1965 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 75 limousine seen in a shop in Wilmington, North Carolina.
In this book by Thomas McPherson, he says of the Series Seventy-Five:
"From the late 1930’s through the mid-1980’s, it was truly the Cadillac of Cadillacs – the car of choice for the titans of American business, government, and the entertainment industry. The stately long-wheelbase Cadillac Fleetwood Seventy-Five Eight-Passenger Sedan and Imperial Limousine occupied an exalted niche at the very pinnacle of the automotive pecking order in the US and abroad.
Introduced in 1937, Cadillac’s new Series 75 included 11 Fleetwood body styles ranging from coupes and convertibles to a seven-passenger touring sedan. In 1938, the restyled Series 75 got what was destined to become its signature body style—a severely formal long-wheelbase sedan and companion limousine. Cadillac Fleetwood Seventy-Five business Sedans and limousines quickly won favor with commercial livery operators and funeral directors, challenging rival Packard’s long domination of this small but prestigious market.
By 1941 the Fleetwood Seventy-Five name was reserved exclusively for General Motors Corporation’s flagship car—the long-wheelbase formal sedan and companion limousine with glass division."
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2017: Passing Between The Sun And Earth
2016: Mid-Century Copper Town
2015: Signs Of Summer
2014: State-Of-The-Art Movement
2013: Not My Kind Of Gold Mine
2012: Fat Lou Captured In Rare Photo
2011: Oceanfront Property At Lot 61003/94
2010: Monkey Pod Treasure
2009: Eddie Embraces The Rules Friday
2008: They Have A MAGAZINE???
2007: Planting The Sun
2006: Training Day
2005: Cannonball Run
Yes, this is an 18-wheeler parked in a retail store. A retail store located at the Kenly 95 Truckstop in Kenly, North Carolina.
This is a truck stop for when you have a little extra time on your hands. We stopped and had lunch while I did three loads of laundry. They also have a barber shop, gift shop, driver lounge, "quiet" room (which I love), convenience store, custom shop for personalizing hats/shirts/jackets, truck stuff you didn't know you needed, and more!
2013: "License, Registration and Insurance Card, Please"
2012: Welcome To Hell
2011: When She Passes Each One She Passes Goes Ahhhh
2010: The Key To Being Funny
2009: Wishes Really Do Come True
2008: Eddie Plays It Safe Friday
2007: What Road?
2006: I’m STILL Looking To Get Me Some Good BBQ
2005: Say Cheese!!
This is a shot of the beach houses on the southern end of Oak Island in North Carolina. Ed and I were there and decided to take a stroll on the beach. At sunset. We wanted to go full force cliché so we even held hands and collected some shells. Yes, really.
The white fluffy stuff you see is not snow, as one of my mother friends asked, it's sea foam. It was actually like bubbles you'd see in a bubble bath or a washing machine that overflowed with too much soap.
Wikipedia describes the occurrence: Sea foam, ocean foam, beach foam, or spume is a type of foam created by the agitation of seawater, particularly when it contains higher concentrations of dissolved organic matter (including proteins, lignins, and lipids)[1] derived from sources such as the offshore breakdown of algal blooms. These compounds can act as surfactants or foaming agents. As the seawater is churned by breaking waves in the surf zone adjacent to the shore, the presence of these surfactants under these turbulent conditions traps air, forming persistent bubbles that stick to each other through surface tension. Due to its low density and persistence, foam can be blown by strong on-shore winds from the beachface inland.
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2017: Uphill Chug
2016: That Face, That Face, That Wonderful Face!
2015: We Both Share The Same Blood
2014: My Choice
2013: Pregnant And Dating
2012: They Really Don’t Want You Coming Through This Gate
2011: Deep Down, She Knows She’s A Princess
2010: A Three Hundred And Fifty Foot Long Dream
2009: Dillinger The Horror Hog
2008: Supernatural Hair
2007: They Must Have Been On Sale
2006: Sorry, no post on this day.
