Kit and Jerry Bertelsen
Welcome to the Bertelsen Web Site
Our Goal is to keep this site very simple.
We hope you visit it often and enjoy our journey.
Parting is all we know of heaven and all we need to know of hell. ~Emily Dickinson, "Parting"
from quotegarden.com
Last Update:
Friday, September 03, 2010
Where In The World are
Kit and Jerry:
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2010 Travels
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Send Mail to:
144 Rainbow Dr. #4412
Livingston, TX 77399-1044
Send email to:
Jerry's email:
jerry.bertelsen@hotmail.com
Kit's email
bertelsenk@gmail.com
Recent Posts:
09/03 We Lost Our Shade Tree
09/02 A Treat for Lunch and Visitors
09/01 Laundry for Kit--Jerry Sees Oil Rig
08/31 Hot Hot Hot
08/30 Slow Moving Monday
08/29 Hot Sunday in the Desert
08/28 Gate Entertainment
08/27 Still Moving Metal
08/26 Jerry Breaks Loose
08/25 Relief from the Heat
08/24 Long Day
08/23 Gate Failure
08/22 No Rest for Us
08/21 Kit Takes a Day Out
08/20 Slow Day for Gate Guarding
08/19 Bird Watching
08/18 Activity Picks Up
08/17 More Triple Digits
08/16 In Survival Mode
08/15 It's Official We're Gate Guards
08/14 Under a Heat Advisory
08/13 Still Hot
08/12 Hurry Up and Wait
08/11 On Standby
08/10 Ready to Go
08/09 We Better Get Busy!
08/08 A Restful Sunday
08/07 Working with the Heat
08/06 Getting Settled In
08/05 Finally Home for Awhile at Fort Clark Springs
08/04 A Day in San Antonio
08/03 Another Early- to- Rise Morning
08/02 Errands in Boerne
08/01 A Hot Sunday
07/31 Just Trying to Stay Cool
07/30 A Long Day at Walmart
07/29 Moving to Medina Lake and It's Hot!
07/28 On to San Angelo
07/27 Looking at Lubbock
07/26 In Lubbock Waiting for Failure
07/25 Palo Duro Canyon is Grand for Texas
07/24 A Little Shopping and a Time Trial
07/23 Fighting with the Wind
07/22 Just Trying to Stay Cool
07/21 A Garden in the Middle of the Prairie
07/20 "More Trains Than You Can Keep Track Of"
07/19 A Leisure Drive to North Platt
07/18 Wall Drug and the Badlands
07/17 HOT!
07/16 A Hot Travel Day
07/15 A Day at Capital RV Center, Inc.
07/14 Moving to Bismarck
07/13 Ready to Move On
07/12 T. Roosevelt National Park and a Tornado?
07/11 Lance Goes Down
07/10 Another Warm Day
07/09 Cleaning Pipes
07/08 Vegging Out Today
07/07 The Drive to Dickinson
07/06 Wrapping Up our Visit in Froid
07/04 Enjoying Froid
07/01 On to the Big Sky Country
06/30 Taking it Easy
06/29 Finally in Williston, but not Without Incident
06/28 A Frustrating Day
06/27 A Quiet Sunday
06/26 Some Days You're Up and Some Days You're Down
06/25 Best Breakfast at Grandma B's
06/24 Bagley, MN is our Next Stop
06/23 Rain and Research
06/22 Settled in at City Park
06/21 Crossing the Straits of Mackinac
06/20 Church, Cheboygan, and the U.S. Open
06/19 Bike Ride on Mackinac Island
06/18 Heading North
06/17 A Touristy Type Day
06/16 YES!
06/15 The Adventure Continues
06/14 Sweltering Heat, Tornado Sirens, and Rain
06/13 A Visit with Sisters
06/12 Trimming Hedges and Buying Furniture
06/11 Almost Home with Kit
06/10 Kit learning to Singer again / Jerry = MS
06/09 Miss Kitty goes to the VET / Jerry = Boring
06/08 Friends, School, & Dentist / Finishing Camp Freightliner
06/07 A Visit With A Close Friend/Back to School
06/06 An Unusual Sunday
06/05 Cleaning closets and long in the saddle.
