North Chicago July 1965 - Feb 1966 Al was in ETA School at Great Lakes Naval base. He graduated 2nd highest GPA in his class.
No doors I was standing in the Kitchen when I took this pic. Our bathroom was on the porch. We shared it with the couple next door.
Norfolk VA Sept 1966 - Feb 1969 Al was stationed on the USS John King DDG 3 (Guided Missile Destroyer) repairing radar. He got a special commendation for repairing an Azrock Missile launcher when no one else (including the factory rep) could and one from the Spanish Government for repairing the radar on one of their ships. I worked for a Buick Dealer doing warranty and later went to work as full charge bookkeeper for a paint company.
Our first home on wheels 10' wide X 51' long
Living Room to hall
Living Room 4' X 9' tip out - made the LR 14' X 14'
Buna TX Feb 1969 - June 1969 Al was in Peru on USS Middlesex County LST 983 (Transport/Landing Craft) he was the only electronics technician on board and worked on all the equipment.
Denver CO June 1969 - Sept 1969 Al was going to PMEL School on the Airforce Base.
Buna TX Sept 1969 - Jan 1971 Al was in Viet Nam (shore duty) for over a year and then trying to find us a place in RI - we had to wait for the Navy to build a trailer park. There was a severe housing shortage.
Quonset Point RI Jan 1971 - Feb 1972 Al was on shore duty at the Naval Air Station. The Navy closed the base because the natives were not friendly.
Newport RI Feb 1972 - Aug 1974 The Navy closed Quonset down and moved everything on that base to the Newport Island Base. I sold Artex paints and taught people how to shade stamped pictures with oil paints.
Back yard looking at neighbors house - area where I had a small garden
Livingston TX Aug 1974 - May 1975 Al got out of the Navy because my (Navy) Doctors told him and his commanding officers that if he stayed in RI another year I would be in a wheel chair. They would not transfer him so he got out when his enlistment was up. We opened a TV repair shop and made a living from it from day 1. We sold the TV shop and moved because Al got a really good job offer.
Beaumont TX May 1975 - Oct 1976 We bought a house and Al went to work in Marine Electronics (everything from yachts to shrimp boats to tankers) repairing Raytheon radar, sonar, etc. He left for work at 6 AM and usually got home at midnight for after 6 days a week. The money was great but he never had a chance to enjoy it. We decided we saw more of each other when he was in the Navy. He reenlisted.
Virginia Beach VA Oct 1976 - Aug 1978 Al was stationed on the USS John F. Kennedy (Carrier) repairing Radar. Al met Jesus in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Our children were 10 and 8 years old. He got out of the Navy so he could see them finish growing up.
Nederland TX Aug 1978 - Jan 1979 Al was repairing electronic equipment (Avionics) on private aircraft at Jefferson County Airport. I was the bookkeeper at the same shop. Al wanted to go to Baptist Seminary in Fort Worth TX - He quit his job and then did not get to go to seminary. He had to find a new job. He took a correspondence course at the Lynchburg College Seminary instead.
Our first purchased home without wheels
Livingston TX Jan 1979 - Sept 1980 Al was working in a furniture repairing TVs & Kirby Vacuum cleaners and I was working for the Polk County Enterprise as Secretary to the publisher. The economy bottomed out and Al had to find a new job. Turned out to be in Houston TX.
Our favorite place to live We were about half way between Livingston and Woodville, across from the Indian Reservation. Our home was the last house on the road, across from the lake and we had 700 acres of champion timer (forest) behind us. We loved watching the deer and other critters cross our yard to go drink at the lake. We were so far out that we were on a list to get a telephone and someone had to die or move in order for us to get one. We never did have a phone while we were there. The Indians taught our kids how to fish without a pole or anything. Since they were our neighbors, we got to go to pow wows and other events. What an education that was.
Houston is a little over 60 miles across in any direction - it spreads out instead of up. So even though we lived in Houston for 10 years we lived in different areas according to where the job was.
Pearland TX Sept 1980 - April 1981 Al and I were working for Houston Beechcraft (Al was repairing radar and I was filing warranty claims) at Hobby Airport. Our Landlady sold our rental house and we had to move.
Manvel TX April 1981 - April 1982 Al was Gulf Coast Technical Representative for Crump Atlas Radar. Our Landlady sold our rental house and we had to move.
Alvin TX April 1982 - June 1984 Our daughter finished school. Al had gone back to Houston Beechcraft repairing radar. Our Landlord sold our rental house and we had to move.
Pearland TX June 1984 - April 1984 We rented an apartment - Al still worked for Houston Beechcraft. West Houston Aeromotive offered him Manager of their new shop and a hefty pay raise. He took it - 60 miles away.
Houston (Cyprus/Fairbanks) TX April 1984 - June 1987 Al and I worked for West Houston Aeromotive (Al was Avionics Manager and I was Executive Assistant) at West Houston Airport. We bought a house. The economy went down hill. We sold our house.
Houston (Clear Lake area) TX June 1987 - June 1989 Al went to work for Houston Beechcraft repairing radar and I worked in Human Resources at Rockwell Space. We rented an apartment, bought a sailboat and bowling balls etc. The apartment settled and the ceiling & walls started to crack. The apartment complex had to have it empty to repair it.
Houston (Hobby Airport Area) June 1989 - April 1990 Al worked for Houston Beechcraft repairing radar. He was offered a job at Rockwell/Collins in Wichita KS. They paid our lease out so we could move.
Wichita KS April 1990 - Sept 2000 Al worked for Rockwell/Collins repair the Doppler radar and I sat with Al's brother while his wife was a work (he was very ill). Our landlord raised the rent over $100 per mo so we purchased a really nice Manufactured Home and moved in May 1992. After Dean died, I managed a Manufactured Home Community of 93 families at first and then two Communities with a total of 193 families.
First Snow Our home was a block from Al's brother's home
Cottonwood Grove Our home was directly across the street from the office where I worked.
Playground next to wheat field
Coppell (Dallas area) TX Sept 2000 - Oct 2001 Al was transferred to the Commercial Aircraft Division of Rockwell in Irving (Dallas area) TX. ARC bought the community where we lived and raised the rent over $100 per mo. We purchased a lot.
I 35 N coming into Dallas from Wichita KS
Our little Corner What you see is what you get ARC wanted $200 per mo for that lot.
Gun Barrel City TX Oct 2001 - Sept 2003 Al worked for Rockwell in Irving TX Terrorists (Sept 11, 2001) attached the world trade centers and the pentagon. American Airlines (Rockwell's main customer in Dallas) grounded 40 planes in 2002. Al had to take early retirement and it was not enough to live on. We sold our home.
Dallas from the South East side from Gun Barrel
Porch My favorite place to be
Sleet almost looked like snow
Livingston TX Sept 2003 - March 2004 We moved into HUD housing (a block from my Mom) while Al looked for a job. He was offered on at the south pole repairing radar for the research center there, one on a south sea island taking care of NASA's radar where there was no facilities to accommodate a wife (I could not go with him to either) and one in MS.
Brandon MS March 2004 - Sept 2007 Al was repairing radar for L3. He retired in 2005 and we started looking for a place in TX.
Livingston TX Sept 2007 - ? Retirement is wonderful. It's like being a kid again - you do your chores and then you play. Does not take long to do your chores if you don't make a mess. The only thing wrong with retirement is your brain keeps writing checks that your body can't cash.
Panoramic view We have the city for a front window view and the country for a back window view. Hotels & Restaurants and shops on the hill out front and a goat farm down the hill behind our house. We love it.
Car on House Illusion There's a road that is on the hill above the house.
