Sep 16, 2015

Meeting The Wheelers


I just love this fence and the signs.  I love Texas!  It is true everything is bigger in Texas.  You can drive for miles and miles and miles and not see a thing.  Beautiful scenery, hills, trees, large farm entrances complete with signs etc.  You have to look really hard to see the homes and if you look up sometimes you will see a huge home or two.  I kept hearing the theme from "Dallas" in my head the entire time.  Yards are farms and cover acre after acre.  Huge properties.

You are gonna laugh but I kept seeing men in jeans, boots and cowboy hats and I thought my goodness everybody acts like cowboys...then it hit me.  "Dolly, you crazy thing you are in Texas.  This is cowboy rancher country"!

I thought it was time to share a few of the pictures I took while visiting my daddy's friend and war buddy.



I couldn't wait to get out of the car to meet this man!  This man I'd only heard about a year earlier.  It was such a thrill to meet him and his family!  There he was when we parked the car coming out onto the porch to greet us!  I'll never forget it!

Chuck and Mr. Wheeler.  Look at that smile on his face!
I'll never forget it!

Mr. Wheeler showing me some of his pictures in the big book as we call it, The Bastard Battalion. He found quite a few of himself, and some of my daddy.  I'll have to scan the pictures and show them later.  
I was sitting on the stool beside him as he looked at the book and showed me those pictures.


Mr. Wheeler showing us his walking sticks.  I love the design and they are his own.  He made them! Everywhere we went people would stop him to check his cane out!  He is always doing something. Maybe that is the secret to the fountain of youth, staying busy!  One morning he was out scraping his driveway!  


Neta Mr. Jim's wife, Chuck and Mr. Jim


 Ms. Neta with her mama's pan

I love this she was showing me her mama's pan and I just had to get that picture.  What joy showing this pan.  I have to say it looked in excellent shape to have been as old as it must have been.  
Ms. Neta gets around better than I.  She has so much energy!  Do you think it is in the water in Texas?  
She served us some of the best meals and I have to confess Chuck and I both gained weight!  I thank Them both for their true loving hospitality!


Mr. Wheeler took us out back to show us something and it really is cute.... I'll show you in the next photo what we are looking at.


A nest with a clothespin!


Mr. Wheeler's Roses!  They were so pretty!


Mr. Wheeler calls this "The Howard Hughes Cadillac"


I love the wind chimes !
Look at the cute chickens they eat when the wind blows.


table animal with bowl that feeds the critters....


The horses








I love the tractor up on the hill


So peaceful!



Finally a Roadrunner...or Chaparral as the Texans call them!

I had been trying to get a picture of them the entire time we were in Texas.  They got away from me every time.  Chuck got this one sitting on a fence in the Wheeler's yard!


The Wheelers
Please be in prayer for Ms. Neta, she has been sick.

I leave you today with this cute couple married 60 something years.  The cutest couple and nicest people you'd ever want to meet.  Chuck and I just love them!  I know why he and my daddy were friends.  He is such a fun man full of life and he makes you laugh!  What a joy.  She is one of a kind full of spirit and laughter.

Just in case you've missed the first two posts you can read them here at links below:

What Are The Odds?  The story behind meeting this WWII Hero and how he and my daddy served together here
Frontier Texas:  Touring Texas With Mr. Wheeler in His Howard Hughes Cadillac.  here

I'll be back with more family and the Touring Texas!


8 comments:

  1. What a beautiful post today. That is so funny that the birds could carry that clothespin up to add to their nest. Funny!

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    1. Thank you Kristina,
      I know isn't that the cutest thing?! Always it is so good to hear from you!

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  2. This was such an interesting story Dolly! Isn't it wonderful that Mr. Wheeler's daughter continued the search for your dad and found you. Mr Wheeler must have been so relieved to have met up with you at long last even though he was too late to see your father again. You obviously had the best of times meeting him and his family, and they all sound like such a fun and loving family too. Thank you for sharing this story with us, it's a real heartwarmer ;)
    Wendy x
    PS I read back on the previous posts too, and then had to check out your Mama's sweet potato pudding recipe ... you tell good stories!!

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    1. Hey Wendy!
      So good to hear from you! I am so thankful that she didn't give up and found me. What a wonderful thing for a daughter to find out first hand experiences her daddy and friend had in the war. These WWII soldiers are very tight lipped and humble men but if you ever get them to talking they will share some of the things that they can. I did so enjoy my time with them and now honestly feel that they are family.
      Thank you!

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  3. A wonderful visit! My favorite picture is of Neta with her Mama.s pot! Great post! Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Hi Ginger Dawn!
      Isn't she adorable? She is precious frankly the whole family are!
      Thank you!

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  4. Great visit! I love the bird nest and the clothes pin!! My mom has an antique toy where chickens eat on a paddle. The bird feeder reminded me of that. I love it.

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    1. It was and my mouth flew open with the clothes pin! How did they do that? Oh I'll bet your mom's antique toy is so cute. I love those things!

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