- 5 hours ago
Mole Man 2017
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00:22What you like, though?
00:00:28How long do you think this has been empty?
00:00:31Two and a half years.
00:00:33How do you know?
00:00:35Date on the calendar.
00:00:43Wouldn't you say that's about an inch and three-eighths wide?
00:00:46Yeah.
00:00:47That's what I need.
00:00:51I am a big snake.
00:00:53I like reading about snakes.
00:00:59Why don't you keep pushing in, it'll work.
00:01:03Yummy!
00:01:04These cookies sure taste good.
00:01:10I'll empty this out and put it in the kitchen.
00:01:12Mama left the snoot up.
00:01:18I know that's a foundation wall of the building, so it's actually got a full solo with a skinny
00:01:25passageway.
00:01:26Looks like one of my underground walls.
00:01:30Okay, let's do the next building.
00:02:00Let's do the next building.
00:02:21Look how fancy windows were.
00:02:25You know how many panes of glass they were?
00:02:27Well, they were a thousand.
00:02:30See how big they were?
00:02:54What's in there?
00:02:55Just my tools and camera and red rag.
00:03:03Know what red rag's for?
00:03:05Big loads?
00:03:06Right.
00:03:14No, I'll go all places a car cannot go.
00:03:31When I'm driving, I'm looking for tunnels, rubber beds, caves.
00:03:37So let's look back into your house.
00:03:40Hey.
00:03:42Cricks.
00:03:45Good balance.
00:03:46I always did this, I guess.
00:03:55I ain't got over though.
00:03:57Looking for all the lanes, growed up in trees and bushes.
00:04:02Most times find a house, if not a house, I saw with nothing on it.
00:04:11Watch it, see what happens to it.
00:04:15I know when going in and out, no path available, no driveway available.
00:04:21Then go in and look around real good.
00:04:25Don't save the stuff that rots away.
00:04:28Don't get it, leave it behind.
00:04:31That's unusual.
00:04:34Lift it up by a lid.
00:04:37Is that for a man or a woman?
00:04:39It's a man.
00:04:42Sometimes you never know what to see.
00:04:45Oh, good find.
00:04:48Tigger blocks.
00:04:50Some of them are a terrible mess.
00:04:54Take your time, dig to a barn, you'll find a good thing.
00:04:57What about the storm door, too?
00:05:00That was a good storm door.
00:05:02I've probably seen 700 to 800-pound houses.
00:05:07People shouldn't be as wasteful.
00:05:10They really don't make sense, because they've got to buy over again.
00:05:15There is another door window, but there's no way there is two of them.
00:05:21I hold most stuff on my bike, up to a cast-down bathtub.
00:05:31It's just like a fat bridle behind me.
00:05:44There is another door window, too, to a cast-down bathtub.
00:05:45And, again, I've beenением for a break, and you'll find a submarine.
00:05:45I don't know.
00:05:45Oh, I don't know.
00:05:49All right, so.
00:05:51I'm good at it.
00:06:05I don't live in a red brick house now, it's mum's house.
00:06:11I built a house in the back.
00:06:17That's where I live now.
00:06:24I built a lot of buildings behind mum's house.
00:06:33I have 25 buildings and 23 solos.
00:06:44I've been building back here since 1965.
00:07:02I don't use nails, no more than nothing.
00:07:13Above the picture, there's a square on the wall.
00:07:16That's the first time I saw it.
00:07:19There's a wall actually out there?
00:07:21Well, I would think so, but that's the first time it showed up like that.
00:07:26I noticed that.
00:07:27So, yeah, every room it needs washed.
00:07:31But what was hanging up there?
00:07:33We used to have a picture.
00:07:35Not that high.
00:07:36Oh, not that high.
00:07:39I've never seen that before.
00:07:43I didn't either till now.
00:07:47No, that's not it.
00:07:51It wasn't there yesterday.
00:07:53I know.
00:07:56Why is it showing up now?
00:08:03This doesn't have anything to do with it?
00:08:06Yeah.
00:08:08Uh-oh.
00:08:09It's reflecting off of one of Art's vehicles.
00:08:12I see.
00:08:14And he's working on a car.
00:08:17Yeah, it's a white car.
00:08:20My name is Marielle Heist.
00:08:23How old are you now?
00:08:2539, isn't it?
00:08:2990.
00:08:31I have to think how old I am.
00:08:3490 is right.
00:08:37Ronald is my oldest son.
00:08:39Go on, Phil, I can't get that dirty.
00:08:42I can't either.
00:08:42It's too high.
00:08:43Ron was born in 1950, May 7th.
00:08:49And he was just a normal baby.
00:08:53He used to be talking.
00:08:55You know, mama, dad, dad, different words.
00:09:00And all at once, he stopped.
00:09:08He just seemed unemotional.
00:09:11He just didn't connect with a lot of people.
00:09:15We felt bad, sad, you know,
00:09:18because he just didn't seem to take to anybody,
00:09:23even his own parents.
00:09:25He just ignored us.
00:09:29But we knew right from the start he liked to build things.
00:09:34When he was three, anything to do with building he would do.
00:09:40Usually it was just blocks and things like that.
00:09:44Even cardboard boxes.
00:09:48That's the only thing that made him happy.
00:09:50Anything to do with building.
00:09:55But when we got out here, it must have been 1965,
00:10:00he found his way.
00:10:06How far underground are we?
00:10:08Right here is 20 feet.
00:10:10How long did it take you to dig?
00:10:12Six weeks.
00:10:13March 1st to April 16th.
00:10:17They say mole man.
00:10:19Why?
00:10:20I don't know.
00:10:22Someone's always digging.
00:10:28Any nails in these boards?
00:10:30Nothing is nailed.
00:10:33You got coal out of here?
00:10:34Oh yeah.
00:10:35Lots of it.
00:10:36That's coal.
00:10:37Number nine.
00:10:49Matt, what'd I do?
00:10:51Oh, something's loose though.
00:10:55Tighten up barbly a little bit.
00:10:57That's what it was.
00:11:04This barb will light the cell up.
00:11:06Whoa.
00:11:09So from age 15 to 16 you built this whole house?
00:11:13Yeah.
00:11:14By yourself?
00:11:15Yeah.
00:11:16Nobody helped you?
00:11:17No.
00:11:19How'd you know how to build it?
00:11:22By being in other old houses.
00:11:27Did your dad buy blocks for you?
00:11:30Yeah.
00:11:30May 7th.
00:11:36You didn't put a level on that?
00:11:38No.
00:11:40Never?
00:11:41No, never.
00:11:42How'd you level it?
00:11:43My eyes.
00:11:46Pretty much right on, huh?
00:11:48Yeah.
00:11:49And mom said, my eyes are no good.
00:11:51That's crazy.
00:11:51I can't believe you never put a level on this wall.
00:11:55See, there's no mortar, no cracks.
00:11:57And how long has this been here?
00:11:591966.
00:12:02How do you do that?
00:12:03How do you make it last that long?
00:12:05The weight of the house is holding it.
00:12:09We dig down to hit water.
00:12:12Water lays level.
00:12:14Level of water in the footer.
00:12:17It stacks up, stays on its own.
00:12:21But weight on it, you can backfill in.
00:12:24We all have to keep working.
00:12:39Shape the wall wise.
00:12:42Hard as camp.
00:12:44The house weighs 146 tons.
00:12:47That's why this don't move.
