We arrived one week ago today.  It has been a rewarding week full of new things.  The trucks are busy moving in and out, but not really fast.  The scenery and wildlife around us is amazing to watch.  We are living in their ecology and watching the lives of the birds animals and insects as they survive.

The trucks still have not been heavy, still less than 38 a day.  They brought in an 84″ office trailer.

That was  quite a feat, as the driver had to make a sharp turn to get in the gate.  After 15 minutes of jockeying around, he made it  Good driver.     Much more equipment has come in.  From what we understand, the bore doesn’t match up.  Problems…lol…They might have to pull up the casing, if that makes sense.  A lot of time has been spent by the crew waiting for management decide what to do.

 View of the well at sunset…..

Lots of the guys are sleeping and eating in their trucks.  Not fun way to live for me.  Temps get to over 100 degrees in the afternoon.  Imagine sitting in your truck to get relief and eat your meals.  Some go to town to eat and I believe many also have rooms in town.  There are many new motels in town because of the oil industry. Also many campgrounds, trailers and Fema looking trailers.  You can tell the oil industry is really giving the area a  huge boost of economy.

The border patrol seems to be out frequently.  We’ve seen the helicopter several days but not as close as the first day.  Also the truck and horse trailer have been by several times.  One morning at day break the Border Patrol truck passed going very very slow.  Looking into the brush at the side of the road.  I just can’t imagine these illegals coming into this country, trying to walk at nite through this desert.  Look at that picture.  It is nothing but dense cactus and brush.  The goat heads in the sand or horrible, and at night, when they travel, the rattle snakes are out.  During the day it reaches over 100 degrees.  The heat is aweful.  How can they take their wives and children into this desert.  No wonder many of them are found dead.  How sad for them that they want to escape their country so bad that they put their lives and family at risk.

Last Friday Rich went to Uvalde and did his fingerprinting.  It was a drive of around 60 miles one way.  So yesterday I had an appointment in Crystal Springs which was much closer.  They are always moving around for the convience of the people.  But beings their is only 2 of us, one always has to be here at the gate, so we took turns.  So now we are done with fingerprinting and our test for the security liscense is also done.  I called Chris and he will be coming to pick them up.  Soon our raise will be in affect….Yessssssss….I also finally got to go to Walmart…….but, it is a small store, not a super Walmart….just a small amount of food….but then I went to a HEB grocery store and loaded up….It was nice to get out..

Last nite we had a wind storm come up.  Really had no idea it was coming.  I watch the weather channel on the phone and not till it arrived, did it register as coming.   It was only blowing around 23 miles per hour, but that was plenty to kick up the dust.  It only lasted for about an hour an half, but it was enough to make my freshly washed hair of the morning, turn into nothing but sand and grit.  My lips kept getting gritty and later I found sand in numerous cracks and crannies I won’t mention…lol …I was worried about the awning but it held up well.  The sand in the road just kicked up into the air and looked like a snow storm from Illinois.  Sometimes whirlpools would just flow down the road like they were dancing in the wind.  I was so glad when it was my turn to retire into the clean air conditioning of my trailer and take a shower.  Rich does nite duty till 6 or 7 am.

This morning I had to sweep our carpet of all the sand that had settled.  The tables were just full.  The neighbors black car looks like it was caught in a blizzard…..lol…..Then this afternoon a road grater started going up and down the gravel road.

The sand had blown so bad they had to plow it……

Then the water truck came and even went down our lane and back.  It made a  huge difference….for now……but……….It is almost dry already…

This morning I was just sitting and out of the corner of my eye I seen movement.  Their was a “Roadrunner”.  Rich seen him come close the other morning.  He came right up in front of my chair and crossed over to the sand.  He would run…stop, look….run, stop, tail would go up.   He was awesome to see and didn’t even act scared of me.

He ran over to the truck and stopped and then crossed the road.

Their is so much wildlife here.  One nite Rich and I were sitting out about 10pm, and I seen a movement out of the corner of my eye.  My first thought was….OMG…Illegal….but then we seen a deer.  He walked behind the RV and later crossed the road.  Rich has seen a number of deer during his nite duty.  But the one that kind of concerns me is a skunk.   He has been coming over in the evenings and eating bugs by the lights.  He runs around and plays…..Well Rich said the other nite he through a stick at him to chase him away.  The skunk lifted his tail and ran….Well If I was their, I would have ran tooooooo…….the other way when I seen the tail raise…..lol….If he comes around again, I will get his picture, but it might be from through the window.   lol

In the mornings the black birds come out first and eat the bugs on the ground and road.  They come in flocks and walk the roads looking.  Then the little scissortail birds come out and take over.

Now this is the coolest little moth I’ve  ever seen….He has 2 long antenna and a big thing on his back that makes him look like a unicorn.   He was attached to the sunscreen for ever……..  But here is the cutest little thing it seen out here yet…………

Meet one of my neighbors…..Kathy and her pet “Peaches”  She is a 6 year old Dachshund puppy.   Cute and Loveable as can be…….I will tell you more about the neighbors next time…..Can’t tell you everything NOW………CAN I????