Side-Swiped!!!

Let me set the scene for you ...

This afternoon about 5 p.m., the sky is blue, the roads are dry, the sun is shining, the road at this point is fairly straight, traffic is moderate ...

I'm in the 3rd lane out from the center, driving the speed limit of 65 mph, the outside lane to my right is "exit only" for Exit 6. Cars are passing me on my left side. I'm assuming that one of these drivers who were exceeding the speed limit, saw the Exit 6 sign and decided to jump from the 2nd lane from the center -- straight into the exit lane -- without first checking to see if there was any traffic between where "he" was located and where "he" wanted to go.

I say that I'm assuming this from the evidence on the side of the 18-wheeler truck I was driving.

Anyway, I heard a noise to my left ... looked down through my side window ... to see a red pickup truck (with a wide silver stripe down the side and a huge Auburn decal on the back window) seemingly peeling itself off the side of my truck while accelerating forward, pulling left back into the middle lane, hopping further left into the high-speed inside lane, and high-tailing it out of there! He was too far away before I thought to look for the license plate number.

While the Auburn fan was doing the run part of "Hit and Run." I hear metal dragging under my truck and pull to a stop in the striped "no-man's land" between the freeway lanes and the exit lane, at exit 6. Absolutely no one else stopped or did anything.

This is where I stopped.

The dragging noise was the steps dragging on the roadway.

"He" first hit the side of the trailer about 4 feet back from the front. There is red paint scrubbed off onto the trailer from there forward. Notice he busted and broke off the marker light and bent the front corner of the trailer.

You can see just a touch of silver paint scrubbed off onto the rear drive wheel. And a whole lot on the front drive wheel. He pretty much dented in the entire silver streak down the right-side of his pickup truck.

Remember that I am going 65 mph ...

As he continued his high speed slide forward,

he scraped the turn signal light on the side of the tractor cab.

Continuing forward, left more red streaks on the side of the cab.

Almost entirely tore the steps off the side of the fuel tank.

(I took this foto after I pulled them up off the ground ...

I didn't think the police would be happy to see me driving along with the steps dragging.)

I'll have to remove those in the morning.

He shoved the steps forward into the panel behind the steer wheel ... damaging the fiberglas and denting in the underlying metal form.

I had to pull the steps back and pull the panel back from the steer tire so that it wouldn't scrape.

I'm not thinking highly of Auburn fans at the moment

...

:-)

End of the Line

Today was my last day for driving the school bus. One of the other regular drivers that had been out on leave is coming back tomorrow. And so, the "Super-Sub" is taking over the route that I've been doing. The "Super-Sub" is the one the drivers are supposed to call first ... then if he is already booked ... they can call one of us minion "sub-subs".

One of the little kids that I can't seem to get to stay in his seat, fell down on the floor this afternoon and got a small cut on his knee. The bus first-aid kit had lots of big compression bandages and a roll of tape ... but no Band-Aids. So I gave him a paper towel to press on the cut and delivered him to his mother at the next stop. I told his mother about it, and she looked, but he was off and running to go play on the trampoline. So we guessed it was fine.

My neighbor needs me to go pick up a load of peanuts on Friday ... For delivery in Chicago. Because he was already committed to go up to B'ham to load up Scott and his family's household goods and bring it all back to here on Saturday.

One Week Later ...

I need some super glue to stick George and Michael to their respective seats! They have a problem sitting down and staying in their seat area. Dillon sits down, but seems to flow from seat-to-seat-to-seat up and down the aisle. A bungy cord or seat-belt might work for him. Still need to get the volume down ... it usually subsides considerably after the first stop at the day-care center where 7 get off.

The regular driver is promising to be back driving next Monday.

Hallelujah!!

Bus Stop .. Bus Stop

This is a bus stop that I see twice a day ... every day.

It's up a dirt road in the woods ...

yes, the road does split around that tree in the middle.

This afternoon I was ever so grateful to see this bus stop.

It is my next to last one. It seems that Friday afternoons I have a larger crowd going home than usual in the afternoon. Then just before my 1st bus stop a little girl vomited. So at the stop, I was using paper towels to clean up the seat and floor ... and gave her some towels to clean herself up. Then I go down the street, loop around, and am coming back out ... when the boy across from her vomited. So I pulled over and gave him some paper towels. Those two kids and 5 more all piled out at the next stop. Thank goodness. Now if I can just get George to sit down in his seat ... and keep anyone from sitting next to Jordan ... there might be less activity and trauma.

Oh, the regular driver isn't coming back for another week ...

more visits to the doctor to make sure she is alright.

2 Days of Driving.

2 days of driving the bus as a substitute while the regular driver is busy visiting with the doctors. There are two little boys that like to team up on loud chants. They sit in the front ... I'd like to move them at least 6 seats further back ... and introduce them to duct tape. Who knows what imaginative things they could do with it? And they don't get off until the far end of the route.

In between runs I tinker with metal and a welder.

And go to bed early.

Tomorrow is emergency evacuation drills.

Busy Day

After doing the little 516 mile trip last night to deliver a load ... I made it to bed about 2:00 a.m. Got up at 7 ... puttered in the shop ... then headed out for DAV about 9:30 a.m. ... got a call on my cell phone from the school district asking me to ride with one of their drivers this afternoon so I could substitute for her on Thursday. Okay. Worked from 10 - 1 at DAV helping 2 people with their claims paperwork. The wife left a message to pick up some things at WalMart on the way home. Walked in the door ... gave her the food ... the turned around and left to go for the bus ride.

When we got to the school they were moving one of the busses out of the line-up ... some problem with the driver collapsing or being in a bad way. The superintendent said, "Grab that rider and have him drive the route." So, as the ambulance took away the lady who was driving the bus ... I had kids climbing on and was trying to figure out what to do. We picked up from a Middle School, an Elementary School, and then a High School. At which point I had to depend on the kids to tell me how to get them home. The last 3 were just 1st-graders giving me directions down a dirt road and to a trailer park to get them home. It worked! Other than me being a little stressed, the Principal wanting the camera tape to review (I have no idea where it is or how to get it out), and the Superintendent saying,

"Keep driving the route until further notice."

The lady had nausea, chest pains, and a numb arm ...

Yes, it's been raining off-and-on for the last couple of days.

And I'll have to be up about 5:00 a.m. tomorrow

to get the bus, do a pre-trip inspection, and pick up the first kid at the far end of the county at 6:25 a.m.

Humanure -- nothing better to do ...

This is one of the more amusing and informative reads that I have come across. It can even be downloaded free:

http://humanurehandbook.com/contents.html

The one that we made and used in our mobile home is actually pictured in the book ... how do we know? We recognize the trailer wallpaper and floor vent. :-)

DAV CSO Training

I spent the last 2 days at a training seminar for DAV Service Officers. The objective was to learn how to help disabled veterans do the paperwork to sign up for VA (Veterans Administration) medical benefits. Many have given their lives and body parts in the name of Freedom and the American way. Protecting our country by fighting the "enemy" out there ... instead of us having to do it at home on our shores. And so that others may have the freedom to live as we do.

This help is FREE to any veteran.

They do not have to be a member of the DAV.

My father was a WWII veteran and a POW (Prisoner of War).

I honor him and all others like him.