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!
We're sitting around in North Carolina, recuperating from whatever ungodly germ has gotten hold of us. We've both been feeling under the weather and the only way I can seem to get any sleep is when the coughing stops. Which doesn't happen often. I think I got three hours last night, and it wasn't even all at once. I'm pretty miserable.
I have no intention of leaving the truck until I feel better. We're fully stocked with food and water so we can eat, shower, and sleep undisturbed. I was planning to do laundry after we delivered our load yesterday, but since I have enough clothes to last me several weeks and I'm not planning to go anywhere, why bother?
I can't talk on the phone because I have no voice. And if I do attempt to talk, the vibration in my throat sends me into a coughing fit - not pleasant for the person on the other end. So I've been texting.
And I'd also like to tell you, home remedies are bullshit. I've done tea, tea with honey, plain spoonfuls of honey, tea with mint, saltwater gargle, Vicks on the chest, Vicks under the nose, Vicks with hot compress, Halls cherry cough drops and Halls honey cough drops (they're both just candy), Robitussin, DayQuil, fluids, etc. NONE of it works.
Today is already a little better than a few days ago, so maybe I just need a little time. Ed's voice isn't as bad as mine - he's fielding phone calls - but we're still going to hang around for a few days and get some rest.
I should have this licked by the weekend!
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2015: Looking For Our Container
2014: Bringing Sexy Back
2013: The Veteran And The Rookie
2012: Spring Has Arrived In Culpeper
2011: Food. Essential.
2010: Sometimes It Takes A Libra Two Weeks To Make A Decision
2009: What The Hell Is This?
2008: What It’s Like To Bee Watched By More Than Twelve Million Eyes
2007: My Man Is Ripped!
2006: Take Two Caramel Lattes And Call Me In The Morning
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!
My ribs are killing me from coughing.
My throat is raw.
I have no voice.
I communicate in a whisper.
So today in the truck, I made a big pot of chicken soup. Chunky carrots, slices of celery, onion, garlic, the works. Spooned over al dente orzo and served with a slice of crusty Tuscan Boule slathered with butter. The soup was made from scratch, the bread store bought.
And the weather was cooperating. Despite being the first day of Spring, it was cold and rainy here in North Carolina, a perfect day for steaming hot chicken soup.
Everything was delicious, but I certainly hope it has the healing power people claim it does, because I can't take too much more of this coughing crap.
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2015: March Woods
2014: What A Guy Will Do To Get Out Of Watching Girl TV
2013: Up And Over The Green Mountains Of Vermont
2012: Perhaps She’s A Closet Road Warrior
2011: Fifty-Five Years And Counting
2010: Humor That Needs A Humidifier
2009: Eddie Is He Wearing Trousers?? Friday
2008: Soon To Be Yummy Snack Food
2007: This Is What I’ve Been Doing Lately
2006: 1-800-PRODUCT SATISFACTION
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!
We have been off since last Friday, done for the day after we delivered in coastal North Carolina. We haven't moved since. It's been a slow week to say the least. We didn't get a load today either, which means we'll not only be off all weekend, but we'll also be off on Monday too, since nothing's moving on the holiday.
We mostly haul specialized freight not available to the entire fleet of owner-operators leased on to our company. We have direct access to it via a computerized delivery system, in addition to getting calls directly from the agents who move this freight. But the phone isn't ringing.
Well, except for one load to the Pacific Northwest that we didn't want to take, despite the generous rate it was paying. There's been absolutely nothing coming out of that area and I'd much rather stay on the east coast than go west and be stuck there for weeks.
Ed spoke to one of the agents we work with often and the agent said that this has been the slowest summer he's had in 14 years. Even the regular load board - which we occasionally use to supplement our income - is dead.
