Page 40 - Senior Link Magazine Winter 2019- Online Magazine
P. 40
Clay Carla Lewis
Love Launched in
a Wheelbarrow
by Carla McCutcheon Lewis (daughter of Claymon and Martha McCutcheon)
and Clay Lewis (son of Glenn and Georgia Lewis)
e grew up in the small Texas Highway Department and and Saturday nights. We don’t
community of Dell City would stop by our house in town remember what was playing, but
Win far West Texas, situated and pick up Larry after he got off it had lots of cussing in it, so we
just three miles south of the Texas/ work. Clay, Larry and their family walked out. From that time on,
New Mexico state line. It was 110 lived on a cattle ranch 17 miles north most of our dates were with our
miles to Carlsbad, New Mexico and of Dell City, up in southern New good friends, going rabbit- hunting
100 miles to El Paso. The Hudspeth Mexico. or dragging main. We listened to
County seat was Sierra Blanca, 65 eight-track cassettes and CB radios.
miles away. You could say we were Clay and Larry began staying
beyond rural; we were frontier. later and later each day, and Mom After church one Sunday night in
frequently invited them to supper. November 1973, we were going
In small towns, people know That was not unusual for our family, up into New Mexico to have a
everybody. In Dell City, church, because our house was where the churchwide fellowship. Clay
school, and other community events kids hung out. We had a croquet stopped in the middle of the trip
brought ranchers and farmers from game set up in the front yard, and it on the state line road and asked me
outlying areas into town. The year wasn’t unusual to come home and to marry him. He often teases that
I (Carla) graduated high school find 8-10 kids playing croquet. Even he was in New Mexico and I was
in 1974, there were ten more kids though we weren’t home, they knew in Texas, but we were in the same
enrolled in school than the city they were welcome. pickup when we got engaged.
population.
One night, we were out in the front I was a senior in high school, and
Music has always yard, and my several of my 21 classmates were
been a big thing in our dad handed already married or engaged. We
community because of Clay a $5 bill got married at spring break. Our
the lack of structured and said, “If wedding was huge by small town
social activities. It you’re going to standards. It was standing room
seemed like almost keep hanging only in the small First Baptist
everyone knew how around here, Church of Dell City. Both Clay and
to play an instrument; take my I have large extended families, and
guitar, piano, mandolin daughter on lots of people from the community
and fiddle were the a date.” We came. I was working at Southern
most common. My went to the Union Gas half day in the afternoons
brother Jack had a movies. It was after attending school till noon.
classmate, Larry Lewis, just across the
who came over after street from the My boss at the gas company lined a
school quite frequently, lumberyard wheelbarrow with foil and padded
as they enjoyed playing and played it with pillows. He made a chicken
guitar together. Larry’s one show on wire canopy that came up the back
older brother, Clay, Thursday, and over the top. All the little holes
was working at the Friday were stuffed with pink and yellow
40 Lubbock Senior Link
