Home(s), Sweet Home

Childhood home
Wild Licorice Road
approx. 1960

Throughout my life I have lived in multiple houses, a dorm, apartments, a trailer house, and a BOQ. Each was unique and most were comfortable, but all were home for at least a year.

Spanish Walk Apartments
Wheatland, WY
approx. 1976

I lived and worked in Wheatland for six years, and while there lived in a motel room (for a month until my apartment was vacant), a basement apartment in an elderly lady's house (for one year), an apartment (for a year), a house with a friend (for six months), and a trailer house (for three years).

The Spanish Walk apartment was a great place to live - one block from the school. The living room had a Murphy bed in the wall that could be used for guests. This apartment was memorable because of the steam radiators that sometimes went ballistic and poured massive amounts of steam into the apartment, resulting in the exterior doors swelling. I had to climb through the bedroom window once in order to go to work.

Card's Trailer Court
Wheatland, WY
approx. 1977

I loved this trailer and purchased it in 1977. It had a kitchen with windows across the entire front of the trailer, a small dining area with a built-in china hutch, an large living room, two bedrooms, and a full bath. I especially liked that the hallway did not go through the bedrooms. The master bedroom was at the rear of the trailer and also had window across the entire wall. The only problem was that the wind often howls in Wheatland, and sometimes the windows would actually bow under the pressure. I slept in the spare bedroom when that occurred. The bathroom had space for a full-sized washer and dryer. The trailer was sold when I moved to Japan. Photos of my house in Japan can be found here.

Pavillion, WY
approx. 1982

This small house in Pavillion belonged to my brother, Rich. I rented it for a year or two. It was tiny but comfortable. The front door opened into the living room, two small bedrooms were on the right, next to the bedrooms was a bathroom. On the left of the living room, another small bedroom had been converted into a dining room (part of the wall was cut out to open up the room. The minuscule kitchen and a laundry room were behind the dining area. I enjoyed living in this house, but the water pressure was terrible in town and it took nearly 40 minutes for the washer to fill enough to wash a load. Doing laundry took all day.

My brother purchased the house from the school district in the 1970s. At the time, the district had several houses that they rented to teachers. When I was in high school, Coach Frost lived in this house.

farm house on Teacher's Road
north of Pavillion, WY
approx. 1983 or 1984

When the renters of the house on my brother's farm (Over North) moved, my brother asked if I wanted to move to the farm. I rented this house until 1993. This house had been moved to the farm in the late 70s or 80s. My brother purchased the house from our cousin. There had been a fire in the basement, but the house itself was still in good shape. While I'm sure this was a good deal, the house always smelled of smoke, especially during the winter when all the windows and doors were closed. I liked living in the country again and being able to see all the wildlife. I liked the openness of the country. When I first moved into the house, a young couple lived across the road, but eventually they sold the farm and after that, no one lived in that house. The nearest neighbor was about a mile away. The roads to this house could be a nightmare to drive everyday to get to work. I fought snow drifts, mud, and a "lake" that a neighbor created with his unmanaged irrigation water. My little Toyota Tercel was a real warrior on those roads - it was a car with a lot of heart. It pushed snow with its front bumper many times, it climbed a mud-bog hill, and it dodged massive ruts, created by vehicles with a wider wheel base. I loved that little car.

The farm house had three bedrooms, two baths, a laundry area, a large living room, a dining room, a large kitchen, and a two-car attached garage. Surrounding the house was a large yard. I planted a lot of trees in the 9 - 10 years that I lived in the house. I planted lilacs, currants, apple trees and pine trees. The year before I moved, I harvested a few small apples.

house in Riverton
Spring 1993

I purchased my Riverton house the Spring of 1993. It is hard to believe that I have lived here 21 years. The house is very comfortable with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a front room; however, the part that sold me on this house was the kitchen, dining, and family room combo.

The house hasn't changed in appearance too much other than the addition of vinyl siding. The split-rail fence was also removed after I lived here about five years. It's amazing how much the trees have grown in 20+ years.

Do you have photos of your homes through the years?