About Lola

Let me begin by stating that the Lola I love more than life is my niece Lola T. who is my namesake. She calls me aunt Lo. She is amazing… black belt in Taekwondo and symphony level violinist. She’s 12.  

That being said, there is another Lola in my life. She’s a mannequin head. Yes. You read that right. Here’s the story – at least what I can remember and/or found out. 

My dear friend Sarah Pinkerton (where ARE you, Sarah????) received the head in the mail from her brother Tim who lived in New York City. This had to be around 1987. We were all deadheads – including Sarah. The note in the box read, “a deadhead for a deadhead” or something like that. Sarah named her Lola and she immediately went everywhere with us. 

We weren’t always nice to Lola. I remember playing soccer with her one wild night. She had the last laugh by nearly breaking all of our toes! God knows the things she has had drawn on her. Well, I do know some things but will never tell (5th amendment and all). Needless to say she has had a LOT of “work” done!

I do remember taking Lola to Las Vegas in 1991 to see the Dead with my friends Sarah and Jen. I drove my RX7. There were three of us in a two seat car. Plus Lola. We got there and didn’t have anywhere to stay but had friends who had hotel rooms. How on earth did we coordinate before cell phones? Somehow Lola got left in Lorri Nucci’s room at the Flamingo. We were staying with Ricky and Carman at some place that no longer exists miles away. 

Jen had a little (!!!) more energy than the rest of us. When we woke up we noticed that Lola was there. WTF? After much persuasion Jen confessed to WALKING to the Flamingo, somehow finding Lorri, recovering Lola and making it back without anyone being the wiser. I have some seriously James Bond badass friends. 

So Lola made it back to Chico where I lost track of her for more than 15 years. I hear she traveled abroad. She lived with Jen in Hungary for some time before returning to Seattle and eventually making it back to Ricky in Portland. I saw her again during a Patron fueled Christmas tamale making party. I swore I would make her a proper website and keep in touch with everybody. Ah booze. I did keep in touch with Ricky but never gave another thought to Lola. 

I bought a restaurant instead. Jam made me break every promise I ever made. Anyone in that business will understand. It’s all consuming. Time moved on and yada yada yada… Ricky got very sick. I had no idea how sick until he died on July 21. One of his last Facebook posts was of Lola saying he had found her in his closet.
When I went to his memorial his mom, Ardis, gave her to me. I wanted to take her on my trip. When my artist friend, Brenda Dunn saw Lola (and watched as her ear fell off) she demanded to give her a makeover. She has never been more glamorous. Brenda put her in a special box just the right size. She fits in a section of my dashboard facing out – eerily exact. People ask me about her everywhere I stop. 

She’s like having a piece of all my friends who had her before are traveling with me. I know I’m incredibly weird but Lola makes me happy. I might put a sign next to her – #ISawLola. See what happens. 

Update:

As I was leaving a campsite my across-the-way neighbor ran out to talk to me. He said, “that’s some (and I thought he was going to say RV because she is a pretty Bird) head you have there.” I introduced him to Lola and told her the story. He continued to tell me how he went to bed with her watching and even though he knew she was there – she still scared him when he woke up. He thought I had her there to scare away intruders! We roll creepy with a side of creepy