Vintage CAD Members Check-In
 

Any old-timers here? I've been lurking here from time to time, mainly to see if anybody I recognize is still around.
Please check in here and let us know how you are doing these days.

Me? I'm doing great, my health is better, and I'm fairly active for 70 years old. I'm not hunting and fishing anymore, but still playing my guitar for fun, and I've added a bass guitar now. I'm trying to learn some songs on that.
No longer driving or working as a Firefighter/Medic. I'm gardening, and keeping to myself at home a lot. Somewhat because of the covid mess going on, but also because I am a hermit at heart, and prefer being alone all the time.

I miss the good old days here at CAD. I miss some of you folks and think about you from time to time. You are easy friends to have. You don't visit, :D but wave when you drive by Michigan.

Shania Twain isn't with me yet, but I am still trying my best to win her heart. If any of you have her email address, I'd sure appreciate it.
Maybe she will check in, and I hope you do too!

This is an awesome idea Roadhog!!

As you can see I'm still here and keeping the gears oiled until the old timers come back to visit and post. Probably never gonna be like the old days but it sure would be great to hear from the old gang and have some check ins!!

I saw the Timber Wolf made a drive by last week, anybody else?

Attachment 1565

Scoe my old friend!
Very happy you have not only kept things going, but you REALLY cleaned up the place since, we got over run with Russian spammers.

^^ seeing if I can post a photo... I'm not as computer savvy like I use to be.
If so, that is a photo of me next to my Clematis and my Phoking Chinese Lilly's.

Saw Timberwolf too, and he stopped by on his own. It's not my fault,.. :D
Like Timberwolf, me and I'm sure many others too, like to come by now and then, like visiting an old memory.

I hope we get to re-connect with them, even just to say hello again.
I do have some old contacts, so I'll see if they still have a block on me. :)

Broadsword calling Danny Boy, Broadsword calling Danny Boy, come in, over!


I say, rather, well hello old bean. Frightfully good of you to invite us all here today .

I haven't driven a truck now for over 12 years. Lord only knows how I would get on with an old Eton twin split gearbox now ha ha ...
And I'd probably drop trailer off for swap-over and not put landing legs down...Oh, hold on, that's WHAT I used to do anyway :-) ...."Whadya mean, the legs aint down? Just put them on slow wind and put your back into it, yer lazy bastard. What's that? Is this in revenge for watching me put those tarpaulin sheets on that load last Winter when it was blowing a gale? Now ask yourself, would I do that?"...

Great to hear from you, Hog.

Get the kettle on, let's have a brew of TEA old boy

Wow, talk about hearkening back to days of yore. ;)

Been a very long time, but couldn't resist Hogs invite to check in and see how the elderly are doing. :cool: Including me. Can't believe I remembered my password. ;)

I'm still in the transportation industry, but working for an ATS software company called DriverReach. Work from home 100% of the time and thoroughly enjoy what I do. Kids are grown, 1 is married and I have my first granddaughter, who is 19 months old now and owns my heart and soul. Being a grandpa is one of the greatest blessings ever. Have another daughter on the cusp of getting engaged and the rest are doing well in their various endeavors. No complaints; life is fantastic.

Writing is still part of my life. I haven't done much since the pandemic hit, but my current count is 8 novels and 3 anthology appearances, as well as 1 movie appearance and a spot in IMDB. I figure to have 2 more books released by April of next year and look forward to being able to delve back into it a little more regularly. Have re-taken up the sport of bowling, as well, since softball and other sports tend to be a little more difficult to navigate at 55.

All in all, life is pretty A-OK. It's been a really good one. Hope everyone is just as blessed.

Yeah, being a Grandpa is fantastic, they bring so much joy into our lives....and we get to give them back at the end of the day too!
My granddaughter (few years ago, when she was four or five, and I'm sitting st computer with huge bag of beefy hula hoops) "Nanna, me and Papa are sharing these hula hoops, but HE'S HAD ENOUGH"...


While on topic of grandparents.

My grandmother was called Pearl and my grandfather was called Dean, but we just knew them as Grandma and Papa pa pa pa pa paa pa pa pa pa pa paa paa

Charlotte is so adorable, and you are so Blessed!
I can see how she could even melt, The Batman's heart. :)

I just found out, you can click on the photo, and it enlarges for a better view.
Even if that's old technology, you find yourself at my age, not able to figure out how to answer a cell phone, without taking photos or accidentally hanging up on the person.

