Family fun in the sun

Summertime...sweet, sweet summertime!

Family...not just one family, but four families...10 adults and 4 children. Fun. Sun. Water. Boats. Jet ski. Fishing. Relaxing. Eating...oh, lots of good eating! Sounds like a great vacation to me! A wonderful time was had by all!

We packed up and headed south...Lake Weir bound. Ocklawaha, Florida, a little itty, bitty town in central Florida with one red light, a tiny grocery store, a few convenient stores, a church, a hardware store and a lake...a beautiful, peaceful lake with some sandy white beaches. It's a family tradition...a 40 something year old family tradition! Even older if you count the years my mama and her family went, but I won't go there Mama. I'll just say it's a L-O-N-G time tradition!

Fishing...that's what my boys love to do. When we were home getting the boat and jet ski washed and cleaned up and making sure they ran, Timothy said he didn't care if the fishing boat ran or not he was taking it. "I might have to get somebody to pull me to the fishing hole and come back and get me, but I'm going fishing!" Thank goodness, a tow rope was not needed. Each morning bright and EARLY and very quietly, because you know the Queen Bee did need her sleep, he and Carlos got up to go catch a mess of fish and each morning about four hours later they would return with...no mess of fish. We waited with anticipation each morning to see all the fish...each morning...we saw...nothing! They may not have caught any fish but they made some great memories. I told Carl I hated they didn't catch anything and he said, "That's alright. Spending time with Toot was all that mattered!"

Watching and listening to the little ones as they played, talked and splashed in the water, was such an enjoyable sight. They woke up each morning ripping and raring to go...breakfast, swimsuits, and a lathering of sunscreen then off to the water they went. That was their home for the day. Getting them out to eat lunch was a bit of a challenge for their mamas. We are a water loving family...from the big people all the way down to the little people.  The boys had a blast riding the tube, falling off the tube, trying to ski, falling off the skis, kayaking, riding the jet ski and catching "fish" (minnows) with their hands. It didn't matter what they were doing they enjoyed every single second of it. Even getting a certain little blonde haired boy to stop talking and focus while teaching him to ski was a bit entertaining. He'd have that rope wrapped all around him and he's just a yelling, "Ready!" or "Look! Mama, there's a plane!" Thank goodness Jen was in the water with him to keep him from getting rope burn and to divert his attention from the plane back to the skis. Now the girls, they had to do the more girlie things, like...doing belly flops in the water, digging in the sand, and dancing. Bet you were not expecting that...dancing! Yes, those girls do love to shake their groove thang!

Popsy playing in the water with one of the little princesses.

This little girl loves to do belly flops!

Shaking her grove thang!

These boys loved tubing!

One of the little princesses even liked tubing!

Even the other little princess enjoyed tubing

Laughter was not only provided by the little people but us big people provided quite a few laughs as well, from sitting around at supper telling stories, to doing our own water tricks. Timothy loves to ride the jet ski but I'm not so sure throwing himself off was what he had in mind when he was hot dogging it. I'm not exactly sure what he did, I just know one minute he was on and the next minute he was off. It went left and he went right. I so hate I didn't get a picture of that but I did get a real good one of him and Haley Bug getting thrown off the tube. That's right... feet, legs and butts all up in the air and not just their feet, legs, and bottoms but mine as well. Yes, mine! I was sitting backwards in the seat at the back of the boat taking pictures...which by the way is a dangerous position to be sitting in...anyway, Clark "hits the breaks" when they fell off and then blam, blam, blam! He turns from looking over his right shoulder at them to look over his left to see what all the commotion was about... and there he saw it...me...flipping, flopping and a rolling all across the floor. Not only did Clark see 4 feet, 4 legs, 4 arms, and 2 butts flying around across the water but he also saw 2 feet, 2 legs, 2 arms and 1 butt tossing and turning across the bottom of the boat. Thank goodness nobody got a picture of that!

Looks like somebody should have been holding on a little tighter

Oops! There goes Toot!

