BACK INTO THE BOWELS OF HELL

The delivery at the Winco in Woodburn, OR went according to plan, maybe a tad bit longer for the unload, but when you get paid to sit, that takes the pain out of it.  Craig was happy to have driven north into cooler weather, and even a down pour of rain or two over the last couple of days.  Oh, I haven't mentioned that they had to stop in Medford, OR to have two tires replaced on the trailer.  I think they are on track to have something fixed or replaced on every trailer they come in contact with. 

After going empty at Winco yesterday afternoon, they drove over to the TA truck stop in Aurora, OR where they received their next assignment.  Craig was already dreading the thought of it.  A  load out of Clackamas, OR this morning, destined for 5 stops in the Phoenix, AZ area.  No offense to one of our newer followers Pat, who is from Phoenix, but Craig would prefer to never have the pleasure of delivering in your State unless it is the dead of winter, and even that is pushing it.

Craig was hoping to have his pick of the loads going into Phoenix when they arrived at the Fred Meyer DC in Clackamas this morning, but it seems like another trainer got the jump on him while delivering a load of bananas earlier this morning.  Craig got the left over load, but honestly, I doubt the other load was any easier.  These team loads always seem to have anywhere from 3 to 7 stops, so considering they only have a 5 stop load, it's not as challenging as it could have been.

What will be a challenge is having both Roy and Craig drive their full amount of driving hours available to them.  They have had the luxury of what we call "lazy trucker days" of driving over the past couple of weeks, with both of them driving about 6 or 7 hours a day.  Well today, I joked to Craig that they will have to have their "big boy trucker" pants on as each will be driving their full 11 hours of drive time, and that I hoped they were up to the challenge.  As Craig said, as long as he has his diet Pepsi on board, it won't be an issue, especially since he is taking the night shift tonight.  Let's hope he has it on ice, he's gonna need it.

TWO CHAIRS FOR UNDER TWO DOLLARS

I really outdid myself on Friday when I hit a yard sale in Walla Walla, WA.  Granted the chairs themselves weren't too pretty to look at, but then hey, some mornings I don't look so hot either.  But I knew with a little face lift......no, not me, the chairs.....they could look their best.  So when I saw that they only wanted a dollar for them I picked out the nicest one and continued shopping.  When I was ready to pay, the homeowner inquired if I wanted the other one.  I really didn't, but when she offered it to me for fifty cents, I really couldn't turn it down.

Off I went to load my new found possessions into the pickup, and to Home Depot and JoAnn Fabrics I went.  I was excited to find a Chenille remnant with enough yardage to cover both seats at JoAnn's, and even more excited that it cost me only four dollars.  Then I drove to Home Depot where I purchased two cans of black flat spray paint.  Once I got them back home, I started the transformation process.  First I tightened all the screws to make the chairs sturdy again.  Then a quick sanding of the wood work, removal of the seat cushion, and a fresh coat of paint was applied. Already they were looking as good as new!

While the paint dried, I recovered the seat cushions and then distressed the edges of the chair to give it that shabby chic look.  I reinstalled the cushions and there you have it, a complete redo of an old chair bound for the dump pile all for around $5.00 a chair.  Now if only it was that cheap and easy to do something about a fantastic makeover on me!

IT'S ALL RELATIVE

I really didn't have a heat index leg to stand on while talking to Craig earlier today on the phone.  Here I was going on and on about how hot it was in Walla Walla, Wa (in the 80's), and how much cooler it was at home in Usk, WA (in the 60's), when he sends me a picture of just how hot is was in Arizona today.....118 degrees.  He definitely trumped me and put an end to my complaining as I lounged on the couch in the air conditioned cottage I'm staying at.  ahem......moving on shall we?

I'm beginning to think that Craig is on track to be in possession of every single trailer in the fleet in need of new tires.  He is on a roll lately, or is it just that he and Roy are some of only a few drivers that actually check tires?  You have to wonder, since once again, two tires on the trailer needed to be replaced.  So after leaving Tonopah, AZ, they headed to the company yard in Phoenix and had the tires in question replaced, then spent some time working on Roy's backing skills.  About an hour out from their appointment time, they headed over to the Fred Meyer DC in Phoenix and delivered the juice.

They had been given a pre plan to pick up a meat load at Sara Lee in Tolleson, but after receiving a phone call from dispatch, the assignment was tweaked just a little bit.  They still were going to Sara Lee and picking up the pre plan trailer, but would then take it only as far as the company yard in Phoenix where someone else would deliver it.  Then they were sent right back to Sara Lee to pick up another meat load which will deliver in Woodburn, OR Monday morning.  By the time they got done shuffling the trailer and hooking and unhooking, they decided to stay put in a staging area at Sara Lee until this morning.

The last time I talked to Craig, they were just hitting the California border, after once again finding not a tire issue, but an air leak on the trailer shortly after leaving the Sara Lee compound.  It was a quick fix and they were in and out of the truck stop repair bay in record time.  Craig will drive into the company yard in Bloomington, CA early this evening, and then Roy will take over the driving and most likely get them either to French Camp or Corning.  Then it will be a relatively easy day Sunday driving and staging just south of Portland, OR for their delivery on Monday.

IT'S TIME FOR A BEER

Just what the doctored ordered tonight........a nice cold one.  Okay, who am I kidding?  It was more than one, but less than four, but who's counting?  All I know is that it tasted great, and the pizza I had with it was the crowning moment, because anyone who knows me, knows just how much I love pizza!  The reason?  A full day out in my friend's garage tackling projects, of which only one of them I managed to take a "before" picture of.

Yep, that is one ugly footstool, in which someone decided it needed caster wheels on the legs, and a God awful stained fabric for the seat.  What to do, what to do.  Some light sanding, spray painting 101, a little distressing, a nice light sage green burlap purchased at the fabric store, and some stenciling, and you got yourself a fine looking new refurbished footstool for the grand total of $15.00 for the footstool, fabric, and paint.  That is what I call a successful make over.

I'm also working on a redoing some frames, four 8x10's purchased for $3.00 with non reflective glass, which will be the new home for some scenic photographs, and hung on a wall in our home once I return in October.  A stool which will get a new coat of paint, and a new padded seat, and a chalkboard with some added bling to spruce it up.  If that isn't enough, I plan on hitting some yard sales over the next three days to see what else might need a new lease on life.

