Steve Arionus: Will you talk about where you were reared? A little bit about your family? Eloy Barrera: Okay. I am the son, the sixth son, of Felix de los Santos Barrera and Maria Enes Barrera. There are five siblings besides myself. We were reared here in Del Rio, and I left for California in 1957, and I stayed there for three and a half years. SA: What year were you born sir? EB: 1936, May 23rd SA: What did your father do for a living? EB: My father was a sheep shearing contractor, a handyman. When there was no shearing done we either worked on fences at the ranches, we built fences. We (surged?) cactus. We also picked up bitterweed. SA: And when you say we, you helped your father, at a young age? EB: Yes, all of us with exception of my sister, because there were five brothers and one sister. SA: Can you tell us a little about what sheep shearing is like? Is that difficult work or…? EB: Very difficult work. You have to be stooped over for ninety percent of the time. You are on your knees and your back hurts after the fifth or sixth sheep that you shear. So it's a very tedious job. I always tell people that one of the things that my father did whenever i said “oh, dad im tired of school I don't want to go on anymore” (his dad would reply) “well let's go work” and i would work and I would work a summer and by the September we were ready to go back. SA: And how much, do you recall how much. How the pay was like for sheep shearing. EB: I don't remember exactly on each one, but the sheeps was payed at ten cents, and the goats were payed at five cents. SA: Was one more difficult to shear than the other? EB: Well, it's more tedious when you, and it's more tedious when you're shearing yearly wool than six month wool. SA: And did a lot of families from around the area, did they do sheep shearing or goat shearing? EB: A lot of people did, plus farming. My grandfather had, he had a dairyry. So it was different with him, and he also raised crop to feed the cattle, and also tended to a vegetable garden, and fruit trees that he had. SA: And your mother, did she have a profession or was she a homemaker? EB: No, she was a home caring mother. SA: Can you tell me, Did you grow up in the San Felipe area? EB: I was born in the San Felipe area. Up until 1948 when we moved to 503 Hutson drive, that now is Qualia drive. SA: and I'm not familiar with the area EB: It's by the winery, the other side of the winery. SA: Okay, Okay.