HOWARD’S DAILY CHRONICLE
NUMBER 11 VOL 14
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 11TH 2008
WEATHER WARM, HIGH HUMIDITY, 71/87 DEGREES
WE’RE GETTING READY FOR WHAT THE WEATHER PEOPLE SAY IS GOING TO BE THE WORST WEATHER WE’VE HAD HERE IN THE LAKE TEXOMA VACINITY IN MANY A YEAR! HURRICANE IKE IS SUPPOSED TO HIT GALVESTON ISLAND FRIDAY BETWEEN 10PM AND 2AM SATURDAY MORNING! FROM THERE IT’S SUPPOSED TO HIT HOUSTON WITH 90-100 MPH WINDS AND THEN HEAD STRAIGHT NORTH THRU TEXAS INTO OKLAHOMA! WE’RE SUPPOSED TO GET 4-8 INCHES OF RAIN AND 60-70 MPH WIND HERE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING! MONDAY SHOULD SHOW SOME CLEARING AND THEN TUESDAY THRU THE WEEKEND SHOULD BE PRETTY GOOD! WE DON’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT JENNIFER, SHE NEVER DID MAKE IT ANY BIGER THAN A SQUALL!
MOM AND I GOT OUT ON THE DECK AND TOOK CARE OF ANYTHING THAT THE WIND COULD PICK UP AND MAKE INTO A MISSILE LIKE PIECES OF PLYWOOD OR STICKS! PIECES OF SHEET METAL MAKE REAL GOOD KILLING THINGS!
I FORGOT TO MENTION A FEW THINGS ABOUT THE “HOUSE” MY DAD AND HERB DAVIS BUILT OUT OF 1” WATER PIPE; THE ROOM DIVIDERS WERE CURTAINS MY MOTHER AND SISTERS MADE, THEY SLID ON AIRCRAFT CONTROL CABLES THAT WERE PLASTIC COATED THAT CAME FROM LOCKHEED SALVAGE! THESE ALSO HELPED TO HOLD THE SIDES RAILS IN AND THEY FORMED A HALL DOWN THE MIDDLE OF THE HOUSE AND THE CURTAINS SLID ON THEM TO MAKE THE INSIDE WALL OF THE ROOMS! THEY WERE MOUNTED ABOUT 3’ APART WHICH FORMED A 3’ HALL! THE BACK DOOR WAS SOLID WOOD AND MY DAD HAD CUT THE TOP PART TO LOOK LIKE BARS, HE PAINTED THE NAME “ALCATRAZ” ACROSS THE TOP OF THE DOOR! MY MOM MADE HIM PAINT IT OUT AND PAINT “THE MAHONEYS!” IN ITS PLACE! PERSONALLY I LIKED ALCATRAZ BUT I WAS ONLY 9 AND DIDN’T GET A VOTE! I THINK I REMEMBER AN AMERICAN FLAG ON A POLE DAD STUCK IN THE GROUND AND TIED IT TO THE CORNER OF THE FRAME WORK! WELL THAT’S ALL I CAN REMEMBER! IF MY BROTHER JERRY CAN REMEMBER ANYTHING ELSE AND HE LETS ME KNOW I’LL PUT IT IN THE CHRONICLE! “THOSE WERE THE DAYS” AND I WISH I COULD LIVE THEM OVER AGAIN!
THE NEXT THING ABOUT NEWPORT BEACH IS WHEN THE WAR WAS OVER! BEFORE THE WAR MY FOLKS HAD BOUGHT A LOT ON 36TH & MARCUS WITH THE INTENTIONS OF BUILDING A HOUSE ON IT FOR THE FAMILY TO SPEND TIME AT THE BEACH! THE NEXT SUMMER AFTER THE WAR ENDED THE FOLKS HAD A “FOR SALE” SIGN PAINTED AND HEADED FOR THE BEACH TO PUT IT ON THE PROPERTY! THEY LEFT ON A SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND WERE GOING TO SPEND THE NIGHT WITH MR. & MRS. BIMBO WHO LIVED ON THE CORNER ACROSS FROM OUR PROPERTY! THET GOT BACK HOME EARLY SUNDAY AND THE SIGN WAS STILL IN THE BACK SEAT OF THE CAR! I THOUGHT THEY PROBABLY SOLD IT AS SOON AS THE PUT THE SIGN IN THE GROUND, IT WAS A PRIME PIECE OF LAND! IN FACT, THEY BOUGHT THE PIECE NEXT TO OURS SO NOBODY ELSE COULD, MY DAD SAID HE WAS GOING TO FENCE IT IN FOR A PLAY GROUND FOR THE LITTLE KIDS IN THE FAMILY!
