Ponder, Texas
I really surprise myself once in a while with what goes through my head. I went for drive early yesterday morning. I ended up in Ponder, Texas (not that big of deal, Ponder is like 5 miles from our house). I was stuck on the wrong side of the tracks as two of those damn BNSF trains were making a meet. As I was starting to cuss the day I was born, I noticed this little scene in the picture attached. Of course I had to wait until the two trains went on their merry way to hit the button.
I believe it was the spring of 1983, I do know that it was at the end of my 7th grade year. Homer and Bootstrap, along with Papa Jim and Grammy and my brother and I made a trip to Kansas and Missouri to visit family. Dad would drive the entire two weeks, except for a small amount of time in Oklahoma. Papa Jim drove from the east side of Oklahoma City to the west side of Oklahoma City on our way home. Due to an overwhelming vote by the entire family, dad took back over driving. Just the six of us in a 1978 customized Dodge van. Dad and Papa in the front with seat belts. Mom and Grammy in the bucket seats with no seat belts. Mike and I sat in the back in those old Aluminum lawn chairs with zero thought of seat belts. For safety reasons, both lawn chairs were bought specifically for this trip, they were lower to the ground than normal chairs. This was just in case there was an accident, as we flew through the air, we would not be that high off the ground before we impacted what ever was in front of us. Needless to say in order to see anything, we had to sit facing the back windows. So if we did impact anything we would hit the back of our heads which was the same direction the USS Slam Van was traveling. For two weeks Mike and I saw the country from the from the opposite direction we were traveling.
Imagine my surprise when on day 3 we arrived in Larned, KS. This is where my Papa Jim was born and raised. Uncle Chuck and Aunt Mina still lived there. This was the first time I remember being out of California or Oregon. I remember being excited about the new adventures that were just outside. As I walked outside I noticed a basketball hoop, two feet shorter than it should have been, a garage and railroad tracks with some ballast cars tied down in the siding. I thought great, I can at least shoot baskets while the old people visit. There was a problem, no basketball. I then resorted back to the safety aspect of my life at the time. The same safety aspect that I had lived the previous 3 days being a passenger is the death trap that had gotten me to Larned. I decided to go play on the railroad cars. For the rest of our stay, Mike and I would climb all over the ballast cars that were spotted behind Uncle Chuck's. I knew nothing about railroading, anything that would move, we would move it. We had pennies on the track waiting for the train to come. For 2 days we never saw a headlight. On the 3rd day we finally saw one. It seemed like it took 3 days to get to us. When the train finally went by us, I noticed that the engines had a big Santa Fe on their side. It was the first time I had ever seen a Santa Fe locomotive. I still have the pennies that they smashed in a box.
I do not know why this little scene in Ponder reminded me of Larned, KS. I would like to think that the photo is real similar to the scene that was behind Uncle Chuck and Aunt Mina's house. Maybe it was waiting on the trains. Maybe it was Springsteen on the radio singing 'Seeds' that got me thinking about hard times and how the Berryman kids from Larned grew up in the Dust Bowl, I do not know. I do know that I have not been back to Larned since 1983. Maybe a road trip is in order to see my childhood scene again.
Ponder, Texas
I really surprise myself once in a while with what goes through my head. I went for drive early yesterday morning. I ended up in Ponder, Texas (not that big of deal, Ponder is like 5 miles from our house). I was stuck on the wrong side of the tracks as two of those damn BNSF trains were making a meet. As I was starting to cuss the day I was born, I noticed this little scene in the picture attached. Of course I had to wait until the two trains went on their merry way to hit the button.
I believe it was the spring of 1983, I do know that it was at the end of my 7th grade year. Homer and Bootstrap, along with Papa Jim and Grammy and my brother and I made a trip to Kansas and Missouri to visit family. Dad would drive the entire two weeks, except for a small amount of time in Oklahoma. Papa Jim drove from the east side of Oklahoma City to the west side of Oklahoma City on our way home. Due to an overwhelming vote by the entire family, dad took back over driving. Just the six of us in a 1978 customized Dodge van. Dad and Papa in the front with seat belts. Mom and Grammy in the bucket seats with no seat belts. Mike and I sat in the back in those old Aluminum lawn chairs with zero thought of seat belts. For safety reasons, both lawn chairs were bought specifically for this trip, they were lower to the ground than normal chairs. This was just in case there was an accident, as we flew through the air, we would not be that high off the ground before we impacted what ever was in front of us. Needless to say in order to see anything, we had to sit facing the back windows. So if we did impact anything we would hit the back of our heads which was the same direction the USS Slam Van was traveling. For two weeks Mike and I saw the country from the from the opposite direction we were traveling.
Imagine my surprise when on day 3 we arrived in Larned, KS. This is where my Papa Jim was born and raised. Uncle Chuck and Aunt Mina still lived there. This was the first time I remember being out of California or Oregon. I remember being excited about the new adventures that were just outside. As I walked outside I noticed a basketball hoop, two feet shorter than it should have been, a garage and railroad tracks with some ballast cars tied down in the siding. I thought great, I can at least shoot baskets while the old people visit. There was a problem, no basketball. I then resorted back to the safety aspect of my life at the time. The same safety aspect that I had lived the previous 3 days being a passenger is the death trap that had gotten me to Larned. I decided to go play on the railroad cars. For the rest of our stay, Mike and I would climb all over the ballast cars that were spotted behind Uncle Chuck's. I knew nothing about railroading, anything that would move, we would move it. We had pennies on the track waiting for the train to come. For 2 days we never saw a headlight. On the 3rd day we finally saw one. It seemed like it took 3 days to get to us. When the train finally went by us, I noticed that the engines had a big Santa Fe on their side. It was the first time I had ever seen a Santa Fe locomotive. I still have the pennies that they smashed in a box.
I do not know why this little scene in Ponder reminded me of Larned, KS. I would like to think that the photo is real similar to the scene that was behind Uncle Chuck and Aunt Mina's house. Maybe it was waiting on the trains. Maybe it was Springsteen on the radio singing 'Seeds' that got me thinking about hard times and how the Berryman kids from Larned grew up in the Dust Bowl, I do not know. I do know that I have not been back to Larned since 1983. Maybe a road trip is in order to see my childhood scene again.