163: FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS AND I WAS BUSHED

My companions woke to Tom’s alarm at 7:00am on October 15, 2021. It was Friday; and Friday means only one thing in West Texas: High School Football. Ninety minutes after my photographer and his wife rolled out of bed, we were on our way to Midland, Texas, which was roughly 115 miles south of our Lubbock hotel. During the long drive, where we saw mile after mile of cotton fields, Vicki asked the timeliest question of the trip: “Since it’s Friday, is there a chance we can go to a high school football game tonight? You know, Friday Night Lights?” Tom immediately checked the high school football schedule for Midland High, and it turned out the Bulldogs were hosting the Permian Panthers at seven o’clock. I couldn’t believe my resin ears – Permian High in Odessa was the school featured in the movie ‘Friday Night Lights’. Once my photographer saw that matchup, he replied to his wife: “How cool is this? Permian, the team from Friday Night Lights, plays in Midland tonight. Let’s get a hotel near the stadium and maybe we’ll walk to the game.” That news put a newfound bounce into Vicki’s step; even though she was seated behind the Jeep’s steering wheel.

While the football game sounded cool, I was focused on the primary reason for our journey to Midland, Texas – a visit to the childhood home of George W. Bush. We hadn’t been to a Presidential site since Mount Rushmore, and I had grown increasingly impatient. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the Buddy Holly stuff and the film locations from the movie ‘Vacation’, but every once in a while, I need a Presidential bone thrown my way.

It was roughly 10:45am when we arrived at the one-story gray home on Midland’s West Ohio Avenue. I was excited. This was not just another Presidential home; it was the home to two Presidents – George H.W. Bush and his son George W. Bush. Only the Adams’ homes in Quincy, Massachusetts could boast the same distinction. When the oil boom hit the area, George Herbert Walker Bush moved his family from Connecticut to West Texas. The Bush’s lived in several rented homes in nearby Odessa and Midland before George and Barbara bought their permanent home on November 7, 1951. Within days of the purchase, they moved into their new home with their two children George W. and Pauline (Robin). During their four years in that house, Barbara gave birth to two more children – Jeb and Neil. Tragedy struck the Bush’s in 1953, however, when daughter Robin was diagnosed with leukemia. She died six months later in New York City after treatments had failed.

Tom carried me to the front of the historic house where he photographed me at several locations. One spot of interest, at least for me, was where George W. and Laura Bush had been photographed during a visit on October 4, 2008. Another was where George H.W. stood on the porch during the home’s dedication ceremony on April 11, 2006. I love standing in the footsteps of Presidents; and at that home, I hit two Bush’s with one stone. Just as Tom and I finished our photo-shoot in front of the home, the tour guide arrived with a small group for the 11am tour of the interior.

During renovations to the home, the interior was returned to its early 1950s appearance when George and Barbara owned it. I thought our visit inside the home was incredible, even though all of the furnishings were period pieces. Usually, I can’t tolerate period pieces in a historic home, but that place seemed different to me. Perhaps it was because I knew both Presidents and two First Lady’s had walked through the home after it had re-opened in 2006. They walked on the same floors; they looked at, and maybe touched, the same furniture and decor. Please sit back and join me for a tour of the George W. Bush Childhood Home in Midland, Texas.

When we finished our tour of the George W. Bush childhood home, I was exhausted. Tom had placed me on nearly every flat surface he could find inside that house; and our incredible tour guide was okay with that. Had the furniture and decor been originally owned by the Presidential family, I knew the stuff would’ve been off-limits to me. But just the fact that two Presidents, two Governors, and a First Lady all lived there made the visit extremely special to me.

The next Midland site on our “Bush 43 Tour” was located a dozen or so blocks northwest of the “Official” childhood home we had just visited. After the births of Jeb and Neil, George and Barbara needed a larger house. That home on Sentinel Drive was the last house the Bush’s resided in before they moved to Houston in 1959. Even though the home was a private residence and off-limits to Presidential enthusiasts like my photographer and me, there was a park behind the house where young George once played baseball. After I posed for several images in front of the house, Tom carried me into Cowden Park where I stood on the old baseball field. As I stood in the grass of what once was the infield, I envisioned George H.W. on a sunny Sunday afternoon having a catch with his sons.

We met Vicki back at the Jeep after our walk through a small section of Cowden Park. I was surprised no one else was in that 10-acre park during our visit. After all, it featured a large playground, soccer field, and disc golf course. I laughed to myself when I heard Tom say more people would flock there if they knew a former President of the United States once played baseball on that very field.

