Catching up since the New Year!

I was trying to think of something profound to write about for the New Year's blog, but, the words never came. I guess that I am not much of a profound writer.
Since my last post , we left OK and headed North to Bangor Maine. It was still cold in ME. They have Moose crossing signs instead of the usual Deer crossing signs that we are used to in Indiana. We continualy looked for moose but never saw any. After getting unloaded in ME we were dispatched to pick up a load of "kiln dried" lumber in Brattleboro VT. Loading at the same place was another Prime driver and his wife, Lloyd and Coral H. we chatted briefly with them and then went on our way. Our load was delivering to Warroad MN just 7 miles South of the Canadian Border.
On the way to Warroad MN we made a small detour to Lafayette, for Christmas.
We arrived early on Christmas Eve day, Kaitlynn went to visit with her Grandparent's and Aunt A, and Uncle D, while Herb and I did all of our Christmas shopping in about 4 hours. We then went to Elston Family Church for the Christmas Eve service and it felt like comming home. We were able to briefly catch up with friends before everyone was off to their family Christmas Eve traditions.
Christmas Day was spent with family at my Mom and Dad's house. Kaitlynn recieved the two things she wanted most for Christmas......Clothes and A Puppy in a Purse. Those were the only things she asked Santa for. She got several pairs of jeans and a couple of shirts as well as desperatly needed snowpants and the Puppy is a little Yorkie named Bo, who has now taken residencey on her bed along with a pretend horse named Rainbow, a (pretend) Husky dog and an invisible baby cow. We have quite the entourage.

This is the new Paris Kaitlynn as we were leaving Grandma's house after Christmas.









The day after Christmas we continued on our way to MN stopping in Merrillville IN to have a short Christmas visit with Colin. It seems like he grows a foot everytime I see him.

We then continued on to MN, stopping in Hampshire IL for the night.  The moon was full and it had been snowing, it was actually really neat.  I enjoyed a short walk in the brisk night air, it was the kind of cold that made the snow "squeek" when you walked on it.
The next morning we awoke to find we had parked next to the couple from Prime, Lloyd and Coral.  We found they were going the same place we were so we decided to travel together.  It was fun to be able to talk back and forth on the radio and to have another couple to "hang  with" when we stopped.
When we got to Warroad MN, it was only 6 degrees so we all helped on both trucks getting them ready to be unloaded.  It was so cold that the tarps had to be folded instead of being folled like we usually do.  With four of us helping we were able to get both trucks unloaded in about an hour. 
After leaving Warroad we were sent to Minneapolis to load Bobcats going to Mississippi and Louisiana they loaded the same place only going to PA and NJ. So we were able to spend another day and a half traveling together.  We parted ways in Rockford IL and continued on to MS.
We were able to get the first two stops unloaded on the 30th and the last one off on New Years Eve.  We had hoped to toast the New Year with Sparkling Cider and watching the ball drop in Times Square on TV, but we didn't find any cider and the TV was on ESPN, so we sat in the restuarant at the TA and talked with a few other drivers and had a subdued celebration.
We picked up our load in Leeds AL and headed to Cleveland TN from there we reloaded in Knoxville and went to Bridgeport CT.  Then to Philladelphia PA to deliver in Greensboro NC.  It was even cold in NC, they said it was only 16 degrees when they came to work that morning but it had warmed up to 52 while we unloaded.  To us that seemed like a heat wave.