Wiley and Linda Clarkson

 

03/15/2011

Shannon, David, River, and Reese Rains

 

04/15/2011

Kristie, Robert, and Avery Wade

 

    

05/01/2010                04/30/2011

Kathie and Rob Swenson

 

 

09/27/2008

Some info on me and my family!

 

I am 63 years young and I am retired from Securitas Security Services at the Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant.  I was employed starting on August 26, 1983 as a Central Alarm Station operator and an Armed Security Officer.  I retired on Feb 24, 2011 after 27.5 years of employment.  Comanche Peak is a presurized water reactor nuclear powered electric generating facility owned by Luminant near Glen Rose, Texas.  I occasionally sell and repair computer systems and land mobile, CB, and Amateur two-way radios to help support my addiction to high tech hobbies.  I have been involved in agriculture off and on for about 35 years and I have  been involved in photography for about 40 years as both professional photographer and an advanced non-professional photographer.  There's really not much difference except that I no longer try to compete in the market place and I am free to voluntarily give my time and skills rather than sell them.  I switched to digital photography a few years ago when I purchased an Olympus E1 digital SLR system and stored my Olympus 35mm and Mamiya role film cameras.   I am now using the Olympus E-3 which I carry everywhere!  I don't think I will ever be able to part with my trusted Olympus OM2n and my Mamiya M645 but they will probably not see much use in the future.  I have thousands of film and digital photos I have taken over the years and I am very slowly uploading a few that I like into the Photo Galleries and Our Slide Shows sections of my web site.  However, time to do website work is scarce! My wife, Linda, also uses an Olympus E-3. 

 

My oldest hobby is Amateur Radio.  I hold an Advanced Class amateur radio license, WC5WC (ex- WA5OTR & WN5GQH), and have been continuously licensed for 48 years.  To read more about my Amateur Radio hobby, click on the link to my Amateur Radio pages.  My oldest daughter, Shannon, is a Technician Class license holder, KC5JGE, and my middle daughter,  Kristie, is also a Technician class license holder, K5KCW (ex KC5QCC).  My mother, Annabeth Clarkson, holds a Novice license, WB5REB, and at 89 years old, she is probably the oldest novice license holder in the U.S.A.  I am a Life Member of the ARRL, and I can be found on 146.520 and the 147.080/442.025 Hood County repeaters.  On HF, I can usually be found listening or chasing DX on 20, 12, and 10 meters and occassionally on 160 meters.  As band conditions improve, I enjoy 6 meters all modes. I am also licensed as WPQM280 in the GMRS radio service.  I monitor 462.550 MHz 79.7 PL or 462.675 MHz. 

 

My Family

 

I have a beautiful, wonderful wife, Linda, to whom I have been happily married for over 38 years, Linda, who works for The SHAW Group, inc. at Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant.  She worked for the Operating System Group until around November of 2009 when she was transferred to the Engineering Group. 

 

My oldest daughter is Shannon Rains. She graduated in May 1998 from Abilene Christian University with a BS in Agriculture Range Agronomy. She then earned a Master's Degree in Christian Ministry, emphasis on children's ministry/education, in Dec 2001 from ACU. Shannon's husband is David Rains, who is employed by Insperity in Kingwood, TX.  Shannon is the Children and Family Minister for the Kingwood Church of Christ.  Their daughter and our first grandchild, River Cadence, was born on Jan. 22, 2003.  Their son, Reese Alexander, was born on Feb 4, 2009.  Kristie Wade is our oldest twin daughter and is presently employed by Shaw at Comanche Peak.  Kristie graduated from Abilene Christian University on Dec 15, 2006 with a BA in Busniess Administration, Organizational management.  Kristie is married to Robert Wade and  they live on our property near Walnut Springs. Their daughter, Avery Wynter was born on April 30, 2011. Kathie Swenson, our youngest twin daughter, is married to Robert (Rob) Swenson, of Roswell, New Mexico.  Kathie and Rob presently live in San Angelo, TX.  Kathie graduated from ACU on May 8, 2004, with a BA in in Business Administration, Human Resource Management.  She presently works for one of the hospitals in San Angelo.  Rob is working as a Corrections Officer at the prison in Eden, TX.  Rob is presently in the early stages of training to be a commercial pilot.