I couldn't help but notice, I'm sporting a missing tooth grin, and starting to dress and look the same, when I was that age!
Maybe, I need to knock this off, and start wearing pants again, with a button up shirt, and no more slippers. :o ..... nah.... too late, I can no longer trust a fart.

I was just wondering about you, so glad to hear you are doing better, I have had some heart problems, nothing too serious, the doctor disqualified me from driving for 6 months because I passed out at the terminal, short term disability paid me for 3 months, then decided they aren't going to pay me anymore because they dont think I need to be off, I asked my company for help and they responded by firing me. they said reapply when ever the doctor releases you, I dont think so , anyway it's great to hear from you, I was worried about you

OK, Roll Call/Check in

So far we have:
Roadhog
Timberwolf
Wot
Twighlight
Freddog
I think I saw Windwalker

That's a great start!
We're putting the old team back together...

Still walkin' the wind. But I've reduced.... Ummmmm.... Down sized. I got rid of 16 wheels....... Ummmm..... Maybe make that 17. (No steering wheel either) Instead of 40 acres, I can turn around in just 15 feet. And zero to 60..... Haven't timed it, but it don't take long. But now, I'm actually out in that wind, with 1500cc between my legs. I am exempt from "click-it or ticket", and don't slow down for the chicken coups.

In May of 2020, I ran a hundred yard dash (No, I did not break any records.) I crossed the finish line 4th out of 5, but my oldest competitor was 42, and I turn 76 the beginning of next year. August of 2020, I beat COVID. But it did do some damage. No, I'm not ready for a rematch on that hundred yard dash. Working on it though.

I spent a lot of years, looking forward to the day when I wouldn't have to work anymore. When I got to that day, I realized there was one thing I had never learned how to do....... "NOTHING" I never learned how to sit and do nothing. I'm working with a school that teaches motorcycle safety. I work one-on-one with the people that do not pass. In the last 3 1/2 years I've been working with them, I've had four people that did not pass a re-evaluation. One killed in a car accident, one hit in a crosswalk and both legs gone, One realized it simply was not for him, and one moved out of state to a better job. How many have I worked with? I honestly don't know. I seldom have a day off. And I've made a lot of friends along the way.

We once said that old drivers do not die, they just drive off into the sunset. I've seen a lot of beautiful sunsets, but have not yet felt the urge to chase after them. Life after trucking? YES ! ! ! Life after driving? Don't know. Haven't gotten that far yet. Truck stop food? Haven't gotten away from that either. I still drive a hundred miles for the holiday buffet at PETRO. (And THANKSGIVING is coming.... So is CHRISTMAS) Wish we could kick Pilot's @$$ out of Flying J. Their buffet wasn't too bad either.

I still check weather and road conditions, even though I have not seen snow since I retired. And, I still think about the other drivers that do face that every season. And I pray for their safety. Over the years, I have been stopping in here, mostly just lurking. Once in a while, I do leave traces behind. One of the things I've been curious about is, how has COVID affected the industry. And how many drivers did it remove? I'm quite sure there have been victims, but I've seen no stats.

I stay pretty busy, but I may be back to wish everybody HAPPY HOLIDAYS.

Got a pot of water on, and coffee.... New flavor though. Toffee.... English Toffee, that is.
Can you match that with your tea?

Good to know, COVID hasn't gotten you. I sincerely hope you and yours are all well.

Arrrrrrh! settle down now me Mate's... lets not start another Brew War!
Garrrrrrrrh... Narrrrrrh Narrrrrh! .... Harrrrrrh Harrrrrh! :D

Brace yourself Windy.... and I hope your chair has arm rests.... Wot has had a come to Jesus moment, and now drinks coffee over tea.
........... Wot? :confused:

I say..... old bean.... yes Java .... Covfefe :) ........... He told me right out of the blue, and my face hit the waste basket, as my jaw dropped.

FREDOG!! :cool: ... no need to worry about me, yer SAFE.

Howdy old pard! So glad you stopped by to say hello! I often think about you and was hoping you are doing good.
Got ahold of our friend Robertt, and was hoping he would stop by too! He just went through covid and finally is coming out of it, but it was tough.
I hope when he feels better he comes by too.

I have Twilights first novel "Book 1 of The Krypteia Conspiracy: Hade's Gambit" sits on my shelf, and every time I see it, I'm reminded of him.... almost daily. :roll3:
He is the only one here who has very good reason to worry about me. :p Long as my unnatural insane obsession with Shania continues, I simply don't have the time to chase him.

I should be spanked with a small wooden paddle.