MY BROTHER-IN-LAW DICK KLEEMEYER GOT THE 1 ½ TON TRUCK FROM WHERE HE WORKED AND THEY LOADED ALL THE PIPES AND LEAD STOVE, CAULKING ROPE AND SHOVELS AND EVERYTHING ELSE TO LAY THE PLUMBING IN! BILL MASON WAS WORKING WITH HIS BROTHER JOE AT THE TIME AS A PLUMBER AND ASKED IF HE COULD GO ALONG AND HELP, MY DAD SAID YES, WE’LL NEED A SHOVEL JOCKEY AND BILL WENT WITH US! THERE WAS ME, DAD, BILL, DICK AND HERB! BILL AND I RODE ON THE BACK OF THE TRUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL THE SUPPLIES, MY MOM AND SISTERS CAME IN THE CAR WITH THE FOOD AND COTS AND BEDDING! WE WERE GOING TO STAY AND WORK ALL NIGHT SO MY DAD COULD GET THE CONCRETE PEOPLE TO POUR A SLAB SO WE COULD COME BACK DOWN THE NEXT WEEKEND TO START PUTTING UP THE WALLS! HE HAD DRAWN A SET OF BLUE PRINTS AND GOT THEM APPROVED A COUPLE OF WEEKS BEFORE! HE ALSO HAD GONE TO LOCKHEED SALVAGE AND BOUGHT ALL THE MAHOGANY LUMBER THEY HAD ( ENGINE BOXES AND PALLETTS WERE MADE OUT OF PHILIPPINE MAHOGANY BECAUSE OF THE WAR, FIR AND CEDAR WAS NEEDED FOR MILITARY USE!” HE BOUGHT 200 SHEETS OF MAHOGANY PLYWOOD THAT WE EVENTUALLY PUT ON THE WALLS AND CEILING! NOW, LET ME GET BACK TO THE PLUMBING; WE UNLOADED ALL THE PIPES AND EQUIPMENT AND MY DAD PICKED A SPOT WHERE HE WANTED TO START, BILL AND I HAD THE SHOVELS AND STUCK THE POINT IN THE SAND AND JUMPED ON THE WINGS OF THE BLADE AND IMMIDATELY FELL OVER IN THE SAND WE GOT UP AND SCOOPED THE SAND AWAY AND FOUND TAR! MY DAD WENT OVER AND BORROWED A PICK AX FROM MR. BIMBO AND TOOK A SWING AT THE TAR, THE POINT WENT IN ABOUT 3”, WE STARTED SCOOPING SAND AWAY AND FOUND OUT WE WERE ON AN OLD OIL WELL SUMP HOLE/BASIN!
WE CARRIED ALL THE TOOLS AND PIPE AND EVERYTHING BUT THE FOOD OVER AND PUT IT ON BIMBO’S BACK PATIO! MY MOM GAVE ALL THE FOOD AND SOFT DRINKS TO THE BIMBO’S FOR LETTING US STORE THE THINGS ON THEIR PATIO!
WHEN WE GOT HOME MY DAD GOT ON THE PHONE TO PEOPLE HE WORKED WITH AT LOCKHEED FLIGHT TEST, TONY LAVIER, ELI HAWKS, DORSEY CAMMERON, FISH SALMON AND TOLD THEM HE WOULD LIKE TO MEET THEM MONDAY TO DISCUSS A PROBLEM HE HAD! THE BOTTOM LINE WAS; THEY MADE ALL THE NECESSARY EQUIPMENT NEEDED TO CUT THROUGH THE TAR TO MAKE DITCHES TO LAY THE PLUMBING IN! THEY DID IT WITH HEATED KNIVES THAT OPERATED OFF 110 VOLTS, DAD HAD A METER POLE PUT IN TO GET THE POWER! IT TOOK BILL, ME, AND MY DAD 4 WEEKENDS TO GET IT DONE! WE MELTED THE TAR LEFT OVER AND POURED IT ON TOP OF THE PIPES, THERE WILL NEVER BE A LEAKY PIPE IN THE SLAB THAT HOUSE SETS ON AND NO WATER WILL EVER COME UP THROUGH THE SLAB! BILL HAD COMPLETE USE OF THE HOUSE FOR ANY TIME HE LET MY MOM KNOW HE WANTED TO GO DOWN WITH HIS FOLKS OR BUDDIES! MY DAD NEVER DID FENCE THE OTHER LOT IN BUT AFTER MY MOM DIED HE REMARRIED AND HE AND MARSHA MOVED DOWN THERE WHEN HE RETIRED THERE WAS A DECK OVER THE TWO BEDROOMS IN THE HOUSE WITH A RAILING SO NO ONE WOULD ROLL OFF WHEN THEY SLEPT UP THERE, THE HOUSE WOULD SLEEP 28 PEOPLE WITHOUT THE DECK! HE BUILT A TWO CAR GARAGE ON THE BACK OF THE HOUSE AND BUILT A TWO BEDROOM APT UP TOP! THEY RENTED THE HOUSE OUT AND LIVED IN THE APT. TILL THEY BOUGHT A BIGGER PLACE ACROSS THE CANAL AND MOVED OVER THERE! LIKE ALWAYS MY DAD COULDN’T LEAVE A WALL ALONE, HE HAD TO BE DOING SOMETHING TO IT! WHEN WE WERE THERE IN 1963 HE HAD CANVAS OVER ONE WALL HE WAS PUTTING A WINDOW IN!
THAT’S “30” FOR THIS ISSUE.
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