Before we left Greeley, I used my computer friend's Internet connection to help find future lodging. I knew our chance of survival was thin without much money so I looked up people on AOL (now true strangers, not someone I had befriended over time over the Internet). I emailed a whole bunch in Topeka, Kansas (our next stop) and tried to find "interesting" ones who we could interview for the documentary - at least that was our cover story.
One man sounded the most interesting - collected guns, into military do it yourself living in the woods, wonded his own business and a boat. Luckily, he was the only one who responded and left a message on my voice mail.
From Horton and filling up our bellies on the reservation, we drove to the Holiday Inn and met him there. Arnold and I were both expecting a man with a beard, ruffled hair, beer gut, in camoflauge with a riffle in his hand. Basically scary. As we walked into the lobby we heard, "Carol? Arnold?"
We both turned around and noticed at the same time that he was completley gorgeous. Wayne was clean cut, shaven, wore a button down shirt, jeans, cowboy boots and a big smile. We joined him as he sipped his ice tea. I told him I was curious to go to a Honkey Tonk. So I went into the lobby's bathroom and changed into a dress and let my hair down. Arnold said I came out looking all pretty just to try to seduce Wayne. I ditched Arnold and the dog and jumped into Wayne's corvette - they followed behind in the Neon.
The Honkey Tonk was closed - I forgot it was Monday. So he brought us to meet someone he thought we might like to interview - a single mom living as an immigrant from the Phillipines. I expected to interview immigrants at some time on thier experience, just didn't think it would be in Kansas!
We interviewed Josefina on her couch then turned our camera's onto Wayne. His profile on the internet made him sound fascinating but the interview was just so so. Whatever. He was nice and we had such a great time hanging out with him. Plus, he was such a kind stranger that he put us up for the night (our ulterior motive in the first place). He let us sleep on the boat.
Admittedly, I don't know much about Topeka, but his boat was not in a lake. It was a storage place. We didn't care. The cabin of the boat had air conditioning which he turned on for us then bid us adiu (after telling us how to turn it off in the morning). We were blown away by his hospitatlity, and cuteness, and would talk about it the rest of the time - Arnold is still mad that I ran off into the corvette - obviously, my fear of being killed by strangers was long gone.
Mandolina couldn't climb up the ladder so I tied her under the boat. We slept great, especially with the air conditioning and being in a real bed. In the morning I do admit peeing at a nearby bush - the bathroom wasn't set up for a storage bin! Now I know why they don't want people staying in those places - no facilities - gross! We took footage before we left and had Arnold pretend to be the boat's captain!
In the morning we headed for Oklahoma - a place I always wanted to see since it was once the "Indian State." Arnold grew tired of me singing "OOOOOOOOOOOklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin down the plain" throughout the entire state.
Our first stop was the bombing site. This was 1998 and this was the biggest terrorist event, at the time. I wasn't sure if we should go over to the memorial with the dog but I'm glad I did. She gave us a great opportunity.
We were walking along looking at the momentos people had left and the statue of Jesus, when a little boy started petting Mandolina. We began talking with his father, Jim Derry (excuse me if I didn't spell that right, I can't read my notes well but I'll get it right when I post his interview). Jim and his wife, if I remember correctly, worked at the federal building and this young boy had been in the daycare. He survived, but had many arm surgeries. I didn't think they'd want to remember that day, but they were here at the site with some friends and politely answered all our questions.
After that sobering trip, we went onto the Oklahoma toll highway, driving as much as possible in the dark since the drought made it unbearably hot. Around ten we stopped for a late supper. The woman who made our sandwiches answered all my questions but I'm not sure if I filmed her or not. she impressed me. She said she was one fo the few young women who took care of her own baby, her mother, and her sister's children. She talked enthusiastically about her church group and their recent trip to Mexico. Her voice cracked and tears crowded her eyes as she talked about helping the poor people there. I was speechless. Here was a poor woman herslef in a land threatened by drought and she still had enough to give to others. It was so different from Hollywood which was dripping in glamour and gold but little time to help all the children in the Los Angeles ghettos.
It was too hot to attempt camping so we found a cheap motel. Dogs were not allowed but we parked by our room and ran over and she pranced along next to us. We hid her in the bathroom as we brought in our bags from the car. Soon she got used to this routine and seemed to be as sneaky as I was as we dashed into hotel rooms. Some were harder to hide her in than others.
This was the Native American state so I thought I would see some. Nope. Only statue head busts at the Inidan Hall of Fame. They had Geronimo, Pocahontas, Chief Joseph, and Jim Thorpe and anyone else that their sign said "was friendly tot he settlers" I always wondered about "unfriendly Indians". Would we put that down as road rage nowadays? And why are only "friendly Indians" in the history books? A thought for another day.