Having been in the industry for 20+ years now on the other side of the wall, I can tell you that no one has seen anything like what we are dealing with today. It wasn't so much COVID itself that did it, although I'm sure there were some permanent losses because of it. However, it was our government's response to it. That extra unemployment bonus drove a lot of drivers out of the industry. Hard to argue with a guy that says he's getting $1500 to $1800+ per week from the government to do nothing, so why work?

Pay has skyrocketed and even that's not enough to draw drivers in. $.60 CPM is low now. Lots of companies are over $.70 CPM for regional company driver runs; more for long haul. Local company runs that used to pay $40K to $50K a year are paying upwards of $80K or better. Regional and OTR; many are well over $100K. O/O's on pct. pay are grossing $500K or better a year. The old guard is retiring and the new guard...well, they're not much of a guard. Companies are desperate. I was at a conference a couple weeks ago and at that point, there were almost 8 loads available PER truck in North America. And that's not including all the cargo ships sitting off the ports everywhere because of the lack of crane operators and longshoreman. This is literally the time to build retirements in the industry, especially if you have or can get your own truck; problem is, the younger generation doesn't see that.

So Windy, right now the industry is in shambles. Personally, I think the only thing that is going to ultimately save it is automated fleets, reducing most driving to local LTL. But that'll be past my expiration date.

I saw an article about Shania's latest concert. She was looking mighty fine. ;)

You are doing fantastic Windy!
If I get to your neck of the woods, I'd race you, if we can do that 100, 10 yards at a time, and take a little breather. :D

I'm still a little frisky... I'm sure I could chase after Shania like a Mt. Gorilla on all fours, and pounding my chest for attention, if she refuses to look my way.
But outside of that, I try not to get out of a chair too fast.

I don't know how William Shatner at age 90, was able to ride a rocket into space today! God Bless him, eh?
What about George Takei? Well, I'm sure he was Up for it. They just didn't think he would ride the rocket from inside.

I'm the happy owner of Streetglide myself, my son finished his stint in the Marines and bought a house 4 miles from us. he has VTX1300, so I have somebody to ride with, also have a 5 year old Grandson who is lot of fun

Golf Hobo
 

forgot to tell you guys, Golf Hobo passed a while back.. he had a lot of medical issues

Thanks for remembering Hobo!
He died on my birthday, so I'm going to have to ask him next time I see him, if it was something I said?

We were close friends, and I wept at the news, and learned it from you, through a post you made here. I was just about to email him at that time, and I miss him a lot, to this day.

We were kinda the odd couple here. I was the unkempt obnoxious but smarter one. :) He would only disagree with the last part.
I think I called him every name in the book over the years, but I think more good names than bad. Oddly I don't remember many of the bad names,
but when I see him again, I'm sure it will all come back to me. :p

Boy howdy about the pay increases!! So, here I am looking to retire or at least go part time and I had it all lined up and then Pilot/Flying J called me with an offer to haul DEF for them. First thing I asked was how much per hour and the second thing was can I work part time? Hiring manager says, they were paying $26 ph but just bumped it to $32 ph. Averaging about 60 hrs per week. OK, I told him I'm listening!! What about just working part time. We agreed if I give him 6 months of full time then I can do part time. Beginning of March is my goal to go part time. Until then...come on big money!!

Alas, it's true! I drink coffee now, but just one cup in the morning. I can't stand tea without milk, and my old guts won't take milk anymore, or they'll have me rolling around in pain.

No more trucking for me either! I travel posh now, I does, sir https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BzjPukTLoY

:D Love that video Wot, it reminded me of Major Modern General,
from Pirates of Penzance >>----> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1dy44jV8EM

May you always travel on the Posh side of the ship -- after all you are the most Posh member CAD has ever known!
By our standards you are even Royalty.
You live near the Castle Grounds, and are heir 1024th in line to the Throne! :)

May I once again affirm my loyalty to you Sire! :D
I shall bash my head against the floor, until you tell me to stop!

(Hog falls to his hands and knees and really puts some Mustard behind it)

BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM -- BAM -- BAM -- BAM -- BAM----BAM-----BAM---------BAM----------BAM

.......20 minutes later........... thud.....................thud..................... ..thud.........................thud............... .........thud

Here is the newer more Modern Major General. :eek1: Yes Sir, I mean Ma'am, I mean .... FFS! :roll3:

Why all the medals? Looks like attendance medals.
The " I fought the Latrine's at Ohio Post 33" ...it was the dead of winter.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/202...nch-manicures/

I've heard the Teamsters are doing everything they can to monopolize all freight from the ports, and squeeze out the O/O. The union Crane operators are slow walking and taking extra long breaks, and if you so much as look at them wrong/complain, they will drop your order, and go on to the next. These asshats are paid $250k per year too. Now they must be making that much per container.... you know.... hey Hunter ByDong makes half a million per finger painting. Passed a McD's with a sign in the window << $17/hr. >> and that's in Northern Michigan.

