THANKSGIVING AT THE BEACH

The title and photo are just a little bit misleading. It is Thanksgiving and we are at Beach, but not the beach, with sand between our toes and the soft caressing waves of the ocean lapping at our feet. No, we are in Beach, North Dakota right on the border of North Dakota and Montana. We awoke early as always, seems our bodies are on permanent eastern time and started our trek westward. There was a light fluffy snow falling as we left Fargo and as Craig had promised me, we started listening to Christmas music. I'm sure he regretted that decision about two hours into our drive to our Thanksgiving feast.


Our timing couldn't have been better as we pulled into the mostly empty lot right at 12 noon. I counted about 20 trucks parked and a steady flow coming and going from the fuel island. The majority of the truckers we saw going into the building were headed for the showers. That little chore we took care of the night before, so off we headed toward our feast that awaited us.


The dining room had two types of people, those who were traveling with family and stopping for a meal and the truck drivers who were scattered about by themselves at tables and booths. Craig and I enjoyed a rather nice buffet, but as Craig said "It's not as good as home made, but good none the less".


After the last fork full of pumpkin pie and as with every Thanksgiving dinner, eating more than we should have, we headed out to our truck. Back on the Interstate and it looked as if we had the road all to ourselves as the temperature stayed hovering at about 25 degrees. The snow along the roadway got more plentiful as we got further into Montana. As the sun set we pulled into Billings, MT for the evening, our stomachs full and thankful for all the blessings in our lives.

FIRST SNOW OF THE SEASON

We waited out the weekend within the warm confines of our truck while in Calgary. Craig tried in vain to see if he could hook up our satellite TV, but all he was able to manage, was what we called the military channels, which showed the Pentagon channel and some other non entertaining programs. We were left with just what we could pick up locally, but found a nice selection of US broadcast shows to keep us interested.

The weather, although cold, was sunny with nary a cloud in sight. We arrived at the dealership Monday morning, waited about 15 minutes for the crane to show up, and quickly off loaded the three boats and two crated motors. Off we headed to fuel up before making the trek back to the US.

The Trans Canadian Highway which was the route we took, does not offer much as far as scenery as you can tell from the photo posted. But then come to think of it, as I write this, it's pretty much the same in North Dakota as the second photo proves.

At least I can proudly proclaim we have experienced the first snow of the season as we neared Minot, ND. It was trying to stick to the ground, but we passed through it and were under clearer skies and no snow a mere 10 miles down the road.

But, before the snow was too far from our minds, Craig tuned into the Christmas music on one of the Sirius satellite channels and off I went singing away. Craig could only handle so much of the music, and although he would never admit it, my singing, and as we neared Jamestown, ND we put the holiday spirit to rest for the day. As far as the snow? I'm sure Craig is looking forward to more of that than more of my singing. Fa la la la la !!!

BLOWIN' IN THE WIND

This is our latest load, fresh out of Little Falls, Minnesota. We started experiencing winds on our return from Winnipeg and they continued to blow as we got loaded and then left for our first stop in Williston, North Dakota. Now normally, these rigs do not get good gas mileage. On average, you are doing good if you get around 7 miles to the gallon. When we have boats loaded as they are here, each one of those boats act as a parachute. Add a strong 35mph head wind and it makes for some challenging driving and lousy gas mileage.

Another victim of the strong winds is the shrink wrap on the boats. On more than one occasion we have had to pull over and completely remove the wrap as it was torn to shreds from the wind. This time Craig caught the damage early. We bundled up as much as we could so that we were still able to move and made our way outside. Our first battle was with the ladder. It hadn't been used in awhile, and along with the frigid weather the metal was not cooperative in releasing it's grip so that we could open it and extend it in order for Craig to get up high enough to try and repair the shrink wrap.

So with the battle of the ladder won, Craig climbed up as I stood by to make sure the ladder remained firmly grounded. But I must confess, I did step away just long enough to take this picture, let's just keep that our little secret. Craig went to work repairing the rip and we quickly gathered up our ladder, loaded it back onto the truck and jumped inside to warm up.

