Apr 21, 2009

The Family Tree Straight Up With A Twist.

Why, it’s the Amarillo Texas city limit. Amarillo is the closest city to Walt and Bert’s new home in Dumas Texas, where Walt has just landed a new job in order to work on a site where the oil refinery project is still in its infancy.

Charted by Spanish explorers, this was Indian land before the 1870s when the Comanches and Kiowas were driven out — which is just about when the cattle ranchers moved in and grew corn, wheat, and sorghum.

Large-scale commercial oil and gas production moved into the area in the late 1920s, which brought new settlers, and the railroad, and Walt and Bert and Dondi, who are now living in a shabby motel which has been converted into an apartment complex, and consists of one small bedroom, a living room/kitchen combination, and a bath.

Nothing much going on here. Just a grain elevator and a shanty-littered crossroad. And listen, man, it may take its toll.

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11 comments

1. 1
   on April 21st, 2009 at 9:39 am
   hydrogeek said:

   HA! Amarillo is the nearest Target to me. And Dumas is still nothing but a grain elevator. Although it’s several orders of magnitude bigger than the town I live in, so who am I to be talking?


2. 2
   on April 21st, 2009 at 12:54 pm
   Momo Fali said:

   But, at the very least, it HAS to be warmer there.


3. 3
   on April 21st, 2009 at 1:50 pm
   Reeb said:

   I think I stayed at that shabby motel once, driving through. Or was that in Oregon?

   And again, I wonder, as with every Family Tree with a Twist posting, how do you know all this stuff? Fascinating.


4. 4
   on April 21st, 2009 at 3:33 pm
   Marnie said:

   Take its toll?? Take its toll on whom???? The suspense is killing me!! (And I’m SO glad you started these back up again!)


5. 5
   on April 21st, 2009 at 9:25 pm
   Margie said:

   I am so glad Bert & Walt remembered to bring their camera along and to stop and take pictures so that we can admire their movie star good looks as we sit on the edges of our seats while you spoon feed us these delicious morsels! More please!


6. 6
   on April 22nd, 2009 at 1:49 am
   lazey said:

   I gotta tell ya I love this part. The pictures are great. I love the story. I think if you play this right it could turn out to be a ‘Marley and me’ book. We who have seen our parents go through the depression are living part of that ourselves. I love seeing pic’s of that time. It reminds me of what happened and what could happen. And what is happening now. But we are way more fortunate.


7. 7
   on April 22nd, 2009 at 12:19 pm
   foolery said:

   What a coincidence — “Dumas” is my nickname! Or quite close to it.

   Is your mom enjoying this serial of her life as much as we are?


8. 8
   on April 22nd, 2009 at 5:26 pm
   Mr Farty said:

   LOL at Foolery.


9. 9
   on April 23rd, 2009 at 11:53 am
   Buf said:

   Wow…For a little over a year, I actually lived in Dumas and worked at the refinery that Walt was helping to build. Still not much there except for a Walmart and a 2 screen movie theater. My dad always refered to Dumas as Dumb A#$ TX (slight slip of the tongue).

   Btw, I posted a comment a couple of days ago that has disappeared or never made it. (I did use a different email and website address).


10. 10
    on April 23rd, 2009 at 5:45 pm
    bossy's friend martha's sis said:

    Just 300 miles south our family was cattle ranchers…. they still have the ranch, cattle and bunk houses too!


11. 11
    on April 24th, 2009 at 11:17 am
    Grandma J said:

    I’ve never been to Dumas TX, but Dumas is my Great Granndma’s maiden name. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

    I’m getting extremely nervous about the twists and turns of this novela.