Gary Kirk and Liz Stevens

00:07 All right. My name is Liz Stevens. I am 47. Today is October, 22nd, 2007. We're here in Louisville, Kentucky. And I'm with my best friend.

00:26 My name is Gary Kirk and I'm 60 years old. That's October 22nd 2007. I'm in Louisville, Kentucky.

00:40 Best friend, our heads.

00:42 All right, Elsa cry. Well, I'm supposed to ask you a question. So,

00:53 I know that you well, I guess the question would be.

00:58 Where did you grow up? Tell me about that. Well, I grew up in Southern Indiana, right across the river from Louisville or Louisville, and it was

01:11 Pretty rough time. Although you didn't know it was, you didn't know any different, like going to Louisville album. The was only 25 miles away. It was quite an adventure, you had to plan that way. We have relatives over there and you would make a week or two plan. It was an all-day process is driving over here, this gravel roads, and there were no no freeways and two Bridges.

01:35 Social Farm. I grew up on a little farm and you worked and you worked hard at it.

01:44 What kind of farm was it a little something for him? We had a hundred acres and then we raise chickens and cows and pigs. And lot of corned. You know, we had about 40 had a meltdown. We in the milk by hand. We didn't have indoor, plumbing, or nothing like that in the house until I guess about, 13-month moms, wanting some stuff on some contest, as you want, kitchen, set, and bring it home. And Dad's, we got a wood stove in the kitchen. He's going to let the hell is this stuff? A stuff and electricity? And so did you ask your mom? When I don't remember the name of it? She had her sister lived over here and one of them call her and say, yes to her, we need to ask Darlene was my mom's name. She was from the south near Alabama and

02:44 So we need them. Get you over here. Cuz you're my mom was a pretty good poets. You did a lot married. She wrote for read book and guideposts in Reader's Digest, much of these guys and she was pretty good Rider and she wrote something a little seem that they used on the shelves. So she won Queen for the day if you will. I mean it was for her like that and they gave her a bunch of a refrigerator new fancy stop. This is in the fifties. I was a little bitty kid. All I couldn't have been more than six or seven and

03:16 That she's insane to Dad about it. He didn't lie about the stuff. You know, she was going to loyal and do something. He had work day and night and all night. He just had my dad just work all the time. That's what he knew. And

03:31 Self-destruction to get water in the house. We had electricity but it wasn't capable. Remember those from working that stuff that it wasn't like you had a light bulb in the middle room. And that was about it. It was pretty, you made it to work. I hope you would rather crude, if you're well with the old man, made it happen. What's up? I was cracked. So you guys worked on the farm. How many your brothers-in-law was me? I have two older brothers, and I was

04:13 Well, I can remember when I'm like, 5 and 6, I had to get up for. So that would get me up around 4 in the morning, and my job was to get the stove going, and Mom would get up a little later and then I go down and get the cows in the barn. And the, on the winter time, you had to chop the eyes and the bar and get them all ready. To be milked. I was too small and milk then. So rustled Billy my brothers and my dad would go and look at my hand and then yet all the other stuff to do to you only in his farm. It's like warm stuff is living off. The land felt eyes on, you know, I work 7 days a week long project to get to the store right up in a small town called Frenchtown, play Basics, and that was the only store we knew about.

05:05 You know, once in awhile when we comes a little we can go mom would go then there was a Woolworths or something and we go with that and whatever was just the way life was on the way. Everyone else was the same there. So, you know and no one is better.

05:24 So, tell me about

05:27 I know you wrote the story about your first encounter with racism and tell me that story about that little said they said that little stores involved, right? Was kind of indicative to where we live than how I'm people were. And and I've always really respected my parents.

05:48 They were an oddity. That was a tough area over there was race. Is there were no. Well, I don't know what it was. No black people. Let me know they weren't allowed to literally. I mean, that was this didn't happen and I was a little, I could have said, maybe 78 years old. So that would have been 53 or for 1953 foreign.

06:10 And you didn't know what mine by black people didn't hear about. It wasn't like we had Television right now. So it wasn't I who come over to visit a lot. We like her cuz she bring stuff that, you know, we couldn't get her and they wouldn't buy it in the woods. Never did find that one out. But she bring candy notes basic and you know, but she said around table talking to Mom and Dad stuff and she say them darkies. They're just taking over the town and I didn't know what that meant that to be. Mysterious of adults were talking about it. And let's see how you like it. Do you want to hear what the adults are saying and they chew you away and stuff, but

06:55 I don't know when it was because the time after that.

