Start spreading the news...............New York New York

We are off on our big adventure to Brooklyn NY. I met Bigfoot at the Pilot Truck Stop in Port Wentworth, here in Savannah, and we headed North! It was late afternoon when we left, so there was not a lot to see as we went through South Carolina, North Carolina, and I think that was the last thing I saw before I woke up in the morning and we were near Baltimore Maryland. The sun was coming up and it was a nice morning. We drove through Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and into New York about 10:30 in the morning on Thursday. That’s when the fun began………..The guy waiting on our delivery had been calling about every hour to check our status and location. He was very anxious to get these shorts and pants we were carrying. When we got into the city, he found out where we were and let us follow him to the delivery location. Well, hello nightmare! We are in a huge truck, pulling a 45 foot container and they want Bigfoot to back in off a two lane side street, packed with traffic, cars parked on either side of the street, into a tiny alley, also with parked cars, trucks, and containers on both sides of the alley. Well, long story slightly less long……..it took about 5 people “helping” direct him backing up, pulling forward, turning the wheels, jackknifing the trailer, dodging the parked cars, and starting it all over again. We held up traffic in Brooklyn NY in both directions for about 45 minutes. Well, the citizens of Brooklyn there that morning were patient and loving as they sat there on this side street waiting to move. NOT! They were blowing their horns, waving their arms, shouting out the windows, getting out of the vehicles and walking over to survey the activity and scowl as if they could do better, which everybody helping thought they could because they are accustomed to driving Volvo city trucks and backing them into these alleys all day long. The Peterbilt does not act the same way as those trucks, so it was quite an ordeal to put it where they wanted it. One helper offered to back it in for Bigfoot, which he graciously through gritted teeth declined, not being one to A) let someone else drive his truck, and B) ever give up. At long last, he got it in the alley and the traffic was able to move. Whew! Once we got parked there, everybody was very nice and commiserated with Bigfoot at the situation and told him not to worry about all that stuff on the street, that it goes on all the time. They did not realize that Bigfoot could not have cared less about one of those people out there, he was doing his job and they would have to wait as long as it took. They started to unload these boxes, a little bigger than a shoebox, by hand one at a time, loading them onto pallets, wrapping them in plastic and storing them in another container across the alley. It did not take but a minute to realize we were going to be there a WHILE, which was perfect for me because it gave me time to do a little work, freshen up and wait to see if Fran was going to make it out of her doctors appointments in time. She did and she and Rich drove over from Manhattan to Brooklyn and met me there in that pitiful little alley. We squealed and squealed and laughed and hugged. It was SO good to finally meet my friend I know so well from the other end of the phone line, who I have grown so close to, and actually be able to see her. It was awesome! She was born and raised in New York, so of course, she gets quite a kick out of my Southerness. I made her a gift bag with lots of goodies from Savannah’s Byrd Cookie Company but could not pass up the chance to share with her some of the South’s most questionable delicacies. In her gift bag was a can of boiled peanuts (which we all really love here in the South), a can of potted meat, a can of Vienna sausages, and a can of pork brains in milk gravy! We got hysterical as she was going through her goodies. She got Rich all excited when she announced her plan to prepare the pork brains for a special occasion meal for them two of them. YUM YUM!! Romance is in the air! She gave me two very cool, black coffee mugs that say Brooklyn on them, and a way too generous gift card, with the sweetest card. We had a good time exchanging our goodies!
Bigfoot was passed out asleep before they ever even got there. We did not disturb him, as he needed sleep badly, so the three of us struck out to see some Brooklyn!
First thing, driving in NY is a scary activity. Its like dodgeball, bumper cars, Indy 500, all with bad manners. You fly this way and that, dodge double and triple parked cars, fly into the opposing lanes to do so, zip across intersections with cars inches away. I would probably still be sitting at one of the cross streets waiting for somebody to let me across, smiling and waving. We made it to a spot we decided to stop and found parking, another of NY’s most harrowing tasks. We put coins in the meter, which it would not register. We decided to chance it anyway, because Hey, they cant give you a ticket if the meter does not work, right? Wrong……….We found a pizza place called Rocco’s, of course, what else would it be called in Brooklyn? It was a small place with booths in the back and the most wonderful aroma of garlic and bread enveloping you when you walk in. We ordered zeppole, which I would describe as a cross between a funnel cake and a beignet. OH YUM! We ate those first and I did not think it could get better than that! I was wrong again. We ordered a Sicilian pizza, with roasted garlic, fresh mozzarella cheese and the best, freshest, lightest, most flavorful sauce. Oh gracious, was it good. The crust was perfectly crisp. So delicious. We got Bigfoot a couple of slices of pepperoni pizza to go and a leftover slice of ours and struck out again. We decided to head down to a bakery for cannoli. How can you be in NY and not have cannoli, especially if you have never had one before. The bakery was lovely with just the most beautiful assortment of baked goods ever. I could have just plopped down and had them starting bringing me one of each. We took our cannolis to go and walked around a little more. I was so envious of all the fresh food stands, vegetables, and fresh cut flowers. It was beautiful. The range of ethnicities are endless. You can get anything from any culture you want just walking around. I would so love to have access to that variety of goods. Jealous! When we got back to Fran’s car, we discovered that in fact, they can and will give you a ticket, regardless of the meter’s state of operation. $35!!!! Rich, who is just the best sport, walked all the way down 4 blocks or so to confront the police officer about the situation, to which he replied he had not written the ticket, and instructed him to take a photograph of the meter and sent it in with the ticket. Hopefully, that will work. Fran and I sat in the car and chatted while Rich was gone doing that. It was so nice to be with her. The funniest thing…..we were walking around and NY, as I am sure everyone knows, is a just a diverse melting pot of people. The particular section we were walking in at that moment seemed to have an abundance of Islamic/Afghanistan/Indian folks. Fran, says Goodness, did we cross a border somewhere, are we in Afghanistan? I said to her, maybe we are in little Afghan? (you know like little Italy?). We got a huge laugh out of that and she turned to Rich to let him in on the funny, and says, Rich, are we in little Afghan? As serious as a heart attack, he says to her, NO, we’re on 79th street. We lost it right there…….we laughed and have repeated that line a million times. It was SO funny.
We risked life and limb to make it back to where the truck was parked and Bigfoot was still sleeping and they were still unloading. We visited there at the truck for a little while longer and then Fran and Rich had to head back to Warwick. It is a long drive for them back home, especially after a long day of doctor’s appointments and then all our fun! We took some pictures and hugged and hugged some more and then had to say our goodbyes. Hopefully, we will get to see each other again, and for longer. It was just the best time and such an experience I will never forget. Thanks, Fran and Richie for my first New York experience. You guys are the best.

