Bob and the Spirit Stick

When I ran Hood to Coast in August 2012,  I discovered Spirit Sticks and how awesome they were in locating team members in a mass of people.A Spirit Stick is a decorated stick with stuff on it and a light for the night time.  In a crowd of people, you can easily find your group because the stick waves above the crowd and at night, unlike the Gremlins, you look toward the light and easily find your team. It was my search for spirit stick parts for the Del Sol Ragnar that I met Bob.

Bob works at Home Depot in Phoenix in the plumbing department.  After showing me clamps for a sink I sprung on him my next request.  I need a cheap piece of wood or stick.  Ok he nods and starts to walk towards the main aisle.

Two steps later he stops and with a perplexed look asks if its to go between french doors.

See Bob does his job and does it well.  He is quite serious, wants to do an excellent job and needs to understand the goal and my very generic request for a piece of wood wasn't enough information.  I explain the race and what I'll be doing with the stick.  Oh, and I don't want to spend much money either.

Trotting down the aisles we go heading towards the wood dowels.  Being in a playful mood I try unsuccessfully to crack jokes with this very serious, on a mission Bob. I also tell him we're exploring his creative side.  We choose a dowel, thick enough to be sturdy but still cheap and I hand him one and tell him to hold the stick up as we walk through the store with the soon to be spirit stick.

In lighting we grab a Home Depot employee from the lighting department and tell what we want.  The lighting guy wants to talk me out of battery operated because it won't last long.  By this point with my non-stop jabbering, Bob has a complete understanding of the race and how long the light needs to last and my cheap price point. Bob locates the rectangle lights I ended up with and even comments how I can tape them to the stick. Next stop is colored duct tape.

Bob's customer service was amazing and what was fun is how this gruff, serious guy with the long beard tromped throughout Home Depot holding a stick in search of stuff for my spirit stick with me.

After the race I had to show Bob the finished product even though by that time I had broke it in two places but it was still head together with the neon green duct tape. His face broke out in a smile when he saw me and the spirit stick.

Bob and the Spirit Stick

To get a picture of me and Bob together I had to grab someone who happened to be a customer walking by.

My infamous way of holding the spirit stick during the race...over someone's head.

The customer was Magnus from Norway and wanted to understand how the spirit stick attracted spirits. I don't know if he ever quite understood it wasn't for finding or warding off ghosts.  Magnus also wanted his picture taken with me and the spirit stick.

I know Bob made my day when he helped me find all my spirit sticks parts and hopefully he'll remember me and my goofy spirit stick.

Happy Running