And They All Lived Together in a Little Crooked House

Adam was moving from Fairfax, Virginia to Helena Montana last month.  He had received a transfer from his job out there to one in Helena.  I was glad to see that he was able to come back to Montana for my own selfish reasons.  He's one of my best friends and I haven't seen him since he moved out there at the end of 2008.  He got to Helena July 19 and had to find housing really quick.  Adam asked me to come to Helena to help him move his stuff from the truck to his new home, and I was coming out on July 21.  He barely got a house to rent in time for me coming that was within his budget.

I drove to Helena that Thursday.  I mistakenly drove through all that horrible construction on US Highway 287.  There was one part where I had to drive on a very narrow section of bridge, being led by a pilot car.  I can only imagine what Adam had to go through to get through that in his rented moving truck.  When I got there Adam and I ate dinner at Applebee's and caught up a little.  It's been forever since we've seen each other.  After dinner he took me to his "house."

There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile.
He found a crooked sixpence against a crooked stile.
He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse,
And they all lived together in a little crooked house.

It was dark, so I really couldn't tell what the house was like on the outside.  Lighting on that street wasn't very good.  Once I got inside, though, that was another matter.  Everything in the house was crooked.  The floor was crooked; the corners were crooked; the ceiling was crooked; the walls were crooked; the doors were crooked.  Probably the only thing straight in the whole place was the hot water tank.  But when you looked at it, even it looked crooked because everything around was so crooked everywhere.

How does a house like this not get condemned?  It's because of a little plaque placed on the house that reads:

Friday, July 22 Adam and I had a late breakfast at IHOP (one of my favorite restaurants) and then got started moving into his new place.  When I saw the outside of the house in the daylight, it was just as crooked as the inside!  I couldn't help but laugh; it even has a crooked stile.  The stairs that went into the house were crooked.  The back half of the house was mostly underground.

Adam's Little Crooked House

Coat hooks are appropriately placed next to the gas stove.

The floor is obviously crooked.

Midgets used to live in Helena.  Adam poses in his new house.

Only the hot water tank was straight, but it looked crooked!

Douglass poses in front of Adam's crooked stile.  Six cents are on the third step.

I make this sound so bad, but actually I thought it was hilarious.  Adam was the crooked man, and he had a little crooked dog.  He lived in a little crooked house and had a crooked stile.  We found a place near the bathtub for mice to get in, so maybe Douglas will catch a crooked mouse!

Really this house will do for the moment.  It doesn't look like there are any current leaks.  Heating could be a problem in the winter though, but at least it's present.  When he finds a better situation, I'm sure he'll get that when he can.  The bathroom is probably the nicest room in the house and looks pretty cool.  It was built far after the house was originally built, since back in the day, bathrooms weren't inside houses.  It is his home until he finds better, and he didn't have much time to do house hunting until he got here.  I'm glad that he found something in such a short time.

I went home in the evening on July 22.  I avoided the horrid traffic on 287 by driving down I-15 to Boulder, and then taking State Highway 69 to I-90.

Now what should I give Adam for a housewarming present...

Oh, did I mention that one of his neighbors are pirates?