Me thinks all the extra money people are making, may somehow all be worthless, sooner than people may expect. Your 15k nest egg from last year, is now worth 10k.

I look around where I am at, and everyone is in such a scurry to fix up their homes and gather their nuts for the Long Winter.
Winters Commin' ... and the nights are dark and full of terrors.

Modern Major-General, love it!

Yeah, we live quite close to the Castle, and about a mile from the Palace too. Can't be too many cities in world where there is a castle and a palace, surely?

I'd rather live out in the country, where the air if fresh and clean, and birds sing like they mean it, and the animals would all join in, singing as I chop down trees...."Oh, I'm a lumberjack and I'm ok, I sleep all night and I work all day"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfRdur8GLBM

..... (meanwhile, back at post #24)

amazing how much a person will drool, after bashing their head against the floor, for over an hour.
Hog lays in a puddle of slobber, repeating over and over.... "he's sooooo British...... he's sooooo British....he's soooo British..."

a couple large CAD moderators come into the Moose Lodge, and grab Hog by his shoulders and drag him off by his heels....
you can hear insane laughter as he's dragged down the K Hall and then a brief scuffle at the elevator doors....
Hog knows where the elevator goes to.... more insane laughter and finally ..... some peace.

(to be continued after 3 weeks of therapy)

:)
May I say sir..., no matter Wot, to me, you are always living abroad. :D

And of course, after just a few months in the asylum, Hog managed to convince all the docs that THEY were crazy, whilst he and the other crazies were calm, reasoned, rational people.
A campaign began to have Hog elected Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. From humble origins in the tiny Devonshire parish of Migglemugglethorpe, the campaign team sent out millions – well, a few dozen or more – leaflets promoting Hog’s new radical ideas to save the British economy.
1. Online retail will be abolished, to promote the “big shop” on Friday afternoons.
2. People going out on Friday for the “big shop” must wear silk headscarves, to identify them, so that other road users might always give them right of way.
3. Wearing a silk headscarf when RETURNING from the “big shop” will be deemed Un-British and punishable by life banishment from the realm.
4. The “big shop” must not take place at large hypermarkets or supermarkets, but at the nearest local village store or farmer’s market. That is to say, the “big shop” must take place in little shops.
5. In order to encourage the Friday “big shop” throughout the kingdom all other Friday afternoon activities will be deemed an Act of Treason, with the obvious exception of playing cricket.


Remember chaps! Your country needs you! Now, go and do the big shop (in a small shop) to-day!

Arrrrrh! Harrrrh-Harrrrrh-Harrrh.... Yarrrrh! me bucko, we be Pirates, sez aye, sez you, sez aye.
Arrrh..... Yo Ho, Yo Ho, and a Pirates life for me. :)
silk headscarfs can be worn anyway you like, of course....

May I say my good fellow.... back at the Moose Lodge Asylum, where Scoe is Head Administrator... once I had the doctors answer me question, " why are Pirates called Pirates? "
and they would reply back, " .....because they ARRRRRRRRRRRH! " .... the rest was easy.

The scalawags of Devonshire parish of Migglemugglethorpe, whom I met at a local Karaoke Bar, joined in with song and drink, and the rest is History.

We pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot.
Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho!
We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot.
Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho!

Yo Ho, Yo Ho! A pirate's life for me.

We extort, we pilfer, we filch and sack.
Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho!
Maraud and embezzle and even hijack.

Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho!...

That DEFinitely sounds good

I see what you did there!!

Yeah, but how would a DEF driver know? 8^|

This kid might be one of mine. :roll3: There is something about him.
If Roadhog had a son >>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XI3U8eupNQ&t=105s

Hog, your stock of crazy videos never ceases to amaze me. Where and how the hell do you find them all? What kind of search terms you using? ha ha

I can attribute it all to nothing, and I guess, I've always been looking for nothing, because nothing amazes me. :o

Bump

Howdy y'all :D

Happy June

[img]IMG_8941[/img]

Happy-Happy-Happy and hope all are doing well!

Here are my Phoking Chinese Lillys this year.
Started out with just 3 and now.... well, this is how they take over.