We made it to our first stop in Williston, ND Thursday afternoon. Unbenounst to us, they needed a crane, so we waited about an hour for its arrival. Having safely unloaded the pontoon boat we were off to find the one small truck stop in town to stay for the night. One wrong turn, and a tight spot to make a turn around, we found the truck stop and settled in for the night.

Arising Friday morning we made our way towards the border and the dreaded Customs. I have been of late, trying to channel my best friend Cori, and her attitude about not worrying. So with that in mind, I tried throwing caution to the wind that still plagued us and made our way to the Customs booth. Low and behold it worked! With a red Customs stamp on our paperwork we were cleared to enter Canada and make our way to Calgary.

Since we would not be able to deliver the last three boats until Monday morning, we had all the time in the world to get there. With a stop in Swift Current, Manitoba for the night, we arrived in Calgary Saturday around noon. The new Flying J Truck Stop will be our home with the dealership only 2 miles up the road.

We know after we off load the boats Monday morning that we will be sent right back to Little Falls for a load of boats going to Loomis, California. We also know that we will not be home for Thanksgiving, but if all goes well, we should be home in Modesto the Monday following Thanksgiving. As far as anything else? Well, as Bob Dylan so eloquently said......."The answers my friend are blowin in the wind, the answers are blowin in the wind"

A NORMAN ROCKWELL WORLD

I admit, I have a love affair with Minnesota. Every time we have the opportunity to drive the back roads of this State, it is like time has been turned back. The small quaint little towns we drive through make me long to put down roots here. Each town we pass does remind me of living in a Norman Rockwell world. Now, I don't know if that type of world ever existed or can exist, but if it does I want to be there.


I guess it's the simple life I crave, and when I think about it, my life today is much simpler than it ever was. Once we made the decision to take our life out on the road and on this great adventure, we discarded anything and everything that ever complicated it. No house, no car, no repairs, and especially no bills. We do have an uncomplicated life and for that I am very thankful. It showed me that I didn't need a lot to make me truly happy. We again have our health, and we have each other, and family that loves us no matter how crazy we decide to live our lives.

Our current assignment has taken us to Little Falls, Minnesota to pick up 4 boats which are to be delivered to Williston, North Dakota and Calgary, Alberta Canada. Yes, another trip into Canada. On our last run, my try at imitating Jeannie failed miserably. We had a slight delay at the border and the Customs office while a mistake in border crossing locations was fixed. Oh if only border crossings were like a Norman Rockwell world....now that would make me very happy.

I DREAM OF GENIE

There will be no bottle big enough for this Genie, or three wishes granted. In fact, Major Nelson was no where around when we loaded this Genie Z60 onto our trailer, although strangely the theme to that wonderful 60‘s sitcom was running through my head. Our assignment was to take the Genie from the company yard to, yes, my favorite place (insert sarcasm here) Canada. Now, don’t get me wrong. It’s not Canada per se that I don’t like going to, it’s the paperwork and Customs procedures that can sometimes, well, be a royal pain in the butt. But, this time, since the paperwork was all at the yard, our dispatcher Katie had already gotten the paperwork all in order and faxed it to the Broker.

We waited until Saturday morning, to load, but we were not alone. A little storm decided to join us while we went to work chaining down the Genie. Thankfully our rain gear kept us mostly dry and in a short time we were headed down I90 towards our first fuel stop.

Our drop Tuesday morning in Canada is just across the border in Winnipeg, Manitoba, just a short drive from Fargo, North Dakota where we are staying tonight . Word has it when we deliver the Genie we will be directed to go to one of three boat plants in Minnesota to pick up some boats. Until we know for sure, I’ll be making like Barbara Eden, arms crossed and doing a little magic of my own to ensure we have a hassle free border crossing with Customs.

ASK ME NO QUESTIONS, I'LL TELL YOU NO LIES

There has been a whirlwind of activity the last couple of days on our journey and I though some famous proverbs would help illustrate the story. "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise" Now it's true, we have been going to bed and rising very early this past week, but I'm not so sure it has made us healthy, wealthy, or wise. As we drove into Great Falls for our first unload we carefully followed the directions that were given to us by the dealer. Imagine our shock as we turn a corner and see "Caution Low Clearance" staring us straight in the face. I point and anxiously ask if Craig saw what I saw as he quickly finds a spot to park off to the side of the roadway. Knowing that "Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades" we quickly got out of the truck with tape measure in hand. Feeling satisfied that we would safely, albeit, slowly make it under the aforementioned low clearance we started back down the road only to see that we would be making a left turn prior to the railroad over crossing. Oh well, as the saying goes, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".