We sat for maybe another 30 minutes or an hour and they were done unloading. I woke up Bigfoot, he ate his pizza and cannoli, and we headed back south.

Maryland

Baltimore in the morning


Welcome to Delaware.

Welcome to New Jewsey!

Headed to NY!

Here comes the Verrazano Bridge.

NY from the Verrazano Bridge.

Gettin closer.

How far we were from other places in NY.

Whistlin Dixie in Brooklyn NY!

Here is our alley. The street is just past the white van.

This is how much room we had to move in our alley. I was sitting in our truck taking the picture. The white van is in front of our hood, the yellow box truck is squeezing between us and a container and we are all sandwiched in between two buildings.

Makes me think of the Paul Simon song, Late in the Evening, the line "the girls out on the stoop". This was going on everywhere.

Subway and grafitti.

Playground with no grass?!

Fran's treats! Lucky girl!

Down a typical street.

More sitting on the stoop, chattin.

Coming into Brooklyn.

Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna be, whatcha gonna be when ya be for me........as sung by Randy on My Name is Earl!

A brownstone, apparently the primary residence type of New Yorkers.

Wish I had a slice of this heaven right now!

Zeppole!

Fran after zeppole!

Stupid meter!

Bigfoot and his cannoli.......

Me and Rich in the delivery alley!

My wonderful, beautiful friend, Fran!

Me in the truck!

Me and Fran and the Pete!

I managed to stay awake for a good while, but I was tired after my big adventures of the day, so I turned in. I woke up in North Carolina somewhere at about 5 in the morning on Friday. Near the North Carolina/South Carolina state lines, we had seen a place called South of the Border on the way up. It is a huge place, a tourist attraction with an amusement park, miniature golf, gift shops, motels, RV park, truck stop, diner, arcade. It’s like a little theme town. I finally convinced Bigfoot to stop. It was a gorgeous morning, we could get some breakfast, stretch our legs, get some fresh air, and then continue the rest of the way. We ate at a horrible little diner with the worst waitress in history. I combed her hair for her as we left (that means I told her what I thought of her, for those who are unfamiliar with the lingo! LOL). We went into some gift shops and fooled around and got back on the road. We got back into town late in the afternoon. I walked back out to the truck to get my laptop bag and in the 3 minutes that took, Bigfoot passed out on the couch, dead asleep. He stayed asleep until the next day. Bless his heart. It was a wonderful trip and I had a blast, but it is a long way to go and a lot to do in that short time. We were beat.

