West Beach, Galveston, 7-10-79

[by Robert Darnell]
We rented this house at Bermuda Beach and came down last Friday. Jerre, Becky, Natalie, and Bob. We have been beach bumming, shell picking, sun bathing, swimming, and walking.

Sunday, Ron, Sylvia and Licia came. Ron tried his luck at fishing and I think he caught three about the size of your little finger. Sylvia and Licia played in the surf and picked up shells. They had a good time and went home that night.

Monday morning David, Jan, David and Jen dropped in. They stayed until Wednesday. Everybody continued to do all the usual things and had a lot of fun with no sun burn.

Tuesday Annie and David Whitlock came so we had a crowd Tuesday night. We went down to the East End of the island to a little seafood place called Tuffy's to eat supper. It was great and we were right by the ship channel where we could see the ships standing in -- standing out -- and laying to. Everybody ate seafood and had a blast. Jennifer put on a show with her two-year-old syndrome.

That morning all the kids and ladies went to the jungle water slide. It was fun for the kids, but not for Jerre, Jan, and Annie standing around waiting.

David and Bob played nine holes of golf. Also, last Saturday Bob played nine holes and Becky and Nat drove the golf cart.

Yesterday the big excitement was Hurricane Bob and Skylab is falling. Bob rose up out of the gulf suddenly and went on in somewhere in Louisiana. We got no effect from Hurricane Bob. Skylab fell today somewhere off in nowhere and no one was effected.

end

Notes from Robert, 1975

The most profound statement I've heard today:

"If Henry Kissinger really wants to tell the Russioans how the cows eat the corn with regard to Angola, he might point out to the Kremlin the value of American Wheat to them versus the value of a slice of African Bush."

Date 20/Dec/75
Weather Fantastically Beautiful
Instructions -- go Shopping

I went and I know that an all time world record for merchandising was set today.

Pat and I took the TV to the ranch last night. Old M and Old P were having a good time out there. The television worked great.

Pat and I shot some serious 8 ball.

Jerre and I went to the Main Bank Party at Riot Hegency. The music was bad.

***

21/Dec/75

Up early. To the ranch. Pat, Beck, Sunshine of my Life, and me.

Old M & P, David, Jan, L. David, and had an Italian Party. Old P cooked spaghet -- also chicken.

Burned brush, picked up wire.

Weather-- Crisp, cool, and bright.

Old M & P are so happy to be here and we are all thrilled that we can have this kind of X-mas.

The kids groomed Molly.

New Year 1976

By Robert Darnell


Old Mom and Old Pop came in from the Ranch.

Pat working at Ernie Cole's.

Becky playing with Amy and Sara.

Jerre and I went to Shumway's New Years Eve Party. People we saw:

Lanier
Liz
Shumway
Fay
John Reed
Jean
Jackson
Artie Lee
Roy Bray
Tom Draper and wife
Harry Reed
Chester Reed and wife
Dick Skinner
Dana Roberts
David Cayan and wife
John Sowell
Rust Staub
Dick Collier and wife
Joe Evans and wife
Ron Marney
Chuck Reagan
Annette
John Sutly and wife
Bill Shepherd
Don Clark
Perry Penny and wife
Otis Cable and wife
Sam Jeffry and wife
Shirley Rowe
Bill

It was a good party --  good food -- drink -- we whooped it up at midnight. Danced a little -- not very good music.

Got home about 2 or 3 -- Pat came in about the time we did. He had been to Baker;s. Old P and M stayed up and watched Guy Lombardi that new comer on television.

New Years Day -- Pat went to Corpus Christi. Jan and David and David and Ron and Sylvia came over. (Hogs and Dogs). We watched:

Cotton Bowl Ark 31 -- Ga 10
Rose Bowl UCLA 16 -- Ohio St 10
Sugar Bowl Okla 14 -- Mich 3

Food -- Sm Turk -- Beef -- Venison -- Black-eyed Peas -- Cheese and cheese dip -- Onion dip -- etc.

Weather cloudy -- great day.

Charlie Madden and Claudia came over -- Took picture of family.

Jenny visited Becky and Becky spent night with Jenny.

end

Labor Day Weekend

by Robert Darnell  [date unknown, but note: When Alicia and Jennifer were four]

For Labor Day Weekend Jerre wanted to get a beach house down at Galveston for all the family and everyone else who wanted to come down. Rob was agreeable as he always is so they leased one at Sea Isle on a canal lot. Beck wanted to be on the beach so we changed it and got one on the beach of Jamaica, which is much better.

