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Apartments in Pueblo, Colorado - tadpole phase.
(less than one year)
Trailer in Pueblo, Colorado - I was born - still getting used to the idea.
(less than one year)
House in Guymon
(less than one year)
Another House in Guymon
(less than one year)
With my father for about a year after being brat-napped for a while. Don't remember the exact locations.
(about one year)
My mom thought I was dead because my father left his car abandoned next to Sunset Lake in Guymon, Oklahoma. They drug the lake for my body - luckily I missed that event! They finally tracked us down and got me back. Dunno where all I went, but we probably didn't go to Disney Land.
Yet another House in Guymon - house was burglarized.
(less than one year)
Yep, another House in Guymon
(less than one year)
With Mom's friend Bonnie in another House in Guymon
(less than one year)
Lived With Mom's Aunt Robbie, Uncle Bud, their Sons Randy and Tim
(one summer)
One more time - a House in Guymon near Mom's parents
(less than one year)
Woodward, Oklahoma
(less than one year)
House in Amarillo with Mom and brother
(less than one year)
Had wooden living room floor, a step down to the kitchen, pencil sharpener on the wall in the kitchen next to the door to the living room. Rode tricycles in living room when Great Grandpa and his son Don visited.
Lived with relatives Carl, Nadine, and their son Danny in Amarillo
(less than one year)
Danny had a Hot Wheels car collection (I took one and kept it for years). My mother got really sick there - they carried her to the back porch where it was cooler - Danny took care of me that night and tore off my fingernail which was hanging by a thread due to an earlier mishap. My brother and I had stickhorses - one of which was named Buster (sounded like Bastard when urged on at full gallop). Played mumbly-peg with the little boy next door who had a small knife - didn't know it was called mumbley-peg then.
Were sitting at a McDonalds in the car when my mom asked my brother and me if we wanted to move back to Guymon where my grandparents lived. We all voted "yes" - but my brother and I were less than 3 years old, so I'm not sure how much weight our votes carried. My mom packed everything into the car and we laid on top of a bunch of stuff for the trip back to the dusty plains.
Lived With Mom's Aunt Robbie, Uncle Bud, their Sons Randy and Tim
(less than one year)
Wow - a lot of stuff happened here - or my memory just kicked in then!
Randy had several different motorcycles - one had a stick shift. Most of them looked like junk to my young eyes. There were rabbit cages behind the house. My brother and I had Tonka trucks - the wheels got melted when we left them by the garbage cans and the trash was burned. Randy and Tim got a wood burning set (popular at the time) and I can still remember the smell of burning wood. It smelled so good that I'm surprised that I'm not a pyromaniac. They also had a Lite-Brite -wish I had one now! Uncle Bud worked for Hitches farm and ranch and seemed to sleep a lot while snoring very loudly. My brother and I got sick and Robbie made us eat Vicks (I still say she made us eat the stuff - I don't care what the warning label says!). The house had a bar in the kitchen. Robbie taught me to write my name in all capital letters - it took a lot of arguments before my teachers could get me to use small letters. Randy and Tim put streamers on our tricycle handle bars and pushed us up and down the sidewalk. My mom started dating Terry. He bought my brother and me see-through plastic windup toys you could take apart. We did. We seemed to go on a lot of dates with my mom and Terry. Met Terry's little brother Todd - he was just a little boy then - I remember him sitting in Terry's brown pickup.
House with the Red Rug - Guymon
(less than one year)
First house my mother and Terry lived in after marriage. Had red carpet. My brother and I slept on a sleeper couch. Terry had us race to the bed to see who got to sleep next to the wall. Woke my parents up one (or several) nights visiting them in their room with flashlights. Had a dog - it ran away. Had a rabbit - same fate. The house was near an undeveloped area which dropped a hundred feet or so and was inhabited by skunks. There was a storage shed in the back yard (from whence the dog escaped - stupid dog). My brother and I left our tricycles behind the neighbor's car one night - bad idea - my brother and I were without transportation for a while.
Trailer House on the Hill at Vantine's Ranch
(less than one year)
This one was real interesting when the wind blew - the hall down the side of the trailer would change from rectangular to a somewhat more artistic trapezoidal. Told my mom that my favorite food was sweet potatoes (it's not anymore). There were horny toads everywhere - carried them in our pockets. Neighbors had an electrified wire at the base of their fence to keep the dog from digging out. Their son Ryan would turn off the fence and entice the dog to start digging and then turn it back on - much to the dog's chagrin. It snowed one time and you could walk over the fences. Pee'd my pants outside the front door after playing in the snow - couldn't get my winter clothes off fast enough. Got chased by a snake that slithered sideways. I was terrified that I would get bitten by a snake at night - thought that if I would put a Dole banana sticker on my skin (they were red then) the snakes would mistake it for a snake bite and leave me alone - tainted goods, I suppose. There was a wooden shade or hut out back. Ryan and I convinced my brother to swing down from the top on a wire - like Tarzan. Tarzan is apparently very good at estimating vine lengths, tree heights, gravitational forces and other things of that ilk. My brother became acutely aware of our own weaknesses in performing these same calculations.
