Friday, May 30, 2014

So Ya Want a Job, Gate Guarding in The Oil Patch

Here are some links that I've found on th internet that are connected with th gate guarding business in th' oil patch.  I have not checked them all for accuracy, they are what they are, "info."  We just happen to work for Gate Guard Services and really like them.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * 
Most, if not all, require that you have a background check, be fingerprinted and take a Texas Department of Public Safety PSB Level Two Test.  You can study for it here: http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/rsd/psb/testing/leveltwo_review.htm

Later  .  .  .  and good luck job huntin'
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Monday, May 26, 2014

Rainy Days

This ol' brush country down here in SW Texas sure needs th rain. Dry dry country, I tell ya.  Course, if ya live down here ya know what I'm talkin' about.  On Friday the 23rd, we got a gully washer.  Now, my rain gauge only shows 1.41 inches but sure seems like more than that.  When you're checkin' vehicles in and out, "in th' rain", it ain't no fun.  Sides that, your boots get all muddy and your paperwork (or iPad for some of you luckier folks) gets all wet.

Our patio mat is still wet (and muddy) 3 days later and probably will be for a while.  Th' road in front of our rig is in pretty decent shape for all th' rain we had, thought it would be worse.  I went in to th' "One Stop" for some supplies and th 4 mile dirt road was a total mess from all th' big rigs goin' in and out.  Giant puddles of standing water everywhere and in a few places th' road was just barely there account of all th' standing water.

 Yesterday, th' 25th, we had light showers (actually more like sprinkling rain) that just helped reinforce th' rain a couple days before.  AND, then again today. th' 26th, it's sprinkling and threatening rain, again.  Yesterday, there were tornado warnings out for Del Rio, 'bout an hour west of us.   Thankful it did not come this way.

Now I know this part of th' country needs rain, and a lot more than what we got.  But, personally, I don't want anymore rain where I'm at.  And that's all I've got to say about that.

Later  .  .  .

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Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Well, "Rats" . . .

Out here in th’ brush country, we’ve had some problems with mice.  But with th’ help of TomCat brand mouse poison, we’ve pretty much got that under control.  To help control it, I keep putting th’ poison bait outside th’ RV.  But, I’ve noticed lately that th’ whole poison log has been disappearing pretty quick.  I went out th’other night to check one of th’ traps only to find it out in th' brush.  As I went out to get it, I saw, in my headlight a rather large mouse, but it wasn’t a mouse at all. 

It was a rat and a pretty good size one at that.  Soo, Tuesday I went to Tru Value in Carrizo Springs and bought some more TomCat bait and some Rat traps ($2.99 ea). You know how big a rat trap is??  Well, it's about 3 to 4 times the size of a regular Victor mouse trap and about twice as thick, with a spring that almost defies setting it.  When I got back to th’ RV I set all 4 of ‘em (5 o’clock pm).  At 8 pm I went out to check ‘em and they were all gone (4 x $2.99) !  I did find one of th’ traps out in th’ edge of th’ brush and retrieved it.  Must be some pretty good size rats. Wednesday, when it’s light, I’m gonna drill a hole in th’ trap and tie it down and see what happens.  If that don't work, well, I wonder if they sell coyote and bear traps at Tru Value.

Later . . .
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Monday, May 19, 2014

The Sound of Silence

A while back I was talkin' (and complainin' some) about th' noise at our location here at Catarina.  Well, a couple days ago, th' crew extinguished th' "flare."  "Hotdog."  Wow, sounds good.  Then th' crew began to leave, pick up by pick up.  Now, I figured we'd start gettin' some real "truck" traffic.  HA, "Not."  we have been gettin' maybe 5 to 6 trucks a day (that's 24 hrs) and quiet . . . I can actually hear some of th' birds chirpin'. (HA, thought my hearin' aids were goin' bad there for a while).

Th' bad part is, no one tells you if they're goin' to be haulin' product off or not, so, night shift (that's me) has to stay up all night (watchin' re-runs) waitin' for that H2O or 1287 truck that might show up.  Now, I'm not complainin' mind ya, but it's almost too quiet.  One extreme to another.