Jerre, Beck, Alish, and Rob, and David, Jan, David, and Jennifer went down Friday. One of the first things we noticed was how bad the mosquitoes and ants were, so we started swatting, and spraying, and scratching immediately. We stayed down there four days and pretty soon we were used to them and didn't pay them much more attention.

Jerre cooked for a week, enough food for an army, before we went and we really had a car full going down. All four of us rode in the front seat with the back seat loaded to the roof, and trunk piled full of gear and food.

Our house was right on the beach and had a "mountain with trees on it," right off the front deck. The mountain and trees were not what is commonly thought of when you hear those words, but it was four-year-old Alish's description of a big sand dune with driftwood logs in it. Her description was just right.

Friday night Melanie, Fred, Melanie's brother Hot Sam in Lake Jackson, stayed Friday night. Breakfast in the morning with eggs, bacon sizzling in the pan, toast, jelly; it was out of this world.

Several of Becky's friends came down and spent Saturday night: Nat, Lisa, Amy, Sara, Wendy, Chad, Chuck, Chan, Chilly, Chub, Termite, and Micro. They slept on the floor in sleeping bags, blankets, mattresses, and couches. There was a small hassle about separating the boys and girls by it was mild and no problem.

Sylvia didn't come down until Sunday. It was her first time in the sun and she roasted, fried, broiled, baked and basted until she was well-done.

Also, Sunday, some of Jerre's co-workers, Carla, Bitsy, Chuck, Mike, and Dwayne, came and brought a sail boat, catamaran. Dwayne and Mike took everyone sailing who wanted to go. There was a good wind and a great day for sailing. None of them stayed over night, but left late in the evening.

We stuffed our gut all the time we were there. Beer, chicken salad, potato salad, stew, cookies, cake, baked beans ... beer, hamburgers, condiments, beer, dips and chips, and beer.On Monday Joe and Carla Vick came and brought some shrimp. We boiled them and they were just fantastic. There was plenty of booze, beer, and coffee, and cokes for everyone the whole time.

One afternoon we went crabbing back on some old pier, but only caught one crab. Some people were water-skiing just off the jetty's, so we figured they had the crabs jetting. Beck caught the only one and it was a perfect Blue Crab. We were hoping to get about sixteen of those and have a crab boil, but we didn't. We let the lone one go back in the surf. It went dashing off sideways and gave us the claw on the way out.

David and David went down on the seawall to a fishing pier one night to do some pier fishing. Almost 2:30 in the morning, Jennifer woke Jerre up, who woke Bob up and saw that the Daves were not back yet, so off they went looking for them. They looked up and down the seawall and pier for the Davids and then went back to the house. Naturally they were already there and in bed. That's when thirty-year-old David was wondering when he will be old enough to stay out without his Maw and Paw coming to look for him.

Joe Vick in striking up a conversation with Jennifer asked how old she was. "Four." she said.

"What are you going to be when you're grown up?" asked Joe.

"Five," said Jennifer.

All those interested watched the Oilers' game Sunday and they beat Los Angeles so that made everybody happy. Especially with the kick returner's 95 yard kickoff return for the game winning touchdown.

All in all it was a great four days walking on the beach, laying on the beach, surfing, sailing, eating, drinking, fishing, and loafing. Not a bad way, to spend Labor Day, we all say!

end

The Great Deer Hunt

by Robert D Darnell
Dec 7, 1982

Dave and Bob had been talking about going deer hunting up in the out-back around Possum Kingdom Lake all winter and finally the opportunity came.

They took off early in the morning with all their gear and guns. Dave had a belly ache so he went by the veterinarian's and go t some horse liniment from Jan to take. He always takes horse liniment for belly aches.

They swung north up through the out-back through Brenham, Caldwell, Cameron, Temple, and Gatesville. Stopped for some hot bar-b-que at Temple. Stopped at Pancake for some coffee; wondered why any place would be named Pancake. It was shut down.

We headed North all day long through the rugged out-back, through Hico, Stephenville, Graford. Late in the afternoon as the sun's rays were slanting, we came into the Palo Pinto Mountains. We stopped for coffee at an old stage coach inn. Saw Chill Wills.

