Interestingly, the place of interment was his childhood home next to the graves of his mother and father. I noticed from the father's headstone that Joe M. Houston was born in 1877 and died in 1971. Math isn't my strong suit, but I think that made him 94 years old.
One of the persons present for the service was Haybert Houston [pictured above], Clemith's brother. For the past 52 years, his home has been in Oakland, California. I couldn't help but wonder about the host of memories that filled his head about being back in Bay City, his childhood hometown.
Clemith's mother died in 1969 at the age of 75. His father died two years later. Whether Haybert moved to Californa following his father's death or before, I do not know. If I was a betting man, I'd say following.
I grew up in Odessa. Following the deaths of my parents, and the
General's parents, the desire to go back home was no longer the same. Things have a way of changing when the most important people in your life are no longer present in that location.
I actually had planned to drive my Miata to Bay City yesterday morning. The General thought that was a hair-brained idea. She suggested I take her car. My truck is a year old and has 5,000 miles on it, but there is a recall notice and another problem that needs repair. The dealership wants me to leave the vehicle with them for at least two days while they diagnose the problem. Somehow, that seems excessive to me.
I have friends that drive a ten-year-old Audi that they purchased new. It may have 150,000 miles on it, but they are of the mindset that German-built cars are made to last. They currently have no interest in getting a new car.
Quite some time ago, the "check engine" light came on in their Audi. In order to get a vehicle inspection to register the car, an illumined "check engine" light represents a red flag. The problem must be repaired before they figuratively are good to go.
They telephoned the Audi dealership to make an appointment in August 2022. The earliest date the car could be in the shop was in January 2023. That makes me a little crazy. What would you do if the vehicle was broken down on the side of the road? I guess that would fall into the category of tough luck.
When my friends took their car to the dealership for repair, they were told the only thing the shop could that day was to diagnose the problem. They would need to bring their car back to the dealership to actually get the work done.
For the past several weeks, I've noticed that a service due light for 12/23 comes on when I start the General's car. The BMW she drives is also made in Germany. Yesterday morning when I pulled out of the drive, I electronically moved the cover over the moonroof all the way back. The General doesn't allow me to do that when we are in the car.
The other thing I noticed is that the service due light for 12/23 actually reads 12/22. So did the dealership service the car when I took it in for service in December or did they fail to reset the light? Your guess is as good as mine.
Yesterday was a good day. I was pleased that I attended the committal service for my friend, and I enjoyed the road trip. Had it not been for the GPS, I would never have found Bay City. I have only been there one time for a meeting in 1979. At the time, I was the director of a children's home in LaPorte.
Somehow, I dreaded driving to the other side of Houston. Thankfully, the GPS directed me south long before I got to Houston. The roundtrip drive to Bay City ensured quiet time. It provided an opportunity to process a lot of things yesterday inside my head.
As a side note, I had lunch at Buc-ee's in Wharton yesterday. Their chopped beef sandwiches and "homemade" potato chips are pretty good. There was no designated place inside or outside the store for customers to eat. There was a light rain falling, so I stood under the awning outside the door to eat my lunch. I don't eat in my car ever.
The other notable thing about Buc-ee's in Wharton is that the men's restroom is on the left rather than the right. In every other Buc-ee's I've been in, the reverse is true. I suspect that is embarrassingly confusing for a lot of folks.
All My Best!
Don