Missouri Part II
Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at 8:18AM by Annie Vieira
Last week, the Double Decker PDX blog left its readers undoubtedly on the edge of their seats waiting for an answer to one of the most pressing questions this blogger has faced thus far––the state of Brooks Thompson’s cajones.
But, before we address such a crucial topic, let us take a moment to imagine and appreciate the overwhelming exultation that Brooks and Kent likely experienced as they drove off the McNally Properties’ lot that cold December morning in Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. After all the planning, disappointments, and hard-learned lessons, the boys pulled away in a double decker bus... and not just any double decker bus––their double decker bus.
Although Brooks and Kent both verbalized retrospective feelings of excitement, I have mostly speculation as I attempt to recount their experience. I have to imagine that the feelings surpassed mere enthusiasm and crossed into the realm of elation or perhaps even flirted with pure, euphoric bliss. At 22, as a student on the cusp of graduation, I still have yet to understand that feeling of accomplishment––that unequivocal sense of personal pride that accompanies one’s first significant purchase. Be it a car, a house, a double decker bus––I suppose there are few things in this world that can be so effectively emblematic of one’s personal achievements and, dare I say, individual worth. My intended implication is not that a person cannot achieve self worth in the absence of material property; however, it is my hope that one day, if I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to make a purchase of consequence, that I will allow the weight of such responsibility to manifest itself as a triumph rather than a heavy burden indicative of a future in encumbered adulthood.
On that account, it is perhaps this moment––more so than any other pivotal event in their young lives––that Brooks and Kent truly became men. This bus was theirs. The engine was theirs, the four wheels were theirs, the frame was theirs, their names were on that title; and as such, the responsibility was theirs, the payments, the insurance, the safety––all theirs. So, to return once again to the issue at hand: maybe even more than his ability to navigate the streets in a giant bus, it is Brooks’ willingness and capacity to shoulder this responsibility that reflects on the state and existence of his cajones. If I had been sitting across from Mac McNally that morning, my response might have been, “I’d say Brooks definitely has balls, and you know what? I’d say his buddy Kent over here has a pair too.”
And so began Candy’s maiden voyage as a member of the Double Decker PDX family. The boys rolled off that lot with Brooks at the helm and Kent as his first mate. Quickly, however, that initial excitement was eclipsed by the realization that they were to drive the 200 miles from Lake of the Ozarks to the train station in Kansas City in nearly freezing weather aboard a bus that––at the time––was without heat. But as the trip continued, if the boys (bundled up in long underwear, ski socks, jeans, multiple shirts, sweatshirts, coats, hats, gloves, and hand-warmers) had any lingering doubts about their purchase, it quickly dissipated as signs seemingly began to appear. First, it was the abandoned double decker bus they saw in a parking lot as they drove through Harrisonville. Then later, it just so happened that the cab driver who picked them up from the train yard coincidentally had recently started his own charter company after renovating a school bus. It was as though the stars had finally aligned. Yet, as we have learned, nothing is quite that simple when it comes to Brooks and Kent. When they arrived at the airport and sat down to eat a pre-flight lunch, they thought they were finally home free; however, mid meal the boys received a phone call from the train yard. “Guys, we’ve already used up the entire can of starter fluid and we still can’t get the bus started, ” they were told. With only 35 minutes before their flight was to take off, Kent found himself negotiating with the airlines about the possibility of a later flight, while Brooks stayed on the phone racking his brain for any way possible to get the bus started. Ultimately, with only 15 minutes to takeoff and before they had even begun the security process, Brooks and Kent got the call that Candy was up and running and had made it onto the train. One week and a whole new set of mishaps later, Brooks and Kent’s very own double decker bus arrived in Portland.
Portland party bus. Party bus portland. Double decker bus portland. Portland’s party bus. Party bus. Limo portland. Portland limo.
Reader Comments (4)
I came across this today. I remember seeing that bus sitting off Hwy 54 in Osage Beach. Was wondering what had happened to it. Sounds like it is in for a big adventure and a new life.
I was on the Oregon club Rooter bus to the opening of Matthew Night Arena and saw your double decker, what a great and fun experience you provide, I look forward to finding a reason to take advantage of your service with some friends in the near future, thanks for restoring and providing a piece of history. Jow Waldroff Starky's restaurant and lounge
Joe,
Thank you for the kind words. We would love to get you on board sometime. Wine tours are a great time in the summer with friends if you need an excuse !!
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