07:01 One of the store with Dad and we hop in the truck and drove up there to get whatever and you know when I went in there and there was a black band standing at the counter. This is little country store managers and like one room kind of store.

07:18 And them are kind of going down a couple towels getting whatever. We want to get and I'd sneak back and peek around the corner. And this man was down. He was dressed in the most impeccable suit that I didn't see many people are, so it's even church on Sundays. Nobody more suits, my chin preacher would occasionally, but this man was standing there, very good posture in front of the counter and the guy that owned the store, but he's back to me on Monday was putting stuff on a shelf and the man was just in there and didn't say anything and I kept peeking, I go back and the dad and I got some stuff and

07:53 Had you ever seen the first black person I've ever seen? I mean in real life. So I got around with Dad. We got up to the counter and dad later stuff. When I grab the candy bar, and he laid her stuff on the counter and Butch come down. My dad's name was Bill and he said, well good to see you and he started telling me what my dad stuff.

08:24 And my dad said what's, there's a a man's down here first.

08:29 Butch looked at guy right in the eye. I'll never forget this and said there's nobody here.

08:36 I just looked around and looked and I'm like, I don't understand any of this and you said but you never thought I'd say this but I'm in your store again and we turn around walked out and took the candy bar on my hand late on account. When we walked out of there and I puke back in that guy that the man was standing there just as straight as didn't Flinch. No problem. So we got in the truck and we're driving home and I didn't say anything, you know, but I didn't quite understand it. And dad asked me said, what do you think happened back there? And I don't know. I just I said there was a colored person then already said yeah.

09:18 And I so why wouldn't put weight on it?

09:22 He said, well, that's the reason cuz he's probably a color man.

09:28 And I said, why don't you understand that? And then my dad said, let me tell you something.

09:33 I took a knife and I cut your finger and I cut that man's finger.

09:39 What's going to be the same rap?

09:44 So I thought about that for a while. We're driving home. And then he said, know what do you think about that? And I so I don't know any. So I'm going to tell you what, that means. Everybody is the same until they prove themselves. Otherwise, you can reduce spec.

10:01 And I always really, really, really scary. Cuz As I Grew Older and I left here and I've lived all over the world. And and the sixties I got really involved the civil rights movement and everything, and I always would think back about that.

10:17 About your dad's lesson that Itachi. Yeah. He had a lot of great lessons and we were in that area. We

10:27 We are a little different way of doing things and, but that's okay. You know what, he really believed in a way but now we got home, I never, it was never a big deal. I remember asking mom about it and she said, oh, yeah, I hear about those other. People are coming in the area and just taking over and all that stuff. Did you ever see that man? Again? No, I never I never did and I don't know if you ever got to buy stuff or not. I really don't always want to come now, but later, you know and not soon after I got the high school in 1963, when John Kennedy got killed. I was a junior in high school and

11:13 General things started changing fast, but not too much in this area. And I know I must say even to this day. There is the division is still a evident. That saddens me. I don't know what to say about that. You think it's just because people don't experience travel in different cultures are some of that has to do with it. And I think people are afraid of what they don't know. And they also said, they don't know, people would sat and talked about stuff and have judgments without knowing, it's sort of like saying, well, I don't like tea, but I've never drank it. I'm going to, how do you know about it? You know, so that goes on and then I, I don't know. I mean, I I I wish I had the answers, but the older I've got the less I really

12:07 What I think we've gained much that lesson that your dad, I mean, that was pretty young. So you talked about being a teenager when JFK was killed. How did you learn about that? Or I mean you said you didn't have TV razors. You have a TV by then, but it's black and white colors, but the school, they have consolidate. All these little country, schools and built the one, nice, big school. And we were, I was actually Junior High by then things. Were it went from day tonight in this world, you know, that the mid-fifties to the mid-60s, the whole 60s with just

12:55 Are you can't describe it? I mean all of a sudden that went from steel to Total craziness in the Vietnam War and all that. And I was in high school and they came over the loudspeaker and said the president been shot in Dallas, Texas. And

13:14 He couldn't comprehend that because you thought that the United States was sacred. And anybody of authority was like you couldn't kill President. I mean, that's how you thought I just didn't happen. And when you push your volume. He's totally we were extremely naive and that just does that mean that society as a whole I think was very naive in the 50s and 60s are Gen, Y generation. Fix that real good. We took care of that stuff.

