Nomadland (2020) Movie Script
1
On January 31, 2011, due to a
reduced demand for Sheetrock,
US Gypsum shut down its plant
in Empire, Nevada, after 88 years.
By July, the Empire zip code,
89405, was discontinued.
- Okay. Here's what I owe you.
- Okay, thank you.
You take care of yourself.
What child is this who lay to rest
On Mary's lap is sleeping
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet
While shepherds watch are keeping
I don't see your reservation.
I'm on the Amazon CamperForce list.
Try MCD.
- There it is.
- Yeah.
Good morning everybody.
How's everybody doing today?
All right. Let me get a safety tip.
Three point contact.
Why is it important to maintain
three points of contact?
- So you don't fall down the stairs.
- We don't fall down the stairs.
Can I guess that was work tip from you.
- This is Carl.
- Hi.
- This is Angela.
- Hey.
Doug, Ryan, Teresa.
- Karie.
- Good to meet you.
- And your good ol' friend.
- Linda May. And I'm Fern.
This is my friend, Fern.
- Hi everybody.
- Hey, how are you doing?
Another Smith lyric I have is:
When you laughing, and dancing,
and finally living
you hear my voice in your head
and think of me kindly.
And then also the one
that means the most to me is:
"Home", is it just a word
or is it something that
you carry within you? So...
- I like that one.
- Me too.
Like his lyrics are very deep.
- Yes.
- No.
So, the guy that had the van
before he just had a mattress
in the back but I didn't
want to keep it that way.
I wanted to build a bed up,
so I can have the storage underneath.
I got these storage drawers.
One set in the front, so I can get in
to them from the inside.
And then another on the outside.
- Very smart.
- I thought so.
Do you see that?
This is my husband's old fishing
box. I put this little latch on it
and then when I open it,
the stopper holds it
and creates more counter space.
And then I keep my
really nice stuff inside.
My dishes that my dad gave me,
he collected these, Linda
May, from yard sales.
And when I graduated from high school
he gave me the whole set.
- They are beautiful.
- Isn't that great?
Yeah, it's called autumn leaf.
I don't have that many pieces with me,
but you know...
What did you name your van?
"Vanguard".
Ah, that is very strong.
She is.
Hey, what are you doing?
The bears held at the polar bear
holding facility are troublemakers
who are kept imprisoned
until they settle down.
Which can take anywhere
from two to thirty days.
Fern?
- Hey, Brandy.
- Hi, Fern.
- Hey, kids.
- Hi.
- How are you?
- I'm good.
It's nice to see you. It's been a while.
How have you been?
- Good. Thanks.
- Good. You look good.
- Cut your hair.
- Yeah, I cut it.
- I like it. I like it a lot.
- Thank you.
Are you working at Amazon again?
- Yeah.
- Do you like it?
Yeah, great money.
Are you still doing the van thing?
Yeah, I'm parked over
at the Desert Rose RV Park.
We just drove by there today.
- Didn't we, girls?
- How's your mom?
She's wonderful, she
misses you a lot.
- Please tell her I miss her too.
- I will. I will.
But really, Fern, if...
If you need a place to stay
you can come over and stay with us,
we're worried about you.
Thanks. Don't worry about me.
I'll let you know, I promise.
- Okay. Bye.
- See you, Aubrey.
- Hey.
- Hey.
You still the smartest kid in school?
Yeah. Kinda.
You remember anything that we worked on
when I tutored you?
Yes.
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow
and all our yesterdays
have lighted fools the way to dusty death.
Out, out, brief candle!
- That's really good. Thank you.
- Thank you.
My mom says that you're homeless,
is that true?
No, I'm not homeless.
I'm just house-less.
- Not the same thing, right?
- Yeah.
Don't worry about me. I'm okay.
Okay.
Before I moved into this Squeeze inn
I was out looking for work
and putting in applications.
2008, and it was just tough.
I got to a really really low point.
And I thought about suicide.
And I decided I was gonna
go buy a bottle of booze,
turn on the propane stove.
And I was gonna drink that booze
until I'm passed out.
And if I woke up
I was gonna light a cigarette
and I was gonna blow us all up.
And I looked at my two sweet little
trusting dogs.
My Cocker Spaniel
and my little Toy Poodle.
And I,
I just couldn't do that to them.
And I thought.
Well,
I can't do that to me either.
So I was getting close to 62 and
I went online to look at my
social security benefits.
It said $550.
Fern, I have worked my whole life.
I've worked since I was 12 years old.
Raised two daughters,
I couldn't believe it.
So I'm online and I find
Bob Wells' cheap RV living.
I could live in a RV. Travel.
And not have to work
for the rest of my life.
The RTR is a boot camp
for beginner nomads...
Bob Wells looks just like Santa Claus.
Doesn't he?
Everybody says that.
What's RTR stand for?
Rubber Tramp Rendezvous.
It is in Quartzsite, Arizona,
out in the middle of the desert.
On BLM land.
You should come.
I'm gonna make you a map.
No, I don't think I'm gonna go.
I hope you come, I'm gonna make you
a map either way.
That's what the RTR is.
It is a support system for people
who need help now.
See you next year, Fern.
- Happy holiday.
- Yeah, you too, Doug.
Carl had a stroke.
- Is he dead?
- No.
His daughter came and took him back East.
But they didn't take the dog?
They couldn't take him.
Would you like to have him?
He's really a good dog.
- He's real friendly.
- No. No.
Okay, so you are leaving
on Thursday, right?
- Yeah.
- Okay.
- I just finished Amazon yesterday.
- Okay.
Amazon pays through Thursday.
And then after that
it's $375 per month.
Is there a discount
if I don't use the electrical dump?
Because I just have my van you know.
No, but since you're in the van
it's easy for you to move
and to go South to a warmer place.
Yeah, but I wanted to get a job
around here first.
Good luck with that.
That's tough.
- Bye, Patty.
- Bye, Fern.
Will see you next year.
My husband worked at the USG Mine
and Empire.
And I worked in human resources
there for a few years.
That was my last full-time job.
I did a lot of part-time jobs.
The cashier at the Empire's store.
I was a substitute teacher
at the school for five years.
Didn't the Empire
mine shut down,
and then all of the resident
workers had to relocate?
Yeah, about a year ago.
Wow. So when do you
need to get back to work?
Now?
It is a tough time right now.
You may wanna consider
registering for early retirement.
I don't think I can get
by on the benefits and...
I need work.
I like work.
I'm not sure exactly
what you would be eligible for.
- Hey!
- Hi.
I'm Rachel. I'm the
manager here at Pop's Peak.
- Hi, I'm Fern.
- Hi, Fern.
I asked someone, they said
I can park here overnight.
You're fine, you're more than welcome.
But you know, the temperature gonna drop
it gets really cold here at night.
- Really cold.
- I can tell.
I don't wanna overstep my bounds here,
there's a church down
by 7/11. It's a Baptist church.
And they do have open beds.
- I'm gonna be good.
- Okay. Okay.
- We're here if you need anything.
- Thank you.
I'm so glad you came.
- That's Bob Wells.
- You can sit here. Keep the chair.
And the odd thing
is that we not only
accept the tyranny of the dollar,
the tyranny of the marketplace.
We embrace it. We gladly throw the yoke
of the tyranny of the dollar on
and live by it our whole lives.
I think of an analogy
as a work horse.
The work horse that is
willing to work itself to death.
And then be put out to pasture.
And that's what happens to so many of us.
If society was throwing us away
and sending us as the work horse
out to the pasture.
We, work horses have to gather together
and take care of each other.
And that's what this is all about.
The way I see it is the Titanic is sinking
and economic times are changing.
And, so my goal is to get the lifeboats out
and get as many people
into the lifeboats as I can.
- What's that?
- This is vegan.
No, I'm a carnivore.
Okay, thank you though.
Looks good.
- Another carnivore? She's carnivore.
- Okay.
You good? More?
Oh, she likes the red pepper.
- Cilantro?
- No.
I'm a Vietnam vet.
I got PTSD.
I really can't handle loud noises.
Big crowds. Fireworks.
I got a pickup truck and a camper.
I can live out here.
Be at peace.
I had finally convinced my grandpa,
and my papa, and my mama
that we should take off an RV
and see the country.
But then both of them were told
that they had cancer.
They passed away three weeks apart.
I began watching Bob
Wells' videos on van dwelling.
Then I bought my van, PAINT.
Because she takes me where I ain't.
And started my healing journey
two and a half years ago.
Um, I worked for corporate
America, you know, for 20 years.
My friend Bill worked for the same company.
And...
He had liver failure.
A week before he was due to retire.
HR called him in hospice
and said, you know, let's
talk about your retirement.
He died 10 days later.
Having never been
able to take that sailboat
that he bought
out of his driveway.
And he missed out on everything.
Then he told me before he died,
just don't waste any time, girl.
Don't waste any time.
So I retired as soon as I could.
I didn't want my sailboat to be
in the driveway when I died.
So... yeah.
And it's not.
