Weekend With The Rains

Barbara and Clifford Rains have been our friends for years. Clifford and I were in many classes together from the seventh grade at Burbank through graduation at Sam Houston. We continued to be friends over the years since. Barbara and Clifford were married in 1967 and bought a house near where we lived, and we did things together. After we moved to Jersey Village and our children got older, we did not get together with them as often. We always sat together at Sam Houston High School reunions and tried to catch up on things since we were last together.

I had last seen Barbara and Clifford at Eva’s service in 2022, and I told them that I wanted to get together soon and spend time with them. Recently, Barbara passed away and it was too late. As I sat there during her service, so many memories of the early years came to mind of the good times we shared. Memories of when our kids played together, parties, and meals we shared. I have written other blogs about things that Clifford and I did together while in high school and after graduation; however, there is one weekend we shared that I want to share.

Clifford had a boat, and he liked to go to different lakes around the state and he would try to get Eva and me to go with him and Barbara. Our oldest daughter, Tammy, was born in April 1967, so Eva had to be convinced that everything would be good for the baby with access to a place to sleep and bathrooms. Barbara and Eva had become good friends; however, she was the quiet type, and Clifford had made the arrangements for the place to stay. If my memory is correct, it was Labor Day weekend in 1968 when we went to Lake Buchanan.

The plan was to drive up to the place we would be staying at on Friday night so Clifford and I could go fishing on Saturday morning. In 1968 there were highways, but not freeways as we see today. Most of the roads were two-lane roads with lots of curves and dark areas where animals could be crossing the roads. Around 250 miles with most of it after the sun had gone down. Clifford had his boat behind his car, and we had our car loaded with a playpen and all of the stuff needed for our one-year-old child. The further we drove, the quieter Eva got.

When we got to the Burnet area, Eva asked what the black stuff was on the road, and within a few minutes, we were driving through swarms of crickets. They covered the windshield, and the wiper blades could not keep up. They were covering the headlights and the front end of the car. It seemed like something out of a horror movie. I could tell, Eva was not a happy camper. There were no cell phones and no way to talk to Clifford or Barbara until we stopped. When we finally pulled in at the place where Clifford had made reservations, it did not look too bad. There was a swimming pool, and everything appeared to be clean.

It was late, so we got everything unloaded and the playpen set up for Tammy to sleep in and went to bed. A few minutes later, we started hearing crickets in the room. When we turned on the light, we killed several and were ready to go back to bed when we saw more crickets by the door. When we were killing those, we saw more coming in from under the trim around the windows and door. We started filling the cracks under the trim with toilet paper with a pencil. I do not think either of us got any sleep that night.

Clifford and I went fishing Saturday morning and shared stories about killing crickets. It was a pretty morning on the lake; however, neither of us caught any fish. We went over to the dam and to other parts of the lake but with no fish in the ice chest. When we got back to camp, Barbara and Eva told us about their talk with the manager. They had managed to get more toilet paper, a flyswatter, and a statement that the crickets are only a problem for a few nights every year around this time of the year. The rooms were paid for through Saturday night, so we decided to drive back Sunday morning. I took Tammy to the swimming pool, and she had fun there and Clifford, Tammy, and I had the pool all to ourselves.

The trip did not go the way Clifford or I had planned; however, I was glad we had gone. Eva and Barbara got to spend time together and became close friends. I enjoyed my time with Clifford and the memory of that time together. If everything had gone as planned, I might not have remembered our time together.

I have many more memories of our families sharing time together and Clifford and me on hunting leases over the years; however, my biggest regret is that in the later years, we did not stay in contact with each other. I am sure Eva was there to greet Barbara when she arrived.

“Life’s truest happiness is found in the friendships we make along the way and the memories we create together.”