Running Hard

We have been on this job now for just over 8 months and have almost 150,000 miles under our belts.  We thought we were running hard at times during that  period.  We thought wrong!  It seems that we have passed some kind of benchmark or test and we are now running with the Big Boys.  Our personal dispatch (thanks, Dad) has reported that we are on our way to a 25k month.  That was the goal that we had hoped to reach after our first year.

So if you see a streak of light flying low on the horizon, it is probably Con-Way tractor #24210.

We just thought we knew HOT!

 This is what we are dealing with now.  It went up another degree, but I figured you could get just as hot looking at this.

Lucky for us, we are waiting on a trailer to arrive from Mexico.  When it does, we will head out of here and on up to more reasonable temps in Memphis.

Last time we were in Memphis, I saw some peach and tomato stands just West of town.  I am definitely going to try for a stop there!

Roadside Agonies

When we get off the interstate, either to run smaller highways and byways, or to make deliveries; we often get to see into other people's lives.  Roadside fruit and vegetable stands are my favorites, because I can stop and buy something that only temporarily takes up room in the truck. 

Wonderful garage and yard sales are my least favorite roadside attractions.  Why?  Because I want to stop so badly!!!!!!!!!  

This beauty was in Kansas City, Kansas.  In the course of our delivery, we ended up going by this sale 4 times.  The first was hard enough, but 4 times was agony I tell you.  I would have bought those beautiful chairs.  I lust after those chairs.  Out with the ratty old Goodwill recliner and in with those babies.  Of course, I don't have room (or a ratty old recliner) in the truck and I doubt that they would fit in the storage compartment under the bed.  Damn.

As a result of regular fits similar to the one described above, we have decided to start thinking about looking for some kind of a landing spot up in the center of the country.  Now that I have discovered that there are in fact more states in the Union that just Texas, I would like to experience them more fully.  Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee and Western North Carolina are looking like likely spots.  

Tony would like to have his guitars in a more centralized spot and I, of course, need to have a place to utilize all the cool crap that I will find all over the country

Texas Monthly and my 15 minutes of fame

My humble little blog attracted the notice of a former Texas Monthly editor, (thanks, Sarah) who sent it to a current editor, Pamela Colloff.  Pamela read through the archives and decided to waste some magazine space on life as a female OTR truck driver.  We spent 5-6 hours on the phone over the course of 2 or 3 interviews and out popped an article.  I am not savvy enough to know how to embed the address so that you can just click on it and it will take you there.  But I can copy it here for you to put in on you own.  The article can be found here:  

www.texasmonthly.com/2008-08-01/the workinglife.php 

It is really late now and we are waiting in Santa Fe Springs, CA for a load.  Tony will get up at 4:30 (he gets to sleep 2 extra hours tonite!) and take us out and head us up the road to the Midwest.

Goodnight.

Leo the Co-Pilot

This is the view I have of Leo when he is at his post and I am driving.  Is this the cutest Co-pilot ever?  I love the way his feet dangle over the edge.  Very casual-like.  I reach over and play with his feet, but then he pulls them in and turns around - I guess he doesn't like it when I mess with them.  The seat has a 3 point restraint system that allows him complete freedom in the seat.  Leo especially likes it that the seat raises him up to window lever.  He often rides with his front feet and chin resting on the window sill.  I wonder what people think when the drive by and see a dog looking out the window.

  You an just see a little bit of his harness.  It is lined with sheepskin and fits him nicely.  I have to say he actually looks dapper while wearing it and I would swear he swaggers a little bit when we walk in the truck stops.  Kind of like military pilots swagger while wearing their jumpsuits and gear.  (I briefly dated a 'Nam helicopter pilot and I can attest that that "swagger" is very much part of their psyche). 

You can see his food and water dish that attaches to the seat.  His seat is lined with a sheepskin pad which is good to hide treats under.  If Leo wants to save a treat for later, he goes through this elaborate ritual of burying it.  Sometimes the treat actually makes it under the pad, but mostly he "buries" them in plain sight.  But he faithfully scoops invisible dirt over them with his nose and even makes this little bob of his head as he is tamping down the invisible dirt onto the treat.  Usually this is mildly amusing, but one time he tried to invisibly bury a yogurt drop treat and it would stick to his nose when the tamping motion occurred.   The really funny part was that once it stuck to his nose, he had to scrape it off and bury it all over again.  This went on for quite some time until I finally hurt from laughing and ended the never ending cycle.

 

Leo is a great co-pilot, but Tony is still my favorite co-pilot.

The Land of Fruits and Nuts

We are off to California. 

 Yeah!  I would have to say that California runs are our favorites and not necessarily for the reason you might think.  If we get a run to California, we are usually well west of the Rockies and California means a great long run (usually in the 1,500 - 2,000 mile range).   And just as good is the fact that once we are there, they are going to send us in one of two directions.  Either up the Northwest coast (damn, I hate to have to spend time in the lusciousness of Seattle and Portland) or they will send us zipping back to the eastern part of the country (usually well east of the Mississippi).  So, it is actually for the milage that we love California runs.

Of course, it helps that we get to buy organic dates that have just dropped off of trees that we can actually see.  I also don't mind having to buy organic strawberries from the stand that sits in front of the actually strawberry patch.  His mom's strawberry jam (2 jars at a time!) is another burden that I can bear.

Speaking of roadside fruit and veggie stands, we stopped in the Boston area a couple of days ago and I was able to coax Tony to stop so I could pick up a couple of homegrown tomatoes and 4 wonderful ears of Butter and Sugar corn.  I don't know if you have ever had this experience, but you can eat fresh picked corn RAW.  Yep, just tear into those babies as soon as you get them.  That is some kinda special, let me tell you.  We have to limit ourselves to only eating 1 then and another the next day (not sure what 2 ears of raw corn would do to the digestive process?!?).  We also picked up a pint of local blueberries and snarfed them within the hour.

Oh the wonderful days of summer. . . 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY LITTLE SISTER

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY LITTLE SISTER

THIS IS ONE OF THOSE BIRTHDAYS THAT END IN "0"

HERE SHE IS. . .

SHE IS THE LITTLE ONE

(THAT OTHER BIGGER GIRL IS ACTUALLY STICKING OUT HER TONGUE...THE NERVE!)

HERE IS ANOTHER ONE - AGAIN, SHE IS THE LITTLEST (DON'T LET THAT FOOL YOU, THAT WOMAN IS A POWERHOUSE)

We were the "Two Headed Purple People Eater".  My mom made that 2 person sweatshirt and we had to spend the whole night with an arm around each other.  I can only imagine the power struggles that went on under that shirt!

Oh yea, that guy in there is my older brother - it was 2 against one most of the time.  Poor guy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY 

BRENDA

THANKS TO MY FOLKS FOR DIGGING OUT THE PHOTOS AND POSTING THEM TO ME.  I MISS HAVING ACCESS TO THINGS LIKE PHOTO ALBUMS...OH WELL, THAT'S LIFE.