The Wall Washer

During the last week of my freshman year in high school I was taken from class and told to report to the principal's office. Yikes !!

In the office I met a Prof Stewart from the university. He owned an apartment house at the end of Iowa Ave. It was 3 story, high end, adults only, low turnover as many residents were professional university staff. Each summer the Prof would use a high school mule to wash all the interior walls of all the apartments and hallways. His current mule, Bill F.,was graduating and needed to be replaced. Prof Stewart went to my school for a recommendation for a new rookie mule. Would I...

Would I !!!! Unless one lived on a farm in Iowa there was little summer work for youth. No McDonalds...no 7-11s...an occasional push reel mowing of a neighbor's

lawn for 75c or a buck.

I would be supervised by the live-in manager/housekeeper and of course the old farts who resided there. M-F for about 10 weeks.

A potential gotcha surfaced. I would be paid the same as Bill F. was paid per apartment, I was a 14 year old greenie following an 18 year old.

This turned out to my good fortune as I finished the whole job in about 6 weeks each summer for 4 years while being paid for 10 weeks.

Bill F. played football for Iowa and achieved a perfect 4.0 in med school.

Best States for Business

From Chief Executive magazine, a survey of 651 corporate leaders on ranking state taxation and regulation, quality of work force and living environment (50 states + Wash DC).

The Best--

1. Texas 2. North Carolina 3. Tennessee 4. Virginia 5. Nevada

The Worst--

47. Massachusetts 48. New Jersey 49. Michigan 50. New York 51. California

First Summer Day

A Dusty Miller plant crows in the desert sun.

Golfers cars are parked below.

D-Day in 1944 June 6th

1st triple digit heat of the summer 110 degrees.

Millions come to this isolated town in the middle of a vast desert.

Ten !! Play the hardway !!