00:12:53my wife doesn't particularly like to go back to ron's place
00:12:58too claustrophobic this topic is not something that she really likes to talk about because she
00:13:04feels that i got to handle most of the burden from the standpoint of
00:13:11not other people are stepping up and doing their part but i'm the closest son
00:13:18you know to butler it's somewhat easier for me to address these things and others
00:13:31my name is tim heist i am ron's younger brother ron is 12 years older than me
00:13:38you know how to wear open these right scissors no let's tear up at the top corner
00:13:46dump it on in
00:13:50we shared a bedroom that actually was divided
00:13:54and ron had one half my twin brother and i had the other half ron used to do things and
00:14:01he'd blame it
00:14:01on gemini we'd tell our mother that you know we didn't do this but why does dad
00:14:09you know believe him versus us and you know her thing was you know ron's he's just different
00:14:22he's very protective of ron he's very supportive of ron and that was his top priority
00:14:33it was always ron can't do any harm dad was always there to you know help him out
00:14:40he sold cars for a living he always worked a lot of hours it was sometimes very difficult
00:14:47for the rest of us because it took a lot more to get our dad's attention or let alone try
00:14:54to get his
00:14:54time
00:15:00especially when we got to be teenagers
00:15:03we went on our own and you know we didn't necessarily try to compete for that time
00:15:12i know when we were young we used to think about the relationship that we'd have
00:15:16with our father as adults
00:15:21it never worked out that way
00:15:29heavenly father we give you thanks for this day give you thanks for your blessing upon each of us
00:15:34lord we ask this in christ the lord amen amen amen amen and god be with you guys
00:15:45take a little bit of everything okay here's applesauce homemade
00:15:52tim did you know that the kids went with ron on a boat ride what type of boat
00:15:57that white box oh my goodness which white box that she was in
00:16:03jeez oh
00:16:06it's a carrier for the top of the
00:16:09vehicle
00:16:11those carriers that strap together you put them on top of the vehicle
00:16:14he takes them apart and you get two boats out of it
00:16:18two what out of it two boats
00:16:20and they don't leak that surprises me
00:16:22i've been in boats before of yours where i just sunk
00:16:27no one really talked about ron's situation or went to the extent of my parents sitting
00:16:33down with us and saying look this is how it is everything was more hush hush
00:16:40my dad did what he thought was right why else would my parents let ron do what they did
00:16:47because they knew what made them happy
00:16:51it's your first child and then they realized well something's not right here
00:16:58they called him mentally challenged mentally challenged
00:17:03he just wasn't talking then he didn't tell people how smart he was
00:17:09they just put that diagnosis on him
00:17:13my mom and dad weren't able to question anything about that
00:17:16and to me that didn't make sense
00:17:19he's so capable of doing so many things
00:17:22ron's creativity is amazing amazing
00:17:31you know that one
00:17:34bright purple lime green bright orange bright blue
00:17:39hot pink
00:17:40pink everything's that color that's why i like it
00:18:03don't know anyone else that has this
00:18:16the fact that he can go to someone's house
00:18:18be in there just for a little bit
00:18:21leave go home and draw a floor plan with windows
00:18:24and the way the doors swing is just something else
00:18:28i saw a movie
00:18:30rain man
00:18:32and i'm like wow that's ron that's my brother
00:18:36he's so precise that was always something i picked up on growing up with him was
00:18:40the numbers
00:18:41what time do you tell people to call you
00:18:435 0 5 to 6 0 6
00:18:47why that time
00:18:48that's the time i'm eating
00:18:50exact number of this exact time that he comes up
00:18:53you know and if you stray from it he didn't like
00:18:56no one ever said anything about autism
00:18:58but i have to watch that movie it's like that's truly ron
00:19:02explain this to me
00:19:03well it tells you how warm the day was how cold it was at night
00:19:08how warm my house was
00:19:10how many inches the creek had in
00:19:13yesterday was eight
00:19:16i don't have a seven in here yet
00:19:18that's what it would have been
00:19:20but i can go back
00:19:22to years and tell what day i worked on the house
00:19:25what day i paint the wall
00:19:28i right here
00:19:30paint things orange in solo
00:19:33well that's what i did last night
00:19:35i must start in maybe 60
00:19:38one julio box per month
00:19:42this this hair game
00:19:47that's that's how i keep everything scheduled
00:19:54mom says my bookkeeping ain't no good
00:19:57oh i don't know about that
00:20:00it can be bowing holes in some ways
00:20:03i don't know too many people to write down everything they've done every day
00:20:07for the last 40 years
00:20:09that's pretty good
00:20:09it's pretty good bookkeeping
00:20:11oh i think it is
00:20:13see what it says
00:20:18the older my parents got to be they just didn't
00:20:22you know they didn't have the control over him
00:20:24and it's to that point where he was accustomed to doing what he was gonna do
00:20:29and what's ron doing
00:20:32gowing up some wood
00:20:33what are you gonna do with it
00:20:35i'm gonna take it to a porch
00:20:37which porch
00:20:39front porch
00:20:41bad stuff
00:20:42yeah
00:20:43ron can be nice in his own way
00:20:45but yet
00:20:46his number one priority is himself
00:20:49and
00:20:49he would manipulate
00:20:51lie
00:20:52tell stories
00:20:54and everything else to get his way
00:20:57you're going something
00:21:00tell me where it is
00:21:02take this stuff up to a porch
00:21:05try to keep track of where he was
00:21:08forget that
00:21:10every morning it's the same routine
00:21:12expect him up here about 9 30
00:21:16take one hour to eat
00:21:18then he takes off
00:21:20and i don't see him till supper time
00:21:23it's always doing something
00:21:27where was that big old bridge you had me on
00:21:29it was all burned up
00:21:30and
00:21:30right
00:21:30i said i can't walk by this bridge no more
00:21:33right there
00:21:33there it is
00:21:35below
00:21:35no right here
00:21:36okay zoom in right on that trussle
00:21:38my uncle
00:21:41is ron's brother
00:21:42my mother's sister married his brother
00:21:45that's the age i was when i first met ron
00:21:48every time we would be at a family gathering
00:21:52we'd sit there and talk
00:21:53that's another place where ron tried to kill me
00:21:56okay right now
00:21:57this thing is literally a hundred feet in the air
00:22:00from the creek
00:22:02165
00:22:02he wanted to drive the car across it
00:22:04until we realized there was a big hole in the middle of it
00:22:07a hole won't don't when i drove across
00:22:10he'd tell me stories about all the stuff he built
00:22:14unless you see it
00:22:16you almost can't believe it
00:22:18first time i seen his house
00:22:20i went through there and he
00:22:21had a maze
00:22:2696 feet
00:22:28four stories high
00:22:29passageways are 16 wide
00:22:3227 high
00:22:33and you have to go over 400 balls on the fourth floor
00:22:38cannonballs
00:22:39bowling balls
00:22:40marcher balls
00:22:42k-balls
00:22:43mush balls
00:22:44baseballs
00:22:45golf balls
00:22:46tennis balls
00:22:49there's dead ends and it's pitch black in there
00:22:52and it took me 45 minutes
00:23:00that was easy to do
00:23:03he would ask for cinder blocks for his christmas list or his birthday list
