Working for Bob Newhart.

Howlin manages to have fun AND take his weekly bath

It is so tough to pick a favorite from this band. This song is as relevant now as it was 40 years ago.

It is with a heavy heart that I must inform you all that the Freebird II is no longer my number one lady. On Friday morning, at about 0100, I left the Colonial Heights truck stop (sorry Lone Wolf, but those midnight starts were killing me - next time brother) and slid across a state highway to I295. As I was on the cloverleaf, I looked in my mirrors and saw smoke boiling out from under her. I pulled to the shoulder as quickly as I could, jumped out and saw the back end just slathered in gear oil and the front differential smoking. I called for a tow truck and when it finally arrived, was towed to the Freightliner dealer in Chester, VA. On Monday, I arrived back at the dealer to clean out my gear and put it all in another company truck that is only a temporary ride. The front differential was toasted and is being replaced. My gal is getting a hip replacement. For 2-1/2 years and 353,000 miles she has been my mother, my wife, my protector. She was my home, kitchen, and office. She was my door to this beautiful land we all call home. She and I traveled through 44 states and every kind of nasty weather - hail, sandstorms, high winds, monsoon type rain, blistering heat, bitter cold, snow, and mud. And through it all, she protected me and I protected her. She was a good truck, and I will miss her.
I am in a similar truck right now, but, like I said, it is only a temporary ride. In a week or so, I will be in a brand new Freightliner and she will be the Freebird III. So, stayed tuned to this channel for the continuing adventures of the Freebird and Concrete Cowboy.
I leave you all with a few pictures of my lovely lady:


Showing all her sexy curves


Every well dressed lady needs a hat


She is even more beautiful at night.

Take care old gal - may your next driver enjoy you as much as I did, and protect him the way you did me. Vaya con Dios, querida.

Flag Day - 14 June. I missed the date by a couple of days and I do apologize.
In the United States, Flag Day is celebrated on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened on that day in 1777 by resolution of the Second Continental Congress.
The number of stars has changed many times over the last 236 years, but that is all that has changed. It is still the red, white, and blue - the colors that will never run.


And no mention of the flag would be complete without the Pledge of Allegiance.

Illness and Health
Poverty and Wealth
Joy and Sadness
Sanity and Madness
Happiness and Sorrow
Today and Tomorrow
Reality and Dreams
Dark Clouds and Sunbeams
Loneliness and Unity
At Odds and Community
Easy Times and Strife
Death and Life
Planning and Fate
Love and Hate
We can’t appreciate the mountaintop until we’ve climbed out of the valley
Can’t savor the boulevard until we’ve walked through the alley
The sun and the rain,
Feeling good and aching pain
These are the yin and the yang, the push and the pull
The dichotomies of living, that make our lives full

Well, another run has ended for me. It is time to head to the truck stop for a long weekend of visiting my daughter. And the best part – she is having her 8th grade graduation on Saturday night; that means it is time for this old redneck to get slicked up again. [I know, I feel the same way – graduations should be for getting out of high school, college, GED’s. But hey, it’s my daughter this time LOL]
I was going to post pictures for the last blog challenge, but they looked like crap when I posted them. Let’s just say they involved me, cups of coffee, bottles of water, and potholes. The good part was, the spilled coffee did a nice job of coloring out the gray in my beard.
For those in the United States, don’t forget the reason for the long weekend. Please take a moment to remember those who have died in the line of fire while protecting us and our freedoms.

Okay, by the numbers:
Run started - 25 March 2013
Run ended – 24 May 2013
Run length – 61 days
Full days off – 1
Total miles – 25,825
Miles per day – 430 (average)
Most miles in one day – 638
Least miles in one day - 180
I covered the country from Franklin, MA to Jacksonville, FL to Laredo, TX, to Pueblo, CO to Manitowoc, WI – and hundreds of places in between. The weather included 100 degree heat, thunderstorms, a little hail, lots of rain, strong winds, 20 degree cold, snow, and ice; sometimes all within 48 hours. I got to see the devastating floods in the Midwest; I also saw a little bit of the tornado damage just south of Oklahoma City early this morning. I was very fortunate to see spring arrive throughout all the areas I travelled – got to admit though, I am still biased: Texas wildflowers in the spring are the most spectacular. I got to meet Rockhard on this trip – a true gentleman and a very funny person – also one helluva cook. He and I spent a few hours in a truck stop McDonalds eating HIS cooking - we also had the lovely TruckerGirl with us for supper before we all went our separate ways. I spent an evening with Howlin and Sugar – always a pleasure to spend time with them.
I have 250 more miles to go to make my final delivery. Unfortunately, I have to leave at 0100 to get to the warehouse on time. Then another 190 miles to my home truck stop. I might be checking in if I have a few minutes free, otherwise I will see you all again on Tuesday.
See you out there where the highway meets the sky. This is the Concrete Cowboy, the Old Troubador, signing off.

Be sure to check out the energy in Carl Palmer's drum solo )