Synopsis of A
Tree
for America
Robert
Anjer is a midlevel bureaucrat who dislikes Christmas, and prefers to
stay in
his safe apartment, or office in D.C. He finds himself being sent to
the small
town of Leavenworth Washington to supervise the shipment of the
national
Christmas tree. Here he meets Ken Rainey the larger than life seeming
truck
driver who is delivering the tree to the White House, and finds out
that he must
ride along in the truck with the tree. Which is the beginning of an
eventful
trip for both men. He is given a peek into the life of a long haul
driver and meets some wonderful people along the way. While dealing
with the
weather in Wyoming, and helping a family escape the danger of an
impending storm
he gets a view of America he never knew existed. The scenery opens up
his eyes
to just a glimpse of what America has to offer. This is not a religious
book but
does give a view of Christmas as a time of giving, and caring about our
fellow
man. It is also just a glimpse into the lives of the men, and women who
travel
the open road to deliver all the goods we consume as a nation.
Prologue
The winter silence of the high Cascades
Mountains of Washington State is broken by the sounds of men, as they approach a
stately Douglas fir tree. The tree reaches its branches towards the white clouds
silently gliding across the blue sky. Murmurs of appreciation come from each man
as they drink in the beauty of the almost perfectly formed tree. The sound of a
chain saw roars to life as they prepare to harvest this single tree. With great
care the tree is brought down, and tied on several large sleds to support its
forty-five foot length. They start the journey back down the mountain talking
quietly as they pull, and push the tree on its way.
Chapter
1
Dropping below the clouds the city of
Seattle comes into sight with its tall buildings rising from the shores of Puget
Sound. The jumbo jet settles down onto the runway at SeaTac International
Airport, and taxis up to the gate waiting for it at the main terminal. As the
passengers depart its interior, one young man looking haggard, and very unhappy
mumbles curses to himself under his breathe. With a sigh of resignation he makes
his way to the baggage claim, retrieves his single piece of luggage, and
shuffles up to the rental car desk.
“I
have a car reserved for Robert J Anjer,” he tells the young woman behind the
counter.
“Certainly
Mr. Anjer, here we are it is waiting right outside for you Sir.”
she replies reading the
information off of a computer screen mounted just below the counter top. “Is
there anything else I can do for you today Mr. Anjer?” she asks handing him
the keys to his rental car.
“Yeah”
he sighs “tell me how to get to Leavenworth from here?” his voice is almost
a whine as he starts to pick up his bag.
“Certainly
Sir” she smiles back as she pulls out a road map, and points out the route
over the mountains to the town of Leavenworth.
After
finding his way out of the airport, and onto Interstate 5 heading north towards
Seattle he begins to wish he was back in the other Washington heading to his
apartment in the suburbs instead of going God knew where in those forbidding
mountains to the east here. His discomfort level raises a notch as he negotiates
the turn on to Interstate 90, and looks at the entrance to the Mt. Baker tunnel.
The girl at the counter told him this was the longer way but he really didn’t
give a damn. He hadn’t asked for this assignment. All he wanted was his nice
safe little desk job in DC to be able to deal with rational, intelligent people
instead of the rural hicks he was on his way to see, Christmas was not his gig.
What the hell was he doing here, he thought as he rolled out onto the floating
bridge across Lake Washington. To his right the water was roiling with small
white-capped waves. On his left the water was smooth as glass for quite a ways
out from the bridge. “God I hope this thing doesn’t sink on me” mumbled.
Finally that ordeal is behind him, but now he is starting to climb up into the
mountains.
The
road takes a winding path as it climbs higher, and higher, twisting through
little towns like Snoqualmie, and North Bend. He sees signs warning about using
traction devices, and lets out a groan of dread. In his whole life he has never
seen more than an inch of snow at one time. Now he is headed up into mountains
covered with tons of snow. Slowly he eases his way up over the pass never once
seeing the beauty that surrounds him. He never even glances at the lake on top
of the pass, he just looks straight ahead of him, ignoring all the wonders that
surround him. Through the town of Cle Elum he creeps following highway 903, to
highway 970, finally to highway 97 over Blewett Pass to highway 2 then back to
the west for four miles, and into the town of Leavenworth. Checking into a motel
he sinks down on the bed overloaded with resentment.