Skiing...oh how we love to ski...about 20 years ago! We still ski just to prove that we can still get up and go but our go doesn't last near as long as it used to. We didn't have a ski boat this year so everything was done behind a jet ski, a float boat (aka pontoon boat) or a mini yacht. "Hey, Clark! You wanna give me a tow?" I look up and it's Carl getting ready to ski...behind the float boat. "Los, are you gonna snatch off? That thing's not gonna pull you up! You're gonna be dragging in the water!" Smiling the whole time, "Yeah it will! And then, "Go!" As we're all standing there watching my crazy husband, I'm thinking there is no way that float boat is going to go fast enough for him to snatch off. Woohoo! He made it...about 20 yards and then down he went...sinking lower and lower in the water. It snatched him off but just couldn't go fast enough to keep him on top of the water.  Well, that just wouldn't do! "Hey, Jeff! You wanna give me a tow?" That's right this time he tried it behind the mini yacht and just like the pro that he is...up and off he went. He and Toot both gracefully got up and gracefully returned back to the dock. Did I say gracefully? Yes, I did! Isn't that the way women are supposed to do things...gracefully? Well, let me tell you there was absolutely nothing...I mean nothing graceful about my skiing episode. It was more like a skiing girl gone wild. I am usually a pretty good skier...usually! First of all, I was unable to snatch off! Once again, feet and legs up in the air as I'm laughing and flopping over side ways, but there was no way I was going to let that ski get the best of me. And, I didn't! I made it! "Oh good heavens this water is rough! Dang, I feel like I'm going 100mph! That's it, I've had enough!" After a very short distance, and I mean very short, I motioned for Jeff to turn around. There are no words to describe how bad I wanted to just drop right there in the middle of the lake but I was not about to let my husband and son out do me. Big, huge, gigantic mistake! Graceful...nothing graceful about my landing. I let go of that rope at what seemed like an extremely high rate of speed in a lake that was full of ocean size waves and it was all she wrote. The worst wipe out of my skiing career in front of God, family and all the neighbors. Oh my goodness, when I finally stopped rolling across the water, my bathing suit was so twisted up that every private part of my body was exposed. Thank goodness for deep water and life jackets. Jen told me I looked like I was totally out of control. "I was totally out of control!" So much for not letting Carlos and Toot out do me, but then again, I did give everybody quite a show! 

Carlos showing us he's still got it.

My man still looks good on a ski!

Timothy doing his thing.

Such a graceful landing! Show off!

It was a short week of making wonderful memories that will be treasured forever. I love my family and can't think of a better vacation than spending time with each and everyone of them. In a few days all my bruises will be gone but my memories will last a life time. "Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior's hands. How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them. He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates." Psalm 127: 3-5

Packed up and time to go home...still having fun and making memories!

Vacation is over and it's back to the working world. More adventures and memories to be made with My Love and My Toot Toot! That's right, Toot will be with us for our next trip...California here we come!

Til we meet again!
Only by His Grace!
   Lynne

Plans, plans, plans

Oh my! I can't believe it has been 4 months since my last blog post. In case you're wondering, no I have not been on vacation all this time...well, physically I haven't been but mentally I probably have.  I've just had a bit of blogger's block and haven't really been motivated to write one. I've thought about it but just couldn't seem to get myself to drag out the computer, which by the way, is on the floor right beside me. I'm ashamed to even admit that! It takes a LONG time and a LOT of THOUGHT for me to do a blog. I just really haven't wanted to do a lot of thinking or any thinking for that matter! BUT... at the requests of my mother...I am putting my brain back to work.

Where and what have the Truckin Duo been up to the last 4 months?! We have been busy, busy, busy! East to west...west to east...east to west...pretty much the same route each time. Maybe that's why my brain quit working!

One exciting load that we did was an ULA load (United Launch Alliance). Well, we thought it was going to be exciting. When we got the load we were told that it was  15'11" wide, 9' high and 38' long and was called a PLF fairing. Yep, there went Los' excitement! "What the heck is a PLF fairing?" All Carlos knew was that it had something to do with NASA. So I quickly texted a friend to get some info. "Oh my, Los it's the cone nose on top of some of the unmanned rockets to protect the vehicle through launch. Once it's out of the earth's atmosphere, it separates from the rocket usually in two pieces. How cool is that!" I couldn't wait to get to Harlingen, TX to see it.

 

                                  What I thought I was going to see once we got to Harlingen.

                        

Well, shoot fire...that doesn't look anything like the picture she sent me. AND...there went my excitement! Oh, for the record, we only had half the fairing and another driver had the other half. We had to carry that enormous box all the way to Vandenburg Air Force Base in California. We had three escorts and the other driver also had three; plus we had hired security each night we stopped. Can you say "feeling special?" We were only allowed to do 300-350 miles per day (we usually do 500-600) and could only travel 55mph. With all the detours and no weekend travel it took us 14 days to get to Vandenburg and 14 days before Carlos could breath again. What started out as an exciting, interesting load turned into one huge migraine headache. There will be a lot of thought and prayer before we do another one of those loads.

If you would like more information on ULA and to watch a  live launch you can go to this website  http://www.ulalaunch.com/. They also have a facebook page that you can follow https://www.facebook.com/ulalaunch.

After we unloaded at Vandenburg Air Force Base we were able to relax and really enjoy the beauty all around us. Which is something we should do all the time and then maybe we wouldn't get so stressed out.

