Dude, I know how annoying it could be to read someone's journal. I know because I've read some on here just to make sure mine is so different, that it's exactly the same. Jajaja
So you guys remember Heidi?
My good friend in Lemoore who's entire family helped me out when there was no one else? Well that's her above.
Now she has a family that is grown, but still lives at home. Her relationship with her children at some level, any parent would love to have chains this strong with their children.
She claims it isn't perfect.
But to me, it is totally perfect. She lives in Portland now, and her home is beautiful. She is exactly the way I remember her. Her house is as I imagined it.
Her life is happy and I'm grateful to have seen it.
It's kind of sweet to see a sister after so long and although she wasn't exactly everything I imagined, in one way, Heidi was so much more in others.
I got to know her husband Jason, and natur

ally good natured fellow with a bite. You could see it. I knew I didn't want to push any of his buttons, but he was none of the things I was cautious of.
So after Portland I stopped in Eugene, to meet up with Steve O' Margaritas, a tattooer from Rapid City to drink a beer and smoke a toke. I love Steveo, he is an immaculate artist from Rapid City. He's a really big name back home trying to travel an make a staple in the industry we love and know as tattooing.

My only regret is not getting a photo of the event but I didn't want to seem pretentious. Y'all know I can be braggadocious but not pretentious. So I guess I will give you a picture of the camp.
So after leaving Eugene, Oregon; I went and met up with my Lil Brother which I think I wrote about. So I passed through Redding, I had the first of many "chicken waffles"! Ever had one?
   I never had one. I did have one though. I got real curious after watching Scott have one in Washington.
   I called a guy I had planned to work with. Things didn't work out. I tried another spot three hours away from that spot. Hell man, I should have just called that asshole. When I showed up, he kind of acted like he didn't know who I was. And I get it. Whatever. Tattoo shops are different everyday.
   But I will never forget how that dude sucks. Makes me wonder how many people I have done that to. Pissed me off pretty good so... Jajaja maybe I've pissed off my share of assholes too. He shall not be named here. He is not worthy.
   I did have a shot to work in Morro Bay California. It's beautiful there. But I was low on the funds and didn't want to gamble being in a place unfamiliar. When I get low on money, I get a little paranoid and I start weighing my options and living out their consequences regardless of wether they're good or bad.
   Truthfully, I can say whatever I want, I didn't make any bad choices. I really wanted to be close to my son Mark. He lives in Hanford Ca. He will have his own chapter for sure.
  So I went south instead to my hometown where I grew up. I called my friend, Chris Williams and asked him if he could put me up and let me make a lil money.
   And again, people have opened doors for me on this trip that make it easy to forget the ones that closed. I knew it was gonna be tight. It's the holiday season. One thing I knew was everyone in the shop had a clientele and none of them offered my strongest suit. So I may be a good fit.
I wrote about the rad spot gave me behind his home in the alley. I loved it back there.
The shop is located in the downtown area and is easy to find.
It's fair to say that all shops do slow down a lot towards the end of the year all over the United States. I don't know if Thanksgiving is a thing in other countries, but they probably have something similar but everyone's got Christmas.
Is there thanksgiving where you live?

Chris and LaLonna Williams were great hosts. Some of the best things that happened to me on this trip happened while just hanging out with these two. You can see that they're totally perfect for each other. She balances him.
These guys hosted a pool party and there must have been 20 people there at one point. Everyone bought in and there were some winners! However, there was no money for the second place, but it was fun none the less.

  I've been talking a lot about relationships lately and how I'm impressed by them. Just like Heidi, and Scott, there is much to see just in this room. Divorced and still hanging out together. Friends who have stayed friends since high school.
   I was hanging out with some of my oldest acquaintances' children. They're old enough to drink and smoke and even hang in with us old dudes pushing limits when it comes to drinking.
   It seems like everyday there was an event that we were working towards.
   There was a this huge street fair type of deal where they closed Main Street and named it, the Holiday Stroll. You had to go to all these places and get a stamp. If you got them all, you could enter a drawing to win each shop's Christmas tree.
  We had to fill in on the build up. We played ink master games through November.

Like have you ever painted on glass before?
  Well if you don't have the right stuff, it is very difficult. It is even harder without experience. Jajaja but hey, we did alright. I'm just glad that mine isn't gonna be there forever.

   We did have to make all the ornaments on our tree so we got a little crafty.