As far as the travels of Craig and Roy, they spent the night in Ontario, OR Tuesday night, then drove the boring back way through Nevada yesterday, stopping in Alamo, NV for the evening Wednesday.  Tonight finds them in Tonopah, AZ where they will have until 4pm tomorrow to deliver the juice to a Fred Meyer DC in Tolleson.  Then they have a pre plan to pick up a load of meat at the Sara Lee Plant and deliver it into Clackamas, OR Monday morning.  We think from here on out, they just might be kept pretty busy, but without the benefit of a nice cold one to enjoy.

AT LEAST ONE OF US IS BUSY

Most of you will probably think that busy person is Craig, and you would be wrong!  After enjoying two days at home, it was time to get back back to work.  We called ahead on Monday to see what if any load assignment was awaiting Craig and Roy's return on Tuesday.  I know I was hoping it would be a late afternoon start, and groaned out loud when I heard Craig say they would be there bright and early for an 8am load time in Spokane. 

That meant that I would have to get the house cleaned the night before, and then both of us wake up super early to take showers and then hit the local Wal Mart to get food supplies for Craig.  I'm here to tell you, waking up at 3am and having to run around to get stuff done, and then drive the 70 miles to the yard is a whole lot harder than just rolling out of bed and starting your day's drive just three feet away!  But we accomplished all that needed to be done and was loading up the truck when Roy arrived with his groceries as well.

After saying our goodbyes, not as hard this time since Craig will be back in three short weeks to start vacation time, the boys took off to Johanna Beverage Co. in Spokane to pick up 25,000 pounds of juice to take to Tolleson, AZ.   They were hoping to be able to pound out the miles and get it into Arizona early, since they are not qualified to run as a team, but were sadly informed that as of yet, there was not a load out of Arizona for them.  So it will be a slow drive into Arizona for a Friday afternoon delivery.  Here's hoping that things may change between now and then.

As far as the busy person in the family?  That would be me!   I drove into Walla Walla where I met up with my friend Cori who will be leaving for a few days to take care of some business in California.  I will be helping take care of her kids during the day, while her husband is at work while she is away.  During the rest of the time, we have projects lined up as far as eye can see in their three car garage.  We hit the ground running yesterday as soon as I got there, hitting three thrift store and picking up four pieces of furniture to work our magic on to add to the growing list.

Thankfully I have the use of their guest cottage while I am there and will be able to rest and recuperate during the evenings.  I am so excited to get busy on these projects and get them over to her retail space to sell.  I'll be sure to post updates and photos of what we'll be doing over the next three weeks, and I promise not to forget to keep you informed about Craig and his whereabouts too!

ENJOYING TWO DAYS OF REST

Craig and Roy finished up their four deliveries Saturday morning well ahead of schedule, and were ready to vacate the truck and start some days off by 10am.  I thought I had left the house early enough to coincide with their arrival, but with their super fast unloads, Craig ended up waiting about 30 minutes for me to come pick him up.   I was so happy to be reunited after four long weeks, but not so much for the big bag of dirty laundry that came along with the reunion.  But I'll put up with dirty laundry for exchange of a couple of days spent with Craig.

It didn't take long for the spoiling to begin.  After taking care of the laundry issue, I went about preparing a dinner of grilled sirloin steak, baked Yukon potatoes with bacon and cheese, coleslaw with home made dressing, and garlic bread.  A nice bottle of wine topped off the evening.

Today I'm hoping that all the spoiling will be paid off, by Craig installing a new ceiling light in the living room and two wall scones in the bedroom.  I may push my luck by asking to have a roman shade installed, but that may take the tempting of some home made fudge which is cooling as we speak.  Needless to say, we will enjoy a couple more tasty meals before we both pack up, Craig to go back out on the road and finish up training Roy, and as for myself?  After dropping off Craig Tuesday morning in Spokane, I'll make my way south to Walla Walla, where no doubt you will be treated to several posts of projects that my BFF Cori and I have on our list of things to do.

BASIC UPDATE - NOTHING EXCITING

I really don't have much in the way of an interesting update.  They made it into Corning, CA on Wednesday  night, and then drove all the way into Pacific, WA on Thursday evening.  It did take Craig awhile to inch his way through Portland, OR, as is usually the case when you try and drive through there anytime after 3pm on any day of the week.  But once he crossed over the Columbia River and past Vancouver, WA it was clear sailing into Pacific.

Their drop this morning went smoothly.  While waiting to get unloaded, Craig was called by his dispatcher, asking if he could go help out another TWT driver that was having some problems with the new electronic QualComm.  Craig was more than happy to help out, but it seemed like the driver, new to TWT but not to driving, with over 20 years experience, wanted to talk war stories more than he wanted to learn anything.  Craig tried his best and thinks he finally got some info passed along and was happy to beat a retreat back to his truck.

Their assignment came through shortly there after to drop the trailer there at the Fred Meyer DC, which appeased the yard goats who were chomping at the bit to take the empty trailer and put it in a dock.  Their dispatch was to pick up the load at 9pm and head into Spokane, WA for three drops and one in Idaho in Coeur d"Alene.  As luck would have it, their trailer was ready at 3pm so they took off driving, planning to get into Spokane by 10pm and catch about 6 hours sleep before heading out to make their four deliveries.

It looks like, if everything goes as we hope, that they should be back in the yard somewhere between 10am and noon.  I'll be there ready to take Craig home for a couple of days, and I know Roy is also looking forward to spending a few days with his family as well.  The training coordinator has already told Craig to plan on keeping Roy until his scheduled vacation on or around October 7th.  During those three weeks, they will run as close to team driving as they can, to get Roy accustomed to what it will be like when he gets cut loose to team with his son in law.

LESSONS TO BE LEARNED

After driving truck primarily on the west coast for over two years now, Craig has learned a trick or two on how best to get around LA.  As with the previous trainees that he has had, Roy was taught just how miserable it is to drive from San Diego, through LA, and over the Grapevine, staying only on Interstate 5 as suggested by the routing given by dispatch.  Craig always makes sure they see for themselves just what a headache it can be, and then afterwards, how advantageous it is to take secondary freeways instead.

Roy had that lesson yesterday when they left San Diego after picking of their load of bananas.  They left around 10am and by 4pm finally made it to Wheeler Ridge, CA and their first fuel stop of this load.  They called it an early night, and spent the night there relaxing with their computers and some TV watching.  Craig's not sure what he did, but he reconfigured some of the antenna wires, and he is now getting some pretty decent reception on our little TV we have inside the truck.  Should work out very well with the new fall season starting in a couple of weeks!

