tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61263053968196902522024-02-07T19:20:59.623-05:00It's Just Me...A perspective of life on the road.Rita Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03519390658168463803noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126305396819690252.post-49717560646145817712011-08-01T00:59:00.000-04:002011-08-01T00:59:21.329-04:00I'm BackI know that it has been over a year since my last post and I don't even know if anyone even checks this anymore. In the event someone does come back let me get you caught up.<br />
Kaitlynn returned to Indiana to go to Kindergarten. She had an awesome year and has grown so much. It's hard to believe she is the same child just 4 short years ago we thought would never talk because now she never shuts up.<br />
Herb and I had a wonderful time on the road together, it is a pleasure and a privilege to be able to work with your best friend and spend 24/7 with them. thought there were times that we didn't really see each other that much. I know sounds strange, but we worked opposite shifts so a lot of our time together was with one of us sleeping while the other drove.<br />
I liked to drive the night shift, as there was less traffic and I was able to listen to Audio Books on my MP3 player. Borrowed from the library of course, so they were free. Free is always good.<br />
Herb drove mostly days and when we had a delivery in the mornings I would stay up to help.<br />
In April I started taking on-line classes preparing me for my Nursing Degree.<br />
It is through Colorado Tech University On-line. I am really enjoying the classes although this sessions "Math for Professionals" class is kicking my butt.<br />
The sessions run 5 weeks the we take a 5 day break and on to the next class for the next 5 weeks. I am beginning week 5 of session 3 now.<br />
Also in April I came back to Indiana and gave up the over-the-road, it was a tough decision but, Kaitlynn needs me home and I want to see more of Colin. He is still with his dad and doing excellent. He is in a Aquinas school and now is a Straight A honor roll student. I could not be more proud.<br />
I am driving local and home every night with Kaitlynn.<br />
Ironically, I came off the road and Kaitlynn went on the road for summer break. She was able to spend a couple of weeks with daddy, she was in heaven and did not want to go back to "mommy's house" to get ready for school, but she is excited about going into the first grade.<br />
Well time is getting late and I am hoping to post more often now that I have more time. LOLRita Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03519390658168463803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126305396819690252.post-2123522322722094222010-07-20T00:39:00.000-04:002010-07-20T00:39:30.548-04:00Class of '85 and other ramblesI have just returned from my 25 year High School Reunion! What a blast......<br />
I was a little apprehensive at first but, once I got there and started talking to everyone that all faded away. It's hard to believe that it has been 25 years since we walked the halls of Jefferson High School. We made friendships the lasted only during the time we were in classes together and some that have endured the test of time.<br />
During those High School years you can't imagine your life without the familiar faces we saw every day, and now 25 years later, you recognize a face but, can't for the life of you remember the name. At the beginning of the night I think a lot of us walked around looking at name tags or asking others "Who is that person over there?"<br />
Either way we got over the initial insecurities and had fun. That's what it's all about. Right?<br />
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Now back to the road,<br />
We have left Kaitlynn at Grandma and Grandpa's house this time out. She will be starting Kindergarten in August and is so looking forward to it.<br />
Herb and I are going to run hard for the next 3 weeks then I will be home for a couple of weeks to get Kaitlynn set up and started in school.<br />
She will be attending a school that has a required dress code. I'm not sure how that is going to play out but, I rather like the idea. If nothing more that not having to argue about what she wears to school. You have these shirts, these bottoms and these sweaters/sweat-shirts. Pick an outfit. Makes mornings easy for Grandma.<br />
Yep, she will be spending the school year with the Grandparents, this way Herb and I can run hard and get ahead. The plan is by May of next year to be back in the area and start looking for a house.<br />
I want to look for a job in the EMS field and maybe work in one of the local ER's. I want to be able to use my skills and I believe that I will be more effective and useful in an ER setting than on the Ambulance, I'll leave that to the adrenalin junkies out there. Although it is not out of the question, I will work where ever there is a place for me.Rita Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03519390658168463803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126305396819690252.post-9309992925761843952010-06-22T13:21:00.000-04:002010-06-22T13:21:08.867-04:00I'm Back!.......<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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First off Thanks to my Ghost Writer! <div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I have been away too long.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">This last few weeks have been crazy busy,</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We picked Kaitlynn up from Grandma and Grandpa's and headed out. Now that we are running as a team, Herb drives mostly during the day and I drive at night which leaves very little computer time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib8ie-Cc4dPjhqSk7QxI17GKdr8mUQJIucrP2BmW_QYtZP9YlWCL8FaOSXbPZGOQXvAquT-mu2hpjRKsgUC6aXA7608lLA6ZH6XW4VUiRs8FLR_xhMu5giQqFhetTHnD9_-SVhlKPUZ0SR/s1600/downsized950529001634%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib8ie-Cc4dPjhqSk7QxI17GKdr8mUQJIucrP2BmW_QYtZP9YlWCL8FaOSXbPZGOQXvAquT-mu2hpjRKsgUC6aXA7608lLA6ZH6XW4VUiRs8FLR_xhMu5giQqFhetTHnD9_-SVhlKPUZ0SR/s200/downsized950529001634%5B1%5D.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We were able to spend Memorial Day Weekend with a friend of ours in Oregon, he helps to manage a Dairy farm with about 150 head of cattle. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">He recently purchased 8 chicks, six were old enough to go out in the coop and the other two were still in the pen in the house so Kaitlynn spent some time playing with them and the kittens in the barn. She even got to ride on a four wheeler.</div><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyy2cGObQrTZ5XN62cEG7NXQwWS139bvWBLIJYSuETmDD3vysz4u6oyq1rmbqd8-JNSDJeyuwtApxbaAi758zePEgqXnnR3oqGY-2DYrJhpnE6dP4Y-WUhXr3BhTsm5TSkd5HSf2Z4Kr3/s1600/IMG_5178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyy2cGObQrTZ5XN62cEG7NXQwWS139bvWBLIJYSuETmDD3vysz4u6oyq1rmbqd8-JNSDJeyuwtApxbaAi758zePEgqXnnR3oqGY-2DYrJhpnE6dP4Y-WUhXr3BhTsm5TSkd5HSf2Z4Kr3/s200/IMG_5178.JPG" width="200" /></a><img border="0" height="150" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyoMXKFabJB7syb9Sin55-3i6F8ur3LMwRv5BhzkELYNgoUsdZyF1tQvCYwOJ-aW7n4R5AgpxrE2ppPHL05MkZbnskbvCKuqR3xKpCQMH8EQ-AtIFGr-T7UV9vTcBsA9HZt31NrnfWB2sb/s200/IMG_5196.JPG" width="200" /></div>Kaitlynn also got to help milk the cows and feed the calves. Before it was time to milk she kept asking if she were going to be able to use a little stool and how big was the bucket and she kept talking about how she would pull the teats to get the milk out. She didn't know that this was a modern dairy farm and they use a double six milking system.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9GSZXrkhB3oT3CUsRKzEDxlwHykSjAq9L6igzWLQ81slQvW0x7U3rbKYBpMk_lop53Ck2EemDE3XUJQj7S0yR27cZE8oOkKIhXo8yZJrnEysjIjkLgYOjd5cTN3OTrqQcyjpV7Kd_W3E/s1600/IMG_5171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9GSZXrkhB3oT3CUsRKzEDxlwHykSjAq9L6igzWLQ81slQvW0x7U3rbKYBpMk_lop53Ck2EemDE3XUJQj7S0yR27cZE8oOkKIhXo8yZJrnEysjIjkLgYOjd5cTN3OTrqQcyjpV7Kd_W3E/s200/IMG_5171.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>It is a pit with six stalls on each side and allows for 12 cows to be miked at one time. The cows come in and get washed by hand with an antibacterial solution and then an iodine solution is sprayed on the udder, the udder is then wiped with a clean paper towel and the milker is attached, when the udder is dry the milker drops off and the cow is sprayed with iodine again, when the six cows on that side are done they are released back into the corral area and given hay. After the milking is done any milk given by cows that had recently given birth and that milk is given to the new calves, youngest first then the older ones until it is gone then they are given formula until they are old enough to eat hay and grain then they are shipped off to another farm to be raised until they are old enough to be bred.<br />
Kaitlynn had a blast, she was upset when she thought she had mud on her leg until we told her it was cow poop then she was OK with it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyE2R7M7sIuYLkgFdUBYvijZHOr9lyLmiQRuO-OAiDZ99aHIHwYGc7qzaSmbPlgkSUBxf1ek6r5IlFQunj2m5kQWgkKm5HSWvIQE5IEGXBqnBVQ8sTHIY6Kq4RyiRXR_pY23V245R7LqVY/s1600/IMG_5188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyE2R7M7sIuYLkgFdUBYvijZHOr9lyLmiQRuO-OAiDZ99aHIHwYGc7qzaSmbPlgkSUBxf1ek6r5IlFQunj2m5kQWgkKm5HSWvIQE5IEGXBqnBVQ8sTHIY6Kq4RyiRXR_pY23V245R7LqVY/s200/IMG_5188.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFn7fy9VvukcM-DqttMKOoA4Oz2F8Cp9ciNUxvL7TK6mEpNBCYh2Lh5Q53a0ASKLPEdJpULLaLDmbShdVsUqZyvP_-ys51-UC0QkNe76CvBI2l5PvQAVYGUlHrRilSyMSzJEd2qsd2Sd0/s1600/IMG_5180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFn7fy9VvukcM-DqttMKOoA4Oz2F8Cp9ciNUxvL7TK6mEpNBCYh2Lh5Q53a0ASKLPEdJpULLaLDmbShdVsUqZyvP_-ys51-UC0QkNe76CvBI2l5PvQAVYGUlHrRilSyMSzJEd2qsd2Sd0/s200/IMG_5180.JPG" width="200" /></a>Kaitlynn made fast friends with this little bull whom she dubbed Butterfly. He was only a few hours old and was waiting to go to the other farm to be raised.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Over all I think Kaitlynn had a blast, she was upset when she thought she had mud on her leg until we told her it was cow poop then she was OK with it. It was good to get out of the truck for more than just a couple of hours.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Leah was able to enjoy the farm too, she was allowed to run with the other farm dogs for the weekend. The only time we tied her up was when we went to town to get some supplies and when we went to lunch, then it was only because we were afraid she would follow us and get lost or go to the barn and we were unsure as to how she would react to the cows.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih74LRE0xy39qc10Nloiy37l3HYayuSBkp1p7iDa5TRvBDtP07TZdD-OearAAjy-w1LqjcBtPSheooRis5dq1JhVAg_-4CSFaon7OMWYwW-U25wtyRjpCro9Ar4ikTDcIhute5KcnPX7HL/s1600/IMG_5146_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih74LRE0xy39qc10Nloiy37l3HYayuSBkp1p7iDa5TRvBDtP07TZdD-OearAAjy-w1LqjcBtPSheooRis5dq1JhVAg_-4CSFaon7OMWYwW-U25wtyRjpCro9Ar4ikTDcIhute5KcnPX7HL/s320/IMG_5146_2.JPG" /></a></div>During our visit we went to lunch at a place called The Pelican Bar and Grill right on the beach, after lunch we took a stroll down to the beach and Kaitlynn and <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">AJ's</span> son played in the Pacific ocean for about an hour, by which time she was nearly frozen, yet we still had to drag her out of the water.<br />
