Another Round

Seems like my blogs are getting repetitive. Its hard when we're home so long and then do the same thing on our trip out to find things to write about that are new and interesting. I did take pictures of Malcolm's shop as well as his Peterbuilt project this time. I'll get those up and posted in my next entry.
We had another week at home waiting for a load. It was so nice last week. It was warm, in the 50's and 60's all week, with the exception of Monday evenign when it clouded over and snowed "dip n dots" type snow balls on us enough to dust the ground. But Tuesday, though cool, the nice weather had returned, and we enjoyed it.
Things we did at home:
Got my tax stuff finished up, mostly, and turned into our accountant. We're trying someone new this year, and I liked her. I wrote in to Dave Ramsey's website for a good accountant in our area, and she was the one they responded with. They really screen them too. I asked her how she got to be who they recommend and it sounded like a very indepth screening process, complete with a two hour phone interview. His whole thing is that people he endorses have to have the "heart of a teacher" which is what I desperatly need in the area of accounting. And she seems to fit the bill. I learned several things while we met with her. So I feel much better about that little situation. As a side note.....after adding up all our stuff from last year....well let me just say that even though I know we spend a lot on fuel it always comes as a shock when I get the big number, and I thought you'd be impressed and also it will give you an idea of what trucking costs. Last year we spent almost $120,000.00 on fuel for the truck. Scary isn't it???
We also went to Roundup last week to meet Rachelle, Peggy, and Justine who had gone up there to pick up a new horse Rachelle had bought. She's a beautiful appaloosa and I love her! Roundup is just 40 miles or so north of us and a neat little town. While we were eating lunch there at the cafe, we visited with Bill T. who hauls cows for Steve also. He was there with his wife. They live south of Roundup. Bill is my favorite of the cow haulers, and I was very happy to see him. He's an older fellow, and I think of him as a true cowboy. He always wears jeans, boots, a denim shirt and a black Stetson. He's polite, soft spoken, and has great stories to tell. We stopped by his place on the way home to visit some more and so he could show us his animals (he's trying to sell me his two lamas) His wife raises French Alpine Dairy goats which is the breed I want. No one seems to have them though so when I discoered that Bill and his wife had some, I was thrilled, and now that I've met them and visited those little creatures, I'm even more convinced that I need a pair of them!
We left Saturday morning for a delivery in Modesto, CA on Sunday. Lucky us, it was storming on Donner's in the Sierra Nevada's on I-80. Snow chains were mandatory, so Malcolm had to get out and lay in the slush to chain up. We've only had to do it twice in our trucking career, but both times it was going over Donner's.
Delivered yestereday and are now heading into the Los Angelas area for our second delivery. We just passed though Burbank and are in a traffic jam. Reportedly a car and motor cycle have crashed in the left lanes, and one passing driver said it looks like there's a fatality. What an aweful way to die! Motor cylces look fun, but we see an aweful lot of them wrecked, and its hardly ever pretty. Down here they drive around between cars and cut in and out of traffic, even driving down the dashed line between lanes of traffic. Its no wonder they are so often involved in accidents down here.
We'll deliver this in LA and then the rest of it goes just north of SanDiego. Then we'll be off to El Centro and Yuma, AZ to reload as usual. Then home, probably by Wednesday. I'd like to expect to go home to another great weather week, but Brandon said its cold and blowing like crazy there right now, and there's a massive snow storm moving across WY, SD, and eastern MT. I looked on the weather web site and saw that even Baker is now included in the blizzard warning till tomorrow afternoon, expecting 50mph winds and 1-2 feet of snow.
So much for Spring.