Reminded by a Cajun

I come across someone's blog a few weeks ago. She had become a single mum.

Part of her life was blogging, and had made lots of friends doing it. I read through it, made me sad. The links were good though.

One of them was a Cajun, transplanted thru wedded bliss to Australia.

She had her little stories about Oz and Dixie, some are really good. One story was about how her hubby did not have to leave the car at all in one US town, everything was like a drivethru type of thing. Donuts, banking, coffee, burgers etc.

And that reminds me of a few US stories of my own.

One was of going thru a US Mobil petrol station. The fill in. I had been sent to Fort Worth with Halliburton to do a course in MWD and directional drilling with new downhole tools back in '96. The office and workshop and practice rigs and all that stuff was on Everman Parkway, Fort Worth.

Our hotel, the Crowne Plaza Fort Worth South100 Altamesa East Blvd, Fort Worth, TX was near or south by a mile, of the hugest freeway intersection In The World [to me]. This place had a bar, but across the multilane freeway that I never got to was a real bar, with a fake drilling rig in the front carpark. Too far. Bugger... At the hotel bar one night, a fellow patron was forward as he pulled up a stool and ordered a drink- "Ha thar, Ahm Je-am Sumthang, from [City] in [State]". "Hi Jim".  I loved being there, twice! Man, they had great breakfast muffins. I was caught out once putting the brekky dishes out the door and the door swung shut behind me, wet and dressed in a towel only... The idea of phones, along the hall near the ice machine, to call the front desk was made clear; because of people like me.

The road network was fun. The second trip back there, we went on the wrong North/South route, but never mind, it was only a few mile out... Once I went to Grapevine Lake to see if there was any windsurfing gear for hire. Nah. But it was windy. That was why I went of course.

The hire car needed some gas on the way back, and the Mobil station nearby had the newish fangled thing EVER!

The bowsers had credit card facilities! Whahoo! Had to try that!

Filled the tank and replaced the filler, and waited to see what would happen.

The machine had taken my card, thank gott, and printed out my receipt and cut it automatically for me to take.

And.

The wind blew my receipt away!

No proof of purchase for the company expense report or even a souvenir to take home.


Second story is about a comment made by an engineer at the workshop. He had been out huntin' awhiles back there in the hills. After a days huntin', he was havin' few quiet beers back at a tavern. One guy was talkin' 'bout the days shootin'. This guy never saw anthin all day, but did take a "noise-shot at sum bushes ovah thar a bit..."

My sister-in-law has a hubby [Aussie] that works as a manager on a motorbike racing team during the US racing season. Travelling through the mid-West or east coast- forgotten- the team was under his orders to stop wasting time at stops along the way! At one coffee stop, he asked the young waitress for a cappacino. 15 minutes later- the guys in the truck were starting to wonder what the hell was he up to! He eventually got back in the truck. The poor waitress in a panic had had to go to the nearest store for some extras- to make a Cup Of Tuna…