After
a shower the next morning he finds a coffee shop for breakfast. Dressed in a
suit with an overcoat he looks out of place surrounded by locals wearing jeans,
and flannel. Getting in to his car he makes his way west along highway 2 wishing
he had just had cereal for breakfast instead of the bacon, and eggs. His stomach
is tying its self in knots as he finds the road leading up to the sawmill.
Parking next to the only building with all four walls he slips and slides up the
walk to the front door. A woman in a brightly colored knit sweater looks up, and
smiles at him as he closes the door.
“Good
Morning Sir may I help you?” she smiles at him.
“Yes
my name is Robert Anjer, and I’m here from Washington DC to supervise the
shipment of the Christmas Tree for the White House,” he replies trying to
smile, but feeling not the least bit pleasant.
“Oh
certainly Mr. Anjer we’ve been expecting you. Would you like some coffee, Jack
is out on the yard at the moment, and may not be back for a little bit” she
said as she bustled around the counter.
“Oh
God is there some kind of problem?” Anjer asked anger lurking just below the
surface.
“Goodness
no sir, he just had to check on some logs in the yard that’s all”
With
a huge sigh Anjer slumped into a chair by the door. “Coffee would be very nice
thank you,” he said sounding like a sail with the air emptying out of it.
Looking
out the window he saw a large red semi truck, and trailer roll into the yard.
Out of the drivers door climbed a tall broad shouldered man wearing a big
black cowboy hat over a shock of collar length gray hair. His face was covered
by a salt, and pepper beard trimmed close. The beard split with a large toothy
grin as he walked towards the building with a long easy stride. As he walked he
pulled a lined denim jacket on with practiced ease. He came in the door with a
lot of stomping of his pointed cowboy boots, and jangling of the keys hanging
from his belt.
“How’s
it going, my name is Ken Rainey, I’m here to pick up that Christmas Tree going
to DC” he rumbled his voice sounding like boulders bouncing down the
mountains, laughter seemed just waiting to burst from his lips as he spoke.
“It’ll
be a little bit the, boss is out in the yard at the moment” the lady behind
the counter told him. “Would you like some coffee while you wait?”
“Sure
that would be great if you don’t mind” his voice seemed roll around the room
as he spoke. “Black with sugar if you would please” again that sense that he
was about to burst out laughing.
Turning
to Anjer he smiled, and stuck out his hand “Are you the guy from Washington
they told me to was going ride back with me?”
Shrinking
away from the big hand like it was a snake trying to bite him Anjer stammered,
“Yes tha that’s me. What do you mean is going to ride back with you?”
“Well
they told me you were going to ride along to make sure everything went okay”
the driver said a note of bewilderment creeping in to his voice. “Not that
I’m looking forward to someone looking over my shoulder the whole trip, but
what the heck. Might be kinda different to have company the whole way.” Again
his face split into a huge friendly grin as he waited for Anjer to shake hands
with him.
Anjer's
face turned a light shade of green as he gently took hold of the driver’s
hand. “Oh God no” he moaned slumping lower into his seat. “What have they
done to me” he said through clenched teeth. “Is there a phone I can use
please I need to call my boss” he asked with anger clouding in his eyes.
The woman shows him to an office, and tells him to just use the phone on
the desk. His mood gets darker as he listens to the phone ring on the other side
of the country. “What am I doing with all these yokels” he grumbles as he
waits.
“Good
afternoon Mr. Bonner’s office may I help you” comes a pleasant female voice.
“Yes,
this is Anjer let me speak with Mr. Bonner please.” Anjer snaps into the
receiver.
“One
moment please” the voice responds.
“Bonner
here what’s the problem Anjer?” a male voice says.
“What
the hell is this about me riding along with the tree? I never heard about
anything like that or I wouldn’t be here” the words pour out in a torrent
like pent up steam.
“Look
you were sent out there to make sure everything goes all right, it was decided
that you would have to stay with the tree all the way back here. We’ve never
shipped one that far before. The national tree usually comes from New England or
the Mid West, this is the first time we’ve gotten it from the Pacific North
West, so just go along for the ride it might do you some good” the voice had a
ring of authority to it that almost made Anjer concede to it immediately.