More critters also I think.  Saw a couple Coyotes last night and tonight more mice/rats and some scorpions.  We're usin' Tomcat for th' mice so don't see a lot of them but th' rats like it too.  Matter of fact, they'll take a whole log of it off.  Wonder if it's actually doin' anything to 'em??  Maybe some rat traps are in order.  I seem to remember back in my railroadin' days, we used a product called "Blue Death."  Hmm, wonder if that's still available?

Got a call today about another gate over at Dilley.  Guess I'll find out on Monday what that's all about.

Later . . .
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Thursday, May 15, 2014

Catarina, Texas


Catarina is on U.S. Highway 83 ten miles southeast of Asherton in southern Dimmit County. The name has been associated with the area since at least 1778; legend holds that it is the name of a Mexican woman killed by Indians on or near the site. The town was established after Asher Richardson, a rancher, decided to build a railway link from Artesia Wells to his planned town of Asherton. In return for an easement through the nearby Taft-Catarina Ranch, Richardson agreed to allow the ranch to establish a railroad depot, with cattle-shipping pens, on his railroad. By 1910, when the Asherton and Gulf Railway began operations, these cattle pens had become the nucleus of a small community built by Joseph F. Green, the manager of the ranch. Green moved the ranch headquarters to the depot and added a bunkhouse, a commissary, a hotel, a post office, and a small schoolhouse. By 1915 the little town had twenty-five residents and had become famous in the area for the Taft House, an expensive mansion that Charles Taft, the owner of the ranch, supposedly built with oversized bathtubs to accommodate his brother, President William Howard Taft. Catarina Farms, a development project, built roads, sidewalks, and a waterworks and an impressive new hotel and installed electric power and a telephone exchange. Agent Charles Ladd imported entire orchards of fruit-laden citrus trees to impress prospective investors with the area's agricultural possibilities. By 1929 Catarina had between 1,000 and 2,500 residents, a bank, at least two groceries, a lumber company, and a bakery. Short supplies of water, marketing problems, and the Great Depression hurt the town. By 1931 the population had dropped to 592, and many of its businesses had been forced to close. In 1943, Catarina had 403 residents and seven businesses; in 1956 it had 380 residents and three businesses. By 1969 some of the town's most picturesque old buildings had been abandoned, and the population was 160. In 1990 the population was forty-five, and in 2000 it had grown to 135.

                         Catarina One Stop                                                                      GG Brugers








Now, if you’re looking for something a little juicier, read on . . .

Catarina, Tx
Texas Tales by  Mike Cox

If you’re looking for a ghost, it figures you’d go to a ghost town to find one.

But when Terry Cole came to the Dimmit County town of Catarina from McAllen several years ago, he sought employment as a construction worker, not an encounter with the supernatural. Even so, he ended up with both.

One spring night in 1999, Cole and an acquaintance sat watching television in the second-floor common area of the old Catarina Hotel, built in 1926 during Catarina’s heyday.
“I happened to look away from the TV and saw a ball of smoke moving down the hall,” Cole recalls. “I just went back to watching TV. But the guy with me said, ‘Did you see that? What are you going to do if a ghost comes in your room?’”

Not being afraid of ghosts, Cole replied: “My room’s got two beds. The ghost can have the other one.” Other guests have reported seeing a headless apparition wandering the hotel, but the smoky blob is all Cole ever saw.

“I’d hear creaking noises at night,” he said, “but it’s an old building. In the heat of the day it expands and it cools off at night.”

Ghost stories make for interesting folklore, but Catarina has a much more tangible history, grounded in the development of transportation.

Long before Catarina got started, the Camino Real, the old Spanish road from Mexico to Louisiana, cut through the area. 

The fate of one person traveling Texas’ first “interstate” probably provided the area its name. According to Cole, Catarina — her last name long since lost to history — was a young Spanish woman killed by Indians in the vicinity of the future town. A stream not far from where she died became known as Catarina Creek. As the Handbook of Texas reports, historians have found the name connected to the area as far back as 1778.

The name also could have been in honor of Santa Catarina de Siena -- canonized in 1461 -- the patron saint of everything from fire prevention to temptation. Or, speculating further, the young woman killed by Indians could have been named for the popular saint. 