With my photographer’s wife behind the wheel, we headed east for roughly three miles until we arrived at a very small, one-story home in the Loma Linda section of Midland. It was in that house, on East Maple Avenue, where George H.W. and his family had moved when they left Odessa in early 1950. As I posed for a couple of images in front of the house, I couldn’t help but wonder why it had been constructed on an angle to the street. Perhaps that was the reason the Bush’s had moved out and relocated on West Ohio Avenue. A more-likely reason, however, was their family had grown larger, and they needed additional room. Oil wasn’t the only thing on Ol’ George’s mind in West Texas!

The three of us were finished seeing the Midland childhood homes of George W. However, there were four houses in the “Tall City” that were either owned by George 43 before he met Laura Welch or after the couple were married on November 5, 1977. During our crisscross journey in and around Midland, we found three of the four homes – each were a private residence. One of the homes where George had lived before he met his future wife had been razed years ago. Here are the photos and descriptions of our visits to the three Midland homes owned or rented by George W. Bush.

When Tom and I returned to the Jeep where Vicki had parked it along a nearby side street, I watched as my companions scoured the internet for a reasonable rate on a hotel. They wanted to stay in a place that was within walking distance of Grande Communications Stadium, which was where the Midland Bulldogs were scheduled to host the Odessa Permian Panthers at seven o’clock. Once Vicki had worked her magic and secured our room at the Hilton Garden Inn, the three of us headed to a Cracker Barrel restaurant where I stood in the camera case and listened to my photographer as he filled his face with fried chicken and mashed potatoes.

After a brief 45-minute stop at Wall Street Antiques, where my companions left empty-handed, we arrived at the Hilton Garden Inn around 4:30 pm. Once they had registered, Tom and Vicki unpacked their belongings for our two-night stay at the hotel. There was no rest for the weary; even though the three of us were “Bush”ed! My travel mates managed to sneak a quick nap before the three of us headed on foot to Grande Communications Stadium, which was less than a half mile from our hotel.

We arrived at the 15,000-seat stadium roughly 45 minutes before game-time; Tom and Vicki wanted to bask in the atmosphere of West Texas football. The Waxing Gibbous Moon looked brilliant in the clear evening sky and the temperature was in the mid-50s. Even though my companions had purchased two ten-dollar tickets for admission to the game, they didn’t realize some of the Midland season ticketholders had designated seats. Tom quickly became agitated when he and his wife were forced to switch seats several times just before kick-off. My photographer and his wife had been going to high school football games in Michigan since the 1970s and they had never experienced reserved seats before.

Once the game started, and they finally settled into their 50-yard-line seats, I could easily tell Tom and Vicki were impressed by the style of play from the two teams. The play was polished, spirited, and intense; it seemed like a college atmosphere rather than a high school football game. And that was exactly what my photographer and his wife had hoped for. The Permian Panthers, the visiting team from nearby Odessa, had gained fame from the 2004 motion picture ‘Friday Night Lights’. And like the movie, ‘Mojo Nation’ did not disappoint. Although they fumbled the game’s initial kick-off that led to an early Midland touchdown, the rest of the game was dominated by Permian. Two of the Panthers’ players looked like future college stars – Junior QB Rodney Hall and Sophomore tailback Juzstyce Lara couldn’t be stopped. While Lara had 104 yards rushing and a TD, it was Hall who led the charge from behind center. The signal-caller rushed for a game-high 111 yards and two scores, while he threw for an additional 143 yards and two touchdowns in Permian’s 34-23 victory. A late fourth-quarter TD by the Bulldogs, however, made the game appear closer than it actually was. Throughout the contest, as well as during the impressive half-time show, my photographer captured some pretty cool images. Please sit back and check out his version of “Friday Night Lights”.

The game was over and my two companions were chilled. When the sun dropped below the horizon during the first quarter, the temperature also dropped; down into the 40s by game’s end. While I stayed snug inside the camera case, I knew Tom and Vic hadn’t planned on sitting through a night football game on the trip. As a matter of fact, my two companions had wished they’d brought their Michigan football-weather clothing to West Texas.

Our half-mile hike back to the hotel had pumped some warm blood through Tom and Vic’s veins and by the time we were in our room, they were fine. It didn’t take long before my photographer extinguished the lights on Friday night, either. As I stood alone in the darkness, I couldn’t help but think about the game and the way the Permian Panthers and Midland Bulldogs conducted themselves. The sportsmanship on the field and in the stands was something to behold. High school football is a way of life in West Texas; and the three of us were proud to have been part of it for one night. I will never forget what my photographer said right after the game: “Someday, we’ll see Rodney Hall play football on Saturday. And who knows? If he gets a bit taller, he just might play on Sunday as well.”