Day 44 to 56

12/9 to 12/21

I told myself when I started this trip that I needed to be real flexible on what can and does happen from day to day.  I was planning on being close to the Louisiana border by now, however I am still between Anson and Abilene at the ranch of the family that adopted me.  They are so far out in the country that there is only sporadic cell service and no internet.  I am in Abilene right now to pickup some lumber for a building project I am doing for these nice people.  I have had a few people contact me that are worried that I will be spending Christmas alone in some cold windy place.  This family are making sure that doesn't happen.  They are so good to me.  The following is a shot gun summary of some of things that have been happening:  Have had two newspaper interviews.  Might being doing a TV thing next week.  Spoke at a church and it went very well.  My host, who thought she was a Christian for the last 60 years, accepted Christ into her life for reals after reading my book. I am so jazzed about this, I can't express it words.  My son Chris sent me a box of 45 books.  Tiffany at the Anson newspaper is going sell some and the church I spoke is going to sell the rest.  Tiffiany is also going to writing a weekly diddy on the journey.  Have established a real friendship with several people, but especially little Noah.  We spend a lot of time together. Going to spend part of Christmas with another family that takes care of five very disabled kids.  All it has been an amazing unscheduled stop and I know there is much more to come.  God is so wonderful and I pray that you and your family have a wonder Christmas.  Please cherish each other. One picture is of my wonderful little camper and the other is of Noah being part of the worship team at Coyboy Church. Dave

Days 42 & 43

Wednesday, Thursday  12/7 & 8/11  Walked six miles out of Anson to the little town of Funston, pop. 7.  Was looking for a place to pitch my tent when a man came over to me with a pop and some cookies.  I asked him if it was alright to pitch my tent behind a old barn about 100 yards away.  It wasn't his but he said he would call the owner and see if it was OK.  he came back a few minutes later and told me his wife insisted that I stay with them as it was suppose to get cold that night.  Ended up staying with Rusty and Jaynell for two days.  Great people who didn't have much but were more than happy to share it with me.  Picture with flags is a cemetery that I spent over an hour exploring.  Also picture of Rusty.  Took a picture of both him and Jaynell but my finger covered half the lens. 

Update

I wanted to let you know that I am OK and well.  I met a family a few days ago that has kind of adopted me.  It is a mother and her two daughters and a six old grandson.  They are very nice people and we have had a real good time together.  Before anyone thinks otherwise, let me say that I stay in a camper and everything is on the up and up.  These are Christian people who have simply reached out to me and I am able to return their kindness by helping around their small little ranch.  It is about 15 miles from the nearest town with horses, dogs, cats, pigs, chickens and the whole nine yards.  They are very self reliant people who would do fine without my help.  However, there is a lot of ranch stuff for me to do and they appreciate it.  Anyway, that's what I am doing for a few days.  The little boy is six years old and his name is Noah and we have become real cowboy buds.  I don't know how long I will be here.  I do speak at a church in Abilene Wednesday and maybe again next Sunday.  God Bless all of you and thank you for reading this.  Dave

Out of contact

A nice family has asked me to stay with them for a few days.  I decided to take them up on it as they have a lot of wood to cut, so I can earn my keep.  Will get back up to date when I get back on the road. God Bless all of you.  Dave

Day 41

Tuesday, 12/06/11:                 61 miles  2,843  total

I went back to the same spot I spent hours at the day before, and John, a truck driver for a company that makes platforms for oil rigs, picked me up after only 20 minutes, and gave me a ride to Roby, TX.  It’s amazing the difference another day can make!  I got a corn dog at a gas station and went back on the road to try to get a ride to Anson.  Before I could even put some mustard on my corn dog, Virgil, a pilot car driver, picked me up and gave me a ride me to Anson.  I went to the only RV Park in town and they didn't have a place to put my tent up.  I came across a very cheap motel, so since the wind was blowing again and it was in the 20's, I got a room.  As I was walking to a grocery store I came across The Western Observer Newspaper.  I went in, and was greeted by a gal who I thought was the owner’s teenage daughter.  It turned out that Tiffany is the owner.  She, and her husband, who is in the military and served in Iraq, bought the paper when she was 25, five years ago.  We had a real good time interviewing each other and this little gal, who is 4 1/2 months pregnant with their second child, will get considerable amount of space in book 2.  This young woman has a very interesting story, and I am looking forward to writing about her.

This is a picture of the court house in Anson and of Tiffany.  It is pretty easy to see that they are very patriotic.

