Wrapping Up Tyler

It seems like I'm just about done with the year (1970) we spent in Tyler, Texas. There are still some random tidbits that bear mentioning - or maybe not. But I'll mention them anyway...

One of out neighbors on Chilton Street had a dog that walked like a camel.... It was one of the weirdest things I've ever seen... For those who are unaware: Quadrupeds typically move the legs on the same side of the body in opposite directions - just like a human swings the left arm backward when the left leg is moving forward and vice-versa. This yields a nicely balanced gait. On the other hand, camels (and giraffes) move both legs on the same side of the body the same direction at the same time. This is referred to as "pacing" and it looks really goofy. (Scientists speculate that camels and giraffes do it because they have long legs and short bodies and their legs would collide otherwise.) Regardless - I'd never seen a dog do it before and our neighbor's sheepdog did it all the time... It took me the longest time to figure out exactly what was wrong with the way it walked. I knew it wasn't right but just couldn't put my finger on it :-)

I don't think I mentioned the brick streets before. Tyler had a lot of them. The cool thing is that wet bricks are almost as slick as ice... When it rains you can do all sorts of interesting maneuvers. I learned a lot about controlling a "drifting" car on those streets.

Then there was the time one of Karina's boyfriends gave me a ride in a (heavily modified) 1967 Corvette 427 convertible. I'd been sipping on some ice tea in the front yard when he offered to take me for a ride and I made the mistake of bringing the tea with me... So - he babied the Vette gently around the corner, rev'ed it up to 3000 RPM and dropped the clutch. Now - I thought he was just revving the engine to annoy some nearby old people - I totally didn't expect him to launch it... My head snapped back against the seat and I blacked out. When I came to I was wearing the ice tea, we were going about 70 MPH and he was cursing and downshifting like a madman because someone had pulled out in front of him. (We were in a 25MPH zone at the time...) We survived the ride in one piece and the whole experience only served to fuel my desire for ungodly acceleration :-)

This one time Wayne and I were "smoking" in my bedroom when the doorbell rang. It was the sheriff's deputy that mom knew. (The one Pam was living with). Mom was out of town and had apparently asked him to stop by and check on me from time to time. She really should have warned me - Wayne and I jut about had heart attacks when I opened the door. The deputy must have smelled it but he never said a thing. I told him I was doing fine and he went on his way...

BTW: Wayne had this on-off-on-off relationship with his girlfriend (now his wife) and when they were "off" Wayne and I would occasionally pick up girls while cruising and bring them back to my place... Nothing ever happened... We'd talk - have a drink or two - and they'd always leave... I guess Wayne and I just weren't sexy enough :-)

Karina and I knew another girl named Pam. She was the only child of wealthy parents and was constantly whining that all they ever did was give her cars and furs and diamonds but they didn't really love her... Yeah - the more extravagant the gift the more she bitched about it... We totally could not empathize :-)
Late one evening a few of us took her out to see the acreage the "guru followers" had bought outside of town. We got out of the car and started walking the property and she completely freaked out because she had never seen a firefly before... Seriously... This girl was 19 years old and had never been outside after dark in a rural area... Talk about a "pampered princess" :-)

When mom was out of town and I was home alone I usually just ate TV dinners. (They were the cornerstone of my diet.) But when Karina was around she was expected to cook for me - and she did so - grudgingly... Whenever she fixed me something she'd yell "Here Peter! ... Here boy!" And when I got to the kitchen she'd grab a bowl and a big spoon and dramatically slop the food into the bowl. (It didn't matter what she made - she always fed me in a bowl.) I guess it was intended to be demeaning but as long as I got fed I really didn't care :-)

I remember Mrs. Osborn being rather irate one day. Her youngest daughter was in the second grade and the teacher had told the class that hippies were worse than n-words because n-words couldn't help being n-words but hippies chose to be hippies and they should all be thrown in jail... Yeah - that is classic Tyler :-)

And that about sums it up!