Being away from home has me a bit onery. I am making a real effort to not snap at people around me, here at the start of week three in North Dakota. Quite a few of my guys are up here. Both in maintenance and on the crews. I went to an oil well location the other day and it was like a family reunion. Men I haven't seen for years were there. The two company men were ex-hands at the same company I work for. It was nice to see everyone again. I left the field in 2011 after six years out running with the crews. I have now been a lead in the electronics shop longer than I was out in the field. The culture in the patch is something I love. It is not tied to one company. You get talking to an old guy 40 years into his career and he will act the same and talk the same as the one year hand. Even that guy you don't get along with has your back when it counts.
It has been since 2014 that I was in Dickinson. It has changed little. Everyone talks like Candians and the weather sucks. But, the pay is good, and the days go fast. I sure do look forward to returning home on the 17th. I call my wife every evening. Our conversations sustain me for another 24 hours. Twenty one more years and I will retire as a 35 year hand, after getting my Rolex from the company. It doen't seem that far away.