Come along for the Ride!

I am so glad you are here. Stay with us as we travel everywhere. I hope you will enjoy the ride.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Pictures from our day at the Buckhorn Saloon and Museum

Tiled wall in the restroom of the rest area on Rt. 90 


Chair made from cattle horns

FDR bought several of the chairs from the Buckhorn Saloon

The ceilings are covered with horns and antlers

This mosaic picture is made from rattles from rattlesnakes








Bonnie and Clyde's Car



















Pictures frrom last weekend


Linwood Smith

Deb and Linwood in front of his Baby.

Granddaughter, Reagan, cute as a button

My great big ring bling, haha

Friday, September 21, 2012

A Close Call

On Sunday evening we got and accepted a load offer that was picking up in Suwanee, GA and going to Marysville, OH. We had gone back to the truckstop so we slept there and got up early the next morning to make our pickup.
It was raining and a little chilly. Then it started to rain really hard.
We made our pickup and got started on our trip. I was driving, as I usually am the daytime driver. Pops was awake and was good company for me. We had a few days of good rest so he didn't have to sleep the day away.
The rain was not letting up at all as a matter of fact it was sometimes raining so hard that many vehicles got off the roadway and the water was laying on the roadway.
Right near the Georgia, Tennessee border I came up on the traffic at a dead standstill in both lanes. I hit the brake hard, but wasn't stopping. I remember saying, "Uh oh." Pops looked up and told me to get on the berm but I was already deciding to do that. The left lane was blocked and it was either the berm or slam into the back of the truck in front of me. I made it around that truck and was on the berm but still not stopping. I left up on the brake and hit it again and finally got stopped after passing about 5 or 6 trucks and a couple of cars. Wow. What the world just happened? I put on my signal and got back into the lane of traffic. Thank goodness, no one had been on the side of the road.
We found out that there was an accident up ahead.
We saw several accidents after that, we saw 2 rollover accidents and a couple of other fender benders. We saw one accident that the police car that was there ended up getting hit too. It sure was a treacherous trip.
We got to our destination late that night and got in and got unloaded right away. Then we went and spent the night at a rest area. In the morning we drove over to the truckstop. We wanted to get some lights fixed that had burnt out and then we asked them to turn off our ABS light that had come on yesterday after our near accident.
When the mechanic checked our ABS light he saw a big problem with our brakes. There was an issue that a previous mechanic somewhere had put the left wheel parts on the right side and the right side on the left side. So instead of "squeezing" the brakes on, the backward parts were pushing the brakes away from the wheel. So in effect, we had NO brakes on that axle. No wonder the truck wouldn't stop yesterday.
So now the mechanic was fixing them properly. It took a few hours but he finally got it fixed. Yay, now we will have brakes. It's odd that we hadn't even felt like our brakes were too bad.
And even better, the mechanic there gave Pops and me each a coupon for a free meal in the restaurant. Awesome.
So after leaving the garage and finding a good parking space, we went inside for our meal. I ordered the country fried steak and mashed potatoes and green beans and a roll, Pops ordered the same thing. It was huge portions! We ate all we wanted and then got a box to take the rest with us.
When we went to check out I noticed a display of BIG rings. I mean they were big rings. I had seen these being worn by several people recently and so I looked for a purple one and bought it. It was a whole whopping $4. Ha, oh how easy I am to please. I put that big ole ring on and I felt like a million bucks for the rest of the day.
We enjoyed the rest of the evening and the dogs enjoyed being able to go outside and just wondering around.
We were wondering why things seemed to be a little slow. We weren't getting too many load offers. So we settled in and got a good nights sleep.
The next morning we did get a load offer and we accepted it. It was going back to the Atlanta area.
So we made our pickup and got traveling again. This time we had brakes that we noticed. And it wasn't raining. I drove down through Ohio, Kentucky and just into Tennessee and then Pops took over. It was starting to get dark now.
By the time we reached Georgia we had to get off the interstate and drive across some two lane back country roads. I was starting to scratch my head in wonder when I noticed that every mile marker that we passed said, "mile 1." We passed 3 in a row that did that. We just looked at each other and wondered what was going on, but then Pops figured out that we were crossing into different counties and each time that happened the miles started over. Well, that was good to figure out because I was started to feel a little creeped out.
I went to sleep then and woke up after Pops had made the delivery and then drove us to a near by Walmart. I took the dogs out and we settled in for the rest of the night.
In the morning I got up early and went inside for groceries. I hadn't gone shopping since we moved into this truck and we needed several items and many gallons of water. I didn't even drink any coffee because I wanted to get this done before we got a load.
While I was in the store Pops got a load offer and accepted it. So when I got everything put away and we had a bite to eat we drove over to our pickup which wasn't too far from Atlanta.
This was a hazmat load and we had to placard our truck. We also found out that we would have a few re-routes because of the hazardous load.
What a reroute it turned out to be. I was so upset. It was up and over 2 different mountains. The road was narrow and winding. There were rock ledges jutting out and steep drops with no guard rails. I could not believe we were on a road like this. It was Route 60 in Georgia.
We stopped at one point and video taped the ride. I was so out of patience and my shoulders ached from tension by the time we got off that highway. It took us 3 hours to go 60 miles. Finally we reached Route 64 in Tennessee. Things should improve now. But they didn't. That road was narrow, and winding curves with stone ledges jutting out from the side and a big river on the other side. But I could at least go 35 mph now. That was a plus.
But we did finally reach interstate 75. And then we made better time.
Again I drove to the Kentucky welcome center and then Pops began to drive.
I called and talked to Starla. It was her birthday. I talk to her every evening though. And also to Bill P., her busband. They would miss me if I didn't call them. haha
Somewhere around midnight I went back to bed. I woke up in the morning while it was still dark, we were already unloaded and looking for a place to go for layover. We found a rest area and parked.
I stayed awake and worked on my Ladies Bible lesson and then cleaned the inside of the truck and got my dishes done. I had chili in the crockpot so I put it into bowls with lids and put it into the refrigerator for later and washed the crockpot.
Then I paid some bills and worked on some other paperwork. Now I'm all caught up on everything including the blog. So I am going to try to catch a nap, but everytime I do that we get a load offer. Oh well, I'm going to try.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Slow start