We even managed to get the truck down to the beach. No easy feat.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjemS6K_Y12tNaqvAShCkykn9_q-Tfnhj6Ix_UYs-TdAEQmd4L4Rh5Sf0mrkDC9lbl2Frv0fnp_t7ry7qkDYUjTYvjKYqaV2fiLyY41uU5rC-O3Z9wACzmC5WUIogSi3l3fm7cGgnKqyYtw/s1600/IMG_5157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjemS6K_Y12tNaqvAShCkykn9_q-Tfnhj6Ix_UYs-TdAEQmd4L4Rh5Sf0mrkDC9lbl2Frv0fnp_t7ry7qkDYUjTYvjKYqaV2fiLyY41uU5rC-O3Z9wACzmC5WUIogSi3l3fm7cGgnKqyYtw/s200/IMG_5157.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_h7OPlGyvjFeNe1sIsCRyWOcHje1Ygoqez5r9i4wYfMDiG7-5W4ELjso3lWsV5tdchlrTR8nMBFyASm3Cyl0c7aLd9tXjooMOn1W4FivztzaH0VDJjoRtyMRSxMWP4e7aCz8u9uf7WWY/s1600/IMG_5143_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_h7OPlGyvjFeNe1sIsCRyWOcHje1Ygoqez5r9i4wYfMDiG7-5W4ELjso3lWsV5tdchlrTR8nMBFyASm3Cyl0c7aLd9tXjooMOn1W4FivztzaH0VDJjoRtyMRSxMWP4e7aCz8u9uf7WWY/s200/IMG_5143_2.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
We watched the fishing boats come in and along with the many people on the beach there were several horses.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYgA4aNB0-9JH9GtS-VJOYGhoxwIhEyXQADDyvngRBPxpKKZxdd3K3OrT-0-jPxp2QjTSGzsUvstDCcW_WFLd9a8-436pBEYNZdQn35YRdDwHW9GdXr0GHAvgoBfV0i9fq_d6lNI6B3kok/s1600/IMG_5131_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYgA4aNB0-9JH9GtS-VJOYGhoxwIhEyXQADDyvngRBPxpKKZxdd3K3OrT-0-jPxp2QjTSGzsUvstDCcW_WFLd9a8-436pBEYNZdQn35YRdDwHW9GdXr0GHAvgoBfV0i9fq_d6lNI6B3kok/s200/IMG_5131_2.JPG" width="200" /></a> <br />
All too soon it was time to hit the road again. We headed to Texas where it suddenly turned into summer. It was in the 60's in Oregon and when we got to Laredo, TX it was over 100 degrees. More about that in my next post. Thanks for sticking with us on this continuing adventure.Rita Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03519390658168463803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126305396819690252.post-29885244104150873362010-06-08T22:28:00.000-04:002010-06-08T22:28:55.234-04:00UPDATE!! :o)<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hi... I'm a ghost writer for Rita...</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rita and Herb are very busy... running all around the U.S. and taking as many loads as they can.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They are so busy even I don't know where they are right now.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sounds like Herb is driving during the day and Rita drives over night.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not so funny... funny... Herb is no longer allowed to play with knifes... Long story short... stitches and bandages and he's back together again... at least for now. Sounds like he filleted one of his fingers. </span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let's hope he heals up nice and no further medical attention is needed.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rita promises she will update soon... but in the meantime... Let's wish them safe travels!!</span>Rita Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03519390658168463803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126305396819690252.post-44233232503198435612010-04-28T23:15:00.000-04:002010-04-28T23:15:39.589-04:00InsultedIt has been a long time since I have not had to worry about anyone but myself.<br />
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I have been taking orientation classes here at the Prime Terminal here in Springfield, MO. I was able to lower my BMI (body mass index) by 1.3 points by losing 20 lbs and Prime relaxed their regulations a bit so we are going to be able to run as a team now.<br />
Not all the time, but enough to make better money, yet still be flexible enough to allow fun side trips with Kaitlynn.<br />
She has been with Grandma and Grandpa since just before Easter and is more than ready to come back on the road.<br />
Herb on the other hand has been driving solo, with his faithful, yet not so bright sidekick Lea, for the week that I have been in class. He is getting used to, yet not liking the e-log system. (The D.O.T. has taken the log book out of the driver's hands and computerized it so there is NO MORE creative log booking going on.)<br />
I believe this says that they do not trust us and believe we have no common sense. There is also all kinds of bells and whistles on the trucks that tell the driver that he is too close to the car in front of him, that he is too close to the white/dotted line and will slow the truck on it's own accordingly. I find this insulting and degrading. If we are so untrustworthy why do they hire us. It never occured to me to be offended by these "advances" until they effected me directly and now I am outraged. <br />
We are becoming a society of take no blame and do it for me. Is anyone else upset or offended? Am I the only one who is angered by this lack of trust?Rita Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03519390658168463803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126305396819690252.post-13066867816973388582010-04-04T22:33:00.000-04:002010-04-04T22:33:20.807-04:00Happy Easter!<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter.</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;">For us it was uneventful, we spent the night in North Platte, NE and had a short visit with another Prime driver this morning before starting out. The other driver has two Daschounds and they spent a few minutes playing with Lea, but the size difference made it difficult to play and she doesn't know her own strength so we had to cut it short.</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;">We are heading for Fallon, MT to deliever this irrigation system on Monday. The worst part is that Montana is Kaitlynn's last continental state to visit and she opted to stay with Grandma and Grandpa for Easter. We will have to catch it next time I guess.</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;">Looking forward to seeing Wall Drug and the Bad Lands next time through with Kaitlynn, maybe even introducing her to the loacal Prairie Dog population.</span>Rita Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03519390658168463803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126305396819690252.post-14059590649387752010-03-19T01:43:00.000-04:002010-03-19T01:43:59.781-04:00Brighter Days and BlessingsSpring is in the air. We were in Alabama most of the day and the weather was wonderful. Not a sign of rain, and the Sunshine was a welcome change.<br />
For the first time in a while I have a renewed feeling of hope.<br />
On Wed. we loaded our first Oversized Load in GA. A couple of bulldozers going to Baton Rouge and Houston. This being our first, we were a bit unsure of the proper securements, so Herb asked another driver and M. (the other driver) <strong>helped </strong>us secure the load. Then we had to wait for permits and while we were waiting Herb was talking to another driver about where to get the Oversized Load banners and required red flags. Instead of telling him where to get the items he needed he went to his truck<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyhLq03JU5XyyVUdiNUj96qJQJIyTPjV2GpONGeFyIUy2MPtPpzvDjFpo56_OwuqvzwHKim6NpdY0yipOvw-qNNuY0iMrU5Pt2a0SJvRhi7eGdlSXXumPIa_9At0G5eq_aTBMSWhoRPTvY/s1600-h/IMG_4686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyhLq03JU5XyyVUdiNUj96qJQJIyTPjV2GpONGeFyIUy2MPtPpzvDjFpo56_OwuqvzwHKim6NpdY0yipOvw-qNNuY0iMrU5Pt2a0SJvRhi7eGdlSXXumPIa_9At0G5eq_aTBMSWhoRPTvY/s200/IMG_4686.JPG" vt="true" width="200" /></a></div>and gave us the 2 banners and 4 red flags we needed. <br />
We finally got everything taken care of and got on our way. We stopped a few miles before we got to the Alabama state line and spent the night at the truck stop.(Oversized loads are only allowed to travel during daylight hours.) We were also required to have an escort vehical with us while traveling across AL.<br />
Early in the morning the escort met up with us and we started on our way. We went about 16 miles before we encountered our first scale. As required we stopped and took our papers in, then we<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyIW50XgBHAT8r8UwDCj7rua4R75DjHqHH72rWPlRsPJld4njY4cAYk9qg0ekcp8D0EC-VP2c-67phLEIoW1Hbx6O5vaHlJiknpaUu9PF513g_Ap6tJgWgktPx35_PPppXWzX78QR8HHuu/s1600-h/IMG_4687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyIW50XgBHAT8r8UwDCj7rua4R75DjHqHH72rWPlRsPJld4njY4cAYk9qg0ekcp8D0EC-VP2c-67phLEIoW1Hbx6O5vaHlJiknpaUu9PF513g_Ap6tJgWgktPx35_PPppXWzX78QR8HHuu/s200/IMG_4687.JPG" vt="true" width="200" /></a></div>were told that one of the bulldozers had been loaded the wrong way. In Alabama the blades must be facing the rear of the trailer and one of ours was facing the front. The officer was very nice and did not give us a ticket, but, we had to go to the next truck stop and make arrangements to have it fixed. So the next few hours were spent making arrangements to get this thing turned around. We finally got the OK for a flatbed wrecker to come and help us. They even had someone who knew how to drive a bulldozer! Big relief....<br />
We backed the dozer onto the wrecker, lowered it to the ground, turned it around, raised it back up and backed it onto the trailer. No problem. <br />
