The theater we are picking the show up at tonight is located at the University of Texas Performing Arts Center here in Austin.We got here early this morning and spent some time walking around the campus and checking out the museum.They have some of the most amazing trees here that we don’t see anywhere else in the country. It was just a canopy of branches and squirrels running on them above us. I’d sure like to hang a swing on the big old sweeping branches but settled for pictures for Rocky in front of them instead.How old must they be if just the branches are way bigger than most trees? (By the way, clicking on the pictures below enlarges them.) Also took a picture of the wildflowers blooming here - and one of Jorge at the museum.
While Jorge spent the past ten days in Mexico taking care of family matters, Rocky and I were holding down the fort on this end.We spent a few days in Toledo with family there.It seems like it’s a city we pass thru a lot but seldom get to stay and visit so it was nice to be able to do that for a change.One thing I accomplished that week was a trip to our old church in Monroe, Michigan.This was a place where I spent a few of my formative years from first grade to fifth grade and also a place with many family memories.Though the congregation built a new church back in the early 1970’s, it’s the old church build back in 1860 that we really love.My father was the pastor there from 1966 thru 1970.It just so happened while I was there completing my mission to purchase graves in the old cemetery, the guy I was speaking with had the keys to the old church with him and gave us a grand tour of the renovated building.It had been scheduled for demolition after the new church was built but thankfully they changed their minds and restored it to nearly it’s original condition.It brought tears to my eyes to see this place for the first time in forty years.
After my family fun in Toledo, it was time to go back to work.I was doing a solo run taking ‘Wicked’ from Toledo to Durham, North Carolina – a mere 580 miles.Except for a few sleepy moments in the beginning of the trip, it was a piece of cake.The scenery across the Appalachians was just beautiful this time of year with everything blooming.It was enough to keep me interested to see what was around the next curve or over the next hill.I kept my camera on the dashboard so I could be ready to take pictures of everything.The redbud trees and dogwoods were in rare form. Since Jorge usually does all the backing, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to get my trailer to the dock for unloading without help from one of the other drivers.I decided to give it a shot and surprised even myself with my near perfect back-in.Relieved that I had made it and this part of my trip was over, I headed toward Austin to pick up Jorge.No problem, I had three days to get there.
Just as I was getting to Atlanta about rush hour, I decided to pull over and let the traffic die down while I found a mall in which to pass the time.I no sooner got parked when the phone rang and I saw it was a call from the company’s dispatcher.Hmmmm…. Should I answer it or ignore it?I figured I’d better see what they wanted.It turns out they were desperate for a driver to pick up a trailer the next morning in Atlanta and take it about 15 miles to the downtown theater there.They wanted to know if I would do it.Yikes! Are you kidding me?Do they not know I’m driving by myself??, I was thinking. I decided since I was fresh off the elation of my near perfect back-in that morning and up for the adventure, I said I would do it.Thankfully there was another driver who was doing the same thing so we were able to help each other the next morning when it came time to back up to the dock.Once again, by the grace of God, I was able to back this big truck into a pretty narrow dock just like I knew what I was doing!
What a relief to get that business behind me and finish the trip to Austin.My timing was perfect as I got here just about the same time Jorge’s plane arrived.So we’re all back in the truck again and things are settling back down to normal. I'm glad to have my team driver back as this is really somewhat of a job if you have to do it alone. Without Jorge in the truck to feed me his regular meals, I lost five pounds this week while he was gone.It seems he found it and then some though after all the tacos and good Mexican food he pigged out on while he was there.
We’re back to work this weekend and Sunday night we’ll be taking a show called ‘In the Heights’ from Austin to Denver.I’m hoping I won’t need to dig out the winter coats again when we get there as I see the forcast for Denver and it looks pretty chilly.
Our trip from St. Louis to New Orleans took us right thru Cape Girardeau, Missouri.I figured it had been probably ten years since I’d been back to the old town to which my family had moved back in 1974.I couldn’t resist a trip down memory lane so I directed Jorge thru town while I was busy taking pictures of everything.It’s funny how some things hadn’t changed while others looked exactly the same.Our old Lutheran church was sold years ago and is now a Methodist church.I’ll have to say they had made a lot of improvements to the property.The A&W drive-in where I had my first real job at $1.56 per hour had been torn down and replaced by a Taco Bell.Most of the old historic buildings were still standing and what had once been a fairly bustling downtown was full of mostly old antique stores. It’s amazing the things you forget until you drive thru a town you once lived in and a lot of memories come flooding back into your mind. I enjoyed the trip in spite of all the changes though.The old saying – ‘you can never go home’ – holds true.