My sailboat is out here in the desert.
I can't imagine what you're going through.
Loss of your husband and
the loss of your whole town
and friends, and village and...
That kind of a loss is never easy.
And... I wish I had an
easy answer for you. But,
I think you've come to the right place
to find an answer.
I think that
I think connecting to nature and
to the real true community and tribe will
make all the difference for you.
I hope so.
- Hey, Fern.
- Hey, Linda.
Come over and join us.
No, I just good, talking a walk.
- Okay.
- Be back soon.
- Hey.
- Hey. Good morning.
The only question I get all the
time is Bob, I have to live in the city
I'd like to be out here but I can't.
How can I avoid the famous
knock on the door?
So I've developed what I call
the 10 commandments of stealth parking.
And then in and out. Just...
You gotta make the hole bigger.
There you go. Yeah, that's it.
That's perfect.
Then you gotta...
I love this lifestyle.
It is a lifestyle of freedom, and beauty,
and connection to the earth.
Yet there is a tradeoff.
You gotta learn how to take care
of your own shit.
Most of us in this lifestyle
use the five-gallon bucket.
Most of us are in vans.
Or something larger.
I'm in a Prius.
So I use a two gallon bucket.
If you have bad knees,
you can use a seven-gallon bucket.
- Hi, Fern.
- Hi, guys.
- I got these for you.
- Thank you.
You should take this one.
That's one is kinda funky.
- Oh, these are yours?
- Yeah.
There's a black hole in every van,
especially in mine.
One time I had seven of these can openers.
Doesn't happen to me.
Trade you for a pot holder, I make them.
Okay, sure. Wow.
What is this, crocheted?
No, something different.
That is nice.
- It's going out with me.
- Okay.
- See ya.
- Bye.
Seems like the work
it's not gonna be...
Oh, it's sliding.
Do you take resumes?
I'll leave it with you just in case.
- No, just go...
- Go online?
- Yeah.
- Okay.
I got a four pack for a hundred.
Just like that.
- Did you feel it?
- That's what it does to people.
- It scared me.
- It scares them away.
You guys know,
how much money is sitting here?
It's like they are dinosaurs.
Watch out. Watch out.
Watch the steps.
Welcome aboard.
It's like a disco.
Oh my Gosh.
The lighting is beautiful.
- Washer and dryer.
- Oh my god!
You're kidding.
Ladies, where are we going?
Hawaii.
- No.
- Well, yeah, well.
There's water between here and there.
Let's not go to the East Coast.
There's no place big enough over there
to park something this size.
This is the magic bus. We can go to Hawaii.
On our vans again
Goin' places that we've never been
Goin' places we may never go again.
And we can't wait
to get on our vans again
Like a band of gypsies
we go down the highway
On the road again
All right, in the Quartzsite, Arizona
especially in the
Quartzsite Yacht Club where
line dancing is the long
standing tradition. So here we go.
Looks like you gotta
No.
You sure?
- Okay.
- All right.
Goodbye, Fern.
Nice.
For your security while on
the road or out in the Bunyard.
Any questions you may have
regarding RV system design,
maintenance and troubleshooting.
Stop on by today, and bring your rig.
So we can help you take advantage
of what mother nature is offering for free.
Hey, Ron, can you come here for a second?
This guy has some really nice stuff.
This is Nudo, Roxy.
It's Ron.
How is it goin', Ron?
- Roxy.
- Trying to make some gas money...
Nice to meet you.
Yeah, I think this is a really nice one.
Look at that work.
It's got nice...
Look. Look, Ron, look.
Hello, ma'am.
Can you by chance have an extra cigarette?
Yeah, sure.
Need a light?
I'll have one.
Need it?
Well, sure.
Thank you.
- What's your name?
- Fern.
- Fern, Derek.
- Hi, Derek.
- Well, it's nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
I'll be seeing you.
What? What?
It's Fern, It's Fern, Swankie.
It's Fern.
Hey.
- Can't you see the flag?
- Yeah, I'm sorry.
- It means I don't wanna be disturbed.
- I know.
I need a ride to town.
Why?
I blew my tire.
Well, go change it.
I don't have a spare.
You don't have a spare?
You're on the boondocks
and you don't have a spare?
You can die out here.
You are out in the wilderness.
Far away from anybody.
You can die out here,
don't you understand that?
You have to take it seriously.
You have to have a way to get help.
You have to be able to change
your on tires.
I appreciate it, thanks, Swankie.
All right.
You think you can pay me back.
I'm gonna go on this trip,
I'm getting ready to leave.
- I got a lot to do, can't get it all done fast enough.
- Sure.
- You can you help me finish things up.
- Yeah.
- I really appreciate it.
- You got it.
Here's what I suggest,
don't get AAA, okay.
You gotta get something like a spot device,
a satellite tracking device.
We need to soak the sandpaper.
It's called wet n' dry.
We need it to be wet.
Now we need a mask to fender off
because the white paint
will land on the fender too.
Put plastic over this.
All right, let me just say,
that this is a lot more
complicated than I thought.
- Oh, it's very very complicated.
- Uh-huh.
It has taken me a long time to patch
all the peeling paint on this van.
So, are you quitting on me?
No, I'm not quitting.
When we get done with all of this,
I'm gonna give you all my paint.
I don't wanna take anymore of it with me,
you can have it all. Cause
you know, your van looks kinda...
Ratty.
No, it doesn't.
She does not.
She just needs a wash.
No, take my paint.
Ratty.
Fern, it's Swankie.
What? I'm indisposed.
Where did I get all this stuff?
- Yeah, well, it adds up.
- Where did it come from?
I just put on Facebook
Quartzsite chatter the other day
that I was giving all this stuff away
and asked people to come and get it.
So I'm hoping they do.
- Love this.
- Take it.
- Are you kidding?
- It's yours.
Wow, that's nice.
You look really good in that chair.
That's called red, white and blue jasper.
- What's that?
- That's petrified palm wood.
And that's part of the same rock.
Ouch.
- Careful with your arms.
- That's another one of the
red, white and blue...
and...
- What's going on?
- What?
I don't feel very good.
Here, sit down.
Got it?
What's going on?
What do you need?
My head hurts really really bad
and I'm nauseated.
- Water will help?
- Oh yeah.
Careful with your arm.
You all right?
I... I guess I'm all right.
Are you okay?
Doctors told me that,
well, I had cancer removed
from my lung a while back and
small cell carcinoma.
They told me it's spread to my brain and
they've only given me
seven or eight months to live.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
I'm gonna take my trip.
Gonna go back to Alaska again
because of some good memories.
And, um...
Just do what I have to do.
I have this book called "Final Exit"
by Dr. Kevorkian. They call him...
Some people call him "Doctor Death".
And it's like various ways
that you can end your life if you need to.
It's kinda like a recipe.
I have it if I have to fall back on it
for some ideas.
But I'm not gonna spend anymore time
indoors in a hospital.
No thanks.
I'm gonna be 75 this year.
I think I've lived a pretty good life.
I've seen some really neat things
kayaking all of those places.
And...
You know, like a
moose in the wild.
A moose family on
the river in Idaho and
big white pelicans landed just six feet
over my kayak on a lake in Colorado.
Or...
Come around a bin, was a cliff
and find hundreds and hundreds
of swallow nests on the wall of the cliff.
And the swallows flying all around.
And reflecting in the water.
So it looks like I'm flying
with the swallows
and they're under me,
and over me, and all around me.
And little babies are hatching out,
and eggshells are falling out of the nest
landing on the water and
floating on the water.
These little white shells.
That was like, it's just so awesome.
I felt like I've done enough.
My life was complete.
If I died right then, at that moment,
would be perfectly fine.
I don't know.
Maybe when I die
my friends will gather around the fire
and toss a rock into the fire
in the memory of me.
Oh I just want to
see something new.
And then pull it up, close that.
- How about that?
- Oh. Look at this.
My grandmother made that for me,
and gave it to me. So...
Enjoy, take good care of it.
- Thank you.
- Bye.
I believed that love was here to stay
Won't you tell me
where I've gone astray
Please answer me, my love
If you're happier without me
I'll try not to care
But if you still think about me
Please listen to my prayer
You must know I've been true
Won't you say that we can start anew
In my sorrow now I turn to you
Can I tell you something, Swankie?
What?
I've been thinking a lot
about my husband, Bo.
When it got really
bad at the end
they had him in the
hospital on morphine drippin'.
I was sitting there at night
in the hospital.
And...
I'd wanna put my thumb down on that
morphine drip just a little bit longer.
So I could let him go.
Maybe I should've tried harder.
So he could've gone sooner
without all that pain.
Maybe he wouldn't have wanted that.
Maybe he was trying to stay with you
as long as he could.
I'm sure you took good care of him, Fern.
I did.
Goodbye, Fern.
How about a drink?
How about a toast to our friends?
Not the friends you
gonna see every day. No.
Instead we're gonna drink to the friends
who had to go away.
I bet you know just who I mean.