With about 1000 miles left to drive, they will split the driving duties over the next two days, with each of them driving about 5 hours a day.  Roy started out driving first this morning and got as far as the yard in French Camp, where they stopped to scan in paperwork, and then spent some time with Roy learning another lesson on fine tuning his backing skills.  They made good use of the large back lot of the company yard to do some normal and blind side backing.  Craig is getting him ready for his mid term testing when they come into Spokane for home time this weekend.

Craig took over the driving duties from French Camp, and will get them into Corning, CA and their next fuel stop.  They will stay the night there, take showers, and then drive a little over 600 miles tomorrow and stage in the company drop yard in Pacific, WA for their delivery at the Fred Meyer DC in Puyallup Friday morning.  Then if all goes as planned, they will get a load out of the distribution center and have an overnight run into Spokane with a delivery to a local Fred Meyer store either late Friday night, or early Saturday morning...........then let the home time begin!

LUMPERS: THE BIGGEST RACKET IN TRUCKING

I've said this before, but they might as well call lumpers extortionists for the amount of money they charge.  On Sunday morning, at their first stop in West Sacramento, after checking in, Craig was informed on what the lumper fee would be.  At that point in time, Craig wished he would of thought about getting a ComCheck when they received the dispatch on Friday afternoon, but then, they had the two bad tires to deal with, and being a self confessed "can only do one thing at a time male",  any thoughts of thinking ahead would have been my job, but I was home and not on the truck, so that left Craig in a bind.

Needless to say, when he was told the fee would be $250.00 he had to do some quick thinking.  Luckily, Craig worked in the West Sacramento area for almost 30 years, so he knew there was a mini mart not too far away.  Off on foot he went, and arriving at the ATM machine, then finding out it would only spit out $200.00 dollars.  Needing more money, he went on the hunt for another location with an ATM and found one at a gas station further down the road, but their ATM was not working.

Never one to give up, he spied a WalMart down the street and headed there, only to stumble across a credit union with a working ATM.  Loaded down with enough funds to pay off what we are calling "the new west coast mob", he slowly made his way back to the truck in plenty of time to pay the fee and then wait around a few more hours while they unloaded their portion of the meat from the trailer.  By 1pm they were finally on their way with a quick stop in French Camp, CA to scan paperwork, and then continue south to Wheeler Ridge where they stayed the night.

Craig had the early morning duties this morning, arising at 2:30am and driving into Bell Gardens, CA for the last delivery of this dispatch.  Here he found the lumper fee a bit more reasonable, at only $40.00, which he was able to pay from what was left over from yesterdays run on the ATM's in West Sacramento.  You can see from the pictures that this particular receiver was tucked away off the street, and Craig had no issues finding it or backing into the dock.

 Immediately after going empty, they were given a dispatch to pick up a load of bananas in San Diego Tuesday morning.  We both agreed that it was a great load, no only because it would allow them to avoid the heavy holiday traffic leaving LA today, but also will have them delivering in Puyallup, WA on Friday morning.  We are pretty confident that they will then get an overnight load from Puyallup into Spokane Saturday morning, which fits into Craig's plan for some home time before heading back out until vacation time in October.  You can bet I'll be waiting for him Saturday to whisk him home!

TIME OUT FOR NEW TIRES

Other than having to stay up all night and drive to deliver at three stops, Craig had a pretty easy go of it Thursday night and early Friday morning.  His first two stops in the Tacoma, WA area were places we have been to before, the first at McLane at 1am, and the second at Colonial Fruit and Produce which was only a few miles away, but the appointment wasn't until 4am.  But as I said, we have been to these places before, and knew that Colonial would be more than happy to take their one pallet early, and Friday morning would be no exception. 

Craig hung out after they took their pallet off the trailer for about an hour or so, before heading into Auburn, WA to the Safeway DC, where they have a large staging area where you are allowed to arrive 3 hours ahead of your appointment.  After checking in, Craig crawled into the bunk thinking that he would be able to grab a couple of hours of sleep, but 15 minutes later there was a knock on the door, and he was backed into a dock shortly thereafter.

By 8am they were unloaded and headed to the company drop yard in Pacific, WA where Craig would get some more sleep and wait to see what their next assignment would be.  Around 2pm they received their new dispatch information and Roy went about doing a pre trip inspection of the truck and trailer, and that is where he saw a tire in need of replacement, and while checking the air pressure on another trailer tire, he found a slice on the inside of the inner trailer tire as well.  A quick phone call to road service and they were on their way to the TA truck stop in North Bend, WA for two new tires.

A couple of hours later, they were back on the road driving to Wallula, WA to drop their empty trailer and see if the load they were picking up was ready.  It wasn't, so they parked in the staging area and went to sleep.  Craig was up at 4am to check on the trailer, and finding it ready, hooked up, scaled, and was on the road driving his half of the driving duties for the day.  With a stop in Biggs, OR for fuel, and a break to take in the sights of a barge going down river, he was back on the road to La Pine, OR where they would switch up drivers.

This load has two deliveries.  The first will be tomorrow morning in West Sacramento, CA at Tony's, and the second Monday morning in Bell Gardens, CA.  With Monday being a holiday, I'll be surprised if they get a new assignment until Tuesday, but there may be a loaded trailer waiting for them in the company yard in Bloomington.  Then begins the countdown until they come into Spokane, WA for a couple of days off and a little bit of spoiling.

BUSY BUSY BUSY

This tag team driving sure does get you places.  I was talking to Craig Tuesday morning in Idaho, and by 5pm that evening, they were in French Camp, CA doing laundry.  Roy is doing great in his training program, they are already well over a week a head of schedule on the tasks he needs to get proficient at.  Both Craig and I are wondering if he will be cut loose at the mid term testing, or if he will stay with Craig until October.  I guess we'll find out in about 10 days when they are scheduled to come into Spokane.

Wednesday morning Craig had a easy go of it driving into Pleasanton, CA well ahead of the commute traffic at 4am.  The place he delivered to was one of the friendliest places he has been in a long time.  Everyone was cheerful and friendly, had the trailer unloaded within an hour, and allowed him to stay on the property as long as he needed until his next assignment came in.  If only all shippers and receivers could be like that!