No matter how Catarina got its name, more than 200 years later the Camino Real made a logical route for the railroad to follow when Asher Richardson bankrolled a new line connecting Carrizo Springs with the International and Great Northern Railroad at Artesia Wells. The proposed route cut through the Taft-Catarina Ranch, which gave Richardson right of way in exchange for a depot from which the ranch could ship cattle. 

When the railroad began running in 1910, ranch foreman Joseph F. Green moved the pasture company’s headquarters to a site near the depot and adjoining cattle pens and a small town soon developed. When the ranch management expanded into irrigated farming, a development project called Catarina Farms brought all the modern amenities, including the Catarina Hotel.
As long as the water pumped from the nearby artesian wells, Catarina thrived. But the wells played out and Catarina began to dry up, literally and figuratively. The Depression didn’t make things any better. The hotel, a stopping place on U.S. Highway 83, saw its last guests in the early 1950s.

Catarina, Texas, a wide spot in the road with a lot of history.

Later  .  .  .
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Where The Rubber Meets The Road

We bought our Class A RV a few years ago and our first trip was from Branson, Mo to Zephyrhills, Fl.  I checked the tread depth  and the sidewalls for weather checking of our tires and everything looked great.  So, off we went on our first trip.  Boy, were we excited to be on the road.   About 60 miles down the road (on the side of an Arkansas mountain I might add) we had a blowout on the right front tire.  We called Good Sam Road Service and help was on the way.  The spare was installed and we were on our way once again.  About 120 miles down the road in Little Rock, we stopped at a reputable tire dealer to have our spare tire replaced. Suffice it to say, $2800 later we were ready to go with ALL 6 new tires.When I checked my tires in Branson, I didn’t check the “inside” sidewall of my tires. “Weather checking supreme.”  Every tire had long gaping splits in them.  Would you believe, my tires were the original installed tires, 1999 with 1998 dates and it was now 2008.  That’s 10 years old.  The tire guys told me that you should replace your tires every 5 to 6 years, regardless.  He even showed me how to find out how old my tires were.
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 When it comes to determining the age of a tire, it is easy to identify when a tire was manufactured by reading its Tire Identification Number (often referred to as the tire’s serial number). Unlike vehicle identification numbers (VINs) and the serial numbers used on many other consumer goods (which identify one specific item), Tire Identification Numbers are really batch codes that identify the week and year the tire was produced.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requires that Tire Identification Numbers be a combination of the letters DOT, followed by ten, eleven or twelve letters and/or numbers that identify the manufacturing location, tire size and manufacturer's code, along with the week and year the tire was manufactured.
Since 2000, the week and year the tire was produced has been provided by the last four digits of the Tire Identification Number with the 2 digits being used to identify the week immediately preceding the 2 digits used to identify the year.

In the picture, it reads: DOT U2LL LMLR 5107.
This tire was manufactured during the 51st week of the year 2007


Air Pressure: When and How to Set
Maintenance Tips to Increase Tire Performance, Life and Durability
Check and Adjust First Thing In The Morning. Set according to the vehicle manufacturer's cold tire pressure(s) recommended on the vehicle's tire placard or in its owner's manual. This must be done before rising ambient temperatures, the sun's radiant heat or even driving short distances temporarily warms the tires.
Accommodating Variables
Indoor-to-outdoor Temperature Variation. Significant differences between the conditions tire pressures are set (the warmth of an attached garage, heated garage or service shop) and in which the vehicle will be driven (winter's subfreezing temperatures) requires inflating tires 1 psi higher than recommended on the placard for every 10° F difference in temperature between interior and exterior temperatures.
Afternoon Ambient Temperature Increase.* Set 2 psi above vehicle manufacturer's cold inflation recommendations when installing new tires or if the vehicle has been parked in the shade for a few hours.
Tire Heat Generated While Being Driven (or at speeds of less than 45 mph).* - Set 4 psi above vehicle manufacturer's cold inflation recommendations.
Heat Generated While Being Driven Extensively (or at sustained speeds greater than 45 mph).* Set 6 psi above vehicle manufacturer's cold inflation recommendations.
Do Not Release Hot Tire Pressure if any of these variables could be the cause of measured tire pressure exceeding the maximum psi branded on the tire's sidewall by the 2, 4 or 6 psi indicated above for the various conditions. This temporary pressure increase is expected and designed into the tire's capabilities.
*NOTE: Tires on a parked vehicle exposed to direct sunlight will appear overinflated due to the heat absorbed from the radiant energy of the sun. Pressures cannot be accurately set on these tires until all have stabilized in the shade.