00:23:07then he started building the main house and it built from there
00:23:12he wanted more so he built another building and then he connected it with tunnels
00:23:18he would dig basements underneath and then connect basement to basement by tunnel
00:23:40ronald built everything by hand
00:23:43he does not have big machinery he does not have a workforce that does these things for him
00:23:49he does it all himself
00:23:50and some of those buildings he didn't build
00:23:52he would literally find an abandoned building
00:23:55and like it
00:23:57and take it home with him
00:23:58how'd you get this here
00:23:59black bed truck
00:24:02one piece
00:24:03minus a chimney and a smokestack
00:24:07and the bell towel
00:24:13everywhere i go i tell everyone about him
00:24:17and i've drugged probably hundreds of people through his house
00:24:21i don't think he's going to be panicked already
00:24:25this is cool
00:24:30no him
00:24:31no i don't who's that
00:24:33oh look
00:24:34glenn cobert
00:24:35i don't
00:24:37he's my cousin
00:24:38oh really
00:24:39mhm
00:24:40ron do you know dale fry
00:24:41oh yeah i know
00:24:42that's my cousin
00:24:43oh it is
00:24:44yeah
00:24:45and his brother is chris and that
00:24:47mhm
00:24:48those are all my cousins
00:24:49oh gosh i can't wait to tell my mom
00:24:52that's cool
00:24:54dale used to live right across the railroad tracks
00:24:56i don't know where dale lives now
00:24:58i don't know where i am living
00:25:00when you see him tell him give me a call
00:25:02okay i will
00:25:03around six o'clock
00:25:055 30
00:25:06okay
00:25:06i'll definitely tell him
00:25:09what are they signing
00:25:10they're cardboard
00:25:11for a number
00:25:12how many is in here in one year
00:25:15usually 380
00:25:16how many
00:25:17380
00:25:19380 what
00:25:20people
00:25:20per year
00:25:22yeah
00:25:22when did you get these made
00:25:25last year
00:25:27what's up with the plunger
00:25:29i collect them
00:25:30see them
00:25:31you collect them
00:25:32oh my gosh
00:25:34440
00:25:35one from each place
00:25:37or clean up
00:25:38or job did
00:25:40then i put the dates on
00:25:42why do you take the plunger
00:25:44that's one thing
00:25:45that's always left behind
00:25:50the foreclosures in this area
00:25:51are ridiculously high
00:25:54butler has really been hard hit
00:25:58you can just drive through town
00:25:59any given day
00:26:00and see a for sale sign
00:26:02that says foreclosure at the top
00:26:05years ago
00:26:06it was a beautiful town
00:26:09people had great jobs
00:26:12there was a coal mine
00:26:14there was pullman standard
00:26:17but when pullman standard went out
00:26:19it was like a ghost town
00:26:21i mean that's where everybody worked
00:26:22in this area
00:26:25and half the houses went empty
00:26:28just within
00:26:29an hour and a half
00:26:30drive
00:26:31there's
00:26:32whole abandoned towns
00:26:44there's
00:26:45all these abandoned factories
00:26:49and that's where ron gets all the stuff
00:26:53some of the places he is taking me to
00:26:55you just hear them bells ringing
00:26:56and angels singing
00:26:57and you're just
00:27:00i found a 1938 woolitzer jukebox
00:27:03that was rare
00:27:05that's now in the woolitzer museum
00:27:07in houston texas
00:27:08we found a whole abandoned bar
00:27:10we had
00:27:11antique bar lights
00:27:13pool tables
00:27:14and a really neat thing
00:27:15that we found
00:27:16was some memorabilia
00:27:17from the farmhouse
00:27:19that was in the original
00:27:20night of the living dead
00:27:23a lot of the good
00:27:24that has happened
00:27:25in ron's life
00:27:26is because of
00:27:26chuck heist
00:27:27his dad
00:27:28i said chuck
00:27:29why did you
00:27:30let him do this
00:27:30he said well
00:27:31he didn't speak
00:27:32until he was 9 or 10
00:27:33and when we started
00:27:34letting him build
00:27:36he opened up
00:27:37do i get our picture ron
00:27:40you're already on our sweatshirts
00:27:41yeah
00:27:42okay come on
00:27:44his house
00:27:45his adventures
00:27:46that is his connection
00:27:48with everybody
00:27:50he loves being the mole man
00:27:53chuck just gave him
00:27:54that free reign
00:27:55to do what he wanted to do
00:27:56i can smell paint
00:27:58down here
00:27:58but chuck
00:28:00unfortunately
00:28:02within the last year
00:28:04he passed away
00:28:10he fell over
00:28:11in the bedroom
00:28:13we couldn't wake him up
00:28:17i said ron maybe we can put him back on the bed
00:28:20we just couldn't lift him up to put him back on the bed
00:28:23and i said i said i'm gonna call the ambulance
00:28:29the ambulance came
00:28:32two or three weeks later he was gone
00:28:37i miss chuck a lot
00:28:40i'm still sleeping in that chair every night
00:28:44ever since he passed away
00:28:46i've been sleeping in that chair
00:28:48i said i can't sleep in the bedroom
00:28:52it just seems different
00:28:59a big change
00:29:01yeah
00:29:01i know
00:29:03i really miss him
00:29:05i miss my car man
00:29:16you could tell just from the absence of my dad
00:29:20that there's a huge void in his life
00:29:23i really thought
00:29:25he might get really upset over it
00:29:29and have a reaction
00:29:38he wouldn't talk to me
00:29:39i've been friends with him for most of my life
00:29:44when i was at the funeral
00:29:45ron pretended like he didn't even know who i was
00:29:48somebody asked where i was at
00:29:49he said i don't know that name
00:29:50he had let his hair grow real long
00:29:54it was down past his shoulders
00:29:55looked disheveled
00:29:58and then he just started building constantly
00:30:02part of the glue that holds ron together
00:30:05came apart
00:30:09i miss him
00:30:10when it comes to something old
00:30:12he always knew it
00:30:15as long as i had this place keep me busy
00:30:20see i really knows it too much
00:30:25no i'm used to being by myself
00:30:31his mind was good
00:30:33that's one thing
00:30:35new things he had forget
00:30:37good memory
00:30:52does he give any more thought about the future here
00:30:54you know do we keep the house
00:30:56don't we keep the house
00:30:57not really
00:30:59not really
00:31:00all that stuff takes money
00:31:04right
00:31:04yeah
00:31:05since my dad passed away
00:31:07i inherited a huge challenge
00:31:11how do we deal with the house
00:31:13how do we deal with the property
00:31:14how do we deal with ron
00:31:16you can't depend that life is always going to be the same
00:31:20from day to day
00:31:22so far it's been
00:31:24but if something happened
00:31:25what happens then
00:31:26i mean
00:31:29you never know what's going to happen tomorrow
00:31:33when our mother passes away
00:31:37the situations won't totally change
00:31:40what are you waiting on
00:31:43the day to come
00:31:46that'll be 10 more years
00:31:49we hope
00:31:49we hope
00:31:51but if i don't do anything
00:31:53then we're at risk of losing everything down the road
00:31:59and i don't want that to happen
00:32:03his routine
00:32:04his environment
00:32:05that's his safety zone
00:32:09to see that taken away from him
00:32:12is not something i want to see
00:32:13but
00:32:15i fear that that's exactly what's going to happen
00:32:18i'm hoping not
00:32:19i'm hoping that something can be figured out
00:32:22he thinks he's going to stay there period
00:32:25i did it
00:32:28i definitely would love to get my mom out of there
00:32:31house
00:32:31you know number one i think
00:32:32you know she feels very much a burden on herself
00:32:36that you know she has to take care of rod
00:32:40i wish he would cook
00:32:42that would be better yet
00:32:44you're a better cook
00:32:47it probably hurt him to move and do whatever
00:32:50it's a big deal
