trucking,motorcycling,road trips,harley,rally

2011-10-30T20:56:00.000-05:00

i have an old blind mexican freind that runs a flea market. he keeps an eye (no pun intended) out for old propane tanks that i buy from him for 5 bucks then turn them in at walmart for new ones. went by on my way home from the gunshow yesterday and he had this 1960,s era bernzomatic propane stove for 10 bucks. i brought it home and it hardly looks used at all. it works great to!!!

2011-10-30T20:52:00.001-05:00

2011-10-30T20:52:00.000-05:00

both burners work but i only lit the one

2011-10-30T20:51:00.000-05:00

found it online for 75 bucks on ebay. i did good for 10 bucks!

2011-10-28T12:08:00.000-05:00

thsi is my first attempt at harnessing the suns free energy and making it work for me. this is the 60/40 design and it is double walled and insulated.the glass door is double glass and sealed between the two,with rubber weather stripping. ive got it up to 250degrees so far. ive boiled water and cooked a roast. im 100% confident,that with the addition of reflective mylar instead of the temporary tinfoil,ill be able to get it into the 330 plus degree range. it was a fun build and very exciting to use solar for the first time.my next solar project wiil be a solar hot water heater. im slowly gathering the components needed for it now.

2011-10-28T12:00:00.000-05:00

side view of solar oven. i hope to sell all my guns at the gunshow this weekend.im going to devote alot more of my time and effort to my new interest.SOLAR!!!

2011-10-28T11:55:00.000-05:00

this is the reflector.ill be adding wood to the corners and coating everythingf with highly reflective mylar. then ill paint it white.

2011-08-07T15:12:00.000-05:00

the sign to the right gives you an idea of the size of the"cloud"

2011-08-07T12:21:00.000-05:00

my wife and i have not talked about or told anyone the story that preceeds this picture and the next one, by about 10 hours. believe me,we are not the kind of people that see something that would be unexplainable and immediately jump to far reaching conclusions.5 weeks ago we where in our 18 wheeler headed west on interstate 10 in palm springs california. i was at the wheel and my wife was sleeping in the bunk with the curtains closed.it was about midnight ,when i noticed some really bright white lights that appeared suddenly in the sky above the interstate. i watched these lights for a few seconds,then they began to flash on and off (so i believed at that moment). the lights where moving so slowly across the sky that i knew it could not be a jet or propeller driven craft,so i assumed it was a helicopter or perhaps a blimp and the flashing lights where some kind of advertisment or announcement. iwas actually looking forward to the lights getting closer so i could read what they where saying. as the distance between me and the flashing lights grew smaller,i began to realize that what i was seeing wasnt lights flashing but,it was lights that where going around the circumferance of a huge round object . what i was mistaking for flashing was the lights going completely around the other side of this craft where i couldnt see them,then reappearing on the side facing me.at that moment of realization,i also realized that i was looking at a craft that was so huge,that it could not stay in the sky given the properties of flight as we know. i screamed, yelled, gasped for my wife to wake up and come see what i was looking at.she got up wide awake from my yelling in an urgent tone that would spring anyone out of bed wide awake and ready to fight or run.i pointed to the sky and tried to tell her what i was seeing but words wouldnt come out of my mouth. she looked in the direction i was pointing and after several seconds she she said what i was thinking.what in the @#@^$@ is that?the craft continued to float slowly east over the interstate and as we where just about to go under it i realized two things,one, it was the hight of a 4 story building and two, it was bigger than a football field in circumferance.it was at this point that i could no longer look up and see it because it was right over us and the visor above the windshield wouldnt allow me to see up at that steep an angle. my wife however was able at,this point,look out the passenger window and because of the crafts size was able to still se 2/3,ds of it. she looked up and exclaimed ,its got writing on the bottom of it,as it floated completely above us she said ,wait, its not writing,its symbols!i had not,up to this point felt fear,only amazement and wonder,but for some reason i had a feeling of terror wash over me like ive never in my life expeienced before. it only lasted a few seconds but my wife experienced as well and at the same time. we watched in our rearview mirrors as the craft continued to float above the interstate moving in an eastward direction,and it was at that exact moment that it suddenly dawned on me that none of the other people on the intertstate appeared to have even noticed what just happened. no one slowed or drifted out of lanes,no one pulled over to watch. we continued west towards los angeles and had periods of conversation and silence while we both contemplated what we had just witnessed. we prodeeded to do what we always do,deliver our load to our los angeles terminal,take a short 3 hour nap then hook up to our new trailer and head back eastward to houston. it was the next morning that these pics where taken by my wife. she didnt wake me up to see this "cloud" but when she later showed me these pics i realized that the "cloud" was the exact size and formation as the craft with the bright white lights that floated over us the night before. there you have it. thats our story. we still dont know what to think of it. it has changed us deeply inside our minds. we have some deeply held spiritual beliefs and one of those my wife and i agree on completely. these entities are not here to benifit man or help us in any way. we both believe that they are demonic and malevolent in origin and nature. we dont talk about it anymore.there is no need. there are no doubts as to what we saw. there are no other explanations that could apply here,believe me,weve tried every other plausible theory and they just dont work. there is nothing else we can say.believe what you will. Brad

