“None of us knows what the next change is going to be, what unexpected opportunity is just around the corner, waiting a few months or a few years to change all the tenor of our lives.” Kathleen Norris

So, a couple funny things happened in the past couple days. On Wednesday, I got a call from a guy in Arlington who’d found me through APG. He’s a geologist who finds oil and gas deposits. Well, I think that’s a oversimplification of what he does, but, hopefully, you get the gist of it. Anyway, he asks me if I can help find some holders of mineral rights in west Texas and/or their heirs. I’ve done a couple, very small heir searches before, even though it hasn’t been my thing. I had a bad experience with a lawyer and have steered clear. So, this guy had tried finding them himself and had no luck at all. One thing led to another, and after around 10 hours, I had last known addresses for 5 of the seven subjects and confirmed the death of another, including a copy of the death certificate. Let’s just say he was happy. He said there’s a whole section of the oil and gas industry that just does these searches, only not nearly as efficiently (his word). So, is this something I should consider as a specialty? If so, the pricing structure will be considerably higher than my normal fee. It’s a totally different thing and I’d be working for lawyers and oil/gas companies. I’m considering it…

Then, yesterday, I get another call concerning restoration. A man wants directions, and he’s coming over, right now. Well, that’s awkward, because, you see, I work out of my home and all my advertising clearly states “By appointment only” for just that reason. We keep the house client ready, or try to, but I just so happened to have a sick person laid out on the sofa in my front room (long story of little consequence). But, he says, he has to come now. Why? Because he’s just come from Austin with two photo’s! From Austin, people! Four to six hours away, depending on the way you drive! Apparently they have no photo restorationists in Austin, or I’m just that good! I can’t explain it! He also isn’t concerned about cost. Just do it. Okay. Wow. Austin.

Tags: Genealogy, Good Stuff, Research