While we were waiting on all the peticulars to be taken care of we met a small black dog who had apparently been abandoned at this truck stop, so while we were waiting we introduced him to Lea, it only took a few minutes untill they were friends and they spent the morning playing together. This is another source of hope for me. Lea has been a<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4FWWhwHtCgy0GlmJ9N4uGuO3IhY22SNlspHfvwINHdT7Jgf7BE2fKKD3ojb7IzCKkrWehpuJhplKvtqrX2nDg1oVZoKg03ywIXybYsv2vyrXwGRGKfQc5mhkLt3zLxEdo5dtX2ZC191dD/s1600-h/IMG_4691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4FWWhwHtCgy0GlmJ9N4uGuO3IhY22SNlspHfvwINHdT7Jgf7BE2fKKD3ojb7IzCKkrWehpuJhplKvtqrX2nDg1oVZoKg03ywIXybYsv2vyrXwGRGKfQc5mhkLt3zLxEdo5dtX2ZC191dD/s200/IMG_4691.JPG" vt="true" width="200" /></a></div>bit agressive toward other dogs in the past and we felt that it was fear related. So whenever given a chance we try to introduce her to other dogs. Each time it has take less time for her to become friendly and this was the shortest amount of time yet. So we believe that she is overcoming her fears.<br />
In addition to this good news, as we were finishing up with resecuring the equipment, the manager of the truck stop came out and told us there was a phone call for the Prime driver. Herb went in and found out someone had paid for the pizza special for us and would not give their name. So we had pizza, hot wings and soda for lunch.<br />
A big Thanks goes out to whom ever you are. We will do our best to pay it forward.Rita Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03519390658168463803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126305396819690252.post-68582011351862582982010-02-28T21:42:00.000-05:002010-02-28T21:42:47.735-05:00TomorrowIt's amazing how much time can go by when you think Oh, I will do that tomorrow, pretty soon tomorrow becomes a week, then a month and before you know it you get to the point where there is so much to write it seems overwhelming and you don't write anything.<br />
That stops today.<br />
It has been a while since my last update, and on one hand I feel bad on the other, not much is new anyhow.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWF-FsfdDqED_paxtbjqpzbIaZ0dYEmCERZzzhdeV9ip0wXgu53Hi7x88rOCHeknKsqE_KzTBBe90lw94i-n07xgbX3p6__JfoQDbJIPGB9sG7nUU6qiRpveZDm_76bzcUTZ9hPT7Q4t-o/s1600-h/Lea+approx+10+months+old.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWF-FsfdDqED_paxtbjqpzbIaZ0dYEmCERZzzhdeV9ip0wXgu53Hi7x88rOCHeknKsqE_KzTBBe90lw94i-n07xgbX3p6__JfoQDbJIPGB9sG7nUU6qiRpveZDm_76bzcUTZ9hPT7Q4t-o/s320/Lea+approx+10+months+old.JPG" /></a></div>One new item is our addition to our family. Her name is Lea, she is about a year old now and weighs in at approx. 40 lbs. She is a Honey Colored American Pit Bull Terrier. We acquired her in Houston Texas, a man came to us while we were unloading and asked if we wanted a dog,(his wife didn't like big dogs) She was already spade and had her puppy shots and best of all she was FREE! We put her in the truck to she how she handled it, she woke Kaitlynn up who came down to say hello, Lea gave Kaitlynn a kiss or two then curled up on the floor and went to sleep. We had a truck dog. She is great with people but, she does not get along with other dogs, we are working with her on this.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLBFCdhddpK9XRo0BC0xNsreMFSNeDtHre7JZ-ZzqDN-SjQeSpiQCIh22CELJBCDNAmIt99BETCTR-WANYj0MwKAaWaHDPuiGdFv6TLfdhjdvtOsnv-xH39I9C13IrMaWIXlNIhX3IxHKX/s1600-h/Lea+chillin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLBFCdhddpK9XRo0BC0xNsreMFSNeDtHre7JZ-ZzqDN-SjQeSpiQCIh22CELJBCDNAmIt99BETCTR-WANYj0MwKAaWaHDPuiGdFv6TLfdhjdvtOsnv-xH39I9C13IrMaWIXlNIhX3IxHKX/s320/Lea+chillin.JPG" /></a></div>Most of the time she is just as mellow as can be, she has even tried to be a lap dog once or twice, but that hasn't worked so well.<br />
Kaitlynn went home for a few weeks to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa. Then the first part of Feb. I went home for 2 weeks myself. It was nice to get away from the truck for a bit, but by the time Herb was able to get a load back to get us we were both ready to get back on the road. Kaitlynn even made Herb go with her to say good bye to Grandma and Grandpa so he couldn't leave without her.<br />
We left Lafayette, IN and headed to Virginia. There we got unloaded without incident only to spend the next three days fighting the weather. We are currently on our way to Iowa and are hoping to avoid further snowstorms. Winter driving conditions can get a bit rough at times, but Lea and Kaitlynn both love the snow so they keep each other occupied while we are loading and unloading.Rita Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03519390658168463803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126305396819690252.post-24506393374647500222010-01-10T00:23:00.000-05:002010-01-10T00:23:08.357-05:00LunchTo continue where I left off on my last post.....<br />
We were not able to get reloaded right away out of North Carolina and there was a driver in Raleigh NC needing to go home and still had part of his load to deliver so we were asked to help him out. We went to Raleigh and traded trailers with him. We took his load to Chapel Hill for delivery to a construction site on the UNC campus. Then the fun REALLY began. We were first directed down a long narrow entrance to the site which ended in a T intersection. Then we were told we were in the wrong part of the construction site and had to turn around and go back. With a 20 foot wheelbase and a 48 foot trailer and two other trucks in the same area, turning around was not an option. So with a little help from me and a lot of prayers and, ok a bit of skill, Herb managed to back up over a hundred yards around a crane and up a hill out onto the street to await guidence to the correct site. We were taken to the other side of the constuction site to get unloaded. This time it was a cul-de-sac type area of the campus. One way in same way out and we were blocking half the road. There were all sorts of deliveries being made all around us and watching the traffic weave its way in and out was comical at times. One of the delivery trucks was carrying electrical cable for the job site and Herb and the other driver got to talking and discovered the had served on the USS Nimitz at the same time and knew each other. How cool is that?<br />
When we finished unloading Herb was able to make a Y turn (although he had to nearly jack-knife the truck to do it) and got turned around to leave the job site. Some of the other drivers didn't appreciate having to back up or detour into parking spaces to allow us to leave.<br />
We then returned to Raleigh to leave off a forgotten bundle at the other reciever and continued on to Monroe NC to pick up a trailer loaded with PVC pipe going to Houston TX.<br />
While on our way to Houston we talked to a friend from Lafayette, he and his family were on their way home from Orlando and was going to be in Atlanta GA near the same time we were. So arrangements were made to meet with the Townsend Family for lunch. They had been vacationing in FL and had visited Disney. The lines at Disney were not very long, not too many people wanted to ride rides in 15 degree weather.<br />
We swarmed the Petro Truck stop with a sqaud of eleven. The three of us and they with their six kids! It was wonderful to spend time with friends from home. All too soon we had to leave, they headed North and we headed West.<br />
Thanks Townsend Family for a wonderful afternoon. Many Prayers for a safe journey home.<br />
We will be in Houston on Monday, will it be any warmer there? Stay tuned, the quest for a warm spot in the US continues. LOLRita Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03519390658168463803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126305396819690252.post-88059235092244782012010-01-09T23:08:00.002-05:002010-01-09T23:30:22.381-05:00Catching 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.<br />
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.<br />
On the way to Warroad MN we made a small detour to Lafayette, for Christmas.<br />
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.<br />
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.<br />
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This is the new Paris Kaitlynn as we were leaving Grandma's house after Christmas. <br />
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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.<br />
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</div>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.<br />
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.<br />
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. <br />
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. <br />
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. <br />
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.Rita Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03519390658168463803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126305396819690252.post-11987243830206737042010-01-01T00:31:00.001-05:002010-01-01T00:34:19.627-05:00HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Goodbye 2009!</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">Welcome 2010!!!</span><br />
</div>Rita Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03519390658168463803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126305396819690252.post-82892256325300962162009-12-16T00:34:00.001-05:002009-12-17T01:31:13.437-05:00Cold, cold and more cold.This last two weeks have been crazy and cold. We have seen more snow and cold weather in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California then we have anywhere else in the US.<br />
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</div>We were in Pharr, TX about as far south in TX as you can go without winding up in Mexico and it was snowing. There was 8 inches of snow in El Paso, and we hit a blizzard that dropped 22 inches of snow in Flagstaff AZ. Going into CA it was only 55 degress near Los Angeles and over 3 feet of snow up on Donner's Pass.<br />
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</div>Herb and Kaitlynn decided that they wanted to take a walk in the snow. It's up over Herb's knees and nearly to Kaitlynn's waist. She had a blast playing in the snow.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2OwyLgO1GjrY9yJVVTR-M0aKSAao4OQ4lWHVkTLtJFlvHwzDw8kpdHPA8mN2JtP12ZBjF5M8zlt6Sbw2479rH0kbrO-vJDCQYsIFh9YomyMWTlP_YS_vE9RCKPBHt-9dVfC-ZJSGptD8/s1600-h/IMG_3611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" ps="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2OwyLgO1GjrY9yJVVTR-M0aKSAao4OQ4lWHVkTLtJFlvHwzDw8kpdHPA8mN2JtP12ZBjF5M8zlt6Sbw2479rH0kbrO-vJDCQYsIFh9YomyMWTlP_YS_vE9RCKPBHt-9dVfC-ZJSGptD8/s320/IMG_3611.JPG" /></a><br />
