16. Life sucked as a sixteen year old

When I was sixteen, my dad kept moving around from town to town. I hated that! We used to live in Taos, NM, which was not so bad. Then, after some financial problems, he got up one day and said we were moving. But who knew where. About a week later we were DRIVING on the road finding where our new home would be. We had no belongings besides clothes, the truck we were driving, the camper on it and a mattress in the bed of the truck with several blankets. I try to avoid the word "hippies" because we did not wear folksy clothing and beads, but if you like the word go ahead. First we drove down to Arizona and then Texas. When in Texas my dad decided he wanted to get to know the beaches of the Gulf Coast. So, for the next few days we drove shore side (as much as possible) and in fact, several nights we actually slept on the beach. I didn't mind the beach, especially the peaceful wind and sound of the waves at night that made sleep that much more pleasant, but I minded the instability. But the drive continued. As we left the Gulf Coast, we went North to Georgia and then North Carolina. When we got to Winston-Salem, my dad decided that would be a place we would live in. He found a job and a house. We were in North Carolina about four months and then the drive started again.

This time there were no beaches. Instead we drove through other states and would stop at resta areas and have spontaneous barbecues on the grills there. Eventually, we wended in Houston, TX where my dad said once again that it was a place we would live in. My life started in Houston, TX.