The friends who had to depart,
the friends in our heart.
Hear the blues in my boogie,
can you see the blood in my beer?
Just help me laugh at pain.
Help me smile away the tears.
Fern.
- Hey, how are you doing?
- Thank you very much.
Yeah, sure.
- This is black. So...
- It's good.
Hello, coffee?
- I know you.
- Yeah, hi.
Dave, right? Guess.
- Fern?
- Yes.
I have your can opener.
Yeah, you do. Are you working here now?
Yeah, first year.
So coffee?
Yeah, sure.
Black, go.
If you want anything
you can put it in.
- So, see ya.
- Yeah. Have a good day.
I'm your camp post.
One thing you wanna make sure
that you always do is put on gloves.
You need to protect your health.
We have people from all over the world
coming here.
Give 'em a little puff.
Walls too?
Or just that silver thing?
Oh. Walls too. Yes.
Where do you go and
find scenery like this?
Right here is we'll go,
The badlands.
We'd be the bitches of the badlands.
Some people!
Oh. That's almost a whole bag of burrito.
- Excuse me.
- Yeah. Hey.
Are you the camp post?
Yes, I'm Fern, that's Linda May.
How are you guys doing?
- Good.
- Hello, I'd shake your hand
- but not now.
- You don't wanna touch this.
The power is out here.
We're trying to have our
daughter's birthday party.
- Is it on?
- It's on.
All right.
Do you want me to tie this one
on your wrist too?
Taking off.
Which hand do you want it on?
That one?
Here you go.
Welcome to Badland Spa.
Can I please have a volunteer
from the audience?
- Take me.
- Okay.
Oh, doesn't that feel wonderful?
What's your name, miss?
- Linda.
- Linda.
Hi, may I help you?
Yes, we're here for the tour.
The tour will be in about 15 minutes.
Should we wait right here?
You can wait if you want here. I have
got a great map of the local area here.
We have a schedule of some
of the summer activities right here.
You can take one with you if you like.
- Here you go.
- Okay.
This is gonna be really exciting.
Rub two stones together.
And you see what happens
as they start to get like sand.
That's why it's so easy for
paleontologists to
find fossils in here.
Why are there holes in the rocks?
Not bad. That's a
very good question.
At one time there was air
inside these rocks.
Like a little pockets,
little bubbles of gas.
They were trapped inside the rock.
Hey.
Find anything interesting?
Rocks.
Hey Greg, line that up.
Salute...
To the earth ship.
To the earth ship.
Thank you.
Thank you.
It makes your voice go high.
This is, this is my land in Arizona.
I could've built an earth ship.
It's a totally self-contained house.
Built out of tires and bottles and cans
so it has no ways to, it,
in no way harms the land.
- Self-sufficient.
- Self-sufficient.
Looks like a living piece of art, that
you've made with your own two hands.
It's something that I can
leave to my grandchildren.
This house will be there for generations.
Outlive us all.
That's good thing.
There.
Now we're on.
When you get old, you get personality.
I am not gonna see you for a while.
You come and see me.
You come and stay as long as you like.
Whenever you like.
- Okay?
- Thank you.
Thank you Linda May.
Oh thank you.
You've given me so much.
- OK.
- Great, OK.
Hi Fern.
Hey.
I was at the gas station and
I think it's better if
you don't drive through
the park when it's
dark for your cigarettes
so I got you these.
What are they?
Licorice Sticks.
- I can't smoke licorice sticks.
- I know.
You can chew on these,
they help curb the urge.
I am not gonna quit smoking Dave.
I know, but you...
should try this.
They're good for the digestion too.
Fine, thanks.
What's going on?
Ants, I've got ants.
Oh, ants, they are OK.
No they're not.
They are in my food, Dave.
I can do it, thanks.
Where do you want that?
Fern I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, I didn't know that.
Go over there.
You don't have to shout.
- Stay over there.
- OK? I'm going.
No, we're closed.
You are one of those lucky
people that is from the United States.
Of the U S of A.
- Yes.
- Yes I am.
- And you can travel anywhere.
- Yes ma'am, I know.
And they sometimes call you NOMADS,
or people who don't have a home.
I see that you have this ring.
Are you married?
I am but my husband died.
And so
I'm not gonna take that off.
That ring is a circle
and it never ends.
And that means that
your love never ends.
And you may not be able
to take it off, if you tried.
- I don't think I can.
- No.
It's a nice setup, best one.
He has a case of diverticulitis.
- Which is an inflammation of his intestines.
- Uh-huh.
So earlier the surgeon went
and did a laparoscopic surgery.
He had surgery?
- Whoo! Cup noodle.
- Well, it's good for you when you're sick.
Animal crackers.
And for you.
- That's my favourite.
- I know.
Thanks Fern.
So, what are gonna do next?
I'm gonna go to the
beat harvest in Nebraska.
That doesn't start till October.
How about you?
I'm gonna start in Wall Drug.
I did that last year.
I can see if they have another opening.
- For me?
- Yeah.
Got a great place to park.
Enjoy your clippers.
- How you doing?
- I'm doing good.
One...
- Michael,
- Hey, how is it going?
Good, can I take these tomatoes and onions?
Thank you.
I don't like it.
- I'm gonna put it right side of you.
- Okay.
Please don't let her face get near me.
- Oh my gosh.
- Isn't she beautiful?
I'm kinda kidding but I'm not really.
Oh no, it's really squeezing my arm a lot.
That's me.
He didn't get it.
Oh my God, look at how gross it is.
No, no, get out of
there, Jerry, get out!
- Get out!
- Fern, it's fine!
No, what is this? What's he feeding him?
- Oh no, it's rabbit.
- I thought, a chicken.
He wants you, he wants you next.
Get in there, I don't want to be the one.
It's gonna come right through the glass.
Pack in, pack out.
(Wall store 80-foot dinosaur model)
Oh, it's right there.
- Right straight up overhead.
- Uh-huh.
That's the star Vega.
But it's 24 light years away.
So what that means
that light that you're
looking at left Vega in 1987.
- And it just got here?
- And it just got here.
So the telescope is set up on Jupiter.
Jupiter is the largest planet
in our entire solar system.
Stars blow up and they shoot
plasma and atoms out into space,
sometimes land on earth
nourish the soil.
They become part of you.
So, fold out your right hand
and look at the stars.
Because there are atoms
from stars that blew up
eons ago that landed on this planet
and now they are in your hands.
Hi, sorry, we are closed.
I'm looking for Dave.
I am his son.
He's in the kitchen right
around the counter there.
- That one?
- Yeah.
I've been through here.
- Oh yeah?
- A couple of times, yeah.
This place man,
I don't know why anybody
wouldn't wanna let go.
Well. I can think of worst places.
You wanna know a good
way to get to know a place?
What?
AA meetings.
- Really?
- Well, for me.
Back when I was with the
band I was traveling around
they just go to AA meetings everywhere.
It was a great way to get to know
people and get to know a place.
How is the burger?
Yeah? He's a good cook, your dad.
It's not that hard to make a burger.
His wife Emily.
She is cute, hope she's
older than she looks.
She's gonna have a baby.
You're gonna be a grandpa.
When's she due?
I don't know.
Two weeks, he is on his way home, now.
- Wants me to come with him.
- You should go.
I was.
I was.
He didn't like it very
much that I wasn't around
when he was... he was young.
I tried to be around when he was older but.
But he was into his
thing, and I was into mine.
I guess I just forgot
how to... be a dad.
Anyway, I wasn't very good at it.
Don't think about it too much,
Dave, just go, be a grandfather.
Do you want to come with me?
Maybe I can visit sometime.
Great.
Bye.
Good night.
If you come to visit,
there's plenty more of these!
You made it, Swankie.
I'm gonna get the Big
G right here for Georgia.
And the big bulldog right here
It will be a full wrist
for the Georgia Bulldogs.
Oh Jesus!
Overnight parking, you can't sleep here.
I'm leaving, I'm leaving.
OK. Uh, what we've got is
parts and labor, $2300 and tax.
I just looked up the value on your VIN.
With that high mileage, you're looking
about five thousand dollars at the most.
I would probably recommend
taking that money and putting
it towards a different vehicle such as
Yeah, no, well, I can't do that.
I can't do that, see, cause, alright...
I spent a lot of time and
money building the inside out and
lot of people don't
understand the value of
that but um, it's not
something like you can.
I live in there.
It's my home.
Why can't you just wire to me?
I can pay you back, Dolly,
listen, I can pay you back.
I'm gonna do Amazon again soon,
I will be able to pay you back.
As soon as I get that
check it's gonna be...
Yeah, I'm being stubborn?
Well, I think you're being a bitch.
Hi.
Hi Fern.
That doorbell works.
Yeah, well, I didn't hear it so... Hey!
- I got my famous four-egg cake.
- Alright.
Dolly cutting it to everyone of you.
- Okay. Put it there.
- Here? Okay.
Ooh, that's looks good.
I want that one.
Alright, that's yours.
I'll put your name on it.