Then of course it became necessary to toss her into the snow. It was so deep she couldn't even stand up by herself. We had to drag her out. A good time was had by all. Herb tried to throw me into the snow but wound up in it himself.<br />
After leaving CA we went to WY a little town called Himes, it isn't even on the map it is half way between Greybull and Lovell. There it was 10 degrees above zero with 20 mph winds and they were considering that a heat wave. The day before it was 17 below with 35 mph winds. This place was kind of neat because we delivered rolls of paper to one end of the buliding and loaded sheet rock (plaster board) out of the other end. We took that to Denver to deliver.<br />
It was only 500 miles from Himes to Denver so we had most of Saturday and all of Sunday off.<br />
Sunday morning we went downtown and walked around the 16th street mall, then we called a friend in Denver and spent Sunday evening with him and his family. Mrs. W. made Spaghetti and Meatballs with Salad and Garlic bread. It was a wonderful change from truck stop and fast food then we played cards untill time for the kids to go to bed.<br />
We went back to our truck and drove to the reciever and slept there for the night so we could be unloaded first thing in the morning.<br />
After getting unloaded we drove to Pueblo to get a load of "Slinkies" rolls of wire coils that look like slinkies. We had 8 of them on the trailer and took them to Stillwater OK. Even now it is only 23 degrees outside.<br />
I wanna know "What is all the talk about Global Warming??? I am freezing my nooggies off.<br />
We are picking up in Duke OK in the morning and heading to Arkansas, maybe it will be warmer there.<br />
Looks like we are heading for Indiana for Christmas. We thought about spending the holiday in Springfield, but it just dosen't seem like Christmas without friends and family (no matter how disfunctional they may be) around.<br />
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MERRY CHRISTMAS AND GOD BLESS.Rita Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03519390658168463803noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126305396819690252.post-79902960614843510132009-12-04T16:42:00.000-05:002009-12-04T16:42:13.642-05:00More of TexasWell, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We were able to make it back to Indiana.<br />
Colin came down from his dad's house and spent a couple of days with me. He is growing into a fine young man. (I cringe as I write this, he's my baby boy) His manners and attitude have greatly improved. He is a straight A Honor student and helps out in the school book store. I am very proud of him.<br />
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</div>Herb and Kaitlynn dropped me off in Lafayette, and contiued on to deliver the load we had in Conneticut, then they had to dead-head back, but they were able to make it in time for leftovers at the Townsend House where we spent part of our day then we moved on to my parents house for more leftovers. Not a bad way to spend Thanksgiving Day.<br />
On Friday we had to take Colin back to his Dad,then we went to Russellville, KY for a load going to Conroe, TX. Then we got a load going to Taos, NM. (A ski town in New Mexico!!!??) <br />
Then out of Albaquerque (Yes dad, we saw Bugs Bunny and made the Left turn in Albaquerque.) we headed back to Pharr, Texas. Way South of Houston.<br />
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On the way to Pharr we passed through El Paso, TX and this is what we saw.<br />
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</div>They got nearly 8 inches of snow in El Paso. Yes folks that is in Texas.<br />
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This is the Mountains just over the Mexico boarder and all those clouds are dummping massive amounts of snow.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG7UIwsPQdR_stiIW1rErIYoIGugt6toNMzYX5EnoWmKw_AkOqsWZ0bpDloHj34EnFONGaKlbumGtfgPS7L6gwHnleoCJVkPqFTTaqSz4ZDlvHLFOkkeAAzIoVc64cDXJ005IQfzPKp7nV/s1600-h/1203091125_0001%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" er="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG7UIwsPQdR_stiIW1rErIYoIGugt6toNMzYX5EnoWmKw_AkOqsWZ0bpDloHj34EnFONGaKlbumGtfgPS7L6gwHnleoCJVkPqFTTaqSz4ZDlvHLFOkkeAAzIoVc64cDXJ005IQfzPKp7nV/s320/1203091125_0001%5B1%5D.jpg" /></a><br />
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We are now on our way to Larado, TX to pick up a load going to Santa Fe, NM, Commerce City CA and San Leandro, CA.<br />
This will add CA, and AZ to Kailynn's list of states.<br />
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Believe it or not as we head North the tempeture is rising. Go figure.<br />
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On our way to CA we will be passing through Roswell, NM and Lake Havasu City, AZ depending on time we hope to stop in both places so Kaitlynn can see the Aliens and London Bridge.Rita Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03519390658168463803noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126305396819690252.post-53268087552040902622009-11-13T16:31:00.005-05:002009-11-18T00:10:12.141-05:00Time Flies....I have been trying to decide what to blog about for a couple of days and then I realized I haven't posted for nearly Three weeks. Wow! I don't even know what I have been doing that has kept me from posting...<br />After leaving Miami FL, we loaded in Hosford FL heading to Ennis TX, then on to Weslaco which is about as far south in TX as you can go without winding up in Mexico.<br />We then went up to Laredo (also on the border).<br />The load of Carrier AC Units that we were to pick up on Saturday was delayed and we were unable to pick them up until late Sunday afternoon. We then began our drive to Alpha New Jersey. Where as luck would have it they had a crane to unload the smallest unit. It was taken directly from the trailer to the roof of the library and place in position for instillation.<br />We continued on to Somerset NJ, this was a Union construction sight and it was Veteran's Day so we were delayed yet another day. We used this time to do a little shopping and ate brunch in a nice little restaurant in the burrow of Somerset.<br />We were allowed to sleep near the job sight which was off the beaten path in what was almost wooded. Very quiet and not a lot of street lights and such so we had the windows open and enjoyed the quiet.<br />In the morning after getting that unloaded we went to Delair NJ, and picked up a load weighing a whopping 732 lbs. Yes that is 7 Hundred Pounds. A nice easy load going all the way to Waukegan, IL. This was the lightest load either of us had ever hauled.<br />En route to Waukegan we stopped in Cayuga, IN to see our 3rd grade Trucker Buddy class. (The Trucker Buddy program is an International program that pairs up Elementary classes with Truck Drivers in a Pen-Pal format. We exchange letters, e-mails and pictures to help the students learn more about the United States and improve their Geography and Penmanship skills. While teaching about the trucking industry.) The class presented us with "Star" a stuffed dog. Star is white with red and blue stars in his fur. His ears are red on the inside and he has a blue star on his nose. Star is the class mascot and traveling buddy. He will travel with us having his picture taken at various stops and then report his activities to the students. Near the end of the school year he will return to the class room with many tails to tell.<br />After leaving our Trucker Buddy Class we delivered to Waukegan IL. Then reloaded out of Rockford, IL making only 2 stops along the way, but it was enough. Herb lost his cell phone. After much time on my phone trying to get a replacement we finally decided to combine our plans and now we both have the same carrier. Less headaches and one less bill to pay each month.<br />In Rockford we were loaded with a load of Styrofoam insulation board. Another light load. We are loving our fuel mileage this week. We were having trouble with the rear tarp staying on so we pulled it off and decided to make a stop at the terminal in Springfield, MO. to take care of it. (It was on the way any how)<br />While in Springfield we did laundry, and got the truck cleaned up. The weather was cold and rainy and with our appointment not until Tuesday we spent and extra night in Springfield at the Hotel. It was wonderful to get away from the truck for a few hours and to sleep in a big bed.<br />Rainy days and Mondays get you down??? Well, Monday dawned grey and rainy. Herb spent the morning getting necessary items for the truck, new bungee cords, a few more straps, a couple of new tarps, etc. Stuff that we needed. I on the other hand was able to spend a couple of hours un-interrupted on the computer.<br />We left out about 6pm and headed to Grand Prairie TX, we got there about 7:20am and finally got unloaded about 3pm. Hurry up and wait was the order of the morning, then we were off and running to get to Cleburne TX before they left for the day.<br />We are on our way to Lubbock TX. for delivery. From there who knows which way we will go. We are hoping to get home for the Thanksgiving Holiday, then we will run hard until Christmas and take a few days off at that time. I promise to do better keeping you posted.Rita Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03519390658168463803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126305396819690252.post-17583433321112003332009-11-03T16:47:00.006-05:002009-11-03T18:26:27.653-05:00Back to "Normal"?After spending 5 days with friends and family in Cheyenne, it was time to get back to work.<br />We spent Wednesday night at the TA in Cheyenne, fearful of getting snowed in. Well, we were stuck there for several hours due to the road closings, and a power failure at the TA. making for an interesting evening.<br /><br />We left Thursday Morning, driving through a snow drift exiting the parking lot and headed towards Denver on I 25, the only car we passed for miles was a State Trooper.<br /><br />Continuing from Denver to Pueblo CO, we drove out of the snow by the time we got to Colorado Springs. In Pueblo we picked up 2 AC units weighing 12-15 thousand pounds each and taking up the entire trailer.<br /><br />On our way to Naples Fl. we happened to be in Alexandria LA for Halloween, so we found a Wal-mart parked the truck and proceeded to make Kaitlynn into an orphan.