In my last post I briefly told you a little bit about Wendell, the place I now call home. In the words of Dorothy Ann from The Magic School Bus "According to my research. . ." Wendell was first referred to as "The Hub City" by Fred R. Reed back in the early 1900s. For those of you that don't know, Reed was the mayor of Gooding County, a cowboy, foreman, and a lot of other important things. Soooo. . . in other words, he was kind of a big deal. Apparently, Wendell was more advanced than the surrounding areas of the time and was a main point to redirect traffic routes. Anyway, he decided to call Wendell home and said that it was “The most promising town in Southern Idaho,” (magicvalley.com)
Well. . . I'm not saying Reed was wrong (say that 3 times fast), but. . . I kind of have a sneaky suspicion that Wendell stopped growing around the same time he made this statement. Please don't misunderstand me. I don't think Wendell is lame or anything of the sort. In fact, we're really starting to like Wendell. I just think that as far as the "growth and development" side of things go Reed's idea of Wendell's potential was a little. . . stunted. Allow me to illustrate my point.
Ladies and Gentleman I now present to you the not so short list of ways that Wendell is not so big!
1. The Population: I touched on this last time, but as a brief reminder: 2,751. We'll round that up to 2,753. . .and half. In comparison the population of the surrounding towns Gooding: 3,519; Hagerman: 865; Buhl: 4,170; Jerome: 11,027; and Bliss: 311. To be fair, I included some towns with smaller populations, because I could be living in Hagerman or Bliss instead of the metropolis of Wendell. But coming from Boise (population 212,303) it's a pretty drastic change. By the way, I learned the other day that Hagerman and Bliss make up one ward in our stake.
2. The Library: I also mentioned this one last time. The Wendell Public Library is housed in a trailer next to city hall. There is one librarian (her name is Ann) and one assistant librarian (her name escapes me). When Carlos first got here he had no internet access and no T.V. He really didn't have much of anything for the first three days (a few dishes, some food, a sleeping mat, and his computer). Anyway, with so little in his possession Carlos was bored, so he found himself at the library checking out movies to watch on his laptop. He met Ann at this point and they talked and she learned all about him. So, the first time I went to the library I introduced myself to her, she got all excited and started asking me all these questions and already knew so much about me. That's one thing that Carlos and I have both noticed about these small towns. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming. We could get used to that :)
3. The Traffic: It's basically non-existent. UNLESS you count getting stuck behind a tractor or having to wait for cattle to cross the road. These instances can delay you for about as long as the 5' O clock traffic in Boise. In fact, Carlos came home the other day and announced that he would have been home about ten minutes earlier, but he had gotten stuck behind a tractor. ALSO, there is exactly ONE traffic light in Wendell. It's situated right by Maverick, which, I may be wrong, but I think it's the only gas station. Which leads me to my next point. . .
4. Directions and Gettin' Around: When there's only one of everything it makes it easy to find anything. We now live in one of those towns where people give directions by landmarks. Example: Go past The LDS church, turn right at the Maverick, follow that road for about 4 miles. On your left there will be a bunch of cows. Turn left. Follow that road for another 3 miles. On the right you'll see a field with four horses. Two on one side and two on the other. Above that field are two houses that look the same. Go to the one on the right. I've just given you directions to my house, if you're coming from the Gooding side. Feel free to visit. :) I actually had a guy ask me the other day if we lived past the tank. I hadn't noticed a tank before, but the next time we went somewhere I paid more attention. And yes. We do indeed live past the tank. It'll be on the right before you get to the cows. ;)
5. Radio Stations: I noticed when I was in Gooding earlier this week that they still get the Boise radio stations. I was listening to Mix 106, 107.9, and 102.7 with ease, but almost as soon as I hit the Wendell city limits. . . gone! I began searching frantically for a new radio station, but all I got was static. I did eventually find a few stations. My choices were as follows; country, Christian country, Christain rock, Christian Bible thumpin', more Christian Bible thumpin', NPR, or heavy metal. I will no longer know what the kids are listenin' to these days. . .
6. The Scenery: When it comes to sights you really can't get much better than what we have here in Wendell. You can actually see the stars. I went out the other night and I looked up and the sky was absolutely filled with stars. The sunsets are gorgeous. All red, and pink, and orange with the suns rays piercing the clouds. Magnificent! Finally, it's been stormy here lately. Yesterday it rained and we were headed out for the evening and we saw a rainbow. Not just part of a rainbow, but the WHOLE rainbow!! And not just one rainbow, but two!! Double rainbow!! It was spectacular. There was absolutely nothing hindering our view. I would post a picture, but they're all on Carlos' phone.
Okay, so maybe this list wasn't as long as you were expecting, but it was involved. Hopefully, you have a better idea of the new life Carlos and I experiencing here. I may seem a bit sarcastic and cynical, but I honestly am excited to be here. It's a whole new adventure and I'm trying to embrace it whole-heartedly.
BONUS:
We found this Shasta machine in Gooding. I got so excited. How many places can you find a canned soda for 25 cents these days? I'd wager not many. Just another perk of these small towns. Sadly, it was out of order. :( But still!
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