Fruita is a place that I always felt I would be welcome if I could go back. We arrived there about three weeks into the spring semester. I remember that I wanted to take Biology and the teacher said that if I could make up the three weeks it would be ok. Well, I did and other than the General Science that I took in G'burg as a 9th grader, this is the only science subject on my transcript. I took English everywhere we went. However, the mix of other classes got confusing. Kansas required that all students take Kansas history. We took it in 9th Grade. Texas required all students to take Texas history. I took that in 11th grade. In Kansas, Freshman girls took gym; in Colorado, Sophomore girls took gym and in Texas, Junior girls took gym! I have lots of physical education on my transcript as well as lots of home ec. You see, English and home ec were no trouble to fit in to whatever the class was studying.
The semester spent in Canada does not show on my "Permanent Record!" We left before the government exams at the end of the semester and that was the criteria on which pass or fail was based.
However, I digress!
We really enjoyed living in Fruita. Even though it snowed, the wind did not blow and snow would pile up on the top of fence posts. (This was quite different from Western Kansas where the snow comes out of the side of the sky!) Somehow, Ginger and I got the feeling that we maybe, might, could be going to stay in Fruita for good. I don't know if we made this up, or if there was some talk of Daddy staying on for whatever he would do if he stayed on! Anyway, we acted as though we would be there for the next year. Ginger was elected "Head Girl" of the Jr. High. (The Student Council in both Jr and Sr high were co-chaired by a head boy and head girl) I was elected president of the Girls Athletic Ass'n. And was Carnival Queen.
I think the Carnival Royalty may have been skewed to make a statement. The Carnival King was Buddy Marez, who was hispanic. Now, he was also a school hero due to the wrestling program...a really big deal in Fruita. However, he was mexican. So when it came time for the King to kiss the Queen, there was a long embarrassed silence. First, because Buddy was VERY shy, and second...well, you know! I think eventually he walked to where I was standing and kissed my cheek.
During our stay in Colorado, Mom was pregnant. Jan was born on Father's Day, which I think got Mom and Dad a dinner at some restaurant. Once again, I was able to go to the hospital and dress our new sister for her trip home! The Fruita Hospital set age 16 for visitors..and I had turned 16 the month before! About that time, or shortly after, Roy had his appendix out. So, when the Daddy's job was over, and a new one was available in Canada, Ginger and I went with Daddy while Mom stayed in Fruita with Roy and the little girls. ( I think that is the time we designated the "big kids" and the "little girls!")
Next stop, Kindersley, Saskatchewan, Canada!
How would you act differently if you 'knew' you would not be there the next year? I makes my head spin to think of living in so many places...
ReplyDeleteIf you do not plan to be in a place next year, you do not run for office, or any thing that will be effective the next school year. Fruita was the only place we did that while traveling.
ReplyDeleteAll these great places the family could have settled back in the day. Well. Fruita. We could have been living on the western slope...eating fresh peaches!
ReplyDeleteA lot of my classmates talked about "working in the peaches" for a summer job! It was a new term to me, but then, they probably wouldn't know how to cook for harvest hands, either!
ReplyDeleteI was not aware of it at the time but I came to understand later ,via a lady that I worked with ,that, in Fruita, there was considerable prejudice against mexicans.
ReplyDeleteI believe you left out some items . 1) The Marez brothers were really nice ,as well as, drop dead handsome . 2) What about the horses and water skiing on the irrigation canals? 3) Fruita is where we got our first TV- A black and white Philco console with a radio and it had a phonograph in the bottom .
I do believe there was talk of possibly staying in Fruita . Dad was helping to build an oil shale processing plant (gilsonite) sp. there was some talk of him staying on in Fruita as a part of a maintenance crew . I do not no why he did not stay .