It was a stop like any other. Fuel for our truck while we also switched drivers. My shift was over. I put in a long day and we still have several hours to go before our delivery of produce on the east coast.
I was in the bathroom in one of the stalls. No explanation needed.
A Mom and her daughter enter the room and go in to their stalls...again...no explanation needed.
An announcement comes over the loud speaker, "DRIVER NUMBER 52, YOUR SHOWER IS NOW READY. PLEASE PROCEED TO SHOWER NUMBER 8."
Just then the little girl asked her Mom, "They have showers here?"
"Yes," the Mom answers. Truckers need to shower and they also eat and sleep here.
I liked her Moms simple yet to-the-point answer. Enough said...no further explanation needed.
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
SHOPPING CART DEMOLITION DERBY
We were at a customer site getting our trailer reworked since our load was totally overweight. That could relate to a huge fine if we don't take the proper measures to ensure the load is legal.
In the mean time, I decide to take our dogs outside for a much needed potty stop for them. They have been so good and patient throughout much of the afternoon waiting until we found that perfect spot for them to play and make themselves comfortable again.
So, I walked them to the edge of the property, away from where anyone else would walk or even where the was evidence that no other dogs had been. We found the perfect spot to let them just roam around on their leashes under perfect control of ME!
Off in the distance, I can hear voices of laughter from kids. There was an old rail trail down below for walking or bicycling. To the left of me was the main road and an overpass over the trail. It created quite the hideaway for anyone willing to go under and deal with all the traffic noise.
There were about 5 kids in all. Probably all young high school aged kids. Two different groups. One group of 3 were just minding their own business as they playfully tugged and shoved at each other. The other group of two were the ones with the shopping cart.
They pushed the cart all the way up the cement wall and even carried it part of the way. I watched as I wondered just what they were going to do with it. Were one of them going to get in it like that goofy movie where they ride the cart down a hill until it crashes? If these kids did that, then the crash would have been devastating since the incline was probably at about 55 or 60 percent. It was steep for sure. Not to mention, at the bottom was a cement wall barrier holding up the overpass. That little game would come to an end very quickly if they chose to go that route.
As soon as they got to the top, the boys maneuvered around the cart, holding it steady and getting it in to position. One walked around the cart holding on to the sides of it while the bigger boy leaned back and held on to the handle as though he was bracing for a heavier load. Oh no...they're not going to do it, right?
Just then, they both held on to the handle and gave it a mighty shove. Down the hill it went and came crashing in to the barrier below....no kids inside the cart, thank goodness.
They jumped for joy, high-fived each other and stepped down to retrieve the now bent up cart to send it down for yet another smashing greeting to the waiting wall below.
The first group of kids were obviously not interested in what was going on, so they climbed up the wall and up to the road surface where they continued their teenage bantering on each other and laughed all the way across the bridge.
The dogs were done with their business and so the show seemed to have come to and end as well. The cart would not even wheel it's way up the hill anymore and the two kids carried it only halfway up until they finally let it go on it's final smashing hit down below. They too went on their way and I returned to our truck with the dogs to sit and reflect on what I had just witnessed.
That poor cart!
In the mean time, I decide to take our dogs outside for a much needed potty stop for them. They have been so good and patient throughout much of the afternoon waiting until we found that perfect spot for them to play and make themselves comfortable again.
So, I walked them to the edge of the property, away from where anyone else would walk or even where the was evidence that no other dogs had been. We found the perfect spot to let them just roam around on their leashes under perfect control of ME!
Off in the distance, I can hear voices of laughter from kids. There was an old rail trail down below for walking or bicycling. To the left of me was the main road and an overpass over the trail. It created quite the hideaway for anyone willing to go under and deal with all the traffic noise.
There were about 5 kids in all. Probably all young high school aged kids. Two different groups. One group of 3 were just minding their own business as they playfully tugged and shoved at each other. The other group of two were the ones with the shopping cart.
They pushed the cart all the way up the cement wall and even carried it part of the way. I watched as I wondered just what they were going to do with it. Were one of them going to get in it like that goofy movie where they ride the cart down a hill until it crashes? If these kids did that, then the crash would have been devastating since the incline was probably at about 55 or 60 percent. It was steep for sure. Not to mention, at the bottom was a cement wall barrier holding up the overpass. That little game would come to an end very quickly if they chose to go that route.