I had anticipated with excitement our drive into Kalispell knowing that we would be going through a part of Glacier National Park. But this is one time "The early bird gets the worm" did not come true. We had left way before sunrise to get to the dealership early, so the only thing I saw was total darkness. Oh well, "Tomorrow is another day" and we no doubt will have other opportunities to come this way again.

Driving through Kalispell to the dealership we drove right by their court house which sits smack dab in the middle of town. So much so, that the road divides to go around it and I thought to myself "A picture is worth a thousand words" so I snapped this one as we drove by.

Putting in our empty call, we were quickly sent just a mere 180 miles away to Cataldo, ID to pick up a load of lumber to take into the company yard. Knowing that "Haste makes waste" we methodically made our way to our destination, a small milling company right off the Interstate. Never quite knowing what you will get with these back hauls we "Hoped for the best, but expected the worse" and drove up to the very muddy entrance to the saw mill.

Trudging through the mud, the lumber was quickly loaded onto our trailer and then the fun really began........TARPPING. Knowing that "Many hands make light work" , we worked together to get the tarp unfolded and "Little by little and bit by bit" our load went from this:
To this in no time at all
With only about 70 miles to travel to the company yard we pulled into the yard by late afternoon and went about having the lumber off loaded from our trailer onto a flatbed. Knowing that "All good things come to an end" , this is where my proverb story will end, but not without hoping that "A good beginning makes a good ending" and of course, "A woman's work is never done".

A SWEET LITTLE RUN TO MONTANA

The delivery Monday morning went very smoothly. We had no sooner put in our empty call when we got a dispatch to go to our favorite boat plant in Pipestone, Minnesota. Making it into Wisconsin Monday evening we pulled into the plant Tuesday afternoon and shortly there after we were loaded with three boats scheduled to be delivered to Great Falls & Kalispell, Montana. The guys at the plant had wondered where we had been hiding, and as much as I wished we had a more exciting story to tell, we were left with just our medical sad saga to relate.


There hasn't been much as far as scenery or items of interest along the roadways the last two days. Fortunately, going into Kalispell should give me some great photo opportunities. But as always, with the end of each day, there is always a chance to see a great sunset and tonight's was no exception. Enjoy and I'll be checking back in from Montana!

TIME ON OUR HANDS IN MICHIGAN

Having an oversize load, and traveling through many States, you are always looking over your permits and confirming when and on what roads you can travel. Leaving the company yard loaded down with copies of all our permits we headed East. Some States let you travel at night, most have restrictions to drive only between sunrise and sunset, and then you have the States that restrict your traveling during the weekends. We were lucky enough to make it into Michigan Friday evening before sunset and their restriction of oversize loads traveling on their interstates anytime Saturday and Sunday.

As you can imagine, this left us with some time on our hands. We stayed at a truck stop just outside of Ann Arbor, MI but unfortunately there wasn't much around the area other than another truck stop across the street. We parked the rig where we had the best spot to people watch. After all, with that much time, we had to do something to entertain ourselves, and let's face it, sometimes truck drivers can make for some fun watching.

Having our fill of watching some good and not so good backing up, and the latest in trucking fashions (which will be a blog entry for another time), we did some more organizing of the truck and laundry. We of course had more than our fill of TV watching and computer time, so when I saw the post card I posted above, I tried to get my own Michigan sunset from where we were parked and this was the best I could do.
We are anxious to get our first delivery under our belts Monday morning since our return to work. As always we will be looking forward to hearing where our next assignment will take us. Until then, we sit in our truck, watching the sun set on another beautiful day in Michigan.

HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR

I love this time of year. If asked, Halloween is my favorite holiday and fall my favorite season. I remember as a child, the excitement of going to houses that decorated for the trick or treaters. As an adult, I always tried to go all out and decorate my own home and dress up to hand out the candy. The past two years, I have been out on the truck, and have missed being able to partake in this holiday. I have seen a few drivers that have gotten into the spirit and attached paper pumpkins or spiders to the front of their rigs.

We found ourselves at a rest stop, in the middle of nowhere in North Dakota, as the sun was setting and little ghosts and goblins around the State where getting ready to fill their bags with treats. I looked to my right and noticed this face painted onto one of the trees near where we parked and thought it was appropriate for the evening. We noticed more and more trucks pulling in for the night, and I joked to Craig about going trick or treating. But then I stopped and realized it would most likely be perceived differently and land me in jail.

So, instead we turned on our satellite radio and listened to what they were calling their “Halloween Spooktacular”. We turned off the lights and sat in total darkness and listened to old time radio shows of Frankenstein and the Werewolf. I was hoping for a little fright on this Halloween night, but what we got was an hour of laughing and making fun of the acting. Not quite the spooky evening I was hoping for.

And then it happened. We had just settled into our beds, and we started hearing noises. Craig had just told me the dangers of staying in remote rest areas, at the time, not knowing if he was just telling stories or not. I strained to hear more. There were banging noises and then these “ooooooo” sounds. Some were low pitched, some a little higher, but they were definitely there. “Craig”, I whispered, “Do you hear those noises”? Anticipating my husband saving me from the evil that lurked outside our truck, he calmly rolled over and said “cattle truck”. Enough said.

WE'RE BACK !!!!!

We're back and I can't begin to tell you how great it feels. We were both so excited to drive out of the company yard and start this trip delivering the boats to Brighton, Michigan.

I was able to attend the re certification class with Craig on Monday, and I have to say, for not being a driver, I did alright answering the questions on the tests. It was a very small class, with only two other drivers, a husband and wife team. We got along quite well, and it made the day go by faster.

We also had to wait around to get our truck back from the body shop. In fact, we volunteered to drop off another truck that needed body work so that we could get our truck back a little faster. Having retrieved our truck, we were anxious to get back to the yard and settle in for the night for some good sleep, after all this was going to be my first night sleeping in my new home. I have to tell you, I am very happy with this truck, and the room that we have inside.

Here is our new home in it's glory at a rest stop in Montana. We couldn't have asked for nicer weather and the fall colors have been beautiful. Yes, we are back, and we couldn't be happier!

THE MOUNTAIN HAS BEEN CLIMBED

WHEW! It's been a long three months, and it has felt like we have climbed many mountains, and finally we have made it to the top to claim our stake in resuming our lives as we knew it pre injury. We found out a lot about ourselves and what we are capable of, we were blessed to have family that took us in and didn't want us to leave, and we reaffirmed that the decision we made in January 2006 to sell everything and hit the road was indeed the best thing we ever did.

We have had a very busy three days. Craig picked up two over sized boats in Roseburg, OR and was directed to go to the yard in Spokane. I rented the car, and looking very much like the Beverly Hillbillies, minus Granny on top of the car in her rocking chair, I managed to get all of our belongings inside and drive the 1000 miles to Spokane in 16 hours. All day Saturday and most of Sunday we spent organizing the truck and making it home. We are both very happy with the room we have inside and can't wait to hit the road Tuesday morning.

Sunday, we also took a drive to our lot near Newport and got our first look at it without snow on the ground. This will be the view from our living room when we get the park model home delivered. We were able to leave instructions with the park coordinator on where we want our storage building and crushed gravel on our site. We are hoping to be able to call it home by the end of next year.

We took a short walk down to the river and I was able to capture this image. We are both looking forward to living in an area where the four seasons can fully be enjoyed.

Craig will be attending his recertification class on Monday and the body work will be preformed on the truck. When that is done, we will be starting the countdown to being back on the road again, headed to Michigan to deliver the two over sized boats. We couldn't be happier about being given this opportunity to be out on the road again and living our dream.

