A pair of friends recently made a Jack Kerouac-inspired move – though neither actually said they’ve read the book “On the Road” – and traveled southbound on the 5 Freeway. The pair, who come from Salem, Oregon, eventually settled, for the moment, on the city Buena Park.
It’s a true story, an American one, that proves the recession isn’t quite over. After all, Kenny Saether and Joe Pynch left their hometown in Oregon in order to search for work, which they eventually found at a Christmas tree lot in Buena Park.
A pair of friends recently made a Jack Kerouac-inspired move – though neither actually said they’ve read the book “On the Road” – and traveled southbound on the 5 Freeway. The pair, who come from Salem, Oregon, eventually settled, for the moment, on the city Buena Park.
It’s a true story, an American one, that proves the recession isn’t quite over. After all, Kenny Saether and Joe Pynch left their hometown in Oregon in order to search for work, which they eventually found at a Christmas tree lot in Buena Park.
“We just decided to get out of town so we left,” Pynch said.
“Man,” Saether said, completing his friend’s thought. “We needed work.”
The pair has secured employment, for the moment, at King Trees, the Christmas tree lot that operates annually in the parking lot of the Buena Downtown Mall (across the street from Knott’s Berry Farm near the corner of La Palma and Beach Boulevard). Their gig requires them to do everything from delivering trees, to tying them on the roofs of cars, sweeping and helping customers pick out trees.
The pair does much more than work on that Buena Park lot, too. They actually live on it, sleeping in a trailer within the compound.
“We just sleep right here,” Saether said, pointing to a small trailer that’s no bigger than a small camper. “It’s been great, though. I’m not complaining.”
The two friends also said they’ve enjoyed their stay in Buena Park so far, and they plan to stay in the California area when the lot closes at the end of the holiday season.
Residents of Buena Park are also pleased with King Trees, which has operated in the same spot for a number of years. In fact, repeat customers, such as Carolyn Konno, continue to shop at it. Konno even bought two trees on Wednesday, Dec. 8.
Why? She couldn’t decide on which one she wanted.
“I couldn’t figure out whether I wanted a Noble (tree) or Douglas (Fir),” she said. “So, I bought both of them so I wouldn’t have to choose.”
Saether and Pynch loaded both of Konno’s trees on top of her 2010 Acura, tying them down with rope while Konno watched with approval.
“I really like this lot,” she said. “I’ve been coming here for years – and I’ll be back next year.”