Began Kindergarten, wouldn't let my mom walk me to class the first day. Sometime that year got spanked for breaking my pencil lead during a test. I was showing off by holding it between my upper lip and nose by curling my upper lip. I learned this trick from Terry - thanks dude!
Other brother Brady was born while we lived here.
Rock House at Vantine's Ranch
(about 3 years)
Part of the house had rock walls three feet thick. Supposedly "tornado proof". Had a Cotton Wood tree out front, which is the second best tree species in the world. The best tree in the world is the Aspen. They don't much grow in Oklahoma. Rumor had it that a previous occupant had hung himself from that tree.
Learned to ride a bicycle at this house. Somebody gave Brent and me a couple of old bicycles - I think it was Rooster Reust. Mine was green, Brent's was purple. They had banana seats of sparkly plastic, which was quite in style at the time. The bikes were too big for us to mount properly, so we would maneuver them near the little rock hedge around the front yard. By stepping on the rocks, we could straddle the bike and push off. We finally got good enough to ride down the dirt road in front of the house, but it was too narrow for us to turn around and come back. When we reached the end of the road a glorious crash was the reward, followed by a trek back to the launch pad. The first time we ever successfully made a u-turn in the road was a fine day indeed!
I had a bad experience with a broken saddle strap here as well - ended with me on the ground.
Terry had a bad experience with a donkey here - damned funny to watch, and I don't think that barbed wire fence hurt him all that bad. Another time we were in full pursuit of said donkey in a Ford pickup. The donkey was dragging a rope with which Terry had previously lassoed him before realizing the futility of trying to stop a runaway 300 pound plus beast with his bare hands. When the pickup's tires "accidentally" ran over the rope the donkey did a theatrically impressive flip. We didn't actually run over the little shit, but it wasn't for lack of trying. Terry later sold the donkey to some poor sap for a few measley dollars. I didn't help the sale much because I felt some strange need to describe the donkey's personality. Terry told the guy the donkey was great for kids to ride, which was a lie because I don't remember one single time ANYBODY managed to ride that damned thing for more than a few seconds. The guy bought the donkey anyway, a testimony to Terry's salesmanship and/or the power of a really low pricing structure.
Found out sheep die pretty easy - either that or they really don't like having their wool sheared for three hours (Australian sheep shearers shear an entire sheep in less than 30 seconds).
Brady used to ask for a drink of water by whispering "ticka ticka ticka" in your ear. We used to tell him that Daddy was coming home and he would go stand on a stool by the back door looking out the window saying "DaDa". Since we found this amusing for some reason, he ended up doing this a lot. He got back at us by waking us up night after night to wind up his ugly orange musical bear.
The house developed sewer problems so Terry dug up the sewer lines. His technique was somewhat suspect - the front yard ended up looking like the Mei Kong delta meets the Panama canal. A skunk was living under Brady's room so Terry set a trap on a chain just outside the hole. When the skunk got caught, it dragged the trap back under the house. Terry got sprayed by the skunk and had to shoot it under the house. Brady slept with us for a month. I don't remember where Terry slept, but he proved that bathing in tomato juice doesn't really kill skunk smell all that well.
Terry cut himself with his Old Timer pocket knife - almost fainted when my mom was cleaning the wound.
Terry offered to pay us kids a quarter for every 5 gallon bucket of nails we would pick up from the ground around the house. Never got a single damned dime out of that one, but I learned the meaning of futility!
Brent and I tried to make the "ultimate dessert". We mixed every sweet thing we could find - chocolate syrup, ganular sugar, powdered sugar, maple syrup - you name it. It SUCKED!
We kids got in trouble with my mom one time. She asked us if we wanted a spanking from her or Terry. Duh! She hits like a weeny. Still does.
Brent and I slept in the rock portion of the house while Brady and our parents slept in the wood frame portion. I was always afraid a tornado would blow them away in the middle of the night.
House in Elkhart, Kansas
(about 1 year)
This whole time pretty much sucked.
Fell in love with a girl named Melissa in 4th grade, but was too shy to make a go of it. Learned about sex, or at least part of the story, from schoolmates. Had a lengthy discussion about male and female differences with a girl - very informative - discussion only - no lab work.
