Friday, August 5, 2011

Please Standby . . .





My mojo has been sent to camp with DaMomma and will be returning later this week.
DaMomma has been on may daily reading list since I started reading blogs and aspired to write my own. You can chck out her blog: "Motherhood is Not for Wimps" here:  DaMomma.com 
She will be teaching it how to sing and dance and "have a show in the barn!".
Well . . . she will be doing an editing seminar with a post of mine at a MAJOR blogging scene.
And, she has given me a much needed "attagirl" by way of choosing my piece to use as a good content, could be better writing example.

We have been running fairly steady recently and this is a photo of our view most of the time. Summer is the season for bugs, lots of traffic and, our favorite . . . roadwork.

Welcome to all new readers. Enjoy your tour and I will see you in a day or so with a refreshed "Mojo".

In the meantime, please have a look around at previous posts as well as some old favorites located in the sidebar.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

SUNDAY SMILE

Tony brought breakfast to us this morning . . .




Certainly made me smile !!!

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Street Art




This piece caught my eye in Kansas City the other day. Not at all clear if it is an ad or a statement - but it is really eye catching.
I used to spin wool, both on spinning wheel and drop spindle (no room in s truck for THAT activity!), so my eye still moves toward all things wooly.





Notice the arrow thru his head . . . Steve Martin sheep?
I wish I could make out the web address on the bottom. Love to know more about this.

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Wednesday, April 20, 2011

And Then Sometimes . . .

We are in the shop again with a DIFFERENT trailer. Apparently this us our week for trailer repair. This time the repair involves brakes and tires - can't cut corners there!
So I thought I would snap the view out my window today . . .




As you can see
It ain't always pretty!

Monday, April 18, 2011

Boxed

We are sitting in Marion, Illinois waiting for a trailer axle to be fixed. I casually glanced out the window and noticed this cool old cage or box.




Leo needed a walk, so we investigated and realized what it really was . . .




An old jail cell.
The drop down bunk was the give away.
The guys in the shop said their boss collects weird old stuff.
The story on this is that it was part of the original county jail. Maybe late 19th or early 20th century.
Notice the wheels on it. I guess they could have bern rolled into any configuration that might have been needed.
We see such interesting sights out here on the road.

I guess this sort of sighting is what keeps each day fresh and new.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

SUNDAY SMILE


Meet Luna and her owner/trainer, Regina Mayer of Bavaria.  
Denied a horse by her parents, the teen decided to devote her attention to the calf, Luna.  
Google "Luna the Cow" and you will be able to read all about the pair.

They made me smile this week.








Saturday, April 16, 2011

Trailer Stacking


While out driving on our nation's interstate highway system, you may have noticed that sometimes flatbed trailers will be stacked on one another to be moved around the country.  These will either be a two stack or a three stack.

One might surmise that there would be very large forklifts employed to lift the trailers up onto the bottom trailer.

  
Certainly makes sense. 

How else would they get those things on top of each other?

What?

Whoa . . . 

Really?

No forklift involved. 

 There is a ramp available for "decking" trailers and that is all. 

Yep . . . . back a trailer up to the ramp,
unhook from it and 
go get the next one
and 
back that one up the steep and narrow ramp and 

ON TO THE BOTTOM TRAILER !!!!!

Luckily, we only had to do a two stack.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Viva El Paso

We get thru Texas very rarely these days. On this run, we got to drive I-10 from Beaumont to El Paso.

Since we are leaving via El Paso, I'll leave you with this fine example of roadside kitch . . .



Oddly enough, this can be found alongside I-95 in South Carolina.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Monday, April 11, 2011

Layover

We just spent 2 utterly relaxing days in a hotel while sitting on layover to pickup a load this morning.

Much to Tony's delight, we were in such a boring place that I couldn't find anything for us to do. He is usually game for my adventures, but would be just as happy with delivery pizza and an NCIS marathon.

That's what he got this time!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Friday, April 8, 2011

Street Art




This was across the road from the previous piece I posted.
Not sure why these had been done on this stretch of roadway, but there are still several more to show.

But, back to this piece . . . so much going on here it is hard to take it all in.

There is this guy . . .




And then this fellow who really looks like an ancient Homer Simpson . . .



wearing purple footie jammies !?!?

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Street Art

If you read this blog, you know that I absolutely go nuts over good street graphics and groovy yard art.
We hit the Mother Lode in Kansas City recently.

Check out this handsome fellow:



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Downtown KCMO

We have absolutely no idea what this building might, or if it is even a building. I can tell you it is large and shiny and smack in the middle of Downtown Kansas City, MO.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Monday, April 4, 2011

Container World

Ever year, over 100 million containers are shipped around the world. Lots and lots are moved through the Port of Los Angeles in Long Beach.
Today, we are DEEP IN "Container World".




We have not done very much container work, but are always intrigued by the hustle and bustle of this industry.




SUNDAY SMILE







Saturday, April 2, 2011

Off the Interstate

Most of our driving is done on Interstates - they get you where you need to be quickly and with very little fuss.

