A Forrest Gump Moment With Steve McQueen's Dogs

 

Remember in the movie FORREST GUMP Forrest bumped into or had interactions with famous or historical people? 

Here is my Forrest Gump moment:

In the summer of 1967 my Naval Reserves unit spent two weeks at a Marine Base in Yuma, Arizona.  On the weekend I and others hitched a ride on a Naval plane to the Los Angeles area.

In L.A. I rented a room in a hotel in the center of the city.  After that transaction I sat in the lobby in front of a big plate glass window and watched people walk by.

Then, Chief Sprung, a member of our reserve unit walked by.  He glanced in the window and walked on by.

“Good!”  I thought, “He did not see me.”

Then he backed up and looked again and waved.

“Damn!”   I thought.

Chief Sprung turned around and came into the lobby.   He was glad to see me.  He lived in North Carolina normally and was my weekend warrior supervisor.  He asked could he stay with me, he would pay his share.

“Sure, no problem.”  I reluctantly said.

He talked and talked, just like on the base.  That was what I was trying go get away from.

He finally remembered his old Navy pal when he was on active duty lived in Hollywood and he told him if he was ever in L.A. for him to look him up.  He found his friend’s telephone number and called him.

The friend lived in Hollywood Hills.  They decided his friend would drive over and pick us up and we could spend time with him and his wife. 

Which he did.  They had a lot to talk about.  “what ever happened to…blab la”.  He was an engineer for Disney Studios.  His wife was Asian.

As Sprung and his host talked and talked his wife talked and talked to me.  She was very pleasing and a good listener.

While we talked she showed me around, including their property.

In the back yard was a chain-link fence and a house.  “That is where Steve McQueen lives.”  She told me.

Two big black dogs ran galloping  out and whined at my hostess.  She reached over the fence and petted them.  But I could tell the way they looked at me they were unsure of me.  Likewise.

Two big fierce looking dogs somehow would suit Steve McQueen.