“You
mean that I have to ride all the way across the country with some guy in a semi?
For heaven sakes man the guy’s wearing a damn cowboy hat. Why the hell do I
have to deal with some damn redneck hick when I never should’ve left the East
Coast for God sake, Bonner don’t do this to me.” the anger rose in Anjer’s
voice as he spoke.
“Sorry
Robert but it has already been done, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Bonner’s voice almost had a chuckle in it. Without waiting for a reply Bonner
hung up the phone leaving Anjer stunned, looking at the receiver in his hand
dumbfounded.
The
driver looked at him with a coolness in his eyes that wasn’t there before as
Anjer walked back into the main entrance area. Another man was there dressed in
jeans, and flannel also, but he was younger looking than the driver.
“Hi
my name is Jack Walker, I’m the plant owner. I was just telling Ken here that
we’re ready to load him when you are.
“How
long is this going to take?” groused Anjer.
“It’ll
probably take most of the day to get it loaded the way they want it,”
Walker replied calmly.
“All
Day! Why is it going to take so long to load one tree?” snapped Anjer.
“Well,
for one thing we have to build a cradle for it, then we have to crate it to
protect it from the wind, and road grime,” Walker said coolly
Anjer’s
shoulders slumped as he let out a sigh of resignation, “I guess that there’s
nothing I can do but wait for you to get it done.”
“Look
are those the only clothes you brought with you?” asked the driver.
“Of
course they are or ones like them, why” asked Anjer defensively.
“Well,
we’re going to be going through some very cold country, and those don’t look
very warm to me. Especially for this time of year in Wyoming. It gets cold
enough to freeze your breath before you get it out of you sometimes.” Ken
grinned at Anjer. “We may have to hike a ways to get inside the truck stops,
and I’d hate to have to tell your boss that you were a Popsicle some where in
the Midwest when I get the tree back to DC.” chuckled Ken. His blue eyes
danced with mischief as he spoke, his mouth turned up in a grin that never
seemed to totally leave his weathered face. “Besides I ain’t got time for
frostbite on this trip, we could have enough problems with the weather as it
is.” The lines in his forehead deepened as his eyes took on a far away look,
his eyes focusing on someplace a long way off. “Look these guys know what they
are doing, we can go into town, and get you some suitable clothes while they
load the trailer. It’ll be better than you freezing your tail off.”
Anjer
looked around helplessly, as if someone would wake him from this nightmare.
Lowering his head he looked at his expensive loafers, neatly pressed suit pants,
and had to agree he wasn’t dressed for anything colder than DC. “So what am
I supposed to wear jeans, and flannel like you?” he huffed
“It’ll
keep you from freezing your buns off,” snapped Ken a hint of irritation
creeping into his voice. “Besides you might find it comfortable. You think we
dress this way just because we think it is cool?” Putting his fists on his
hips Ken looked Anjer straight in the eye. “We do it because it is practical,
and comfortable.” Reaching out he took Anjer’s arm in a firm grip guiding
him to the door. “Go ahead, and start loading the tree, we’ll be back in a
couple of hours,” Ken spoke over his shoulder as he pulled Anjer to the door,
and outside.
Dejectedly
Anjer headed for his rental car. Anjer got in the drivers side as Ken got in the
other side. Anjer drove back along the highway towards Leavenworth. Inside he
was getting angrier as he drove. Who did this backwater jerk think he was
talking to him like he was a child who had to be told how to dress? The
bitterness rose like a volcano inside him almost to the point of erupting, till
he thought about his boss in DC. Bonner would fire him if he fought this
assignment. He knew Bonner was just looking for any reason to get rid of him.
That’s why he was out here in this God forsaken country, he just knew it.
Getting his anger under control he pulled into a small shopping mall on the east
side of town. Ken pointed to a group of clothing stores at the far end of the
mall.
Inside
the first store a young man in hiking boots, jeans, and the ever-present flannel
shirt greeted them with a friendly smile. “What can I show you gentlemen
today?”