2011-08-07T12:18:00.000-05:00

2011-08-07T11:29:00.000-05:00

2011-07-27T22:32:00.000-05:00

my son nathan and his wife lucia came to visit for a few days. it was a great time and we had a blast.i hope to see him again real soon.

2011-07-27T22:29:00.000-05:00

im really glad they get along so well. when we took breezy to the vet to have his "boys" removed,sunny was depressed and wouldnt eat till he came home 2 days later,

2011-07-27T22:26:00.000-05:00

what a lazy little dog. since we rescued him,he has gained 7 pounds (in 2 1/2 months) all his hair has returned on his legs (he lost his hair from being forced to live in a cage in his own waste) we still are trying to get him to understand going pee outside. hes getting better. when he gets it.i gotta rent a steam cleaner.i also got sunny my mini schnauzer on my lap in front of me.

2011-06-17T19:56:00.000-05:00

ok,last picture of my dogs......... i swear!

2011-06-10T20:47:00.000-05:00

i usually dont let them lay this close to my feet and the pedals but this was just to cute. i let them take a nap this way for a while

2011-06-10T20:44:00.000-05:00

my neighbor had this dog in a small cage in his back yard for several months. it worked on me and bothered me so deeply that i ultimately went next door and threatened to whoop his ass if he didnt do one of two things,1.let the dog out of the cage and feed it every day. or 2.give me the dog. i listened to this poor dog whine and whimper all day and night for months. i just couldnt take it any more. the dog was covered in its own crap and piss. if you blow this picture up,you can still see some of the places that the sores he was covered in have healed up. if this where the old west,i would have killed the guy for this kind of cruelty to an animal.we had to shave his hair off to get the salve for his sores on his skin and not his fur. i intended to just get him healed up.put some weight on him, get him all loved up then find a kind and loving home for him,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and we did, ours.sunny has suprised me. she has taken such a liking to this dog that it has made me see her in a new light and made me love her all the more. i thought she was just a spoiled little daddys girl,and i was ok with that ,but shes has turned out to be much more and she is treating breezy (the new dog) really well. by the way the sores he was covered in where from sitting in his own piss and crap for all those months. weve had him 6 weeks now and he has gained 4 pounds.when i got him out of that cage he was near death and the vet even took pictures just in case the guy tries to go legal and get the dog back.

2011-05-07T20:59:00.000-05:00

my wife bought this vase at a yard sale today for a buck! found an exact copy on ebay that sold for 95 bucks. talk about return on investment!

2011-04-24T14:46:00.000-05:00

yes lord. i know your there for me. thanks for reminding me.

2011-04-24T14:45:00.000-05:00

man oh man! do i wish i was a dog sometimes.im putting several thousand dollars a week in the fuel tanks. im spending money i dont have to keep this anti christ of a truck on the road. im not sure if i will make the next truck payment.but all is well in the world of my sweet angel baby.

2011-03-24T17:31:00.001-05:00

i washed it. used a paint cleaner,then a good wax over that. buffed it out .now for the inside.obsessive? not me!

2011-03-23T20:10:00.000-05:00

before being washed and waxed

2011-03-13T20:44:00.000-05:00

un dia mas,un dolar mas

2011-03-13T20:41:00.000-05:00

sunny likes the sun in her face as much as i do

2011-03-13T20:37:00.000-05:00

i make no apologies for my love of sunsets.51 years on this earth,30 of those as a trucker.this life has taught me many things,but one is truest of all. this can be one mean tough old world.people lie,cops are crooks,and truckers are cheated,robbed,lied to,ridiculed,laughed at,prone to go days and weeks and months without enough sleep,love,human contact,or compensation.there is however one brief moment every day that reminds me that all is not lost.that i didnt live my life in thankless service to my fellow man in vain.once i see a sunset like this i am reminded that i fullfilled a child hood dream,a calling, i am doing what my creator put me on this earth to do, and i will quietly go about the business of bringing machinery to machine shops,building supplies to builders,medicine to pharmacys,food to grocery stores. my reward is at the end of every day,i get to feel,if just for a second ,that there is a far greater reason for those that get up every morning and get thier job done.i know this. in the game of life,the object is getting thru it being as big a help to as many people as possible. when im dead and in my casket,and people are standing around remembering me, i want them to talk about the things i did for people,the sacrifices i made,the help i gave,the trust you could place in me,the good freind i was. not how big my house was,or how many cars i had.elation,,, its a word ive probably used 5 times in my very male life,but its what i feel when i look at a sunset that i know GOD painted just for me,to encourage me to get up one more day and do my job. the reward is at the end of the game.play it well.