  So the party went well. There was an awesome turnout however, I wanted to participate more, but believe it or not, I do not do well in packs of people without having a purpose.
   What I saw in this shop, was a lot of history. They had been working in this town for 20+ years. Joseph Bumpus' Father started that shop after an argument with his brother Lou in the late 90's I imagine. I do t know what the argument was about but maybe next time, I may just find the right moment to investigate it.
   What I do know is that after some time, after his passing, Joseph has become a great shop owner and has a Great rapport with his clients. He has a history growing up in Lemoore and has made a great comeback with the shop that he inherited.
   Makes me wish my kids got into tattooing so I could have a legacy that precedes my death. I'm sure no matter the reason for passing that Mr. Bumpus is very proud of him for the work he is doing and carrying on the traditions that he himself instilled in his son.
   Linda, Joseph's mother took a liking to me. She's a strong woman for sure raising two hell hounds for sons.
   WuTang fans all aboard. It's funny how many places in Lemoore we all kicked it old school to the Wu. I don't remember people listening to them that much.
   Speaking on music, another band has been putting work in from my hometown. They're worth a listen if you're into folk/country sounds like banjos and acoustic guitars.
    Try "Poor Mans Poison". This guy works in a factory that makes milk products. The more people listening to him the more likely he won't work in one for long. I've been shooting this name out wherever I go and even if you don't like it forever like me, it does resonate with everyday people
Problems.
   I can thank Chris for turning me onto them.
   I found a lot of other good sounds in their genre so I'm thankful to have music that nobody else has heard of. It's cool when someone asks you who sang that and they've never heard of it.
  So...
  While I was in California I was able to spend a lot of time with Mark, my son. I do enjoy getting to know him. He is pure hearted. There is still a lot of innocents there with in him.
I want to tell you more about my inner thoughts and feelings about our visits. I really want to share. Some of these things are just better unsaid. I wouldn't want to make my next visit awkward.
I mean saying, that I love the shit out of him and I'm very proud of the dude he's become. How he deals with life on his terms is admirable, for sure. Believe it or not, I see my childlike self in him and it makes me happy to see curiosity alive and well.
I have never known someone with a larger knowledge processor in the brain than he. And even if I have no idea what the hell he may be talking about, I am happy that he has a lot to say.
No matter how long I've been away, or the distance we have from each other he never . . . Holds it against me. I love this guy.

  This fucking guy deserves a whole chapter dedicated to him.
   Any ways another, day another attempt at finishing it.
    I remember getting to Oak Harbor, Washington and thinking that people were the most hospitable there. But in reality, I've realized that people are that way everywhere I've been and it only surprised me because maybe I haven't been too hospitable.
   Somewhere along the way, I lost my empathy and a lot of compassion. The most compassionate person I've ever known is Tancy. Maybe I lost a lot of it because she had so much. Clearly, I miss her.
   Even our friend chat stuff has gone silent.
  Half of that is definitely my fault. I don't really know how to start one up with her.
  Jajaja I have no idea why anyone would want to read this trash. It's an outlet really for me.
   I think I have crossed a lot of paths in life.
  I've definitely got a lot in life experience, for sure.
   Everyone out here who says they have my back, save just a few.... I have no history with. No real history, really. I have to earn their trust the same as they have to earn mine.
   It takes time to establish a term of integrity.
   When I was home with Tancy, I didn't have to worry about who had my back all the time. I knew I had her and she had me. I didn't need anything else. But somewhere along the line, just like my Savanna Monitor, the cage ate at me. I wanted to run.
  And once the call came from the wild, I couldn't hush my heart to chase something new.
  Meet new people, make new stories. Live a totally different way. I couldn't stop dreaming.
   I knew .... hell man, I still know... I may die in a tattoo shop. But does it have to be just this one?
   I have never chased something so hard. I have never worked so hard to keep something.
   Pushing myself to pull out of monotony, and drag myself across this country to meet old friends and see new things, is the best thing I have ever done. I regret nothing.
   But still... I miss you.
   California didn't let me go without a little tragedy though. I was outside of Tulare Ca when running out of gas, and decided to stop at the only gas station for twenty miles and it was built for guys pulling Rv's.
  I turned my camper into a pylon and broke the grey water pipe to my camper. Water spilled everywhere.
   The clerk seen all the water and thought it was gasoline and shut the pumps down. Embarrassing for me it was.

Even these Firemen were so polite to me as they carried on about their business. They had to wait there for a tow truck to show up for me.
   I had very little money and was heading to San Diego on nothing but credit cards, Jajaja I don't know what I was thinking about that in December. I just wanted to visit an old friend and see if it was even possible to work there but after this lil shindig, I didn't know anyone who could help me fix it and I was panicking for money I didn't have and now I had to pay this tow truck guy when all the sudden, my credit card gets fucking maxed with some automatic payments and the firemen.... and the tow truck guy.... and the Iranian guy running the store. 
   Yeah.

I wrecked the front rim of the tire too. I call it a badge of courage. Maybe a badge of experience maybe. Definitely makes me feel dumb every time I look at it.
   Let's see if it will allow a video. Nope... not unless I upload them to YouTube first. Lame.
   I do love this life I'm in. I think it's great.
   It's hard in ways I never dreamed of. It's also one of the most rewarding things in life to dig deep, and find some momentum all over again. Win the public. Earn a client base. It takes time but it's totally worth it.
    Look, I know this chapter is long and weird for me to be bouncing all over. I started it in December. It's March. Forgive me. 
  If you read it. Let me know.
   I miss you Wattniverse!
        Kevin.