00:32:52you want to be able to tell mom that we have an answer
00:32:56and we don't
00:33:16he doesn't have a way of saying well how do i afford this you know does someone else have to
00:33:21pay for this the rest of his life i mean that's something we aren't prepared to do
00:33:27to see ron pulled out of that place i think would kill him
00:33:33plain and simple i just don't think he'd want to live anymore
00:33:56why you got a cincinnati reds jack
00:33:57because i'm a cincinnati reds jack
00:34:00you told me that before but i just don't get why
00:34:04well this was my team when i was a kid
00:34:07did you grow up in cincinnati
00:34:08no
00:34:20a lady that my wife works with's husband is french
00:34:23and they've gone on some of those excursions and things
00:34:26and i got a quote done for my porch here
00:34:28i just didn't like the number
00:34:29my wife was talking about it at work
00:34:31and the lady she works with
00:34:32said hey why don't you see if ron would be interested
00:34:35and so he came over and basically wants to do it all himself and everything
00:34:38it's pretty amazing
00:34:39because he's going to have this thing tore up in no time
00:34:43you impressed me a lot with just how you can look at something and say
00:34:47this is how many feet long by whatever
00:34:49i can tell it's an inch door from a 32
00:34:52that's right
00:34:53you're going to use this lumber do you have to store it or what
00:34:57oh i'll use this one inch stuff for roof sheeting
00:35:00this is good for a rafter yeah
00:35:02then the tongue grew forings i'll use it back at my dam
00:35:06what are you doing with a dam
00:35:07we go boat rinds swimming now
00:35:10oh yeah
00:35:1150 by 9600
00:35:13are we ever married dude
00:35:15no
00:35:16why not
00:35:17mom still cooks ya
00:35:19mom you gotta be kidding me
00:35:21no she's 90
00:35:27when you gonna play
00:35:28i'll play blue
00:35:29i better put a pillow on there
00:35:47okay
00:35:49hey come on now fix that
00:35:52i want to see if you're awake
00:35:54i'm awake
00:35:56see mom's gonna be 91 february
00:36:01that's no change yet
00:36:05hey that's a blue one
00:36:07oh where was that right though
00:36:12oh oh oh oh look at that go three in
00:36:18ron says i'll live to be 100 so i don't have to worry
00:36:29no you goofed me up
00:36:31how does it feel on your side
00:36:35we are going to have a therapist meet ron
00:36:40ron's never been officially diagnosed with autism
00:36:45he has to be diagnosed in order to get the help that he needs
00:36:49hopefully with that diagnosis
00:36:51we'll have a better direction of where we need to go
00:36:55i would like to learn a lot more about ron
00:36:58and half of how we answer questions is through testing
00:37:01and that's what dr gaskell's doing
00:37:03we're gonna be doing all kinds of different activities okay and there's not always a right answer
00:37:11we just need you to let me know what you think the answer is okay
00:37:16we give the individual something to do and we try to learn about them through watching them solve problems
00:37:23and so you know they're given opportunities to initiate and respond to conversations
00:37:28and then it gives us an algorithm for scoring those behavior observations
00:37:33now we have a book here and what's different about this book than books that you might read
00:37:37is it only has a few words so we're actually going to tell the story from pictures
00:37:42so i'm going to start so that you get an idea of how to do it
00:37:45and then i'm going to let you tell me the story for a while and then i'm going to finish
00:37:49the story
00:37:50so tuesday evening around eight there was a turtle sitting on a log
00:37:54and the sun came down and the moon came up and the turtle looked up
00:37:57and all of a sudden he saw these frogs floating all over the sky
00:38:01now i'm going to let you tell me the story and then i'll finish at the very end
00:38:06you can just tell me whatever whatever story you want
00:38:09there's no right answers to any of this
00:38:12our frogs don't fly
00:38:14they don't i know
00:38:16part of understanding this is understanding concrete versus abstract cognitive skills
00:38:21and individuals with autism actually aren't so great at the abstract and the pretend
00:38:26they're just much more concrete black and white thinking
00:38:29yeah so you're going to have to suspend disbelief
00:38:32you're going to have to pretend this is like a fiction story here
00:38:39okay so tell me what make up a story that doesn't really happen but is in the book
00:38:47what's happening on this page
00:38:49i was eating bread
00:38:52it just looks like plain bread
00:38:57everybody describes him as creative but yet when asked to pretend
00:39:03to make believe he actually wasn't able to do it
00:39:07so what's happening on this page
00:39:08that one don't belong up there that one don't belong up there
00:39:12so they're flying they're having fun
00:39:14they don't belong there but that's okay
00:39:16frogs don't fly
00:39:18okay i'll finish up for you
00:39:20next tuesday something new was flying in the sky but it was not a frog
00:39:24they were pigs
00:39:26pigs don't fly
00:39:30a lot of things she just wants to do what he wants to do
00:39:34yeah
00:39:34and otherwise she just isn't interested
00:39:37like i said why don't we go to a movie
00:39:40i don't want to go to the movie
00:39:42but when there's something about building houses
00:39:46or finding the way to go someplace he can do any of that
00:39:51he's really good
00:39:53in fact he could build a house he could put electric in a house
00:39:58that's how good he is in that
00:40:00and are you going to go back there
00:40:03i would like to if he wants to invite me
00:40:07i mean he's great with numbers and weights and measures and mechanics and his skill set
00:40:14because he's really fixated on those narrow interests and has learned as much as he can about that
00:40:22wow you're really quick
00:40:24that was a little bit slow i thought
00:40:28people of his generation commonly did not get support
00:40:31and i think there are many ways that his situation could not have turned out as positive
00:40:36as it did
00:40:38some of those people are in group homes
00:40:42and he's still not out of the woods
00:40:45if you thought about the next 10 years
00:40:48like your plans your hopes your dreams
00:40:50what would you like to see happen
00:40:52where would what would you like to do
00:40:54stay here
00:40:56pretty much be walking back though
00:40:59so pretty much what you've been doing
00:41:01anything else you'd like to do that you haven't done
00:41:06very much the same
00:41:07okay
00:41:09most people have felt sad at some point
00:41:11what makes you feel sad
00:41:13i would have ghosts
00:41:16somewhere else
00:41:19instead of where you live now
00:41:22and how does it feel when you're sad
00:41:27if you had to describe it
00:41:31i think of something else
00:41:33get rid of it
00:41:36but for ron his autism also contributes some pretty amazing qualities
00:41:41that many people are drawn to
00:41:44i have actually never seen collection so large as ron's
00:41:50and it's positive in a sense that people find it interesting
00:41:53you know what that thing is
00:41:55oh it's a train signal light
00:42:00i think this allows him
00:42:04to have connections outside of his family that he wouldn't naturally have
00:42:08because he's not going out there and seeking them
00:42:10you gotta do what the record says right
00:42:12yeah
00:42:12what is that
00:42:13we gotta get out of this place
00:42:20they seem okay
00:42:21police don't smoke
00:42:24that's why i hate the folks
00:42:42you say town you mean abandoned