2011-03-13T20:03:00.000-05:00

big spring texas,sunrise

2011-03-13T20:02:00.000-05:00

another sunset in the desert southwest

2011-03-13T19:59:00.000-05:00

interstate 8 in the vekol valley.

2011-02-18T14:04:00.000-06:00

before,,,,,,,paid $115 for both

2011-02-18T14:03:00.000-06:00

after,,,,, aprox value.$140.00 each

2011-02-17T17:34:00.000-06:00

3 more guns that came from auction. i paid 30 bucks each. i repaired and refinished them and i think ill get at least triple my money back. i dont count my time because i do this for a hobby.cant wait for the next gunshow!!!

2011-02-08T16:12:00.001-06:00

just bought 2 more marlin model 60,s. i paid $115 for the pair. ill refinish and repair and pretty near double my money at the next gun show.

2011-02-04T21:43:00.000-06:00

these are the kind of neighbors i have. notice the lush green well manicured lawn on the left? thats mine. the one on the right? heathens! heathens i tell you!

2011-02-04T21:40:00.000-06:00

this is the crack in the 12 gauge that i bought at the police auction. it will be fixed and refinished in a few days. ill post pics of the finished product. its a little disconcerting not knowing what crime the police auction guns where a part of.

2011-02-04T21:37:00.000-06:00

i cant put my finger on exactly where i took this but im sure its somewhere along the border judging buy the houses. most likely in the misilla valley on the rio grande.

2011-02-04T21:35:00.000-06:00

i dont know why but sunny has slept on me or near me since she was a puppy.or,,,,,, i have a hairy growth on my head.

2011-02-04T21:33:00.000-06:00

i bought 3 rifles at a police auction for a hundred bucks!!!!
a few repairs and stock refinishing and now ill take them to the gun show and im sure ill get at least a hundred a piece for them. the third one isnt in the picture because the stock was cracked and im having my carpenter freind repair that for me.

2010-12-24T00:16:00.001-06:00

i just had to share this one. california,arizona line on I-10 near blythe.it is good to be alive.

2010-02-09T12:51:00.000-06:00

the end to another beautiful day in the desert.i pulled over and sat and watched the sun go down it was such a nice sunset that i didnt want to miss it

2010-01-13T17:58:00.000-06:00

i wanted this to have an old antiqueish look but i think this will be a little to dark. im hoping when i get to putting the clear coat on it that it will lighten up a little.tomorrow i put the first coat on then another friday then saturday and possibly a fourth on sunday.

2010-01-12T19:03:00.000-06:00

texting while driving=bad. reading while driving= bad. putting on mascara while hauling ass thru a construction zone......... priceless

2010-01-07T17:55:00.000-06:00

next 4 pics where taken over a period of 10 minutes/miles while leaving los angeles.

2010-01-07T17:54:00.001-06:00

leaving los angeles

2010-01-07T17:54:00.000-06:00

leaving los angeles

2010-01-07T17:53:00.000-06:00

leaving los angeles

2010-01-07T17:52:00.001-06:00

abilene texas.east bound I-20

2010-01-07T17:52:00.000-06:00

abilene texas east bound I-20

2010-01-07T17:51:00.000-06:00

my rotwieler ,gaurding the truck.

2010-01-02T18:47:00.000-06:00

yes im proud of my pickup truck!!! its the nicest vehicle ive ever owned . all my trucks have been ford but this is the lariat. leather/power/heated and cooled seats, am,fm, cd,serius,usb port,iphone ,bluetooth capable stereo with 4 speakers that sound great.heated/power mirrors,4 door,supercab,5.4 liter 6 speed auto with tow package.all woodgrain interior,leatrher accents everywhere,definately a hillbilly cadillac.

2009-12-31T19:57:00.000-06:00

snow and ice in abilene. been a crappy winter so far

2009-12-27T16:39:00.000-06:00

i went to the mack dealer to by parts for my big truck ,then i had a thought. i wonder what a mack truck bulldog would look like on my pickup truck? $120.00 later and this is what it looks like. i would bet not many people have thought of doing this. i would also bet if anybody else did this they also would have thought long and hard about drilling 3 holes in the hood of thier brand new truck. there is no going back now.

