Philview Camp

 

Philview Camp

 

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In 1945, Dad got his navy discharge and was released,
We moved into Philview Camp west of Borger and leased,
An old two bedroom company house so bare bones,
But we had love there and made that house our home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Philview Camp

 

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Philview Camp was near the Carbon Black Plant there,
So that carbon black settled on everything everywhere,
Making the houses look nasty and black with that soot.
Kids playing out in the yard would get black as a boot.

You can see the carbon black blowing in from the plant and the black on my hands.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Mom loved to dress JerrylDine and I kind of funky,
One outfit she got kind of made me look like a monkey.
There were no trees there and no grass in the yards,
The houses all looked alike and roads were dirt so hard.

I look kind of like an albino chimpanzee in those clothes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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When someone on the block had a birthday back then,
We played out in the carbon black getting dirty as sin.
If we played outside, we had to change clothes then,
And we were in the bath tub washing off once again.

That’s me on the right and JerrylDine behind the tall guy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Mom made a lot of JerrylDine’s and my own clothes,
So she could dress us up and parade us around slow.
She loved us both dearly and loved to show us around,
To the world with those funny looking hats she found.

Where in the world did Mom find that hat?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Out behind our house was a pond not too far away,
Dad took Freckles and I out there fishing some days,
I put on my casual clothes and caught lots of bluegill,
With an old cane pole and a straw hat for my thrills.

I look kind of like old Tom Sawyer with my cane pole, hat, fish, and bare feet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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We all dressed up nice for church on Sunday morning,
I guess Mom even had me a dress hat so very charming.
I guess that’s our old car right there just behind us,
It appears in the picture that I was making a big fuss.

Sunday go to meeting clothes for sure.

 

 

 

 

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Old Dad looks pretty good ready for church in his suit,
But that tie seems to be choking him there on his route.
JerrylDine looks very nice with her dress coat for winter,
With that fluffy muff to keep her hands warm in the center.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Mom finally dressed me in black with combat boots,
Making me feel like a real he man giving my dog a salute,
As we stand there on my front porch standing at attention,
With Freckles sitting there providing me big protection.

Perhaps Moms version of Little Red Riding Hood, The Big Bad Wolf and the Woodsman.

 

 

 

 

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But poor JerrylDine looks like Little Red Riding Hood,
With her hoody jacket over her dress looking good.
It makes me wonder if Freckles was to be Big Bad Wolf,
And she intended me to the Woodsman so tough.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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We lived there at the Philview Camp until mid 1948,
When we moved to Phillips on Third Steet on that date,
Where we had trees, grass, and many flowers so cool,
Making me think we moved to paradise to go to school.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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By Bill

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Thanks for reading Philview Camp,
Bill.