13:45 So tell me about that. Tell me about the sixties. I was just a little girl in the 60s was born in 60. So I was just a little I don't I remember.

13:56 Bobby.

13:58 Being killed. But I don't remember course, I was before, I believe in my heart that we knew they were going to kill Martin Luther King. You knew that, that, that was a given. Malcolm X that was going to happen.

14:13 But when they killed Bobby, Kennedy, they went too far.

14:17 Cuz I was living in California, then I've got back from Vietnam.

14:23 And I made any sense to me at all. I mean, I went from this Farm here, living this lie, slated bubble to Vietnam to San Francisco in 1967, and it wasn't any school for that.

14:45 People are crazy in the Streets of San Francisco. And and I fell right into it. I didn't run from it. I the kind of did I didn't understand what was going on that the first. So I went up to the mountains and just kind of, how did you get from?

15:02 From the farm to Vietnam first and then from Vietnam to San Francisco. This was a part of the world where then there was, and I think there's a lot of that still prevalent is you served your country. We had three choices a kid, growing up. Here you when the service, got your girlfriend pregnant, God job the local Factory or you were really lucky and maybe went to some kind of school. Very few people. I would say four five kids on my entire class went to college. And most of my brothers are going service. And so you figure I was just get this over with so I join and I was 17 years old at that time, that you didn't really hear much about Vietnam. It had it was in 1964.

15:56 And so, we don't know much about that, and I didn't think much about it. I didn't mine, I am about it, and then all the sudden you're milking cows, and then you're in Vietnam. So and then you're out of Vietnam and you're in San Francisco. So, I'm not sure how to this day. Put those pieces side-by-side that they would make any sense is like any sauerkraut, chocolate cake and peanut butter. It just doesn't make any sense until you try to make sense out of it. You're 21 year old kid and and

16:31 You know, I don't know why I didn't come back here. I knew there was something wrong and I had to find out more. So, I stayed in California that went to Europe and I got the middle of that craziness in France and 68 and I just like going everywhere. I go, there was crazy. There was war and I just I wasn't bored all which they shut down the entire city. What's the largest sport that France had? And the French didn't like to say they close down at Port and the youth wanted things change like we did here and they dance around. That's one thing. It's sad to me today. This generation that they're not doing anything or passively. They need to go out and burn some towns down. I mean, I don't know how else to say it, but somebody needs to stand up for what these all these Liberties and we fought for their taking away the day and I'm getting off on a different. But anyway, I was in France. I just went

17:31 Didn't have any reason not to and no reason to go. I didn't understand all the antiwar stuff going on cuz I didn't know why they were mad at me because the way from this crazy under did you, I mean, did you have this? Pick me what you do? Put a stick, a pin in the map for us in a bar. One night met some guys were climbing rocks and mountains and stuff and what that was fun. So I can send this one guy. I met he was from Belgium and he said I'm going to the office this summer and I'll meet you there in a minute. I don't know where the hell is that? So I just went but I ended up in France and Southern France and Leon. I hitchhiked over to Bardo and I wanted to go run the Bulls in Pamplona. Okay? Read about them. So, I got the bar do on.

18:31 Did this about nine months ago as doesn't work now, and I never see anybody have a youthful appearance or a young age would would have been stopped. They would stop what kind of like what was happening here with the cops in the students. Right? I saw a lot of kids. We were I was in Oakland and Berkeley and in the 67 68 and right before I let you go to Europe to that following summer, but man we would meet and informed as protesting.

19:13 You know, and I had to really be careful and don't make any sense, cuz I thought you had the right to speak in this country.

19:22 Yeah.

19:23 Yeah, I remember as a kid wondering why the police were

19:30 Or harming people who are just exercising, a right. And I had as a child. I didn't really understand.

19:36 The magnitude of what was happening either, you were protesting the war, right?