 So, before you go, for safety sake, check your tires.

Later  .  .  .
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Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Nice Weather

Today was Wednesday the 14th.  Temps got up to 84 today with a light breeze from the North, Nice.  Tonight, it's supposed to be around 52 at Catarina but San Antonio is calling for a record setting low tonight of 43, brrr.  I was watchin' the moon come up earlier and took this picture: 



                                          Awesome Full Moon

I have never figured out why the moon looks so big sometimes as it comes over the horizon  Oh well.  Maybe someone can explain it to me sometime.
Meanwhile, on the gate guarding front, there sure seems to be a big increase in truck traffic at our gate.  Maybe one of the drivers will clue me in.

Later . . .
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Tuesday, May 13, 2014

A "Blackberry" Winter

Wow, the temperature here at Catarina fell from 94 degrees on Monday to 64 degrees today and stopped right there.  I guess you could say we're having a "Blackberry Winter." (or Blackberry Squall, whichever you prefer)

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Blackberry winter is a colloquial expression used in south & midwest North America, referring to a cold snap that often occurs in late spring when the blackberries are in bloom. Other colloquial names for spring cold snaps include "Dogwood winter," “Whippoorwill winter,” "Locust winter," and “Redbud winter.” The different names are based on what is blooming in particular regions during the typical spring cold snaps.  Another colloquialism for these spring cold snaps is "Linsey-Woolsey Britches winter," referring to a type of winter long underwear which could be put away after the last cold snap. The Blackberry winter term may have arisen to describe the belief that a spring cold snap helps the blackberry canes to start growing.
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And, here's what Bubba has to say about the subject . . .


Bubba explains history of phrase blackberry winter


GREASEPIT GRAMMAR: Welcome to Swampscum, where Bubba and his pals meet regularly around the greasepit at Wade's Dixieco to perfect the English language.

John S. Breed has found that Texans don't always understand plain English.
"A few mornings ago, Houston awoke to a colder-than-usual day," he said, as he twisted the top off a Coke at Wade's Dixieco.
"I told my co-workers it was blackberry winter - as opposed to Indian summer, which comes in the fall," John said. "I'm sure I heard this term as a kid playing with my country cousins in Alabama. My co-workers say I'm nuts; I think I'm homesick. What would Bubba's diagnosis be?"
Bubba thinks John Breed is perfectly healthy in mind, spirit and vocabulary.
Professor Copernicus Claptrap of the Swampscum Polytechnic Institute and Barber College says the blackberry crop is a handy benchmark for measuring the seasons. Blackberry winter is the name for that last gasp of winter when the cruel season snatches back a few days from spring just as the blackberries are ready to bloom. When this occurs around Easter, it's called the Easter snap.
The Dictionary of American Regional Expressions says some parts of the country even have blackberry storms and blackberry squalls.
BUBBA C/O GENE OWENS at 1004 Cobbs Glen Drive, Anderson, SC 29621, or e-mail at WadesDixieco@aol.com.
Ol' Elmer, Uncle Hadacol's fearful hound dog, chased a rabbit into a blackberry patch and let out a piercing yowl when the briars pierced his hide.
"What was that?" asked Bubba.
"That was a blackberry squall," said Uncle Hadacol.
"Oh," said Bubba. "I thought maybe the rabbit had counter-attacked again."
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64 degrees, we're loving it.
Later . . .


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Monday, May 12, 2014

Another Great Day in SW Texas

The noise at our location is quite loud and has been 24/7 for the last month. Today, it actually got louder (didn't think that was possible), so I downloaded a Decibel Meter app for my Android. It read 115 db. Sounds like a jet engine to us instead of a Rock Concert, although I've never actually been to a Rock Concert so I can't really say how loud they really are (not my kind of music (???). Very agitating and annoying.  One of the Inspectors said they were working on some equipment and it should get quieter by Friday.  Let's hope so.  The noise really gets on our nerves, which makes us tireder and really doesn't help you sleep any better.