00:42:46yeah
00:42:46okay
00:42:47that's a lot of adventure
00:42:49well you say we get crack
00:42:51my name's sean burke
00:42:53i live in pennsylvania
00:42:54and i work in a steel mill
00:42:57ronald said to me sean
00:42:59there's a place i want you to see
00:43:00and it's in the woods
00:43:02and it's called robbinsville
00:43:04village of nine houses
00:43:06he said it's this whole town
00:43:08that just was consumed by the woods
00:43:12and i said now this i gotta see
00:43:15it's all in the battles
00:43:16none of those houses
00:43:17or it never was
00:43:18ronald knows i can't help myself
00:43:20and anytime there's an adventure to be have
00:43:23he always ropes me into it
00:43:25it's a pretty neat little area down in there
00:43:28oh yeah
00:43:28there must have been some coal mining down
00:43:30oh that's a coal mine
00:43:32you'll be able to see it
00:43:34he knows every little nook and cranny
00:43:36of western pennsylvania
00:43:39cut the front end back towards that big tree over here
00:43:48now this is what is what are we driving on here
00:43:52the driveway for the house
00:43:54this is a driveway
00:43:55yeah
00:43:55we're going through quad trails down hillsides
00:43:58we're in the middle of nowhere
00:44:04you don't know where you are
00:44:07you don't know if you're going to find something
00:44:10you have no idea
00:44:12whenever he tells you a story or what to expect
00:44:16he's telling you the truth in his mind
00:44:22his perception of reality and your own
00:44:25sometimes are two different things
00:44:31we come to this valley where three creeks meet
00:44:39up the creek valley he goes
00:44:46we get to the top
00:44:50and sure enough just like he said
00:44:59it was a little village that was consumed by the wolves
00:45:15all these houses
00:45:22grand old houses
00:45:24a huge huge barn
00:45:29and you're thinking
00:45:30what happened here
00:45:36why did they leave this
00:45:43man they built this
00:45:44they built this thing
00:45:45this is all wormy chestnut
00:45:47that's how we're in
00:45:48yeah
00:45:51the whole place
00:45:52that's a lot of money
00:45:53and boards here
00:45:54yeah
00:45:54that's why i've been wanting to show this
00:46:11that make any sense what that needs
00:46:13five six fourteen
00:46:15yeah but i ain't putting a line between
00:46:18it's also not the sixth
00:46:21well you know how i can change that real quick
00:46:30no no it was a six
00:46:40he knows his scars
00:46:42well your dad has what
00:46:43he had a 1924 model t
00:46:491928 model a
00:46:51almost sounds like
00:46:52sounds ones at piney
00:46:54the illustrious
00:46:57piney mansion
00:47:00no model t up there
00:47:02it's a model a
00:47:0231 model a up there
00:47:04nice
00:47:0529 model a
00:47:07no model t's though
00:47:08it's just kind of this
00:47:11myth of a place
00:47:13it's hard to get to it
00:47:16maybe it's getting worse
00:47:18two many young trees
00:47:2250 room mansion
00:47:25it's all finished yet
00:47:27nothing's empty
00:47:28eight stall garage
00:47:29with ten vehicles parked in
00:47:31roys-royce
00:47:33do some boat
00:47:35model a
00:47:37kaiser
00:47:39bam g
00:47:41and ndmo cycle
00:47:48anybody that's familiar with cars knows
00:47:50what a do some bird is
00:47:52it's the creme de la creme of
00:47:54american classic cars
00:47:56it would be worth a ton of money
00:47:58just a supercharger off the do some birds
00:48:00engine would be worth five figures at least
00:48:03is it easy to find
00:48:04no
00:48:07he has the license plates from all the cars
00:48:10in his place
00:48:11but i have never met
00:48:13anybody that's been there aside from wrong
00:48:18where's this from
00:48:20piney
00:48:21how'd you get it out
00:48:22carried out for energy
00:48:26here's the corner china color
00:48:27that's from piney
00:48:28yeah i got both of them
00:48:31that's from piney
00:48:32here's the nightstand from the bedroom
00:48:34and here's the chest of drawers
00:48:38well this came from up there
00:48:40there's a telephone
00:48:43teapot
00:48:45and that was up there too
00:48:47so is there anything left
00:48:49yes
00:48:51two or three box car loads
00:48:54it's all finished yet
00:48:56nothing's empty
00:48:57where does piney rank in the houses you found
00:49:01i'd say
00:49:03next to the best
00:49:05i found ones that easier to get to
00:49:07piney's downhill a little bit
00:49:09it's hard to get to it
00:49:11but that one's got more stuff in it than any other house
00:49:13oh yeah it's big
00:49:14how'd you find piney
00:49:16how'd you find piney
00:49:17i did the looking until we found the driveway
00:49:21and how long ago was that
00:49:242004 march
00:49:26what happened to the driveway
00:49:28not sure
00:49:32one thing we never did yet
00:49:34is walk that driveway back
00:49:37if it's there
00:49:39we have to find it
00:49:43in going through the diagnostic criteria for autism
00:49:45it's very clear he's on the spectrum
00:49:47that is what's contributing to that rigidity
00:49:50that's been so difficult for you guys as a family
00:49:53sometimes we can help them to become more flexible
00:49:55but he is not flexible
00:49:57i often said to my parents
00:49:59if they would hold him accountable
00:50:00it would make him more functional
00:50:04it's hard not to feel frustrated with your parents
00:50:07because part of you is like
00:50:08why didn't they get help
00:50:09but to be honest
00:50:10your mom did try to get help
00:50:11and then they didn't know what else to do
00:50:14and so then they just sort of stopped reaching out
00:50:17so in a sense it was a systemic problem i think
00:50:22so
00:50:24the big question is
00:50:26does he stay there or not
00:50:28if your mother's not there
00:50:31people of his generation
00:50:32if you ask where are they now
00:50:34some of them are just living in group homes
00:50:36that's one of the solutions
00:50:38however
00:50:38do we really want to take him out of that environment
00:50:41that's really not something that we want to do
00:50:43unless it actually came down to his safety
00:50:46or medical condition
00:50:48it would dictate that
00:50:49my concern
00:50:50honestly isn't for his safety there
00:50:52because i feel like it's actually fairly safe for him
00:50:55but my concern is of a liability
00:50:57oh yes
00:50:58he's not necessarily in danger
00:51:00but he's not noticing other people's safety
00:51:02and he's dragging people through
00:51:02who might get hurt
00:51:03and who then might actually sue
00:51:05yes
00:51:05the attorneys visited the place
00:51:08looked it over
00:51:09and basie said
00:51:10someone could sue you
00:51:11and you could lose everything
00:51:12yeah
00:51:13i'm not sure what his monetary needs will be
00:51:16but if we wait to the point where everyone feels like there's an emergency situation
00:51:20it might actually be a little bit difficult
00:51:22in order to get him what he needs
00:51:24so the best time to start moving forward
00:51:27in terms of exploring supports
00:51:29would be now
00:51:31we do want the best for him
00:51:33but we all have our own lives
00:51:34and we all have our own families
00:51:37so trying to continually focus on ron
00:51:41it's a huge challenge
00:51:42and there's no easy out
00:51:45we know we're not going to get his cooperation
00:51:49we're going to have to force it
00:51:56I live up by you
00:51:57oh you do
00:51:59I live up in Shikor
00:52:00I know Shikor real well
00:52:03soon as I see you walking down
00:52:05he wants to go through something
00:52:08yeah
00:52:09I just hate to see something like this destroyed
00:52:15just really nice wood in the old days
00:52:18oh yeah
00:52:18I know I take a look
00:52:241950 house?