19:43 Yeah, and the just the house it got. I got to be honest with you and I don't want it. I think anybody for my generation that was in the middle of that and if they didn't say that they're lying to you. You would go out at night. Like we go to City Lights Bookstore, which is a pretty well-known bookstore in San Francisco and and you would meet people there and they have some cause it could be that you wanted. If I ride it didn't matter. You would get into it. Just something to get together and raise hell about now, is that bad? Sometimes it's disingenuous, but, is it good? I think it's good because people get off their butts and they change things, and they've protected the one thing that we have in this country. That's more than any other country can ever do is freedom of speech.

20:28 And I am not a fan of burning flag. I do think something should be.

20:35 Left alone, but I will die for your right to do it. I know it may sound weird, but I saw too many guys wrapped up in that chip phone. So.

20:44 I hurts me, but my God, you got a right to do and I think you should get to do that. So that was what I got out of the sixties. And I think that's what we were trying to get. We wanted things to be fair. And then like to Cesar Chavez, I worked with him for a while and like, man, that was real scary there. You know, we have some big rallies and there is some bad people run around with guns and stuff. Wanted to not. Have you say if you knew what you wanted to do, but I know you persevered and I didn't quit.

21:16 I don't know. So you went to France and they were basically a frying pan Into the Fire. Harrier. You're finding the same protester mood in in another country as you were here.

21:35 And I can only speak for myself and that's all you can anyone can ever speak for is yourself? And I had spent 18 months in Vietnam. And that was it for the sake of chaos. Total chaos. There was nothing there. Nobody knew you, think the Iraq's unorganized, you have no clue. I mean, nobody knew we had. So I went from that mess to. I went from a very organized, little isolated childhood growing up on a farm where they was the same thing over and over every day to Ultimate crazy enough to peoples in streets, closing down stuff and disobeying orders like

22:17 Terry's car up. So you go to France and some ways. I want to get away from all that and I thought while I was there and spy my friend in the mountains before I got to him. I wander through all this crazy stuff in.

22:36 You start going. It's nuts everywhere.

22:38 Maybe that's just the way life is. And I kind of think it is that way. And you know, what is I've gotten older play. We need some of that again. But today, everybody's mean, I don't know. Well, I don't know if I agree with that about what they do.

22:55 You know, I don't know. There's no one. I already left and it's a lot yet.

23:05 HiFi saddens me but anyway, I don't know. So, okay. So we're back in France, were protesting. What were they protesting the war to write? The world war was a nice thing hanging out on. But most of the youth, they were they want an opportunity to know they were pretty involved in Vietnam, but the youth in France and I didn't get involved with it. I was just passing through, I didn't hang out there very long with. I don't want to do any of this anymore. So what made you want to come back to the US has been well.

23:42 I I had a neat job up in the mountains. Waiting for me, working for this organization is developing a ski area. So that was kind of want to come back and then do that. So that was kind of neat. I know it's not going to go home milk house that was never going to happen. So, I went back and worked in the mountains and that's the scary development project. And we're looking, which was Longfellow place is huge there in the old. Tahoe, but they were trying to help us carry there and knows what sort of the luminary team that go in final where the Run should go and have lunch. No other stuff. That was that was really a great job until I know hell broke loose in the winter of 69 so you can run away to the mountains. There. Tell me about Mineral King. Well, there was about seven Rita was losing these two cabins in the winter, and there was like, 28 ft of snow and we can go out and find out good places to put where they want to put chair lift. These guys. I was working for a really smart.

24:42 Bunch of meat on the hoof Philo, my backpack of the real heavy stuff and made me carry him down the hill from, I didn't care about you, but it had the 100-year storm that you're over 70 feet of snow fell in the Sierras than eight feet in the valley there and we're in a selling Sierra's. And that's one of the Big Al. I just came down there and I got blown up and all that crazy stuff.

25:16 Or you got to tell that story, tell me about getting blown up. It started snowing in January 5th for 21 days. And we had to get out of there. We became we was not too smart to be there. So we left except for two people, they stay back and they were going to come out in two or three days and I got out and then the leader of the team and a ladder. What came out of these? Other two guys, stayed back. Nevermind. I forgot why they won't come out in a couple days later with the snowcat to get us out for cross-country. Ski.

25:51 And the big aliens came down and hit the cabins and killed one guy in the other guy that got out.