Ole!

South of the Border.

Bigfoot Marley!

Me and Bigfoot with Big Pedro.

DO NOT EAT HERE!

South of the Border.

Have you ever been this tired? About 15 minutes after we got home...........

Bless him.........4200 miles in 5 days.

On a sad note, on the way home Thursday night, Jocelyn called to tell me Beebe bird had passed away. He had been sick and had an appointment to go back to the doctor, but he just could not make it. Joc was very good to take care of him for me until I could get here to have a little funeral of sorts. I buried him under the azalea bush in the backyard and planted a beautiful bright yellow Gerber daisy over top of his little grave. I already miss him so much. He was 15 years old and I have had him his whole life. He was a funny little guy who brightened my life for a long long time.

Sweet Beebe bird. I will miss you!

September 8, 1995 - March 25, 2010

The pictures may be slightly out of order, but I am out of practice with my blogging. I hope you enjoyed my latest adventure. I know I did. Until the next one comes up and I hit the road again…………10-4, good buddies, over and out!

Days 26, 27, and 28

I did it again! Three days with no blogging. But it should be easier this time, as nothing of interest has occurred in the last three days. Very surprising, as I really thought I would see something good in Florida.

I remember waking up in Georgia, near Florida on Sunday morning and it was hotter than blue blazes. I had a lot of work so I hauled all my work garb into the truck stop and set up camp in the truckers telephone lounge. Very nice. It was hot, uncomfortable, and cramped, but I managed to work for about two and a half hours before it was time to leave. We drove and drove. We stopped in Ft. Pierce Florida and decided to stay in a motel so I could work some more. We stopped at a Motel 6 because it was cheap and had truck parking. Well, I will just say it was an experience, and not the good kind. We made it through the night and at check out, I complained about the situation and was granted a gift certificate for a free night stay anywhere in the country. HMMM, could come in handy! Off we went. We made it to our delivery at Publix in Deerfield Beach and headed back toward Orlando for another pick up there going to Covington Georgia, just outside Atlanta. We decided to go ahead and use our free night stay. We stopped about one hour shy of Orlando and had a much better situation, as far as the room anyway. We slept good but had to get up early. Twice I have been through Orlando in the past couple of days, two different routes, and I have yet to get so much as a glimpse of Disney World. I am not sure it exists.

We picked up glass of all things in Orlando and headed for Georgia. We made it to Covington about midnight tonight, Tuesday. We will sleep here in the parking lot until our 7:00 a.m. delivery and then head HOME about 10:00 a.m. or so. I am so ready to be at home. Again, not because I am miserable. I really enjoy this traveling, but when home time is so close, I get really excited for it. I am staying home this next trip. I have a lot of things to do at home and I am ready to stretch my legs and sprawl out in my own BIG bed for a change. Me (not petite), Bigfoot (less petite), and Sparkle (slightly smaller) trying to sleep in a twin bed gets a little too cozy! I am sure Sparkle will appreciate some home time, too.

I took no pictures, if you can believe it. We saw absolutely nothing of interest the entire trip to Florida. No ocean, no alligators, no Disney, no pretty flowers, no oranges in the groves. Just boring interstate. A big let down.

And I had another big let down yesterday. When I learned of our trip to Florida, I looked up where my cousin Steve and his family live near St. Petersburg to see if we were going to be passing close by. Nope. Then, I talked to him yesterday only to find out that not only does he NOT live in St. Petersburg, he lives in Ft. Pierce, which is exactly where we spent that first night. We were right in the same town and I did not know it. We could have visited with him and Rachel and Evan while we were in town. I am SO enormously disappointed. Someday, I will learn to listen to my momma. She told me to make sure I was right about where they lived and I did not do it because I KNEW I was right. Sigh!

I will blog about Wednesday, and then maybe during home time, if I do anything blog-worthy. I hope I don't lose any "passengers" while I am home. I will send an email about when I am leaving out again so you can ride along again on the next big adventure!

Day 25

We woke up this morning near the Kentucky/Tennessee state line. We grabbed a bite to eat and drove toward Nashville for our trek to Deerfield Florida. But along the way, we did stop in Nashville for a quick visit with my BEST FRIEND IN THE WHOLE WORLD, Susan. She and her husband, Guy, met us at a truck stop and we got to visit for about an hour. It was too short, but it was still just the best thing to get to see her. It has been TOO long. She loaded us up with lots and lots of goodies for the truck, which we dove right into! She thinks of everything. Hopefully it won’t be so long until I see her again.