06/04 Kit and Jerry split for a week.
06/03 Done with the Painting
06/02 Checking the Skin Today
06/01 No Cavities
05/31 A Great Day with Good Friends
05/30 Race Day
05/29 Family Work Day
05/28 Carpet Cleaning Day
05/27 We Can See!
05/26 Another Room Down
05/25 Still Cleaning and a Presentation for Kiwanis
05/24 Serious Spring Cleaning
05/23 A Day to Visit Long-time-no-see Friends
05/22 Big Excitement in Town Today
05/21 Another Day Helping Mom
05/20 Ready, Set, Sort and Clean!
05/19 Back Home Again in Indiana
05/18 A Rendezvous in the Park with Friends
05/17 Winding up our Visit in KC
05/16 Another Cloudy Day!?!
05/15 Movie Marathon on a Rainy Day
05/14 Phone Calls from Friends
05/13 More Rain
05/12 Just Relaxing
05/11 Kansas!
05/10 Travel Day to Alva, OK
05/09 Chilly Day
05/08 Chillin' Out
05/07 Easy and Breezy Day
05/06 Jerry Picks up a NAIL
05/05 A "B-ewe-tiful" Day
05/04 A Scenic Drive to San Angelo
05/03 Ready to Leave
05/02 Getting Closer to Departure
05/01 Still Getting Ready to Leave
04/30 B-9 is the Winner
04/29 More Aching Muscles
04/28 Yard Work
04/27 Kit's Out with the Girls Again
04/26 Errands in Del Rio
04/25 A Perfect Day for a Bike Ride
04/24 Stormy Night, Breezy Day
04/23 Paving and a Party!
04/22 Paving Continues Today
04/21 A Busy Day :)
04/20 Making Decisions
04/19 Routine Monday
04/18 Just About the Most Perfect Day
04/17 Another Storm to Start the Day
04/16 And Then it Poured
04/15 It Rained All Night
04/14 It's Raining Again
04/13 Chores, Tennis and Walking
04/12 Del Rio Today
04/11 Spending Sunday with Friends
04/10 A Visit from NOMADS Friends
04/09 A Cooler Day
04/08 It's Tax Time
04/07 Great Day to Get Settled
04/06 Back in Brackett
04/05 Travel Day
04/04 A Very Special Easter
04/03 Playing Tourist Today
04/02 A Day of Rest and Cleaning
04/01 Our NOMADS Work Here is Done
03/31 We Move to Our Third House Today
03/30 Close to Finishing Johnnie's Place
03/29 Hard Working Day
03/28 HOUSTON
03/27 A Quiet and Relaxing Day
03/26 A Photo Story of our Week with the NOMADS
03/25 A Busy Day at Work
03/24 A New House for Us
03/23 Still Finding Something to Do
03/22 Hurry up and Wait
03/21 And the Wind Keeps On
03/20 Blustery End to the Day
03/19 Getting a Little Rest
03/18 A Surprise Visit in a Very Busy Day
03/17 It's Day Three with NOMADS
03/16 The Sore Muscles are Here
03/15 Day 1 with NOMADS
03/14 Getting to Know the NOMADS
03/13 We're Here with the NOMADS
03/12 Computer Class and Shopping
03/11 Check-up for Jerry
03/10 Finally on the Road
03/09 Almost Ready
03/08 Packing it Away
03/07 A Soggy Sunday
03/06 Fort Clark Days
03/05 Fort Clark School Day is a Success
03/04 No Turning Back Now
03/03 Finding the Right Tool
03/02 A Better Day
03/01 Wind Comes in Like a Lion
Gate Guard Outpost
North of Laredo, TX
See Google Map
Learn as much as you can while you are young, since life becomes too busy later.
~Dana Stewart Scott
from: http://www.quotegarden.com/back-to-school.html
We Lost Our Shade Tree
The skies threatened rain all day, but we didn't have anything significant. It sprinkled on and off throughout the day. Temps finally moved downward into the 80's, making it pleasant to be outside.
