Summer in The Pit

"The pit" would not exist today. For a couple of reasons. First, there is no need for it any longer. Second, it would be environmentally illegal.

The pit was a metal box, four feet by four feet by four feet. It was enclosed on all but one side. It stood on four legs waist high. On the top there was a fan. It needed a fan to get rid of some of the toxic chemical fumes that were produced in the pit. On the bottom there was a hole. Attached to the hole was a hose that drained into a bucket. It needed a drain so the toxic sludge also produced in the pit had somewhere to go.

For four summers during my high school years, I worked at the pit. From 8AM to 5PM, Monday through Friday, mid-June through mid-September I stood there, wearing goggles, but no mask, no gloves, a t-shirt, jeans, and tennies. I believe I got paid a dollar an hour.

The pit, in case you were wondering, is where manual typewriters ... the old Royals, Smith-Coronas, Underwoods, Olympias ... would be brought for their annual cleaning and refurbishing. It was a big job. Back then, every high school in the Santa Clara Valley (long before it was Silicon Valley), had typing classes. Some had two or three classes. And from September until June, all those typewriters were battered and beaten and abused by thousands of students learning how to type.

So, when summer rolled around and the schools closed for a few months, a large truck would go to each school, load up hundreds and hundreds of typewriters, bring them back to the shop that my dad owned (Modern Office Machines Company in San Jose). There I, along with several other workers, had to put them back into working order in time for the first school bell in the fall.

Some workers in the shop replaced broken keys, and polished the rollers. Others tightened screws and straightened broken links that allowed the print head to accurately hit the paper in the roller when the keys were depressed. And one person, that would be me, would stand there at the pit and with a high pressure air gun (think early version of a power washer). I would inject each stripped down machine with a powerful spray of oil and cleaning solvent, dislodging nine months of eraser shavings, gum wrappers, and hairpins and at the same time lubricating the mechanical parts.

My lungs would fill with the oil/solvent fog, my face and clothes would be covered with grease and oil and tid-bits of the rotted gems the students left behind in the mechanical typing machines. My ears would ring from the air gun compressor which was right next to me. To compensate for it, I set up a speaker inside the pit and cranked it as loud as I could, listening to the same top 40 hits played every two hours on KLIV and KFRC. I got to know radio during those summers. That's when I realized I wanted to go into broadcasting ... and not into a pit.

It sounds like a crappy job. And you know what? It really was. But I was a high school kid, looking to make some money, and it was easy and mindless. And so far, I haven't contracted any horrible diseases that I know of after breathing the carcinogenic mist.

I recall my summers of working in the pit after an article that I read today. It was in the Des Moines Register from May 21. (As I had written in a previous blog, one of our neighbors here who lives in Des Moines graciously brings me the paper to read, knowing that I miss having a daily delivered here.) The article was entitled "More Than A Summer Job." Click HERE for the link to it. It's about the invaluable experience high school students can get by working summer jobs. In this story, the jobs were at a local Des Moines grocery store, and it followed the lives of several people, some current students and some store managers who started at the Hy-Vee Market when they were kids. It was a fun read, and again, bestowed the virtues of summer work. The problem is, however, there just aren't that many summer jobs available for high school students anymore. The unemployment rate for teens ages 16-19 now stands at 24.5 percent.

Getting a summer job apparently requires much more than it used it. And sometimes it requires jobs that pay very little ... or nothing at all. My nephew, a really bright kid who goes to Chico State and is studying engineering, is heading out this summer with his church group to Seattle to do volunteer work with the homeless and inmates in prison. It might be a bit much for a high schooler, but the experience will likely be life-changing. Still, it doesn't pay.

There is a website the US Department of Labor has established to help students find summer jobs. It is www.dol.gov/summerjobs. I checked it out, and it is a good place to start.

But, it leaves me wondering. What will high school kids do now to get jobs in the summer of 2011? Maybe working in a grocery store? Maybe an ice cream place? Maybe at a car wash? Or, do they just ask mom and dad for a handout? It will likely not be easy. One thing I'm fairly sure of. None of them will be working in the pit.

PV Road Trip #1

Puerto Vallarta is a resort town. People come here from all over the world for vacation. We live here. We escape PV when we go on vacation. That’s not to say it isn’t a great place to live … because it is. But like many resort towns, it’s easy to get “island fever” here. And sometimes, you just need to get away for a while. Fortunately, there are lots of very appealing places near here that make for easy one or two day trips.

One very cool quick and easy adventure from PV (either one day, or overnight trip if you want to do it like we did), is a journey that takes you to the southern part of Jalisco state … to the small towns of El Tuito, Mayto, and Tehuamixtle. While you can get to El Tuito by bus, you’ll probably want to go by car, especially if you plan on including Mayto and Tehuamixtle.

After traveling south on Highway 200 for about an hour, first along the coast then inland over the mountains, you’ll find the old farming town of El Tuito. It is a throw back to the way many Mexican towns used to be. Dating back to the 1500s, the population has now grown to about 3000.

The center of activity here is based around the large town square. Here, you will find numerous shops and restaurants, and specialty stores that sell local cheese and raicilla, which is moonshine tequila that will knock you on your butt. Here, it helps to know basic Spanish, because unlike Puerto Vallarta, English is not widely spoken. That being said, the locals are used to gringos invading their small town, and they are both welcoming and accommodating.

If you want to stay here, there is a great little B&B called Jardin del Tuito. Operated by a couple of escapees from Paris, rooms are large and the pool/garden/patio is relaxing.

But for us, El Tuito was just a stop along the way. From there, we headed west on a well maintained dirt road (though we were in our SUV, it would be no problem making it in a regular compact car). And nearly an hour later, you reach the Pacific coast at Mayto. There is very little in Mayto, mainly because it is out of the way … way out of the way. But that is part of the appeal of Mayto.

What Mayto lacks in most amenities, it makes up for in accommodations. Because here, set on one of the most beautiful untouched white sand beaches that stretches on for miles, is the Hotel Mayto. It is clean, has a pool, small restaurant, TV, Internet (when it is working). There is also an area for beach camping here. It reminds you of what most of Mexico was probably like 50 years ago before sleepy villages were converted into mega-resorts. They charge per person here … about 500 pesos each, which depending on the exchange rate will get you a room for about $80US for two.

But the real appeal for us on this part of the coast is what you find about five miles south of Mayto. It's the equally small fishing village of Tehuamixtle, famous (and I do mean famous) for their fresh oysters. There are two restaurants on the cove and both serve up oysters pretty much any way you want them … on the half shell, pan fried, you name it. And when you order them, they don’t come out of a refrigerator. They come out of the ocean. Yes, they are that fresh. We always go to Restaurant Liz Adriana. Owned (and staffed) by the same family for more than 20 years, it is right above the small bay. It’s a friendly place where the beers are cold is and the food excellent.

It can be a bit intimidating at times to venture out on your own here, especially if you are unsure about the language and where you are going. But we have never had any problems, and look at each trek as a new adventure.

And such was our getaway from Puerto Vallarta for this day. To view the video of this trip, click HERE. And if you have any questions, drop me a line. I’ll fill you in. Happy travels.