If it is daytime and the weather is moderate, we love to take America's scenic backroads.

And look for interesting local eats.

Always about food, ain't it.

Anyway - this is one of our classic finds. No frills. Just real good food.











Friday, April 1, 2011

Ice on the Lake




This is a pretty good picture of the ice on the lake as we crossed on the ferry.

About half the lake was open water and half was ice.

The ferry kept the ice on their route open, but the rest was solid.

Please note that this is in 
LATE MARCH.
It is cold up there much longer than we are used to!


Thursday, March 31, 2011

Lake Champlain and the Ferry

We had some layover time in the upstate New York area and decided to take the truck over to Burlington, Vermont for a couple of days.  Part of the fun in this decision was the fact that we got to take the ferry across the lake.
I made a video of the crossing.


This is my first video.  

I might do more . . . what do you think?

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Doorways

I
LOVE
DOORS

This hand carved treasure is the front door for The American Flatbread Co. in Burlington, VT.

Great restaurant.

Great door.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Oh My . . .


We had a layover in Upstate New York for a couple of days and decided to check out the otherside of Lake Champlain.  So, now we are in Burlington, Vermont.

While cruising the lovely downtown, Tony spotted something up on the roof of this building.
I grabbed my trusty iPhone and snapped the picture.
What in the world . . . 





Did someone call out those horrid Flying Monkeys from Oz?


Sunday, March 27, 2011

SUNDAY SMILE





This bus makes me smile.

I actually own 2 school busses.  

They are both old and yellow not bright and colorful like this one.
In my dreams they look like this and we are driving around the country spreading Sunday Smiles as we go.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Spring on the Dash




We flew into Joplin on Sunday afternoon and were back on the road by Monday afternoon. Whew. .

My daffodils were just starting to bloom, so I grabbed some to bring Spring into our tiny world.

Please note the elegant seltzer water vase and the classic duct tape vase holder.

The truck smells like Easter.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Our Old School Ride




Finally able to post a photo of our new/old truck.

This is the oldest truck we have ever driven - it is a 2006 Freightliner with a Classic XL sleeper.

For us, this is also the roomiest truck we have ever driven. Lots if upper bunk space that we have turned into storage with Tony's mastery of PVC shelving.

This truck is also the first "Long Nose" style truck that we have ever driven.

I will post pics of the inside soon.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

SUNDAY SMILE

My mom sent this to me.
It has to be "worked on",
But it is awful cute anyway . . .





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Saturday, March 5, 2011

Memphis

Crossing the Mississippi River in Memphis.
 The pyramid looks really nice in the sunshine.





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Friday, March 4, 2011

HOME

Headed home to Joplin for 5 or 6 days.

We are thinking about taking the truck (bobtail, of course) to the house. Lots of reorganizing and cleaning to do after our first month in this rig.

If any of our trucking friends are passing thru - let us know. We would love to meet you and even feed you!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Monday, February 28, 2011

Not Warm Anymore

Ahhhhhhh

Florida was so nice. We actually ended up spending the better part if a week there and broke out tank tops and sandals.

Two days later, we are in Vermont.
Not warm here. . .



Lots of snow . . .





I know I sound like a broken record . . . but, I love the "Changes every day" part of this job.

Never boring!


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Sunday, February 27, 2011

Friday, February 25, 2011

Cherry Blossoms . . . Maybe


Tony and I have decided to try to see the Cherry Blossoms in Washington DC in early April.
At this point, we have no real plan other than already requesting our time off dates for April 1-5.
We are assuming that we will have a trailer to drag around and there are 
NO
NONE
NADA
ZIP
ZERO
truck stops in the the immediate Metro area.

Our plan at this point is to maybe float from Wal-Mart parking lot to Wal-Mart parking lot.
Or, we could find something farther out and ride the train in each day.  We are going to stay in the truck, so we will be saving $ there and probably spending it on transportation.

Oh, and we are going to do the Segway tour.
That is our other "for sure" thing.

If anyone has any experience with trucks in DC, we would love to hear from you.


Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Darius Rucker Is All Washed Up

We just ran the truck through a truck wash in Brunswick, Georgia.

Darius Rucker's show truck was in front of us -




Here he is in the wash . . .





And now all clean and shiny.

Our truck was crusted with de-icer chemicals and road salt.
All truck drivers feel better when their truck is clean.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Monday, February 21, 2011

It Is a Southern Thang

SHRIMP AND GRITS from the Dixie Grill in Wilmington, NC is most assuredly one of the foods in Heaven.



This dish is so much greater than the sum of it's parts. Frankly, a bowl of white grits with some shrimp plopped on top sounds downright yucky.

This dish is creamy and yet allows the 'al dente' quality of stone ground yellow corn to shine through. Provolone cheese and cream combine to hold everything together without being "in your face" cheesy. 
Add some tiny bits of Carolina smoked ham and a fair amount of tender Carolina shrimp and then top it with diced fresh tomatoes and chives . . . perfection!

