Signworks, Cotati, CA“SITTIN’ IN THIS LONELY ROOM.”
I went to lunch yesterday with Gary Fire and in our conversation an experience that we shared came up. It was sad to relive it and he asked me why it wasn’t written about on my “Blog”. Good question, my friend….well here it is…..
Back in 1984 I was working for Gamefield Concepts, I had organized the screenprint operation so the company didn’t feel the need to keep me on any longer. There was no other work to be had in the Santa Rosa area at the time, so I started a little signshop in Cotati.
It was taking longer to get established than we had money for, so we decided to pack up Irene and the younger girls and have them go “Visit” Grandma in Utah. Watching my lil’ family board that train was heartbreaking but necessary. Jack Alan and I stayed on in Cotati, Jack stayed with a friend for awhile and I stayed in the shop and in my van.
One night, a few months after Irene and the kids left, a cold rainstorm hit the area. Around 9pm one night, I was sittin’ in the little shop with the rain coming down so hard that the power went out in all of that area. I was playing the guitar and started writing a song….the saddest blues song ever written…when a car pulled up outside the shop. I heard someone sloshing through the huge puddle outside the door and then the sliding door being opened, a bolt of lightning lit up the shop and there stood Gary.
He pulled up a chair and just sat there with me in the dark for what seemed like about 10 minutes, then he told me that he had just talked with Sandy and she told him that she was never going to come back to him. (She had moved out and he was staying in Santa Rosa while he was training for a new job.) So there we sat, two of the loneliest fellas in the Republic of California, Del Norte…. in that “Cold dark room” with no heat….no families and no lights....on one of the rainiest nights in the history of the world….or so it seemed. I had already written most of the song “Sittin’ in this cold dark room”, before Gary got there and so I enlisted him and his broken down spirit and we put the final touches on the song.
A month or so later I went back to Identity Services and sent Irene some money to get a ticket to Reno. I drove to Reno and we got a motel right on the river running through the city. The sound of the rushing water is still vivid in my ol’ memory banks. When I took her to the airport to go back to her lil’ones she cried…it was hard to say goodbye again and watch her get on the plane. Shortly after this though, I was able to bring her and the girls back home….so our lil’ family got back together….Gary wasn’t able to do the same but started a new “Adventure”, meeting Sunni, marrying her and putting his 4 kids and her 6 kids together.
About 16 years ago I recorded that song on a CD with the “ROADHOUSE KINGS”.
We had a CD release party at Waldo’s BBQ and the girls were there…I explained how the song came about and sang it…the girls were in tears hearing the song and remembering our separation. Life can throw real challenges at us….. but the strength that we have as a family seems to carry us through them for our good and only makes us appreciate each other more.
I went to lunch yesterday with Gary Fire and in our conversation an experience that we shared came up. It was sad to relive it and he asked me why it wasn’t written about on my “Blog”. Good question, my friend….well here it is…..
Back in 1984 I was working for Gamefield Concepts, I had organized the screenprint operation so the company didn’t feel the need to keep me on any longer. There was no other work to be had in the Santa Rosa area at the time, so I started a little signshop in Cotati.
It was taking longer to get established than we had money for, so we decided to pack up Irene and the younger girls and have them go “Visit” Grandma in Utah. Watching my lil’ family board that train was heartbreaking but necessary. Jack Alan and I stayed on in Cotati, Jack stayed with a friend for awhile and I stayed in the shop and in my van.
One night, a few months after Irene and the kids left, a cold rainstorm hit the area. Around 9pm one night, I was sittin’ in the little shop with the rain coming down so hard that the power went out in all of that area. I was playing the guitar and started writing a song….the saddest blues song ever written…when a car pulled up outside the shop. I heard someone sloshing through the huge puddle outside the door and then the sliding door being opened, a bolt of lightning lit up the shop and there stood Gary.
He pulled up a chair and just sat there with me in the dark for what seemed like about 10 minutes, then he told me that he had just talked with Sandy and she told him that she was never going to come back to him. (She had moved out and he was staying in Santa Rosa while he was training for a new job.) So there we sat, two of the loneliest fellas in the Republic of California, Del Norte…. in that “Cold dark room” with no heat….no families and no lights....on one of the rainiest nights in the history of the world….or so it seemed. I had already written most of the song “Sittin’ in this cold dark room”, before Gary got there and so I enlisted him and his broken down spirit and we put the final touches on the song.
A month or so later I went back to Identity Services and sent Irene some money to get a ticket to Reno. I drove to Reno and we got a motel right on the river running through the city. The sound of the rushing water is still vivid in my ol’ memory banks. When I took her to the airport to go back to her lil’ones she cried…it was hard to say goodbye again and watch her get on the plane. Shortly after this though, I was able to bring her and the girls back home….so our lil’ family got back together….Gary wasn’t able to do the same but started a new “Adventure”, meeting Sunni, marrying her and putting his 4 kids and her 6 kids together.
About 16 years ago I recorded that song on a CD with the “ROADHOUSE KINGS”.
We had a CD release party at Waldo’s BBQ and the girls were there…I explained how the song came about and sang it…the girls were in tears hearing the song and remembering our separation. Life can throw real challenges at us….. but the strength that we have as a family seems to carry us through them for our good and only makes us appreciate each other more.
6 comments:
A very sad and nice memory at the same time.
wowsie...that was a sad memory. Glad I didn't have to live in Utah as a transplanted heathen from California! :)
That is sad. As a child that was shipped off, know that I don't really remember a whole lot other than we had fun adventures (like riding on a train) that we would not have had otherwise. We had the opportunity to get to know our Grandma and other Utah family. The only sad part I remember was singing to you on the phone. I look at Curt and he hasn't had nearly the fun we did!! I loved my childhood. Thanks Dad and Mom for making my childhood a great one. Love you!
Vicky, you are a heathen from Cali, remember, you live in UT now! hahaha
Dad, I don't remember the shop being that run down...
I second Cathy's sentiments. I loved riding on the train, hanging out with Uncle Dan and the Schofields, and all of our other relatives in UT. I miss Grandma, Uncle Dan and Smokey. :(
Damn...Girls, if I'd known you were havin' that much fun I'da left ya' there!!
UPDATE YOUR BLOG!!!!!!!
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