On the road again!

Late in the school year when I was in 9th grade, Mom and Daddy moved to Big Piney, Wyoming and took Roy and Becky with them. I think it was probably March or April.  Ginger and I stayed in G'burg.  Ginger stayed with Aunt Ruth and Uncle Don, and I stayed with Judy Church and her family. This was to work on a construction job, building a gas compressor station, or booster plant.

The next bit is what Mom told us.  There was a group of workers and families who had already worked with this job superintendent, Mr. McAllister. (This group is called a "spread.") Most were from Oklahoma and Texas. They were a very tight knit,  rather "clanish" group. One of them was going to rent the house that Mom and Dad got...but would not rent until it was "cleaned up." Mom and Dad took it  "as is".  The floor in the living room was wood, and quite worn and dirty.  Mom said Becky spent most of the time in her high chair, as she could not let her down on that floor.  Mom told me once, but I have forgotten, how many cans of paste wax she used on that floor.

It took some time before the other wives invited Mom to their "get togethers" but Mom was busy with Becky and didn't feel left out.  By the time Ginger and I got there when school was out, the house was all cleaned up, and the ladies had relented and included Mom in their social things. I have a shadow memory that the guys at the job site told daddy what was happening socially and the superintendent talked to his wife,  and Daddy did some talking to Mom and the playground tiff was over!  We were with this same group in Canada and I think in Odessa, Texas.

The house was quite old, it started out as a log cabin, but had MANY layers of wall paper for "insulation."
We burned wood for heat and to cook.  The hot water tank was next to the kitchen stove and you could tell how many baths could be taken by putting your hand on the tank to see how high the warmth was.  Even though Daddy got to be quite skilled at "banking the fire" in the living room so it did not go out completely over night, Ginger and I slept upstairs and in the winter we could see our breath when we woke up!

The house was next to a trailer park that was owned by the same man from whom we rented.  Mom had her turn with the washer provided in the trailer park.  I cannot remember where the clothes lines were.  I should, as hanging out diapers was my job even before Becky arrived. ( They all had to be washed and ready, don't you know.) We did not have to use the community bathroom and shower, though.  We had our own in the house. (Only one bathroom, which was normal, but when it became my darkroom, it did cause some problems.)

We went to Yellowstone twice while we lived in Big Piney.  Nell Johnson was with us on one trip.  I think that may have been the one when we all slept in the car! One time, we actually stayed in cabins at the park.  That was quite uptown!!

One thing I remember was going to Granite Hot Springs to swim.  It was a natural bowl in the mountains that had water that was nearly bath temperature. Once we were swimming and it began to snow. This was in the mountains, after all.  As long as we were in the water it was fine...but it was a pretty good trek to the dressing rooms (which I think were just outdoor toilets...but I may have it confused with another place.)  Becky, of course, was picked up by Mom and had a towel wrapped around her right away.

There is more to tell, Elaine's Cafe, and school  will be next time.