We didn’t go down into New Orleans itself until it was time to load up the show so we didn’t see much of the city on this trip.It was a kind of ‘get in, get out’ kind of deal.Maybe next trip we’ll make our way to Bourbon St. and the French Quarter.
Just before we left New Orleans, we received a call from Jorge’s family that his mom had taken a turn for the worse.She had never fully regained her strength after her colon cancer surgery in November and had pretty much been on a downhill slide ever since.We left for our destination of Rochester, NY but made reservations for Jorge to fly back to south Texas first thing Wednesday morning.Sadly, we received the call Tuesday night that his mom had passed away before Jorge was able to make it back home.We decided I would stay and do our next trip from Toledo, OH to Durham, NC as a solo driver to allow Jorge extra time to do what is necessary in Mexico.
The little 'hole in the wall' door just in front of our truck bumper led to an upstairs hall where we used to hold church services when we first arrived in Cape Girardeau. The other picture shows the court house that overlooks the downtown area.
It’s been an interesting trip weatherwise from San Diego to St. Louis this week.We experienced the earthquake Sunday afternoon in California, duststorms in Arizona, 50 mph winds, and tonight we’re expecting thunderstorms.
I thought I’d just make a little photo gallery this week of a lot of places we’ve been in the last week.Pictures at the top are from California and Arizona.Most are taken from a moving truck.There are more pictures of our time in Las Vegas.Emma is the apple of everyone’s eye and also a camera hog.She gets the award for Miss Photogenic.The pictures at the bottom are from Salt Lake City.The weather was perfect there so we drove up to the Utah state capitol building at a high point in the city.The snow-covered mountains show the Salt Lake City valley. And no trip to Salt Lake City is complete without a picture of the Mormon Temple, right?
We head down to New Orleans next. We've been there for Mardi Gras in the past but never to the theater so we're curious how the city looks these days. Stay tuned for more pictures.
So we found ourselves in San Diego on Monday of this week with several days to fill.We decided to make our way back to Las Vegas and visit my brother Steve and his girlfriend, Francis.It was a good opportunity to spend some quality time with my one and a half year old niece, Emma, too.
We generally don’t go out of our way to visit casinos and with five days in Las Vegas, we didn’t put a penny into the slot machine. It was just good family fun - playing games, going to the park, and playing with Emma.A change of pace from what we are used to doing but it was good times.We still have our church membership at the church we used to attend when we lived there nearly four years ago.It was good to get a chance to go back to our church since we seldom get that opportunity.
Against all our pushing and prodding to talk Steve and Francis into making a quick trip downtown to one of the 24-hour drive-thru wedding chapels,we were not able to attend a wedding this weekend. We got them to the chapel, they just wouldn’t go inside. They had a pro and con list going and it seems they might actually want more family than just us to be there for the blessed event.Hopefully we make it back here soon.
We have to go back to San Diego to pick up our show Sunday night.Next stop on our agenda is St. Louis, Missouri.
Have a very blessed Easter!He is risen!
Emma Grace... a happy little girl. People say there is quite a family resemblance. I don't know about that but we do often find ourselves both wearing a purple shirt.
At the wedding chapel... you can bring a horse to water but you cannot make him drink.
We did go out one night and ended up down on the Las Vegas strip at this country bar. Jorge was especially excited about getting his drink in a mason jar. The picture above shows us out for a good time.
Combining a love of travel and history, not to mention the need to work and fund those travels~ we found the perfect solution to satisfy our wanderlust ~ as over-the-road truck drivers. The nomadic lifestyle is surely not for everyone but it has worked well for us for several years. It has taken us to countless places we would never have gone and we've met many friends along the way. Join us, Jorge and Rhonda ~and Rocky, the trucker dog ~ in our adventures on our perpetual, mobile camping trip...