We got a good load when we left the house. It was actually one of the ones that had cancelled on us earlier in the day. It had come back out to us and we accepted it.It was picking up in Cleveland, Oh and going to Franklin, NC.
We left the house and had to go to Grantsville first for fuel. Our truck climbed up out of our valley really well. It seemed to ride very nicely as well.
It took us about 45 minutes to get to the Pilot truckstop. Pops filled up the fuel tanks and then we went inside. I wanted to look for some cup holders. There is only 2 in the dash and they don't seem to be very deep and stable. But Pilot didn't have anything that we liked.
So we got rolling toward Cleveland. We went through Salisbury, PA and just before we came into Meyersdale we noticed that something didn't feel right. All of a sudden our truck wasn't riding well. It got really loud and bumped really hard. Our air pressure was still ok and because it was dark we couldn't see any big problems. So I tried to sleep through a rough ride and the dogs were a nervous mess.
We got to Cleveland very early and got loaded and then we drove over to the garaage where we had picked this truck up just last week.
They found a problem with our airbags and had it corrected in about 5 minutes, but also found a problem with our brakes and aso one with our compressor fan. All of these were big problems. The garage got three mechanics working on our problems and within 2 hours we were on our way. I am glad that they got it all fixed.
We were supposed to get to Franklin by 9:15 tonight but because of our break down they bumped our time to 10:45. Although Fedex wanted us to get there sooner if we could.
We did in fact get there by 9:31. That is the time that we checked in. So I think we didn pretty good.  We were only offered Charlotte, NC as a layover option but it was over4 hous away so we decided to go to Atlanta. It would take us about an hour to get there.
Franklin is in the foothills of the smokey mts and so we drove through some rural roads and went south toward Atlanta. It was a ride that was probably very pretty in the daylight.
I fell asleep before we got to Atlanta and when I woke up in the morning we were parked in an old abandoned rest area.  After Pops woke up and I took the dogs out we drove on further to a Pilot truckstop. We found a pretty good parking spot and so we settled in but hoped that it wouldn't be for too long although there were 19 Fedex trucks ahead of us on the dispatch list.
We were still there that evening. So we made up our minds that if we were still here in the morning we would go to Best Buy and get a new XM radio for the truck. Out owners gave us permission to do this. They know how important the radio is to us. We listen non-stop. And the one we have didn't work. So Saturday we shopped for a radio and found one that we agreed on. It was the least expensive one too. It came with Bluetooth so that when we get a phone call while driving it shuts down the radio and we can take the call through the radio without using any hands. Awesome. It also has a CD player. But we couldn't get it installed until the next day which was Sunday. Oh well. Surely we would't still be here that long would we?
While at Best Buy I also bought a CD that I have been wanting but couldn't find and also a ccouple of movies. Pops and I also walked around looking at all of the phone choices and got some more information from the "experts" there. It seems we are fairly settled on which models we will choose when its time.
After we left the store we drove back to the Pilot truckstop. It was only about 15 miles from a church that we wanted to attend if we were still here. Our good friend, Linwood Smith, is the preacher there.
Sunday morning we got up early and went inside for our showers. Then we drank some coffee and then drove over to the church.
They have a Christian School there too so there was plenty of parking for our truck near their school buses.
We parked and went inside. Sunday School was already started and we found a seat in the back. A man brought us some paper stuff over and told to Pops to fill it out that it was an application for them to borrow money from us. Haha. I liked him right away. It was really a visitors card and a welcome packet.
Sunday school was a lesson from 1 Timothy chapter 1 and it was a lesson on Evangelizing. It was a good lesson and one that would make it easy for anyone who didn't know how to start sharing the gospel with people.
Our friend Linwood came over and talked with us for a few minutes in between Sunday school and church.  It was so good to see hin and be here. I sure was hoping we would get to visit with him after services.
The service began with some singing and then communion. During communion I started to think of all the friends that we have made all over the US and realizing that all of us were having communion and remembering our Lord and Savior, Jesus. We have good friends all over and they mean so very much to me.
Linwood preached a sermon about Jesus being our Great High Preist. He gave us 10 reasons why Jesus was the greatest High Preist ever.
I also got to meet the mother and sister of another friend, Tanya England. This is their home home church before Tanya's husband Tommy became a preacher.
I love making new friends through churhes.
After the service Linwood and his wife, Deb invited us to go with to eat at a nearby Chinese restaurant. Their granddaughter, Reagan was going along too and before we pulled their car out of the garage, their son, Jason showed up and went with us too. It was a nice time and I like getting to meet Linwoods family.
We hung around for awhile afterward but then we left so that Linwood could visit with his sonwho lives away and hardly ever comes.
It was a wonderful day so far. God is so Good.
From there we drove straight to the Best Buy store and hung out there until it was time for our installation.
It took about 1 1/2 hours to install our radio and antenna. But boy was I excited when it was done. We of course had to "try out" the radio bluetooth. It worked great.
Now we drove back to the Pilot truckstop and spent the night, listening to the radio and hoping  for a load.
Wow, only one load since leaving the house Wednesday evening. But I'm sure that God intended for us to be at the Whistleville Christian Church today.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Our last day at home