Just after lunch, we heard a big commotion outside and looked up to see two huge bulldozers coming through the gate. (Yes, Jerry got it opened just in time.) The pipeline crew was right behind them. They drove around to the back side of our RV and started eyeing our "shade" tree.
From 201009_September
The next thing we knew, the tree was coming down. It was leveled in a matter of seconds.
We were told earlier in the week that we would eventually need to relocate so a trencher could come in a lay a line for gas pipe. It appears that next Wednesday will be the day.
The pipeline crew said they would take care of getting us a temporary level spot. They would also move our generator and water reservoir. How nice of them. Now, all this could easily change in a matter of days, so again, we won't get excited until we hear them knock at the door.
This desert wolf spider was on the move as the dozers came through. Kit used her telephoto lens to get this shot, since she decided she wasn't getting too close. The spider had a span about the size of an adult hand. It was a biggie!
Life is G☺☺D!
Gate Guard Outpost
North of Laredo, TX
See Google Map
You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.
~Clay P. Bedford
from: http://www.quotegarden.com/back-to-school.html
A Treat for Lunch and Visitors
Ugh! It was another hot one! Temps this afternoon were in the triple digits again. Our only savior was a breeze ever so often.
Kit found an excuse to stay inside the coach and worked on tidying up the inside of the motorhome. She moped the floors, vacuumed and cleaned the shower. With limited water supply, she used the water we have been collecting from the roof air conditioner to rinse the shower walls.
Jerry watched a little of the U.S. Tennis Open in New York as he kept a close eye on the gate. We had lots of traffic today. Huge tankers were delivering water to the oil rig site. Today was also a shift change day, so oil boys that have been out for seven days were coming back in to work for seven.
The guagers were here, also. We see these two guys quite often as they come in to take readings on the wells. There seemed to be a problem at one of the sites, so a well had to be shut down in order to fix a leak. The guagers came prepared to stay until they could get their readings. They set up a canopy in our back yard, pulled out a grill and proceeded to fix lunch! Then, they shared! It was the most flavorful smoked sausage and fajita beef we had tasted in a long time. What a treat. No one ever told us about these perks of guarding a gate.
From 201009_September
Along about one o'clock we had a visit from faithful blog readers, Ken and Fran Harris. They live up near Lubbock, TX, and stumbled onto our blog a few years back. Would you believe they delivered two 32 oz. fountain diet cokes from a convenience store well over 45 miles away? Boy, did they ever hit the spot!
We had never met Ken or Fran before today, but they can come visit anytime they choose. Actually, the two friends were interested in our gate guarding lifestyle and contacted us via the blog. We steered them toward the main operation out of Boerne, TX. They were at Timekeepers, Inc. yesterday for interviews, testing, and paperwork. We wish them luck with their first assignment.
Ken also brought a Texas sized watermelon from his cousin's garden.
When we cut open the first one, it wasn't quite ripe. Ken says, "not to worry. I have another one in the truck." The second one was a special yellow variety and as Fran remarked, "there is something just not right about a yellow watermelon." However, we certainly didn't have any trouble eating it. They even left the second half with us to enjoy tomorrow!
Most of our conversations were about our gate guarding duties. We realize we are not experts, but we did share what knowledge we could.
Before we knew it, it was time for them to move on. It was a wonderful day with these new friends. We appreciated their thoughtfulness and look forward to seeing them somewhere down the road. Who knows, we may be gate guarding neighbors someday!
Life is G☺☺D!
Gate Guard Outpost
North of Laredo, TX
See Google Map
The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.
~Alvin Toffler
from: http://www.quotegarden.com/back-to-school.html
Laundry for Kit--Jerry Sees Oil Rig
Kit left for Laredo to do laundry and pick up a few groceries around 9:15 this morning. The Wishy Washy Laundromat is about 27 miles away from our gate site. Ten miles of the distance is a gravel road. The road seems to be rougher each time we venture on to it, and is probably that way because of the heavy equipment trucks traveling on it daily. It takes almost 45 minutes to traverse the washboard road at speeds under 15 miles per hour.
