Ivan Merriman Lewis 1937 - 1950     2 I then went to work for Lewis N. Tenney at Flagstaff, Arizona building stock tanks. Later in the year we transferred to McNary where I worked till June 1940. I then went to work for W.A. Becktel at Morenci as a laborer to August 1940. (You should understand this was in the depression years.) Jay and I went to Morenci where they were advertising for work in 1940. There was a long line of people every day wanting work. Jay never did get on. While there we saw a spectacular sunset. There had been a lot of rain there that day. We had all gotten out in it with the least amount of clothes and really soaked it up. That night there was spectacular night show that went on for hours. After Jay departed, we moved downtown where I went to work on a part time basis for a photographer, Frank Gabusi. He was a very good photographer and he thought I was too. He sent me to Tucson to meet with a man named Al Buhman, an excellent fellow who trained people to become better. Well, there was a fellow from Colorado who was ahead of me. He told me that if he didn't take it he would take me. Well, the man took the spot and I was out. I had a very interesting trip to Tucson. I thumbed a ride from here. The first ride I got I thumbed from Clifton. It was a car with three Mexicans in it. They were headed in the right direction. We drove along going slower and slower going up hill, the car was a Model A Ford. And it finally stopped. I told them it I didn't think it was getting enough gas. I took the little bowl off, up front where the gas wasn't coming out, and it was full of water and dirt. I cleaned it out, unplugging it and putting it back on. Well, it started and we took off. It was an open car with no top on it. The car ran very well, we were going better than 60 mph. taking the curves, typical Mexican driving. I wished I hadn't fixed it, well I had. They let me out at some little town where they were going. I next caught a hay truck. I rode with him till he turned off at another town. I next caught a car that was going all the way to Tucson. Coming back I caught a car that going all the way to Clifton. I was gone four or five days. We were parked in a trailer park next to my boss. One night my wife woke me up. They were quarreling about something, we heard her get out of bed, then I heard her say, "Shut up before I bury this knife in your big middle," then all was very quiet. Our little trailer had no insulation and theirs had very little. After a while we heard the knife being returned to the drawer. In a few days it rained and rained. We decided to leave. The roads were muddy going, not paved and it was uphill getting out. It was very uphill, and the trailer was going sideways across the road, towards a cliff. Daisy got out and pushed the back of the trailer up hill to where we got some traction. We got out of stuck. On up the road a ways it was single track, if you met someone coming the other way somebody had to back up. We had a flat tire on the right rear of the car. After a wait of thirty or forty minutes or so here came another car coming down towards our car. He stopped and we had a consultation. His spare would fit our car, so it was decided that I would borrow it till I got to Springerville and got one of my own. I was to leave the spare at the station. He was deputy Sheriff. So we got home. I decided to haul and cut wood with Leigh fall and winter, 1940-41. Wood was going for $4 a cord, sawed. We did all right. In the spring, Dewey Farr had a farm at Concho that he wanted someone to take over. So I took it. I was a farmer until July 1941. At conference in April I had met Alma Lambson from Ramah, and we had talked about the work at the Ordinance Depot at Fort Wingate. Alma's younger brother Delbert and his Uncle Gene were on the same crew that I was. We had a loud-mouth boss who was critical of everything on the job. He was a Texan and his loudness irked Delbert into wanting to set him straight. His uncle and I told him he was waiting to get his crew. Not getting on Delbert personally. After a few more days of his hollering he never hollered again. His name was Doc Titus. Delbert asked me, "What's wrong with Doc?" I said, "Nothing, he's just got his crew." The rest of the time he was just as quiet as anybody.