I enjoyed my coffee in peace and quiet Tuesday morning as everyone still slept. Once Bill and Starla got up and came downstairs we talked for awhile until Bill had to leave for work.
Then I got ready and drove to the Bakery where Amy works. She was busy in the back. She is one of the bakers. She is always looking for recipes and trying new and interesting things.
I ordered a coffee and a glazed donut. I asked if there were any white creme filled donuts. They are favorites of Pops and I wanted to take him one. Luckily they had one, just one. So they wrapped it up for him. As they were wrapping that the other baker came out to the case carrying a tray of small oatmeal pies that had just came from the oven. Okay, I'll take one of those to go. Ha
Then Amy asked me to try the canneloni that she made. It was a recipe that she had made out of several recipes that she combined and made into one. I told her that I didn't really want one right now so she wrapped two of them to go. So after saying my goodbyes to her and giving her a big hug that would have to last until November I left her.
I drove out to Deby's house and was there only long enough to give her the two cards and answer a couple of questions that she had thought of since yesterday. I could see that she was excited to get moving again. It's funny how that happens when you're home. It is so nice to see everyone and visit, but you do get a sense of "Let's get going" after a couple of days.
Now I had to rush home and then Pops and I had to hurry and get the pickup truck down to Tom. He needed it by 2pm and we had to hurry. But we didnt get there until 10 minutes after 2 and Tom was already gone for work. Now that's too bad because he didn't want to run his car anymore than he had to so that problems didn't get worse. Oh well, too much to do and to far apart.
Now Pops, Starla and myself drove back up to Cove Auto. We had talked with Starla's husband and they had decided which of the cars they wanted to buy. So when we got there we found out that the owner didn't want to sell us that car because he said that he encountered more problems than he first thought and he didn't think it would be a good car for them.
For just a bit more money they could get the same type of car that was newer and had less miles so Pops and Starla took it for test drive and decided that it was a good choice. So after plunking down the cash she drove it away into Hyndman to get it transfered. But once she got to Hyndman we realized that the paperwork couldn't be done because we didn't have Starla's insurance info. So we drove it up to the house and called another notary that lives near us and she said we could come up later and get it all done. That made me happy because I wanted to get it all done and on the road before we had to leave the house.
We had all of the leftovers for supper tonight. When I come home I like to cook and also want to eat certain other foods that we don't get while out on the road so there is always a variety of stuff leftover.
It was a nice last night at home.
Now tomorrow we had an appointment to take our truck to get the electric looked at. Pops had to be in Jennerstown with the truck at 8:30 in the morning. I decided to stay behind at the house and enjoy some quiet, downtime before we had to head out.
We went into service at 6am so while Pops was gone we got a really good load offer. It was one that was too good to pass up, so I accepted it and we were put on the load. I called Pops and we realized that he would need to hurry home for us to make the pickup time. But before he even got home Fedex called him and told him that the load cancelled.
So Pops came home and would you believe that 3 more times we accepted and got loads that cancelled? We have never ever had 4 loads cancel in a row. Oh well, I know that God will give us the load we are meant to have. Every since we were in Seattle in February I do not get worked up about loads. I know without a doubt that God gives us the loads that we are supposed to have. We always get a load when all our work is completed and we always go where we are supposed to. I trust the Lord to give us our loads.
So we did in fact get a good load. It was picking up in Ohio and going to North Carolina. It was picking up in the morning but we decided to leave tonight and be there in the morning.
After supper I gave Starla a haircut and then Pops and I headed out. Oh how I hate saying goodbyes. But I am excited to be moving again and I am excited to get to know my new home.

