I remember the first time Adam and I went to his hometown of Oakland, Oregon. It was going to be my first time meeting his mom (and I was ridiculously nervous). Ad told me it was a small town, but I really didn't believe him. I thought, "small...okay....like 2,000 people...that's small." No, we're talking 850 people small. We recently visited and I am happy to report that the town now claims 954 residents. (I'm not sure I believe them.)
Downtown Oakland
Adam always told me he thought the area was a bit of a genetic
cesspool, but every time we go back, he seems to become more and more fond of the place. It does have a bit of the small town charm. It has a cute historic downtown area which used to be full of stores, a bank, and a hotel among other things, but they have all been replaced with high-end antique and art dealers who cater to summer tourists travelling along I-5.
Most of the stores have changed over time with the exception of Stearn's Hardware store that opened in 1887 and is still a family-run business. Of course, the Oakland Tavern is also still in business...
Adam's House
Adam grew up in the same house his whole life. Adam's house is
adorable and his mom keeps it up very well. It is cheery and cozy...and, most importantly, feels like home. But, beware it is NOT on the postal route. The town Post Office worker doesn't deliver mail to people, so everyone has to go pick it up. The area of the town of Oakland is 0.7 sq miles (
source: Wikipedia). Is it really that hard to work in a couple deliveries?
Bart's MarketOne of Adam's earliest jobs was working for Bruce and Janice Bartholomew at Bart's Market in "downtown" Oakland. Bruce still says that Adam was his best Produce Manager. Adam has too many stories to list about his time at Bart's. For example, he and his friend Caleb used to look through the bottom of every bottle of Coke, Pepsi, or Dr. Pepper to make sure that th
ey got the winning bottlecap. He and Bruce would hide in the coolers to catch shoplifters, including the town's one roving drunk (he was known to sneak into the coolers from time to time). He once was trying to be a good employee by going above and beyond to clean a smoke stain around the pipe of the store's wood-burning stove. In "cleaning" the ceiling, he ended up smearing the smoke residue around until an eighth of the store's ceiling was black...the stain was still there over 10 years later. It was also at Bart's that he developed his love for Big Mamas. Big Mamas, for those of you who haven't heard of them, are the classic gas station/small grocery store check-out counter item...a giant tub of unnaturally red sausages in some strange red vinegar-y solution. I honestly can't tell you how they taste because I am terrified of them. They smell like vinegar and Tabasco mixed with a little pig farm (not pork...pig farm...slop, manure, etc). Bruce has since sold the store, but every time we go home, we have to stop by Bart's so Adam can eat his Big Mama while roaming the aisles.
The Oakland Meat Locker
Adam and his brothers used to go down to the town Meat Locker for jerky when they got an extra buck. So, while Ad was taking me on his trip down Memory Lane, we stopped i
n to pick up some jerky. Adam was in FFA (Future Farmers of America) while in High School and has thus been exposed to animal slaughtering and butchering. I, on the other hand, have not. My very first experience with this was this year, as a 29-yr old. I saw my first cow being butchered while hanging from a hook at the good ol' Oakland Meat Locker - I couldn't look away. (Very happy to have missed the lead-in to the butchering, by the way. I think the slaughtering might have turned me into a vegetarian.) Their jerky was really tasty if you're ever in town.
I joke on Oakland (and Adam for having grown up there), but it really is a cute little town, made even better by his mom and step-dad making it feel like home.