Double cheese.
- Please.
- You want cheese?
I want two slices, please.
This is my sister Fern.
- Fern.
- Fern, I'm Jim.
I am on my hands - Nice to meet you.
This is my wife Pam.
- Hi Pam. Wet hand.
- Hi.
Jim has been working
with George for a long time.
Yeah, George actually sold us our
first house, before I got in real estates.
Did they tell you how they met?
No.
I introduced them,
I introduced you to George
but I knew George before.
So I took her out and I said listen.
George is a really good friend of mine.
I don't want you to mess this up.
If you are not serious about him
don't mess with him.
- And I didn't mess it up.
- And you said, what are you talking about?
And, so how many years
have you been together?
Thirty plus.
- Worked out pretty good.
- Yeah, worked out pretty good.
I was able to take care of that
on my own actually after that introduction.
You're welcome - Things
are looking good right now,
the prices are going up,
you know, 2012, from winter.
- Yeah.
- I mean
I wish we would have the money in 2008
to buy everything so I could sell it now.
Seems like real estate
always ends up on the upside.
I don't want to disagree
with you but I have to say I do.
It's strange, that you encourage people
to invest their whole life savings
go into debt
just to buy an house they can't afford.
Fern that's
rather limited look
- on what we do.
- Is it limited George?
We're not all in a position to just
chuck everything and hit the road.
Oh, you think, that's what I've done?
George, I chucked
everything to hit the road?
- Is that what I did?
- Alright, I'm sorry.
You know, I think that, um...
what the nomads are doing is not
that different than what the pioneers did.
I think Fern's part of
an American tradition.
I think it's great.
- Hey.
- Hi.
Here you go.
Okay, yeah, thanks.
- You know, I'll pay you back, right.
- Uh huh.
- I will.
- Uh huh.
- Why don't you move in with us?
- I can't live here.
I can't live in this room,
I can't sleep in this bed.
Thank you but I can't.
I know we are not as interesting
as the people you meet out there.
That's not what
I'm talking about.
No, that's what it is.
It's always what's out
there that's more interesting.
You left home as soon as you could.
You married Bo after just
knowing him a few month.
And then you moved in the
middle of nowhere with him.
And then even after Bo passed away
you still stayed in Empire.
I just didn't get it, I mean,
you could have left..
- Yeah.
See, that's why I can't come here.
I never said this to you
before, maybe I should have.
You know, when you
were growing up, you were
eccentric to other people,
you maybe seemed weird
but it was just because you were braver
and more honest than everybody else.
And you could see me when
I was hiding from everybody.
And sometimes she could see
me before I could saw myself.
I needed that in my life.
And you are my sister.
I would have loved having
you around all these years.
You left a big hole by leaving.
That one's on me.
Hey.
Hi, want a sandwich, you hungry?
I think I've met you before.
Yeah, I'm Fern.
I was working at T Rock in Quartzsite.
- Fern.
- Uh hmm.
You let Noodle sell his
rocks there, didn't you?
Yeah.
Would you like a beer?
Yeah, OK, I'll trade you for a sandwich.
- Here you go.
- Thanks.
It's cold, you know, you
should sit down by the fire.
I got a little trouble from
my knees, can you help me?
Of course.
Yeah, I'll do it. Yeah.
- Alright.
- Thanks.
You gave me a light, back in Quartzsite.
You still have it?
No, that's long gone,
but I do have this for you.
I want you to have it.
Thanks, it's really beautiful.
What is that, what's that stone?
That there is dinosaur bone.
Really?
I think so, but I only
know what they tell me.
Where are your mom and dad?
Back home in Wisconsin.
You think they worry about you?
You don't get lonely?
Got a girlfriend anywhere?
To be truthful, there is one.
She lives up in the
North Country, small farm.
She is happy with her life there.
I...
- write letters to her.
- Ah, smart man.
Very good, letters are good.
I just can't ever
write about anything I
reckon she cared about.
You ever tried poems?
Can't say I have.
I don't think I know one.
Do you know any?
How about one, that I
used for my wedding vow?
When I was not
much older than you.
Well, right on.
Mind if I hear it?
Okay, let's see if I can remember it.
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake
the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease
hath all too short a date;
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd.
And every fair from
fair sometimes declines,
By chance or nature's
changing course undimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession
of that fair thou ow'st;
Nor
shall
Nor shall death brag thou
walk'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st:
So long as men can
breathe and eyes can see,
So long lives this, and
this gives life to thee.
Fern.
Hi.
Hey!
- You made it.
- Yeah.
Wow.
- Yeah, it's nice.
- Wow.
- Come on in. I've got...
- OK, OK.
- This is Emily.
- Hi.
- My daughter in law.
- So nice to meet you.
- Hi.
- Welcome.
Hey everybody, this is Fern.
- Hi, nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
- Welcome welcome.
- Thank you.
- You know James.
- Hi James, how are you?
Thanks for having me.
- Who's that, is that the guy?
- This is Daniel, this is the guy.
- Say hi.
- Hi, hi, Daniel.
- Hi, Daniel.
- How's the drive?
It was great, little hairy in the end.
That's a scary road.
- In your van? We've heard about your van.
- Yeah.
I'd like to see it.
Well, I'll introduce you, at some point.
Thanks, yeah.
- Where are you coming from?
- That's Peter.
- Hi.
- Can I get you something?
- Yeah, water would be great, thanks.
- Water? Great. Sure.
You've been on the road long.
Yeah, I worked for a while
uh, but I've been traveling
since I last saw you. Yeah.
There you go.
Uh oh!
You go to mommy.
You had a flat.
Huh?
You had a flat tire in your van Dave.
Oh okay.
I haven't noticed.
Cause you're staying.
Yeah.
Good.
Yeah, I never expected to...
I never thought I'd spend
another night under a roof but...
This is a really nice place Dave.
Ah, you can stay.
Good, thanks, I need to do laundry.
I meant stay longer, Fern.
They do have a guest house.
I'm serious.
What'd they think about that?
I already asked them.
I like you.
Now, you are a good person.
You...
You get along well with
people for the most part.
And I...
I like being around you.
I like being around you.
Oh, what's up, what's up
you don't wanna be that way, you
wanna be like this, don't you? Yeah.
Sometimes you get into an ocean,
to jump into the ocean.
Here, he might be getting a little tired.
- I gotta go to the kitchen.
- Okay.
Just, there.
Don't be gone long, Dave.
Okay?
- Come on, let's go.
- Come here.
Come here.
Could you come,
look at all of those?
How many do you have?
I don't know how
many of they are.
That one's beautiful,
look at those feathers.
- Thank you.
- I think it needs more stuffing and...
- Corn?
- Little corn.
What is that called?
Thanks Fern.
Gravy?
This turkey is so moist.
- Incredible food.
- Thank you Emma, thank you James.
Just wanna say a little something...
to welcome to Fern.
To this feast of a family and...
the new one and
and I guess the old one.
And everybody in between, so...
- Welcome, Fern.
- Thank you very much.
Happy Thanksgiving.
I have the bells of a Croissante.
I like that name, Empire.
You know, we had an airport, public pool.
Golf course.
Wow sounds nice.
What was your house like there?
Nothing special.
Just a company Track house.
Actually it was special.
We were right on the edge of town.
And our backyard looks
out at this huge open space,
it was just desert, desert, desert
all the way to the mountains.
There was nothing in our way.
You know, I'm really glad you're here.
Dave really likes you.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
He talks about you a lot.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!
Because she loved rocks.
See you down road, Swankie.
Bo never knew his parents,
and we never had kids.
If I didn't stay.
If I left
it would be like he never existed.
I couldn't pack up and move on.
He loved Empire.
He loved his work so much.
He loved being there, everybody loved him.
So I stayed.
Same town, same house.
Just like my dad used to say.
What's remembered lives.
I maybe spent too much
of my life just remembering, Bob,
- you know what I mean?
- I can.
I can relate.
I rarely ever talk about my son.
But today would be
today would be his 33rd birthday and
five years ago, he took his life.
And I can still barely
say that in a sentence.
And, and for a long time
everyday
the question was
how can I be alive on
this Earth, when he's not?
And I didn't have any answer.
And those were some hard hard days.
But.
I realized that.
I could honor him by
helping people and serving people.
It gives me a reason
to go through the day.
Some days, that's all I've got.
And out here, there's lot of people our age
inevitably there's grief and loss.
And lot of them
don't get over it either.
And that's okay.
That's OK.
One of the thing that I
love most about this life
is that
there is no final goodbye.
You know, I've met hundreds
of people out here and
they don't ever say a final goodbye.
I always just say, I'll
see you down the road.
And I do.
And whether it's a month,
or a year, or sometimes years.
I see them again.
I can look down the road and
I can be certain in my heart
that I'll see my son again.
You will see Bo again.
And you can remember
your lives together then.
Are you sure you don't
need any of these stuff?
No, don't need any of it, I'm good.
I am not gonna miss one thing.
Well, we'll see you later.