Monday

We got up on Monday morning and left the house early. We were meeting our son, Tom, at Bob Evans in LaVale, MD. Our kids always refer to Bob Evans as the old people's restuarant. I don't know why, I think because their Grandma Ryan always liked it there. But that is where Tom wanted to go and I don't care one way or the other. I love breakfast food and I will eat breakfast anywhere.
We picked him up at his home since it was on the way and we found a place to park and went inside. We were offered a booth and so we sat there.
Once we ordered we had a good time visiting with our son. Pops and him compared their phones and Pops asked him a lot of questions about his phone. We are due to get new ones soon and Pops always has a difficult time making up his mind about what he wants. I am pretty easy to please. I like a keyboard because I would rather text than talk and I like a good camera because I am always taking pictures. I have a Blackberry Torch that I got 2 years ago and I haven't had one bit of problem with it and you all know how good of pictures that it takes. So I am leaning toward another Blackberry but we haven't been seeing any in the stores. Tom has an HTC and our other son, Drew has the new Samsung Captivate. Both of them like their phones. Pops has the old Samsung Captivate and is mostly leaning toward getting the new one. Both of our boys have had Iphones and liked them but they like the ones they have now better. If I can't get a Blackberry I thought I would get an Iphone because I have an Ipod and an Ipad and I like the Apple products and I am familiar with them, but like I said, I am pretty easy to please.
We talked about Tom's car. He is having some mechanical problems with it and was asking us about where we thought he might take it to be repaired. We suggested a young man from our church that fixes cars. So Tom texted him and he said he would do it. So we made arrangements for Tom to use our pickup truck while his car is being fixed.
After breakfast I needed to go up to Walmart to pick up some items I needed to finish up with our truck, so Tom agreed to go along. While we were up there Pops and Tom went to look at phones while I shopped for what I needed.
Once we left the store we took Tom back to his house and Bullet was outside in the yard. Remember Bullet is our grandpuppy that belongs to Drew. He is full grown now but is still very puppy-like. He is very energetic. He is a silver labrador retriever. He is gorgeous. So I played with him for a few minutes then Pops and I left.
Pops and I drove back up over the mountain to our house. We had told our friend, Deby, that we would bring our old truck to her today. So once we went inside the house and left the dogs outside for a few minutes and then got them back inside we took off for Somerset. Pops drove the old truck while I followed him in my car.
We parked at a store parking lot near Deby's house. Pops quickly showed her around the truck and tried to fill her in on what was what and how to operate everything. It is a lot of stuff to absorb and I think that she was a little overwhelmed.
We left her and told her that if she had any questions to call us anytime. She asked about the credit cards for fuel and the drivers pay and I realized that I had forgot them at the house. So I told her that I would bring them to her tomorrow.
After we left Deby's house I called my sister, Amy. I had told her that we would come see her for a little while if she was home and she was. So we drove to her house. It was good to get to spend some time with her although it never seems like enough. Her and I have a getaway planned for November when I am home on vacation. I can't wait.
She works at a bakery. I told her that I would there and visit with her again tomorrow when I brought the fuel cards in for Deby.
Then Pops and I left and we were on our way back to the house. I was exhausted. We have been really busy. It was 4:00 when we got home. Starla was busy working with some tomatoes that she was making into spaghetti sauce. I helped her with that for a little while and then we made supper. Once again Pops, me and Bill and Starla just relaxed through the evening. Oh boy, tomorrow is our last day at home and we are going to get that car for Bill and Starla. Sleep fast.