Got glasses. Ugly glasses. Beginning of my career as a nerd. Thank God for that, since only nerds know the secrets of the universe.
This was the only time we lived in town from the time I was in 1st grade through graduation. It was also the worst influence on my character I can recall. In fact, remembering this right now makes me want to move to the country for the sake of my children's future. No kidding.
Trailer House near Swift Meat Packing Plant in Guymon
(about 1 year)
Stayed at my great grandfather's house some while parent's worked. President Nixon was impeached. Great grandpa said they should drag him behind a pickup after attaching his ankles with bailing wire.
Didn't get along too well with fellow students. Beat one of them up and ended up being a target for a group of classmates. Teachers called me a bully. Teachers aren't always that smart.
House in the Valley near Kerrick, Texas
(about 3 years)
This time period probably defined my life more than any other - until I later redefined it 20 years later to better suit my style!
Except for the power lines stretching towards civilization, this house was totally isolated from the world. No other structures were visible.
Went to school in Stratford, TX for remainder of 4th grade at Carrier Elementary. Moved to Stratford Middle School for 5th through 8th grades.
House on the Plains near Kerrick, Texas
(about 6 years)
This was the first really nice house we lived in, and my parents still live there as of March 2002.
Finished grades 8 through 12 at Stratford High School.
Coleman Hall at Texas Tech
(about 8 months)
My first residence away from home. Mostly inhabited by Frat boys who puked and pissed in the elevator.
Domino's pizza had a "twenty minute delivery or it's free" guarantee. Students used to take the elevators to the 11th floor, stop them, and then call for pizza to the 11th floor. The delivery guy would wait at the bottom for an elevator until the last possible minute before realizing they weren't gonna come - and then he would have to sprint up 11 flights of stairs. No, I never did this - I had developed a conscience by this time.
Favorite mathematical term found written on a bathroom wall:GPA->0 EE->BA (more amusing when written in mathematical format)
As your GPA approaches 0, you change from an Electrical Engineering degree to a Business Administration degree. (apologies to all you BA's - leave your retort in the guest book!)
Something I overheard in the elevator as spoken by a somewhat effeminate frat boy:"I am so fu**ed when Daddy gets my grades! When I got a 2.0 last year he took away my Camaro and gave me a Toyota. What's he gonna do now? Give me a Yugo?"
(and yes, the college boy did say "Daddy")
Top Story of a Rent House in Kokomo, Indiana
(about 2 months)
I lived here during a misguided attempt at selling educational books door-to-door for Southwest Books. Across from a cemetary. Lived on really old pink coconut sno-puffs because they were 4 for a buck.
One of the most miserable times of my life. Saw the movie "Ghost Busters" there, and "Gremlins" the next night. Drove all over the county listening to Bruce Springfield's "Dancing in the Dark".
Jim Jones, a high school classmate, died in a farm accident back in Stratford during this time.
Indianapolis was one of the most beautiful cities I had ever seen. It has a central square with a statue and a fountain. I tried to get a job at a Steak & Shake there.
Joe Bill Boren's Apartment
(about 2 weeks)
Thanks, Joe!
DeLynn Ramsey made a curious comment to me - still trying to figure it out.
Two Door Toyota Corolla
(about 6 weeks)
What a horrid little car! Faded green paint, really bad engine with lots of bailing wire and band-aids. Damned thing just wouldn't quit running. Also had the most comfortable car seat I've ever slept in.
I was down to my last 5 dollars when I finally got a job at the Wienerschnitzel. I spent most of the time parked across the street at the grocery store parking lot. I took showers every day at Texas Tech right across the street from there. I slept in empty auditoriums, class rooms, lounge areas, and hallways to escape the heat when I worked nights. When I worked days, I slept in the car with the radio on - the memorable song of the day was Cory Hart's "I Ain't Missin' You".
THIS WAS ONE OF THE BEST TIMES OF MY LIFE, AND YES, I DID REALIZE IT AT THE TIME.
I learned then that it doesn't matter where you live or what you drive. It's all about what you think you are.
I met Mark McSorley, Toni Wheeler, and Kim Bealmer there. Each deserves a lot more than a single line of text, but I will leave that for another day.
Murdough Hall at Texas Tech
(about 4 months)
I still worked at the Wienerschnitzel. I got tired of school and decided to take the spring semester off. I became manager of the Wienerschnitzel a few months later.
Honeycomb Apartments in Lubbock, Texas
(about 18 months)
My first apartments. Very ugly and made of cinderblocks, but cheap and across the street from Texas Tech.
I scored my first kiss at age 19 here. Undoubtedly better than kissing your own forearm (some of you will know what I'm talking about). I lived with my first girlfriend (my future wife) while in these apartments.