<br /><br />I put her hair in pony-tails and put freckles on her nose, dusting her cheeks with eyeshadow to make her look dirtier than she already was, we put daddy's flannel shirt on her and rolled up the sleeves and tied it around her waist. We got her a purple bandanna and used it to tie a bundle to the end of a stick. She was adorable. She and Herb set off to do some Trick or Treating.<br /><br />Apparently not too many houses were handing out candy but those that were, were quite generous. After about 45 min they had, had enough and came back to the truck with a bag full of goodies. She had fun and was able to enjoy the holiday even though she was far from home.<br /><br />We continued on through the night to Naples FL to deliver the first unit to a church. Upon arrival we found all they had to unload us with was a fork lift, and though this was the smaller of the two units a crane would have been more appropriate.<br /><br />They insisted on using one forklift to raise the unit off the bed of the truck and then drive the truck out from under it. It worked well until the unit started wobbling and fell. It crashed against the rear of the trailer then landed on it's side on the ground. We got it upright and assessed the damage which was mostly cosmetic, but, it was defiantly a lesson in how NOT to unload an AC unit.<br /><br />From Naples we continued on to Miami to deliver the second unit. They were also unprepared for the massive size of the unit.<br /><br />However they were smarter about how to unload it. Using 4 fork lifts they each picked a corner and raised the unit from the bed of the truck and then we drove the truck out from under it. Then they moved the unit onto the drive, 2 forklifts driving backwards and 2 driving forwards. By working together they were able to safely unload an oversize AC unit. It was quite impressive.<br /><br />Freight out of southern Florida being scarce we headed back up I 75 crossing a section known as Alligator Alley.<br /><br />We stopped in a Rest Area/Recreation Area/Boat Ramp Area to take a break. Kaitlynn wanted to see an Alligator so we went to one of the Boat ramps on the advice of the security guard at the Rest Area. At first we didn't see anything then a "rock" in the canal moved and became an Alligator. Kaitlynn began calling "here gator, gator, come here little gator." Thankfully the gator did not respond.<br /><br />In all we saw 5 or 6 gators ranging in size from 3 feet to 6 feet long. We also saw Buzzards and Cranes in the area. It was quite an experience to see wildlife in it's natural habitat.<br /><br />We were dispatched to Hosford FL. where we picked up a load of ply-wood going to Ennis, TX. and we are heading west across the Florida panhandle to Alabama.Rita Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03519390658168463803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126305396819690252.post-16364672553948083092009-10-27T20:39:00.006-04:002009-10-29T17:07:21.083-04:00FamilyFirst off, What is Family???<br /><br /><br />Family is unconditional love, understanding and accepting you for the person you are not the person they think you should be.<br />Allowing you to make decisions in your life that, though they may not agree, they support you and are there to pick you up when the decision you made turns out bad. Not to say I told you so but, to support you until you can deiced what the next decision (good or bad) is going to be.<br /><br />This week I have learned what it is like to be a part of a family with unconditional love and understanding.<br /><br /><br />We received a call around 3 am last Thursday morning that a dear friend of ours affectionately called "Grandma Bear" had passed away. We quickly made arrangements to travel to Cheyenne Wyoming to join with family and friend to be with and comfort "Grandpa Bear."<br /><br /><br />Upon our arrival and even as more family arrived I was greeted with love, hugs, and open arms.<br />Herb has been part of this family for nearly 20 years, and when he and I married, little did I know that I was to be given the same honor. In her acceptance of me Grandma Bear open the door and the rest of the family accepted me with no questions asked.<br /><br />I had such a short amount of time to get to know Grandma Bear, but, I do know she loved God, Grandpa Bear, and her family, in that order. She believed that everyone was unique, and that God put people in your life for a reason. She loved helping other people and doing what she could to make her little corner of the world a better place.<br /><br />She was a wonderful example of a Godly woman and I hope to be able to follow in her footsteps and become a woman she would be proud of.<br /><br />Thank You Nancy. You will be greatly missed.Rita Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03519390658168463803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126305396819690252.post-65459558168044759182009-10-16T15:09:00.002-04:002009-10-16T16:23:54.779-04:00I'm Back!!You may have noticed I have been away for a while.<br /><br />Just before I came back to Indiana for a visit I started having problems with my computer and my first day home it crashed............<br /><br />I took it in and was told that my hard drive was toasted. Good news: they can fix it and it was under warranty so it wasn't going to cost a thing. Bad news: I hadn't gotten my pictures backed up yet and it was going to cost $100. to save my pics. What could I do? I paid the money and now my pictures are on disc and I have my computer back. The reason for the crash: unknown.<br /><br />I have had a pleasant visit while I have been home.<br />I left Springfield MO, early on the morning of 9 Oct. and drove to Indiana in the pouring rain. I made good time and had a bit to spare so when I got here I stopped to get my hair cut. Not too much just 3-4 inches in the back and layered on the sides with long bangs in front. I like it, It will take a bit of getting used to.<br />Then I met up with my friend C. who had picked up Colin and brought him home for a visit. I got to spend some time with him before I was off to my friend M.'s house to spend the night. Colin and Kaitlynn got to spend the night with Grandma and Grandpa.<br /><br />Friday night: I stayed with my friend M. and had a nice visit while she rooted for the Boston Red Socks in the play-offs. This was a side I hadn't seen of here before and it was quite interesting.<br /><br />Saturday I spent the day at my old High School rehearsing for our High School Musical Reunion Program. It was great to see so many of the people I had spent so much time with during my High School years. To catch up and then to be able to perform that evening was a once in a lifetime opportunity. It was also surreal being back on stage again. It was also a trip for Colin and Kaitlynn to see Mommy on stage they didn't even know I could sing. I spent the night with my BFF from High School and had some time to catch up with her also.<br />Sunday I went to church. It felt wonderful to be back in the arms of my church family. Sunday night I stayed at my parents house.<br /><br />Monday: was to be a busy day when I found out it was Columbus Day and I was unable to do several of the things I had planned. I got what I could done and went to K and J's house for the night. I enjoyed the controlled chaos of their six children.<br /><br />Tuesday: Kaitlynn and I drove to Merrillville IN. to see Colin sing in his 4Th grade presentation.<br />He had a speaking part to introduce one of the songs and only stumbled for a second when he saw me and then picked right up where he had left off. He just kept looking over in my direction and winking. I also ran in to my X-in-laws. We had a nice chat and even went to McDonald's for breakfast after the concert. I hope to be able to continue to keep in touch with them. Upon returning to Lafayette, I went to visit J. then returned to have dinner and spent the evening with K&J again.<br /><br />Wednesday: After a slow morning, I stopped by my mom and dad's house. While watching the news I found out that the Health Dept. was giving out reduced price Flu Shots. I decided with Kaitlynn going back on the truck that she should have one. So, we go to the Health Dept. I told her we were there to get her flu shot and she told me she didn't want one and proceeded telling anyone who would listen that SHE was not getting a shot. When we got to the room, I pulled her onto my lap, held her wrist, the nurse wiped her arm with alcohol and gave her the shot. It was all over in less that a minute.....Except for the crying.........Kaitlynn sobbed for several minutes in the office, all the way to the car, and almost half way back to Grandma's before a phone call from Daddy finally calmed her down. Kaitlynn went with Grandma and Grandpa to Rockville IN to the Flea Market while I went to help K & H decorate the church for the Woman's Heart 2 Heart meeting. I enjoyed being busy for the afternoon. I spent the night at J's house. <br /><br />Thursday: A lazy day, up late then to my mom and dad's house for a nap then back to J's house where she was sweet enough to allow me to do laundry. We had chili for dinner and just relaxed before bed.<br /><br />Friday: (Today) A bit slow getting started but we did it. I got my computer back last night and met with C. today to figure out how to reinstall my spy ware and such. Then to mom and dad's where I told them that Herb had called and will be in town late Saturday or early Sunday. Most likely in time for church but definitely in time for Family Group. Then Kaitlynn and I will be leaving with him to deliver a load in Michigan on Monday. Needless to say mom is not happy about Kaitlynn going back on the road. On the other hand Kaitlynn is excited about going back on the road with Mommy and Daddy.Rita Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03519390658168463803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126305396819690252.post-69517200389910341062009-10-01T16:21:00.003-04:002009-10-01T20:18:02.796-04:00Wow! It's Thursday already and I just realized that I haven't blogged since Saturday. Well....It has been an interesting and some what active week.<br /><br />After having lunch with our friend and his family in Denver. (Thanks C.) We continued north passing by Longmont and waving to my "sister." She wasn't feeling well so we will get together another time very soon. (Feel better sis.) <br /><br />For whatever reason going into Wyoming Herb decided to take the scenic route off of I 25 and Thank God we did. On I 80 between Cheyenne and Laramie WY there were three accidents involving four 18 wheelers. If we had taken the interstate we would have been right in the middle of the accidents. There were no fatalities and no serious injuries. Just four big trucks that won't see the highway again.