In town, Kit started her three loads of laundry and found time to talk to her Mom back in Indiana and Libby in Brownsville, TX. Her next stop was Walmart where she picked up a couple of cases of bottled water. Then, finally, she ventured into her favorite grocery store, HEB. The particular store near the west side of Laredo is a large one. Kit stuck to purchasing only the items on her list because of limited refrigerator space back at the rig.
She returned to the gate site around 2:30, just as it was getting really hot. Jerry helped get the supplies inside the rig, and then loaded up the large bag of household trash we had accumulated for the week and drove down to the entrance to the oil rig site. Normally gate guards are not allowed on the site area, but we had been invited to leave our trash there.
The oil rig site is about 3 to 4 miles farther in from our gate entrance. We are able to see lights just above the silhouetted tree line at night, but had no idea what the area looked like until today. He flashed a couple of pictures so Kit could see what it was back there. We should be able to see this oil rig above the scrub trees from our place, but didn't know what to look for.
From 201009_September
This is the entrance and is rather intimidating if you didn't have any business being in the area. Oil rig sites are numbered. Ours is M 32. Hopefully, one of these days, we will get a tour. They are pretty busy right now working on the rig.
We've had a problem with our alarm signal device that alerts us that someone is at our gate waiting to get in or out. Our supervisor is in the process of finding another one to replace what we have. In the meantime, we have been taking turns staying up all night, watching for car headlights, so that we can let workers in, or out. It is just about to kill us.
Tonight, we decided to place a sign on the gate. Now, at least we can get some sleep and wake up to the sound of the honking horn. Hope it works.
Today was another very hot day. Heat index temps reached 105-110. Where is the cool weather?
Tomorrow we are looking forward to a visit from a couple of faithful blog readers who just happened to make their way into our territory. Should be fun!
Life is G☺☺D!
Gate Guard Outpost
North of Laredo, TX
See Google Map
If a doctor, lawyer, or dentist had 40 people in his office at one time, all of whom had different needs, and some of whom didn't want to be there and were causing trouble, and the doctor, lawyer, or dentist, without assistance, had to treat them all with professional excellence for nine months, then he might have some conception of the classroom teacher's job. ~Donald D. Quinn
from: http://www.quotegarden.com/back-to-school.html
Hot Hot Hot
Jerry drove in to Laredo today to have his phone checked out by Verizon. He left around 9:30, making several stops on the way. He found the Post Office, made a stop at Walmart for gas ($1.46), Target to purchase a better chair for sitting outside 12 hours, Subway for a footlong to share with Kit when he returned, and a couple of fountain diet cokes from Stripes Fuel Stop.
The Verizon store indicated that indeed there was something wrong with the phone. We are ready for an upgrade, so we will wait until we can both be free and go together to get new phones. In the meantime, he will only be able to use his when he is plugged in.
Kit held the position as gate keeper for most of the day. She had a busy one. Border Patrol brought in a horse trailer filled with saddled horses. They headed on back towards the oil rig site saying they were going to do a little riding in the area. We have not seen any illegals, but a couple of the workers indicated there have been some in the area. We are only about 25 miles from the border, so we are not surprised. We keep our rig locked at night and refuse to open the door to anyone. We have been advised if we are ever in a situation where someone knocks, talk through a window.
Temps were hot again today. There seems to be a long string of triple digit days ahead of us. The humidity is pretty high in the morning, but drops once the sun is fairly high in the sky.
Life is G☺☺D!
Gate Guard Outpost
North of Laredo, TX
See Google Map
I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught.
~Winston Churchill
from: http://www.quotegarden.com/back-to-school.html
Slow Moving Monday
We assume that all the equipment has been moved from the old site and is now inside our gate. Our morning was a slow one. The only action came around 10:00 when a parade of pick-ups drove through and proceeded to investigate the area where land had been cleared last week for the new pipeline going in.