25:59 But everything in the world that I owned was up there, my little cabin, but the size of this trailer were saying it and nobody could get in there. So, I got about March, things, settle down, and it's a lot. I need to go get my stuff meantime. I just been hanging out with different friends. So, there was a family that live down, in a little Valley in the village through minutes was 25 miles Inland up in the mountains and the road raining. So, there was a Logging Road up to par way. So this friend that I knew their son about 15 years old craigie and I went in

26:35 And we'd have a little Honda, so we wrote it up the snow line, no line. It's about 70 more miles. We cross country ski than that, my cabin and we got into it and you can just see the outline of the roof.

26:58 And a lot of great. So we got to the roof at Dogtown, got a hole in a rough. I'm going to get my stuff and everything I had was in there. So I stepped down into the cabin and it was like a loft for a little shelf if you want. I'm staying on and something didn't seem right. I don't know what it is, but do not today.

27:22 It's like the error was like you could taste it and I got to thinking what's been trapped under snow for 3 months, but I just turned around to get out and it blew out all the air like as if you're saying this room and all the are you can see is a big blue flame and it blew out and blew me about a hundred feet and I landed in the snow and it burned, my upper body, pretty good burned. Everything off my for my way, stop at a big beer and have to go for. Now. I'm laying here in the snow.

27:55 And I kind of like, it didn't make sense.

28:00 So you don't know what? You're just all the sudden one minute you're in the time an hour and I'm really starting about the kid. I was with a fifteen-year-old kid, and he would have been outside of the crown and I turned around and you can just see.

28:22 I mean, I was like being back in Vietnam. There's just the crater. I mean, a huge crater. There were two craters to Cabin Bluff. Same time.

28:32 And I got to plug in my car that poor kid, and I ran back up to this big crater cuz the snow was like, 20 ft in the mind. It's up to the roof of a house, right? So I'm there just debris and smoke and no, I'm not mean, I'm yelling craigie. I keep yelling for. I'm not trying to dig in with my Skin's. Hang out. My answer, those those are so I'm staying there. Elsa meal, shocked us, great things to you that you can do all kinds of stuff can go on. Consuela how you react and I have no idea how or why, or whatever I did to happen again today. And it's full of pieces. You never know. So, anyway, I'm digging around there and I'll send I feel some hit my foot and he had got buried straight up and down these feet sticking out. And so I got him out and he has a bunch of spinners that glow in his eyes and his head. And so, they couldn't see

29:25 Except for one. I can see how he's right eye. And I never forget his look and see. I didn't know what I look like.

29:33 I guess he just he didn't, he was as crazy as I was cuz he's it later and we talked about it. He said, I thought it was dead and you were the devil and I got him out. And then we got kind of away from all that. And we got forcing. We left our stuff about a hundred feet away down by Soul Creek, cross country. Ski, din, 19 miles away. We didn't plan to be in there for about three or four days. So this was the second day, so nobody was going to look for it.

30:04 So, I got down to the equipment and Craig, a nice up there. And I said, look, that's when it hit me. All of a sudden, you've burned yourself. Everybody has to just take that and pretend half your body, has that feeling and it just hit me all of a sudden and my stomach hurt. I don't know what that was and I start worrying about. Okay, I got this kid here. Who's when I swallow. I said we got to get out of here and it's only one way to doing the skin back down. This road is Old Logging Road.

30:35 And I took a sleeping bag and put in a pack and I gave to him. And so you stay behind me cuz I don't know if I will make it or not. If I get down, I can't go. If you put me in that bag, you know, and then you get your ass out here and get some help. That's the only for the way. Cool kid. He was really special. We got killed in some years later. But anyway, we skied out the road and I started the burn started hurting so bad. I like I'm starting to not start to lose it and you can't lose it. You got it. You can do that, but you got to be in charge while I wasn't in yet. I'm kind of like life. I'm not sure there's anything anywhere else to go. So, there was a stream, runs along the road that we were on the, my new work skiing, and it's being, so probably 10, 15 ft of snow left there. That water looks so,

31:35 Good, and I remember in Vietnam.

31:38 They were starting to do a lot of burn research, and I know you guys were getting burned and they Coldwater Amelie on a burn to the best thing to do. And so I said, craigie I got to get in that water. I mean, it's ice water Downstream snow, melt the snow Bridge, right to it. And I saw, I said, so I want you to come down next to the Stream.

