November 15 – 24, 2021

Monday, November 15, 2021

So what do I do on a day off?

I slept in until almost 8, had breakfast at the hotel, went to the office to check in. My certification was not there yet. It’s coming US Post Office, so I think it is more likely not to come today, but will check back before the end of the day. If it doesn’t come today, I’ll get my money back, but I don’t want my money, I want the certification!

I called my driver. He said the trailer is already out in WI, and he is just driving out bobtail tomorrow, so I can leave whenever I want, and he will just need my help at 5 AM Wednesday to load.

I drove 30 minutes into St Cloud to have my company radio checked out. I can not seem to hear people once they get more than a mile away from me. That is dangerous. The HP can easily be a mile and a half in front of me, and I need to react to almost everything she says. The technician took the radio apart on his bench, found a bad connection, and fixed that, and sold me a new wire harness so I can connect it right to the battery instead of through my fuse panel because my strobe lights are interfering with it.  Then I went to Sam’s Club for a few groceries, and drove back to the hotel. I made phone calls on the way back.

I called my CPA and discussed some tax questions I have, called the makers of my dashcam to discuss a problem I have, entered receipts into the computer, recorded deposits, wrote some more in my blog, and made supper in my room. Green beans and chicken.

I drove over and checked in with the office at 5:45, and the envelope never came for me. So I washed my van, and rewired my company radio in the warm wash bay. It will be below freezing tonight. I went back to the hotel, went online to track my envelope, and it said the ticket was entered, but they are still waiting to receive the envelope. Does that mean it is still sitting on some counter in MA? Frustrated, I just watched an episode of Life Below Zero, and went to bed. Love that show, but don’t get to see it more than a few times a year. Reminds me of my life in Alaska, though mine was not nearly as rustic.

Tuesday, November 16, 2021

I slept in again until 8, and had breakfast, paid a bill online, and sent some information over to my CPA. If my envelope has any hope of arriving today, I need to wait here for it, even if it means I drive to WI through the night. If it is not coming today, I will leave without it, and see if the state of Colorado will write an email explaining my situation so I can use that to show for a certification if needed after the 21st. I will have a new one issued and sent to MA before I leave.

But my driver called, and said that in fact, he DOES need me today when he arrives in WI to help him stretch out the trailer. Oh, and he is already passing through the Twin Cities now on his way! Ha ha I’ll be there when I can, buddy, but I might be waiting here all day for this certification! Once the Post Office opened in MA, I called using the number Cara gave me. The clerk’s computer says it was delivered and signed for yesterday at 6:05 PM – just after everyone left the office.

I packed up and checked out, filled up with fuel, and drove over to the office. You know how everyone’s signature looks like chicken scratch? Well that’s all we had to let us know who signed for it, and where they put it. I called the Post Office again, and oh, yes, they do ask them to print their name. It was JJ. That’s all, just JJ. No one in the office could figure out who that could have been. Maybe the Postal carrier just scribbled and made that up, and left it in the mailbox. The mailbox! Let’s check the mailbox! Today’s mail had already come. (Gravy sakes! They certainly get a LOT of mail!!!) And there it was on the very bottom of the huge stack! I thanked everyone in the office for all their help and concern, and jumped in my van at 10:30 and hammered down for the 330 mile drive to WI.

I made no stops, hoping to catch my driver and help him stretch before he had it all done. I pulled in at 3 PM, just as he was unhooking from the trailer. Oh, man! I missed all the fun!

We both drove to the truck stop in our separate vehicles. Once I fueled up and parked, I made supper, and worked on my blog until I went to bed at 7.

Wednesday, November 17, 2021

I got up at 3, and went in for a shower, only to find that they closed at 10, and don’t open until 6! No one seems to be able to find enough help these days. Is the government still paying people not to work? Oh well, maybe tomorrow. I was at the load site by 4:30, and I steered him into position to pull in to the building once they opened at 5. We went right in and loaded our top enclosure. This is just like the one I did with Eddie. Totally empty, and weighs only 27,00 lbs instead of 50 tons like the generators.

