Don Rice:  

THE RETURN (UPDATE: 4-20-08) Howdy Boys and Girls, It appears that I have returned after a 3 year absence (2005), and contrary to the rumors, I have not died. I am still living in exile in Houston; still designing drilling rigs, still photographing Texas musicians and portraits of women, and still drop-dead gorgeous. O.K., O.K., 3 out of 4 ain't bad. (UPDATE: 10-10-08) I was in Atlanta at the end of September 2008, right after going through Hurricane Ike. I was thrilled to get together with my East Atlanta High classmates who were celebrating our class's collective 60th birthday. It had been more than 42 years since I had seen any of them, but it was like old home week. Man, I love those folks; many of us spent 6 or 7 years together. Also during that week, I got together with my old Towers High classmate, Carole (Parker) Sharp. I always liked Carole in school, and it was great to see her again. (UPDATE: 2-10-10) The Rigs that I had worked on for the past 18 months were completed in Dec. '09, and as there were no new rigs starting up for about 3 months, I, along with my friends, were laid-off on 12-24-09. The others scored jobs pretty quickly (you can do that in Houston), but I have decided to take this opportunity to build and open my new photography studio. I planned for this lay-off, from the beginning, by saving about 20% of my pay for 2009. This has given me a comfort level that I have never had before. I hired my step-son from my first marriage to build what I designed. We should be finished by 3-1-10. In March I will start working on an updated portfolio. You know, new models, new make-up artists, new lighting techniques, and new themes. As I stated above, I am shooting portraits of women. Now I will be shooting everything from portraits to nudes. I find it refreshing how many women of all ages(18+) find posing nude a fun natural thing to do. Business is good enough that I feel comfortable enough to make this a big part of my work. I will, of course, continue to photograph Texas Musicians, for love and money. (UPDATE: 2-24-10) Winston has left school for a while (in 9-10), in order to work and make some money. He will be moving out to his own apartment on Mar. 1. I really have no clue about what he sees in his future. Right now, he seems content just playing "World of Warcraft" when he is not working, working out or sleeping. He is now concentrating on bodybuilding, and is working at it very hard. I have included a few photos of the 2 of us, he is the one with muscles. The one in the gray shirt was made on his 19th birthday in March 2007, he is even bigger now. We made our annual appearance in Hotlanta the last full week of July 2009. I got to visit my remaining aunts and uncles for the first time in 8 or 10 years. My Dad and his siblings formed very strong marriages. My parents were married 3 days shy of their 51th Anniversary, and both of Dad's sisters have been married more than 60 years. Dad's brother and his wife were married 47 years when they passed away (less than a year apart). I also made a solo appearance after Christmas 2009. Since I didn't have a job to get back to, I stayed a little longer than normal. This time, I brought back my step-son to work for me. Ha has done a magnificent job. Essentially, he has acted as contractor on my Studio build. I regret missing the EAH Class of 66, 40th anniversary bash in 2006, but my job kept me away till Thanksgiving. Maybe I'll still be around for the 50th. See ya there! (UPDATE: 3-30-11) Well, it's been a while, so I'll take a while to complete this update. The last year has been very trying. My first wife and her problematic son have been living with me for a year (he has been here 15 months). I brought her out here to help with her medical problems, which were more serious than I was led to believe. I was not aware of her mental deterioration. It turns out that she is very adept at hiding the problem, if you aren't around her on a day to day basis. Well, its hard to hide with every day contact. She is in denial about her condition. The other problem is her son. I was blindsided by the extent of his criminal record. I knew that he had had run-ins with the law and had just finished a 7 year prison sentence in Ohio. I brought him out here to help me build my photo studio, and he decided to stay because there were plenty of jobs. Well, while he was in Atlanta, helping his mother move out of their house and move here, the bottom dropped out of the job market here in Houston. That, along with his criminal record, assured that he was unlikely to find a job. That is how things have worked out. (More Later) (UPDATE: 6-6-11) It's hard to believe, but I graduated from Towers High 45 years ago, today. What a long strange trip it's been (apologies to the Grateful Dead). The funny thing is that I don't feel any older, until I try to move. Well, that has diminished a bit. Over the past year I managed to lose 50 lbs, and in the process, went from a 44 inch to a 36 inch waist. I am finally getting my girlish figure back. I still have 35 lbs to go, but unfortunately, seem to be stuck at 195 lbs. I'm not on any program other than not stuffing my face at meal time. Eating out is problematic in Houston because restaurants here load your plate with food. I realize that they do this to justify charging such high prices for a meal. I am not sure if you know this, but Houston is the No. 1 city in the country for eating out. Go figure. I take care of that by eating less than half of the meal and taking the rest home or to my studio, for later consumption. For those of you keeping score, the problem with my ex-wife and her son is rapidly moving to the final chapter. I should have both of them out by the end of July. Then, at the end of September, my son, Winston and his roommate are moving in. It will be great to have people living here who have jobs and are sane. (More Later.) (UPDATE: 3-4-12) Well, no matter what you have planned, outside forces seem to take control of your life. Almost needless to say, my ex is still with me, but her son is in California. I do have 2 new roommates, Winston and Justin. They have taken the other bedrooms, while Betty continues to occupy the sofa / living room / 65" TV. In July 2011, I managed to find a job 52 miles from home. I decided to drive back and forth each day, but that just wore me out. The pay was fantastic, but after 14 weeks that job came to an end. Unfortunately, during my 3rd week, I took a short fall ( I tripped while stepping over an 18" guard rail and fell hard ), that has changed my life. The only thing that my employer was concerned with, was if I could pass a drug screen, which I did. I immediately gained 5 lb's., but within a month, I lost 15 lb's., down to 180. I hadn't weighed 180 since 1987, so I was pumped. I got to show-off my new body in Nov. at the EAH Class of '66, 45th. anniversary party. Those who had seen me in recent years, saw me at 245 lb's. More on the party later. Since my job was in the very small town of Mont Belvieu, TX ( 15sq mi., pop. 3835 ), I was surprised to find a very good health food store with a cafe inside. I ate mostly soups, sandwiches and buffalo burgers, which helped me lose that last 15 lb's. It's funny how things work, but af...Expand for more