Tuesday, July 17, 2007

HOW DID THE FOLKS IN MAYBERRY SURVIVE?

We are in North Carolina, where the temperature is 91 degrees and climbing, and the humidity is keeping pace with it. We waited all day Monday for a dispatch and finally received it about 4:30pm. We are to go to Clayton, NC to pick up a Caterpillar Wheel Loader and take it to Pflugerville, TX. (Yes, you read the spelling of that city correctly). I have a love/hate attitude about back hauls, the loads we are assigned when not delivering boats. Summer time the boat deliveries slow down and they get creative with finding us items to haul. I love that we sometimes get some interesting things to haul, but I hate that most times, the information about the load is filtered through brokers and other trucking companies and sometimes just doesn't get relayed correctly.

Now I know in the South they are causal and being told just go off this state route by the oak tree, just east of town by the pig farm, may work for people who live in the area. For us, with all our technology within our reach, it's just easier to give us an address and we will find it somehow, some way. We finally had to resort to calling information to get the address of the trucking company to find that their terminal looked like this. (see photo) A big grassy field with a well worn path around the small house they use as an office. We could never get a hold of our contact person because the battery on his cell phone was dead. When we arrived, we had a bit of a wait until they retrieved the Caterpillar and brought it to their yard (terminal) for us to then load onto our trailer.

They had an interesting way of loading it. They told Craig to take off the fenders of the trailer and that they would just drive it up. Sounded good to us. We would not have to break down our trailer and that would save us some time and energy, of which was dwindling fast in the heat. Speaking of the heat.....Now I know why there are rocking chairs on front porches. If I lived in this area, back when there was no air conditioning, I doubt I would have the energy to do anything but sit and fan myself all day long. Also, remember those old movies where everyone had a handkerchief to wipe their faces? I know why they did that too. I've taken to using a couple of squares of Brawny paper towels. There is truth in their advertising, they do sop up the wetness. Yes, I know, if you live in the area you grow accustomed to it, but seriously, if I have to be in the heat, give me the hot dry heat of the west any day over this hot wet sticky feeling I have had for the past few days. Now, point me in the direction of the nearest shower. I'll have mine cold.

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