California Bound

Hi guys, sorry it has taken me so long. So much going on. I am
almost healed from my last surgery Dec 11,04. Any way lets go
west.

In June 1989, man does that seem like an eternity ago. I loaded
everything I could fit in my Pontiac Sunbird. Off I went for what
would be an adventure. I did not even get to there before the adventure
began. My little car started giving me trouble.

I was in the middle of the dessert. The stretch that does not have
any thing by a rest stop in the middle with rest rooms and phones.
I was coming up a hill when I noticed that my car was getting hot.
I pulled over to check the situation out. I discovered upon raising
the hood that my water pump was going out.

I was leaning on the car watching the big orange sun set, wondering
what the heck I was going to do. I was just about to cry. When an
18 wheeler pulled up behind me. He had seen my Oklahoma tags when I
had passed him at the bottom of the hill. He being from Enid his self
decided to stop and help. He had some water in jugs that we put in the
car. We then limped it to the rest area.

At the rest area I met the sweetest retired couple. B and R I will call
them. They lived in Orange, Ca and were on there way home. They took
me under there wings and stayed with me almost all the way to were I
was going. They also kept what was one very scary looking man away.
He kept trying to get me to go and have coffee with him once we got
back into a town. B and R stopped and we had coffee before they had
to go in another direction. B gave me the jugs full of water to get
me the rest of the way, a flash light (I still have it) and there
address and phone number.

I made it in to Lakewood, Ca with out any more trouble. I sent B and R
a thank you note. They became very good friends I even spent one Thanks
giving with them when I was in Calif. I met all there family. Apparently
they always keep a journal or there travels. They read the entry of
meeting and saving me. It was great.

Once in Lakewood I started out as a Nanny for my friends mother. She
had 4 children at home. So I stayed there all summer with them. We had
fun most days. It was very challenging as I had not really been responsible
for children on a regular basis. One of the children was handicap. He
had a great attitude. I had not been there very long when I was supposed
to make cookies for his class. I had the cookies all ready to go in the
oven. But the oven did not work. The family I was staying with had just
moved in the week I came. So we had not met all the neighbors yet.

I took my pan of cookies next door and rung the door bell. I introduced
my self explained the situation and asked if she could bake my cookies.
This was a very sweet couple Carl and Cathy. She did and saved me.
This job taught me a lot of things that I would use later after I married
and became a mother.

After the kids went to school in the fall. I was just about to go out
looking for a job. My friends aunt asked if I would like to work in
there family lumber yard. I worked there the next 2 1/2 yrs I was in
Calif. I had never worked on a computer, but they were very patient and
taught me. I also learned to measure lumber by board ft and lineal ft.

I was able to see a lot of diverse cultures. I am from a small town
with one stop light. So this was a learning adventure. I lived in a couple
of different places, Lomita, Torrance, and Lakewood. I met some wonderful
friends that I still keep up with. I was able to go to Dodgers games,
some plays, Hollywood Bowl, and a few other things. It was a great time.
You can take the girl out of the small town, but some times you can
never take the small town out of the girl. I missed home so much.

When I left I had put an ad in the Ft Smith paper. "I am going to the
land of palm trees and falling stars. But my heart will always belong
down a dirt road in Oklahoma. I will be back. " And my longin for home
was just to strong. So I put another ad in the Ft Smith paper from Calif.
" I have seen the palm trees and falling stars. But the call of a dirt
road is bringing me back home."

Now my memory isn't what it used to be so the ad's may not have read
exactly that but it is close. So I had a yard sale put every thing that
would fit in the new car I had bought while I was there and headed for
home.

I will try my best not to stay away as long.