Comin' Clean ---- Say What?
Time to Come Clean
Clean ----- I wish? More on that later.
It’s 4:30 in the morning and as I look out the windows of the ‘Tininthewind’ it is as bright as mid-day with light towers surrounding us and the scene off in the dark is as spooky as the scenes from “Middle Earth” from the movie .
Got your interest, do I??
This past year Kathleen and I got to discussing the heavy hit we are giving our 401K with our nomadic lifestyle as we enjoy our retirement travels and decided to take a break occasionally from the life of leisure and go back to work ---- but only when we wanted to. Now --- that is a tall order to fill when both of us are up a ways on the senior rung of the ladder.
In mid- December we met with “Gate Guard Services” out of Corpis Cristy, Texas. Through their desire to bring us on board we were schooled, tested, finger printed, subjected to background checks, and are now Texas State Licensed Level II Security Guards.
The oil field business is booming, especially in Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Arkansas, and of course the Dakota’s. Security to entry and exit of the various oil facilities is paramount and who better to provide that service than retired folks, with their house on wheels, and the desire to provide that security 24/7.
We are currently providing as independent contractors through “Gate Guard Services” security access and egress to the DL Ranch and Murphy Oil a little North and East of Tilden, Texas. The Tininthewind is parked on a gravel pad and hooked up to electric, water, and sewer service. We are surrounded by huge, high in the air light towers and as I stated earlier we are “lit up”.
We log everyone and everything thing through the gate. Murphy Oil has drilled four wells on the ranch and will now begin the process of bringing those wells in to production through various techniques, one of which is fracking. We are about to get very busy with many trucks of equipment, water, sand, chemicals, support personnel, etc, etc, coming and going. We can expect to be on site here for the next 6 to 8 weeks and more if they have any trouble.
We are paid pretty well we feel for what we do considering that everything is provided for us at no charge. All of the essential services that I mentioned earlier plus all the bottled water we want, catered meals as we are included with the crew when they bring in a caterer---one could maybe get tired of rib-eye steaks I suppose. The pay stub goes ca-ching every day for us at the minimum of $125.00 and can progress on up at an added $75.00/day depending on increased activity.
We have met both the day and night bosses, called simply the “Company Man”. Leo the day boss, said on shaking my hand, “anything you need just let me know”. I asked for a 5 gal jug of drinking water and about 2 hours later a “roust about hand” stopped with two jugs. I mentioned that the entry through the gate was a little dark at night. Shortly a huge light tower showed up, was erected, and we have daylight 24/7. Everyone we have let through the gate has been extremely friendly, jovial, and fun to be around. We of course are overwhelmed by the huge equipment coming on site from portable housing units for all the men to portable shower buildings, to porta potties, to you name it. They have it.
The wells are about 1.5 miles back on the ranch from the gate. We have neumatic lines strung across the road on both directions that “ding” a bell if someone is coming or going so we get plenty of warning to step out the door to log them in or out. Never fails though ---- go to the bathroom, drop your pants and the bell will ding! The drivers are patient though---been there, done that, I suppose.
We will stay on with this crew and rig for the duration 6 to 8 weeks or so and will then hang up our Texas Spurs till some time next fall. When we come back as Winter Texans if the fish aren’t biting we will pull in to the “Gate Guard Services” yard in Whitsett, Texas and let them know we are ready to do it all over again. Hopefully we get another gate as nice as this one seems to be.
In coming posts either Kathleen or I will try to give a little more detail to our daily activities and routines.
Oh, and as to Clean ---- The dust at times can get a little heavy but all will wash off. Just dust off the windshield of the car occasionally to run to the store (nearest is 35 miles N) for supplies
Stay busy and well friends ----We are!