2009-12-27T16:35:00.001-06:00

20 years so far. she drives the truck during the day,and i own the night.

2009-12-27T16:33:00.000-06:00

freshly waxed .repeat after me,,,,no rain,no rain,no rain

2009-12-27T16:32:00.001-06:00

shinyness is next to godlyness

2009-12-13T21:47:00.000-06:00

sonny is looking at 18 inches of snow in the guadalupe mtns. freak snow storm in the desert. no plows or any kind of snow removal equiptment. just go slow and let your bumper push the snow out of the way.

2009-12-13T21:43:00.000-06:00

ive seen this truck in advertisements. ive seen it in all the trucking rags. its called the worlds longest peterbilt. i finally saw it in person. charly and i rolled into a mom and pop at gila bend out in the middle of nowhere in the az desert.we where having a bite to eat when out on the highway i hear this thing gearing down to take the off ramp. it pulls in to the parking lot and rolls up right next to us. i grab my iphone and ease on over to take a couple pics. i talked to the driver and got some specs from him. he hauls jet engines for southern pride. the wheel base is ,,,,,,,,,,drum roll please,,,,,,,,,,385 inches ,thats the center of the steer axle to the center of the rea drive axle. from stem to stern the truck is 424 inches long. the truck with trailer is 81 feet long. the sleeper it self is 202 inches. it got full size shower and toilet, full size fridge, queen bed, big screen tv, 3 burner stove, i didnt have the nerve to ask him what it cost but i can get a rough idea because charly and i where thinking of going the big sleeper route and went so far as to spec and price one out. the one we where interested in would have cost us $230,000 but wouldnt have been even half as big as this one in the pic,so i would guess this worlds longest peterbilt would cost about $450,000 to have built today.charly and i only work 2 weeks and take 2 weeks off so we decided we just couldnt justify that kind of truck payment with what little we work. any way ,,,we are back home for 2 weeks . let the good times roll.

2009-12-13T21:28:00.000-06:00

8 inch pipes, texas bumper, louvered hood. quad 150 gallon tanks for a cruising range of about 3500 miles.

2009-12-13T21:26:00.000-06:00

even the inside was tricked out. the steering wheel was yellow the dashboard to. the floor was oak.

2009-12-13T21:24:00.000-06:00

my wife keeps taking pictures of me and sunny sound asleep..you hardly ever get to see your nose from this angle. maybe this is why?

2009-12-13T21:20:00.000-06:00

somewhere in the desert southwest.a few hours and my truck will be out of warranty

2009-11-29T19:23:00.000-06:00

louisiana yard dogs.

2009-11-24T17:42:00.000-06:00

once upon a time my wife would snuggle up to me like this!

2009-11-17T10:23:00.000-06:00

well today i take my truck to the shop and get the transmission glitch fixed(wiring harness recall). then im going over to the petro and spend my petro frequent fueler points on a wilson cell phone antennae for sue,s birthday. its made to put on a truck miror but i put one on my house years ago before they brought cell phone service to the sticks and it pulled in a good enough signal that i didnt have to drive to the main highway to make a phone call anymore. dewayne and sue also live in the sticks and cell service hasnt made it to thier house yet either,but this wilson antennae will bring in a good enough signal to make a call with.then its off to south shreveport to a army surplus store to buy some ammo boxes. then to sears so charly can ogle the sewing machines. she doesent know it but i got enough top secret hidden away money that if she sees one she likes im gonna buy it for her birthday.then tonight dewayne and i are takin our gals out for mezican food to celebrate thier birthdays. they both turned ?????? years old on the 15th and they where waiting for us to come home so we could all celebrate together.

2009-11-16T12:55:00.000-06:00

throw the ball throw the ball throw the ball throw the ball throw the ball throw the ball

2009-11-15T21:58:00.000-06:00

t boone pickens wind farm in sweetwater tx.

2009-11-15T17:55:00.000-06:00

look deep into my eyes...... you are getting very sleepy............ you are now in a deep state of unconciousness........you will give me a chewy bone every day at 10 and 2......... you will let me chew anything i want and not become angry......when i bark once you will awaken and feel refreshed and want to pet me..... woof!

2009-10-04T22:35:00.000-05:00

it was a rainy day all day. charly sewed ,sunny napped on her sewing table.