It didn't take long to get the word to head to Salinas, CA to Fresh Express and get the trailer washed out and dropped at their yard.  They bob tailed to the Pilot where they had a relaxing morning/afternoon until the QualComm started beeping at 2pm.  Their load was for 3pm, so they headed right over, and the trailer was ready and sitting on the line for them to hook up to.  Craig spent a little time going over the process of the routine and paperwork, since this will be a place that Roy will return to many times in his driving career.

Roy had the duties of driving them out of Salinas, and heading north, with a stop first at the yard in French Camp to scan some paperwork, and then onto Corning, CA where they fueled up and spent the night.  This morning they are grabbing showers and then will do the tag team driving with Roy starting out and driving to the halfway point to Tacoma, WA and then Craig taking over and driving to the first two stops in Tacoma starting at 1am tomorrow morning, and then onto Auburn, WA at 7am for their final stop.  At this point I've stopped guessing where they might be sent, especially with the long holiday weekend ahead, so I'll just be sitting this one out and waiting to see what the weekend brings.

UP UP AND AWAY

When Craig started driving Sunday morning, the sun had not yet begun to rise, but by the time he neared Eugene, OR and the sky was beginning to lighten, he had the pleasure of watching all the hot air balloons taking flight early in the morning.  It reminded us of one of our anniversary celebrations when we took our own hot air balloon ride in the Napa Valley.  It is definitely something on our list to do again!

After making the delivery at the Albertson's DC in Portland Sunday morning, Craig and Roy had a bit of a wait on their hands until their trailer would be ready for their trip to Boise, ID.  They dropped the empty trailer at the Fred Meyer DC in Clackamas, OR and bob tailed to a retail parking lot about a mile away.  Craig did a little retail shopping at the K-Mart to burn up some of the idle time until the trailer would be ready around 7pm.

By 8pm, Roy was in the driver's seat and drove to the Arrowhead Travel Center in Pendelton, OR, where Craig took over driving around 1am.  Four and a half hours later, they pulled into Boise, ID and began delivering to three different Fred Meyer Stores.  Craig said that at all of the stores, all the different departments were at the ready with pallet jacks to take their items off the trailer and stock their shelves. 

At 9am, about the time I started doing laundry, Craig called to say he was done and at the TA truck stop in Boise.  He was letting Roy continue to sleep uninterrupted for awhile before he woke him up to go to sleep on his bunk.  (While the truck is in motion, Roy sleeps on the lower bunk for safety reasons)  Craig took that opportunity to grab a hot breakfast before getting some well deserved sleep.

They had already been given a pre plan to pick up frozen french fries at AmeriCold in Ontario, OR at 8pm Monday night, with a delivery at 4am in Pleasanton, CA Wednesday morning.  After getting loaded, they decided to stay put and sleep for a few hours and start out early this morning.  Their routing this time will take them through Winnemucca and Reno, NV and drop down through Donner Pass on Interstate 80.  That is sure to be a nice change of scenery from Interstate 5.  With a plan to stage at the company yard in French Camp tonight, they should have an easy run into Pleasanton tomorrow morning.

THE $1 CHAIR MAKE OVER

I've made it a point to check out local yard sales while I have been at home the past few weeks.  This $1 chair was one of my first finds and I knew I couldn't go wrong with purchasing it.  My first order of business was to scrub and sand it down.  Then using Rustoleum 2x coverage spray paint, I gave it two coats of Oregano green.  I really like this color for it's subtle undertones and warm hues.  After letting the paint dry for a few days, I went about distressing it with some steel wool and then giving it a final once over with Minwax finishing paste.

I knew I didn't want to invest too much money into recovering the seat, so I went down to my local Ben Franklin store, and search through all their remnant table.  After not finding anything that spoke to me, I was just about to give up, when I found the one I knew would be perfect.  What was even nicer, was that the remnant was only about a yard, but I didn't need that much.  They actually cut it down even smaller for the size I needed, costing me only $4.

Armed with my screw driver and staple gun, I first went about removing the old stained, torn material.  Then centering my new material onto the seat, I cut around it leaving enough to pull up and around the seat to recover it.  Many staples later, the seat was recovered and screwed back into place.  I really love the way it turned out and for only $7 of materials, hope that someone in Walla Walla will love it as much as I do, when I take it to my friend's retail space to sell it.

VROOM VROOM VROOM

Wow, talk about great timing.  Usually at the Port, we are there at least 3 to 4 hours, but after Craig dropped Roy off at the front gate, he was in a dock, loaded, and scaled within 60 minutes!  That allowed them to head north out of San Diego well ahead of the Friday commute traffic, although it wouldn't spare them from hitting LA at 5pm.  Craig made the decision to take the less direct route, and head north on Interstate 15, taking multiple secondary freeways, to eventually get onto Interstate 210, which took them well north of LA. 

They pulled into the Petro Truck stop at Wheeler Ridge where they treated themselves to a hot meal and then hit the sack for some sleep.  Saturday morning had Craig starting the driving duties, but before they had gotten too far, he received a phone call from dispatch.  News had circulated that they were now in the super solo/team mode, and with another driver operating on limited hours, they would be dropping the trailer of bananas in the company yard in French Camp, CA and then relieving that other driver of his loaded trailer full of juice.

The juice needed to be in Portland, OR for a 10am delivery this morning.  Roy had the driving duties last night, and drove most of his driving hours to get them to Canyonville,OR where they shut down near midnight.  At 5am, Craig was once again in the driver's seat making the delivery.  They have already been given a pre plan to take a loaded trailer from the Fred Meyer DC in Clackamas and make several deliveries in the Boise, ID area.  This will be a run very similar to the one that Craig had a couple of weeks ago.  One thing we know, from now until they head in around September 11/12 for home time and Roy's mid term testing,  in the words of the Mazda commercial......it will be vroom vroom vroom!

3:10 TO YUMA

Well, I am striking out with guessing on what Craig's next loads will be.  After they went empty near Tucson, AZ Wednesday night, they stayed in the back lot of the Fry's they delivered to, and Craig took advantage of going inside and getting some fried chicken and some potato salad for dinner.  Suffice it to say, he had a very happy tummy that night!

With no word yet on a new assignment by 8am Thursday, they were told to go ahead and drive into Phoenix and await further instructions.  They took advantage of the down time and took showers and did laundry, and long about 1pm brought the information of a load of bananas out of the Port of San Diego for Friday morning.  As they performed their pre trip inspection of the truck and trailer, Craig found that the reefer would not start.  Since they hadn't had to use it with the case goods they were carrying, that kinda threw a monkey wrench into the plans to get into San Diego Thursday night.