Sunday

It was a little comical on Sunday morning. Since we had left the church building yesterday to go look at cars and we all went in my car, Bill P.'s truck was still at the church building. Now on Sunday mornings at Wills Mt. the ladies meet an hour early and have an early Bible Study. When I'm home I always attend, so that meant everyone had to rise and shine and go along. Ha
But I didn't hear too much complaining. Actually I don't think I heard any.
It was so good to meet with some of my favorite people on this earth. The lesson was about the Holiness of God and His calling us to be Holy. It was led by Ginny Logsdon. It was a really good lesson. It is in a book that we had just started not too long ago. I have the same book and work on my lessons each week in the truck so that I am "on the same page" with these ladies.
After this we went into Sunday School. Every few weeks all of our sister congregations have a preacher switch day. This is when the preachers of the churches get scrambled around and get to preach at another church and we get to hear a different preacher too. So Chad was in Meyersdale, PA this week and Meyersdale's preacher, Doug Conley was at Wills Mt. So Doug was our Sunday School today.
The last time Pops and I were home was also Preacher switch day. We are wondering if Chad plans that. Just kidding. We know he wouldn't do that on purpose, at least I hope not.
After Sunday School we went into the auditorium for our worship service. It was a really good service. I just wish that Doug's wife, Sheree, would've come along, but we found out that she is in Memphis visiting her sister and vacationing. I missed her but I am very happy for her to be able to visit her sister. I love you, Sheree.
We always have an after service dinner at Wills Mt. and I am grateful for that because it gives me a chance to spend time just visiting with our people. I usually always sit with Jeff and Jane. Jeff is just like a real brother to me. They are such good friends.
I really missed one of my dear sisters, Lettie. She has just undergone a hysterectomy and is in recovery. I did get to talk to her on the phone though. I just really missed her hugs.
But it was so good to see all of the other friends. I love Wills Mt. and all the people there.
After we got home from there, Pops and I finished up with all the moving and the final touches to our new home. It was really looking like "home" now and I was feeling pretty good about  it except we didn't have any electric power in the house part of our truck so we would need to get that fixed asap so that we could have a stove, oven, water, and refrigerator. I love to cook and we seldom eat in truckstops, so we absolutely had to have electric.
But everything else was done and looking good.
Drew and Shelbie came to visit us around 5pm. They had just gotten back from a trip with several others to Ocean City. The Cumberland prisons where my boys work as guards, have a softball team and this weekend in Ocean City was the tournament between many of the prisons.
Drew had assembled a team and it was required to have a specific number of female players as well, so that is how Shelbie got involved. Shelbie is Drew's girlfriend. We met her last time we were home in August. She is so nice, not to mention pretty and her and Drew make such a cute couple. I can see that he is very happy and that makes me, his mom, happy.
I gave Shelbie the necklace that I bought for her while Pops and I were traveling through New Mexico and Arizona. She said that she liked it, I hope so.
They had a good time telling us all about their weekend. It was funny listening to them recount their experiences. I think somehow Drew learned to tell a good story. I especially liked hearing all the stuff that happened to Drew's friend, Steve while they were there. That poor young man had one thing right after another go wrong or weird. But Drew said that he handled it like a champ. Steve is a champ. I have known him since he was a wee little boy riding my bus to the school he attended. It sounds like they had a good time.
They stayed about 2 hours and then they had to go. Shelbie had to be back at college in the morning and she had to go back to Cumberland first to get her car. I really like her. And it was great seeing Drew.
So by now it was way too late for us to go to the hymn sing that was being held for all the sister congregations. Now I wouldn't get to see and say goodbye to most of my church friends. We just never seem to have enough time to get done everything we would like to do while home.
So we just watched some tv until bedtime. Bill P. would be going back to work tomorrow. Starla had some plans and Pops and I were getting up and meeting our son, Tom for breakfast at the "old people's place," it was Tom's choice. Haha

Saturday

Wills Mountain Church of Christ had planned a continental style breakfast for anyone who came to the family seminar on Saturday and then lunch afterward. Starla and I made 30 mini breakfast casseroles in muffin pans to take. It consisted of 4 tator tots per muffin cup and then crumbled bacon, sausage or ham, I used ham, then crack an egg into each cup and sprinkle some cheese on top of that. Then you bake them at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. After cooling for a few minutes, pop them out of the cups and then they will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator. But because they were hot when we left the house and the drive is about 30 minutes they were difficult to get out of the muffin cups, so everyone had to scoop them out with a spoon and eat them in a bowl. Oh well, they still tasted good. I have made them with stove top stuffing instead of tator tots as well. Pops and I eat them a lot for breakfast.
Kendall got started on the seminar this time speaking about the childrens role in the family and then we took a break and then next he spoke about the grandparents role in the family. We took another break and then he spoke about our Forever Family, our church family. This was probably my favorite part because Pops and I have so many forever family members all across the U.S. During this seminar he also touched on families with step kids and step parents.
I really enjoyed this seminar and Kendall did such a good job. He is so full of wisdom and knowledge.
After lunch he stayed around answering questions and actually waiting for the rain to let up because he brought his motorcycle the whole way from Indianapolis. Once the rain let up he left.
Bill, Starla, Pops and I decided to take a ride to look at some used automobiles. Bill and Starla needed another vehicle and Pops and I are going to help them get one.
We drove up the road to Cove Auto Sales. We have purchased several cars here in the past. The business owner had several vehicles that caught the interest of Bill and Starla but none would be available until Tuesday. So we drove up to Bedford, PA and looked at some other cars. But one from Cove Auto was still the favorite.
So then we drove home and Pops and I worked some more in the 2 trucks. Then closer to evening, Bill P. cooked some bacon cheeseburgers on the grill and then we relaxed until time to get ready for bed.
Wow, our time at home is going by quickly as it usually does. I still need to see my boys. But tomorrow I get to spend some more time with some of my Forever Family at Wills Mt.