Previo by VANSION.
On January 31, 2011, due to a
reduced demand for Sheetrock,
US Gypsum shut down its plant
in Empire, Nevada, after 88 years.
By July, the Empire zip code,
89405, was discontinued.
- Okay. Here's what I owe you.
- Okay, thank you.
You take care of yourself.
What child is this who lay to rest
On Mary's lap is sleeping
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet
While shepherds watch are keeping
I don't see your reservation.
I'm on the Amazon CamperForce list.
Try MCD.
- There it is.
- Yeah.
Good morning everybody.
How's everybody doing today?
All right. Let me get a safety tip.
Three point contact.
Why is it important to maintain
three points of contact?
- So you don't fall down the stairs.
- We don't fall down the stairs.
Can I guess that was work tip from you.
- This is Carl.
- Hi.
- This is Angela.
- Hey.
Doug, Ryan, Teresa.
- Karie.
- Good to meet you.
- And your good ol' friend.
- Linda May. And I'm Fern.
This is my friend, Fern.
- Hi everybody.
- Hey, how are you doing?
Another Smith lyric I have is:
When you laughing, and dancing,
and finally living
you hear my voice in your head
and think of me kindly.
And then also the one
that means the most to me is:
"Home", is it just a word
or is it something that
you carry within you? So...
- I like that one.
- Me too.
Like his lyrics are very deep.
- Yes.
- No.
So, the guy that had the van
before he just had a mattress
in the back but I didn't
want to keep it that way.
I wanted to build a bed up,
so I can have the storage underneath.
I got these storage drawers.
One set in the front, so I can get in
to them from the inside.
And then another on the outside.
- Very smart.
- I thought so.
Do you see that?
This is my husband's old fishing
box. I put this little latch on it
and then when I open it,
the stopper holds it
and creates more counter space.
And then I keep my
really nice stuff inside.
My dishes that my dad gave me,
he collected these, Linda
May, from yard sales.
And when I graduated from high school
he gave me the whole set.
- They are beautiful.
- Isn't that great?
Yeah, it's called autumn leaf.
I don't have that many pieces with me,
but you know...
What did you name your van?
"Vanguard".
Ah, that is very strong.
She is.
Hey, what are you doing?
The bears held at the polar bear
holding facility are troublemakers
who are kept imprisoned
until they settle down.
Which can take anywhere
from two to thirty days.
Fern?
- Hey, Brandy.
- Hi, Fern.
- Hey, kids.
- Hi.
- How are you?
- I'm good.
It's nice to see you. It's been a while.
How have you been?
- Good. Thanks.
- Good. You look good.
- Cut your hair.
- Yeah, I cut it.
- I like it. I like it a lot.
- Thank you.
Are you working at Amazon again?
- Yeah.
- Do you like it?
Yeah, great money.
Are you still doing the van thing?
Yeah, I'm parked over
at the Desert Rose RV Park.
We just drove by there today.
- Didn't we, girls?
- How's your mom?
She's wonderful, she
misses you a lot.
- Please tell her I miss her too.
- I will. I will.
But really, Fern, if...
If you need a place to stay
you can come over and stay with us,
we're worried about you.
Thanks. Don't worry about me.
I'll let you know, I promise.
- Okay. Bye.
- See you, Aubrey.
- Hey.
- Hey.
You still the smartest kid in school?
Yeah. Kinda.
You remember anything that we worked on
when I tutored you?
Yes.
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow
and all our yesterdays
have lighted fools the way to dusty death.
Out, out, brief candle!
- That's really good. Thank you.
- Thank you.
My mom says that you're homeless,
is that true?
No, I'm not homeless.
I'm just house-less.
- Not the same thing, right?
- Yeah.
Don't worry about me. I'm okay.
Okay.
Before I moved into this Squeeze inn
I was out looking for work
and putting in applications.
2008, and it was just tough.
I got to a really really low point.
And I thought about suicide.
And I decided I was gonna
go buy a bottle of booze,
turn on the propane stove.
And I was gonna drink that booze
until I'm passed out.
And if I woke up
I was gonna light a cigarette
and I was gonna blow us all up.
And I looked at my two sweet little
trusting dogs.
My Cocker Spaniel
and my little Toy Poodle.
And I,
I just couldn't do that to them.
And I thought.
Well,
I can't do that to me either.
So I was getting close to 62 and
I went online to look at my
social security benefits.
It said $550.
Fern, I have worked my whole life.
I've worked since I was 12 years old.
Raised two daughters,
I couldn't believe it.
So I'm online and I find
Bob Wells' cheap RV living.
I could live in a RV. Travel.
And not have to work
for the rest of my life.
The RTR is a boot camp
for beginner nomads...
Bob Wells looks just like Santa Claus.
Doesn't he?
Everybody says that.
What's RTR stand for?
Rubber Tramp Rendezvous.
It is in Quartzsite, Arizona,
out in the middle of the desert.
On BLM land.
You should come.
I'm gonna make you a map.
No, I don't think I'm gonna go.
I hope you come, I'm gonna make you
a map either way.
That's what the RTR is.
It is a support system for people
who need help now.
See you next year, Fern.
- Happy holiday.
- Yeah, you too, Doug.
Carl had a stroke.
- Is he dead?
- No.
His daughter came and took him back East.
But they didn't take the dog?
They couldn't take him.
Would you like to have him?
He's really a good dog.
- He's real friendly.
- No. No.
Okay, so you are leaving
on Thursday, right?
- Yeah.
- Okay.
- I just finished Amazon yesterday.
- Okay.
Amazon pays through Thursday.
And then after that
it's $375 per month.
Is there a discount
if I don't use the electrical dump?
Because I just have my van you know.
No, but since you're in the van
it's easy for you to move
and to go South to a warmer place.
Yeah, but I wanted to get a job
around here first.
Good luck with that.
That's tough.
- Bye, Patty.
- Bye, Fern.
Will see you next year.
My husband worked at the USG Mine
and Empire.
And I worked in human resources
there for a few years.
That was my last full-time job.
I did a lot of part-time jobs.
The cashier at the Empire's store.
I was a substitute teacher
at the school for five years.
Didn't the Empire
mine shut down,
and then all of the resident
workers had to relocate?
Yeah, about a year ago.
Wow. So when do you
need to get back to work?
Now?
It is a tough time right now.
You may wanna consider
registering for early retirement.
I don't think I can get
by on the benefits and...
I need work.
I like work.
I'm not sure exactly
what you would be eligible for.
- Hey!
- Hi.
I'm Rachel. I'm the
manager here at Pop's Peak.
- Hi, I'm Fern.
- Hi, Fern.
I asked someone, they said
I can park here overnight.
You're fine, you're more than welcome.
But you know, the temperature gonna drop
it gets really cold here at night.
- Really cold.
- I can tell.
I don't wanna overstep my bounds here,
there's a church down
by 7/11. It's a Baptist church.
And they do have open beds.
- I'm gonna be good.
- Okay. Okay.
- We're here if you need anything.
- Thank you.
I'm so glad you came.
- That's Bob Wells.
- You can sit here. Keep the chair.
And the odd thing
is that we not only
accept the tyranny of the dollar,
the tyranny of the marketplace.
We embrace it. We gladly throw the yoke
of the tyranny of the dollar on
and live by it our whole lives.
I think of an analogy
as a work horse.
The work horse that is
willing to work itself to death.
And then be put out to pasture.
And that's what happens to so many of us.
If society was throwing us away
and sending us as the work horse
out to the pasture.
We, work horses have to gather together
and take care of each other.
And that's what this is all about.
The way I see it is the Titanic is sinking
and economic times are changing.
And, so my goal is to get the lifeboats out
and get as many people
into the lifeboats as I can.
- What's that?
- This is vegan.
No, I'm a carnivore.
Okay, thank you though.
Looks good.
- Another carnivore? She's carnivore.
- Okay.
You good? More?
Oh, she likes the red pepper.
- Cilantro?
- No.
I'm a Vietnam vet.
I got PTSD.
I really can't handle loud noises.
Big crowds. Fireworks.
I got a pickup truck and a camper.
I can live out here.
Be at peace.
I had finally convinced my grandpa,
and my papa, and my mama
that we should take off an RV
and see the country.
But then both of them were told
that they had cancer.
They passed away three weeks apart.
I began watching Bob
Wells' videos on van dwelling.
Then I bought my van, PAINT.
Because she takes me where I ain't.
And started my healing journey
two and a half years ago.
Um, I worked for corporate
America, you know, for 20 years.
My friend Bill worked for the same company.
And...
He had liver failure.
A week before he was due to retire.
HR called him in hospice
and said, you know, let's
talk about your retirement.
He died 10 days later.
Having never been
able to take that sailboat
that he bought
out of his driveway.
And he missed out on everything.
Then he told me before he died,
just don't waste any time, girl.
Don't waste any time.
So I retired as soon as I could.
I didn't want my sailboat to be
in the driveway when I died.
So... yeah.
And it's not.
