Hit The Road Jack

...but you may just be coming back. Here’s the deal folks. We’ll be hitting the road at the end of the week. The company is sending us to Bessemer City, North Carolina. It’s a little bitty place about 25 miles west of Charlotte, population 5,300. It’ll be a small job, just 2 to 3 weeks, then the plan is for us to come back to Nashville and winter over here. There’s plenty of work left here in the Music City but Bessemer City needs a little attention too. We’re going to miss it here but at the same time we’re looking forward to a little small town atmosphere and change of scenery.

As I mentioned in the last post we planned to take in Oktoberfest and in fact did go last Saturday, along with half of Nashville and then some it seemed. The polka band was jammin’ and the beer was flowing but I have a beef with Mr. Samual Adams. Sam - $15.00 for a mug of beer! Really? We actually drew the line there and didn’t drink, just wandered around. Margo found the cat adoption tent and almost brought a little Tabby home but was informed that it was the shelter mascot and she could not have that particular kitty.

The streets were packed.




More cowbell!!!!






"Precious" certainly fit her name.

As you can see it was a shorts and flip flops kind of day last Saturday but as I write this a week later old man winter is knocking. He blew in a few days ago so we’ve transitioned to unpacking the winter clothes and sitting around the fire. Margo started a new craft project just in time for the season. She got turned onto making a Monk’s cloth afghan, aka Swedish weaving, from my brother’s wife Teresa back when we were together in late July at Mom’s. It’s in the early stages but I asked her to get going on it – brrrrr!



All in all we’ve enjoyed our stay here at Countryside RV Resort. It really is very quiet and peaceful as well as convenient to the big city. The Boys really enjoyed the meadows but are itchin’ to put on their road hound badges and get moving. It’s all about new sights and smells for them. Us too, although we’ll leave the sniffing to them.  We leave you with some scenes from the trailer park.

Each row has a theme. We were sheep.



Margo and "The Boys" in the meadow.

Rock the Boat

Things have been pretty mundane at work of late.  Get up, clock in and walk the gas line.  Get up, clock in and walk the gas line.  Get up, clock in, launch the boat and cruise all morning up and down the Cumberland River. WAIT A MINUTE!!!!  WHAT!!!!  Launch the boat?

The Cumberland River snakes it’s way through Nashville quite majestically.  The gas lines do as well, although I can’t say they’re as majestic.  When the two cross each other we have a dilemma, although a good dilemma for me. So yeah, last Thursday I got paid to do some motorboatin’ on the river most of the morning.

A large gas line crosses the river at a place called Clarksville Pike.  It came due to be inspected so the company gave me and one of my co-workers, Warren, the task of surveying it.  Warren has a bass boat so the company made arrangements to rent his boat for the survey.  Keeping it all in the family is always the best way.

Early Thursday was a bit chilly at about 50 degrees but the sun was coming up and warming things up quite well.  The nearest boat ramp to the site of our target gas line was a couple of miles upriver so a cruise was in order.  The water was like glass when Warren pushed the throttle forward and we planed out.  It’s times like this when you have to ask yourself, “ I get paid to do this?”

After a while we arrived at the crossing.  Warren used the trolling motor to make a few passes and I held out the detection instrument we use to find leaks normally; the theory being if it was leaking, since it was a gas, it would rise to the surface and be detected just as any other leak is detected.  Yes, I know, it’s complicated but we had figured it out before launching with complicated mathematical calculations and physics and stuff.

All was well and that’s good since I have no idea how they would fix it if it weren’t.  By lunch time we were back on terra firma and I was walking the line as usual but not a bad day.

The SS. Minnow






The scene of the crime



Railroad Bridge

Full throttle!

Nashville's skyline from the Cumberland River.



The weekend is here and we’re headed out to the Nashville Oktoberfest.  It’s a big deal here with an attendance of about 30,000 beer loving Nashvillians and this year, two thirsty Floridians. Chances are good we’ll find a beer vendor somewhere.  No guarantees on pics that aren’t a bit blurry – jus’ sayin’.

Till then keep it between the buoys and Auf Wiedersehen!