Remembering Mom & Dad Herding Fort Worth Stockyard Longhorns With Sister Nancy In A Dress

Microsoft OneDrive Memories from this Day that are a tad special.

The first photo I know for sure was taken in October of 2001. Mom and dad's first visit to Texas to see their eldest son.

Mom and dad's second visit to Texas took place in January of 2009, which is how I know the above is from the first visit, due to January being cold, whilst in October it can still be shirtsleeve weather in Texas.

Both of mom and dad's visits to Texas included visiting the Fort Worth Stockyards, which is where we are in the above photo, watching the Fort Worth herd of longhorns pass by. An event which takes place twice a day.

That is mom, on the right, watching dad try to take photos of the herd with his Olympus digital camera. During their visit mom repeatedly instructed dad to take a photo. I doubt those photos ever made their way off the camera.

Both mom and dad visits to the Fort Worth Stockyards also involved going to Riscky's BBQ for All You Can Eat BBQed Ribs.

That is another way I know this photo is from 2001. We were sitting outside at Riscky's. In 2009 we were inside, because it was cold.

I would link to my Eyes on Texas website webpage of the Fort Worth Stockyards, which included photos of mom and dad's visit, but, I have decided to terminate my Eyes on Texas website, after letting it live for a couple decades. I no longer update that website. Thus it has become dated. I no longer enjoy fiddling with HTML code. So, bye bye Eyes on Texas.

I have no clue if the above photo was taken on a day in September, or October. I can see the photo has stamped on it "JAN 64". But, that likely is when the photo was developed, not when it was taken. Photo taking was quite primitive, prior to the invention of the digital method of photo taking.

I do not recognize the car behind us. I do know the location is the front yard of 1027 Washington Avenue, in Burlington, Washington.

On the left that would be me, with my little brother, Jake, next to me, then our then extremely little sister, Jackie, holding on to Jake, with big sister, Nancy, in one of the rare instances of her being photo documented in a dress.

This photo would have been taken about six years before the arrival of our final baby sister, Michele....

Happy Birthday Today From Texas To My Dear Ol' Dad

That is my dad's high school graduation picture you are looking at.

My dad graduated from Nooksack High School a couple years after the end of World War II. Nooksack High School is in the town of Nooksack, near the town of Lynden, near the Canadian border, near where my mom lived at that point in time.

The Nooksack are a Pacific Northwest Indian tribe.

Today is my dad's birthday.

Had you told my dad on the day this picture was taken that in the year 2011 he would be living in Arizona and his son would be in Texas, sending his picture out to the world, with a happy birthday greeting, on a blog, using something called a computer and the Internet, likely none of that would have made any sense.

Nor would my dad have been, way back then, able to understand how his son would be able to call him, long distance, for free, to wish him a happy birthday. And to do so whilst driving.

I remember when I was a kid it was a long distance call to call from Burlington to Lynden. All calls had to be very short. You got charged by the second for long distance calls back in Ancient Times.

In July of 2002 I flew north for the biggest family reunion ever of my dad's side of my family relations. This reunion took place at the fairgrounds in Lynden. At that reunion people I did not know would come up to me and say they knew who I was, without needing to ask, because I looked just like my dad. At the time I thought that odd, but now I sort of see the resemblance, except my dad has a cooler haircut. At least back in his senior year in high school.

Pretty much all of my good traits, such as they are, I got from my dad. Like always being totally calm and unflappable while driving. I have never ever seen my dad even remotely lose his temper. Lord knows he has had plenty of reason to, but I've never seen it happen. My dad has always been a Mr. Fix-it. Years ago it was fixing TVs.  Among other things. The last time I was in Washington my sister had a multi-page to-do list for my dad to get done during mom and dad's one week stay. Everything from fixing doors, building shelves to digging up rhododendrons.

If my memory serves me correctly, my sister and dad dug deep around the rhododendrons and I came along later and wrenched them out of the ground.

I have no idea what my mom and dad are doing today for my dad's birthday. When I talked to my mom Saturday night they had been being busy traveling about with one of my aunts. That is likely continuing.

Incoming Parental Units Heading To Texas

I've confirmed my Mom and Dad are locked and loaded and ready to head this way early Sunday morning. They are currently scheduled to get here early Tuesday. They have a history of arriving earlier than scheduled. If they show up late Monday, they'll find me hard to find.

That's my Mom and Dad in the picture, from last summer, up in Skagit County, north of Seattle, at Bay View State Park. That is my Grand Nephew, Spencer Jack and his Mom, Jenny between my Mom and Dad.

I got Mom and Dad a Texas type Xmas present. If they are cooperative I'll, later, show you what that is. I don't know how cooperative they will be regarding letting me take video of their visit. Likely, that will prove difficult. Mom has trouble seeing. Maybe she won't notice the video camera.

I can find no Christmas wrapping type paper in this place. Would butcher paper suffice? I'm known for very tacky wrapping.

I don't have any chores for my Mom and Dad to do here. No raspberries to can, no holes to dig, no cars to fix. When you stay at my sister's in Tacoma you are given a daily Chore List, first thing in the morning. She runs a very strict house. You are not allowed to move on until your particular chores are checked off and approved as being properly completed.

It was hell for me, hell, I tell you. I'd never experienced anything like it. I don't know where my sister learned to be such a militaristic taskmaster. It certainly wasn't from my dear saint-like Mommy.

Anyway, my windows are currently open. It is a very nice warm Texas winter day. Tomorrow a big chill blows in. And then my Mom and Dad.

Below is video taken the same day as the above picture. You'll see my Mom and Dad (and me) meet Spencer Jack for the first time.