Yesterday was Monday, the day after Mothers Day and it was another one in the high 90's. Mostly cloudy and was supposed to rain.  Well, finally, about 9 pm, the thunder rolled, the skies lit up with dancing lightning, the winds came up and the rain came down. The temps dropped pretty fast from the 90s to the mid 70s, nice, I must say. It rained pretty hard for about 3 minutes and just like that, it was over.  Just enough rain to almost settle the dust on our road. HA ha, seems like all the rain storms kinda jump right over us and head right on up to San Antonio.  Well, they need the rain also.

Would you believe that today, Tuesday, it's supposed to be in the 70's?  I say, bring it on.

Later . . .
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Thoughts and th like

Here I sit at 4 o'clock in the morning, awaiting truck traffic that may, or may not show up at our gate.  It leaves me with a lot of time to think and remember.  And not necessarily in that order.  I will admit, FaceBook takes up a good deal of my night hours, but ya know, one can only read the same stuff over and over so many times.

It seems that all the truck traffic here abruptly stops at or about 2:30am.  Hmm, wonder if the unloading facility closes down around that time, or, do all the truck drivers decide it's time for some shut eye.  Anyhow, 2:30 to 6:30 leaves me plenty of time to post on FaceBook, update the blog, watch a lot of reruns and think.

It was Mothers day yesterday (Sunday) and that brings to mind memories of my Mom and Wandas Mom.  I was just remembering the last thing my Mom said to me, right before we left for a California adventure back in 2010,  "I won't be here when you get back." she said.  Now, I remember exactly how she said it and my reply was, "Yes you will, you'll be right here when we get back."  About 2 weeks later, my Mom passed away.

 Wandas Mom passed away around midnight one night and that all seemed like a dream, a bad dream.
While we're joyous that they are now with the Lord in Heaven, with no more aches and pains, it's still tough losing your Mother.

Sometimes we remember things that will probably stick with us until that day, that we too, leave this life here on earth.  Then it'll be great, we'll get to see our Mothers, Fathers, Brothers and Sisters that went on before us.

Well, I think that's all I want to say about that.

Mothers Day, a day of remembrance.

Later . . .
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Sunday, May 11, 2014

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

TO: My Wife, Wanda; My Mother, Betty Walker;  Wandas Mother, Berthena Marie Laney; and ALL the other Mothers out there . . .
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Blog address change


OK, ok, I made a "Huge" mistake when I published our newest "Blog." HA HA, It was brought to my attention by Gari, our daughter, that our blog address was , shall we say, a little risque. It read "JWNWJSEXCELLENTADVENTURES". HA HA, Well, I'm here to tell ya, there ain't no SEX involved in this blog. Here's the correct url for this blog: jwnwjs-awesomeadventures.blogspot.com 

 I noticed the mistake last night but thought, "Oh well, it'll be ok, nobody will really notice it."  HA, didn't take long and Wanda got a text this afternoon from our daughter in Colorado.  Thanks Gari, we appreciate and love you.

 Later . . .
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Saturday, May 10, 2014

Our First Few Days on Guard


Our very first weekend, a Saturday and Sunday and our gate was really quiet, just a handful of trucks and we both got to sleep all night.  So we thought, "Hey, this is gonna be a piece of cake."  Then Monday hit.  The crew had just finished fracing and were starting flow back so traffic wasn't too bad. Then they fired up the flare.  Now, I'm here to tell ya, that thing is very obnoxiously loud, especially being only a hundred yards away (just imagine a jet engine running full blast 24/7).  HA, Wanda has to talk to me in a very loud voice because my hearing aides are hearing this loud obnoxious roar better than they're hearing her. The crew keeps telling us that "Next week . . ." well, it's been a month, when exactly is next week gonna get here?
                                                             
                   Wanda                                                                                                    JW
We've been learning names and faces and lots of different Mexican names that most of the time we can't pronounce or even understand so "Show me your ID, Sir."  (Senor, ID?)  That works.

Traffic has picked up considerable with lots of ins and outs.  And at night, not a lot of traffic but ya gotta stay up and awake so ya don't miss someone.  As long as I don't run out of Law and Order, Monk and NCIS reruns, I can stay awake all night, I hope.