<br /><br /><br /> <img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387741718278498914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivLdXuhzYcCPnevN-cEBhMdjmAiNw1or9ssN8OuUuagZjovf5k2rweMZxRvXQHifPozx_4k610izOlf0RJxMVLeiiPXwehW-nVhQZGUSMuwqdcku5gvtYFjim3BJa-Gzlr7WJBnKuTo5kD/s200/070.JPG" /> Wyoming is such a beautiful State there are places the grass is brown and barren but it is covered in rich <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpKF5i850IgrqrpSeSVvUwuiWlruRyKDnvxKrWyNUJK80DCaHkp-ZxuuKoKaRC6F4mFaTFIJTXgg1C0kVB9ZwoHywEoitsAXhmKCXCIRNNBHlL3nVFgE3mVkLYH8jIzG8Iff72fary2jHd/s1600-h/071.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387741709387047250" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpKF5i850IgrqrpSeSVvUwuiWlruRyKDnvxKrWyNUJK80DCaHkp-ZxuuKoKaRC6F4mFaTFIJTXgg1C0kVB9ZwoHywEoitsAXhmKCXCIRNNBHlL3nVFgE3mVkLYH8jIzG8Iff72fary2jHd/s200/071.JPG" /></a> pine forest. The contrast makes for an interesting landscape. I am often in awe of the Indians who lived here and of the first settlers who passed through these areas. The land is rugged and rocky and the Buffalo grass grows tall and has sharp spines on the ends. Horses can't even eat it. To have walked for months through these conditions. It is a wonder the west was ever settled.<br /><br />Now and then on our travels we come across some unusual sights.......This being one of them.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpEfgBlK0_SXKnQLQMTXv2I7Q0JjazNlvsupYinM2q8YEitRJrUVSPdmFvFo5gUy5mUsTqhwkHpsaPv2PW6rh8eKKwj7TN57U5Tubz2mtSB1quPxywFAbEBK1OITE6L0CiBkQNHvdfVmA/s1600-h/080.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387741702391863218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpEfgBlK0_SXKnQLQMTXv2I7Q0JjazNlvsupYinM2q8YEitRJrUVSPdmFvFo5gUy5mUsTqhwkHpsaPv2PW6rh8eKKwj7TN57U5Tubz2mtSB1quPxywFAbEBK1OITE6L0CiBkQNHvdfVmA/s200/080.JPG" /></a><br />We know not where he came from or where he was going but he had the makings for a bunch of Pumpkin Pies. LOL<br />This is another picture of Wyoming.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilUXi4LRbjlQbTu6g7VY37mXRxg7IxSpMw8gsHynbzX4FKmlL_O5qrgxLc4yIx3BbH_bdhXa0hhMC-LXxdNFqp4OPk6dAwMVwEZdCwrY8ljPEt8wwb4UKGmKyIkrxCkGWIdVB2LsLOlBQO/s1600-h/101.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387741696112084114" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilUXi4LRbjlQbTu6g7VY37mXRxg7IxSpMw8gsHynbzX4FKmlL_O5qrgxLc4yIx3BbH_bdhXa0hhMC-LXxdNFqp4OPk6dAwMVwEZdCwrY8ljPEt8wwb4UKGmKyIkrxCkGWIdVB2LsLOlBQO/s200/101.JPG" /></a><br /><br />The journey through Utah and Oregon were mostly at night and uneventful. When we stopped for the night, it was in the first rest area in California on route 199, and this is the view we woke up to. The smell of pine was almost overwhelming. It had rained a bit during the night and the sounds of the forest around us awakening was beautiful. There was a bit of mist over the mountain that we had to be aware of for most of the morning but it burned off by noon.<br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggB7MrK4nK7BcRFa8OQQ8swVvK4Z3UDm6dPh5xUaVDeLXI-asDHbCf5sXAcSA2Q4vvppbYWo-8LDWT6jZ3BGaUu2B2j75sSFNmINi7Qe3zT_8fBFK1JNfhxCjCTCO5tJXoFNIBFUVkZ3sx/s1600-h/113.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387731543730053122" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggB7MrK4nK7BcRFa8OQQ8swVvK4Z3UDm6dPh5xUaVDeLXI-asDHbCf5sXAcSA2Q4vvppbYWo-8LDWT6jZ3BGaUu2B2j75sSFNmINi7Qe3zT_8fBFK1JNfhxCjCTCO5tJXoFNIBFUVkZ3sx/s200/113.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Upon entering California we also entered the Redwood National Forest. Much of which is untouched. Thank You President Roosevelt for developing the National Park System. The sheer size of the trees was incredible, I am grateful to know they are safe from logging and will be there for my children's children to enjoy. We hope to have Kaitlynn with us next time we are in that area.<br /><br />We were traveling along Highway 199 and it runs in and out of the Redwood National Park, in the areas outside of the park there are a bunch of little "Burgs" (in CA small towns are called Burgs). In one of these little Burgs there were several signs boasting of an Elk herd that was descended from the original "Roosevelt Herd". We thought maybe we might see an Elk or two in a meadow or field, little did we know they lived IN the Burg. This young buck was grazing right next to the road.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9DzS9KjWI3NWYW9qAM4q6ViJge1WI0GgpdDb2OOvDo3rdQzU28qVIvwsI4UTKXuDxdcmzQ5sAQsseq5L1NNLnjL_Wf-ZdTYqlNgqZW3m8E295vvKhLeLlUK1O1JXOisYUnMq8ghe6HMwP/s1600-h/165.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387731536662403122" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9DzS9KjWI3NWYW9qAM4q6ViJge1WI0GgpdDb2OOvDo3rdQzU28qVIvwsI4UTKXuDxdcmzQ5sAQsseq5L1NNLnjL_Wf-ZdTYqlNgqZW3m8E295vvKhLeLlUK1O1JXOisYUnMq8ghe6HMwP/s200/165.JPG" /></a> On the other side of the road there was about a dozen or so more lounging in someones front yard. Including a mature buck with a substantial set of antlers. Can you imagine waking up and looking out your window to find a 2200 pound Elk munching on your geraniums????<br /><br />The 199 highway drops down on to Highway 101 The Pacific Coast Highway. One moment you are at 3500 feet surrounded by Redwoods and the next you are sitting on the beach listening to the wave crash against the shore.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihabxVOCAI88mm0S6U3TPA8eSjPg95MGdPECsFVFVhyblMVfujcdoMRcF6pp5Gr8sCcbNe5g3j6wiNGfnSbq0MM4QW8Zn9jK7US4QdM6qKLH6H6OqsYlZYIL-KWK3hVw5-PRoVFbVVm8lx/s1600-h/186.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387731527750027282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihabxVOCAI88mm0S6U3TPA8eSjPg95MGdPECsFVFVhyblMVfujcdoMRcF6pp5Gr8sCcbNe5g3j6wiNGfnSbq0MM4QW8Zn9jK7US4QdM6qKLH6H6OqsYlZYIL-KWK3hVw5-PRoVFbVVm8lx/s200/186.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div>We delivered our load to a construction sight in Eureka CA. We were so close to the Ocean that you could smell the salt in the air. Having gotten unloaded fairly early in the day and needing desperately to do laundry we decided to get a hotel room for the night. It was nice to get out of the truck and have a little time to relax. We had been pushing a bit to be able to unload in time to turn this load in for this weeks payday, so Herb went back to the room to rest after he walked over to "Mom's Laundry" to do laundry.. This place was neat, washers were a bit pricey $3.50 a load but the dryers were free. The lady running the place was extremely nice and very chatty. Made the work go faster. With laundry done, I met up with Herb at the hotel and we settled in for a restful night.</div><div> </div><div>The next morning we headed back north to Sutherlin, OR. to get a load of hardwood flooring to take to San Antonio TX.</div><div> </div><div>We are now traveling south on I 5 passing by Shasta Mountain and there is already a blanket of snow covering the summit. The load we are carrying is heavy and going up the mountains is v e r y slow. Coming down can be faster but, is dangerous due to the weight of the load, so this portion of the journey is a bit tedious. We will be stopping in Redding CA for the night and continuing south through CA until we get to I 10 about LA then turning East to San Antonio. This will take us through New Mexico and Arizona. Two states Kaitlynn has not yet been to. Maybe next time Baby Girl.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Speaking of Kaitlynn, she went to the dentist while visiting with Grandma and Grandpa, and he found a couple of pinhole size cavities that needed filling. (Yes they are baby teeth but she will have them for another 3-5 years so for prevention sake he filled them.) She called to tell me that she got to listen to "Hanna Tanna" (Hanna Montana) on the headphones while the dentist fixed her teeth. I love my kids dentist, I have never had any problems taking them to the dentist. They do a great job with kids. Thanks Dr. D, Dr. S. and Thanks to your Staff for taking such great care of the kids.</div>Rita Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03519390658168463803noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126305396819690252.post-53157316002704747772009-09-26T23:23:00.004-04:002009-09-27T00:03:09.816-04:00Saturday NightIt's Saturday night and we are driving through Colorado on our way to Eureka CA. The route we are on is taking us through a lot of little towns.<br /><br />We just drove through Springfield Colorado and it seems like the quaint kind of town you would want to live in. No traffic (yea OK it is 10:30pm but,) a small group of older teens (17-19ish) throwing a ball around in a corner store parking lot, a kid skateboarding down main street, no body looking for trouble just hanging out.<br /><br />Today has been a bit of a lazy day, we watched the premier of NCIS and NCIS LA on Hulu. com last night so we slept in a bit this morning. After breakfast we stopped at Walmart in Decatur TX and picked up a few groceries. I got a small beef roast, a few potatoes, and a carrot or two and put them in the crock pot.<br /><br />When we returned to the truck after our showers in Amarillo TX the truck smelled Amazing. About 12 miles outside of Dumas TX we stopped to have a picnic dinner. The bugs had other plans. Yes, even the bugs seem bigger in Texas. So we ate our first home cooked meal in our truck. It was really good. I was a bit surprised.<br /><br />So for those of you who want to try this: 1 small roast, 8 small red potatoes, 1 med. onion and 6-8 baby carrots. Put everything in the crock pot add seasonings to taste and about a cup of water. Cook on High about 6 hours or 300 miles. Find a bug free picnic spot and enjoy.<br /><br />We are planning on cooking many more meals in the truck, I have a crock pot cook book that has everything from omelets to entrees to desserts in it and I am looking forward to trying many of these recipes. I have been doing some reading and finding that you can use your crock pot much like an oven. It only gets about 300 degrees so you have to adjust accordingly but we have nothing but time while we are driving.