other dog

I forgot to mention it was dark when I dropped that piece of chicken.All I could see was the glowing charcoal.I just got in,unloaded lumber in Eighty Four,Pa. this morning and went to Neville Island and picked up a light load (18,000 lbs.) of rejected steel beams to take back to Petersburg Monday. I unloaded in Curwensville,Pa. Monday morning and had to go to Pittsburgh to reload.I ran 879 to 286 to 119 to rt.22 to 376 into Pittsburgh.When I got on 22 I noticed a truck back behind me a ways in the left lane passing everything.When I stopped at a red light he got back in the left lane so he could pass me like I was tied to a stump,but I was empty and pulled away easily.When he got his speed back up though,he passed me like I was backing up-right there in front of the Mack place in New Alexandria.Watt's Mack,I believe it is. Anyway,at the top of the hill just west of Watt's there's a turnout there on the right,for left turns and u-turns.All of a sudden the truck whipped off in there,and I couldn't see what was going on because he was pulling a van,but when I passed by I could see-there were several carloads of D.O.T. men in there.My first thought was panic because I thought maybe they were pulling everybody in,and it was too late for me.They're gonna run me down,i'm in a heap of trouble now !...but no,they never even looked at me as I drove by,but there's no doubt if the other guy hadn't been in such a hurry and passed me when he did i'd have been next in line,and the next victim.

Yum,had that gritty charcoal and ashes taste,but otherwise OK. Good thing I wasn't cooking over yak dung though.

...and then I was cooking the three chicken breastesess on the grill,and when they were done I moved the whole grill grate over to the side that wasn't over the charcoal.So the one that's twice as big as the other two could cook a little longer,I moved it back over the coals with the tongs,and forgot the grate was over top of the other one,and dropped it right into the coals and ashes.I brought it in and washed it off and put it back on-on the grate this time. I'm gonna eat it anyway.

Yeah,hate to be whining,but I can't seem to catch a break!

Went over to Wal-Mart a while ago to get some film developed. I'm gonna stop looking at the cameras that are right next to the counter where you drop your film off-now the camera I paid $199.99 for is down to $129.99

What is this DPF? Sounds like some sort of emissions control thingamabob-see,i'm not up on the technichal terms. I saw these trucks and thought they had been traveling in a convoy and the one in front stopped too quickly for the second two!

Hard to say about the trans,not much info to go on.It must be a duplex,triplex,or quad. if it's got 2 sticks,all were available in B models.The hi-lo splitter,I don't know-does it have a 2 speed rear too? If you can get the number off the trans. you can go to www.oldmacksrus.com/trannys and find out what it is. And oldmacks.com has a trucks for sale page,with photos,where you might get some idea what it's worth.I gave $6000 for my B-53 mixer 3 years ago,it was in very good condition.I have seen B-models around for as little as $1,000-$1,200 but they needed lots of work.There was one in Cumberland,Va. for $3500 that was in pretty good shape,a single axle B-61 tractor.

Well,sometimes it doesn't pay to plan to make a few extra bucks.Never did get anything to go with the magnet,so I took it by itself.I might as well have left the day I loaded it as it turned out.Then I could have gotten another load this week,but no, gotta be greedy,try to get two loads in one! I did make an adventure out of it though-I went across rt. 33 from Harrisonburg over to I-79, since I only had 8,000 lbs. on. That's a great adventure no matter what you've got. Hope the boss doesn't read this-"33?!! are you crazy? you must've lost your #@%&ing mind!". There's several 4 and 4 1/2 mile 9% grades across there,and the curves....I've been across there before,but I must admit it's not really a good place for a truck if you don't have to be. I went from Boardman to Aurora and picked up a load of roller coaster track at Geauga Lake Park,where they're closing the amusement park,and took it to King's Dominion in Doswell,Va. where they're gonna put it back up.(I would have said reassemble it,but I don't know how to spell "reassemble") They said when I loaded it that there would be over 100 truckloads shipped to get it all to Va. Might end up over there again next week -i'm loaded with Kyanite now going to Curwensville,Pa. I must be off now,but if anyone has any questions,feel free to ax...I just try to put a little humor in to relieve the job related stress.

Wow!...when I started driving nothing around these parts could hang with a V8 375- or a V8 325 with a little fuel turned to it for that matter,they were awesome.And what a sound with a straight pipe!

According to my GMC history book the 900 was available from 1947 until 1951,with several versions. Sharp looking truck,I like them 'ol jimmys too!

I unloaded a load of pipe right on top of a mountain ( well actually on the side of a mountain-everything in Cumberland,Md. is either on top of,the side of,or at the bottom of a mountain ) Monday morning,then went to Boardman,Oh. and picked up a magnet,then went to Macedonia and got a load of coils going to Roanoke.After I got the coils off I went to Petersburg and delivered the magnet and picked up another one going back to Boardman to be refurbished-they make new electro magnets there and also refurbish old ones.It's not very big,about 4' long and maybe 2' wide,and it was already pretty late when I got it loaded,so I brought it back to the shop in Concord,Va. in hopes of getting a load of Kyanite or something to go with it. They had a load going to Buffalo at the yard that was just 2 beams,about 8,000 lbs. so maybe that will work out-that would make a good paying load too,and light.The magnet is small,but it weighs about 8,000 lbs,so i'd be a little over with a load of kyanite.It's just a shame to take that little magnet by itself with all that trailer floor left over.