00:52:26I don't know what it was
00:52:27the guy's been dead for 25 years
00:52:29oh
00:52:29oh
00:52:40today
00:52:41I'm reaching out to an autism expert at Yale
00:52:44I'm really hoping that he has some
00:52:47some ideas
00:52:47maybe he can even give us more options
00:52:49than what we are aware of currently
00:52:52given his age
00:52:53there's fairly few options
00:52:57for the kids that were seen by doctors
00:52:59in the 50s and 60s
00:53:00autism existed as a diagnosis
00:53:03but there were no experts in it really
00:53:06just a couple of people
00:53:07who originally described it
00:53:08and no one knew what to do with those kids
00:53:11and so by and large
00:53:12they ended up institutionalized
00:53:14even if they were fairly intelligent
00:53:16so it was really brave
00:53:18to not institutionalize
00:53:25you're out of time
00:53:26my boss is going to deal with me
00:53:29start tearing that
00:53:31this is the end you do first
00:53:34yeah right there
00:53:34right where the machine is
00:53:35they're coming right through that wall
00:53:37yeah
00:53:38I thought I was all that time to get this
00:53:42as many as you can
00:53:43I got 15 minutes
00:53:53I mean in your opinion
00:53:54if he is to be taken out of that environment
00:53:57what do you foresee happening to him
00:53:59I think it's predictable
00:54:00I think it's predictable
00:54:00that he would have problems adjusting
00:54:03because he can take any 60 year old person
00:54:06take all their favorite things away
00:54:08and put them in somewhere
00:54:09they're going to lash out
00:54:10and then you compound that with autism
00:54:13where you have emotion regulation problems
00:54:16and yeah it's pretty cruel
00:54:18to do that to somebody
00:54:21yeah we discussed that quite a bit
00:54:23I mean I'm really scared
00:54:25of what's going to happen
00:54:31there is nothing I can think of
00:54:33other than trying to keep him in there
00:54:36that's going to be beneficial to him
00:54:38I just cannot see a positive outcome
00:54:41unless he's allowed to stay in that environment
00:54:45my biggest fear is that he'll act out
00:54:47outside of an institution
00:54:49and then end up in the legal system
00:54:51that's the only group that
00:54:54won't refuse to take him
00:54:55right
00:54:55that's definitely not the right place for Ronald
00:54:59once that happens once
00:55:00it's just a revolving door
00:55:04I appreciate you coming on here
00:55:06yeah I wish I could be of more help
00:55:08it's a tough situation
00:55:11take care
00:55:17I don't know I'm kind of depressed now
00:55:19after talking to him
00:55:20because what options do we have here
00:55:23don't like to see it go down
00:55:27if they wanted somebody to come in
00:55:29and look after Ron
00:55:31state funding does not exist for that
00:55:33like he said he's going to end up in prison
00:55:40I work at Butler Memorial Hospital
00:55:42their behavioral health program
00:55:44I see people from group homes all the time
00:55:47they'll come in with scabies
00:55:49malnourished
00:55:51prison would be better
00:55:52than some of these places
00:55:55I've seen neglected people
00:55:57that have bed sores
00:55:59down to their bone
00:56:01it's just unbelievable
00:56:05there's some nice boards
00:56:08two three good ones
00:56:12I don't see another option
00:56:13I mean we have to find a way
00:56:14to keep him in there
00:56:15it's just
00:56:17what else is there
00:56:46why do you have all the clocks back there?
00:56:48these clocks
00:56:49I collect them
00:56:53any reason why you set them up like that?
00:56:56I display them all
00:56:59are all the clocks on time?
00:57:01no
00:57:03I have them all running at the same time though
00:57:09I do it every night too much time
00:57:12you know who these guys are?
00:57:14did you watch them?
00:57:15Bonnie and Clyde?
00:57:17oh you know it then
00:57:18have you seen that movie?
00:57:19yeah I watched that movie
00:57:21Indiana Jones
00:57:22have you ever seen that?
00:57:22no
00:57:23do you know who Steven Spielberg is?
00:57:25no
00:57:25do you know who Harrison Ford is?
00:57:27no
00:57:28how about
00:57:30Brad Pitt?
00:57:32no
00:57:32who?
00:57:33do you know who Michael Jordan is?
00:57:35no
00:57:35LeBron James?
00:57:37no
00:57:39Seinfeld?
00:57:39no
00:57:41Seinfeld?
00:57:42oh yeah I have that right here in the drawer
00:57:44that movie?
00:57:45yeah
00:57:46okay
00:57:49housebar glide
00:57:50housebar glide
00:57:51G-L-I-D-E
00:57:57that looks right
00:58:00I usually know it when I see it if it's right or not
00:58:05I'm not the best spell on some things but I can spell Cucamongo Go
00:58:14the neighbors here know me this place has been here 50 years
00:58:24everything's right here I need to keep me here
00:58:35I don't need anything
00:58:42so you try to write all the songs of one group down?
00:58:46yeah all ones I like
00:58:48so you don't forget them?
00:58:50no I remember them
00:58:54why do you write them down then?
00:58:55just like to have them around
00:58:57they're the good ones
00:59:11when Amanda did her evaluation she determined Ron is autistic
00:59:16did you or dad ever talk about Ron's future?
00:59:19no we just seemed to go along with what was going on at that time
00:59:24going to special ed
00:59:26I remember telling dad what I thought he didn't want to hear any of it
00:59:31yeah that's it
00:59:32he didn't
00:59:32he didn't agree with those
00:59:35we should have even thought about it after he graduated from high school
00:59:39yes
00:59:40but Ron did try to get jobs a couple different places
00:59:45yeah
00:59:45but every time he lasted about one month and that was it
00:59:49you know if something had to be done tomorrow
00:59:51it would be basically relocating
00:59:54you mean to live somewhere else?
00:59:56you almost have to rule out the house being one of the options
00:59:59would he go? would he want?
01:00:01he used to talk about you know this house and the land and how much effort it took to maintain
01:00:07it
01:00:08and you're always trying to have to do something, fix something, repair it
01:00:13you know that was dad talking about that
01:00:16let alone having Ron to try to do any of that stuff
01:00:21I know
01:00:21I mean unfortunately he created his own worst nightmare back there
01:00:26no you're not kidding
01:00:27he just keeps on building and building
01:00:30what he has back there is a huge safety issue to begin with
01:00:35that's true
01:00:36do you want him to stay in that?
01:00:39he's built structures that really doesn't allow anyone really to live there
01:00:45years ago my dad allowed him to run his own wire back to his house
01:00:49that way he could have electricity
01:00:51he builds more and more structures
01:00:54he runs more and more wiring through it
01:00:57and he tries to heat all those places in the winter
01:01:00the power bill has been over a thousand dollars a month
01:01:03and in fact he has burned out the meters
01:01:07because he draws more than what the meter's capabilities or capacity is
01:01:13what do you call this?
