Bollweevil

I haven't even thought about an Emeryville in years. When I was a lot younger a fellow from Gainesville Ga had an aluminum West coast model that was made in Emeryville Ca. It had a Hot Rod Cummins that had been ballanced for 3500 RPM's The last time anyone remebers seeing it, the GA, Public Service had it chained to a lamp post.

What an excellent adventure, but I am glad you are back, I missed ya.

All you need now is a handle for that hammer. Did your Mom gift wrap those loads for you? You might make a hand yet. I always like to see a well tarped load. I don't miss having to handle them though. Especially in the winter, when you roll them up wet they are slicker than snot on a door knob when you have to use them. Have you ever noticed, that every winter people have to learn to drive all over again.

This is spot on. The only thing he left out is that our founding Fathers did not give us a Democracy, or Mob Rule, but a Constitutional Republic. Which is in essence, a system of Laws and absolutes, which apply to every citizen. We need to get back to it.

Once, during a DOT exam a nurse asked me to jump up and down. My reply was, do I look like a damn athlete. Nothing else was said.

Yes indeed, you are somewhat off. But, I am still glad that you managed to pass.

Well, if anything, it gives you a sense of your own mortality. From the inside, looking out through my own eyes I'm still 16. What a shock and a disappointment when I see myself looking back in the mirror. I like 16, I thought I would live forever. Unlike Hank Jr. whose rowdy friend's have settled down. All of mine are checking on out. Since growing up is not an option, I refuse to do so, I guess I'll have to start looking for some younger friends. I am sorry for the loss of your friend Gary. I learned early on that in order to have friends , you have to show yourself friendly. You certainly do that. To have really close friends requires a bond of trust and fellowship. That comes a little harder, and makes such a loss hurt even more. James

Having the reputation of being a craftsman means something to me also. In my area, local builders, have flooded the housing market. In fact, a lot of building contractors continued to build for two years after the market began to dry up. The crazy thing is, that as long as the banks would provide construction financing, they would continue to churn them out. Along the way buying up new trucks, cars, boats, and toy's as fast as they could finish one and start another. Now, when someone say's that they are building a spec house I have trouble getting my mind wrapped around $350,000 to $400,000. When I think of a spec house, I still think of a whole lot less. Some of these builders had 5 or more of these sitting empty, with no hope of selling. Having taken all the money out of them, and blowing it, they have had no other option than to let the banks have them. With easy financing gone, and the value of real estate approaching it's actual value, new construction has been almost at a standstill. However, there is a limited amount going on. As you may very well guess, the contractors with the reputation of being craftsmen are the ones doing it. A strange thing is that not all areas of the country are in such a recession. If a person is willing to travel, there is work going on.

Damn the torpedo's boys, full speed ahead. Surrender is not an option, relocation is. There is construction going on somewhere. Even if the economy completely fails, people still need food and shelter. I have a 24/7 job taking care of my mom. I don't need a job. If my situation was different, I would find a place to put a produce market. In California, I've seen rolling restaurants. Half again as large as the typical roach coach you see here. You could buy a fresh hamburger, fajitas, or a burrito half as big as Texas. All made on a grill right before your eyes. Could you imagine one of Toms BBQ sammiches. Possibilities far outweigh disappointment. Build some rocking chairs for abused truck drivers, but don't give up.

You are asking for a lot, and I hope you are not expecting a short answer. Trucks in general, and the trucking industry in particular are constantly evolving. In the heavy duty truck industry you will find no planed obsolescence. This is evident in the construction part of our industry, by the number of 20 year old or older trucks still in service. Mostly Mack's, and for a good reason. An engine transmission combination designed to be tailored to start and move a load under any conceivable condition, coupled with a final drive that was not designed to be good enough. But, which however was engineered to be indistructable. Along with a suspension equally at home on and off road, And an adjustable platform, {single, double or triple railed} to hold it all together. What else, except a cab built Mack tough, with classic good looks. To begin with, creature comforts were on the short side, but as I mentioned, it is evolving. You could better appreciate A Mack Truck experience by spending day after day after day on a construction site. When you can spend 12 or more hours a day operating a truck, then get out and go home, instead of getting out and getting under it, it adds to peace of mind, and the bottom line at the end of the week. People like trucks for different reasons. People like Mack's, sometimes to the point of being fanatical, dependability is a good enough reason. A major concern at this time is the survival of the Mack logo, and The Mack tradition. A lot of the members on this site own and preserve some very nice examples of Mack history. Get acquainted.