I have tried to put words to something truly indescribable, and was lucky enough to try it first at a place touted by the New York Times as "THE" place for morning shrimp and grits.

A search for recipes yielded a disappointing list of the "cook the grits and plop the shrimp on top" type. Even Paula Dean let me down here.
The closest recipe I can find without any testing (we are in a truck after all) seems to be this one from "a chef in Pensacola" found on a barbecue forum. Besides that - I love the name:

GRITS A YAYA

INGREDIENTS

Smoked Gouda Cheese Grits:
1 quart chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
1 pound Dixie Lily grits
1/4 pound butter
1 pound shredded smoked Gouda cheese

The Ya Ya:
8 strips applewood-smoked bacon, diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced shallots
3 tablespoons butter
1 pound peeled and de-veined jumbo shrimp
1 portobello mushroom cap, sliced
1/4 cup diced scallions
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
2 cups heavy cream
3 cups smoked Gouda cheese grits
White Wine
Salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste

DIRECTIONS

First, make your grits. Run the chicken stock into a thick-bottomed saucepan and turn on high till it boils. Mix in the grits and stir like crazy. Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cream if you need more liquid. Then tumble in the butter, drizzle in the rest of the cream and stir till it's all in the family. Then shake in the shredded cheese and stir very well till it's all nice and smooth.
While your grits cook, bring a large saucepan to medium heat. Add bacon and cook for about 3 minutes, then add garlic and shallots. Sauté and then add butter and a splash of white wine. When the butter is half melted, add the shrimp. When the downsides of the shrimp become white, flip them and add mushrooms, scallions and spinach. Sauté for 2 minutes. Remove the shrimp. Pour in heavy cream and let simmer while stirring. When reduced by one third, add salt, pepper and hot sauce. Return shrimp to the sauce and combine. Spoon the sauce and shrimp onto heaping mounds of cheese grits.

I would change this a bit by maybe adjusting the amount and variety of
cheese. Stirring it all together before serving and then topping with the tomatoes and chives would also be an option. I do like the sounds of the spinach in the YaYa though.

So, there it is. I have the stone ground corn on board and will give this recipe a tryout the next time we are home.
Until then. I'll keep hoping we get to Wilmington on a regular basis.


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Wednesday, February 16, 2011

WARM

The day after I whined about being cold, we got sent to Florida! It is WARM there.



This was taken at night, but It still looks warmer than yesterday's post.
We bought some red naval oranges, ruby red grapefruits and a bag of Honeybells.

Mmmmmmm.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

COLD

I do not want to whine . . .
But we have been in the cold a whole bunch this winter.
Even Leo has had enough.





I think he is channeling his inner Zen master. Or maybe just napping - hard to tell.



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Friday, February 11, 2011

Madison County, KY

I have loved Kentucky since our first load here several years ago . Kentucky is not "Deep South", but still Southern none the less.
The pace is relaxed and the people unfailingly friendly.
I would love to live here some day.
Oh, and that Kentucky Blue Grass is so soft and lovely.
Horses in Kentucky are very lucky!

We are here in the dead of winter and it is still lovely.

Right now, we are stopped getting a 34 hour redstart on our clock. Basically, we ran out of time and have to take a 34 hour rest break before we can drive again.
Went out to a historic tavern in the downtown area.
This is the courthouse. . .



Isn't it grand . . .

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Wednesday, February 9, 2011

New Grocery Heaven

We have found ourselves spending a lot of time in Wilmington, NC and have really enjoyed it.
Last week, I needed to do some grocery shopping and decided that it was time to move beyond Wal-Mart. We usually default to Wal-Mart because they are Sooooo truck friendly. I do encounter disappointment with their limited section and prefer stand alone grocery stores. 

Especially snooty upscale ones!

Found my new Grocery Heaven ......














The entire store looked like this - no long straight aisles to be found. Fresh Market truly has the feel of a true market. 

LOVE IT!


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Monday, February 7, 2011

Where Will We go?

As I write this on Sunday night, we are under a load. 
Meaning . . . we have a loaded trailer and are waiting to make a delivery on Monday morning.

We do not have a load assignment.
This doesn't happen often, but I always like it when it does.

I'm not worried that we won't have something to do . . . 
The Planners arrive at HQ at 6:00 Monday morning and will send something as soon as they get a look at their loads.

On the contrary, I am thrilled to be going to bed later tonight knowing that I will wake up and we will have unloaded the current load and be on our way to another load somewhere and I will have absolutely no idea where we are or what direction we are heading in.

It is the "not knowing-ness" that keeps this fresh and fun for us.

Lots of truck drivers prefer to have "dedicated" routes.  They want to know when they will be home to be with their families.

We have everything we need right in the truck with us and love the adventure of each new run.

Have I mentioned this week that I love my job?!?!

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Sunday Smile




These ducks ganged up on me.
Swarmed me . . .

Made me take 3 of them home!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Red Barn


I love this wonderful barn.



What interesting quirky windows.

Upstate New York