01:01:15I call it a tree
01:01:18so we know there's a lot of safety issues there
01:01:21you know not only is it putting his place at risk
01:01:24but it's also putting the main house at risk
01:01:26the filth, the safety, the health
01:01:29all those things he's going to put in jeopardy
01:01:32because he doesn't have any desire to change it
01:01:39you know it's not good for him long term wise
01:01:42but on the other hand you know that's the environment that he has that comfort level
01:01:48there are resources out there that can help
01:01:53but he doesn't have to learn how to deal with the changes that he can't say no to
01:02:01how much resistance he creates
01:02:04you know does he go into hiding and that type of thing
01:02:06that's a whole nother issue
01:02:09but you can't let his personal desire block something that is better for him long term wise
01:02:17but yet his friends just love coming to visit him
01:02:21yeah but you know they think oh this is fun and this is a great environment he got Ron
01:02:26but that's frustrating because there's people that are going to have to make a commitment to make it work
01:02:32so far I don't think any of his friends has signed up to make that commitment
01:02:40any one of us could move into that house
01:02:42but I've got four kids you know I got a full time job
01:02:45I'm like you I got kids I don't have the time all the time
01:02:50right and it's hard to deal with
01:02:53I had thought having somebody move in to Mary's place
01:02:56yeah would be perfect to just kind of look after Ron do what they did
01:03:00yeah cook them meals
01:03:01keep an eye on them
01:03:02I think that's a great idea
01:03:04but you're gonna have to have the finances to back it
01:03:07obviously if he lives 35 more years you're talking a lot of money
01:03:11yeah
01:03:11what I'd like to see happen is some finances set up
01:03:15so whoever moves in there
01:03:17is gonna be able to financially cover
01:03:23what did Tim say the plan is?
01:03:26I don't think I have enough money to keep it going
01:03:30I don't see how it's gonna work
01:03:35I've got a house pretty much the way I want
01:03:38now it's impossible to move I mean
01:03:41near freight train
01:03:47where am I going to get the money to get things right?
01:03:52it don't stop
01:04:05I don't want this in front of the lens
01:04:07you can do that
01:04:17I would say a million dollars plus
01:04:19even if it's not a Duesenberg
01:04:20if the cars are in the shape that he says they're in
01:04:23well he has plates that were last registered like in the 50s
01:04:26for all these supposed vehicles in his place
01:04:30he showed me these plates
01:04:31and they look like they're in good condition
01:04:34it's very convincing
01:04:35he said these cars are in beautiful shape
01:04:37he said it looks like you could just get in them and drive them away
01:04:40this is my one possible theory
01:04:42you know whenever you cross that bridge
01:04:45across the Clarion River
01:04:47there's a camp or some sort of a residence
01:04:50that the driveway has been completely consumed by grass
01:04:54and if you look on your maps
01:04:56you'll see two buildings beside each other
01:04:59and then if you look on the woods line beside it
01:05:02you'll see two buildings that are roughly the same size
01:05:05but they're half consumed by the woods
01:05:07but they're down in the valley
01:05:09it fits the description
01:05:11it's in the same location as Ronald's original map
01:05:14and you just come around that hillside
01:05:16and you come down into the valley
01:05:17and you're still in the woods
01:05:19but you're coming right into the back side of these two buildings
01:05:22and I wonder if that's what he was doing
01:05:24you know there's little oil well roads up on that hillside
01:05:29and one of them tapers down
01:05:31and you can see it taper down through the woods
01:05:33and it leads right in behind those two buildings
01:05:36on the edge of that woods
01:05:37and that's my theory is what he's talking about
01:05:40is right there
01:05:42and the only way to find out for sure
01:05:44you camo up and you go in and you circle around
01:05:47and you go and see for yourself to see if it's there
01:06:00Hi Joyce!
01:06:02I have my entourage with me
01:06:03Hi, I'm Joyce Cunningham, the Administrator here
01:06:07Good to meet you!
01:06:08This is our main dining area.
01:06:10This is where we do a lot of our activities and things also.
01:06:14We're actually going to have a country kitchen here
01:06:16where we'll be serving their meals and everything right out of there.
01:06:20The other day we started making stuffed apple cookies.
01:06:23They turned into little mini pies.
01:06:27I love doing things like that.
01:06:30All right.
01:06:32We can take you up this way.
01:06:38So where did we park when we came up here the last time?
01:06:41It was right here.
01:06:41Right here.
01:06:43Yeah.
01:06:44People found us.
01:06:45The Piney Mansion is a place that we've spent a small fortune,
01:06:50countless hours trying to find.
01:06:53One time he took us through a tunnel
01:06:56that had probably caved in 50 years ago.
01:07:01There's a giant mound of rubble.
01:07:03And Rob said, this isn't good.
01:07:06Climbing over rocks in this tunnel,
01:07:08and there's stuff falling above us, you know.
01:07:10I'm thinking to myself, this is absolutely crazy.
01:07:13What am I doing in here?
01:07:16We exit the tunnel and I'm like,
01:07:18glad that's over.
01:07:20And now we're staring at a 300-yard long abandoned train bridge.
01:07:26It's just railroad ties on rusty ironwork.
01:07:32300 feet off the Clarion River.
01:07:36I make two steps on there, and I'm looking at treetops.
01:07:41They're side-stepping across this thing.
01:07:43I said, Ron, there better be something good on the other side.
01:07:47We start walking, and we get halfway across until we're looking at a gap in the ties down 300 feet.
01:07:57He walked over, and he walked on that steel beam,
01:08:00got back on the railroad ties,
01:08:02and then kept on walking.
01:08:05So we crossed the bridge.
01:08:08And when we got there, we found nothing.
01:08:20Okay, see that place on the left, Sean?
01:08:22Where the raft's along the railroad?
01:08:24Oh, right there.
01:08:24Yeah, all right, down the road.
01:08:30All righty.
01:08:35If he would choose to have a private room,
01:08:38he would have a bed, a dresser, a nightstand, a wardrobe.
01:08:42And then if he's in a private room, he has his own bath.
01:08:44Bath fit.
01:08:45It's a private room.
01:08:45Yeah.
01:08:46Yeah.
01:08:46Okay.
01:08:47And there's no shower.
01:08:48We have two shower rooms, one on each end of the hall.
01:08:51Yep.
01:08:51The TVs are included in the room, which is nice.
01:08:55And I've come up here three or four times with him,
01:08:57and each time, you know, we'd go in a different way.
01:09:01You would think, but you can't miss it.
01:09:04Well, you can.
01:09:06The woods is so dense.
01:09:07The pine trees are so dense.
01:09:09Right here is where we go up this little ridge.
01:09:14You could be walking through the pine forest
01:09:16and fall right off the face of this thing
01:09:18and not even realize it.
01:09:21Holy Christ.
01:09:22It's a little tricky.
01:09:27We're in trouble.
01:09:43We've actually found houses where the brush was so thick
01:09:48that you're standing on the porch
01:09:49before you know there's a house there.
01:09:51And that's how thick it is, a piney mansion.
01:09:59Now, how about he gets here,
01:10:02and, you know, like a week later, boom, he wants to leave.
01:10:05How do you deal with that?
01:10:06Because that's one of our biggest concerns.
01:10:08He is very used to getting his own way.
01:10:11This would be a big change for him.
01:10:13Okay.
01:10:15Each home's going to have rules,
01:10:17and he'll have to follow them.
01:10:19Some people, they can't do that, though.
01:10:21If he decides not to follow the rules,
01:10:24the home can give him a 30-day notice.
01:10:28You guys ready?
01:10:30I think we wore Mike out.
01:10:33I'm probably just going to sit here for a half an hour
01:10:35until I can feel my shins.
01:10:36Ron says we ain't even halfway there yet.
01:10:38You're going to miss that, uh, Duesenberg.
01:10:41I ain't carrying it back.
01:10:42Well, if you start having a heart attack,
01:10:44call my phone.
01:10:45We'll come back for you.
01:10:46I don't think we can get a helicopter in there yet.