                                                               Grapes, grapes and more grapes

                                            

                                                                Beautiful scenery in central California

                                            Finally able to relax. Love seeing that smile!

                                  

Yeah, not so sure I would want to live at the top of the hill like that! With my crazy self I'd open the front door...trip...fall...and roll all the way down that hill!

                                   Enjoying God's little creatures while waiting to get loaded.

California is putting in a lot of solar plants so we've been hauling Power Skids to the job sites.  One of the largest solar photovoltaic farms is in Desert Center, CA. The facility will provide enough power to more than 160,000 California homes annually. 

                                                              Solar Plant in Desert Center, CA

                                                     before the solar panels have been installed

                                                   After the solar panels have been installed.
                              The building in the background is what we have been hauling.

                                                   This my friends is Desert Center, CA.
                                                          This is one side of the street.

                                                   And this is the other side of the street.

                              This...well I have no idea what this is or was but it's on the same 

                               side of the street as the caboose. And that concludes the sites 

                                      of Desert Center, CA. I hope you enjoyed the tour.

We have also hauled a couple of Verizon buildings/communications buildings or if you remember Connecticut made us call it a vault. If you haven't read that post and would like to read about our trailer falling from the sky, just click on this link.http://adventuresofthetruckinduo.blogspot.com/search/label/Connecticut. The first one we took was to Sturgis, KY which was almost as thrilling as the Connecticut load. Once again traveling down a tiny little pig tail road...then up a narrow, wet, slippery, rocky road that lead up to the unloading pad. Oh, I forgot to mention that if we had gotten off the gravel we would have been in a fine mess...both sides of that tiny so-called road was thick, mushy clay and we would have been...stuck. Carl already had to kick in the 4-wheel drive to get across all those slippery rocks. We would have needed a tow truck to get through that clay. Once again I was holding my breath. We made it and all was good...until! "Los, how are we going to get out of here?" "I'm not real sure. I haven't figured that out yet." Here we go again! "Hmmm, don't you think you need to be figuring it out! Well, we are not letting them pick up this trailer! We are not doing that again! I'm serious, now. Why can't we just back down the road" "Because there isn't enough room for us to turn around without getting off the gravel." I know what all of you are thinking and yes...yes, we did! They picked up our trailer and turned it around but this time we did it a lot different from the first time. I still held my breath and I still did a lot of praying. The Lord is probably thinking, "Girl, you have really got to quit holding your breath so much. One of these days you are going to pass out. Relax! Trust me! I've got this!"  I told the little Verizon man that was walking around that if I'd had my way we wouldn't even be up on that hill. I mean really, do these people think we're hauling these big ole buildings behind a little bitty pick up truck. Sometimes I wonder what they are thinking!

                                          Our little pig tail road leading up to the job site.

                                              It kept getting narrower and narrower.

                                                    Carlos going to check things out.
                                          I REALLY REALLY should have gone with him.

                                                               And here we go!

                                                                      Up it goes!

                                                   I hope what goes up, gently comes down.

   It was hard as all get out to walk on those rocks. They were so big and slippery. We kept waiting for one of us to fall down or twist an ankle...oh wait, Carlos did slip and fall. I so hate I missed it! 

                                            Too bad the crane driver was all eyes!                                                          

                                                                 Here we go again!

 

                                Happy happy happy! Gently went up and gently came down!

                                        All turned around and ready for our next adventure.

As many of you know, we absolutely hate to tarp. I usually feel like I have just completed a triathlon. No, I've never competed in a triathlon and I don't plan on it. All I know is that every bone...every muscle...every vein...every hair...every inch of my body is tired, sore and aches when we finish a tarp job. Oh, and did I mention...DIRT! Dirt and grease from my head to my toes. I really really do not like to get dirty. My family used to call me the Queen Bee; well, Queen Bee's are not supposed to get dirty...are they? And no I'm not being a little wimpy tail; Carlos feels the same way because we usually shower, eat and go to bed once we are done. Even though we despise tarping we always make the best of it and some how laugh our way through it. Just like everything else in life you have the good and then...you have the BAD.

                                              FYI this is what I look like after a tarp job. 

                                        I swear sometimes I think I get nastier than Carlos.

We plan, plan, plan! Plans for doctor appointments, vacations, visits with friends, shopping; we have to plan for just about everything in our life. Plans are great otherwise our lives would be a chaotic mess and as long as those plans fall easily into place, we're happy as a lark. The problem with planning is that we want it our way on our time and when those plans are altered or do not go the way we want..look out... frustration, aggravation, sadness, madness, disappointment and irritation are just a few of the emotions that take over. Carl is really good about just going with the flow and taking things in stride.  I don't know about you but I can become a real sour puss. Being in the trucking business our plans are always changing which is usually fine until...it's time to go home or our truck breaks down. Recently I let that frustration get the best of me. 

