I Think I Finally Found a New House

Well, since mid-February, I have been commuting 116 miles a day (round trip) between Stillwater and Chilocco, OK where work is located... 5 or 6 days a week... I fill up the car roughly once every 3 days, and almost ALL of my "disposable income" (yeah, RIGHT) is going in the gas tank! Soon, that may all FINALLY change!

I looked at a house in Ponca City, OK today (45 miles closer to work!)... older home in a nice neighborhood... the 2 neighbors who came over to introduce themselves (and check me out) have lived on the street 33 and 20 years respectively... One is a retired Police Officer. The house has 2 bedrooms, 1 bath... nice yard, enclosed garage, Direct TV already wired, 3 nice Pecan trees, and the rent is very reasonable. I went thru the house today, and met a nice guy named Leon who is working to get the house ready in the next 5 days. He was painting the kitchen when I visited, and seems to be doing a good job. I really need to be out of my current home by July 1st, and this seems to be my best choice. Here's the front view:
I think the house has a LOT of potential... I took some interior shots, but it's still being cleaned and painted, so I will wait until later to show the whole house. I will "Seal the Deal" tomorrow morning... So, if you're close to the Stillwater area, I will appreciate the help getting moved... I've already found a the perfect spot for the BBQ Grill! STEAKS are the perfect way to say "Thanks for the help moving!"

Photo Test...

This probably won't work... But had to try.

...Pass the Deviled Eggs

WELL, big surprise. I ate too much. In my feeble defense, I was a "victim of circumstance..." Good Food, nice breeze, and tolerable family. (the "Family Reunion Trifecta" if you will.)
As predicted yesterday, attendance WAS down. Less than 40 turned out... Some due to illness, but several due to fuel costs. Gas was $3.72 when I left Stillwater, OK Friday... It is $3.95 here in east Texas... Lord only knows what it'll be when I load up the ol' Sport Wagon Family Truckster for the drive back home on Tuesday...
The church grounds where we have the annual get together have been around a long, long time. The Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Christ was founded in Lodi, TX back in 1851. The original building was lost to fire and replaced with the current one in 1885. Its a little one-room church, with wooden pews, a wood-burning stove fo heat, and an old wooden pulpit. The piano dates back to 1908. The church is only open for services on reunion Sundays, and it is listed on the Texas historical register.
Which brings me to another observation: TEXAS has way too many "historic markers!" It seems like every few miles, there is another marker signifying where Davy Crockett or Daniel Boone slept, ate, killed something, or drank a Snapple on their way to the Alamo. If they are all accurate, they must have wandered across Texas like Moses and the Israelites searching for the promised land before finding their way to San Antonio! (hmm... I just remembered... Texans DO refer to this as "God's Country.")
Well, we are on our way back to Paris (Texas) now... Before I trek back to Tornado Alley on Tuesday, I will try and get a photo of Paris, TX's 2 main tourist attractions: Their own Eiffel Tower (complete with a cowboy hat and huge feather!), and a statue of Jesus... wearing cowboy boots!
(oh... The deviled eggs were delicious!)

Notes from the Road...

Dateline: Somewhere in east Texas. Dad and I are on the highway, just south of Mt. Pleasant, TX headed to the sleepy little town of Jefferson. It is a city that has been around over 150 years, but had the misfortune of hacking off one Jay Gould back in the late 1800's... Mr. Gould was one of the most powerful railroad barons of his time, and because of his anger at the town of Jefferson, decided to bypass the city and instead build the railroad in Tyler. Mr. Gould vowed that "weeds would soon grow in the deserted streets of Jefferson."
Well, the city DID suffer, but never withered away like Gould had hoped... And to add further insult to Jay Gould after his death, the citizens of Jefferson bought his private railroad car that served as his home and office and moved it to a location in town where all who passed by could see it. (and not trip over any weeds in the street!) Jay Gould's railroad car is still there today... Tours are cheap. Jefferson now has a lot of little "bed and breakfast" places, and lots of antiques, if you're into that... The old cobblestone streets are pretty cool, and there are still century-old iron rings along the sidewalks for you to use to tie your horse up while you are in town...
Dad grew up just outside of Jefferson, in a little spot on the map called Lodi. We still visit the old homestead every year, and every year dad points out the spots where debris from the space shuttle Columbia was found on our land (what was left of one seat, a 2ft square section of thermal tiles, and a small foot-long tank) . His childhood home is long gone, but every year, on the 2nd Sunday in June, the Stuarts (and some related Lemmon and Henley family members too) all gather together on the grounds of a little one-room Baptist church that pre-dates the Civil War and have a family reunion and picnic.
A lot of our family won't make the trip this year, due to illness, death, and the high cost of GAS... But it'll be great seeing all those who make it.. It's good to see family other than at funerals.
Dad is doing ok... Getting really thin, but otherwise doing ok for an old bird about to turn 80. I have noticed that the left blinker has been on for about the last 60 miles, but I will let him slide this time.
(11:38am) We just crossed over the actual "BOGGY CREEK!" I remember getting the crap scared out of me when "The Legend of Boggy Creek" came out in the early 70's...
Another update will be coming when I have something relevant to say... Its good to see sunshine, after all of the violent storms back in Oklahoma...