A TALE OF TWO CITIES

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us; we were all going directly to Heaven, we were all going the other way."
-- Charles Dickens

I could very much relate to this quote from Charles Dickens after the last couple of days. With the jubilation of Craig getting cleared to go back to work, to the disappointment of calling in for an assignment and being told to wait to see how they wanted to proceed. If anything was shown to us these past three months, "waiting around" is not something we do well. With the information regarding the recovery of the truck in Oregon, we thought we would hasten the decision making by offering to have me drive Craig to the truck. It took a good 36 hours before the previous driver found a way to clean out his belongings and we were given the go ahead to drive to Oregon instead of Craig taking a bus.

We enjoyed our drive up, taking in the beauty of the changing leaves. We had a late start Tuesday afternoon, and decided to stay for the evening in Redding. Up very early......too early for how comfortable the bed was at the Hampton Inn, we proceeded on into the city of Coquille and our new home which awaited us. It was easy to find, as the previous driver had called to give us directions, and we set about doing a safety check on tires and lights. As pleased as we were to have a truck again, we were dismayed, to learn all too quickly, that the previous driver was a smoker! There is just no amount of Frebreeze to take away that smell. We had it just about taken care of in our old truck after a year of airing it out, to now have to start over with this one.

Since this truck is an International and not a Freightliner, we were happy to see there was much more room inside the truck, along with an adequate amount of windows for the upper bed which we did not have before. But with all that extra room, we noticed a big difference in storage areas, or lack of, in this truck. But given time, we will have this truck feeling like "home" in no time at all.

Once Craig had put what little he had brought with him inside the truck, he called for information on where he should go. We had thought, they wanted him ASAP back at the yard in Spokane, WA as there is some minor body work that needs to be done on the truck, plus his re-certification on his return to work from the back injury. But, we thought wrong, which of course isn't the first time that has happened. He was told to sit and wait, and there would probably be a load of boats for him to pick up in Roseburg, OR but that they didn't have the full information yet. Left with not knowing how long he was going to have to wait around, we decided that I should start the long drive back to Modesto.

This is where the jubilation we felt about his return, turned into some wet eyes and some long hugs. You would think, that having been together non stop 24/7 for the past 18 months that a little time apart would be okay. It felt like a part of each of us was ripped away when we parted ways and I drove out of the parking lot. It wasn't but an hour later that I had hatched a plan and called Craig. He had done some thinking of his own and was telling me to pack what I needed and hop on the first plane to Spokane and meet him there over the weekend. Me, always the planner said, how about I go to Selma, rent a car, pack up all of our truck stuff and drive to Spokane. If I left Friday morning, I would be there Saturday afternoon, we could put our house, er I mean truck in order, and be back in the groove of things pre 7/22/07. Well that sounded great to Craig, so now we will wait and see if the company does indeed head him into Spokane. If they don't we will just have to come up with Plan B.

I thought you would enjoy, as much as I did, this picture of Craig back in the driver's seat. We both prayed for this day and our prayers were answered. He couldn't have been happier, and I couldn't of been more proud of him for toughing it out and getting well enough to return to work. If all goes as we hope, by next week, I'll be reporting from the front lines once again. Yes, these are indeed the best of times.

ONE STEP CLOSER?

I'm not sure we are any closer to getting back in the truck. We waited all day Thursday and Friday without any word. So the weekend we spent in anticipation of what we might hear today. Called first thing in the morning, only to confirm we are still on the boat fleet, but no closer to finding out when we get a truck or where. There is talk of recovering a truck in Oregon, whose driver was injured off duty while on home time. We did accomplish getting Craig's DOT physical completed and the paperwork sent in. Until then, we are anxiously awaiting to hear the details of our return. Stay tuned!

IT'S OFFICIAL

Yes, that's right. We have been given the thumbs up, an A -O- K, the seal of approval, the blessing of the doctor for Craig to return to work. Y I P E E ! We couldn't be more excited to be given this chance to return to our adventurous lifestyle of being back on the road. We have come a long way from that fateful day on July 22 when we thought just a rest through the night would cure what ailed him, to the marathon phone calls and trying desperately to seek anyone who might be able to help us while in Texas, let alone, get us out of Texas and back home.