Off they went to the Thermo King dealer in Phoenix to have the trailer looked at.  Worse case would be if they couldn't fix his trailer by 5pm, there was another TWT trailer at the ready that had just been repaired.  Come to find out, the RPM sensor wire had come loose, along with the sensor being bad. After the sensor was replaced, and the wire reconnected, they were on the road headed toward Yuma, AZ where their next fuel stop would be, and where they decided to call it a night at a road side rest area.  I have it on good authority that Russell Crowe was not sighted anywhere in the area.

This morning they were on the road early, with the first order of business to drop Roy off near the Naval Base, and for Craig to continue into the Port to pick up the load of bananas.  While they are busy in San Diego, I took off to visit a few yard sales in our little neck of the woods.  I didn't find anything major, but I did pick up a very nice turquoise blue half gallon Ball canning jar with a glass lid, along with a quart size one in a much lighter blue.  I also couldn't pass up a silver tea kettle made in Belgium which caught my eye.  Only spending a total of $3.00 on all three items didn't put a dent in my pocket book, and I just may get a good return on my investment when I sell them at my friend's retail space.

NOW THAT'S HOT

Well, so much for getting bananas after going empty in Poway on Tuesday afternoon.  Instead, they were told to head to the company yard in Bloomington, CA to await a team load from Clackamas, OR which would be delivered to six different locations in the Phoenix/Tucson, AZ area.  With an ETA of around 3am of the arrival of the trailer, they had a relatively relaxing rest of the afternoon/evening, trying to stay cool in 100 degree weather.  With the knowledge that they would be traveling yet further into hotter weather, there wasn't too much excitement over the new assignment.

Craig got the early driving duties this morning, taking off from the yard around 4am, and by the time he called me near 7am, he had reached the Arizona border, where they stopped at the Flying J for fuel in Ehrenberg.  Then it was off to begin a marathon of deliveries which would take them well into the afternoon and evening.  When I last heard from him, it was well over 110 degrees and they were arriving at their fourth stop of the day.  After having looked at the weather forecast for him, I hated to have to tell him that the overnight prediction was for it to only cool off to 90 degrees.   That is just not right.  Thank goodness for the APU, and that they will at least be able to sleep in comfort tonight.

I don't even want to go out on a limb and speculate about what work assignment they will receive tomorrow, but I'll venture to say it may be a load out of Sara Lee in Tolleson, AZ.  But hey, I've been wrong before.  I'm just riding out what I hope is the last hot day (90 degrees) that we will be having up here in Washington.  The weather man is already saying we will have a drop of about 20 degrees by Friday.  All I can say to that is ......"bring it on!"

MISSING MY HUSBAND

I miss my husband.  As much as the extra income of him training is nice, it doesn't compensate for what we lose.  Craig called me last night.  I could tell he was in a down mood.  First off, he is totally bored by having to sit in my passenger seat all day, while someone else is driving, and he says his butt hurts.  Guess my seat doesn't compare to his cushy driver's seat,  plus he misses me on the truck as much as I miss being on the truck. 

To add to that, his trainee Roy, has prior experience, and is driving like a pro.  Craig has already called into the training coordinator to see if they can put Roy on the fast track for sign off.  Looks like Monday they will be driving what they call "super solo/team" until Roy completes his training cycle. 

Did I mention I miss my husband?  Yea, I thought I did.  About two weeks apart is about as much as we handle.  It's great up in Usk, WA at home, especially now since the weather is turning more fall like.  Heck it was just 39 degrees this morning when I woke up with the windows open.  Just how we like it too, but it's not the same with Craig around.  Guess I'll just have to drown my sorrows in a good on line game of mystery and adventure.

Onto the trucking news for the day.  Craig and Roy made the delivery of my favorite product....ice cream..... at Producer's Dairy in Fresno, CA  and then in Poway, Ca this morning.  All is going well with training.  It has been the best match personality wise so far of the 4 trainees that Craig has had.  They have done some backing practice, gone over paperwork and logs, and now just need to put some time behind the wheel. 

I haven't heard from them yet, but imagine with them being so close to San Diego, that a load of bananas is in their future.  If they go to the Port, Roy will have to be dropped off outside the gates as he does not have a TWIC identification yet.  Let's hope for his sake, that they visit Hector at the off site loading location, where he can remain with Craig and the truck.

TRAINEE UPDATE

Well it was a bust on Friday at the yard sales.  There were a couple of items I would have loved to have gotten, but alas our little house is so small, there is no room for anything extra, and especially if it is larger than a bread box.  Everything else that I found, was too expensive to try and resell at my friend's shop, but I did find a nice remnant to recover the seat of that chair I found for $1 a couple of weeks ago.  I think that just might be my project this week.

Craig met up with his newest trainee Roy at the truck stop in Weed, CA Friday afternoon around 3pm.  After a very short get acquainted time, they hit the road to make it to Halsey, OR to stage for their delivery of the bananas in Clackamas Saturday morning.  Craig was up and ready to drive by 5am, and drove into the Fred Meyer DC where they were unloaded by 8am.  Shortly thereafter, they were assigned their next load, but it didn't pick up until this morning.  They will be picking up my favorite product.....ice cream.....in Eugene, OR and will have two deliveries, one in Fresno, CA on Monday and the second in Poway, CA on Tuesday.

I really think this is going to be a great match up with Roy.  He is about the same age as Craig, he is married and lives in the Spokane area, he is retired from the military, attaining the next to highest rank that an enlisted person can be, and has a master degree in psychology  Unlike Craig's other three trainees, he wants to drive, and has a son in law that was hired about 8 months ago with TWT and their plan is to drive team when Roy is through with his training.

As Craig and I like to say....."So far, so good", and we'll see how the next few weeks go before they head into Spokane for Roy's mid training testing.  He does have about two months of driving experience with another company, prior to getting hired with TWT, so everyone hopes that he will be signed off on his training by the time Craig takes off for Vacation around October 7th.

IT'S A GO

Well, it seems like it's all systems go for Craig to get another trainee today.  He received a phone call yesterday morning from Roy, who was hitching a ride with another TWT driver Bob, who used to work with Craig at his previous job.  They were picking up a load out of Wallula, WA, as Craig was making his way north from San Diego, after picking up a load of banana Wednesday afternoon.

