GOD , please let me be just half the man I once was .

[Boaz]

There were no jobs in 1982, the oilfield going down had men walking the streets looking for work . I was sitting at the kitchen table because it was beside a window thinking . I had the lights turned off , the refrigerator had been off for a couple of months flat broke and eating mayonnaise sandwiches . My pick up had $5.00 worth of gas in it and I walked everywhere to save that gas in case someone called on one of the many job applications I had out .

My mom and dad were still alive then , dad had Alzheimer's and mom begged me to let them help . It shamed me because I should be helping them . They were living on social security and scraping by . My sister and brother in law tried to help to but I said no , I still had my pride ( <Proud of what?). They still brought in no more than a sack of grocery's every once in a while so I wouldn't get mad at em . I couldn't even feed myself , my parents were failing and had to help me , would have rather starved to death. But I clung to the pride (<Still got it?) I had left and refused all the help offered by anyone . Somehow it made me feel better although it hurt the one's closest to me . I was use to steady work and sitting around nearly dove me crazy , I wanted to work.

I started thinking hard and came up with a plan . Sold what little was left of things I didn't need for cash. I had dang good credit and made a signature note at the bank for $2000.00 . I was going to start a new business !

[tnaz]

Waiting!!!! Thanks Boaz for sharing, life can throw some challenges. Will read to the end Brother.

Terry

[Boaz]

Thank you Terry , who knows you might learn something ?

[Boaz]

The local economy was bad , money was hard to come by . I checked it out and seemed like the few second hand shops were doing a fair business . I leased an old vacant convenience store on a well traveled road within walking distance from the house . I had always been pretty good at buying , selling , trading so I opened the ........TRADING POST. Scrounged in construction dump boxes for lumber and building material to build displays etc . Started making auctions , watching the paper for anything that might make a buck . Hand painted signs , cleaned the old building up , made it look as good as I could . Ran an ad to haul off non working washers , dryers , refrigerators and started fixing them up . Evaporative air conditioners were still being used a lot so drove the alleys looking for them sitting in backyards , hauled em off for free . Started figuring out how to rebuild em . Well in short just anything I could sell or do to turn a dollar .
I still had my Lincoln cracker box welder so set up to do small welding jobs . Knew how to work on small engines from the rig mechanic service so geared up to do that .

Anyway I was steady , constantly working , planning and was the better for it . But this thing was going to have to fly pretty quick , the money went fast. Had a problem dealing with the public though . Had several fist fist fights the first year with people that said I lied or cheated them when I didn't . I would worry about it several days afterwards . I finally figured out that I couldn't fix the problem , I couldn't whip em all .(<Huh ! Sounds like the pride was still there at least !)

Flash ahead 13 years . I had a pretty good business going . Would never get rich but was hackin out a decent living , the struggle/gamble worked out. I took a lot of pride (< There it is again?) in what I (<He did it ?)had done .

[Boaz]

I'd like to add that all this time I was active in church . I still never wavered in my faith in GOD . I knew he was still there . I still tried to do good work .
But you might notice I never mentioned asking him for help during my trial .

[rancher1913]

things sure have changed in the oil patch, we could pull on a pad and be rigged up and drilling in a couple of hours (record was 40 minutes) and we had almost 3 miles of 2 inch tubing on the rig, if we were just doing a wash out we could be to 14000 feet in about 3 hours.

sorry for the hijack boaz but the side stories have been almost as interesting as your story, please continue.

[1989toddm]

I am enjoying this immensely. Hope to learn lessons from the older ones!

[scarry scarney]

Boaz

I really feel your story so far. My Grandfather raised in the Oil patch in OK & TX. He was a wildcatter, and small time oil man. I had been in the patch most of my youth and that's all I knew. He wanted me to join thee military so I could grow up, and to "take over the business" when I got out. My time was up in 1980, and you know that story. I was lucky, I was able to re-enlist and ended up retiring from the military in the 90's.

Please continue your story....

[jmort]

"Please continue your story...."

Yes, please

[Boaz]