After all the time I have spent with the big 13 axle trailers, I think these short 7 axle ones look really cute!

We then went over to help the other drive load the generator.

He has a completely different type of trailer. It is not a low perimeter one like ours, so the load ends up being a lot taller, but the trailer steers so well by itself that he does not need a steerman. In fact, in many states he doesn’t even need a Pilot Car at all!

Did you ever wonder how we laid all that felt way up on top of those generators? And the heavy tarp. How do we drape that over it? Well, they help us by using the crane to lift it!

And, because the load sits right on the deck of that trailer, we don’t need bottom tarps, which makes for a LOT less work! We helped him get the majority done, and once our HP guy arrived, I steered him back out of the building, and off we went just after 9:00.

We drove 325 miles to Kentland Indiana by sunset, and parked in a truck stop there. I slept in my van, and my driver slept in his truck. The HP went for a hotel. I made supper in my van. Tonight I just wanted to make a pizza!

Thursday, November 18, 2021

No showers at this truck stop! Maybe tomorrow! We pulled out at 7:30. Like yesterday, there were no steer turns, but several places I needed to tower the trailer up to avoid touching RR tracks and humps in the road. We only have about 4″ of clearance on the bottom rail. We made it out of Indiana and well into Kentucky, stopping in Grayson before sunset, after 400 miles. He drove up to the pumps to get fuel, and then I steered him back to park in the dirt lot for the night.

Doesn’t the truck and trailer look cute?

Well a truck driver came up to me while I was standing at the back, waiting for my driver to finish fueling, and was amazed at how big the trailer was, and the load, and how I could steer the back, and raise the towers 2 feet! H Ha It’s all about perspective!

Annalou and I have stayed here several times while working jobs together. I have been here myself several more times over the weekend while working different jobs. I like the little church here, and would love to have another discussion with the Pastor, but not this time! I drove over to our favorite restaurant here to get supper, but the Hog Trough BBQ was closed today. They too, are having a hard time finding people to work. How much do the politicians pay these people NOT to work, anyway?

So I just drove to a Loves down the street to park and sleep in my van. I  made another onion pizza

and one of these chicken patties

for supper, caught up on this blog, and am looking forward to a nice shower in the morning!

If all goes as planned, we will make it to a truck stop in VA that is about 100 miles from the job site. My driver hopes the site will allow us to drive in and park at the site Saturday. If so, he says he could unload and shrink by himself, so he could release me 2 days early to drive to MA. Really nice guy, BUT, we still do not have the VA permit! If that doesn’t come in time tomorrow, like about noon, we can only drive to the VA line and park until Monday. Then we would have to wait there Monday until the permit comes. If it came as soon as the permit office opens, we might have time to drive all the way to the site. If not, we’d only get to where we hope to be tomorrow. And, with the holiday coming, they may already have some who took the week off, and it’s possible we won’t see the permit until Monday after Thanksgiving! Remember, these are state workers. They don’t care at all about us, or our time frame. We are just another permit for them to process, and they don’t care what day they do it.

Friday, November 19, 2021

We pulled out at sunrise, with hopes of receiving the VA permit in time to drive to Raphine, where we will sit til tomorrow, or Monday. However, if the permit does not arrive by email before about 11 AM, we will have to stop at the last truck stop before the line and stay there. This would have been very pretty route just a few weeks ago, but the leaves have fallen here now.

The permit arrived at about 10:30 — just 17 minutes before we would have had to stop. Yaay! We can keep driving on into Virginia. Then the office called me. We will not be able to drive into the site until Monday, because no one will be there tomorrow to let us in.  He said he just talked to my driver, who told him that there are no turns to steer on the drive in Monday, and he can unload by himself. He wants them to find a replacement for me, so that I can leave today for Massachusetts. What a nice guy! I readily agreed, so I will be cut loose when we arrive at the truck stop this afternoon. It will be a 600 mile trip to Cara’s house, which I can drive in about 9 hours, putting me there at least a couple of hours before they all get up to go dress as Pilgrims and walk in the parade! How cool is THAT!