2009-09-20T22:31:00.000-05:00

well since there is grass on this hill ,this must be texas because texas is where the grass ends and the sand and cactus begin

2009-09-20T22:29:00.000-05:00

somewhere in new mexico

2009-09-20T22:28:00.000-05:00

i never get enough sunsets.somewhere in new mexico

2009-09-20T22:27:00.001-05:00

rainbow near benson az

2009-09-20T22:27:00.000-05:00

sunny is taking a nap after a long driving shift

2009-09-05T20:45:00.000-05:00

well its done/ it didnt rain and it was quite hot today but dianes son mack and his freind josh showed up and man where they a big help. i wouldnt have gotten it done in one day if it wasnt for there help. thanks guys ,you are both great guys and good men.this will make dianes life just a little easier. now if the social security ofice would get off there thier a$$e$ she,ll be ok.im exausted i started at the crack of 9 this morning(its an hour over there from my house) and didnt finish till late in the evening. im takeing a shower and going to bed. nighty nite.

2009-09-05T20:43:00.000-05:00

of course im smiling im getting to use all my beautiful tools!!!!!

2009-09-05T20:42:00.000-05:00

starting on the ramp

2009-09-05T20:41:00.000-05:00

my iphone makes all the pictures look as if i have a fish eye lense on it. the 4x4,s are not bowed. its the camera.

2009-09-05T20:40:00.000-05:00

this is mack,dianes son putting the last screws into the deck

2009-09-05T20:39:00.000-05:00

working on the railing around the deck.that is josh in the picture,a freind of macks(dianes son) who showed up to lend a hand

2009-09-05T20:37:00.000-05:00

almost done now. just one more side of the ramp needs handrails and we will let diane take it for a test ride

2009-09-05T20:36:00.000-05:00

diane is taking her first look at her new ramp and deck

2009-09-05T20:34:00.000-05:00

diane taking her new ramp for a spin. she sure is glad to get in and out of her house without being manhandled now

2009-09-04T20:20:00.000-05:00

well one more day went buy and still no ramp built. however in my defense,im fat ,im old,im out of shape,and did i mention im fat?i managed to get the front steps which where in decent shape moved and installed at the back door whose steps where in terrible shape.and since i gave mack my blog name i guess ill have to mention the fact that he helped me some. then mack and i went to home depot and loaded all the lumber for the ramp .in the ,morning rain or shine im building a @$#*&% ramp. ill take pictures and post late tommorow night. peace out g (theres just something funny about a old white hillbilly using urban black youth language.) they call me dj jazzy bubba

2009-09-01T21:54:00.000-05:00

our freinds jim and deb. she has a southern accent so thick you could cut it with a knife. he has a maine accent that almost seems like he,s not even speaking english. how did this happen? no one knows.

2009-09-01T21:52:00.000-05:00

can you believe this dog is sleeping there?

2009-09-01T21:51:00.000-05:00

the boss is always lookinmg over our shoulder

2009-09-01T21:50:00.001-05:00

lake ponchatrain

2009-09-01T21:50:00.000-05:00

and another.on st. charles st. in the garden district.

2009-09-01T21:49:00.000-05:00

new orleans street car

2009-09-01T21:48:00.000-05:00

crossing lake ponchatrain to get into new orleans on our way to pick up diane at the rehab center.

2009-09-01T21:47:00.001-05:00

near wicox arizona

2009-09-01T21:47:00.000-05:00

a mild sandstorm near blythe Kalifornia.some sandstorms are so bad they are total brownouts and you cant even see the end of your hood. a few years ago we bought a brand new truck and we where on our first trip with it .we hit a brown out and it was so bad we had to replace our chrome bumper and the windshield couldnt even be seen through. the paint was never the same either.

2009-09-01T21:40:00.001-05:00

our freind and riding/touring buddy had a terrible wreck on her motorcycle. she was in a coma for days and days. it was touch and go for a couple of weeks. today sept 1 st i drove down to new orleans and brought her to her home after a little more than two months in rehab. she can barely walk, has no vision in her right eye, and her mind will never be the same. her life will be changed forever. this has been a sobering experience for everyone that knew the vibrant sharp witted diane bedfore the wreck.

2009-09-01T21:30:00.000-05:00

2009-09-01T21:28:00.000-05:00

my bride and our new supervisor on I-8 between casa grande and gile bend on the mexican border

2009-09-01T21:26:00.000-05:00

what a great end to another day in the desert.

2009-09-01T21:24:00.001-05:00

my GOD!!! what a handsome lad

2009-09-01T21:24:00.000-05:00

another garden

2009-09-01T21:23:00.000-05:00

mums and ,,,,,,,,,,,damn,,,,cant rember the name the other planty looking things but they smell grrrrrrreat

2009-09-01T21:21:00.000-05:00

sunny holds a supervisory position now.

2009-09-01T21:18:00.000-05:00

our gladiolas looked beautiful this year