I just got back from the Appomattox Railroad Festival parade and it was a good time.Looked like a really big turnout this year,and lots of parade entries.Only bad part is when you're in it you don't get to see it. They threw me out this year,so I had to make an early exit-they said not to throw candy,but they didn't say not to throw cans of beer and cigarettes to the kids,and I wanted to give them SOMETHING you know...(I am kidding of course,let me make that perfectly clear-I didn't throw anything,but lot's of other people were still throwing candy)

I went to Raleigh with a load of steel on a side kit trailer this morning,got lost, ( kind of par for the course for me ) then came back to the shop and tied down a load of pipe going to Cumberland,Md. for Monday delivery. The guys in the shop had discovered that an empty Pepsi bottle explodes much louder than the windshield washer jugs.I guess they just ran out of the jugs and had to find something else.The Pepsi bottles take much more pressure to explode-then they'll blow off of the fitting and go flying across the shop,or the yard.They fired 2 of them at me out of a piece of exhaust stack when I was strapping my load down-Kevin had it on his shoulder like a grenade launcher while Tom applied the air, but I was out of range and the wind was throwing their aim off anyway. But,as they say,all good things come to an end. Todd (boss man) sent word down from the office that if he heard any more noise he was going to "fire the whole bunch".Tom put his impact wrench down and said "well I can't change this tire then,the impact wrench makes too much noise". I just left and came home.

The Appomattox Railroad Festival and Parade is this weekend.Last year Tom at the shop put the big "Mack" sign on the water tank on the mixer the morning of the parade. I had to burn the frost off of it with a hair dryer first,and we tilted a space heater up inside the shop to try to warm it up so the decal would stick. When I stopped by the shop to get fuel before I went to Seneca Tuesday it was 94 degrees. Still no rain ....speaking of Tom at the shop ( I'm Tom too ),he's discovered a new form of entertainment (?)-he took the top off a windshield washer fluid jug,drilled a hole in it and screwed an air line chuck into it.Then he connects an air line to it that has a shut-off on the wall,sets the empty jug by the tool box or under a trailer and waits for an unsuspecting victim to walk by,then he turns the air on and the jug explodes like a cannon firing. I think he's gotten about everybody-i'll be glad when he runs out of empty jugs.I think when I fill my washer tank if the jug is empty i'll cut a hole in it with my pocket knife.

Kind of like a knuckleboom-I've seen knucklebooms when I was young that had about 15 levers,plus the pedals,and wondered how anyone could run something like that.I'm not an equipment operator either,and of course people did run them and were good with them,but now they just have 2 joystick controls and the pedals.

That is a neat looking show-where is this located if anywhere? Is the old equipment and mixer retired and parked at the same site? I've seen some of the trucks at Winchester and the bus in N.C.

I left Sunday and went to Cleveland,brought coils back to Roanoke,then loaded treated lumber at Moneta and went to Seneca,Pa. and finally went to Kent,Oh. and picked up 2 new 48' aluminum Fontaine trailers. They bought Ravens trailers,so you can't get a Ravens anymore,but I suppose these are the same trailer,just different name.They came from the old Ravens factory.Just got in with them a little while ago,so i'm too tired to write anything tonight. Maybe later...zzzzzz

I don't know,but I agree totally

Whew! And I got up this morning wondering why I even put this question out there. I have the Delicate Sound of Thunder video along with Pulse and Live at Pompei. I saw the Pulse tour at Raleigh.

Yep,that's it! Some of the lines are still copper,most have been changed to the plastic lines,still got some rubber hoses.

OK, I know this isn't the recipe corner or music discussion forum,but I was just looking at Aussie Floyd on You Tube.That's an Australian Pink Floyd tribute band,and very good I must say. I'm 51 years old, married most of it,been driving a truck for 29 years come January,and Pink Floyd is my Favorite band. Got to see them live in Raleigh,N.C. in the early '90s-I've seen the Eagles, Jimmy Buffet,Lynard Skynard,Dan Fogelburg (former girlfriends idol,that's the only reason ),ZZ Top several times,and many others-but Pink Floyd put on a truly awesome show,far and away the best concert i've ever seen. So my girl friend and I got into this discussion-well,most drivers my age are into Country and Bluegrass,and I like some country music,but mostly like the Floyd,ZZ Top,George Thorogood, etc. and I always listen to classic rock on my XM when I listen to music. I've completely worn out a couple of "Dark Side of the Moon " tapes...so the question is-am I an aardvark or not?

Hey Greg, that sounds like my girlfriend driving my Ford Ranger.

When Mack comes out with the BIG horsepower i'm gonna ask Jeff to get me a Mack,when I wear that Peterbilt out!