Day 40

Monday, 12/5/11:              3 miles    2,782 total

I left Snyder this morning, with a goal of making it to Roby or Anson, Texas, but only made my way to a truck stop about three miles out of town.  The temp was in the high 20's, with horizontal snow, because the wind was blowing 15 to 20 mph.  I got the thumb out in a very good location, but after several hours I, literally, had to give up.  I was so sure I would get a ride here!  It is so cold; why wouldn't someone stop and give a old man a ride?  I don't know, but it didn't come to pass today.  I was determined to get a ride, but gave up when I couldn't stop shivering and started to show signs of hypothermia.  I decided to dip into the savings account and get a room and thaw out.  I’m not going to do anyone any good if I get real sick.  Tomorrow will be a better day!  The sign behind the tree says "Git-R-Done".  That didn't happen for me today.

Days 37, 38, 39

Fri., Sat., Sun., 12/2 - 12/4/2011:             zero miles

I wanted to stay in Snyder to get some writing and internet work done, and hopefully beat some colder weather.  The writing and internet stuff worked, but it looks like I will be going into some weather when I leave here tomorrow.  I would like to thank all of you who have been sending me very encouraging emails and blog  comments.  They really make a difference and I appreciate it.

These pictures are of a Christmas program they had here Saturday night at their court house.

Day 36

Thursday, 12/01/11:               63 miles  2,779 total

I only had to wait about 20 minutes in the same spot I tried for four hours the day before, when Eddy, who is from Mission, TX, stopped and I got my first ride in a big rig.  Eddy owns his own truck, was headed for Abilene, and dropped me off on the outskirts of Snyder.  We had a really good ride, as he is pumped about sharing the Good News, and he gave me his # if I ever need anything.  As I walked into town, I saw a hardware store, Snyder Lumber Co., so I stopped by.  The rubber had come off of one of my cart wheels and it was kind of hard to pull, so I thought I would try fixing it.  With a lot of help from some employees we got both wheels replaced and it's amazing how much easier it pulls.  I went to pay for everything and Manuel, the store manager, wouldn't let me.  Everyone in that store was so nice to me and I really appreciate their help!  I saw a First Baptist Church, so decided to ask for help in finding a RV park to set up the tent.  After talking to RV parks, and the police, I ended up with a free room for the night from the ministerial association.  RV parks did not have tent spaces and the police would not allow me set up any other place, legally.  I had lunch in a very cool deli called Big Apple Deli.  Bill, the owner, was very nice guy, and was interested in our journey.  I met Eric DeLeon, an administrator at the local high school, who is a stand up comic and does gigs all over West Texas.  He introduced me to Freddy who teaches ESL and adult GED programs.  Freddy made me take some money for the kids.  My first day in Snyder was pretty awesome.  Between Peter, yesterday, and Freddy today we have enough to send out another $100 to “Make Way Partners.” 

The photo is from the inside of Eddy's truck, halfway between Lemesa and Snyder

Day 35

Wednesday, 11/30/11:             41 miles 2,716 total

I walked a few miles east from Mary and Josh's place, and Peter, a Mennonite cotton and peanut farmer, picked me up.  I really liked Peter and we had a very nice conversation about his church, farm, and family.  He took me all the way to Lemesa, which ended up being 24 miles out of his way.  I unloaded my gear and we said our goodbyes.  He turned around and pulled up next to me and said he wanted me to take some money.  I told him any money I get goes to kids and he was fine with that.  He gave me enough to feed, cloth, and educate a little guy for two whole months.  I stood there for several minutes after he pulled away, as it blew me away.   I called the local paper and told the lady, who answered the phone, what I was doing.  In less than 15 minutes, a very nice lady by the name of Regina from the Lamesa Press Reporter, met me where I was at and did an interview.  As she was finishing up the interview, another lady pulled up.  I thought she was a friend of Regina's, but apparently she saw the sign on my little cart and wanted to know if she could donate some money.  She gave me $10 and drove away.  In less than thirty minutes God blessed me with these three people and their generosity.  I walked for several miles out of Lemesa without getting a ride, so I set up my tent behind a tree.  Being able to set up the tent was nice because of the wind.  Awesome day!!!!

This picture is of my cart, on the road between Seminole and Lamesa, TX.

Day 34

Tuesday, 11/29/11:            25 miles  2,675  total

Chris, an oil industry salesman, gave me a ride from Stateline to Seminole, TX.  He gave me his card and told me to call him if I ever needed anything.  I walked into town and saw a library sign.  I wanted to see if I could find an RV park and if they would let me set up my tent.  I found one that looked good on the internet, and asked a library employee if she knew where it was.  She saw my Bible in my pocket and said, “You are a Christian aren't you?”  Ten minutes later, she had talked to her husband, and I ended up staying at their place for the night.  Mary and Josh fed me and gave me a warm place to sleep.  The next morning Josh brought me coffee, breakfast burritos, and a sandwich for the road.  They are very nice people and you will have to buy book 2 to read about their family and the church they have built on their property. I might not be selling too many books, but I am sure meeting a lot of nice people.  West Texas is wide open and flat; big oil, cotton, and peanut country.

This is not a great picture, but gives you an idea of how flat it is.