Near the end of 2011, the year of Dang Nab Its!

Good afternoon from Anthony, Texas.  We have moved 38 miles since yesterday (moved to a better location to sit!) and as you all guessed it, no load.  I did ask dispatch what the possibility of getting a load on New Year's Day and she stated I was 2nd on the list which could mean yes, no or just maybe!  I doubt I could stay up that late anyway unless with friends or loved ones.

I haven't been able to reach my son in a few days (they are probably busy moving) so if you read this James and Pix, I have been thinking about you!

As 2011 comes to an end this evening, may you all carry over all your joys and blessings into 2012 while leaving behind the tears, frustrations, and life's kicks to the backside in order to start renewed.  We lived another year and have all of 2012 to talk about it!

See you all next year!

Reia

Waiting on a new day and a new year!

What I do when broke down.......walk, spend money and ouch!

Good morning fellow virtual truckers!  We are still in El Paso but we have good news, the part is in and the truck will be ready at 2 PM.  The bad news, what are the odds of getting a good long run and load on a holiday weekend?   We will find out this afternoon for sure!

But we did enjoy our time here.  Gonja and I walked a total of 6 hours in the past two days, did a little shopping and you remember that eyebrow piecing I got back in Laredo that I had to remove, well, it is now in my ear lobe and dang nab it..... it HURT!  You know folks, it is so much safer for me to be behind the wheel instead of looking for things to do!  My sister, Lorene, just stated that same fact!  ;)

And, we did walk the north side of I-10.........it is MUCH nicer and safer!

Time to pack up and wait for the shuttle.....wonder where we will end up on New Years Eve!

Now this was a nice backyard

The fences were nicer and higher on the north side of I-10

Oil leak - blame the company mechanic!

Good morning from the same place as yesterday!  Yuppers, we get to spend another lovely day in El Paso due to mechanical error and the delay from Breakdown approving Freightliner to proceed on some additional work.  They could not duplicate the overheating (like they could...they would need to be pulling 44,000 pounds), the side cap for the antifreeze was was not tight, causing the loss of fluids (never saw any antifreeze leaks during my pre-trip inspections and it could have caused the overheating), and the oil leak......caused by the missing washer at the oil drain plug!  Great work guys, as I got my one and only oil change at the company shop!

Now we wait for approval for the missing washer (which has to be ordered in) so the other work (cabinet latch and shifted springs) can be completed by the body shop.

Now if only I had  my passport.......I would have loved to cross the border for REAL Mexican meal  :)

We did go for a nice walk............


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We walked to Hacienda Park this morning after finding it on my cell phone "Google locator".  I think the south side of I-10 is a little rougher than the east side (closer to the border?) as the houses were a little more run down, had bars on windows and doors; old stone wall fences (not much building wood down south) and it appeared that EVERYONE had a dog for protection from this cute pup.....to this doggy zoo!

You have to love those those eyes!

We came across this back yard:

And you never would have guessed this from the front of the house with its two brand new Escalades!

After lunch, we will head north into the shops and nicer homes....I think!

Wow........I get a day off with break down pay!

Yuppers, we are at the Day's Inn in El Paso for the night.  This would be such a perfect place for a 34 hr restart as I am surrounded by shops, clubs, theaters, Walmart, and Texas Roadhouse (we know where I will be for the early bird special even though I have an extremely full cooler plugged into the wall).  I look forward to taking a hot bath and enjoying this little down time with pleasure after what dispatch did yesterday.  Let's keep our fingers crossed that tomorrow by noon, we will be back on the road ;)

See you all at the Texas Roadhouse at 5 sharp!

And........the eyebrow piercing is gone.  Got dang nab tired of fighting infections.......but my little subdural is staying!  That should make a few family members tickled pick!

Good morning from El Paso, TX!

Good morning from El Paso, TX!  And I might be saying that again tomorrow morning as the truck is in the shop at Freightliner for antifreeze/oil leak (dang truck overheated yesterday on a small mountain and only 60 degrees outside), shifted springs (again), front end alignment (those back roads in Canada are rough), broken cabinet latch (can only open with a credit card), and poor fuel mileage.  I turned down a load this morning so I can get this work done with and over with.

Of course, dispatch pissed me off yesterday, so hence the need to get the repairs done now.

WHINE BOTTLE ALERT!

We left Yuma yesterday morning at 6 AM with that pre assigned load I told you about.  In route, I got a message asking if I could deliver on time …………. it was due at 4 AM.  Once loaded, I informed dispatch that I could not safely deliver this load as it would take 8 hours of constant driving, and backing into the dock to wait the unload at 4 AM.  Guess what my virtual truckers (I bet most of you already know what they expected of me), they wanted me to park after only working 4 hours and take a 10 hour break, hit the road at 8 PM and drive straight to the client for 8 hours (again with no break).

They gave me the run around about how they never ask me to do this and this load was critical and how they told me to plan for it (at 6 this morning).  I knew that Lori wasn’t working as she knew I wouldn’t put up with it.  I just stated that I could not stay awake for 24 hours plus, and either I park after 8 hours of driving or park after 2 hours after taking a 10 hour break, their choice.  They even had the nerve to bring up that I just ended my home time!  My last words…..you want me to drive impaired????

The load was swapped at 3:30 this morning and here I sit at Denny’s (the shop’s Wi-Fi isn’t working).

I have 15 minutes to finish my movie, update my blog, head back to the truck to take Gonja for a nice walk and check the status of the repairs.  I will check in with you later!

Time to end the holiday season..........

We are in the truck at 6 AM with a load to take to Texas.................time to return to work, dang nab it!

Bring coffee.....we will need it after this wonderful break!

Christmas in Yuma.............