My sailboat is out here in the desert.
I can't imagine what you're going through.
Loss of your husband and
the loss of your whole town
and friends, and village and...
That kind of a loss is never easy.
And... I wish I had an
easy answer for you. But,
I think you've come to the right place
to find an answer.
I think that
I think connecting to nature and
to the real true community and tribe will
make all the difference for you.
I hope so.
- Hey, Fern.
- Hey, Linda.
Come over and join us.
No, I just good, talking a walk.
- Okay.
- Be back soon.
- Hey.
- Hey. Good morning.
The only question I get all the
time is Bob, I have to live in the city
I'd like to be out here but I can't.
How can I avoid the famous
knock on the door?
So I've developed what I call
the 10 commandments of stealth parking.
And then in and out. Just...
You gotta make the hole bigger.
There you go. Yeah, that's it.
That's perfect.
Then you gotta...
I love this lifestyle.
It is a lifestyle of freedom, and beauty,
and connection to the earth.
Yet there is a tradeoff.
You gotta learn how to take care
of your own shit.
Most of us in this lifestyle
use the five-gallon bucket.
Most of us are in vans.
Or something larger.
I'm in a Prius.
So I use a two gallon bucket.
If you have bad knees,
you can use a seven-gallon bucket.
- Hi, Fern.
- Hi, guys.
- I got these for you.
- Thank you.
You should take this one.
That's one is kinda funky.
- Oh, these are yours?
- Yeah.
There's a black hole in every van,
especially in mine.
One time I had seven of these can openers.
Doesn't happen to me.
Trade you for a pot holder, I make them.
Okay, sure. Wow.
What is this, crocheted?
No, something different.
That is nice.
- It's going out with me.
- Okay.
- See ya.
- Bye.
Seems like the work
it's not gonna be...
Oh, it's sliding.
Do you take resumes?
I'll leave it with you just in case.
- No, just go...
- Go online?
- Yeah.
- Okay.
I got a four pack for a hundred.
Just like that.
- Did you feel it?
- That's what it does to people.
- It scared me.
- It scares them away.
You guys know,
how much money is sitting here?
It's like they are dinosaurs.
Watch out. Watch out.
Watch the steps.
Welcome aboard.
It's like a disco.
Oh my Gosh.
The lighting is beautiful.
- Washer and dryer.
- Oh my god!
You're kidding.
Ladies, where are we going?
Hawaii.
- No.
- Well, yeah, well.
There's water between here and there.
Let's not go to the East Coast.
There's no place big enough over there
to park something this size.
This is the magic bus. We can go to Hawaii.
On our vans again
Goin' places that we've never been
Goin' places we may never go again.
And we can't wait
to get on our vans again
Like a band of gypsies
we go down the highway
On the road again
All right, in the Quartzsite, Arizona
especially in the
Quartzsite Yacht Club where
line dancing is the long
standing tradition. So here we go.
Looks like you gotta
No.
You sure?
- Okay.
- All right.
Goodbye, Fern.
Nice.
For your security while on
the road or out in the Bunyard.
Any questions you may have
regarding RV system design,
maintenance and troubleshooting.
Stop on by today, and bring your rig.
So we can help you take advantage
of what mother nature is offering for free.
Hey, Ron, can you come here for a second?
This guy has some really nice stuff.
This is Nudo, Roxy.
It's Ron.
How is it goin', Ron?
- Roxy.
- Trying to make some gas money...
Nice to meet you.
Yeah, I think this is a really nice one.
Look at that work.
It's got nice...
Look. Look, Ron, look.
Hello, ma'am.
Can you by chance have an extra cigarette?
Yeah, sure.
Need a light?
I'll have one.
Need it?
Well, sure.
Thank you.
- What's your name?
- Fern.
- Fern, Derek.
- Hi, Derek.
- Well, it's nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
I'll be seeing you.
What? What?
It's Fern, It's Fern, Swankie.
It's Fern.
Hey.
- Can't you see the flag?
- Yeah, I'm sorry.
- It means I don't wanna be disturbed.
- I know.
I need a ride to town.
Why?
I blew my tire.
Well, go change it.
I don't have a spare.
You don't have a spare?
You're on the boondocks
and you don't have a spare?
You can die out here.
You are out in the wilderness.
Far away from anybody.
You can die out here,
don't you understand that?
You have to take it seriously.
You have to have a way to get help.
You have to be able to change
your on tires.
I appreciate it, thanks, Swankie.
All right.
You think you can pay me back.
I'm gonna go on this trip,
I'm getting ready to leave.
- I got a lot to do, can't get it all done fast enough.
- Sure.
- You can you help me finish things up.
- Yeah.
- I really appreciate it.
- You got it.
Here's what I suggest,
don't get AAA, okay.
You gotta get something like a spot device,
a satellite tracking device.
We need to soak the sandpaper.
It's called wet n' dry.
We need it to be wet.
Now we need a mask to fender off
because the white paint
will land on the fender too.
Put plastic over this.
All right, let me just say,
that this is a lot more
complicated than I thought.
- Oh, it's very very complicated.
- Uh-huh.
It has taken me a long time to patch
all the peeling paint on this van.
So, are you quitting on me?
No, I'm not quitting.
When we get done with all of this,
I'm gonna give you all my paint.
I don't wanna take anymore of it with me,
you can have it all. Cause
you know, your van looks kinda...
Ratty.
No, it doesn't.
She does not.
She just needs a wash.
No, take my paint.
Ratty.
Fern, it's Swankie.
What? I'm indisposed.
Where did I get all this stuff?
- Yeah, well, it adds up.
- Where did it come from?
I just put on Facebook
Quartzsite chatter the other day
that I was giving all this stuff away
and asked people to come and get it.
So I'm hoping they do.
- Love this.
- Take it.
- Are you kidding?
- It's yours.
Wow, that's nice.
You look really good in that chair.
That's called red, white and blue jasper.
- What's that?
- That's petrified palm wood.
And that's part of the same rock.
Ouch.
- Careful with your arms.
- That's another one of the
red, white and blue...
and...
- What's going on?
- What?
I don't feel very good.
Here, sit down.
Got it?
What's going on?
What do you need?
My head hurts really really bad
and I'm nauseated.
- Water will help?
- Oh yeah.
Careful with your arm.
You all right?
I... I guess I'm all right.
Are you okay?
Doctors told me that,
well, I had cancer removed
from my lung a while back and
small cell carcinoma.
They told me it's spread to my brain and
they've only given me
seven or eight months to live.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
I'm gonna take my trip.
Gonna go back to Alaska again
because of some good memories.
And, um...
Just do what I have to do.
I have this book called "Final Exit"
by Dr. Kevorkian. They call him...
Some people call him "Doctor Death".
And it's like various ways
that you can end your life if you need to.
It's kinda like a recipe.
I have it if I have to fall back on it
for some ideas.
But I'm not gonna spend anymore time
indoors in a hospital.
No thanks.
I'm gonna be 75 this year.
I think I've lived a pretty good life.
I've seen some really neat things
kayaking all of those places.
And...
You know, like a
moose in the wild.
A moose family on
the river in Idaho and
big white pelicans landed just six feet
over my kayak on a lake in Colorado.
Or...
Come around a bin, was a cliff
and find hundreds and hundreds
of swallow nests on the wall of the cliff.
And the swallows flying all around.
And reflecting in the water.
So it looks like I'm flying
with the swallows
and they're under me,
and over me, and all around me.
And little babies are hatching out,
and eggshells are falling out of the nest
landing on the water and
floating on the water.
These little white shells.
That was like, it's just so awesome.
I felt like I've done enough.
My life was complete.
If I died right then, at that moment,
would be perfectly fine.
I don't know.
Maybe when I die
my friends will gather around the fire
and toss a rock into the fire
in the memory of me.
Oh I just want to
see something new.
And then pull it up, close that.
- How about that?
- Oh. Look at this.
My grandmother made that for me,
and gave it to me. So...
Enjoy, take good care of it.
- Thank you.
- Bye.
I believed that love was here to stay
Won't you tell me
where I've gone astray
Please answer me, my love
If you're happier without me
I'll try not to care
But if you still think about me
Please listen to my prayer
You must know I've been true
Won't you say that we can start anew
In my sorrow now I turn to you
Can I tell you something, Swankie?
What?
I've been thinking a lot
about my husband, Bo.
When it got really
bad at the end
they had him in the
hospital on morphine drippin'.
I was sitting there at night
in the hospital.
And...
I'd wanna put my thumb down on that
morphine drip just a little bit longer.
So I could let him go.
Maybe I should've tried harder.
So he could've gone sooner
without all that pain.
Maybe he wouldn't have wanted that.
Maybe he was trying to stay with you
as long as he could.
I'm sure you took good care of him, Fern.
I did.
Goodbye, Fern.
How about a drink?
How about a toast to our friends?
Not the friends you
gonna see every day. No.
Instead we're gonna drink to the friends
who had to go away.
I bet you know just who I mean.
