Tuesday, September 21, 2021

This Place Is The Bomb

Last month we moved some equipment to The Saylor Creek Bombing Range in southern Idaho.  This month we hauled it back to its original location.

The range, which covers over 100,000 acres is one of the most advanced in the country.  It's associated with Mountain Home Air Force Base, which is a fighter training base located about an hour north of the range, and it draws aircraft from around the country and world for training exercises.  

As a bombing range, it is used to make training as realistic as possible.  They have a mock airfield, villages, and other structures.  It's used by ground forces for training, including MOUT (military operations in urban terrain).  This is not your basic gunnery range.  

It's in a very quiet, rural area where you see horses and livestock roaming the fields on the way to the entrance area of the range.  People live in the area, too, which makes me wonder what they think of being roused from sleep by the sounds of Humvees being shot to pieces.

"Military aircraft training and operations have been conducted over southwest Idaho since 1942. To train aircrews for combat in the Second World War, the U.S. Army Air Force established training airfields in Boise (now Gowen Field) and Mountain Home (now Mountain Home AFB). Flying B-29, B-24, and B-17 bombers, as well as P-38 and P-63 pursuit aircraft, the aircrews conducted training over much of southwest Idaho, but particularly in the 420,000-acre Saylor Creek Bombing Range and four other Precision Bombing Ranges (PBRs). Training included a wide variety of activities such as aerial gunnery, bombing practice, low-altitude flight, and navigation."

I guess they're used to the noise.  And they probably feel reaalllly safe.




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2020: 
Rescue A Coconut, Save The Plane
2019: Sorry,  no post on this day.
2018: Pom Wonderful
2017: How Do?
2016: Silver Luxe
2015: Art From The Bottoms Up
2014: Weekend Getaway
2013: Long Shadow In Kansas
2012: Spreading Joy, Pixie Style
2011: Coming Soon 
2010: Feren Films Y’All Shouldn’t Miss 
2009: This Guy Sucks 
2008: Shine And Shine 
2007: Eddie Hoots It Up Friday 
2006: Eddie The Bird Whisperer 
2005: Laundress

Wednesday, September 08, 2021

Crème De La Crème

Earlier this year we got a phone call from Landstar Corporate offices asking to speak to Ed.  It sounded serious so we both sat there waiting to hear alarming news.  It turned out to not be alarming at all, but it was unexpected. After they told us why they were calling, they asked us to keep the news to ourselves until the company made their formal announcement.  They have now released the information so we are able to share it with anyone who's interested in listening - worldwide, as it turns out since this blog reaches as far as the internet will take it.

They were calling to let Ed know that he had been chosen to receive Landstar's most prestigious safety award:

The Landstar Roadstar

He is one of 14 receiving the award this year, and one of only 150 in the company, which leases over 10,000 drivers.

In order to be eligible for the Roadstar award, drivers have to meet certain criteria.  First, you need to have logged, at minimum, one million safe driving miles.  The means you've had to have driven one million consecutive miles without hitting anything.  It's harder than you think, considering the motoring public these days.  Ed has actually driven about 2.5 million miles in his career, 1.4 of them with Landstar.

Second, drivers must have a high level of productivity and the ability to provide top-notch customer service. Ed has done both.

With that in the bag, there's one more thing that puts you on track to receive a Roadstar award....

A nomination.

Someone has to nominate you.  They have to tell Landstar that you are a good fit for their highest award.  We don't know who submitted Ed's name, but someone out there believes he deserves this honor.    


In addition to being a recipient of this award and being "crowned" in the company of your peers at a lavish awards banquet that takes place at a three-day company paid-for event at a resort somewhere in the southeast (it's a different place every year), the Roadstar also gets the navy blue blazer Ed is wearing in the photo (that most drivers wear at the yearly banquets to show off their status as Roadstars), a Roadstar belt buckle, a Roadstar logo for your truck (the one you see is temporary, we are having a more professional vinyl one made), and to top it all off, the best perk of all, are the complimentary license plates they pay for every year for the rest of the time the driver is leased on with the company. 

That's a $1,700.00 bonus each and every year! 

Apparently, that's a big deal for drivers.  Kinda reminds me of the time I won two steer tires at a raffle (valued at approximately $800 each) and the room went crazy with oohs and ahhs.  I was thinking, what the hell am I going to do with two steer tires??  But boy, the real truckers in the room thought I hit the lottery.  

I am very proud of my husband for being the recipient of this award.  It was a goal of his to reach this status at Landstar, and he did it!  He is also feeling very proud and accomplished.  At 46 years old, with 25 years in this business, he's exceeded so many of his career goals and he just keeps going.  He's not just a Roadstar, he's a regular star!!

Keep going, baby!  I'm thrilled to be married to the cream of the crop!

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2020:  
Fire And Brimstone In The West
2019:  Bird Of Prey
2018:  Down The River
2017:  Valion Pride
2016:  Be Virtually Anywhere
2015:  This Is Not 100% Natural Spring Water
2014:  Rain Day Delay
2013:  That Sunday, That Summer
2012:  Heading To The Mountains
2011:  End Of Summer Rainbow
2010:  UGG, What A Surprise!
2009:  Under The El
2008:  We Escaped With Our Teeth Intact
2007:  Praying In The Jewel Of The South For Over 250 Years
2006:  Drive Time Champion
2005:  Yukon Bet We're Far Away