I agree . Was workin for Linmor Drilling Just west of Bartons Chapel Tx . We were changing bits and goin back in the hole , got about 2/3 of the long string in the hole headed for bottom . Already mudded up mixing bar , suppose to a gas several possible gas zones.
We started smelling gas then drilling mud started flowing out the rotary table , In was a double pole job , no way to get out of the derrick except to ride the blocks down . The derrick man (his name was James , later killed when he ran into a concrete embankment drunk , his car ran on propane , had a 20 gallon tank in the trunk , blew him to pieces) was screaming ...Get me down , get me outta here ! The driller had tied the brake down and him and the other floor hand took off running and disappeared into the mesquites . The toolpusher was there for the bit changin , he ran up to the rig floor screaming Get that man down , get that man down ! I untied the brake handle and tryed to let the pipe in the hole , didn't like but about 10' to be able to set the slips and unlach the elevators . Drill string didn't want to move , it was trying to go up ! Hydrolic pressure from the gas . Set the blocks on the top of the pipe and it slowly went down , set the slips and Started up with the block to get James , he jumped on the elevators and got him down on the floor. And he ran off the location lol ! Toolpusher and me killed the draw works engine and light plant (It was night), mud and gas were blowing about 30' high out of the rotary . We got under the sub and started trying to close the antique blowout preventer , it was a piece of junk . It was the law that you had to have one but no body ever ran maintenance on em . We were struggling with cheater pipes try to turn the wheels to close it and John just stopped and stood there , the gas was so bad you couldn't draw a full breath . I said .. shut it turn that wheel! He said .. I don't remember if it's got rams in it ! My heart sank and I knew we were goin die . Dying in a gigantic fireball wasn't how I want to cash out .The rams are what grabs the pipe to keep it from blowing out of the hole and seals the mud off to stop the blowout . Long story short we got it shut in ......kinda . The rams were junk but they held till Haliburton got there with the bar wagon to get the weight up on the mud . And everyone lived happily ever after !

[rancher1913]

heard several stories like that after I asked why we bothered to test the BOP each time we rigged up. our BOP was usually 20 feet in the air and ran off hydraulics.

did you ever have to deal with the poison gas, heard stories about that in training classes but it was not encountered in our area very much.

[Boaz]

Yea drilled a few that we had 'sniffers' . They trained us well . Said if a sniffer went off to run up wind . That was all the training we got . Never hit any I know of .

[castalott]

I wasn't there but...... The derrick hand jumped off the A legs into the mud pit. He went in up to his knees ........and he dove in head first. He was trapped and would die shortly. One of the hands ran over and tied the cat line around one of his legs and the driller jerked him out of the mud.... This was told to me as a true story anyway....

[Boaz]

Castalott I think there may have been a truth or basis to the story ...........BUT ! Assuming it was long ago they used earth pits (pits dug in the ground to circulate the drilling mud and let the cuttings/sediment settle out before being pumped back down hole) they would have been farther out in the 'yard' . A man falling or jumping off the a legs of the derrick ............no way . The pits would have been at least 30' away to accommodate the placement of shale shakers, desanders and the like .

But as I said , probably an event that got changed as it was told , probaly some basis for it .

We did have to catline an old man out of the blowout celler because he got mired up in chest deep mud and there wasn't room to get in there to get him out . Lol he was a preacher , Preacher Fuller . He had a son I was showing how to work the derrick and I knew he wouldn't make it . Lol , he fell off the board 90' up about 6' twisting on his safety rope like a big ol spider screaming like a woman . Me and an old man named Raymond had to climb up and hand over hand him back up . Raymond was a mean old cuss and didn't like the boy because he thought he was lazy , Raymond was in his 70's , had had many heart attacks and problems but he was determined to pull his weight ....no free ride .

[Boaz]

Ahh well lets move on , it's not an oilfield tall tale thread . Most here don't know the terminology associated with it and they are better off actually .

[Boaz]

In 1995 I bought a better location for the business , better located and more traffic flow . I had learned how to make fiberglass and latex rubbers molds and we started wholesale ornamental concrete (bird baths , bench's , statuary , planters , etc). started a custom shipping pallet/rebuilt pallet place . I dumped the general used merchandise washers , dryers , furniture and the like , the rent to own joints came in and killed that . I had to change and remodel the business , I was in hog heaven with all the work I could impossibly try to do. In didn't even care about the money it was the enjoyment of work and pride ( <wow 15 years later, same word ) of accomplishment . I made it work and it was fulfilling but I needed more work .

Then in 1999 My Lord gave me more than I ever though I would have . A gift that took my heart and renewed me. A gift that made me cry with happiness .

[Blackwater]

Maybe so, but I enjoyed 'em anyway. I bet lots of others did, too. Most folks don't have a clue what an oil rig is all about, but they don't call those boys "roughnecks" for notin'!

[Boaz]

I don't think they call themselves Roughnecks now days , they call themselves 'riggers' . Sounds more like a disease ?

[fast ronnie]

Let's see! Fishin pole (with fish) Cap lock, cuttin torch, Good lookin, too. God blesses us in ways we sometimes take for granted. Looks like you taught her some of the best in life, especially working on that cross. I have 3 great-granddaughters, but have only seen one. Going to be seeing her in a couple of weeks as my granddaughters' husband is now stationed about three hours from us instead of on the other coast. Every Cristian has a great story. They may not even realize it, but everyone who turns to Christ is a miracle created by God Himself.

P.S. I enjoy your posts.

Ron

[Boaz]

Thank you Ron !