At the end of February, we had to put our truck in the shop for some much needed work. Well, one problem turned into two problems into three into four, five, six...you get the picture. After four weeks and a small fortune we finally had LC back. We were good to go, shouldn't have any more problems. I mean we practically had a new truck. Finally back on the road, trucking up. We had it all planned out. Work, work work until June 25. On the 25th, we wanted to be home packing and getting ready for our week long vacation with family at the lake. Everything was going smoothly just like we wanted. We had load after load after load...busy, busy. Two weeks before the 25th we picked up a Verizon building in Louisiana and headed to Columbiana, OH. That should be a clue right there...Verizon...there is going to be a problem! We had plenty of time to get there, unload, get a load headed south and be home by

 June 25. Sounds like a plan to me.

We make all these plans but our plans are not always God's plans. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11. No, God doesn't promise us a life filled with a bed of roses...a life without problems...without frustrations and disappointments, but what He does promise us is that He is always here for us. He has not forgotten us. He loves us. He has a plan. He knows our future. He wants us to trust him...have faith and praise him during the good times and the BAD. It's easy to trust when things are running smoothly and going just as planned. The real faith comes when a plan has turned topsy turvy and we seek him for peace, comfort, reassurance and guidance. My life (and Carl's life) would be so less...aarrrrgggghhh if I would just do this more often.  I tend to get all frustrated and stressed before praying and turning to God. It should so be the other way around...pray first...no frustration! What in the world is so hard about that? 

 As I mentioned earlier, we had a plan to be home June 25th. We made it home about 10:30 p.m. a little later than we wanted but we made it on the 25th. Great, everything went just as planned...wrong! We took the Verizon building to Columbiana, OH with no problems but...yeah here comes the but! Once again Carlos had to kick in the 4-wheel drive to get across all the thick rocks and up the hill and that's when we heard it...pop, pop, pop. With eyes as big as an owls and fear in my voice, "WHAT was that?" "I have no idea! I think something just broke!" Every time Carlos would take off...pop, pop, pop. Ok, this was not in the plan! We finally made it up to the pad, got unloaded, back down and checked things out. Los crawled under the truck but couldn't find anything wrong...nothing was broken. New plan, head home with no load so we could put LC in the shop. Columbus, OH is NOT home! The popping continued to get louder and louder every time we took off. There was no way we could make it home so in the shop LC went...for THREE days...that was SOOOO not the plan. My frustration level went straight through the roof. We just spent a small fortune on LC in February and 4 months later we are spending another small fortune which included part of our vacation money...once again SOOOOO not part of the plan. I kept trying to focus on the positives like...thank goodness we missed out on the load going to Washington State. We could be stuck in the middle of no where dealing with this or it's a good thing it happened before going on vacation and not after...when all our money was spent or at least we had enough money to get it fixed and didn't have to borrow any. If I had prayed and thanked God for the positives of the unplanned circumstances, I would have had the peace that I needed.  But no, I was ill...thoroughly disgusted...highly aggravated...just put out and then there's Carl the complete opposite...calm...smiling...having fun aggravating me...resting nicely in the hotel room...yep, he had peace. Yes, he did get frustrated but the difference between us was that he didn't let it take control...unlike me. He would quickly turn his attitude of aggravation to an attitude of happiness.  This my friends is something that I really struggle with but also something that I am working on. "They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD." Psalm 112:7. My prayer is that when plans do not go as expected that I immediately pray for peace, comfort and reassurance. 

"For God is not a God of disorder but of peace." 1 Corinthians 14:33.

Pray first. Pray first. Pray first

 

                                       Unloading another Verizon building in OH.

After being on the road for what seems like forever and spending 3 days and a small fortune in Ohio with our truck in the shop, it was time to head home for some much needed R&R. Our glory load of all things would be a jet engine that had to be...TARPED! But that's ok, if it's gonna take me home I'll tarp 20 jet engines.

 

                                    It might be smaller but we were still just as tired and sore.

                                 Our escort leading us out on the tarmac at the Atlanta Airport.

                                        Ready to unload that jet engine so we can go HOME!

                              I told Carlos it was too bad we couldn't load LC up on that plane 

                                                           and let it fly us home.

                                                     Now that is the best sight ever!

Those are just a few of the exciting/stressful/adventurous loads that we've done since April. Hopefully my blogger's block has been unblocked and it won't be 4 months until my next post.

     

Til we meet again!

Only by His Grace!

     Lynne