Game was plentiful all through the out-back and we were chomping at the bit to go hunting in the morning.

Got on into the camp about 4:00, and checked in at the lodge. George Monie wanted to talk about the water district so we visited with him for a while.

We walked out to the big canyon and picked out spots to hunt in the morning, then ate some catfish and early to bed.

At 5:00 the next morning we woke up and put on all out warm clothes. It was just moderately cold, somewhat comfortable. The main thing was it was so dark. But Dave had a flashlight, so we were able to find our way to the canyon.

Each of us settled into a nest of rocks and waited for daylight. At first it was warm enough from having walked but as we sat still it got colder.

Bob stayed until 9:00 and didn't see a deer. Saw a lot of birds, including a long blue heron and heard a covey of quail waking up and doing their morning toilet. They make a lot of popping noises. Sounds like small pump going on and off.

Bob went back to the sales office and waited a while. Dave stayed out till noon. He saw a bunch of does, and a one point buck, but he didn't shoot anything.

After noon they both went back and Bob sat in a deer stand while Dave tried to walk some deer up. He raised some but neither got a shot. They then drove down some roads but no deer were showing, so called it quits.

Everything we touched today either stung, stuck, scratched, sprained, strained, broke, or other wise hurt. Wow, what fun this hunting!

Thursday morning dawned cold gray and threatening. We broke camp and made preparations to head back South of this rough out-back. It's good to get out in the wilderness and rough it every once in a while, but there's nothing like Home Sweet Home.

So, after our awesomely, awfully, anguishingly, agonizingly, hair-raisingly, aimlessy, awkwardly, antagonizingly, astonishingly, anxious experience we arrived home in Houston.


end

Santa Claus Letter

One Christmas Eve Long Ago When Sylvia turned 24

Dear Santa:
These are critical years for those who believe design can improve the human condition. The idea is as old as Utopian Thought. What is "new?" Melding of observable behavior patterns and understanding of client aspirations and needs, and use of emerging technology to affect the built environment might be accomplished by design.

Whether this is the basis for a new aesthetic is not yet clear. But no conscientious planner or designer can ignore a growing body of knowledge waiting application.
Pat

***

Dear Santa Claus,
I've been urging mother to let me open a present.

Well, Smokey's learning to talk real good, You don't have to worry about him biting you, he might bark, but he won't bite.

How do you like our Christmas tree? I think it is the beautifulest tree we've had. I hope you fill my stocking. Do you like my little guy on the mantle? Bev made it. You know the lady I've known so long?

Look at all the presents under the tree. I've got 11 or 12. We've got candles all over the house this year. You know Christmas Eve is Sylvia's birthday. She'll be 24!

Be sure and stop by David's house, They are not going to be able to be with us on Christmas. Jan had to work everyday except Christmas! That's terrible isn't it?

Well, Good Bye!!
Becky

***

Ho Ho Ho

This country air really makes a feller sleepy. From Nottingham to Shannon Valley Drive to the Ranch... you Darnell kids sure change around a lot for Christmas.

Becky, you are the only little one left so my job is getting easier every year at your house. I hear you are beginning to ask silly questions like "Is there really a Santa Claus?" Believe you me if I ain't real this sure is a tired old nothing  and I sure don't feel like nothing.

Anyway, real or not, here it is, and here is a pretty neat bicycle for you, Becky. I hope it works better than the one last year. Oh, well, we all make mistakes.

I see old Pat and Ron and Sylvia over there asleep. They are so big now that they don't need my toys; just some work clothes and vitamin pills to keep 'em going.

There's old Jerre and Robert, too. They are so dam old they don't need nothing but two rocking chairs and some Geritol.

I met Smokey down in the barn in the hay and he can almost talk. In fact he can talk to a Jolly Old Elf like me. He said he likes to chase around here after birds and armadillos. He says he really knows how to hunt quail, track 'em down, and point at 'em and all that stuff, but no one ever taught him so he just plays dumb and goes ahead and chases armadillos because it is easier and less regimented.

Well HO HO HO and I'm going to grab a quick piece of cake and a short nap in the hay and then I'll be on my way.

Tell David , Jan and David I missed them out here but I'll catch them in Houston.

Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, and Au Revoir.

Jolly Old St. Nick