Have Towel, Will Travel
by
Gary L. Clark
Reprint from the 1999 Winter Roundup
What do
you think of when some one mentions a "construction crew"? Does a vision
of "a dirty group of guys" come to your mind? For some reason, that's
exactly the picture that occurs to many folks.
Well, this story is about just that kind of construction crew-one very
much needing and wanting a very vigorous scrub!
Late summer in Coleville, Utah is usually hot during the day and cool
in the evening. We-the crew and I-were bunking in a travel trailer at
the job site. And we had a problem.
We had electricity connected to the trailer, but we had no sewer and no
water! No way to take a shower or even just wash up! The area was remote,
so there simply were no public showers anywhere close to us.
As the week rolled by, the guys began staying further and further away
from each other. We definitely began getting stinky-and just a bit grumpy.
This went on until one rather warmish afternoon.
At about 2 p.m. I heard Randy South shout at the crew, "Load up in the
van. Bring soap, towels and clean clothes."
No one had to be told twice. We grabbed our stuff and jumped in the van.
We didn't know where we were going, but it sounded like the trip just
might end in a bath, so that made it okay with us.
After a few miles, we got to a small beach, and Randy stopped at the mountain
lake-one with cold, mountain water. We all got out of the van and started
to just stand around-all but Randy.
He took off his boots, removed wallet and personal items from his pockets,
and, without another look back or word, waded into that lake-clothes still
on and holding his soap.
Under cover of the water, Randy began scrubbing himself and his clothes-all
in one swoop. Then he shouted, "What ya waitin' for? The water's not gonna
get any warmer!"
So, one by one, we mustered our courage and followed Randy into the lake.
Soon, we got accustomed to that cool mountain water and actually started
having fun. In fact, it was really refreshing.
From that day to the end of the project, at about 2 p.m. we'd head for
our bathing/laundering pond. We got cleaned up and had the time of our
lives. It turned the project into a bit of a vacation and created a treasured
memory for me.
I have to smile when I remember the time we took our daily bath and did
our laundry in a mountain lake. And that's a Lighter Side look at keeping
a crew clean and happy.
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