Sunday Smile

This was taken when we lived out at Castelon in Big Bend National Park.

These sweet children are all over 20 now.

Cloth diapers and cowboy boots . . .

New Feature - Quick Look

Since I have readers coming in from many different places now, I have decided to add a new feature that gives a good quick overview of our world.

It is located over there on the right hand side of the page.

See it . . . the new section titled "Start Here for A Quick Look At Our World".

Let me know if any other previous posts have struck your fancy and I'll put them there as well.

In the meantime, I am parked for the weekend at a truckstop in Normal, IL.

So far, it seems pretty . . . normal.

Autumn Whizzing By

This is what the Autumn leaves looked like for me as I drove through Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Fading . . .

I am having a hard time out on the road without Tony and Leo.

This last purple flower of the fading summer is a good indicator of how I am feeling these days.

Still trying to fluff up my petals, but not doing such a good job . . .

Posts will be sporadic until we are all back in the truck and life makes me smile again.

American Gold

When you stay in one place most of the time, it is sometimes difficult to detect the changing of the seasons.

Traveling around the country, it is easier to see.

Autumn came to America this past weekend.

The countryside is turning gold.

Not the dry, used up gold of dead stalks . . .

no

this is the vibrant gold of harvest .

I believe this is a field of soybeans.

As I drive through the center of the country, I am passing field after field of deep green turning to this deep vibrant gold. Since they are interspersed with corn, I can only think it is soybeans. Whatever it is, it is just stunningly beautiful.

Roadside Whimsy - Missouri

I was sitting alongside a rail line early the other morning in Carthage, Missouri to pick up furniture wire headed for Canada.

There was some really interesting graffiti on the cars.

These two guys were my favorite.

I really liked their whiskers and sprouts of hair.

I have been collecting pictures of good graffiti for some time.

Some is whimsical,

some is scary

and

some is just dumb.

Roadside Whimsy - Indiana

When we turn north out of Indianapolis and head up through the heart of Indiana, we always see this . . .

Today, I got to stop and get a quick photo of it.

Isn't this great?

I love American Folk Art.

I did not get sent in to Canada to delivery the furniture wire.

Who knows where I'll turn up next.

Confession

I have a confession to make.

I know I'll feel better after I do

I am so ashamed.

Here goes . . .

I almost threw money away because it was dirty and I was tired.

A quarter

A dime

Three pennies

They were sticky and nasty and stuck to the bottom of the tote bag I was emptying out.

I peeled them out and actually threw them into my trash bag along with the paper towel used to retrieve them.

Then I realized what I had just done

and was horrified.

I blinked and swallowed and got them back out

and washed

and dried

each

one.

There have been times in my life when 38 cents (we don't even have that symbol on keyboards any more) was just about all the money I had in this world.

Seriously

I have been more broke - more times than anyone really knows.

The realization that we might consider coins as expendable appalls me.

I will never do that again.

I hope you don't either.

If it is too dirty to wash off - put it somewhere where someone who needs it will find it.

They will wash it off.

On My Way to Canada

I have been in Joplin for the weekend.

Enjoyed being with my sweetie - hardware and all.

I loved it that I was able to catch up on my sleep and get back into a regular sleep pattern.

Got my dispatch for early Monday morning - picking up close- by and heading up to our terminal in the Detroit area. I'll pickup paperwork and head on into Canada. Delivering near Toronto and then usually head out through Buffalo, New York. This is usually a fairly good run and often we get a load in the Buffalo area heading to California.

Sunday Smile

This little video is instructional and then at the end I bet you will be smiling.

Check this out:

Who knew?

Did you?

I love it that he did this in his jammies.

I will never struggle with a damn banana again!

Yipppppeeeeee

Tony's Arm

Here are the pictures of Tony's new hardware.

I don't think he will be riding along with me on the truck.

There are just too may things sticking out of him waiting to catch on something.

Nope

Not gonna be on the truck any time soon . . . 

Again

Again with the rain and too many little cars.  

Damn.

Sitting in Tulsa in a mall parking being unloaded at a Sears dock.  The people watching has been fun, but the worry over how I'm going to get out of here is overshadowing everything else.  

I

HATE

BUSY

PARKING LOTS

Austin Color

I drove by this great outdoor color in Austin a bunch of times.  

I eagerly anticipated it coming into view each and every time. 

I never got tired of it.

I love it.

Ruins

I have always been fascinated by ruins.  Especially modern ruins.  We have passed this ruin many times and each time Tony says, "I'd love to stop and explore that.  I wonder what it was?"

I got to stop the other day as I went by and do some photos.  Doesn't this look like a ruin in some exotic land?  I'm going to post a couple more photos from it before I tell where it is.  If you think you know, comment and we'll see if you are right.

Okay, here's a hint . . . it is in West Texas.

Zebra Stripes in the Rain

Sitting in Eloy, Arizona the other night, I happened across this lovely view out my side window.  I don't care much for driving in the rain, but I enjoy being parked when it rains.  

The truck next to me was of Hispanic origin.  

I love the Mexican color combos . . . pink and yellow zebra stripes offset with black and white ones. 

I also love playing with my camera.

Sunday Smile

I didn't intend to do another video this week, but this one was just too sweet to pass up.

Enjoy

Time for a Break

I am tired.

When I can think clearly, I'll post again.

Until then I'll leave you with the beginning lyrics to a great song . . . 

"Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels

I don't know how to tell you all just how crazy this life feels . . ." 

Do you know who / what ?

What Day is It?

With Tony off the truck and me driving solo, my orderly world has gone haywire.

We keep such a nice schedule - I always know that I will be awake and on duty from 3 in the afternoon until 3 in the morning.  

Then I lie down and go to sleep.  

Sweet

As a solo, there is NO schedule and TOO MANY rules about hours of service.  Without going into the details, here is the short story . . . it is a bit past Noon and I haven't slept in just over 24 hours 

and 

 I have gone through so many ups and downs and sleepys and awakes that I don't know if I can go to sleep now that I am supposed to.  

THEN 

I have to get up at 10:00 tonight and drive for 11 more hours and 

THEN 

stop and sleep

THEN

THEN

THEN

 

Once I get into that routine, I will drop this load in Calexico, California and a new dispatch will turn everything upside down again.

I don't want to be a solo driver.

So I'll leave you with the only thing that makes sense right now . . .  

a sweet baby foot.

Possibly one of the cutest things in the Universe.