We don't know the particulars on how and where we will pick up our new truck and return to the highways and biways. Craig took the first step by taking a drug screening test this morning. We hope to hear something Friday, or at the latest, Monday on the details of our return. Until then, I can not thank all of you enough for the support we have received over the past three months and what it has meant to us. Thank you all and I look forward to taking pictures and commenting on our travels from my ever changing picture window very soon!

THE MIGHTY SEQUOIAS

With a need for another quick get away, we headed a little over an hour away from Selma to Kings Canyon National Park. It was an overcast day with low lying clouds, which we seemed to drive straight into as we reached the 6000 feet elevation of the park. The clouds kept us company as we entered the park, and took off on foot to see the majestic giant sequoia trees.

Walking along the trail of the self guided tour, the mist of the clouds around us, and temperatures that bring a rosy color to your cheeks, you couldn't help but marvel at the splendor of these trees. The grandest of them all is the General Grant Tree. This tree is the third largest living tree and has a base which is wider than a three lane freeway, and is as tall as a 27 story building.

The General Grant tree was proclaimed "The Nation's Christmas Tree" by President Calvin Coolidge and in 1956, President Eisenhower designated the Grant Tree as a living National Shrine in memory of Americans who have died in war. Try as I might, the pictures I took do not give justice to the size of the massive trees. To think that their root structure is no deeper than five feet beneath the surface makes you stop and wonder how they survive for many centuries. Toppling is the primary way these stately trees meet their end, uprooting from a heavy snow load or strong wind.

As with our own life, over long periods of time, nature, climate, and the world around us adjusts, sometime slowly, sometimes too quickly, but it adapts and has an ingrained will to survive. We find specific conditions that suit us, whether it be hot or cold, wet or dry, a place we can tolerate. Except for the hot, I find that Craig and I can live with a wide range of conditions, and that is why I know we enjoy life on the road so much. An ever changing landscape of nature and humanity, some we love, some we don't, but always with our love of adventure prodding us towards that next town down the road of this great land......America.

THE ROLL OF THE DICE

One never knows what life will throw at you, and I'm not sure I would want to know. I have come to enjoy the occasional curve ball that has been thrown at us every once in awhile, it keeps you on your toes and constantly thinking. Which of course is what I do on my walks.....think. I've been seeing some odd things on my walk in the mornings such as the item pictured here. A die, its pair no where to be seen, just this one, all alone, towards the middle of the street. And then the thinking commences. How did this die end up where it was, and whose roll of the dice was it? Was the four a good number or bad? Never, ever getting answers to these questions in my head, I continued on my way, but not without trying to correlate this lonely die, in the middle of the road, with where Craig and I are with his medical condition.


The doctors have all said the epidural may not take care of his pain, that he may need a second or third procedure. We have seen improvement, but there is still pain in his left hip and calf. We put his recovery at about 85% right now, but is that good enough to be cleared to go back to work, or will he need more treatments? We are so very hopeful that he can return to work as quickly as he can, but we also are wise enough to know not to rush back before he is healed as completely as he can be. So with these questions lingering, we decided to take a day off and enjoy ourselves.


I had a dental appointment in Folsom, east of Sacramento on Monday, so we chose to stay overnight on the Delta King in Old Sacramento. We have stayed there several times before. It is an old paddle boat that was converted into a Hotel on the river in Old Town. There are several nice restaurants along the river to sit and relax and partake in some good food and good wine, which is exactly what we did.


It was a nice relaxing evening, and we both enjoyed the time away. We also stopped by Craig's previous place of employment so that he could catch up with some of his good friends from Nor-Cal Beverage. Today finds us back in Modesto and pondering again about our future. But I know, no matter what the roll of the dice may give us, we'll make the best of it, as we always have, together.

A PIECE OF THE PUZZLE

On my walk the other morning, I spotted it. It lay near the gutter, just at the edge of the roadway. How it got there I didn't know, but I knew there had to be someone looking for it. I think a lot of people look for it, but it remains elusive during their lifetime, and here I had found it. The missing piece of the puzzle. But to whose puzzle did it belong? I continued on my way not giving it much more thought until this morning.