<br /><br />Tomorrow will be another easy day, we are getting to our destination a bit later than planned but we still have plenty of time. We are hoping to have lunch with a friend in Denver and possibly connecting with my "sister" in Longmont CO. So it should be a good day.Rita Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03519390658168463803noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126305396819690252.post-72875832963652775612009-09-22T11:49:00.002-04:002009-09-22T12:55:06.356-04:00Well.......It has been a couple of days since my last post. Since leaving Washington, we delivered to Malvern AR, and immediately picked up a load in Little Rock to take to the Springfield terminal to be delivered by another driver on Monday.<br /><br />We arrived in Springfield late, late Friday night. Saturday morning we switched out our tarps for yard tarps on the load we brought in and was preparing to transfer the tarps and some other equipment to the trailer we were taking when pulling between that trailer and another, we caught the crank handle on the front wheel splash guard of the truck and pulled it loose. Herb was driving, he pulled the breaks and jumped out yelling about "sunny beaches " and "stupid ducks". Kaitlynn came out of the bunk to see what was going on. I told her daddy hit "Pete" (that's what she calls our truck) on the trailer and he was upset and she needed to go back and sit on the bunk for now.<br /><br />She went to the bunk and started Sobbing. Thinking she thought Herb was mad at her I called her up and put her on my lap and asked why she was crying. She said, "Because Pete got hurt!" By this time Herb was back in the truck and finished parking. We got out to show her that the damage was minimal and you really can't tell unless you know that, that particular section shouldn't move around like it does. Nothing a bit of adhesive won't fix.<br /><br />After Kaitlynn saw that Pete was going to be OK she turned to the trailer and pointing her finger shouted, "Bad trailer, bad trailer, you hurt my Pete!!" How so you respond to that??? We just tried to not let her see us laughing.<br /><br />After the drama of the day was over, we got the rest of the equipment transferred, went in and took showers after which we did laundry. I know real exciting, but it was good to have a day to just relax and get things done at our own pace.<br /><br />I managed to get the truck cleaned up and packed Kaitlynn's things. Her toys and books went into her toy basket and clothes into another basket. <br /><br />On Sunday we were dispatched to Russellville, KY to pick up a load going to Conroe TX. So we figured by going a little out of route and having Grandma and Grandpa meet us in Effingham, IL we were able to let Kaitlynn go for a visit. <br /><br />She talked Grandma and Grandpa's ears off on the way back to Lafayette. Telling Grandpa how to drive and asking if he ran a red light when he turned right on red. Basically making a back seat driver out of herself. Monday afternoon she called and told me that she wanted us to pick her up "Right now." We explained we were on our way to Texas and would pick her up as soon as we could. She said "OK" then went on to tell us what she had planned for the day. I guess on the list of things to do was to take K.C. (my cat) to the vet for a check up, well I guess Kaitlynn left the vet speechless when he asked if she liked to dress the cat up in doll clothes and she told him that, "K.C. doesn't need clothes he has fur for his clothes." Then she gave him that "Duh" look.<br /><br />The last couple of days in the truck have been rather quiet, we have actually been able to carry on a conversation without having to answer a million and ten questions. On the other hand we miss her tons.Rita Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03519390658168463803noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126305396819690252.post-46707956463763155702009-09-18T09:01:00.003-04:002009-09-18T09:40:08.557-04:00Leaving WashingtonWe have left Washington behind, but, as we were heading out we managed to get some beautiful pictures of Mount Rainier.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKSyvqS41iF0T8APOG2Wlfm5dUHd_Dbj1bvjRP7u4TAO6H5k_bbTTwZGwcMdd2ou0sLNRYDGD6zquOLEXV2L8xqSO-1KjBG321aIoUruVWVhIoa9VQvF6oVETESeo8Oro_hYSBCI6Pdz6N/s1600-h/017.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382794358252748306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKSyvqS41iF0T8APOG2Wlfm5dUHd_Dbj1bvjRP7u4TAO6H5k_bbTTwZGwcMdd2ou0sLNRYDGD6zquOLEXV2L8xqSO-1KjBG321aIoUruVWVhIoa9VQvF6oVETESeo8Oro_hYSBCI6Pdz6N/s200/017.JPG" /></a> <br /><br /><br />We have been dispatched to take a load of galvanized steel cable from Kent WA to Malvern AR. On the way out of Oregon we passed by Multnomah Falls. It is a double water fall over 540 feet tall. Our plan was to stop and take a couple of pictures. Once we got there we noticed it was just a short hike to the bridge. (.2mls.) So we hiked up to the bridge for some more pictures.<br /><br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0vpSaBb7m75CKkbVcgs5AvuDfrVIJsmpkyCJgLTvUxfYX0MdL6_DC8nBf-0cEoviYlTDG_LnXyySRFDY9fCUPQkFjOAxukpvXL2t6QsNCKvL7lGKINWex3AazPaFJ-SfQRCs2bAsmwdUi/s1600-h/058.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 150px; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382794355483523266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0vpSaBb7m75CKkbVcgs5AvuDfrVIJsmpkyCJgLTvUxfYX0MdL6_DC8nBf-0cEoviYlTDG_LnXyySRFDY9fCUPQkFjOAxukpvXL2t6QsNCKvL7lGKINWex3AazPaFJ-SfQRCs2bAsmwdUi/s200/058.JPG" /></a>Once there we discovered there was a trail going up to the top of the falls. It was only about a mile, so what the heck, we started up the mountain. Kaitlynn has been asking to climb a mountain since she saw her first one on this trip. Well, she climbed a mountain. All the way to the top. 1.25 miles nearly straight up. The trail was only 30 inches wide in some spots with a wall on one side and a drop off on the other. It was an incredible, exhausting climb. But we made it, and the reward was this little waster fall at the top of the double water fall.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLf1EOEdvwLQfmgwdh4b_000JaQUWt5VytGyzZ-QXzXDj2nUDk-R5EC2XLiCxxp2LhkEm2Z0QKJdbn6kGA7tITMxVs-PfRE_LCmzML65wkd34gZ4VvI76fcuFjcF3Ua5M7QCetNTOfwlTi/s1600-h/079.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382794349247778690" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLf1EOEdvwLQfmgwdh4b_000JaQUWt5VytGyzZ-QXzXDj2nUDk-R5EC2XLiCxxp2LhkEm2Z0QKJdbn6kGA7tITMxVs-PfRE_LCmzML65wkd34gZ4VvI76fcuFjcF3Ua5M7QCetNTOfwlTi/s200/079.JPG" /></a><br /><br />We took a few photos and headed back down.<br /><br />Kaitlynn wanted to race back down to the bottom. We told her she could win we would just throw her over the edge. She didn't think that was such a good idea.<br /><br /><div>She found this large tree to take a break by. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEy6MOa8uO_WZIghYSwLDsGpvzyniaHV0hivb-EF5BMDXLSJHIxJVy7mnRc1hfnrNhSvgep3ym2_tAAx_URgOSXBRtBDBxDdu5M8_cUgNBQmaj62lSQCcXHuDv3SH11U7_XCExws7vt7HX/s1600-h/086.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 150px; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382794334091517074" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEy6MOa8uO_WZIghYSwLDsGpvzyniaHV0hivb-EF5BMDXLSJHIxJVy7mnRc1hfnrNhSvgep3ym2_tAAx_URgOSXBRtBDBxDdu5M8_cUgNBQmaj62lSQCcXHuDv3SH11U7_XCExws7vt7HX/s200/086.JPG" /></a><br /><br /></div><div> </div><div>She is growing so much each day, lately she has been wanting me to put her hair up in a bun like mommy's. So I found one of my clips and put it up for her.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirgkd1YpiZUvWQ9LPP_rjr-LS_Q615YPovT95sJLE2rS8t3HRk5DUvjM1DkDkDcIb5nW_u_WomEcp1_JBMXbXJND4wHSJgDbeGRbHiGxm6dlGTcOnq58OCeoCE-GCxyg_t-PK2GvP25hb3/s1600-h/009.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382794328582002274" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirgkd1YpiZUvWQ9LPP_rjr-LS_Q615YPovT95sJLE2rS8t3HRk5DUvjM1DkDkDcIb5nW_u_WomEcp1_JBMXbXJND4wHSJgDbeGRbHiGxm6dlGTcOnq58OCeoCE-GCxyg_t-PK2GvP25hb3/s200/009.JPG" /></a></div><div>Daddy said, it made her look too old and she should stick to pony tails. We'll see how that works for now. ;)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div></div>Rita Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03519390658168463803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126305396819690252.post-8586444132435217962009-09-14T22:39:00.005-04:002009-09-15T00:47:00.860-04:00Good Days/Bad DaysToday was a beautiful day.<br />the mountains in Washington are Awesome.<br /><br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH6_qwbUmlB3NhJzi5st7_U8PdzsS_q4xDCctgAF5XX3aDXSuCQt-2-5ZjG1FzYxt_0l49-i-rpNU4Is6pRGErLL-ceMSy86nK7FHTvF9O-gtbT8y__39dWe3BuM374tt_CfN8UZBaDFrn/s1600-h/493.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381539634169979570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH6_qwbUmlB3NhJzi5st7_U8PdzsS_q4xDCctgAF5XX3aDXSuCQt-2-5ZjG1FzYxt_0l49-i-rpNU4Is6pRGErLL-ceMSy86nK7FHTvF9O-gtbT8y__39dWe3BuM374tt_CfN8UZBaDFrn/s200/493.JPG" /></a><br /><br />We stopped about 30 miles from the receiver and we were able to sleep with the truck off and the windows open, the scent of the pines enveloped the night and the quiet chatter of the forest was mesmerizing.<br /><br /><br />We arrived at the receiver on time but had to wait a while to get unloaded. There was a small river near by so Kaitlynn and I took a walk down by the river. We made "boats" out of Aspen leaves and sent them down stream on their own adventure.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVV6wa3zC3sHzKrbXKOqJT9G3yrOY6-YFKD9J23Hq5aVDfEQwlWC6fjobwOll67aSHJd9ZdipptcRVFiCIoHClzGm8ifoGgyB97IuJp8QhyphenhyphenNggK-M5YomzjI8BmVO6m99eaXqDpr_6iz-/s1600-h/540.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 150px; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381539617920338114" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVV6wa3zC3sHzKrbXKOqJT9G3yrOY6-YFKD9J23Hq5aVDfEQwlWC6fjobwOll67aSHJd9ZdipptcRVFiCIoHClzGm8ifoGgyB97IuJp8QhyphenhyphenNggK-M5YomzjI8BmVO6m99eaXqDpr_6iz-/s200/540.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />We were unloading at a lumber mill where they process the logs for lumber. The machines where huge, yet the way they handled the logs seemed very gentle.<br /><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhDbsg71lgF8A9dmb8Gv72-5j6VyD2sYIinxH9MausSxAGpbmMq1wVJpZXUmGsDpliTOz5BvJD6bcgLtE-lsouRKtnlrGgQH1WlsrUKJs4eo4IW1St0TSSKPzG95cZicwhsr4rEXiXkOE/s1600-h/545.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381539601893865714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhDbsg71lgF8A9dmb8Gv72-5j6VyD2sYIinxH9MausSxAGpbmMq1wVJpZXUmGsDpliTOz5BvJD6bcgLtE-lsouRKtnlrGgQH1WlsrUKJs4eo4IW1St0TSSKPzG95cZicwhsr4rEXiXkOE/s200/545.JPG" /></a><br /><div><div> </div><div>We spent the better part of the day here, just watching everything going on around us, while waiting to get unloaded.