We went over Monteagle again and through Chattanooga, but I had already photographed those areas, so I did not do it again. It is very pretty, though.

We are motoring through Georgia now. No idea where we will stop yet, but it should be soon.

Not sure why Bigfoot looks so grumpy, he wasn't!?

Me, Suz, and Guy!

Just the BEST visit!

Days 22, 23, and 24

Oh Boy……….Three days behind on my blogging! Good excuse, though. The air conditioner is on the fritz in the cab of the truck, so it is almost unbearable to hold this hot laptop long enough to sort pictures and turn out my witty commentary (HA). But here goes……I am going to hit the high spots of the last few days.

I remember we left Albuquerque and went through Texas and made it to Tulsa. We saw a partial rainbow in Texas and I managed to get a quick shot of it. In Groom Texas, we passed a sign that said Largest Cross in the Western Hemisphere. It was very pretty and I went to good ole www.roadsideamerica.com and found out that apparently it is the second largest, but hey, it was big and I am not going to measure it to find out which. It was pretty and the text about it on the website was interesting. I also remember coming into Oklahoma after dark and there was the most fantastic lightning storm, like you see on TV. It would flash and shoot bolts all across the black sky. It was VERY impressive. We watched it do that for a long time.

We got to Tulsa and stopped for the night and that is when we realized we had no A/C. We were able to sleep because it was not that hot and it had been storming. However, the morning was a different story. I tried to work but it was SO hot. Bigfoot got up and we left. The truck moving helped some with the windows being down, but did nothing positive for my hair. Oh well, I will take it if I don’t have to be hot.

A piece of rainbow in New Mexico

The Biggest, or second Biggest, Cross in the Western Hemisphere!


Our destination was Carthage Missouri. We had NO idea what was in store for us there. We pulled in and checked in at the guard shack and they gave us a map to follow. We drove around and followed a sign with an arrow pointing us to “Underground”. Interesting. We went that way and sure enough, the entire deal was in fact underground, or in caves to be exact. We had to park and wait to be called and then proceeded into the cave as directed. Inside the cave was the entire warehouse, even employee parking. Now, understand the scale here. Several 18-wheelers at a time, all moving around underground, maneuvering around stone pillars seeming to hold the whole deal up. There were many “roads” going in all directions underground, depending on where you needed to go. The docks where we had to back up to were even farther under the ground. I tell you, it was something else. We thought it would be cool in there, but we were wrong. It was still hot. I did the best I could to get pictures inside the cave, but even with the lighting, it was still darkish and my camera has trouble in the dark because I can’t hold it still enough. I sat the camera on the door and snapped would I could. It was certainly an experience. They did not turn out as well as I had hoped and they are fairly blurry, but I hope you can get some idea of what it was like.

Can this be right? Are we supposed to go in THERE?

That's what the map says!

Let me go check this out.........

This place is HUGE!

The docks we have to back into.

In the underground warehouse, Carthage Missouri.

In the underground warehouse, Carthage Missouri.

In the underground warehouse, Carthage Missouri.

Poor Sparkle, she just cannot relax and unwind. We were in the cave at this point. I was reading.

Let me try this angle.


We left there and went to the truck stop to wait until the next day for our pick up again at a different place in Carthage Missouri heading to Deerfield Beach Florida. Normally, great news, but without A/C, not so much. It is working intermittently, so hopefully it will hold out. Anyway, I became homicidal in the parking lot of the truck stop, so for my safety and the safety of others, I walked over to the Sleep Inn and rented a motel room for the night. I did laundry, and took a shower, and set the thermostat as low as it would go. It was nice to have room to move around and a bathroom right there and of course, to not be hot. Bigfoot watched TV all night. We ate a good dinner at the truck stop restaurant with the coupon we got from the hotel and went to bed, fat and happy and COOL!

Yesterday was Friday and we left the Missouri truck stop/hotel heading toward Florida. We have been following Route 66 for a week and Joplin Missouri (where the hotel was) is also along Route 66. Somewhere along the way, we passed the signs for the biggest rocking chair in the world, a Route 66 landmark, but we could not see if from the Interstate. You can see it on the roadsidemerica website, though. We made it to the Kentucky/Tennessee line last night while I was sleeping. We have A/C at the moment, so I am grateful.

I think that catches us up to the present time. I will try not to get so far behind again. I am afraid I missed something good to tell………


Hey Buddy! Momma told me you were riding along! Glad you are. Leave me some comments!