Out ‘n about 
Dec. 31, 2012

I will write a bit about some of our runnings here & there whilst the señor winterizes our sleeping quarters.  With the exception of running out of propane one night, we have been relatively comfortable heat-wise, but we just purchased a sheet of styrofoam that he is fitting into the window and hatch of our sleeping quarters.  All that stands between us and winter in those spots are single-pane glass in the window and a thin plastic cover on the hatch.  Clearly, the Totee is not designed for cold-weather usage, which we knew, and decided that we could do enough to make up for its deficiencies to get through a West Texas winter.  That winter blanket I purchased as soon as I got here has helped immensely, too.

I judge these two weeks since my arrival as decidedly atypical because of work stoppages due to holidays.  Chris did not work on Christmas eve or day nor is he doing so for the new year holiday, allowing us time to do a bit of wandering.

Water or not, birds, poisonous gas . . .

Driving away from the highway and the city, we found ourselves on dirt roads that accessed cotton fields, some harvested and some that appeared to have made a crop but lacked enough height because of the drought to be harvested.  Those have been disked in, but from a distance, the unharvested cotton makes them resemble a body of water.

And speaking of water, we had in mind to search out that commodity thinking to do some bird watching.  The majority of time we found any, access was denied by oil lease holders.  The oil fields are dangerous in many ways and the owners do all they can to insure that casual snoopers like us do not fall afoul of the hazards.

The pumping machinery itself is dangerous to be around.  Even the ones that appear not to be operating start pumping spontaneously when the pressure builds to a sufficient level.  And then there is the di-hydrogen sulfide, H2S, gas that is present in many fields.

When Chris’ employment takes the crew into a functioning oil field, they always carry detectors.  He explains that H2S is not harmful in small quantities, but is fatal at certain levels.

We checked out Boggy Lake, Red Lake and Roberts Lake.  The only one we could get to was dry as the proverbial bone.  The others had no access that was not posted and/or locked.  We did find a draw with water that we can return to when we have time to hike in.  Even with the scope, we were too distant to identify the birds, although surprisingly, there were gulls at the shoreline.  One wonders just why those gulls have chosen the West Texas plains on which to reside.

Not many folks have chosen to remain on the farms in these parts, hence lonely buildings that once housed families now stand desolate awaiting their inevitable deterioration.

Notrees, murals, soreheads, Big Spring . . .

Our wandering took us through towns interesting or not.  I thought Notrees was aptly named: seems they tried for a moniker that the post office vetoed as being similar to a place that tagged it first and requested something that reflected the area’s appearance.  After claiming Notrees as their official title, the few residents got right to work planting.

Stanton’s soreheads got my attention as did this great mural.  I had to photograph it in sections to do it any justice at all. 

As we neared Big Spring, we saw the escarpment that looms over the town, visible for a great distance across the surrounding tabletop flatness.  We have been there previously, even have kin there as well as in Midland and dear friends in Littlefield, none of whom we have contacted, but surely will now that we are settling in.

Big Spring takes advantage of its unique position at the elevated land mass by plunking a park up there.  It allows some awesome views and I am also awed by the road to the top that would easily allow a vehicle to dive over the edge.  I surmise that has occurred at times.




Sadly, we are anal enough to even be intrigued by the fossils in the WPA-constructed limestone block restrooms, one in the shape of a heart.

The vast majority of the settlements in this region seem not to be benefiting in the slightest from the oil boom.  Even Odessa, our neighbor city, consists of depressed, deteriorating neighborhoods and a mostly boarded-up business section.

Midland alone is exploding with primarily industrial and business construction everywhere.  Residential development does not seem to be growing apace; however, I’m not sure I have a good overall feel for it.  The industrial growth has nearly filled in the entire 20 or so miles between Midland and Odessa, leaving their boundaries questionable.

Chris is employed . . .

I haven’t talked about Chris’ job and am getting many questions regarding it.  The first week he was here, he worked through a temp agency installing computers in a hospital.  For a spell, it was thought that might lead to more permanent work, but for various reasons, it did not.

It took him just one more week to find a permanent job and one that we think is just about perfectly suited for him and he for it.  It remains to be seen if the salary and overtime will suffice for our purposes; at this point, we are feeling extremely grateful for his position.

He is working for a long-established engineering & surveying company, family owned and operated.  It suits nicely for a number of reasons.  First, the owners and fellow employees are to a man (and woman) easy to get along with, helpful and just good folks.  Second, he is in a position to learn all kinds of interesting things about the surveying profession and the oil industry, so it is very interesting to him.  And third, he will likely be able to earn some kind of survey certification that might be useful elsewhere.

After only a week on the job, we both were welcomed to the company Christmas party/dinner at a Mexican food restaurant.  Despite my penchant for timidity in such circumstances, I was not only put at ease, I had a fascinating long conversation with the owner of the firm, with whom I have much in common.