Temperatures mostly in the 90's but there have been a couple or so days in the triple digits with one day at 107.  But, thank goodness, humidity has been very low.  Wind, constant and sometimes rather high.  So far our awning has survived (it's staked out pretty good).

We've seen lots and lots of Roadrunners (no, not th' car kind either) and quite a few Praire Chickens, Jackrabbits, Mexican Prairie dogs, Horned Lizards, some Scorpions and a few Eagles.  Luckily (or maybe unluckily) we haven't seen any Rattlesnakes or Javelinas yet but, hey, we've only been here a month.




Later . . .
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How We Planned This Out (Kinda)

Wanda and I had visited with some other gate guard friends and kinda got an idea what we needed to have when we started our first gate guard assignment.

Cell Service - We purchased (from Amazon) a Wilson DB Pro Cell Booster and yagi antenna to upgrade our ATT service.  Very expensive, around $350 or so, but well worth the cost as sometimes the cell signal strength is practically non-existent.  We have never regretted doing this.

TV - Purchased a Dish system w/ DVR.  We both love certain tv shows and this was a must.  Without Dish or Direct, you will not receive a tv signal, most of the time, especially out in the boonies where we're at now.

 WIFI - A year before we came to SW Texas, we purchased a Verizon Jet Pak.  In the area we are in right now, Verizon WIFI service is very weak and kinda works when it wants to.  After arriving at our gate in Catarina, we upgraded one of our ATT phones to a WIFI hot spot which works very well in conjunction with our Cell Booster.

 Upgraded our RV as much as we could to total electric.  We purchased a couple of PIC Induction systems and an on-board convection oven.  Electrical service is provided by the company via a huge generator so electric is free (that's a good thing).  Propane is on us.  The only thing we did not change was the hot water heater, it's still propane, so it gets turned on very rarely.  We were going to change the heater over to electric/propane but for some reason, didn't (coulda/shoulda).  Side note to the hot water heater, in SW Texas, it gets very hot, even in the springtime, so the sun heats up your water system and you have hot water automatically.  Now, cold running water is another thing, mainly in the evening and at night.

 Heating system - Bought a pretty expensive induction heater that works very well.  Although, in SW Texas during this time of the year, it's a table top for our fans.  Now, this winter, should we still be in SW Texas, might be another story.

Mail Service - Joined Escapees and now have an address that will forward our mail to where ever we want.  Rented a mailbox in Asherton, Tx and have our mail sent there.  For UPS and FED-X, we can use our District company office.

Important to know - Never, never, never drink the water that is delivered to your RV outside water tank.  It is "Non-Potable."  For drinking water (and in this heat, you must stay hydrated) you will either have to have an absolutely great filtering system or purchase bottled water.  We buy bottled water.

Smoky, Our 16 yr old Russian Blue.

Out in the brush country, mice can be and are a big problem.  We use Tom Cat brand mouse poison.  It's like potpourri to mice, they love it, so much so that they take it back home and kill off their whole family.  We also have set some traps and caught a couple of the little buggers.  Rattlesnakes, Tru-Value sells a wonderful snake  killer, get some.  Oh yea, Scorpions, they're here so keep an eye out for 'em.


 I'm pretty positive that I've left something out but am sure that I will think of more later, expecially after I finish this post.

 There are a myriad of other little things that have popped up, but I'm thinking that it's nothing that Amazon can't handle.

Later . . .
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How It All Started

For several years after we retired, Wanda and I worked for a nationally known theme park in southern Missouri, Silver Dollar City.  After 7 years of having as much fun as we could stand, we decided it was time to start a new chapter in our lives.  Saying goodbye to all our friends and co-workers in Branson was a little tough as we had grown quite close to them, but, it had to be done.

Every year,  January through March, we would hit the road for warmer climates. (Silver Dollar City was closed at that time).  South Florida a couple times, California and our favorite, Mustang Island, S. Texas.  And of course a particular place to stay, "On The Beach Campground."  Not the fanciest campground but right on the beach.  We really like that area.  Which brings us to why we were in that particular area in January of 2014 when we had originally planned to be in California.

We had talked about going to work for a gate guard company for quite a while, so in January of this year we did just that.  As of April 5th, we have been living and working as gate guards at Catarina, Texas.  It's a different life as many of you other gate guards can attest to.             More about that in another post.

Later . . .
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