Pointing
at Anjer with his thumb Ken said, “this gentleman needs some cold weather
gear.” Leaning easily against the counter Ken watched as the clerk helped
outfit Anjer with jeans, shirts a coat, and gloves better than the dress gloves
Anjer had with him. He smiled slightly at the look of frustration on the
bureaucrat’s face. This guy had never been out of the city he was sure, let
alone to some of the country they were about to cross. This was not going to be
an easy trip, he knew it sure as the sun rose in the east. The remark about
being a redneck hick didn’t bother Ken at all, but the anger with which it had
been said got under his skin. this guy had no idea what went on in the rest of
the world. Last thing he wanted was to be saddled with a spoiled city boy who
thought the world revolved around his narrow little existence on this trip. The
very idea of delivering the Nations Christmas Tree had humbled him. He had been
in the Spirit ever since Thanksgiving; he got that way every year. To him there
was something extra special about the Christmas Season; he loved it with every
fiber of his being. People who didn’t like Christmas were a mystery to him.
Finally
Anjer was loaded down with clothes for this trip, as he was paying for them he
mumbled under his breath. Ken shook his head, and waved to the clerk as they
left. “Okay now I have my local costume what else must I endure for my job?”
Anjer grumbled aloud.
“Well
boots might keep your feet warmer than those fancy shoes” quipped Ken leading
the way to a shoe store. Again he watched in bemusement as Anjer bought a pair
of hiking boots, and warm socks at the clerk’s advice. This guy treated
everyone like servants it was like watching some old nobleman talking to the
serfs. “How about some lunch? I know a nice little German place here that has
authentic German food,” Ken asked as they made their way back to the car.
“What
is so great about German food, and why would this little burg have good food of
any kind?” Anjer replied testily.
“Have
you taken a look around you since you got here?” Ken asked bewildered.
Looking
west along the highway Anjer noticed a lot of signs that resembled pictures he
had seen of German villages. As they drove back into town he saw many buildings
that resembled those same photographs. Bewildered he looked quizzically at Ken.
The trucker just sat there looking at the town in what seemed to Anjer rapture.
Anjer looked again this time seeing all the decorations, and lights strung on
the buildings, light posts, and strung across
the streets. His stomach was feeling a little empty. “Lunch does sound like a
good idea,” he said softly.
“Just
take the first road to the left after the bridge, and park along the street. Its
not far to the restaurant from there,” Ken smiled with anticipation as he
spoke. Anjer crossed over the Wenatchee River, turned left at the light, and
pulled over to the side of the road, and parked the car. “If you like beer
they serve a couple of good Munich brewed ones here.” Ken commented as he led
the way along the street. “I can’t drink while around the truck but if you
want one feel free. I can drive us back to the truck.”
“One
beer isn’t going to get me too drunk to drive” Anjer snapped
“Well
I don’t see any point in taking any chances if you don’t have to,” Ken
said amiably. “The rules for truckers are much stricter than for the general
public, so I just don’t risk my license for anything.”
Reaching
the corner Ken led them trough a door into a large room decorated like a small
restaurant you would expect to find in the Alps of southern Germany. It was a
large open room, with a high exposed beam ceiling, booths along the walls, and
tables arranged in the middle of the room. Blue, and white checked tablecloths
covered the tables in the colors of the Bavarian flag. Two decorations hung on
the wall that looked like the ends of wooden beer kegs, with the logos of two
Munich breweries on them. The hostess met them dressed in a traditional Bavarian
dress, and guided them to a booth along the far wall. Ken didn’t even bother
picking up the menu he just ordered coffee, and the Bratwurst, with sauerkraut,
red cabbage, and German style fried potatoes. Anjer looked over the selections
of German and American dishes for a long time before asking Ken to recommend
something. The driver suggested the schnitzel. The waitress returned a few
minutes later with plates heaped with steaming food. Ken sipped his coffee, and
dug in with a relish Anjer was unaccustomed to seeing. With care Anjer tasted
his food like it was something from another planet instead of another country,
but soon he was eating heartily too.
Looking
at Ken after taking a sip of his beer Anjer asked “how did you find this
place?”
