Been thinking alot about how we got to here.
Two years and roughly five months ago Lisa and I set off in a popup trailer from Twin Falls with a couple of bicycles with no destination and no real intent of ever coming back to Idaho in any substantial manner other than to visit. We had just survived a short sale of our house and had come through an extremely hard time in our relationship. I think at the time the plan was just to travel endlessly. Healing was needed and though it was unrealistic, I thought to myself when we were living in the Rockies 75 miles outside of Denver that yeah, if we were still in the popup in five years living in just such free a manner as we were, hell why not. Was there a life better than to amble through a beautiful forest each morning to buy a paper. Leisurely mornings next to a lake or stream. Explore by bicycle in the afternoon and visit with the other residents of the campground. Many memorable people and conversations. There was also the East Coast, Canada and Alaska to visit. There was also overseas trips to be made on the cheap. By thanksgiving we'd already traveled to Mexico and Costa Rica for two weeks to stay with relatives. This was after long stays in both Missouri and Arkansas. Then after a six week stint with an odd assortment of folks, we stopped at Port Aransas and loved it. It and the area. Shortly thereafter we learned of the possibility of fairly good money in oil field security. Basicly a second career was born because the last seventeen months we have been working a whole lot more than we haven't And maybe we should have worked on some financial goals beyond that month long trip to Europe last year.
I may look back at these pictures some day with nostalgia. With but a few breaks, the austere gate guard life has pretty much dominated our life the past couple of years. Kind of like a career only more of a lifestyle. Living full time in the oil patch described as somewhere in North, South or East Texas. To be honest we have not worked in North Texas yet. But we have been here through two summers and two winters. Although Winters tend to me much muddier and nastier they are my preference given the brutal nature of the South Texas summer. I used to list our locations, but now I suspect the number is approaching three digits. A whole lot of other folks are in a tailspin over the current events. Lisa is a bit more bummed than I. Myself, meh. Kind of like I reminded my late old buddy who would relate ambitious plans he had in his after career career. Did he think he was going to live forever?
Over the past couple of years after countless visits with Oil men, young, old, executive and grunt, we have a better than passing understanding of what is going on down here. And a whole lot of innovations like horizontal drilling. Lisa and I pretty much recognize the different vehicles and equipment and know how they are used. What "Gel", "Mudd" and "Flowback" terms mean. The difference between "Workovers", "Fracs" and "Rigs". What "Wireline" and "Coil Tubing" are. We've been through some training and even recieved our H2S certification. These guys have to communicate these days in order to not collide with another well located a mile away. Folks my age remember the old JR Ewing and Dallas television series. That old program was based on the oil boom that went on in Texas for many years but busted out in the early eighties. Those old rusted relics are all over texas sitting idle in fields so overgrown with weeds there is not even a semblance of a road to them anymore. Like a whole lot of things that are built in Texas, stuff is put up but rarely taken down. That's why there are old vacant buildings everywhere. Unchanged from for instance a gas station from the fifties. Watch the 1971 last Picture Show to get a sense of this. So anyway, when Oil crossed the sixty something dollar threshold, then fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, a process of extracting petroleum from rock now became economical. And so began the hair on fire time in Texas. Well, like JR Ewing, that period of time seems to have come to an end. Although to us, there seems to be the same level of activity, the reality from conversations and sense of foreboding from everyone we meet, well is just a bit of a bummer. Some of these guys we have known the better part of two years. Like one guy said "it's kind of hard to pick another career out of thin air when I have so much invested here". For us anyway as the companies are rethinking how this job will be done in the future. Sitting in a shack twelve hours a day next to an outhouse with a hundred mile round trip is not something we are up for. And also, while we have been hearing of Frac related earthquakes in other areas, we got hit by a #3 earthquake the other day. Lisa and I some fifty miles away did not feel a thing.
We are working a Frac right now, likely the last for awhile. Even overnight one can expect to be writing in trucks about every half hour or so. Peppering the drivers with questions, H2S Certification up to date? Arrived with and in possession of all protective equipment. A reminder of prohibited items and behavior on site followed by the instruction to sign in at the safety trailer and check with the "Company Man" , or the onsite manager.
For the most part, with power, water and sewer dump, your RV is pretty much self sustained. Last night in the middle of a rainstorm the Diesel generator decided to die. Damn, forced to forgo TV and I had to light the propane refrigerator manually. It's difficult to get a sense of how much dust really gets into your rig, all I know is it is unlikely that we will ever sell this rig or purchase one that has been used in this fashion. That being said. I am in a little awe how trouble free our equipment has functioned, particularly when we have learned how many equipment difficulties others have experienced with stuff much newer than ours.
One of us, usually me heads to town once or twice a week for a grocery or laundry run. Usually meaning one of us after our 12 hour shift gets to lose sleep to get this done.
In Texas, as I have explained to Lisa while driving, there is never a shortage of trucks "Up my Ass" everywhere I go more dumbass speeding drivers here than anywhere I have seen. Folks run fifty in School zones for chrissakes. Seriously though, the influence of Oil production is everywhere. Somewhat immuned to it I had an eye awakening experience watching a fifty some foot flume over some trees the other day. One also becomes accustomed to the never ending structures and facilities everywhere. Including huge drilling rigs set near and in some towns. At least fifteen big drillers from Karnes City to where I am sitting.
This is a great bird watching area though. I did manage to take a pic of these beauties.
OK they're Buzzards. Pretty day though huh?
For the life of me, how kids are raised today, contrasted from mine, and others of my ilk. I suspect in some ways it is better, but I don't think I would trade. In this day and age I think, truthfully that most of our parents would be jailed or tied up in some Child Protection thang. Truth be known, as a Tadpole, I don't think I woulda missed any of those things on a bet. Eh Glenn? Sad. Remember this from the day when things, well, were just a little simpler?
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