then finally we bust through

The sign business was very different before 1985.....the days of hand lettering.....it was only the odd duck that learned this trade....A town the size off Chilliwack only required a few sign painters....certainly not like most trades....electricians, carpenters etc...anyway......when I watched my friend ,Chuck Earl, painting signs it facinated me, and I decided that is what I would like to do...I had knocked around since high school and it was high time to get with it....there was no room for work at Chuck Earls Sign Shop on Nowell st.....Chuck already had an apprentice ...Joey Barris....and he was a good one....Joey eventually went on to good things in California....Joey's artistic ability is where he shone....Have you heard of photographic memory...well...he had one for painting pictures or scenery or whatever.....it is an amazing thing......whatever he saw ...he could reproduce ....the work was beautiful...and he used anything he thought that would work as a medium........even Chuck was in line to get paintings Joe would give away........Chuck told me he did very well in California ...his talent must have taken him far.......When Joe left ....Chuck struggled for a while without any help, then he offered me a job.....that's where we fit in the picture. After working in Vancouver since 1960... we moved back to Chilliwack in December of 64 and we still live at the same location in 2008....that's about 44 tears.......oh man....back in the country again...that was great...I did not like living in the city...but you gotta do what ya gotta do...I am happy the doin was in Chilliwack....What a change....work only a mile away...not 40 minutes...the country is only across the road...we are on one of the last town roads , on the other side is farmland, all in the agriculture land reserve...cows lived over there...our street was gravel and ended in a cherry orchard. It was very quiet compared to now, as it becomes Airport road and is a main route outskirting town..... .......We rented until 1969.....the owners came around and put a for sale sign on the house....yipes .....panic....now what..... look for a house and try and buy one....so we did......look....for a house.....at first we never even thought about this one....but after looking at homes for a while, and getting educated.....this seemed like an okay deal....so....we talked to the owners and agreed that if they do not sell it .......we will make an offer at the end of the listing......next, we sweat through pontential buyers that were invited in to see the house.....please don't buy it ....nothing works ...it leaks....there is rats....naw....we did not do that, but finally it came off listing and they took our offer......whew.......now somehow we gotta get through 140 dollars a month for a while....
in a short time we knew all our neighbors (only houses on the west side in those days) .........hey, a pretty good group.......A lot of people in and out of those houses over the years...and some of them were part of our lives.

The second winter was another snow blaster.....the road was drifting in fast and by morning would surely be plugged.....well, the power was on so we could be comfortable anyway...I got up early this day, because I could hear Shelly was up...she was two years old...I go in the kitchen and she is sitting on the counter, smiling happily and devouring a bottle of baby aspirins....they are all but gone...o man......Shirley is up...how many were in th...lots..oh.....the road is plugged ...We gotta get her to the hospital....jees the road,.....I know...I'll go see if Roy can get us through......so I slog over to Roy's place...at least the storm quit.......He was up...I told him...and he ran to his Jeep....what wonderful words..Jeep....I ran back and Shirley had Shelley wrapped up , Roy was getting the Jeep out....He stopped out front and I jumped in with my bundle.....Okay let's go...We get to the corner....this is a mess...can we make it...hang on...and Roy rammed the Jeep....j...e...e...p.....who the hell had a jeep......well....Roy did....... he rammed into the drifted opening in the road...there were walls on each side eight feet high and it had partially filled in the opening ...every time he took another whack at it we made ground then finally we bust through.....oh ya........It was not long to Emergency then...it was never long to anywhere with him........the Doctors gave her some kind of formula to make her throw up...Shelley wasn't having that.....she just sat on the bed ...looked at me and went.... tooie....tooie...tooie....It wasn't going to happen, so they did the stomach pump thing . Okay...that worked.....settle down......thanks Roy....o boy...I phoned a much relieved Shirley......The doc said....... hey, we just have to do that...not knowing how many she took...her tolerance.....just don't know....but ....anyway.....we came through another tense time and one of lifes many surprises...