Not quite as planned - the set up

Yesterday was a beautiful day here in Virginia, with a sky every bit as deep and blue as Santa Fe. In fact, given the Albuquerque air pollution that blows up when the wind is from the south, perhaps it is clearer here. I will also attest that the night skies are darker than Santa Fe as there is no light pollution here and with the clear air, the constellations are as beautiful and radiant as they were in Santa Fe perhaps 20 years ago. Bluebird and Roz drove up from Charity to loan me his old Ford pickup - now I can make a much needed run to Christiansburg for items that will not fit into the wee Morris Minor (thank you!).

Today, the plan was to spend the morning organizing and cleaning. Between 1:00 and 3:00, Conway Freight (CCX) was due to deliver the white pine floor planks from Carlisle Flooring. after I unloaded the 1,000 pounds of wood, then a trip into downtown Floyd to get my library card, grab groceries, post office (yes, I am in full holiday card mode at last), etc. The morning went precisely as planned. Carl, the CCX driver, called right on the money and said he was a few minutes away; I speed walked up the driveway to meet him at the farm gate.

A cautious driver, educated by experience, he was somewhat dubious about getting his 28' trailer down my driveway and back out again. "No problem," I said. As he approached the house, I showed him where to stop, back the truck up and line up for an easy exit. A look that said "does this guy know anything about tractor-trailer geometry" shot across his face and then disappeared. His truck was empty except for my flooring and I truly thought the ground would hold his 25,000 pound tractor. You may already have guessed who had the better read on the situation- Carl. The truck sunk in the very soft ground and was quickly stuck (for those who have not never looked at these truck tires - they have very little tread compared to a normal vehicle - and he simply lost traction). After attempting various schemes to extricate the vehicle, he wisely gave up and called Harmon Towing in Christiansburg.

Carl was a saint under these bad circumstances - here is a portrait after he had thrown in the towel and called Harmon. Never a cross look, never an exclamation, just quiet resignation. and bless his heart, he handed me every one of those boards. while waiting an hour or so for the tow truck to arrive, we got to talking and I'm pleased to say, I hope that another friendship from the area has been forged.