Visiting the Farm
Dan was an absolute giant among men, so far as my wife, Jerrianne, and I are concerned. Although our in-person visits were rare after our retirements, we stayed in touch via other means in which we
shared ideas, philosophy, concerns, family updates and fellowship.
We first met Dan and Sue in the mid-1960s when Dan and I were on an Air Force assignment in Taiwan. Dan and I were stationed together again at Korat Air Base, Thailand, in 1973, that time without families.
After we both had retired from the Air Force, we stayed in touch via email and Christmas greetings. When Jerrianne and I moved from California to Wisconsin in 2001, we routed our trip through Texas so we could visit Dan and Sue at their farm near Mexia.
At the time, they were planning to build a new house and make other improvements on the property. As plans began to morph into the actual work, much of which Dan planned to do himself, I offered to return to the farm to lend a bit of muscle and sweat.
We moved brush, laid pipes for a water line and cleared land for a pond. The work was invigorating, even enjoyable, except for catching poison ivy while clearing land.
Unfortunately, we saw the beautiful new house Dan and Sue moved into afterwards only in pictures. With life getting in the way as life often does, another visit to the farm never came to pass.
Jerrianne and I treasure the “happy hours” we enjoyed with Dan and Sue on the patio of their old house during our California-Wisconsin trip and, mine with them on my subsequent “work” trip.
We both hold our time with Dan and Sue among our most pleasant memories.
Hibbie Hayslett
Posted by Hibbie Hayslett
Sunday March 26, 2017 at 4:49 pm