As soon as they got to the top, the boys maneuvered around the cart, holding it steady and getting it in to position. One walked around the cart holding on to the sides of it while the bigger boy leaned back and held on to the handle as though he was bracing for a heavier load. Oh no...they're not going to do it, right?
Just then, they both held on to the handle and gave it a mighty shove. Down the hill it went and came crashing in to the barrier below....no kids inside the cart, thank goodness.
They jumped for joy, high-fived each other and stepped down to retrieve the now bent up cart to send it down for yet another smashing greeting to the waiting wall below.
The first group of kids were obviously not interested in what was going on, so they climbed up the wall and up to the road surface where they continued their teenage bantering on each other and laughed all the way across the bridge.
The dogs were done with their business and so the show seemed to have come to and end as well. The cart would not even wheel it's way up the hill anymore and the two kids carried it only halfway up until they finally let it go on it's final smashing hit down below. They too went on their way and I returned to our truck with the dogs to sit and reflect on what I had just witnessed.
That poor cart!
Friday, February 20, 2015
I HAVE NO COAT!!!
I was in the ladies restroom at the rest area just east of Phoenix, Arizona.
We were headed to Casa Grande to deliver our load.
I just needed to take a quick potty break before going in to the customer. We have never been there before, so I wasn't sure of their setup regarding driver facilities.
While in my stall, two other ladies entered the room. They were already engaged in their conversation regarding their trip.
"I had my suitcase all packed and ready to go for summer clothes and great weather," the one lady said.
She continued, "then Rhonda called and said that they were expecting rain and cold weather. I had to completely unpack my suitcase and change everything in it."
This woman went on all about her clothes that she had neatly packed in her suitcase only to have to remove it all and quickly figure out what to replace it with for cold weather.
"I don't own any jackets or coats since moving to Phoenix," she went on. "I don't even have any kind of cold weather clothing at all."
I thought to myself, "Wow...I've been bundled up the past couple of days. Hmmm, no coat?"
The other woman was fairly quiet with only a few words in the conversation. She didn't say much at all.
I got done in my stall and went out to wash my hands. The other ladies also exited their stalls. They were still going on about the lack of a coat and where they could go to shop for one. She had even said that she actually purchased a coat, but didn't like how it was made or how it fit, so she took it back.
"I got my coat from a sporting goods store," I shared with them. It was a nice and simple down jacket, zipped in the front with no hood.
"You got that here locally?" she asked.
"No, actually I bought this in Florida a couple of weeks ago to go to the Bahamas." I stretched out my arms and modeled my comfortable red jacket.
"Yes that looks very nice, too." she said.
I smiled and walked out the door with the ladies trailing behind me. They were on their way to Texas with possibly multiple stops to look for a coat. Oh, that's going to be a long trip.
We were headed to Casa Grande to deliver our load.
I just needed to take a quick potty break before going in to the customer. We have never been there before, so I wasn't sure of their setup regarding driver facilities.
While in my stall, two other ladies entered the room. They were already engaged in their conversation regarding their trip.
"I had my suitcase all packed and ready to go for summer clothes and great weather," the one lady said.
She continued, "then Rhonda called and said that they were expecting rain and cold weather. I had to completely unpack my suitcase and change everything in it."
This woman went on all about her clothes that she had neatly packed in her suitcase only to have to remove it all and quickly figure out what to replace it with for cold weather.
"I don't own any jackets or coats since moving to Phoenix," she went on. "I don't even have any kind of cold weather clothing at all."
I thought to myself, "Wow...I've been bundled up the past couple of days. Hmmm, no coat?"
The other woman was fairly quiet with only a few words in the conversation. She didn't say much at all.
I got done in my stall and went out to wash my hands. The other ladies also exited their stalls. They were still going on about the lack of a coat and where they could go to shop for one. She had even said that she actually purchased a coat, but didn't like how it was made or how it fit, so she took it back.
"I got my coat from a sporting goods store," I shared with them. It was a nice and simple down jacket, zipped in the front with no hood.
"You got that here locally?" she asked.
"No, actually I bought this in Florida a couple of weeks ago to go to the Bahamas." I stretched out my arms and modeled my comfortable red jacket.
"Yes that looks very nice, too." she said.
I smiled and walked out the door with the ladies trailing behind me. They were on their way to Texas with possibly multiple stops to look for a coat. Oh, that's going to be a long trip.
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