Friday

Friday was moving day. Ugh! This is the part I was dreading. Both trucks were sitting side by side, doing this does make it easier as I can pack a box or two and then move it over and unpack it and put it away right away, and repeat as many times as necessary.
Believe me, we have a lot of stuff.
Pops worked outside and in the boxes of the trucks while I did the inside, house part of our truck.
Once when we moved we had to pack all our stuff and then wait a week or so to move into another truck so we put all our packed stuff on the back of our pickup truck and then into our garage. We had over 2 pickup loads of stuff. Well, you figure that we have all our clothes and personal items. We have books, movies, music. We have computers, ipods, ipads, phones and all the accessories. We have crockpots, toasters, electric skillets, electric pots, and a mixer. I even have an all purpose pan for the cooktop burner. We have a winter coat, a raincoat, and a vest along with a hoodie. And then some cupboards of food.
We have a stove, oven, refrigerator, sink and a toilet. Not to mention the full sized bed and all the sheets and comforter for that. We have boots, workshoes, church shoes and flipflops. We have one cupboard just for gallon jugs and bottles of drinking water.
WE HAVE ALOT OF STUFF!
So we worked and worked and got a lot done but didn't get finished. We had to quit by supper time because we need to shower and get ready to go to the church for the family seminar by Kendall Faull. Kendall is from Indianapolis, IN. He was asked by Chad, our evangelist to come in and do a seminar that would speak to the families of the church. Many of the sister congregations were planning on attending also.
Kendall did a fantastic job. He spoke this evening on the father's role in the family and then we took a break and we started up again he talked about the mother's role in the family. It was really good. I wish that more people would show up for these things. They are so helpful and informative.
The seminar lasted from 6pm until around 9:30. It would start up again in the morning and go until about noon.
We drove home and it wasn't long before all of us went to bed.
It was a long tiring day. but a good one.

Thursday at Home

We got up early on Thursday because we had told Tate and Shirley that we would drive out to Canton, Ohio and pick up our truck. So after drinking some coffee and making some to take along we got on the road by 7:30am.
I was driving my car and we made our way into Somerset and then on to the PA turnpike. We would follow the turnpike all the way to the Ohio line and then take the Ohio turnpike for awhile.
Once we got off the Ohio turnpike we stopped for a quick break at a rest area. It seemed strange to be pulling onto the car side of the rest area.
We were walking inside and I saw a black cat walking around. It was really friendly, so I picked him up and petted him for a minute and then sat him down on a park bench outside the building. When I came out there was a man there talking to the cat that was still on the bench. Pops got out there before me and he was talking to the man. The man pointed to me and said, "it belongs to her." Pops quickly told him that it indeed was not my cat. The man liked it and we thought that maybe he would claim it and take it home but his wife? quickly vetoed that.
So we were back in the car and almost there. We got off our exit and drove to the business that had our truck. At first glance I was a little disappointed in the front bumper. It had been wrecked and the paint was all cracked and ugly, but the rest of the truck looked really good. The inside looked good too. It is similar to what we just had. The layout is just a little different but the difference makes more floor room. The dash of the truck is all different too. So we got the keys from the business and Pops went next door to the truckstop for fuel. I got us some sandwiches and water and we were now on our way home.
I followed Pops. We stopped once at a service plaza to use the restroom and we talked about what Pops liked about the truck. He said how nice and smooth it drove and rode. And in fact some of the items that I had laid on the counter were still riding there without even moving.
We got going again and made it home by a little after 5pm.
I had planned on going over to Salisbury to get our DOT physicals which were about to expire. So I called them and if we could come right away we could go now. When I mentioned to Pops that we needed to get back in the car and go to the Dr he was not too happy. I know we had a long busy day and I would like to shower and rest too, but our physicals were one of the main reasons we were home now. So he and I did go and get that done.
Neither of us had any issues and I am glad considering the very first thing I did when I got there was to be handed a plastic cup and was told to go pee so he could see if I was pregnant. haha
Pops wasn't pregnant either.
By the time we got home from there, Bill P. was home and Starla had a big pan of Lasagna, sausage stuffed zucchini, garlic bread and salad ready. Oh yeah, She is such a good girl.
After supper we are relaxed in the living room, not really watching tv or anything, just talking and enjoying being home. Oh, it was good.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Wednesday