Craig has started joining me on my morning walks and this morning, while on our way to a local coffee shack, we both spotted it. What were the odds that on a different route we would see yet another piece of a puzzle lying on the ground? Was it some type of omen, a sign of something? Back almost 7 years ago, when we first met, we had talked that it felt like we had found the missing piece of the puzzle. That together we felt complete. Those words ring as true today as they did back then. I think what that piece of puzzle represented to me was that our puzzle, our life, was going to be complete again.

Since the epidural, we have seen daily improvement, so much so, that Craig is back to his old self again. Antsy, impatient, and with total dislike to sit around and do nothing. Yes, my husband is back, and I couldn't be happier. The problem is going to be keeping him busy until the appointment with his primary doctor on the 17th to see if he can be released to go back to work. When he does, we are back out on the road again, and our puzzle is will once again be complete.

GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT

I think we have waited long enough, don't you? The day finally arrived, for what we hope will be the cure for Craig's pain. Sure the physical therapy helped him to get out of the wheelchair, but we are still waiting for the day he is pain free enough to return to work, and life as we knew it can return to normal. We know now that we will have to do things differently. Along with daily exercise and stopping and doing a walkabout around the truck every hour or so, we also will need to take more breaks. No more staying out for four months at a time. We will do our best to schedule home time every 6-8 weeks.

We arrived at our scheduled time this morning for the epidural procedure. Only one other person sitting in the waiting room. Craig checked in and with every door opening we heard, the anxiety of waiting to hear his name called built up inside us. When his name was finally called, he was so focused on getting it over with, he never heard me tell him I love you, but I had his wedding ring right next to mine and that gave me some comfort as he walked through the door into that unknown room.

I settled in as comfortably as I could in the typical waiting room chairs, rotating positions from my right butt cheek and then to the left when it became sore from the lack of padding. You would think my own personal padding would have been sufficient, but alas, even that failed to make the chair any more comfortable. With my portable DVD player in hand, I set about watching season 3 of Nip/Tuck. I had barely made it through one episode when I saw Craig come walking out the door. What the #*&@^????? From the information given us prior to the appointment, they said it would take at least 2 hours and here he was back out in 60 minutes.

I tried to gather my stuff as quickly as possible, as Craig, ice bags in hand, started walking towards the car. I knew everything would be okay when the first thing he wanted after having to fast, was a visit to Carl's Jr. With him happily munching away on his Western Bacon Cheeseburger, I drove off towards home in Selma.

Good things come to those who wait? I've gotten good at this waiting game......too good. Funny thing is, after waiting for the epidural, now we wait again.......to see if it works. Good thing I have season 4 of Nip/Tuck ready to go!

SEVEN DAYS AND COUNTING

We met with Craig's primary doctor this morning. It was good to see first, the reaction from the nurse when she saw Craig, and then from the doctor, to put in perspective just how far he has come from when we were seen by them back on July 30th. Just when we thought we were making no progress, they come along and tell us just how far we have come in those 8 weeks.

Even though Craig still experiences pain throughout the day, he no longer takes any pain medication. He only uses the cane now, and it's more for balance when going up or down stairs or getting up from a chair, and he is back to sleeping in a bed, no more recliners! WHEW...... he has progressed, and now in seven days he has the epidural shot. After talking with the doctor about the shot and the limits of his mobility right now, we are very hopeful that we have just this one last hurdle to get over. Now, if only I could do something to alleviate my anxiety over my dentist appointment tomorrow!

OH , THE PLACES YOU'LL GO

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes

You can steer yourself

any direction you choose.

You're on your own.

And you know what you know.

And you are the guy

who'll decide where to go.

I've been doing my daily morning walk now for the past 18 days. Although my feet have only traveled on the streets of Modesto or Selma, my mind has taken me to many more places. As Dr. Seuss said, "You can steer yourself any direction you choose", and that's just what I do. I take off down the street, my steps in beat with the music, and my mind free to travel anywhere I choose.

I've been to foreign countries, I've run large corporations, I've bought & furnished my perfect house, because of course, money is no object, I've been on the cover of magazines, and I've been the perfect size 10 in the latest designer clothes. But then there are things that I see while on my walk that take me out of my dream state and send me crashing back down to earth.