One of the challenging obstacles when going into San Diego to pick up bananas, is this railroad crossing which is extremely busy during business hours.With the Naval Base across the street, crowds of pedestrians, and commuter trains, it is not a fun place for a big rig.  Never knowing exactly when the next commuter train will be coming, you need to time both the train and the traffic light, and not get the truck and trailer caught between the two.  Good times my friend.

Craig had spent the night Wednesday in San Diego, as he was the last one loaded out of the Port.  Leaving early Thursday morning, he first stopped by the company yard in Bloomington to fuel up, receive the above mentioned phone call from his new trainee, and also have the office electronically fix an error he had made on his driving hours on the new electronic log system.  He had inadvertently hit off duty driving, when he meant to hit on duty driving.  With a quick computer fix by one of the dispatchers, it was amended and he was on his way again.

He managed to pass this roadside fire near Avenal, CA before any emergency vehicle responded, and made it into the company yard in French Camp last night.  While there, he readied the truck for the trainee and called him to see what their ETA would be to Redding, CA today.  As it was, Craig would not have been able to complete this run, had he not had a trainee available to drive about two hours.  The delivery in Clackamas, OR at the Fred Meyer DC is for Saturday morning at 7am, and now they will be able to deliver without any problems.

All is calm on the home front.  With the painting complete, and the research done on the tiling project, all I have to do is wait until we have the extra funds to purchase the tile and proceed.  I think I my just head out and hit a couple of yard sales this morning to see if I can find any inexpensive treasures to give a transforming make over to.

THE CIRCUS

Craig is always joking around with me, saying now that he has gotten me to live the trucking life, that joining the circus isn't that far off.  But I gotta ask......."“What do people in the circus run away and join?”

The painting has been completed in the living room and I couldn't be happier with the outcome.  That leaves me with having to do a thorough cleaning of that space, and then move onto the kitchen.  There are a couple of things I would like to do there, like replace the ugly kitchen facet, but more intriguing to me, is doing some glass tiles around the stove.  I think I'll start my research on that, take my measurements, and see just how much this little project might cost me.

Craig left LaPine, OR Monday afternoon around 3pm, after sleeping all day.  Being fully rested, he decided to drive all the way into French Camp, CA to the company yard where he arrived around 2am Tuesday morning.  After getting some sleep, he took advantage of the facilities there to take a shower and do laundry, scan his last trip information and then fuel up before driving into Avenal, CA, which was as far as his remaining hours would take him.

This morning he took off for Long Beach and his 1pm delivery appointment, where he planned on arriving well ahead of schedule in hopes of getting unloaded early.  He was advised that he will have a new trainee assigned to him today, and they will be working on a way to get the trainee to Craig.  We imagine that by Friday, he should meet up with him, if this one lasts long enough to even meet up with Craig.

DISTRESSED

No, neither Craig nor I am the least bit distressed, but our old cabinets in the living room?  Now that's another story.  I started in on the biggest of the cabinets Sunday morning, and this morning I was able to replace the doors and add the new hardware.  This look might not be for everyone, and I am trying to get away from so many different wood tones, but I am loving the shabby chic look, and I think the cabinet looks richer.  Now I just need to do the other two cabinets above and below the TV, and have Craig get home to hang the new pendant light and old window.

Speaking of Craig, he managed to do the three deliveries in the Boise, ID area Saturday morning, and by 1pm, he was done and parked at the TA truck stop.  He was already beeped with a new assignment by the time he called me, and knowing that he didn't need to be in Hermiston, OR until 10pm Sunday night, meant that he could lay back and rest, sleep, and play his favorite computer game to his heart's content.  He even used some of his frequent fueler points to pay for a nice hot dinner!

Yesterday morning, he decided to head towards Hermiston.  He stopped prior to his arrival there to get the light weight on the truck and trailer, so that the loaders know how much product they can load on.  He arrived at the shipper, with enough time to be able to put in a 10 hour break and have his full driving clock to work with after being loaded.  By around midnight he was loaded and scaled, but about 100 pounds over the limit on his trailer tandem axle.  A couple of hard brakes on his way to his fuel stop in Biggs, OR should do the trick, and when he went through the closed scale in Madras, OR, he was 75 pounds under the limit.

He decided to drive until he got into LaPine, OR this morning around 5am, where he is presently sleeping and will take off again around 3pm and head to Corning, CA.  The french fries are due to be delivered in Long Beach, CA on Wednesday at 1pm.  He should have no problem making that on time and still have available hours for maybe another load of bananas our of San Diego.  Now I think it's time for my rest break to be over, and for me to get back to my painting chores.

SO CLOSE TO A 34 RESTART

Would you believe that Craig got within 2 hours of getting a complete 34 hour restart on his hours?  We thought it was a done deal, with just under two hours of remaining time left on his driving clock until midnight Friday night, we were so certain that he would not have a new assignment until Saturday.  Boy were we wrong.  Yesterday afternoon he was beeped with a new dispatch to pick up a load at the Fred Meyer DC in Clackamas, OR and do an overnight driving stint to three stores in the Boise, ID area this morning.  Only problem was the limited amount of driving time available since the load was suppose to be picked up at 9pm.

After a few phone calls were made between Craig, dispatch, customer service, and Fred Meyer, it was okayed for him to pick up the load as soon as he was able to start driving.  He left Aurora, OR around 10:30pm and headed to Clackamas to pick up his loaded trailer.  Then it would be an all nighter to reach the Boise area by around 9am this morning for his first delivery appointment.  Loaded down with a couple of liter bottles of his favorite caffeine he headed out.  As of the writing of this entry, I'm still waiting to hear from him when he gets to his first delivery.

On the home front, I made the trek into Spokane yesterday, to visit my now good friends at the paint department at Home Depot.  I pushed aside my fears, and purchased the paint and supplies I will need to start the transformation of our cabinets in the living room.  I'm still working up the courage to actually start, but I figured if I left the paint and supplies next to the cabinets, where they can taunt me, I'll be more motivated to start in on this project.  I'm thinking by tomorrow I should have paint brush in hand and doing battle.

HIGHLIGHT OF HIS WEEK!

After the trials and tribulations that Craig had with that last load of meat, he was due for some good stuff to come his way.  He was happy, after a long drought, to get a load of bananas out of San Diego, and this time, instead of going to the Port, he paid a visit to his old friend Hector, at the secondary receiving location, tucked tightly into a residential area.  But with his luck changing, when he called to see if his load was ready, he was told to scoot right on in, which he did, and found absolutely no one else in the dock area, which made for an easy back, load, and departure.