</div><div> </div><div>When at last they had finished we were dispatched to Kent, WA to get some Galvanized steel cable (11 spools) going to Malvern Arkansas. These had to be chained down and tarped. Herb and I are both tired from that alone. Five rows of 2 spools with in row of 1 spool. Each spool weighing about 4200 lbs. 8 chains, 8 binders, 2 tarps and about 50 bungee cords. Makes for a bit of work, although I am getting better at using the binders and it doesn't take as long as it did at first. Kaitlynn is a big help handing out bungee cords.</div><div> </div><div>The bad part of the day, Well......I guess you could say I am homesick. We have a family reunion this coming weekend and I don't know if we are going to be able to make it home, I haven't seen Colin for a couple of weeks and I chatted with one of my girlfriends from church last night and I just started missing home. I also talked to another friend today and heard that the house that we had been living in for the past 6 years has been rented and has a new family living in it. I guess that makes the not having a home even more real.</div><div> </div><div>I want to be home in October for a Musical Class Reunion at my High School, I just need to find a place to stay for a few days while I am there. Any volunteers. LOL</div><div> </div><div>Over all we are adjusting to life on the road and Kaitlynn although she has about a million questions a day, is having the time of here life. She asked me today, "What do you have for me to see next?" This was after seeing the morning mist covering the tops of the near-by mountains. Every day she is excited to see what is new for her to see.</div></div></div></div>Rita Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03519390658168463803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126305396819690252.post-44295629283904246992009-09-12T01:44:00.003-04:002009-09-12T19:30:37.356-04:00Visiting and Remembering<div>On Thursday we stopped in Cheyenne WY and paid a visit to some friends of ours. Kaitlynn got to meet "Grandma and Grandpa Bear." They live just outside of Cheyenne and have a few acres, so Kaitlynn had a bit of space to run around on. By the time we left she was more than ready to go to bed.</div>
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<br /><div>All day Kaitlynn wanted to see the mountains, when we told her she was on the mountain she didn't quite understand. We left Cheyenne and moved on up the mountain to the top of Sherman's Pass where we spent the night. It had been nearly 80 degrees during the day but dropped into the 40's that night.</div>
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<br /><div>I woke up early enough take a walk and see the sun rise. While enjoying the mountain air I spent some time in quiet reflection, Remembering 9-11, and Thanking God for the beautiful morning. I knew that I would be without Internet most of the day and I thought about what I wanted to post for most of the day. I thought I wanted to say something real profound that would reflect how I felt 8 years later, but every time I started typing my mind went blank and tears came to my eyes. I guess that is not what I was supposed to write.</div>
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<br /><div>So I think I will just tell you what I remember about 9-11-01.</div>
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<br /><div>My day started off like any other day, I was going downstairs to make Colin (age 14months at the time) pancakes for breakfast. When I turned on the TV I thought their was some sort of movie on. After seeing the second plane hit the South Tower and hearing the kaoss that followed, I realized it was a news report and this was happening.</div>
<br /><div>I was shocked, terrified and horrified all at the same time. I immediately picked up the phone to call Herb. He was in Trout dale Oregon and asleep. I had to call him several times before he picked up the phone. He thought I was joking when I told him someone had flown a plane into The World Trade Center and was waiting for the punch line. </div>
<br /><div>When he understood I was serious he went into the truck stop to see the news for himself. We talked and cried on the phone for quite awhile. He then called dispatch to figure out how and when he could get home. He managed to get a load and headed home. It was a long two days waiting for him to get there.</div>
<br /><div>I kept the news on all day trying to find out what was going on. It never occurred to me that Colin was watching it also until several days later when they started allowing aircraft to fly again. While we were outside talking to Grandma and Grandpa an airplane flew over and Colin started crying and pointing to the plane saying; "boom, boom". He was terrified. I talked to him and explained it as best I could to a toddler. Still it was nearly a year before airplanes no longer frightened him.</div>
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<br /><div>To this day I still cry when I think about the events of that day. I haven't been able to read articles, or books written in remembrance, nor am I able to watch programs dedicated to 9-11. It just hurts too much. My heart breaks for the senseless loss of life.</div>
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<br /><div>We must never forget what happened on American soil and Every day appreciate the Freedoms that we have. </div>
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<br /><div>Thank you to all the Men and Women serving in the Military, here and abroad.</div>
<br /><div>Thank you to all the Police, Medics and Firefighters who put their lives on the like every single day.</div>
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<br /><div>God Bless America</div>Rita Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03519390658168463803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126305396819690252.post-18776446610220910762009-09-09T12:39:00.002-04:002009-09-09T13:27:49.252-04:00That's Truckin'After our weekend of fun we got involved in a typical trucking snafu. We picked up a load in Fordyce AR, then headed back to Springfield to shower and rest. We left out late Monday so we could get to St. Joseph MO an time to unload early on Tuesday. This is where the snafu comes in. We arrived the required hour early to get un-tarped, and discovered due to a numbers error, we were on time, we had just arrived on the wrong day. It was scheduled to deliver on Wednesday.<br /><br />So we sat in the Love's Truck Stop for 24 hours. We used our time wisely, I cleaned the truck, making the beds, putting things away, that sort of thing. Then we all laid down for a 3 hour nap. After we woke up, we walked about a half mile to Waffle House and ate dinner, then another quarter of a mile to Menard's to get a new American flag for the truck and then back to the truck stop.<br /><br />After our showers, Herb took Kaitlynn to the truck to put her to bed and worked on getting the power inverter up and working, while I went into the Arby's at Love's and had a couple of quiet computer hours. This is where snafu #2 hits. The power inverter is not working. Either it was bad to start with, or their was a problem hooking it up, either way we still don't have power for the TV, and Microwave.<br /><br />Not that we have a microwave right now, the one we had was too big for the truck. We need a microwave about 15 inches wide. If anyone knows were I can find a little one like that Please let me know.<br /><br />And this just in: While I was posting we received a dispatch picking up here in St. Joe going to Darrington WA.!!!! Kaitlynn is going to get to see the mountains for the first time and with a little luck she may get to see the Pacific Ocean.<br /><br />We will also be stopping in Cheyenne Wyoming to see some friends who will be meeting Kaitlynn for the first time, they are very excited.Rita Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03519390658168463803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126305396819690252.post-66965240787762741172009-09-06T23:32:00.005-04:002009-09-07T00:44:00.689-04:00Holiday WeekendThis last week has been a mix of busy and lazy.<br /><br /> After my last post we got all the work done on the truck and we were dispatched on a quick turn load going from Monet, MO to Kalamazoo, MI we then re-loaded in Chicago, IL back to Springfield, IL.<br /><br />We were able to make it back in time for the Labor Day Company Picnic but, unfortunately we didn't make it in time for the Truck Rodeo. We had fun at the picnic, there was plenty of inflatables for Kaitlynn to bounce on and a Coconut Tree Climb. (Like a rock wall, but, it's a coconut tree.) Kaitlynn was a bit apprehensive at first but, kept on trying and went a little higher with each try. She also got real good at the repelling down part. I think if her arms would have held out for another couple of climbs then she would have been able to ring the bell, but, her little arms and legs were so tired she just couldn't do it. As usual Kaitlynn made friend with everyone she met. Including the company owner.<br /><br />After the picnic we made our delivery, Kaitlynn was right there helping with tarps and picking up bungee cords, doing whatever she could to help, as tired as she was.<br />We returned to the terminal to relax a bit and shower, it wasn't long after her shower that Kaitlynn insisted on returning to the truck to go to bed. It took about three seconds for her to go to sleep after her head hit the pillow. She slept at least 10 hours and took an afternoon nap. I think she was a bit wore out.<br /><br />Today was a lazy day, Kaitlynn and Herb slept late. I was up early and couldn't go back to sleep so I went into the terminal lobby/cafe' area for a touch of quiet computer time. After they got up we did laundry and headed out to pick up the load we are on our way to now.<br /><br />We are headed to Fordyce, AR going to St. Joseph, MO. it isn't a long run but we are moving and that is a good thing especially on a holiday weekend. There were a lot of drivers (mostly in the refrigeration division) who came in for the festivities and won't get a load until Tuesday.<br /><br />It was nice to get some down time but we are glad to be moving again.Rita Wellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03519390658168463803noreply@blogger.com1