Like the full glass liter bottle of beer, cap still intact, on the sidewalk of an upscale neighborhood, and my mind tells me that's not beer, that has to be some one's idea of a joke. The half eaten bag of Cheetos left on the edge of the lawn of a park and I think, "What was so important that they lost interest in eating?", after all, we are talking Cheetos here. I've gotten really good at finding coins on the streets and sidewalks, no need to question that, as I'm up to 59 cents and I'd say I'm well on my way to making my first dollar. And then you see this:
A pair of tennis shoes high up on the electrical wires. I don't know what caused me to look up, I'm usually looking down for those coins, but for some reason I looked up and saw them, which made my mind start to wonder.........WHY? There are several urban legends out there regarding shoes hanging by the laces from power lines. The ones about gangs marking territory, or the marking of a drug house. The time honored tradition to mark the last day of school. The military theory, when you were getting ready to get out and go back to regular life, you take your combat boots and throw them over a wire.

Or maybe it is just your everyday kid hijinks's like putting dish washing liquid soap in fountains, toilet papering trees, or the time tested phone call asking for Prince Albert in a can. It's either a harmless prank, a time honored tradition or rite of passage, or the end of civilization as we know it. I'll let you decide.

A CANE BY ANOTHER OTHER NAME IS STILL A CANE

They come in all shapes and colors. Some are made of wood, others of metal. New or old, adjustable or made to specific measurements. Canes are there to give you that little bit of support to get you to where you need to be.

The cane Craig is currently walking with once belonged to his Grandfather who used it well into his 90's. Craig's Father used it while recuperating from knee replacement surgery. Here's hoping neither one of Craig's sons will have the need, but if they should, the Shantz household in Selma is fast becoming a cornucopia of medical equipment and supplies to help any one of them, or heck, even the rest of us, should the need arise.

During therapy today, the therapist wanted Craig to start walking without the cane around the house. A little wobbly at first, but once he established his balance he did very well. He even put some time in on the treadmill. Armed with the knowledge we have gathered from several resources that were recommended to us, we feel confident that we will be prepared to keep our backs in tip top shape once we get back on the truck. We know daily strengthening exercises are a must to keep ourselves as healthy and fit as possible. Now, if I can only do something about this butt of mine.

THE ROAD TO RECOVERY......

They say the road to recovery begins with that first step. It often seemed that there were obstacles placed in front of us to keep us from ever taking that elusive step, but once Craig did, it seems like there is no stopping him. Since starting physical therapy he has gone from the wheelchair, to the walker, to now the cane. He is even taking several steps without the cane. We are both very hopeful that within a couple of weeks the possibility of returning to work will be within our grasp.

We have scheduled an appointment with his primary doctor a week before the epidural. We are so encouraged by his progress that we are hoping to be able to cancel the epidural......yes, I know how hard we worked to get it.......but I am more than happy to be able to cancel it and make someone elses day by being able to use our appointment time. Our vision is to be back in the truck by the first two weeks of October. Time and Craig's determination will tell if we will reach our goal.

I never thought I would miss the vagabond lifestyle we had as much as I did. I always knew I would miss taking photos and writing about our adventures and being able to share them all with you, the readers of this blog. I am forever grateful for the support and words of encouragement that have been sent our way. I am looking forward to once again viewing life from the passenger seat and taking you along for the ride.

A WAY TO A MAN'S HEART

It is often said the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. I am here to debunk that saying, and proclaim that the way to a man's heart is through an electronics store. If there was ever a lure to get Craig up and walking it would be to take him to either one of those mega hardware stores or to an electronic store like Best Buy. Since I would benefit from such an excursion, Best Buy won out over Home Depot or Lowe's.

Craig was feeling rather good on Saturday, so I loaded him and his trusty walker into the car and ventured out to our local Best Buy. We meandered up and down the aisles, Craig looking for a universal power adapter, and me, the more exciting, season one of Heros. I have to admit, he surprised me with the amount of energy he had as we went about our shopping. I think his physical therapist will be happy to hear how well he is getting around. Of course, I'm thinking, this week Best Buy, next week the mall, even if I have to drag him kicking and screaming the whole way!