There were lots of hills for the rest of the day, and we were able to keep up our speed in spite of that, due to our light load.

I got to thinking. . . . I will be “home” in time to go to the parade in the morning! In my opinion, it is the best Thanksgiving Parade in the country!

Unlike most parades, there are strict guidelines for participants. All of the floats are in historical order, and the entire parade basically tells a story. No politicians. No commercial floats. All the floats are self propelled, and very well designed, with great detail.

We pulled in to the truck stop early in Raphine, and it was relatively empty, so we parked in no time.

It was about 4 PM when I took off my signs and flags, took my driver up to the truck stop and to a bank for him to do an errand. It was 5 PM after I dropped him back at the truck and headed north!

There was a lot of traffic on the roads, but I made pretty good time, and drove the 610 miles up to Cara’s house, and Annalou greeted me at the door at 2:30 AM.

Saturday, November 20, 2021

I got up at 5 with everyone else in the house, and we all drove in two cars to Plymouth to drop them all off to dress as Pilgrims in the parade. I walked down to the reviewing stand and began to help with setup there. Very familiar work, with very familiar people! I have done this for many years! But after just a few minutes, Annalou called me. Someone called in sick, and I am needed to dress as a Pilgrim, and guide the First Thanksgiving float along the route. Because these are all self-propelled floats, the driver has limited vision, and needs a guide – kind of like a Pilot Car – to make sure he leaves the correct distance to the curb, especially around curves! LOL Never a day off! Ha Ha

This parade is one of the very few with a historical theme, running in chronological order. Annalou, Cara, and Abby are in the very beginning, walking beside the Mayflower float.

I am next, walking in front of the First Thanksgiving float. Scott and Seth are walking just behind me in front of the Education float as Increase Matther Cotton Matther, his son.

When we got to the end, we met together, and stood on the sideline to watch the rest of the parade.

Here are some more pictures taken that day.

Sunday, November 21, 2021

It was great to visit the TNT Church, where we spent so many years. It was great to visit with long time friends. Annalou and I wanted to have lunch together at The Yellow Deli in Plymouth, since we have been to the one in North Carolina.  This was their opening day, after tearing down the old building and building a brand new one in it’s place. We will bring Cara’s family here next week.

We found out that there was a service at Memorial Hall to honor the 400th celebration of Thanksgiving, so we attended that. It was wonderful to have so much history presented, and several native American descendants speaking as well. I also met my very good friend Brandt there as well. Brandt is a professional video guy, who shot promotional video for Amway years ago, and now works in Boston doing only Christian and constitutional videos. He and I have worked together shooting for Tony Perkins in Charlotte NC, Washington DC, and Dallas TX. He was the producer for the 400th Pilgrim landing celebration. Since I could not make it back here to shoot with him, I arranged for Seth to be his drone operator. He has invited me to bring Seth up to Boston to visit him and see his studio.

We were home late for supper, but Seth cooked us a special Keto supper, making a cheese stuffed meatloaf and broccoli with mashed coliflour because he knows that is one of my favorite meals! So not only can he fly drones – he can cook!!

Monday – Wednesday, November 22-24, 2021

I was busy making calls to renew my auto insurance, liability insurance, scheduling windshield replacement, doing book work, removing the emergency lights inside the windshield, and other things to prepare for it’s replacement. The windshield got replaced, and I put all the lights and things back, went to the eye doctor, and chiropractor, and made appetizers with Seth for our family gathering tomorrow on Thanksgiving.

I can not tell you how much I am looking forward to seeing my brother and his family for Thanksgiving tomorrow!