February 2008- My work told us that oil and gas exploration had slowed down in California and that if we wanted to keep working and get more training, we could go on the road and out to Texas.
(Can you see the horns attached to the hood of the old white limousine in front of the giant cow?)So, I left the comfort of my hometown to experience oil and gas land work in Texas and have been on the road, with the exception of a few trips home, ever since.
Scott and I would be working together as a team. I was a little hesitant because Scott and I hadn't always worked together so well, but I figured it could be an adventure and a growing experience. Also, I thought it would be nice to go to Texas in February, when it was cold and rainy in Sacramento. Scott, having been all over Texas, told me to pack some sweaters because we would be in the coldest part of the state, but I was not prepared for freezing winds and SNOW...
Our job was in the smallest town I've ever had to stay in. We got a room at the nicest hotel in town, the Holiday Inn Express. The closest Wal-mart was 45 minutes away. (After working now in a few small towns, I've noticed that how rural you are depends on how long it takes you to get to a Wal-mart). On this particular day we had driven an hour and a half to Amarillo. This was where we could find the nearest mall and movie theater that wasn't screening "Alvin and the Chipmunks". When we left the mall it was snowing. I was shocked. 
Now, I usually like to drive, but I don't like the snow and am always worried I might lose traction, so I made Scott drive us back to our little town.At least it's all flat out there. Very flat. On a different day we had driven to see Scott's grandpa outside of Lubbock in a little town called Post (about 40 minutes to the nearest Wal-mart). We stopped at a rest stop/tornado shelter and looked at an exhibit there that talked about the high plains of West Texas. It said that if Columbus had landed here he would have truly believed that the world was flat.
I though that was pretty stupid considering we were totally landlocked, but you get the point. Here are a couple more pics- A small town we worked in.
Yes, this is a picture of the WHOLE town (35 minutes to a Wal-mart). The courthouse is to the right and the 2 restaurants in town are behind where I'm taking this pic.
Amarillo, the big West Texas townThe big Amarillo attraction, "The Big Texan".
Home of the Free 72oz steak if you can eat the whole thing (about the size of a football) along with all the "fixin's" in under an hour.No, neither Scott (see his little head in there?),
or I tried to earn the free steak.
We were in that part of the country for about 3 weeks. Scott and I argued about work the 1st week a lot. We fought about who would do what and when and who would be better at this or at that and who should be in charge, etc. By the second week though, we got along great. He got me to agree that he had skills and expertise in a lot of areas I knew nothing about and that I should listen to him sometimes. I finally got him to agree that I had skills and expertise in a lot of areas he didn't and that I should be in charge most of the time. We had figured everything out and were working great as a team. We were getting homesick though and since the weather wasn't fabulous, and we were cooped up in a little hotel room with each other all the time and there was absolutely nothing to do in that town, by the 3rd week we'd started getting cranky with each other again. It was the perfect time for the project to be over and for us to go home.
