We headed south down through Witchita Falls, Texas. Eventually to Big Spring where a friend of mine lived. We had been roomies when we lived in Boise, and both worked at the airbase there. She met and married an airman from Texas, so that's how she got to Big Spring. Anyway, it was a joyful reunion, and a big Texas Welcome. You never had a Texas Welcome? Well, people, you just don't know what a welcome is, then!
We spent the night, were sent off with a more than adequate breakfast. Man! those people know how to feed a guest! There's not a whole lot to tell about the rest of the trip to El Paso, so I'll just skip on down to the border city.
When we got there, Stan report to Hq per orders. Then we started looking for housing. Every landlord and landlady in town knows exactly how much each rank gets for housing allowance, and that's what they ask for. No matter if the place is a dump, you pay the same rent that a house with a yard goes for. We looked at one place that was a basement apartment. And that's about all it was. I clearly remember the sweaty concrete walls.
So we kept on looking.
Finally we found a place outside the city, but near the base. The land was being developed to be, eventually, an orchard. But the owner had built ten (I think) 20 x 20 "houses" that he rented to Ft Bliss personnel. There were ranks from Major to Private living there, all paying the same rent. These buildings were about the size of a two-car garage. The bathroom consisted of a toilet and a shower, and you had to step over the toilet to get into the shower.
Once again my monks cloth curtains came in handy to separate the bedroom from the rest of the living area. There was a small closet in that bedroom area. And over in the corner opposite the bathroom was a kitchen of sorts. Sink, stove, and an under-the-counter refrigerator.
Husband built a wall to separate the kitchen, and created a dining area of sorts. He fastened a slab of plywood with hinges to the plywood wall he had created, and that was our dining table and his study table. The hinges allowed the table to be turned up out of the way when it wasn't in use. Which wasn't often.
There were two windows, both on the same wall, and two doors front and back, wood floor. I made curtains for the windows. I think there was a light in the center of the ceiling, but with the small wall separating the kitchen from the "dining" area, there wasn't much light getting to the kitchen. Stan had a table lamp that he used to illuminate the table when it was being used as a desk.
Ever been in a Texas sandstorm? It's an experience. Ever experienced a Blue Norther? That's an experience, too. I was told that the reason Blue Northers were so cold was that between El Paso and the North Pole there was only a barb wired fence to stop the wind and cold. And most of the wires were down. It's called a Blue Norther because the clouds and sky take on a dark blue-gray hue. Very ominous looking. And the lighting storms. Oh wow!!
I have to say, though, that living in the desert could be awe inspiring. Space goes on forever. The mountains change color almost by the minute. In the spring, the desert burst forth in unbelievable colors. The gray-green cacti all of a sudden are covered with flowers. Small flowers cover the ground in a rainbow display of colors. Now, I don't care for desert living, but I understand why people do appreciate the desert. Give me the ocean or the mountains. The ocean, preferably on the Pacific side. And the mountains preferably NOT in winter.
Well, we've arrived in El Paso, and we will be there for three years. Interesting friends to tell you about later.
Shalom, y'all.