32:00 Cuz I'm going to just shutting that water. I got you. I'm not going to make this trip and I said, you know, if I get loose here and wash away, I don't know what to do because it was real rapid and snuggling to hell. I'm going to drown, that's what it was like, the most wonderful feeling you could ever experience in your life. All the pain went away is there until I started getting Cramp. My asked me to look like breathing started. Getting weird. I got out. I did that two more times and our journey, and then the road got away from the creek, so I can do anymore. And that's when I start worrying cuz the skin start drying up and I couldn't move my hands.

32:56 They got real stiff and

33:00 We got out. We got down to the Honda and then he is ice for swelling up and couldn't see, but I couldn't grip the things. So I got high on the back and I said, you stay here and I'll tell you where to turn and we drove all the way back in the neatest thing happened. This is really so cool. We're like almost down to the road. Now. He lived there in a little village when the farm was Ramsay have his family and there was a highway crew working on this road. And we song. We're coming down the hill, like switchbacks and I said we stop and let these guys help us. He said we've gone as far as go all the way.

33:41 True blue past these guys and shovels or like I don't know but that was a big stick hang out and we got down to his mom's house. We pulled up the real driveway and they were her mom and my boss from up in the mountains was down there and then and we pulled up and they're like they went holy cow what happened? And then I loaded up my car and took his a hospital, but that was kind of a cool trip. That was funny. So I don't know what that was. That was that piece of life and then

34:22 I stayed out there and see guile hospital. I took about a year to get over that crazy mess. And then I just me and I stayed out the West in and worked and all that you were to Cesar Chavez that year and then I just need to stay in California with the school and I liked it out there and how well he was they were I worked actually in the fields. I was trying to make it 11 cuz I got into the mountains and skiing. So, I go work in the summer and spring and then the save money and then winter go skate. So, well, I didn't, I grew up on a farm. So I try not to work on the farm. She is actually go out in the field. Aaron sign on as a laborer, and it did just now, leaving my guys don't. They don't do that, you know.

35:22 Managing a crew of field crew of workers and that was my first introduction to that world and I work the valley actually for about a year now, in Bakersfield, to Fresno, Modesto to San Joaquin, San Joaquin Valley, and I got a real thing about what we're doing to immigration. Cuz they listen, unless you want to start paying about 6 bucks for a head of lettuce. You better to let these people work for you. And those guys, I run them down those feels and I don't know the answer to the problem, but I do know they were vital part of this economy and there's Farmers right now and getting their stuff Harvest, because there's not enough people to do it. So I don't have answers for that stuff. So, how did well?

36:22 Get some decent rights. I mean I got arrested for assault and battery. I was I had a crew of people how I got involved with Chavez's because of this I had a crew of people women kids cotton lattice. All right, no water and nothing in the boss of the field for a boss of you will he comes up, pick up and I'm sensor. We could have some water for these people and you can't this isn't working. Going to make it here. In this was an unusually hot. They usually let us drop isn't that bad? I just was weird, it like 92u00b0 and they're cut and let us all day man. Not any breaks raining and I said, you got to get some water here. And he says, he just took off and he come back in about an hour of the pickup truck load of blocks of ice. And he backs up to the field and he opens the tailgate. He kicks it out in the mud in the dark web box or something to drink.

37:20 Oh man, is a pilot in a wooden pallets. I just put it in the dryer. Well, I got arrested and but they got me out the somebody in the organization, cuz that's kind of love me after that. Next thing. I know I'm down in Visalia, know if I want to help organizing stuff. I don't care.

37:53 So would you do well? I am fluids and then I did go to municipalities in and try to organize marches and stuff. Like that was not easy, but they felt like I does. This won't be so difficult. It wasn't a better butt. So I did that. And then when I went to Rally, if I tell some people, it was pretty neat. I put that together down the orangery Orange Groves Lemon, Grove lemon Cove in Visalia and Tulare know that, and that was kind of a neat thing to get to do. And then the winter came and I want to go skiing. So I just kind of went. So you took all the drama on everywhere. I go there be this stuff and just get tired of it, but I don't know. That was, that was fun. It was meaningful.

