"Families are like fudge - mostly sweet - with a few nuts."
...Which brings us to these two dudes, Tucker Allen Travis (cousin) and Ralph William Travis (uncle)!
HaHa No, I'm just teasing. I'm just a fan of that quote and have been waiting for the perfect chance to use it. Plus I'm pretty sure that everyone can admit that families in general are a little nutty.
Mine has not escaped the nuttiness. Just attend a family get-together. Figuring out who Jim Bob's 3rd cousin is twice removed and why he sold that farm 30 years ago always turns into a lively discussion. (I made that story up for the sake of simplifying how are discussions usually work. They are really quite hilarious and extremely confusing to an outsider. Poor Gabe)
But anyways, back to my two subjects. Ralph and Tucker stopped by to see me this morning. Ralph brought me some information on a field to spray and made sure I was performing my job correctly. Tucker just came by to say and hi and love on the dogs.
Tucker is home this summer after completing his freshman year at the U of A. He's majoring in broadcast journalism and I'm pretty sure whatever he ends up doing, he will be the equivalent of Sam Champion or bigger! He is well-spoken, personable and generally just extremely talented. He even had a DJ gig once a week on the campus radio station. DJ Nip Tuck was his broadcast name and he was on Monday's at 3! Pretty sure when I was a freshman in college I still had no clue what I wanted to do with my life and at 3pm on Mondays my roommate Whitney and I were probably napping.
So DJ Nip Tuck has flown south for the summer and transformed himself into farmer John. (aka he's working on Uncle Ralph's farm) His duties include putting in levee gates, driving the tractor, rolling poly-pipe and today he's helping the tractor repair guy, Kenny. Ya know, stuff dreams are really made of! He is doing a great job and I'm sure his parents are loving him being home. And hey Tucker, at least you have plenty of time to work on your "radio/tv voice while riding on the tractor 10 hours a day!
Then there is ol' Uncle Ralph... Where oh where do I even begin??? Uncle Ralph and my mother are brother and sister, yet they are complete opposites... The best comparison I could use would be Emily Post and Kid Rock being siblings. My mother was very mannerly, proper, and always did what her mother expected of her. Ralph was sort of the outgoing, sports-car driving, rebel type. But my Grandmother loved them both very much!
Ralph married the beautiful Su'Aaron Smith (also a crop duster's daughter) when I was about 5ish and she has quickly become my very favorite aunt! (She's actually my only aunt, but let's not tell her that) They had little Tucker about 6 weeks after my sister Alexis was born, so those two crazy kids have practically grown up twins. (Seriously, they can read each other's thoughts)
Ralph once worked at the airport (so he thinks he knows how to do my job better than I do) but after a few years he decided that agricultural aviation field wasn't the best life for him and he went back to his roots of farming. He now has several farms around the county that he likes to call "WOT" "NOT" & "E-OT". In case your wondering, that stands for "West of Town", "North of Town" & "East of Town".... Very original, I know. He is also a very skilled hunter and works as a duck guide during the winter time.
Those family dinner conversations I mentioned earlier about Jim Bob and the farm... Yeah, those are usually started by Uncle Ralph. (or my Papa) He is a great story teller, always elaborating, using big hand gestures, and perhaps even stretching the truth just a tad bit. He is absolutely hilarious and says some of the most random things you could never even possibly imagine. (Especially after a cocktail or two)... Yep, this guy is definitely my uncle!
I've always believed in quality over quantity. Luckily for me I have a very small family that is fun, entertaining and has a lot of love and a lot character! ... Like a LOT of character! :)
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