It always seems like such a long drive home once we know we are headed that way.
We got empty and went out of service right away. We didn't want our company looking for other loads for us.
I was driving and we had good roads the whole way. I had to stop for coffe about halfway and I took the dogs out and stretched my legs for a bit.
As I was getting off the turnpike at Breezewood I noticed that there were several DOT inspectors standing there with a couple of trucks pulled over to the side of the road. When I saw one of them walk out toward the highway I knew they were going to pull me over too. And they did. It was just a routine random inspection. They checked my lisence, my cards, my paperwork and my logs. Then I was free to go.
Now the long part of the drive. It was all just two-lane roads now. But it was a beautiful, sunny day nd the trip was nice especially once I turned onto Glen Savage Road and we were really on the country roads. It seems like once we reach this point the dogs know where e re and where we are going. They begin to get excited nd stand at the window watching. I don't know if they recognize certain country smells, or if the winding, slow roads alert them or if maybe they just sense my excitement, but they know.
It was later in the afternoon by the time we got to the house. Starla wasn't home and Bill P. was t work. So Pops nd I gathered up what we knew we would be taking into the house and went inside.
The dogs ran around the yard with Boots, Starla's dog. I got some laundry started and Pops brought some more stuff into the house.
I was dreading the moving all our stuff from one truck to another. It is unbelievable how much stuff we have. But that worry didn't have to be thought of this day so I put it out of my mind.
It wasn't long before Starla returned home. And once we kind of got settled in, I asked her if she wanted to ride along with me to take care of some business that needed attended to. So we left Pops t home with the dogs and took off.
Later that evening when we got home we fixed some supper and Bill P got home from work and we relaxed, watched some tv, and just enjoyed being at home. Of all the places we get to see and go to, there really is no place like home.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Going Home

We did sit at the truckstop in Racine, WI all day Sunday and because Monday was Labor Day we were there all that day too. We did get and accept a load offer that was picking up on Tuesday though.
It was a high security load that was picking up in Chicago and going to an Air Force Base in New Jersey. So we were settled in with the knowledge that we did have a trip that would get us home on Wednesday sometime. That made us both feel better knowing that we would be able to attend the Family Seminar that Wills Mountain was having on the weekend with Kendall Faull.
We watched a few movies and I read a lot and we basically just relaxed and hung out. Of course all of the ususal stuff like laundry and showers too.
Our Tuesday load was not picking up until 2pm but since it was Chicago we wanted to go in early, taking a chance that it would be ready and we could get loaded and get out of Chicago before afternoon traffic got too heavy. So we left in the morning and it was only about 57 miles to our pickup so we got there right around noon. Our load was ready and it was only one pallet of items so it was quickly loaded and secured and once the paperwork was completed we were out of there.
We did drive fairly quickly through downtown Chicago and was on the interstate making good time by the time we were supposed to just be picking the load up. I was driving and Pops was sitting up front talking to me. We had gotten plenty of rest over the weekend although he knew that he would have to be driving throughout the night so he needed to try to at least get a nap. We also had about 5 extra hours built into this trip so that he could stop and take a break if he needed to.
I drove out my time and was near Paineville, Ohio when we switched over and he began to drive.
My friend, Deby, who also drives for Fedex CC and her team partner are going to start to drive for our truck owners and needed to get back to Atlanta by Thursday were having a hard time getting back from a trip they took to the west coast. I was talking to her and trying to cheer them on as they slowly and at their own expense traveled from Las Vegas clear to Atlanta. But they finally made it with absolutely no extra fuel or money to spare.
They were both taking a week or so off too and all of us would be changing trucks. We were moving into another truck that doesn't have a refrigerated unit that is in use and Deby and Alice would be moving into our old truck. So I wasn't looking forward to all of the work involved in moving all our stuff but I was excited to have them working for Tate and Shirley.
Pops drove all through the night and I woke up when we were only about 7 miles from the base. I took the dogs out and then we went on over.
This base has three seperate checkpoints before you are even onto the base, it takes a little over an hour to go through the process. But once inside we got unloaded and then we were done.
Whew who! Now we are going home.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Flooded streets in Charleston

More flooded streets

One of the many wrecks we saw in the heavy rains

Bridge near Baytown, TX over Galveston Bay

Thank you, Lord for bringing me out of the pit.

The journey is the reward!