I left Wienerschnitzel for Pinocchio's Pizza and tried to return to school. School and pizza joint worked out equally badly. Quit school and went to work for Albertson's grocery store on Indiana and 50th street.
Sundial Village Apartments in Lubbock, Texas
(about 1 year)
I married my first wife when we moved here. We split up while living here as well. She deserved a lot more than I had to offer and a helluva lot more than I gave. Not much else to report.
An Office near Avenue Q
(about 3 months)
Took showers at Texas Tech. My sole mode of transportation was a 250cc Kawasaki motorcycle. Taking laundry to the laundro-mat was a challenge.
Apartments, name forgotten
(6 months)
Roomed with Scottie Scott, a co-worker at Albertson's. Left Albertson's for Applied Hydraulics to work as a programmer/electronics designer the week I moved in.
House, near 34th and Indiana
(6 months)
Roomed with Scottie Scott. Didn't pay any rent - the house was owned by my boss at Applied Hydraulics and we were "house-sitting" for him.
Camper on a Pick-up truck parked in an Office/Shop near Slide Road
(6 months)
Took showers at a gym where I had a membership.
House in New Braunfels
(3 weeks)
Stayed at my Applied Hydraulics boss's house after moving from Lubbock while looking for permanent housing.
Camper Trailer in Applied Hydraulics Shop Building
(3 weeks)
I bought an 18 foot travel trailer and parked it in the shop while looking for a permanent spot.
Camper Trailer in Landa Trailer Park of New Braunfels
(6 months)
Lived 30 feet from the crystal clear waters of the Comal River (shortest river in Texas) where it emerges from the old mill in Landa park. The squirrels used my trailer roof as a freeway. They were so loud when they landed that I often thought someone was walking on my roof.
Camper on a Pick-up truck parked at NDT Systems
(4 months)
No air conditioner - it was hot.
Apartments on Wallisville Road in Houston
(6 months)
Roomed with Ron Easter while his wife sold their house in California before she joined him in Houston. Ron and I have had many good conversations over the years about life and work.
Camper Trailer in Trailer Park on C.E. King Parkway in Houston
(1 year)
No air conditioner - it was hot.
Apartments near 42nd and Grandview in Odessa, Texas
(about 2-1/2 years)
Wow, a lot of stuff happened here. Met my second (and last) wife, Shelby, during this time.
Apartments on Tidwell in Houston, Texas
(6 months)
Lived here with Shelby.
Apartments on Pinemont in Houston, Texas
(6 months)
Married Shelby while living here.
House on Fairbanks-N. Houston in Houston, Texas
(2 years)
Hunter was born while we lived here.
House on Beef Canyon near Hockley, Texas
(2 years)
Noah was born while we lived here.
House on N. Navaho near Katy, Texas
(1 year)
Just a place to live.
House on Dinner Creek near Katy, Texas
(1-1/2 years)
Shelby's favorite home so far - two story.
Old Virginia Wilson house in Folsom, NM
(7 months)
This is my parent's vacant retirement home. We are living here until we can prepare a home on my adjacent property.
I bought the property over 10 years ago, and have wanted to move here for some time. When the company I worked for was bought by another company, most of my colleagues were fired and my office moved across town. After driving three hours per day in crawling traffic to reach a job in which I no longer had a vested interest, I threw in the towel.
For me and the boys, this place is nearly Heaven. The weather in the fall is indescribably beautiful - 80 degree temperatures with a gentle cool breeze. We have spent more time outside in three weeks than we did in three years in Houston. And of course there are mountains, streams, waterfalls, antelope, deer, elk, owls, and bears, to name a few of the more interesting highlights.
As for the dog, I have never seen such a change in an animal. He would rarely stay outside in Houston for long, and avoided laying in the dirt at all cost. Now he stretches out on the bare ground, in the weeds, or any convenient place and soaks up the sun and the cool breeze.
In regards to my wife, she is having a bit of difficulty in adjusting to the move from a city of four million to a village of seventy-seven eccentric souls. While I spent my formative years growing up in an even more secluded area than Folsom, my wife has always lived in the city. Check back and see how that all works out!
House at 93 Bayley in Folsom, NM
(Since March of 2004)
We moved a house, a double-wide, onto my property in Folsom. This is the first house that I am actually purchasing. It's been a lot of work getting things set up and I have a long way to go. It faces west down the valley with an unobstructed view, and Mount Capulin is visible from the front door. I plan to be here a while, but forces beyond my control often dictate where it is that I call home.
Sadly, after ten years together, my wife left in search of greener pastures - and she didn't invite me to go along. Life just works that way sometimes.