 

Linda and I are members of the Granbury Church of Christ.  Linda and I are the  Fall and Spring Quarter 2nd Grade teachers. Kathie presently attends the Johnson Street Church of Christ in San Angelo. 

 

My whole family is politically conservative and we identify with the Republican Party.  I have been a Republican since I was 10 years old and don't plan to change--EVER!  The Democratic Party and its official political platform is the biggest single threat to the security of our wonderful country that has ever existed.  I believe ultra liberalism has got to be stopped before it causes the death of our country and the freedoms we enjoy.

 

Our Favorite Family Activity

Linda and I enjoy camping in the Rocky Mountains during the Summer and Fall and in Texas during the Spring, Summer, and Fall.  We use our 2005 Nissan Titan Crew Cab 4x4 (see our 2005 vacation report in the Photo gallery as to why we are in a Titan!) and a Forrest River ROO 23B hybrid/expandable trailer.  Bear Lake, which is at apx 10,500 ft near Cuchara, has been a favorite place to campe for over 25 years.  In the last several years, Williams Reservoir, 25 miles north of Pagosa Springs near the Weminuche Wilderness Area at approximately 9,000 ft elevation, has been added to that all time favorites list.  We have also enjoyed camping a number of times at Silver Jack Reservoir south of the Gunnison River.  It was at Owl Creek Pass to the west of Silver Jack that we saw our first Colorado grizzly bear, something that is quite rare in Colorado and alot of people don't believe exist in Colorado anymore.  Our favorite activity in Colorado has been driving the 4WD roads in the areas in which we camp and exploring and taking pictures of the remote areas that we four-wheel drive into.  Unfortunately, when the little Nissan King Cab blew its engine on top of Raton Pass, that pretty much ended trips on the really rough 4X4 roads.  The Titan we now drive, even though it is a tough truck, is just too large to take a lot of those roads.  Our favorite places to camp in Texas are Galveston State Park, Palo Dura State Park, Garner State Park, amd Martin Dyse Jr. State Park.

More about Me!

I am a Life Member of the NRA and actively support the right of the individual to own and use firearms for both sporting use and self defense.  I received my Texas Concealed Handgun License (CHL) about one month after the program was initiated. I enjoy bird hunting in the fall and have dove, ducks, quail, and turkey on my property. I also enjoy bow and pistol hunting when time permits for whitetail deer and turkey. Other native wildlife that we have seen on our property include mountain lions, bobcats, red and gray fox, coyote, raccoons, possums, porcupine, skunks, and beaver, along with numerous smaller mammals and reptiles of both the deadly (Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, Cottonmouth Water Moccasin, Copperhead, and Coral Snake) and numerous non-deadly varieties.  It is really nice to live in the country! 

I publish this web site as a web based hobby.  I also have an occasional BLOG on this site that I allows me to be opinionated as much as I want to be!  The blog may cover just about any subject that might hit my thoughts but normally a write about my Christian views, peeves, etc.  I am very actively involved in the push for gender equality and inclusivity in the churches of Christ and a member of Christians for Biblical Equality International and CBE Houston.  My other web site is WhereTheSpiritLeads.org which is dedicated to ending the gender discrimination that exists in the churches of Christ.  I believe that the practice of restricting women in the church is wrong!  You can find some of my views and studies on this subject by following the "Where the Spirit Leads" in the left hand column.

Information for those interested in the previous generations and additional family members

The following pages are presently under construction

Wiley's mother and father:

Annabeth (presently lives with us a 89 years old) and Wiley G Clarkson Jr. (deceased March 1967)

Linda's mother and father:

Pauline and Roland Bishop

Wiley's brother and his family

Clay Clarkson of Monument, Colorado

Linda's brothers, sister, and families

Carlton (Corky) Bishop, Cleburne, TX

Brenda (Cookie) Talley, Abilene, TX

Garland Bishop, Cleburne, TX

Wiley's Grand Parents

Wiley G Clarkson (deceased 1952) and Mary Kate Johnson Clarkson (deceased 1974)