The foreman stopped to talk with us and informed us that we would be relocated for about a day as the pipeline will run right under the area where we are parked. We are not getting too excited until we see the big diggers at our doorstep. Who knows, it could be weeks down the road.
Temps were up in the triple digits (104) this afternoon. We pretty much have ourselves acclimated to withstand the heat. Sitting under the awning, fans moving the air, drinking lots of water, and having a pile of books, puzzles and a TV remote just about sums up the scenario for staying cool.
We had a surprise visit from John, our supervisor. We were outside eating a late lunch, around 2:00, when he drove up to check on us. There is a new gate guard couple on the first gate and he was helping them get set up. Wow, that makes the third couple on that gate since we have been here.
The heat is brutal, and if you are not prepared, you don't stay. We had heard the turnover for gate guarding was high. We could easily have been in the same mental position if it weren't for Jerry and his patience. He talked Kit through her fear every morning the first week we were here. She still has time in the day when she would rather be somewhere else, but she is sticking it out. There are more positives than negatives for staying here.
We are definitely working here until September 15th, and then we will move out, stop in San Antonio for Jerry's pacemaker check-up, and head back to the Fort for some R & R for a few weeks. That will give us a chance to regroup, reload, and repack what we want to take for another gate guard tour of duty. It is our hope that we can return to this spot, but there are no guarantees. We would like to be in this area November/December to take advantage of the warm winter climate.
Tonight we watched a little TV out under the stars. The sky is awesome! Those stars just jump out of the sky. And, the moon? Beautiful!
Life is G☺☺D!
Gate Guard Outpost
North of Laredo, TX
See Google Map
A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.
~Henry Brooks Adams
from: http://www.quotegarden.com/back-to-school.html
Hot Sunday in the Desert
We survived another hot one today. The humidity was very uncomfortable this morning, and by noon the temps were up there as well. We spent most of the afternoon inside the coach where it was much cooler.
The gate crowd came in spurts. Several pieces of digging equipment were moved to this oil well location. A new building for sleeping quarters was added along with several huge generators.
Then, tonight, the boys were headed out to town again. We hope they return at a decent hour. They have a big work day tomorrow! We'd like to think we do too.
Life is G☺☺D!
Gate Guard Outpost
North of Laredo, TX
See Google Map
The mediocre teacher tells.
The good teacher explains.
The superior teacher demonstrates.
The great teacher inspires.
~William Arthur Ward
from: http://www.quotegarden.com/back-to-school.html
Gate Entertainment
We started out with a nice morning. Temps were in the 70's and there was very little humidity. Jerry was already working the gate by the time Kit rolled out of bed at 7:00 a.m.
We had a crew come in about 9:00 to replace our gate. It was quite the entourage, a front end loader with a back hole digger, a welding truck, and a truck/trailer with the cement and the new gate.
From 201008_August
First, they removed the damaged gate and set it aside in the weeds.
Then, the fencing was detached from the post and the dirt was removed from around the post. A new post was needed since the post was broken at its base. The removal to get the post out of the ground was quite the struggle. For sure it was meant to stay there for a long time since it was buried at least 4 feet in a good amount of concrete.
This guy was almost lost in the cavern that was dug.
Once the post was set, the new gate was attached and the fencing reattached to the post.
All the time the crew was working, we directed the big rigs in and out. Oil business goes on 24/7!
We had front row seats for the whole operation. Kit worked on a craft project. She started a latch-hook rug she found in an unopened box at her Mom's this summer.
Jerry managed to make a mess of his bays. He said he was organizing them. We've all heard that too many times.
Before the gate guys left, they painted it a rustic red. It looks real nice and we dare anyone to destroy it!
The rest of our day was hot. Jerry slipped inside the air conditioned coach for a couple of hours to take a nap. He stays up late for the gate traffic coming back in after a night on the town. Kit watched a little TV, read in her book, and just tried to stay hydrated while managing gate duty. She also found time to call her younger sister, Martie, in Indianapolis, to wish her a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Life is G☺☺D!