year here. I believe he stayed longer than ot...

Giving a real picture of your heart is so difficult. You, like me, want so badly to be accepted and loved. Yet, there are times that none of us are lovable. All of us are deeply human. To the core, we are unable to be what we want to be. God has made a way for people like us. He has loved us well. Some days are better than others. Some days I can just push on and feel great. Then, there are days like today. Today my mind is heavy; my heart is burdened. I don’t want to make the simplest of decisions. Today, I am the Tim Brown that recognizes his inability and frailty. I tell a lot of funny stories, at least some think that they are funny. I guess it looks like I bounce back real fast. Truth is, I have bad days. I want to jump ahead to good times. I want to be back on top. But, I am enduring much difficulty. You ever experience something that you wish was a dream? When you wake up the next morning you realize that it is real. Then, you find yourself overwhelmed. You ...