One of the busts was empty so Arnold stuck his head over it and we imagined it saying - Arnold, Ojibwe, filmmaker. This was his one and only film but I know he's a writer now too. Go Arnold!
Mandolina enjoyed the walk of fame too - the fountain. She jumped in! Poor dog, the heat was wearing her long blond hair down!
Oklahoma did provide a gem. I had made an appointment with the Apache Tribal Council and they let us walk right into their library. Ms. Darrow showed us pictures and told us the story of the Apache fighting and surviving. She also metioned that Geronimo was her grandfather. We just sat there and listened to her stories about her life and her husband that she adored and could have sat there forever. She even sang us a song and blessed us before we had to leave. Don't worry - I'll post that interview for sure.
We discovered that interviews take a long time and are usually so interesting that the hours fly by. Yet, we end up hungry. As we drove out of Oklahoma and into Texas, our first stop was for food. Then we kept driving until ten. I was disappointed to see that we were back in the big city - Dallas. Smog, traffic, heat. I was trying to get away from LA, not find an exact replica.
We stoppedat one cheap hotel. The sign said no dogs and as I parked under the awning, Mandolina woke up and stuck her head out of the window. The manager saw that. That was a no go.
So we looked for another place. Their sign said,
No soliciting
No loitering
No pets
No drugs
No guns
No prostitution
No ...
"Hey, I didn't get to finish reading" Arnold laughed as I drove off. Not the motel for us. So we went back on the freeway and found a Days Inn - a place we could trust even if it was a splurge on our budget.
In the morning we had an appointment. Again, the film commission was a great help. i didn't get to give a talk but they set me up to interview a local flmmaker. Kelli Hurd had some time between meetings to meet us at a coffeeshop. In case you don't know, in order to make a movie, first you must have a million meetings!
Kelli had just directed her first feature called "It's in the Water." In her past she had been married with a son and wondered why she had to get stoned before making love to her husband. She left him and figured it out - she was gay. Now, she was happy with her female partner and her son and family accepted her. As she came out she was amazed at how many other people were gay from her small East Texas town. Hence, the idea for "It's in the Water."
Arnold loved hearing her talk and she thought Arnold was so cute. She didn't mention me. I guess this was pay back for deserting Arnold for Wayne back in Kansas.
In a wierd coincidence, after she left, the man next to us said "What are you damn yankees up to". He startedtalking to us. He was a minister helping out divorcees because his wife had left him for another woman. There must be something in that Texas water!
We didn't get him on camera but he told us about his life anyhow. I was amazed at how many people would just open up to us, on and off camera. He confessed that he doesn't hate homosexuals that he "loves the sinner, hate the sin."
I later said to Arnold, "Well, it's nice to be loved."
We left the big city and drove East to Lousianna. I had always wanted to go to this state that has a mix of Native American, Spanish, French, and USA customs. For Arnold, people started having a hard time understanding his Minnesota accent.
He went into a gas station and asked for a ziplock bag (he must have had more change and didn't believe in wallets at the time. Now I know what to get him for Christmas.)
The clerk didn't understand that in Minnesota bag is pronounced "beg." She asked, "What? a block of ice?"
I told him that he was in the complete opposite of Minnesota. If you look on map, Lousianna is at the exact same place but south and at the end - you know, by the Gulf of Mexico. So no wonder it was like two foreign countries trying to communicate!
I had an appointment with the Chief Rufus Davis in a town that he told me on the phone. They pronounced it Natcatish but I couldn't find it on the map. So we stopped in Alexandra, figuring we could look for this town in the daylight. Again, too hot to camp so we stayed at a motel and snuck Mandolina up to the second floor. Then Arnold and I wanted to cool down in the outdoor pool. To our disgust, the water was warm. All day in that hot humid sun did not make the pool a good option.
The next day I called Mr. Davis and he gave me directions. It sounded familiar. We had driven right by and even gassed up in his town the night before. The spelling was different so I did not recognize it.
In Lousianna, not all the tribes are recognized by the federal government. They are working on that. So, most of my contacts here was through an actor friend back in LA. We loved meeting his friends.
Mr. Davis said his house was the only two story house so we wouldn't have trouble finding it. Was he ever right! We drove by mobile homes and small homes and then his stood out like a mansion. He is a self made millionaire. I liked interviewing him and breaking all the stereotypes of those "poor Indians."
Our next interview also went against stereotypes. Hazel in Lafayette is Ojibwe and raised in Oklahoma but she had lived in Lousianna long enough to make us a home cooked cajun meal. We loved hearing the phase "we'd like to invite you over for dinner."
Hazel, at the time, was a single mother and very respected individual in the community. She didn't want to be on camera but she let us speak to Tasha. Unlike the stories you hear of Native American drop outs, she was a straight A student and president of the junior class, SADD, and in the speech and drama class. She sat on her bed in her teenage room and told us about her life. (I'll get posting soon, promise)
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