“I
had to pick up a load of lumber at the mill where we’re loading the tree, and
hadn’t eaten all day so I Parked the truck along the street at the other end
of town and hiked into town. After stopping at a few of the shops I found some
of the locals had emigrated here from Germany, so I asked them where the best
food was. After they found out I had spent three years in Bavaria they suggested
this place, and here we are.” Ken smiled as memories played behind his eyes.
“It really surprised some of them to hear me speak German, but they got a kick
out of hearing an old cowboy speak their language.”
“Why
the whole German thing here?” Anjer asked.
“I
really don’t know why but it is a popular tourist spot, especially at
Christmas time with all the lights. They really go all out for the Holidays
here.” Ken smiled. “we’ll be here for the night so you can see for
yourself.”
“I
thought we would be leaving this afternoon,” Anjer’s brow furrowed as he
spoke.
“The
load may be too wide, so we will be restricted to daylight hours only in most
states on this trip. Weather will be a problem too, but we’ve got eight days
to get there, we shouldn’t have too much trouble making it on time. Are you
finished?” he asked pushing his plate away. When Anjer pushed his plate away
also Ken stood up, and pulled his wallet from his hip pocket placing a couple of
bills on the table for a tip, and headed for the cash register by the front
door. Stepping outside he stopped and just looked westward for a moment. He
could see the main street leading west to forested slopes that reached high up
to the snow covered rocky crags of the mountain tops. It filled him with awe
every time he saw it.
“Well,
we had better go see how they’re coming on the load,” he sighed. They headed
back to the car, and drove slowly back to the mill. This time Ken drove while
Anjer looked around, finally becoming aware of the beauty that surrounded him.
Out of the corner of his eye Ken could see the wonder slowly spread over
Anjer’s face. It didn’t surprise Ken at all he had seen it many times over
the years, mostly with young drivers from back east on their first trip into the
Rockies, and Cascades, that look of wonder the first time they saw the mountains
blanketed in their mantels of snow. “There is something about the mountains
covered with snow wouldn’t you say Mr. Anjer?”
Inhaling
deeply Anjer let it out slowly as he said “they’re amazing. I never knew
that they could be so beautiful. The photos I’ve seen are nothing compared to
the real thing.”
“I
grew up in them, but they still affect me every time I see them, especially at
Christmas time” Ken smiled even wider than his usual grin. “The fun we used
to have as kids, playing in the snow till we were freezing. Then we would huddle
next to the fireplace to thaw out with big mugs of hot chocolate.” They pulled
into the mill with Ken telling Anjer stories of sledding, skiing, and the
snowball fights of his youth. Anjer actually seemed to be beginning to relax a
little bit as they parked near the main building.
Jack
Walker came out to meet then as they got out of the car. “We’ve almost got
it loaded,” he said as he waved to the two men. “All that is left is to
build the crate around it, and we got the width down to eight feet wide so
you’ll be legal width Ken.”
“Well
I’ll be dogged” Ken grinned back at Walker “that’s great, now we won’t
have to worry about running after dark at least.”
“Thought
you might want to see how it is secured before we crate it though,” Walker
said heading for the parked truck.
“I
sure do, not that I don’t trust your people, but once it is on the truck it is
my responsibility to make sure it stays there,” Ken replied following Walker
over to the truck. Over his shoulder he called out to Anjer, “care to take a
look before they crate it?”
“Most
definitely I do,” Anjer replied hurrying to catch up to them. That was when he
took time to really look at the truck. It was big and imposing to see this close
up. The red cab looked huge as he stood there looking. It had a long hood in
front that ended in a chrome grille, with a Christmas Wreath mounted on it. The
roof reached high above the driver’s windshield sweeping back over the
sleeper. On the sleeper was a
picture of two large silver bells, with musical notes seeming to come out of
them connected by a bright red ribbon. Behind the sleeper was a large silver
tool rack that reached up along the chrome exhaust stack stopping just above the
muffler. From there the trailer stretched back for what seemed to Anjer to be
half a mile. It started out above the rear wheels, and then just behind them
dropped to a point where Anjer could easily step up onto it. All the way to the
rear instead of the normal two axles there were three. On the trailer lay the
tree nestled into a framework of lumber that kept it from lying directly on the
deck. Boards were woven through the
branches up to the trunk of the tree, where another board formed a resting place
for the tree’s massive trunk. Padding protected it from rubbing, and chaffing
the bark, on the supports, and the straps holding it to them. Rope had been
wrapped around the branches to pull them in close to the center of the tree, and
reduce its width. The base of the trunk was wrapped in what looked to Anjer like
a large burlap bag stuffed with soil.