Leaving San Diego at 5pm wasn't exactly the ideal time to head north with his bananas, but luck was still on his side, and he managed to get back to the yard to fuel, escape LA, and still make the Petro in Wheeler Ridge, CA before his driving hours ran out, or any real traffic frustration hit.  The memory of that meat load was fast becoming a distant memory as he crawled into bed and called it a night.

Wednesday morning held the promise of a great day, as he drove north and stopped in Lodi to fuel up.  As he was fueling, he noticed a Nor-Cal Beverage service truck parked at the store.  That is the company Craig worked at for over 28 years before leaving to live life out on the open road.  As he was walking in, one of his best buddies Tommy, was walking out, and he was really thrilled to be able to spend a few minutes not only with him, but two other guys he used to work with.  Craig got one of them to use his phone and snap a picture.  It really was the highlight of his week to be able to meet up again with these guys.

With all that running around in LA and dealing with traffic, it ate away at his driving hours more than usual.  With that in mind, after receiving the banana assignment, Craig knew that he would fall a few hours short of being able to deliver them in Puyallup, WA Friday morning.   He will only be able to make it to Wilsonville, OR where the company has a drop yard, and he will drop the trailer there late this afternoon, and then be out of driving hours until midnight Friday.  At least he will be able to bob tail over to the TA truck stop in Aurora, OR where he can have facilities at his disposal while recouping some driving hours.

On the home front, I have completed painting two walls up in the loft, and figured out where to stop at this  point with the new paint color in the kitchen.  Good thing, because I had pretty much used up the can of paint.  Next up on my project list is to paint and distress the cabinets in the living room.  I'm a bit nervous, because it really is a point of no return once I start, but with some confidence building from my BFF Cori, I will be giving it my all maybe this weekend.

AND NOW THE REST OF THE STORY

You didn't think you had heard the last of the meat load that got refused did you?  I'm going to do my best to retell what we are calling "Craig's Great Adventure in Vernon".   He made his delivery in Oxnard, CA yesterday morning and by time he was unloaded, except for those 8 pallets of refused meat, he was awaiting what to do and where to go.  Would you believe that he was told to go back to the same facility that had refused the load and delivery it again.  I can read your mind, and I had the same thoughts when Craig told me the news.

Upon his return, and having to do a nasty blind side back into the dock, the clerk remembered Craig and was all smiles as he said he would gladly work him in and get him unloaded as quickly as they could.  Quickly turned out to be three hours later, and after getting his signed paperwork, and finding it all in order, he finds a box of strip steaks still inside his trailer.  What the hell?  He walked back in, stating that they had signed for the full load, but they would not accept that one box of steak because someone at the shipping plant had wrote on the box in Spanish.  The box, other than what was written on it, was intact and undamaged.  The Spanish speaking person who was there said that what was written didn't even make any sense, but refused it they did.

By this time it is 5pm, and Craig is told to drive the 60 plus miles to the company yard in Bloomington and that they would try and figure out what to do with it in the morning.  Guess what?  This morning rolls around, and after numerous phone calls between Customer Service, the shipping office, and the meat place in Vernon, it was decided that Craig would return there a third time to drop off the box of meat.  At this point, I am beside myself at home hearing all of this, thinking to myself, that must be one heck of an expensive box of meat, to be paying Craig all the detention pay and extra miles to babysit it now for over two days.

So Craig returns again, asks for the person he was suppose to ask for, that said person comes to the counter, and says "NOPE, not going to take that box".  At this point, I think I would start to look around for a hidden camera, because this is getting ridiculous.  Craig calls back into the office, they reaffirm that the person is to take possession of the box, but that person still refuses.  As luck would have it, a representative from the shipping office is in the area, and he is told where Craig is, and he responds there and takes possession of the box of meat.  Boy, was Craig happy to wash his hands of that fiasco and be done with it.

On the home front, I am now on day two of painting.  I completed the two walls in the living room, yesterday, and started on the upstairs loft area.  I still have some more painting to do downstairs, as our house has rounded walls, and I can't seem to figure out where to stop painting.  While I figure our my painting dilemma, Craig will be heading north after picking up a load of bananas in San Diego.  Oh, and his trainee he was suppose to get?  He already quit before even starting.  

WHAT A DAY!

No, I'm not talking about me, unless you take a look at my fingers, which I managed to pick and chew at all day, as I heard updates from Craig and the day he was having.  This first trip of his, out of Spokane, had a bit of a tight time schedule, with him driving to his maximum hours both Friday and Saturday.  Yesterday morning, he left Avenal, CA about 9am to make his way into Los Angeles for his 2pm delivery, and that is where his day would progressively get challenging.

Upon his arrival at his first stop in Vernon, CA and checking in at the office, it became suddenly apparent, that they had no record of the load of meat that Craig was delivering.  He watched, as they called their broker and spoke directly to the person who does the ordering, who in turn said she had no purchase order number for the meat Craig was delivering, and for them to refuse the 8 pallets of frozen meat.  After talking to Craig, and hearing that they had also refused a load just prior to his arrival, I'm thinking someone dropped the ball somewhere, and unfortunately, Craig would be left to deal with it. 

Now to add to the hiccups that had just occurred, Craig knew that he would need a CommCheck to pay for a lumber at his next stop.  When he called dispatch, he was told that the electronic checks could not be issued over the weekend, and the best they could do was issue an advance on Craig's next check, and then he could put in for a reimbursement.  I know, I can already hear you thinking "what is the difference"?, but with not nearly enough in his wallet to begin paying for what lumpers cost, Craig had to start driving around Los Angeles trying to find someplace where first, he could park a tractor trailer rig, and secondly, would have an ATM machine.

By this time, I think it was probably best that I was not with him, because as I sat at home and heard about his day, my stomach was churning and I started gnawing on my fingers like a buzz saw.  As you know, what you imagine is most times, worse than what is really happening, but no amount of logic would calm my anxiety.  But Craig, ever the trooper, found an AM/PM which he could park around the corner, got the cash he would need from the ATM, and headed bravely to his second stop.

