Street Roots • July 6-12, 2018
Vendors
Page 6
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lights,” he said. “My dad was full of
wanderlust, he always wanted to see what
was over the next hill.”
C.W. inherited his father’s love of the
open road and as a result has led a unique
BY HELEN HILL
STA FF W R ITER
life as a skilled worker throughout the
Pacific Northwest. “I’ve had a really good
.W. has deep roots with Street Roots.
life. I grew up in the land of opportunity,
He was one of the earliest vendors in
•running
heavy equipment when I was 17
the 1990s when it was a fledgling
paper called Burnside Cadillac. “I sold it years
on old. My life kept getting bigger and
bigger,” he said.
the move. It supplied my needs,” he said.
Hired at the tender age of 17 as a
C.W. ended up in the Pacific Northwest
welder’s assistant on the Trans-Alaska
thanks to the infamous Columbus Day
Storm of 1962. He was born in Minneapolis Pipeline, C.W. saw a lot of country from the
North Slopes to the Brooks Range. “Alaska
and barely remembers the small mom-and-
is huge, like an ocean
pop ice cream store called Victory Dairy his
father ran. When C.W. was 5 years old, his
of mountains, you
father lost the store and the family took to
can’t see the
the road, traveling the country in search of
end.” He
work. C.W. and his brothers and sisters
remembers
bounced along in a wooden box built onto
working out
the bed of their International Harvester
of Atigun
truck, while his mother and father rode up
Pass,
front with the babies.
sitting on
The family just happened to be near
busses
Portland when the storm hit. The cyclone-
being
force winds (160 mph recorded on the
pulled
up.
Morrison Bridge) left thousands of homes
Christian “C.W.” Witt
CENTRAL C ITY
C O FFE E
Sourcing & roasting craft coffee to
benefit programs at Central City Concern.
IN STORES
New Seasons Market, Whole Foods, Food Front
Cooperative Grocery, Green Zebra, Chuck's
Produce, Food Fight!, Cherry Sprout Produce, and
- . Know Thy Food.
AT YOUR OFFICE
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office? Get in touch with us and we can help you
make that happen. 503.226.7387
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• shipped directly to you or a friend.
AT KASBAH MOROCCAN CAFE
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Answers to Page 15 Puzzles
B
in need of repair. “The truck had worn out
when the storm hit,” he said.
“They asked my father if he
could roof and he said ‘Hell
yeah!’” C.W.’s father
remained a journeyman
roofer for the rest of his life.
When C.W. was in third
grade, his father moved
th e f a m i l y a g ain , p u llin g
iHraiierover the
then still rough
and
challenging
Al-Can
Highway. They
lived in a
fairgrounds
parking lot for a
time. “I
remember my dad
shimmying up the power pole to
hook up an extension cord so we had
mountainsides by a Cat machine in icy fog
so thick you couldn’t see out the windows.
There were runaway rigs, grizzly bears and
welding tasks in sub-zero weather, but the
money was good and C.W was able to put
some by.
“I bought a piece of land 40 miles outside
of Fairbanks near the Salcha River and built
a log cabin 12-foot by 16-foot,” he recalled.
He married a young Alaskan Native woman
named Patty. C.W. and Patty had three
daughters: Sheri, Vanessa and Rachel. But
Patty died of breast cancer when the
children were still young. “I lost it. My older
sister and her husband stepped in to help. I
ended up working down in Portland again.”
C.W.’s work ethic has always been
exceptional. He’s done everything from
long-haul trucking to journeyman carpentry,
roofing and cement finishing. “I’m a good
worker. I can see what needs to be done
next, and I can handle anything. I was the
guy who would go anywhere and do
anything. I’ve always been that way.” He
describes himself as a “multi-potentialite,” a
person whose skills and interests cover
multiple fields. “It’s been a blessing and a
curse,” he said. T v e had an interesting life,
but I haven’t been that stable.”
C.W. has returned to Street Roots this
past year. “It’s my lifeline,” he said. “Street
Roots gives me a reason to clean up, take
care of myself. It offers stability. I don’t
have to ask anybody for anything. I
am providing a service and a link to
alternative reading. I don’t have to ,
sell the paper, it sells itself.” He
doesn’t have a specific spot; he
sells the paper wherever he
happens to be. Meanwhile, C.W.
dreams of walking the final 76
mile leg of the Louis and Clark
Trail from Portland to Astoria.
He’s completed most of the
other sections from
Missouri to Portland. “I’d
like to take my time, enjoy
the walk. Sleep in by the river
and sit with a fishing hook.”
ON THE BRINK OF INSANITY JUST A BUMP IN THE ROAD/
A WALK IN THE PARK Part 1
by Leo Rhodes
.
•
Hating where I’m at!!!
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Life’s journey isn’t easy
Depending on the path you choose
Or
When life slips you a curve
Life was hard
Now it’s even harder
Energy drained
Self pity
Loss of hope
Anger
And many other emotions
Taking time to
Valuate options
Three come to mind
1. Self pity
Be miserable the rest of my life
2. Pull up my boot straps.
And get out of this mess
3. Suicide
Answer is easy
I’m a fighter!!!
Life is hard
But
Nothing in life is easy
My war cry became
“Don’t worry I’ll be healthy
again
This is just a bump in the road
A walk in the park.”