“Looks
good to me Jack, your folks did a fine job, I think it’ll ride just fine. What
do you think Mr. Anjer?” Ken said after a close inspection.
“I
think I am going to have to take your word on that,” he replied ruefully. “I
am afraid I wouldn’t have the slightest idea, you’re the expert on this
one.” A note of irritation crept into his voice as he spoke. “I still
don’t know why I’m here to begin with.”
“Well
then just sit back, and enjoy the ride, I’ll take care of the rest,” Ken
chuckled as he moved back so the people standing there waiting could start
building the crate around the tree. Smiling as he walked towards Anjer he
remarked, “Sure beats tarping the thing, It would have taken me at least a
couple of hours to do it right.” He watched as they carefully enclosed the
entire tree except the burlap-covered end at the rear of the trailer. Someone
had painted a large sign on both sides of the crate “Americas Christmas
Tree” it said in big red letters outlined in green.
The
sun was low in the western sky turning the snow-covered peaks to the west a
bright pink, and red, it slipped ever lower as they finished. After a brief
discussion Ken, and Anjer decided on staying in town for the night, and leaving
early the next morning. They made arrangements with Jack to leave the truck in
the mill yard till morning, and to have someone return Anjers rental car. Ken
got a shaving kit, and clean clothes out of the sleeper before they left in
Anjer’s rental car. As they pulled into the hotel they could see the town
ablaze with Christmas lights on every building, light pole, and most of the
trees.
“I
think I’ll stroll down through town tonight, and do some Christmas shopping,
would you like to come along?” Ken asked Anjer as they headed for their rooms.
“Sure
why not, anything beats sitting in that room staring at the TV set bored out of
my mind,” Anjer shrugged. “What time do you want to leave?”
“Just
let me drop this stuff in the room, and I’ll be ready. This town shuts down
pretty early during the week. It stays open a little later on the weekends, when
the tourists are here.” After dropping his things in the room they headed east
along the main street. Following the main business route away from Highway 2,
and down to the main shopping area. Signs hung above the shop doors with names
like the “Hat Shop” and “Different Drummer”. They walked leisurely,
looking in store windows, occasionally entering a shop here, and there. They
looked at clocks in one store, and hats in another.
The sound of children’s laughter filled the evening, as across from the
shops in what looked like a city park, children rode their sleds down a snow
covered hill between the street and the highway. At the bottom of the hill were
bales of straw to keep them from going into the street.
“What
the devil is a Knussel Knacker” Anjer asked bewildered looking up at the sign
over a storefront.
Chuckling
Ken answered, “that’s German for nut cracker, this place has them in every
shape, and size.” Opening the door and heading in Ken said, “this is the
main place I wanted to go, my wife collects Santa Figurines, and they have a
great selection here.” Taking his time he wandered through the many displays
of Nut Crackers, and other statuary till he got to the Santa statues. After
inspecting a number of different ones he selected one, and took it to the
counter to pay for it. “I think my wife will like this one for Christmas,”
he told the lady behind the counter. When she replied he caught the hint of an
accent in her voice. As he turned to leave he looked over his shoulder at her,
and said “Froeliche Weinachten.” Her eyes widened slightly then she replied
in German to Ken as he walked away smiling broadly.
Anjer
watched the exchange with amazement; this was not the image of truck drivers he
had seen. He always thought of them as dirty, uneducated, and down right rude
people. This man was defiantly an enigma. They made their way back to the hotel
stopping at a small restaurant located in the basement of one of the buildings
for a light supper of soup, and bread. Anjer was bone tired when they got back
to the hotel. After leaving an early wake up call for the morning he fell
exhausted into his bed.