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Hurricane Issac

We woke up on Monday morning still sitting in Memphis and I couldn't believe we were here this long without a load. That never happens to us.
I figured I better get outside walking around looking for our penny on the ground. We seem to always get a good load right after I find a penny.
I took the dogs out for a walk but didn't go too far away from the truck. We had a lot of grass right beside us and it was pretty hot so the dogs didn't want to be on the pavement. That was ok with me. So I looked around a little bit but didn't find a penny around the truck.
We did get a load offer though just before lunch time. We would have to go back to Little Rock to pick it up and it was going to Charleston, South Carolina. So we got our selves ready and headed that direction. I drove the whole way there.
We got loaded and started our trip across the southern part of the US. We went south through back to Memphis and then south through Mississippi and then Alabama and then a little of Georgia and into South Carolina.
It began to rain, and then it continued to rain hard. We had been listening to the radio and the weather channel was talking a lot about Hurricane Issac and predicting that it would be hitting Louisiana sometime that day. I wondered if this rain had anything to do with that.
By the time we did get to Charleston many of the streets were flooding.
Pops got so soaking wet while getting the load off of our truck. I could not believe how wet he was. I was sure that he would catch a horrible cold. But he didn't.
After we got unloaded we were going to head back to Columbia, SC for layover. We saw many cars sitting in water up to their door handles.
We didn't make it to Columbia before we were offered another load. We were going north to a place called Cheraw, SC for a pickup that was going to Laredo.
While we were at the pickup getting our load on, we heard that the Hurricane was hitting hard and causing a lot of flooding and indeed the flooding we saw today was attributed to Issac. Our truck owners called us and told us to re-route and not go the southern route that would take us through Slidell, LA and Baton Rouge. They told us to go Route 20 across to Dallas and then go south to Laredo. We figured that would add about 100 more miles to the trip, but it did make me feel better. It took us all that night, all the next day and that night as well to get to Laredo. We did not encounter any bad weather and I was grateful. We were listening to the coverage on the radio and it sounded terrible for the people of Louisiana and Mississippi. Our trip across was pretty uneventful.
After we got unloaded in Laredo we were heading back to San Antonio. We were meeting up with Tate and Shirley. We needed some parts for our generator and our back door that we were having trouble locating or waiting for. Tate had found them and had them for us. They met us at the truckstop as we were coming back from getting a shower.
We went to lunch and enjoyed a quick visit. We got a good load offer so we couldn't stay any longer. They took us back to our truck and once again we were on our way.
We were picking up at a huge chemical plant just south of Houston. It was a hazmat load going to Knoxville, TN.
We knew that we would be traveling and skimming right around the Gulf states.
We made our pickup at the chemical plant but before we could, we had to have our truck inspected and searched. We had to watch a safety video and be certified. Then we were allowed to enter the plant and get our load. It was now late, around 11 pm.
We left Houston and was on our way to Knoxville. It wasn't long before I was asleep in the bunk. Pops drove us through Louisiana and part way through Mississippi. I began to drive when I woke up. He was telling me about the flooded areas and downed trees. I saw a lot of that type of thing too. We kept seeing signs warning of water across the highway, but we never actually saw any on the highway although we saw a lot of high rivers.
We were offered a predispatch load and accepted it. But that meant that we would have to hurry after our delivery to Richmond, KY for another pickup.
We got to our delivery site at Knoxville. It was a chemical plant also and they did not want to hurry. It seemed we were there quite a while but I know that is just because I knew we were limited on time.  We got unloaded and found our way back to the interstate and was hurrying to KY.
I drove us the whole way there. It wasn't too far though about 3 hours.
We found that delivery and got there about 9:15 pm. It was Friday evening and this is Labor Day weekend so I am sure that these men were very glad to see us.
They quickly loaded our truck and now we were on our way to Sturgeon Bay, WI. I didn't know where that was so I got the map and looked it up. It is north of Milwaukee, way north. Once you get to Green Bay, WI then we had to go east out onto a penninsula between Green Bay and Lake Michigan. We drove for about 40 miles onto the Penninsula.
It was a beautiful sunny day and the ride was very nice. At one point, Pops and saw watched 5 skydivers fall from the sky with their parachutes and land in a field along the interstate just as we were passing by. That was pretty cool.
When we reached the outskirts of Sturgeon Bay, we found our delivery site and unloaded the truck. We asked about a Walmart so that we could get some groceries. We were told that we would need to go into town.
Well to get to town we had to go a little further out and then across a drawbridge that crossed Sturgeon Bay. We saw many boats. It was so pretty. It made me jealous of those people who were having such a great last summer fling.
We got our groceries and then headed back toward Milwaukee. The drive back was just as nice. Every once in a while I could catch of glimpse of Green Bay through the trees. It was so shimmery and sparkling.
Towards evening it began to get cloudy. And by the time we reached the truckstop at Racine, which is south of Milwaukee and near Kenosha, it was down to 70 degrees and was breezy. After spending so much time in the south these temperatures felt chilly to me.
So here we are for layover. We have a load but it is a military load that doesn't pick up until Tuesday after the holiday. It delivers in New Jersey on Wednesday so we'll be heading home for some time off right after that.
There is a church here that we did attend once before. The Jelly Belly jellybean factory is near here too. They give free tours. I might be able to talk Pops into that. Well, maybe not. We'll see, I guess. We do need to get some minor repairs done to our truck too. But we have all day tomorrow and all day on Monday.
We may get to meet up with our cousin Sandy and her husband, Ernie on Monday. Maybe. That would be nice. I hope it works out.
The SF Giants are playing at Wrigley Field tomorrow. I sure wish I could figure out where to park to go see that. I did research it some and it seems highly unlikely to find any parking. Oh well, we can hear the game on the radio. But how awesome would it be to actually get to go to Wrigley Field? Too bad I didn't have more time to plan it.
But I'm sure we won't be bored. We always find something to do.