- Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid". ― Albert Einstein
Tonight on the coldest day of the year so far in Texas. It is in the thirties, still chilly but pretty tame by Idaho standards. Yet still a big thing here as the local newscasters have been warning nonstop about the coming "Big Chill", like it was some biblical event. Actually I view it as a nice break from the often uncomfortable too humid and too hot weather. Naturally it is also the busiest day of the fracking operation with a lot of activity and vehicles in and out of our gate every few minutes. We have not been stationed this close before and not completely unaware of the hazards here. I have been eyeing a large cloud of dust arising from the site that has been thankfully blowing the other direction. We are however downwind of the numerous Diesel rigs and live with that acrid smell more than I would like.
This same scenario is occurring all over Texas all of the time. In a recent drive to San Antonio I observed a lot of other RV's occupied by Gate Guards parked similarly. Still, this is a gig not for everyone. Myself and other folks we have met in Texas had not even heard of this independent contractor gate guard thing. But for those who are interested, this is an opportunity. I haven't talked about it, guess were not supposed to but it's possible to make pretty good money here. With amazing flexibility. One can almost work when he wants. The only requirement is to own an RV and acquire a low level Texas Security certification. Not mind being perched at the end of a Caliche road and being around sometimes two Diesel generators running round the clock. Also the gate needs to be manned 24/7. Shoot, the rent, power and water are free. But, like I said it is not without risks. H2S gas, something I had never known before is something feared by Oilmen and a byproduct hazard of Fracking. Depends where you are but the corpse found by our recent location near the Mexican border, death by unusual circumstances, more than I had heard before. And of course the never ending number of illegals that were sneaking by our location and occasionally making contact could be a little unnerving. Not all illegals are bad, but then not all are good either. Of course everyone you meet has their own story of random hazards and dangerous border encounters. Anybody who doesn't think life isn't different here than in the midwest is delusional. There is considerable violence that spills over into the US from Mexico. One has only to peruse the YouTube Narco Traffiking videos that were likely shot scant miles away to cap it off. We documented some of our adventures last July. Like I said, it's not for everyone.
Lisa works the day shift and a couple of weeks ago while checking in a crew truck something about the young driver struck her. He was roughly the same age as our kids. Out of all the workers that came in, she talked about this young man. She said he was a nice good looking kid with long eyelashes. The next morning he didn't show up. By mid morning we learned that he had fallen asleep while driving to work and had a head on with one of the numerous 18 wheelers that drive nonstop here. Tough enough working non stop 12 hour shifts. She still talks about him some. No lesson here. Just anonymous grief for a young man who left a wife and baby.
I recently attached my blog to my FB account. I thought about it for awhile beforehand but concluded that one, it's for documenting Lisa and my new life. Yeah this past year a lot of it has been tooling around Texas gate guarding, but there are larger plans on the shelf. And two, it is an outlet for myself written for family and others who might be interested.
On a lighter note.....
Just kidding. It is Hurricane season and my heart goes out to the displaced victims in the Phillipines. We on the other hand have been exceptionally lucky dodging the extreme weather as I have mentioned before. The closest being weathering fifty mile an hour winds (verified by records) in our small popup trailer on the beach at Port Lavaca last year. (See the December entry. I tried unsuccessfully to import the video) The info we have is sixty to seventy will destroy a mobile home. Yet there have been several tornado watches this past year. Way of life down here. Also really weird going to sleep when you haven't had to worry about that most of your life. Sooo I tried to look up what to do in the event of a Tornado and it seems to be about the same as being in a plane crash. Ur kinda screwed. Our best defense is our emergency NOAA radio. I thought it best to hop in the truck and drive, then I read the stats that said in one instance, over half the deaths occurred with people trying to escape in cars. Best bet find a stinky muddy ditch, probably in the middle of the night and lay down in it. And try not to think of Copperheads, Scorpions, Black Widows etc. Happy place, Happy place....
Texas is a unique place. In the South we have traveled through too numerous to count, small dead or dying towns. In some instances it felt like we were driving through a ghost town. Most prevelant I believe in Arkansas and North Texas. But Texas also has a tremendously rich history reflected in the old churches and buildings in these towns. I promise to include a lot more pictures of these places in future posts.
Exceptionalism is a word that struck me recently on a visit to the Bob Bullock Museum in Austin and seeing Neil Armstrong's space suit displayed there. The one he walked on the Moon with and I am guessing, developed before 8 tracks. It simply looked like a jazzed up pair of garage coveralls and amazingly simple. Certainly not something I would feel safe in going to the place they went. But the technology for the day was amazing. And we sent men so equipped to the most hostile environment with tools primitive by today's standards and they returned. Talk about the Greatest Generation, The rest of the museum is dedicated to the state's war for independence. Think Alamo. I for one believe Texas politics somewhat cockeyed but I came away with the feeling that unlike all of the other states, when judging these people, one should bear in mind where these folks come from. Til next time.
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