There are no major truck stop chains down here so we went to a secret little spot we found a few months ago when we were here on another load. It's a giant empty lot, off the beaten path, with a few businesses in the area, and screaming fast internet.So, what do we do when we have this kind of down time? Well, we explore, dine out, shop, do chores, make repairs. What we do often depends on where we are, and for me, what the weather is like, as I'm not too fond of venturing out in this kind of heat. This week, for example, I've hardly left the truck because the weather has been unbearable.
Sunday while I was doing laundry, Ed took his bike to Best Buy to get a new external hard drive. He felt taking the bike was easier than maneuvering the truck in the tight shopping plazas we were in. We went out to dinner a few times. Got groceries. Rented movies. And Ed did some work on the truck. He likes to stay on top of things by doing minor repairs and tweaks on the truck when he has time. He fixed a leaking wheel seal, removed a few zip-ties that were pulling the wires out of our trailer lights, adjusted and cleaned electrical connections in the headlights, fixed the door on the generator enclosure, and organized his side boxes.
It's now the end of the day. We didn't get a load so we decided to deadhead 850 miles to get the air-conditioning unit on our sleeper fixed. The automatic thermostat has been tripping the breaker and I think Ed feels it's better to get it fixed before it completely goes out and I morph into something otherworldly because the temperature inside the sleeper has crept above 65 degrees. On the outside I'll resemble his girlfriend, but on the inside my bodily fluids will be boiling, rendering me unrecognizable. It won't be pretty.
On the way north, the stream of traffic to the beaches was bumper-to-bumper, the headlights trailing on for miles. I'm sure many people are mourning the end of summer, taking one last trip to get in a few more memories before the kids head back to school. Labor Day barbecues will be swarming with family and friends, beaches will be full of frolicking kids eating hot dogs.
We'll stop in Ohio on the way north to pick up my cottage cheese and get some Labor Day treats for our own little end of summer celebration. Except I won't be mourning the loss of summer, I will be celebrating the upcoming arrival of Fall. And when Wednesday rolls around, we'll get the truck stuff done and then be back to work by next Thursday or Friday.
Wherever you may be, laboring or not, have a great weekend! And if you're on the road driving, please be safe.
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2014: A Taco Garage Worth Pulling Into
2013: Who?
2012: You Can’t Ask For A More Convenient Setup
2011: The Thoughts In My Mind About This Guy, Are Criminal
2010: The Queen Of High Society
2009: An Icy Glare For The Heat Miser
2008: Jazz Funeral On Decatur
2007: Keeping The Homeland Secure One Dog At A Time
2006: Reputation Is Everything
2005: ”_________________”
Laundry day. I dread it. Even though I have enough clothing, sheets, towels to go a month or more without having to do laundry, after that point, I have a giant laundry bag staring at me from the corner.
After laundry, we went grocery shopping and had in interesting trucking-related moment.
We were in Harris Teeter picking up a few groceries for the week. Ed was in the produce department getting strawberries. He met back up with me a few aisles over and said, "They're out of strawberries."
"They're out of strawberries?? Completely?"
"Yep. The produce guy said the truck comes in tomorrow." he said.
"Oh. Well, that sucks."
"Yeah," he chuckled. "It would be nice if they remembered how their stuff gets here."
He's exactly right. If it weren't for a truck bringing those strawberries to the store, that guy wouldn't have a job stacking them in the produce department.
It would be nice for people to remember that when they're making it difficult for us to park in their parking lots, communities, malls, etc.
** Technically, I don't personally bring the strawberries, but you get the drift.
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2014: A Match Made In Trucking Heaven
2013: Shiny Ride Home
2012: Chow Fun And Coconut Bliss
2011: Beautiful By Nature. Dirty By Choice.
2010: Let’s Go Shopping!!!
2009: A Magnificent Place To Wait For A Train
2008: Old Blue Eyes Was Right When He Said It Was A Very Good Year
2007: The Hills Are Alive…Or Are They?
2006: Nostalgia
2005: 37 Going On 20