If you want to be able to talk to someone while you are there, then you need to take someone with you. It has been a lot like that around Blue Ridge. Not so bad since the housing bust has taken effect. When the work went away, our neighbors from south of the border are going away a little at a time.

Did you ever think about just faxing us all a sammich. Dang it boy, recipe's don't taste all that good.

Did that Bug resemble a Bull Dawg, if so you are contagious, stay away from small children and pregnant women. If you have to go anywhere. leave your wallet at home. This condition seems to be a lifelong affliction, you will not get better. Throw away your fishing rods, sell your boat, give your deer rifle to someone, and try to adopt out your bird dogs. You won't have time or money for any such foolishness anymore.

I went through a similar problem last week, with my e mail. It worked fine for over 3 years, the one day it wouldn't work. After fooling with it for almost a week, I finally called the server. I had to add the word Pop to the out going account. After 3 years the dang computer just couldn't stand it any more. I didn't know that a computer could hold a grudge against you. It must have been made in W. Va., or somewhere around Lafollette Tn.

What are you going to do Now?

The onset of Alzheimer's, what else? I have a lot of good information, that would be of great benefit to your friends and loved ones. The problem is I can't remember where I put it. Say, what are we talking about anyway?

That is a good observation. For all of the strutting, posturing, and braggadocio. it appears that many people are not willing to call a turkey a turkey. It doesn't matter what color it's feathers are, if it looks like a turkey, walks like a turkey, and gobbles like a turkey, it's probably a turkey. I like turkey, but I would never have one over for dinner without first holding it's feet to the fire.

Procrastinating is a serious charge, I can see why you would wait until the last moment to post this.

No Paul I don't. I sold the last of my big rigs in 95, pulled a flat for a local Co. in Blairsville Ga. for about 8 months, then bought a 359 Pete from a company here in Blueridge. I gave too much for the truck, because it had a job to go with it. Pulled an end dump for about 4 years, at the same time rebuilding the truck from stem to stern. Dump trucking was pretty strong here at that time so I bought a T-800 heavy spec tractor and built a tandem dump. I spent $42,000 building it, ran it 6 years and sold it for $36,000. I wasn't going to do much at all, then I saw a 1973 RS700L on TruckPaper.com. I couldn't stand not having it, so I bought it over the phone. That's a story in it's self if anybody's interested.

Actually Tom, you didn't miss it by much. At the time. I was short a driver and I had talked a friend with very little over the road experience into making the trip. We were both loaded with frozen chicken, for Safeway in LA. After unloading I sent him back to Banning to wait, and went to Salinas, loaded a straight load of lettuce for Alpharetta Ga. I got to Banning about midnight, woke him up, swapped trailers, sent him on his way, and went back toward Bakersfield to pick up a mixed load with several pickups. The odds at the time were that I would beat him back to Alpharetta. It didn't happen though. I had too many pickups, and he was in a hurry to get home. He also had his wife with him, which hampered his ability to trash around.

Don't pay the ransom honey, I've escaped.

Therapy, I could use some therapy about now, I don't know if it should involve a hammer though. It takes a lot of patience and practice to be able to straighten a body panel with a hammer and dolly. Otherwise whatever you happen to be working on could look like you had added a couple of syrup buckets to the repair. As a young man, I worked at a Buick dealership in Atlanta. I still remember my body repairman friend laughing and shaking his head over a Buick Lesabre that had been hit in the left rear quarter panel. The owner had climbed into the trunk with a claw hammer to work the dent out, and when he had finished it looked like a tow sack full of walnuts. I've already fixed the worse part, he had said before leaving it to be repaired. I am also reminded of something an older fellow once told me. Don't never hit no Harley Davidson with no hammer. Now things are all turned around, and I am the older fellow. Dammit boy, how did this happen?

Shucks, you were right in my neck of the woods. I was born in Alpharetta. It has grown. and changed so much that is getting more difficult to get around. Forty years ago, Alpharetta had an all volunteer fire department. When the fire siren went off everyone cleared the sidewalk as well as the streets. Since the first one that got to the fire station got to drive the fire truck, it could be pretty exciting.

Right is right no matter where you are, Cairo Egypt, or Cairo Ill. However, sometimes a little diplomacy is in order. The old saying is, [What goes around, comes around]. In the words of Davy Crockett, Make shore your right, then go ahead. Just keep in mind that having the last word is not worth much, when the last word is Goodbye.

Even kitty on a stick isn't too bad, if you have enough ketchup.