The friends who had to depart,
the friends in our heart.
Hear the blues in my boogie,
can you see the blood in my beer?
Just help me laugh at pain.
Help me smile away the tears.
Fern.
- Hey, how are you doing?
- Thank you very much.
Yeah, sure.
- This is black. So...
- It's good.
Hello, coffee?
- I know you.
- Yeah, hi.
Dave, right? Guess.
- Fern?
- Yes.
I have your can opener.
Yeah, you do. Are you working here now?
Yeah, first year.
So coffee?
Yeah, sure.
Black, go.
If you want anything
you can put it in.
- So, see ya.
- Yeah. Have a good day.
I'm your camp post.
One thing you wanna make sure
that you always do is put on gloves.
You need to protect your health.
We have people from all over the world
coming here.
Give 'em a little puff.
Walls too?
Or just that silver thing?
Oh. Walls too. Yes.
Where do you go and
find scenery like this?
Right here is we'll go,
The badlands.
We'd be the bitches of the badlands.
Some people!
Oh. That's almost a whole bag of burrito.
- Excuse me.
- Yeah. Hey.
Are you the camp post?
Yes, I'm Fern, that's Linda May.
How are you guys doing?
- Good.
- Hello, I'd shake your hand
- but not now.
- You don't wanna touch this.
The power is out here.
We're trying to have our
daughter's birthday party.
- Is it on?
- It's on.
All right.
Do you want me to tie this one
on your wrist too?
Taking off.
Which hand do you want it on?
That one?
Here you go.
Welcome to Badland Spa.
Can I please have a volunteer
from the audience?
- Take me.
- Okay.
Oh, doesn't that feel wonderful?
What's your name, miss?
- Linda.
- Linda.
Hi, may I help you?
Yes, we're here for the tour.
The tour will be in about 15 minutes.
Should we wait right here?
You can wait if you want here. I have
got a great map of the local area here.
We have a schedule of some
of the summer activities right here.
You can take one with you if you like.
- Here you go.
- Okay.
This is gonna be really exciting.
Rub two stones together.
And you see what happens
as they start to get like sand.
That's why it's so easy for
paleontologists to
find fossils in here.
Why are there holes in the rocks?
Not bad. That's a
very good question.
At one time there was air
inside these rocks.
Like a little pockets,
little bubbles of gas.
They were trapped inside the rock.
Hey.
Find anything interesting?
Rocks.
Hey Greg, line that up.
Salute...
To the earth ship.
To the earth ship.
Thank you.
Thank you.
It makes your voice go high.
This is, this is my land in Arizona.
I could've built an earth ship.
It's a totally self-contained house.
Built out of tires and bottles and cans
so it has no ways to, it,
in no way harms the land.
- Self-sufficient.
- Self-sufficient.
Looks like a living piece of art, that
you've made with your own two hands.
It's something that I can
leave to my grandchildren.
This house will be there for generations.
Outlive us all.
That's good thing.
There.
Now we're on.
When you get old, you get personality.
I am not gonna see you for a while.
You come and see me.
You come and stay as long as you like.
Whenever you like.
- Okay?
- Thank you.
Thank you Linda May.
Oh thank you.
You've given me so much.
- OK.
- Great, OK.
Hi Fern.
Hey.
I was at the gas station and
I think it's better if
you don't drive through
the park when it's
dark for your cigarettes
so I got you these.
What are they?
Licorice Sticks.
- I can't smoke licorice sticks.
- I know.
You can chew on these,
they help curb the urge.
I am not gonna quit smoking Dave.
I know, but you...
should try this.
They're good for the digestion too.
Fine, thanks.
What's going on?
Ants, I've got ants.
Oh, ants, they are OK.
No they're not.
They are in my food, Dave.
I can do it, thanks.
Where do you want that?
Fern I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, I didn't know that.
Go over there.
You don't have to shout.
- Stay over there.
- OK? I'm going.
No, we're closed.
You are one of those lucky
people that is from the United States.
Of the U S of A.
- Yes.
- Yes I am.
- And you can travel anywhere.
- Yes ma'am, I know.
And they sometimes call you NOMADS,
or people who don't have a home.
I see that you have this ring.
Are you married?
I am but my husband died.
And so
I'm not gonna take that off.
That ring is a circle
and it never ends.
And that means that
your love never ends.
And you may not be able
to take it off, if you tried.
- I don't think I can.
- No.
It's a nice setup, best one.
He has a case of diverticulitis.
- Which is an inflammation of his intestines.
- Uh-huh.
So earlier the surgeon went
and did a laparoscopic surgery.
He had surgery?
- Whoo! Cup noodle.
- Well, it's good for you when you're sick.
Animal crackers.
And for you.
- That's my favourite.
- I know.
Thanks Fern.
So, what are gonna do next?
I'm gonna go to the
beat harvest in Nebraska.
That doesn't start till October.
How about you?
I'm gonna start in Wall Drug.
I did that last year.
I can see if they have another opening.
- For me?
- Yeah.
Got a great place to park.
Enjoy your clippers.
- How you doing?
- I'm doing good.
One...
- Michael,
- Hey, how is it going?
Good, can I take these tomatoes and onions?
Thank you.
I don't like it.
- I'm gonna put it right side of you.
- Okay.
Please don't let her face get near me.
- Oh my gosh.
- Isn't she beautiful?
I'm kinda kidding but I'm not really.
Oh no, it's really squeezing my arm a lot.
That's me.
He didn't get it.
Oh my God, look at how gross it is.
No, no, get out of
there, Jerry, get out!
- Get out!
- Fern, it's fine!
No, what is this? What's he feeding him?
- Oh no, it's rabbit.
- I thought, a chicken.
He wants you, he wants you next.
Get in there, I don't want to be the one.
It's gonna come right through the glass.
Pack in, pack out.
(Wall store 80-foot dinosaur model)
Oh, it's right there.
- Right straight up overhead.
- Uh-huh.
That's the star Vega.
But it's 24 light years away.
So what that means
that light that you're
looking at left Vega in 1987.
- And it just got here?
- And it just got here.
So the telescope is set up on Jupiter.
Jupiter is the largest planet
in our entire solar system.
Stars blow up and they shoot
plasma and atoms out into space,
sometimes land on earth
nourish the soil.
They become part of you.
So, fold out your right hand
and look at the stars.
Because there are atoms
from stars that blew up
eons ago that landed on this planet
and now they are in your hands.
Hi, sorry, we are closed.
I'm looking for Dave.
I am his son.
He's in the kitchen right
around the counter there.
- That one?
- Yeah.
I've been through here.
- Oh yeah?
- A couple of times, yeah.
This place man,
I don't know why anybody
wouldn't wanna let go.
Well. I can think of worst places.
You wanna know a good
way to get to know a place?
What?
AA meetings.
- Really?
- Well, for me.
Back when I was with the
band I was traveling around
they just go to AA meetings everywhere.
It was a great way to get to know
people and get to know a place.
How is the burger?
Yeah? He's a good cook, your dad.
It's not that hard to make a burger.
His wife Emily.
She is cute, hope she's
older than she looks.
She's gonna have a baby.
You're gonna be a grandpa.
When's she due?
I don't know.
Two weeks, he is on his way home, now.
- Wants me to come with him.
- You should go.
I was.
I was.
He didn't like it very
much that I wasn't around
when he was... he was young.
I tried to be around when he was older but.
But he was into his
thing, and I was into mine.
I guess I just forgot
how to... be a dad.
Anyway, I wasn't very good at it.
Don't think about it too much,
Dave, just go, be a grandfather.
Do you want to come with me?
Maybe I can visit sometime.
Great.
Bye.
Good night.
If you come to visit,
there's plenty more of these!
You made it, Swankie.
I'm gonna get the Big
G right here for Georgia.
And the big bulldog right here
It will be a full wrist
for the Georgia Bulldogs.
Oh Jesus!
Overnight parking, you can't sleep here.
I'm leaving, I'm leaving.
OK. Uh, what we've got is
parts and labor, $2300 and tax.
I just looked up the value on your VIN.
With that high mileage, you're looking
about five thousand dollars at the most.
I would probably recommend
taking that money and putting
it towards a different vehicle such as
Yeah, no, well, I can't do that.
I can't do that, see, cause, alright...
I spent a lot of time and
money building the inside out and
lot of people don't
understand the value of
that but um, it's not
something like you can.
I live in there.
It's my home.
Why can't you just wire to me?
I can pay you back, Dolly,
listen, I can pay you back.
I'm gonna do Amazon again soon,
I will be able to pay you back.
As soon as I get that
check it's gonna be...
Yeah, I'm being stubborn?
Well, I think you're being a bitch.
Hi.
Hi Fern.
That doorbell works.
Yeah, well, I didn't hear it so... Hey!
- I got my famous four-egg cake.
- Alright.
Dolly cutting it to everyone of you.
- Okay. Put it there.
- Here? Okay.
Ooh, that's looks good.
I want that one.
Alright, that's yours.
I'll put your name on it.