38:45 So, tell me how he ended up back here.

38:49 Free.

38:51 How many years in between my mom and dad had their 60th wedding anniversary?

39:01 We've been several years ago.

39:04 And we all showed up, while being everybody's family. There's a bunch of them. There's nobody left now. Otherwise dad. But me, and my two brothers, everybody has gone, but that time there were a bunch of marianela. Elderly. My dad that time was 80, Maybe.

39:21 My dad was on the animal. I mean, I mean, I mean, like, negative latest physically like huge man, strong.

39:30 It's okay. You love your dad.

39:36 I really miss him. Anyway, we're sitting there and just had a good time and he went outside to do something in the mom, kind of come in the room.

39:49 She was, I got to tell her buy something at my mom's pretty director. She was she passed away while you're in a half ago, 93. But anyway, she said, your dad's got cancer. And, you know, your dad doesn't die. I mean, my dad is Superman and and we're all like really just shocked and he walks in the door and I'll never got it comes in the door and we're all pretty heading down. We're just like looking really depressed and he goes with Dale's Marathon you people.

40:20 Your mom says well bill. I told him about your cancer and he said I'm the was dying. What are you guys sad about it, I got somebody to help me fix. That was what he dealt with that and he lived with that. So I made a decision to come back and kind of hang with him. He lived for years after that cancer thought it was funny. He he went up to the doctor and they said, okay, you've got lymphoma and we need to start radiation. This is all right. I'm what are we doing here in this? All we got is 27 treatments is why I'm here today. Let's get them over with. How do you spell you can't do it. That way is a lock. It cost me $5 in gas to drive up here and see. We're going to get this stuff done you schedule as fast, you can't, that's what he was. And he did all that and he he lived another four years and then it finally got him.

41:14 He got to the point where it leaves Independence was gone and it was, he was time and I'm glad I did. Like I change my whole life. I was living on a boat and ran. Ran off with some pretty interesting projects and all that, but I don't regret that one minute. I came back here in at 7. Then when he died. I was in Ireland. Actually, when he died. I had a chance to go over there and we were talking and he and I went to dinner. He got any couldn't drive anymore. I join the dinner. And, and he was pretty angry about that, and I was the last Bastion of any independent group, anything. He was pretty crafty got the point where it took the keys and put them in the ignition and get a pair of pliers. Need tired of Jesus. Took the keys away from him. I wasn't safe for him to be on the road and I sat with him we talked and I said, you know, Dad I said,

42:14 I got something going on. I got to go to London and Ireland for a while. He said, I said how you doing? He's so I won't be here when you get back. I'm done with this bullshit literal. It's exactly what he said to me said, like, don't ever let the dying in the way the living.

42:35 Yeah.

42:38 So I went to know cuz he didn't mad if I had so. And you know what? I don't regret that.

42:45 So anyway, I came back and then Mom was not capable of being on the wrong. So I went to use, I got deal with his group, not negatively, but you know, and she G Mom, another little me 93, and then she just died this past March or so. But anyway, that's why I got the new my youngest son. Wanted to be with me. I was divorced and Eve live in Arizona. And he wanted to go to school, or I went to school. I'll just I'll upload. He came back. Little me. What the high school here. Now, you got a scholarship to go to college. And so, I'm kind of here for now, but I'm not going to stay much longer. Will Kirk not, William Will Will Will Kirk

43:32 William Edward will Edward Kirk, actually, he was a lass of 19 Kids.

43:39 Real straight shooter.

43:42 She always said this, whatever I got semester is, that's all I got to blow knee sandwich, the best blown in the world.

43:51 And I think today, a lot of people need to talk that, we just, we want too much. We're we're beating ourselves to death for wrong thing. I would have liked to meet you. There was a pretty smart guy up for a guy that didn't have much education. He was well-read. He studied what he did. He was a real good for him or very Progressive and you made a living on the land which is hard to do. I need you did a good job of that. Real efficient guy.

44:20 Simple less was more with him. Probably just to let craziness and then in between a lateral went to Alaska munching, take them out lives, Stefano sailboat. I did for three and a half and then I don't want to miss is a nice place, but I just I don't sit still very long. That's just me. That's been doing where I'm at. My reason for being there. So I was kind of

44:57 Don't know more than that.