01:10:49I kind of feel bad leaving him there.
01:10:58We have more men here than women
01:11:00by about a two-to-one ratio.
01:11:02Our average age is 59,
01:11:05and all of our residents
01:11:06carry a mental health diagnosis.
01:11:09Okay.
01:11:09That's the primary reason they're here.
01:11:11Everyone here has lived on their own,
01:11:14and we're unsuccessful at something,
01:11:17whether it be, you know, bathing, dressing,
01:11:20medication management,
01:11:21you know, all of those things.
01:11:36This is part of the old road.
01:11:38Might have had the best part right here.
01:11:41I better check on him,
01:11:42make sure he's still alive.
01:11:44He might not have no signal.
01:11:50That's a good one, though.
01:11:53No service.
01:11:54If we tried to call 911,
01:11:56we'd be in trouble.
01:11:58Did you hear that?
01:11:59I did.
01:12:03Those voices sound like they came from
01:12:06right over there on the hill.
01:12:07I would say.
01:12:12We better keep quiet.
01:12:13Sound travel.
01:12:15Oh, yeah.
01:12:16Especially down the hill.
01:12:19I've got that eerie feeling
01:12:20of being in someone's crosshair.
01:12:22That's what's going to happen.
01:12:24I told my wife that this morning.
01:12:28I hope you see the top of my head come off.
01:12:31You just hit the ground.
01:12:34In this building here,
01:12:35we have bedroom, bathroom, bedroom, bedroom.
01:12:39We have four guys that are living here now.
01:12:42This is one of those buildings.
01:12:43The guys that are in here
01:12:44aren't just, like, dug in.
01:12:47Not a lot of turnover.
01:12:49Hey, Jim, how are you?
01:12:50Hi.
01:12:51I was a dentist this morning.
01:12:52Yeah, I was a dentist.
01:12:54Yeah, I was a dentist.
01:12:55Yeah, okay.
01:12:58This almost looks like a driveway.
01:13:07Can you hear that?
01:13:08What?
01:13:09I hope, fuck, four swine.
01:13:11We've got to be getting close.
01:13:14I got a good feeling about this road.
01:13:17Well, it's steep.
01:13:19And tiny steep?
01:13:20In the back.
01:13:23You guys see that structure up there?
01:13:26What the hell is that?
01:13:30We have found something.
01:13:36I really wasn't sure if we were moving forward
01:13:38or what was happening, so...
01:13:41We, you know,
01:13:43we're going to say
01:13:43Ron could stay where he's at,
01:13:45but is it really the right thing to do?
01:13:47I mean, just from a standpoint,
01:13:50the older home needs a lot of maintenance and repair,
01:13:53and it's like he's not...
01:13:54He doesn't want to do any of that.
01:13:55Right.
01:13:57You know, so it's like, you know,
01:14:00are we really just prolonging something
01:14:03that we should do...
01:14:04Right.
01:14:05...up front?
01:14:05Okay.
01:14:08Uh...
01:14:10Yeah.
01:14:12Yeah.
01:14:38What is it there?
01:14:39Hi, Ron.
01:14:43I'm going to get it off.
01:15:00Kind of a workshop.
01:15:03There's a quad in there.
01:15:07This is probably a campsite, I would imagine.
01:15:09A campsite.
01:15:10The cabins are pretty clean.
01:15:12I don't think anybody's been here recently,
01:15:14but they're definitely watched and maintained.
01:15:17Well, it's sitting up there.
01:15:20Do you think he's spooked because of those voices?
01:15:22Yeah.
01:15:22Let me collect Ronald, and we'll figure out.
01:15:25I'd twist the brag, or I don't think I'd
01:15:26go back through the woods.
01:15:28What about Mike?
01:15:30He probably already found his way back.
01:15:36The buzzard's looking for us.
01:15:43Boy, does this suck.
01:15:47I was really hoping to find it today, just like Ron said it was.
01:16:00But being that we have been on every other inch of this entire area,
01:16:06this is the only spot that we haven't been in.
01:16:09This is it.
01:16:11No tiny mansion.
01:16:18Now somebody's going to have to lend us a million bucks.
01:16:22Oh, no.
01:16:24Do you think it could be somewhere else that Ron's just confused?
01:16:27I don't know.
01:16:28I just don't know.
01:16:30I don't think Ron would make it up.
01:16:34But it's not here.
01:16:43I hope it is still out here.
01:16:45I really do.
01:16:47It's that one story that never goes away.
01:16:51As long as he holds on to it, then I'm going to, too.
01:16:56It's got to be somewhere else.
01:16:57Has to be.
01:16:58We've been everywhere.
01:17:00You're sure it's in this plot of land?
01:17:02Go through the tunnel, back to the old bandit railroad.
01:17:06When the warm weather comes, we'll go back again.
01:17:09It's 2-11.
01:17:12Let's get rolling.
01:17:13Yeah, let's head back to the front.
01:17:15I don't say.
01:17:16We gave it a shot, Ron.
01:17:18I don't say we go on IA and head east and keep looking over here until we see an eight
01:17:23-star
01:17:24garage in the big house.
01:17:26Then we'll get all berries.
01:17:27We can do that.
01:17:29Then I'll see what you say of getting old dove to buy a road.
01:17:34Now over there, Piney Mansion, I wouldn't like taking Dad back to, but I was telling Mom, I said, he
01:17:43can't do that.
01:17:45Not his age walking up far.
01:17:47What?
01:17:52Would he have loved those cars?
01:17:53Oh, yes.
01:17:55He would have been up the whole day as he made it.
01:18:00I did take Dad back to Robbinsville.
01:18:10He really talked about that.
01:18:12He's enjoying that.
01:18:20He's enjoying that.
01:18:23He's enjoying that.
01:18:24He's enjoying that.
01:18:26I'm enjoying the ride.
01:18:31He's enjoying the ride.
01:18:31I'm enjoying the ride.
01:18:50I've been enjoying the ride.
01:18:53I'll go like a snake.
01:18:59I understand the challenge that my parents had throughout their life dealing with Ron.
01:19:07They did what they had to do.
01:19:10Once my mother passes away, I don't expect that we'll be able to support him there beyond five years.
01:19:18Right down the right hand side here.
01:19:22So I am making the final decision to say you have to move.
01:19:27You have to transition to a different environment.
01:19:32I hate the idea of him being pulled out of that place.
01:19:36But I don't have the power to stop.
01:19:46I can't imagine going into a group home to hang out with Ron.
01:19:54He's probably going to be withdrawn.
01:19:56He's not going to talk.
01:19:59And if he does talk, what's he going to talk about?
01:20:03Memories?
01:20:05Because that's all he'll have at that point.
01:20:08I wish I could give Mom a solid plan.
01:20:12She wants to know he's going to be okay.
01:20:16Take one day at a time and hope for the best.
01:20:20That's what I always say.
01:20:25There's no happy ending.
01:20:29No.
01:20:30It is what it is.
01:20:41Ronald is a survivor.
01:20:43He can't not be a survivor.
01:20:45He'll find a way.
01:20:50What stories would I tell people?
01:20:53I wouldn't have them.
01:20:58He's literally one of God's masterpieces.
01:21:02Why would you want him to conform
01:21:05when it's his non-conformity that makes him who he is?
01:21:10Now, could you have done that way a regular shovel at quick?
01:21:13I don't know if it's his non-conformity that makes him who he is.
01:22:01I love you, but it is.
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