Double cheese.
- Please.
- You want cheese?
I want two slices, please.
This is my sister Fern.
- Fern.
- Fern, I'm Jim.
I am on my hands - Nice to meet you.
This is my wife Pam.
- Hi Pam. Wet hand.
- Hi.
Jim has been working
with George for a long time.
Yeah, George actually sold us our
first house, before I got in real estates.
Did they tell you how they met?
No.
I introduced them,
I introduced you to George
but I knew George before.
So I took her out and I said listen.
George is a really good friend of mine.
I don't want you to mess this up.
If you are not serious about him
don't mess with him.
- And I didn't mess it up.
- And you said, what are you talking about?
And, so how many years
have you been together?
Thirty plus.
- Worked out pretty good.
- Yeah, worked out pretty good.
I was able to take care of that
on my own actually after that introduction.
You're welcome - Things
are looking good right now,
the prices are going up,
you know, 2012, from winter.
- Yeah.
- I mean
I wish we would have the money in 2008
to buy everything so I could sell it now.
Seems like real estate
always ends up on the upside.
I don't want to disagree
with you but I have to say I do.
It's strange, that you encourage people
to invest their whole life savings
go into debt
just to buy an house they can't afford.
Fern that's
rather limited look
- on what we do.
- Is it limited George?
We're not all in a position to just
chuck everything and hit the road.
Oh, you think, that's what I've done?
George, I chucked
everything to hit the road?
- Is that what I did?
- Alright, I'm sorry.
You know, I think that, um...
what the nomads are doing is not
that different than what the pioneers did.
I think Fern's part of
an American tradition.
I think it's great.
- Hey.
- Hi.
Here you go.
Okay, yeah, thanks.
- You know, I'll pay you back, right.
- Uh huh.
- I will.
- Uh huh.
- Why don't you move in with us?
- I can't live here.
I can't live in this room,
I can't sleep in this bed.
Thank you but I can't.
I know we are not as interesting
as the people you meet out there.
That's not what
I'm talking about.
No, that's what it is.
It's always what's out
there that's more interesting.
You left home as soon as you could.
You married Bo after just
knowing him a few month.
And then you moved in the
middle of nowhere with him.
And then even after Bo passed away
you still stayed in Empire.
I just didn't get it, I mean,
you could have left..
- Yeah.
See, that's why I can't come here.
I never said this to you
before, maybe I should have.
You know, when you
were growing up, you were
eccentric to other people,
you maybe seemed weird
but it was just because you were braver
and more honest than everybody else.
And you could see me when
I was hiding from everybody.
And sometimes she could see
me before I could saw myself.
I needed that in my life.
And you are my sister.
I would have loved having
you around all these years.
You left a big hole by leaving.
That one's on me.
Hey.
Hi, want a sandwich, you hungry?
I think I've met you before.
Yeah, I'm Fern.
I was working at T Rock in Quartzsite.
- Fern.
- Uh hmm.
You let Noodle sell his
rocks there, didn't you?
Yeah.
Would you like a beer?
Yeah, OK, I'll trade you for a sandwich.
- Here you go.
- Thanks.
It's cold, you know, you
should sit down by the fire.
I got a little trouble from
my knees, can you help me?
Of course.
Yeah, I'll do it. Yeah.
- Alright.
- Thanks.
You gave me a light, back in Quartzsite.
You still have it?
No, that's long gone,
but I do have this for you.
I want you to have it.
Thanks, it's really beautiful.
What is that, what's that stone?
That there is dinosaur bone.
Really?
I think so, but I only
know what they tell me.
Where are your mom and dad?
Back home in Wisconsin.
You think they worry about you?
You don't get lonely?
Got a girlfriend anywhere?
To be truthful, there is one.
She lives up in the
North Country, small farm.
She is happy with her life there.
I...
- write letters to her.
- Ah, smart man.
Very good, letters are good.
I just can't ever
write about anything I
reckon she cared about.
You ever tried poems?
Can't say I have.
I don't think I know one.
Do you know any?
How about one, that I
used for my wedding vow?
When I was not
much older than you.
Well, right on.
Mind if I hear it?
Okay, let's see if I can remember it.
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake
the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease
hath all too short a date;
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd.
And every fair from
fair sometimes declines,
By chance or nature's
changing course undimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession
of that fair thou ow'st;
Nor
shall
Nor shall death brag thou
walk'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st:
So long as men can
breathe and eyes can see,
So long lives this, and
this gives life to thee.
Fern.
Hi.
Hey!
- You made it.
- Yeah.
Wow.
- Yeah, it's nice.
- Wow.
- Come on in. I've got...
- OK, OK.
- This is Emily.
- Hi.
- My daughter in law.
- So nice to meet you.
- Hi.
- Welcome.
Hey everybody, this is Fern.
- Hi, nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
- Welcome welcome.
- Thank you.
- You know James.
- Hi James, how are you?
Thanks for having me.
- Who's that, is that the guy?
- This is Daniel, this is the guy.
- Say hi.
- Hi, hi, Daniel.
- Hi, Daniel.
- How's the drive?
It was great, little hairy in the end.
That's a scary road.
- In your van? We've heard about your van.
- Yeah.
I'd like to see it.
Well, I'll introduce you, at some point.
Thanks, yeah.
- Where are you coming from?
- That's Peter.
- Hi.
- Can I get you something?
- Yeah, water would be great, thanks.
- Water? Great. Sure.
You've been on the road long.
Yeah, I worked for a while
uh, but I've been traveling
since I last saw you. Yeah.
There you go.
Uh oh!
You go to mommy.
You had a flat.
Huh?
You had a flat tire in your van Dave.
Oh okay.
I haven't noticed.
Cause you're staying.
Yeah.
Good.
Yeah, I never expected to...
I never thought I'd spend
another night under a roof but...
This is a really nice place Dave.
Ah, you can stay.
Good, thanks, I need to do laundry.
I meant stay longer, Fern.
They do have a guest house.
I'm serious.
What'd they think about that?
I already asked them.
I like you.
Now, you are a good person.
You...
You get along well with
people for the most part.
And I...
I like being around you.
I like being around you.
Oh, what's up, what's up
you don't wanna be that way, you
wanna be like this, don't you? Yeah.
Sometimes you get into an ocean,
to jump into the ocean.
Here, he might be getting a little tired.
- I gotta go to the kitchen.
- Okay.
Just, there.
Don't be gone long, Dave.
Okay?
- Come on, let's go.
- Come here.
Come here.
Could you come,
look at all of those?
How many do you have?
I don't know how
many of they are.
That one's beautiful,
look at those feathers.
- Thank you.
- I think it needs more stuffing and...
- Corn?
- Little corn.
What is that called?
Thanks Fern.
Gravy?
This turkey is so moist.
- Incredible food.
- Thank you Emma, thank you James.
Just wanna say a little something...
to welcome to Fern.
To this feast of a family and...
the new one and
and I guess the old one.
And everybody in between, so...
- Welcome, Fern.
- Thank you very much.
Happy Thanksgiving.
I have the bells of a Croissante.
I like that name, Empire.
You know, we had an airport, public pool.
Golf course.
Wow sounds nice.
What was your house like there?
Nothing special.
Just a company Track house.
Actually it was special.
We were right on the edge of town.
And our backyard looks
out at this huge open space,
it was just desert, desert, desert
all the way to the mountains.
There was nothing in our way.
You know, I'm really glad you're here.
Dave really likes you.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
He talks about you a lot.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!
Because she loved rocks.
See you down road, Swankie.
Bo never knew his parents,
and we never had kids.
If I didn't stay.
If I left
it would be like he never existed.
I couldn't pack up and move on.
He loved Empire.
He loved his work so much.
He loved being there, everybody loved him.
So I stayed.
Same town, same house.
Just like my dad used to say.
What's remembered lives.
I maybe spent too much
of my life just remembering, Bob,
- you know what I mean?
- I can.
I can relate.
I rarely ever talk about my son.
But today would be
today would be his 33rd birthday and
five years ago, he took his life.
And I can still barely
say that in a sentence.
And, and for a long time
everyday
the question was
how can I be alive on
this Earth, when he's not?
And I didn't have any answer.
And those were some hard hard days.
But.
I realized that.
I could honor him by
helping people and serving people.
It gives me a reason
to go through the day.
Some days, that's all I've got.
And out here, there's lot of people our age
inevitably there's grief and loss.
And lot of them
don't get over it either.
And that's okay.
That's OK.
One of the thing that I
love most about this life
is that
there is no final goodbye.
You know, I've met hundreds
of people out here and
they don't ever say a final goodbye.
I always just say, I'll
see you down the road.
And I do.
And whether it's a month,
or a year, or sometimes years.
I see them again.
I can look down the road and
I can be certain in my heart
that I'll see my son again.
You will see Bo again.
And you can remember
your lives together then.
Are you sure you don't
need any of these stuff?
No, don't need any of it, I'm good.
I am not gonna miss one thing.
Well, we'll see you later.
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