He arrived a couple of hours early of his 6pm delivery, due to the refusal at his first stop, and got in line behind two other trucks that were waiting to be unloaded.  He was informed that the unloader would not be there until 6pm, but was happy to see that he actually arrived at 5pm and started unloading one of the trucks.  Now Craig started his day at 9am, which meant that by 11pm he needed to be somewhere for the night before his 14 hour clock ran out.  He was planning on being in Oxnard, CA where he had his last scheduled stop at 7am this morning.

I don't think I even need to say what happened do I?  Okay, okay, if you insist, I'll go on.  Craig finally gets into the dock, where the slowest ever lumper went about unloading their 11 pallets and then ever so slowly broke down the pallets and inventoried the meat as Craig, and I at home, watched the clock tick away at his quickly dissolving 14 hour clock.  By the time he was finally unloaded in Vernon and on his way to Oxnard, he had just 1 hour to go 53 miles.  Now we're talking LA and weekend traffic, and we got ourselves a race against the clock.  Much to Craig's credit, he pulled into where he was going to spend the night, about 2 miles away from his last stop, with only 3 minutes left on his 14 hour clock.

Boy, talk about a nail biter......literally!  I was happy to hear he got to Oxnard, and parked safely at a receiver we  had been to before, and knew had an open lot that he could use for the night.  He'll only be able to do an 8 hr break, before having to be at his last delivery 2 miles away.  Then we'll have to see what they will have him do with that refused 8 pallets of meat.  Not only for his sake, but to save my fingers, I hope he doesn't have to run around all over LA trying to unload those 8 pallets.  I think now would be a good time for me to start painting!

PROJECTS IN THE MAKING

Don't think for one minute that I'll be sitting idle while Craig is busy driving up and down Interstate 5.......well, I guess I will be sitting......while I watch hour after hour of HGTV, but idle I will not be, as my brain will be busy thinking of all the things I want to do to spruce up the old homestead.

After dropping Craig off at the yard and getting him settled back into the truck, I made my way up Division Street in Spokane towards home, making several stops along my way.  First stop was at Home Depot, where I purchased some painting supplies and a gallon of paint, which I was assured, once the sample spot of paint on the lid of the can dried, would be the color I indeed picked out.  The jury is still out on that one, but we'll find out soon enough if it will be a winner or not, once it gets up on the wall.

I also managed to hit a few yard sales once I got closer to Newport, WA which is the biggest little town, (population 3,000), closest to our little hamlet of Usk, WA.  I struck gold on my third stop, where I found this little gem of a chair to repurpose for a grand total of $1.00 !  I already have some fabric I can use to recover the seat and paint to give it a new look with maybe a little bit of distressing to give it that perfect "shabby chic" look.

Yes, I got lots of projects like these to keep me busy for the next couple of months......that is if I can tear myself away from HGTV long enough to get started, and turn off the TV.   Now where is my remote?

OFF HE GOES

It was a sad morning.  Not only did we have to wake up at 4:30am to head into the yard, but Craig would be leaving without me.  We get torn over the decision, when I stay behind, and he goes out and trains.  I enjoy the chance to putter around our home to paint and decorate, and we both enjoy the extra income that training brings us.  What we don't like is the being apart from each other, but we have decided to have Craig come in for a couple of days of home time after Labor Day, before heading back out again until our vacation time in October.

As far as his trainee goes, he is without one for now.  Word on the street is that there is a slew of trainees coming out next week sometime, so Craig will probably have time for a run south before heading back north for a trainee.  I had to smile to myself as I watched Craig put away all of his provisions and personal items when we got to the truck this morning.  Usually that is my job, but when he goes out by himself, he likes to put things away the way he likes it, so I just sat back and enjoyed our last moments together.

He was given an assignment right out of the gate this morning.  First he had to bob tail into Spokane and pick up a trailer that was being repaired.  From there he drove to the Tyson Meat Plant in Wallula, WA to drop the empty and pick up a loaded trailer of boxed meat, which he will take into LA for two deliveries on Sunday, and one delivery in Oxnard, CA on Monday.

He is now fully operational on the electronic logs, and if the last two weeks we were out using both paper and electronic logs are any indication, he'll actually get more driving time using electronic logs as you are not limited to the minimum 15 minute blocks to complete a task.  It seems that Craig is in the minority of the drivers that are embracing this new system.  But then that is how my husband rolls......he is a "can do" type of person.

THIS IS THE LIFE

I'm working on perfecting the ultimate Lemon Drop Martini, while sitting out on our front porch, looking out at the river.  The weather is great, (not too hot), and the nights cool down to about 50 degrees.  I know we won't have any problems staying here for longer lengths of time, once Craig decides to stop driving truck.  We really couldn't have picked a more perfect place to call home.

I've been asked to post the recipe for the S'more Brownies, and seriously?...... they couldn't be easier to make.  But keep it your little secret when you take them to your next pot luck, because they really are the best thing that ever happened to a brownie!

S'more Brownies

1 package brownie mix (you need the 9 x 13 size and I prefer the Betty Crocker one) plus the ingredients listed on the box to make the brownies

3 (1.55 oz) Hershey’s milk chocolate bars

4 graham crackers (full size, you know as big as the Hershey bar)

1 (7 oz.) jar of Marshmallow Creme/Fluff

Mix up your brownie mix according to package direction and pour mix into a 9 x 13 pan. The Betty Crocker one says to put it in the 9 x 13 pan with the bottom sprayed with cooking spray. (the next batch I make, I'm going to line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper to make it easier to cut and remove the brownies).Then bake according to the package directions. When done, let cool for 5 minutes. Then drop spoonfuls of the marshmallow creme/fluff down the center of the pan of brownies. Then let sit for a few minutes. The warm brownies will help the marshmallow spread out over the top of the brownies. You can gently use a knife to help it go to the corners if needed. Then chop up your graham crackers and chocolate and sprinkle on top of the marshmallow layer. Allow to cool and enjoy! 

I found the longer you can make yourself wait before cutting into the brownies, the easier they are to remove, but hey, I wasn't complaining about eating the crumbled warm ones I tried to remove shortly after they were done.  Someone has to make those sacrifices in a relationship.

WE'RE FINALLY HOME

We're finally home, and let the spoiling begin.  Exhibit #1

I have three more days to spoil him until he returns to the truck and takes on another trainee and I stay behind at home.  I have some projects I want to work on,  and I'm hoping Craig gets matched up with a good trainee.  I'll be sure to keep you all updated on the going ons at the house and out on the road.  Now it's time for me to start planning what my next culinary delight will be for my sweetie.