Schiphol, Texas

Another day, another airport. Leaving Dubai at midnight (Dubai time) and arriving at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam at 5:00 AM local time is a cruel joke of a nights sleep. KLM serves business class a meal after takeoff, lets you sleep about four hours, turns the lights on about an hour and a half before landing and starts serving breakfast. The good news is that in a mere five hours, the wheels will be up on KLM Flight 0661 non stop flight to George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. With the magic of East - West air travel the 10.5 hour flight will only take 4 "clock" hours as we arrive in Houston a little after 3:00 in the afternoon. After passport and emigration checks and a long wait for luggage we leave the airport just in time for Houston rush hour traffic. Fortunatley I'll be looking for a guy in a suit holding a sign that says, "TexasBob". Seeing that sign will make me happy! I may even give him a hug because he will drive me home and in just about 45 minutes to an hour I'll be HOME, drinking a cold Dr Pepper with the only decisions to ponder is whether to go right to bed or stay up and savor the moment.

TexasBob

July in Dubai

Could I say HOT! The temperature today was 115° F with a humidity of 95%. In that heat I spent several hours climbing all over a ship in Dubai “Drydocks World”. Yes that is what they call it and I have the tee shirt to prove it.

Dubai is the “Disney World” of the Middle East. The buildings are unbelievable. As I look across the skyline from my 28th floor hotel room in the “Jumeirah Emirates Tower” I can see 15 high-rise building under construction, many slated to be taller than this 50-story hotel. . I could probably see more if it were not for the “dirty sky” that looks like the sky in West Texas on a sandy, windy spring day.

The Jumeirah Emirates Tower hotel is the best I've ever stayed in. The rooms are large, the staff, which numbers in the hundreds, is attentive to every detail. Your wish is there command. No task too large or too small. You want it, they’ve got it.

...unless you want a cold Dr Pepper.

Road to Dubai

With our work finished in Oslo we had the afternoon open. It gave us a chance walk around the city. The weather has been picturesque and the street full with people enjoying all there is to enjoy in this beautiful city. Street musicians and living statues ply there trade for Kroners.

My colleague and I were discussing the sights we had seen and the rich food we had devoured in the past few days. At that moment we found ourselves in front of a McDonalds and promptly went inside and ordered a "Big Mac". I haven’t darkened the door of a McDonalds in years and didn't intend to on this day. But there was something "American" about it that attracted me. The casher had to do a double take and shift gears into English when she heard our American "draw".

Back at the hotel I entered the incredibly small elevator with a 10 year old boy. I noticed that he had on a pair of rubber sandals with "Batman" across the back strap. I said, "You have Batman shoes." trying to make a little conversation. He said, "No English, Fin" I said, "Batman shoes" trying to complete the connection. He said, "No 'Crocks'".

With our activities finished in Oslo, the morning brings another trip to the airport to board a plane to Dubai via Amsterdam.

I'm still looking for that Dr Pepper.

Texas Bob
On the road.

Boogie on the Foard

Last night everyone involved in our activites, about 20 of us, went out to eat at a fine sea food restaurant on the Oslo waterfront. It was a very fine meal we all enjoyed. We were all told where to sit in order to mix our company with theirs. I was seated next the only woman in the group. Did I tell you that most women in Norway are younger than me (how hard is that!) and blonde? She is a former history major turned lawyer. We discussed "History" from Eric the Red, a great Viking warrior, to the Battle of the Alamo.

After dinner we all walked the boardwalk on the water front. When the weather is this nice in Norway everyone is outside. At one point there was a large deck closer to the water and the music of 1950's rock and roll was playing loudly. More than a hundred couples were dancing the swing. It was a great sight. I wish I could have intoduced them to Bob Wills and Western swing. I think that they would have liked it.

We strolled about 6 blocks and the group began to breakup. Some of our host headed home, a few went in a bar to sample the local brew. It was still very light but approaching 10:00 PM so I elected to head back to hotel. As walked along I spotted a 7-11. The signage was the same as in the US. I stopped to see if I could find a Dr Pepper. I was not to be. I settled for Coke Zero.

I'm still looking for a Dr Pepper.

TexasBob
On the road in Oslo

Texas Bob in Oslo, Norway

Here I sit in a European hotel room. No A/C, bad TV, and funny bed clothes. Last night I ate an expensive piece of fish from the local waters. (Lots of Bones) It is cool here, so cool that I leave my room window open to keep cool. The only problem is that the trolley cars run right under my window. I woke up at 1:00 am only to discover that it was still reasonably light outside and there was a party going on somewhere.

It is all very interesting, but right now I just need a cold Dr Pepper

TexasBob
On the road

One More Stadium Picture

I never drive through Texas without my list of football stadiums. Included in that list is a check box, do I have a picture of this stadium or not? With 1100+ stadiums listed and only 750+ pictures I have 300+ pictures to take.

On this day I was driving to Corpus Christi and passed through Odem and checking my list I knew I did not have a picture of "Owl Stadium".

A quick trip to the parking lot, find an open gate, take a few shots, count the rows, measure the length of the bleachers, estimate the capacity, check for Soccer lines, track, back to the truck and on the road in 20 minutes.

This is the life of a football fanatic.

TexasBob

Wooden Tanks, Steel Men,

Several years ago I decide that I read so much about Texas that I could write a book about Texas. So I started out with the idea I would write the epic tale of my progenitors coming to Texas from Virginia on the eve of the War of Northern Aggression, that’s the Civil war for you Yankees. The only trouble was the only resource material I had was a 11 page letter of an older relative’s remembrance of what her mother had told her about what she remembered about the journey through the eyes of an eight years old.
That’s when I learned my first of many lessons about writing. You have to have good resource material, be willing to do a whole lot of research, or know what you’re talking about. That “learning” was the seed of my next attempt at writing a book.

“Wooden Tanks, Steel Men” was the working title, OK the only title of my new book. As near as I can remember I started this project in 2000. This is a subject I could get my teeth into, I grew up watching these men. I’ve even worked on a Wooden Tank crew and actually helped build the last red wood tank in the Permian Basin. (Put that on your resume and see where it gets you.) That’s when I learned my second lesson about writing. It is work. Knowing the subject well helps but it does not get words on paper.

I never intended to have this book published but after writing two chapters totaling all of 14 double spaced pages, including the title sheet, I knew that if by some miracle of God it was published, it would have to be published by Hallmark. So what did I do with all my efforts? I put it on my webpage. That was the beginning of the “Oil Patch Tales” on TexasBob.com.

Last week when I was in Odessa a friend of mine asked, “When are you going to finish that book? I want to know how it ends.” So while stuck in the Austin airport I decided to read it online. I haven’t actually read it in years. It made me laugh. I really enjoyed thinking about my grand father “Mr. Mac” and the tank crew. So what did I do? I added a couple paragraphs to Chapter 2. At this rate I should have about 100 pages by time I’m 134 years old

TexasBob