I had moved to San Diego, Ca to start a new life, I was at my friend's house for 3 weeks in Alpine before he suggested that I stay with a friend of his in San Diego.
I had moved from Texas to look for work and to try and get my life on track.
I had been in San Diego, for about a month and had been working a telemarketing job, when I learned my calling. It was a cold October Sunday and there was a military ship viewing in the harbor that day. I decided I was going to buy some beer and walk around and look at the ships. So I headed to the harbor on the dreaded 2 bus, and stopped and bought some beer along the way.
I was walking around for almost and hour when I saw a man making flowers out of some sort of leaves. I stopped and watched for a bit then offered the man a beer. I sat and talked with him for an hour or so, then asked if he would teach me. He said he couldn't, I gave him another beer talked with him for a while longer and asked again. he said, " look this is my job and I can't teach you." I said, " look I don't need it for money I have a job, it would just be a great way to meet girls." He said, "ok buy me a case of beer and go to the beach with me and I will teach you."
So we walked to the trolley bought a case of beer along the walk, and on the way we came to a palm tree. He stopped and showed me what to cut from the tree and told me not to talk more than two fronds from each tree every 6 months.
We cut a couple of palms then made out way to the trolley.
on the trolley he showed me how to make the rose, but I just wasn't getting it, so I asked him to tell me the story he told a woman in the harbor, I had him repeat the story several times. The story is what made learning the rose easy for me.
By the time we got to the trolley stop I was already making roses myself without instruction. He told me to give one to a girl that was sitting a couple of seats in front of us the rose, he said that if she smiled then I passed the class.
She smiled and said thank you.
We then got off the trolley and got on a bus that took us to Ocean Beach.
It dropped us off near a taco stand, and he made a couple of crosses walked over to the taco stand and was able to get us both free carne asada burritos. We then walked to the beach and found a fire pit and opened the case of beers and started drinking. The whole time I was practicing how to make the rose, and every time a girl would walk by I would give one away.
By the time the case was empty Cris decided he was going to find somewhere to pass out and I was talking with a girl I had met on the beach. It was 2 am and all the buses stopped running, and coincidentally the girl I was talking to lived near me, so I caught a ride home.
The next day I went to work hung over, and after work was done I went to the gas-lamp area to practice folding roses. I ended up sitting in front of the downtown mall in the garden area. I met a few cool people while making roses, and somehow I made a few bucks. So I continued to do this every night after work which lead me to random adventures and meeting interesting people. Over the years I have learned a great deal of things and have met many interesting characters, and have some strange stories from all the things I have seen while being a weaver.
This is just the beginning....
