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When I was asked if I wanted to write on the blog, I immediately had two different reactions: Fear was the first one and excitement came shortly after. I thought about it for a very short time (probably 20 or 30 seconds) and thought, “What are you afraid of, silly girl. You write all the time. You’ve had poems published! You can do this….!” And then, the excitement took over. And here I am!
I have been fortunate, in the fact that I’ve set goals for myself, and have seen some of those goals accomplished. For as long as I can remember, I have written poems and more recently a fictional story or two. As I look back over the poems that I had written as a teenager, I am able to see the progression of what thought was good “back then”, as opposed to the ones I had written later in life and the ones that eventually got published. Okay, so there’s only been two of them published, but that was a start!
Another goal I set for myself was learning to drive a “big truck”! It had to be in my blood. My dad drove a truck when I was a little girl, and I remember stories my mom told me about my dad taking us kids with him “on the road” occasionally. He even took my little brother, who was still in diapers at the time. Imagine what he went through, trying to drive the truck and having to stop to change a diaper or give him a bottle. But, he did it because he wanted to. He loved his kids and wanted us to have fun. Eventually my older brother started driving a truck also. And yes, I did finally get the chance to learn too. I studied the drivers manual, took the test for a learners permit and passed, then went to “work” with my husband. His boss did allow me to drive as long he was in the truck with me. After a while, I took a three day refresher course at the Truck Driving School, passed the driving test and got my Class A CDL!! I was excited and happy! My husbands boss hired me and the two of us went to work driving as a team. After a year, we bought our own truck!
When I think back to all the time we spent driving across the country and the sights we saw, I remember all the pictures we took along the way. How much better would it have been if we’d owned a digital camera then, instead of a film camera? And what kind of photographs could I have gotten then? That’s another one of my goals….to take great photos! I’m learning, but right now, I feel like I did when I read back over those poems I wrote as a teenager. They’re okay, but I want great! And I know I’ll get there. It just takes practice; lots and lots of practice!
This picture was taken back in 1995 or 1996. I don’t really remember!
I remember my first time in traffic in a rig. I was scared to death!!! Dumb me as a kid, I used to say I could drive anything with wheels.
Very Cool Belle60,
One step every day, you never know how far you go until you look back. Nice shot of the Rig too.
I take it that you’ve gone coast to coast, Are you still trucking? I would think you would get some great images on the road.
John, I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but I’ll say it again; “If you can drive a stick shift, you can drive a big truck!”
Stari, yes, I have gone coast to coast; NY to LA and Miami to Seattle; although most of the time we were going from Denver to Southern California…..got plenty of experience driving in the mountains of Colorado and Utah! And I will never forget the looks on some of the peoples faces when we took the rig smack down the middle of Las Vegas Blvd!!
I wish I were still driving! I would definitely have some great photographs! Unfortunately, I divorced the co-driver, the truck and the lifestyle…..but, I kept the CDL!!!
yeah i have heard it but what i had a hard time with at first was the upper gear shift (very old KW tank). it took me a while to learn the dble clutch shift.and even longer to keep from GRINDING lol. The truck i had taken my test in was very simple 9 speed with a T bar pull single shift and short throw(think beer delivery with a 40ft flat bed). driving the tank truck was a whole defferent pain in the rear. the only problem i have now is every two years i have to take that dang physical that i fail and have to go to multiple dr’s to get signed off. still have limitations on my CDL because i am partially blind in my left eye but i can drive in CA and if i need to go out of state i can get DOT waiver.
Belle, that would be an incredibly cool way to photograph the USA! And that sleeper cab would double nicely as a digital photo lab. If you love that work so much, maybe you’ll find a way to get your own rig. Then get a light motorcycle so you can make quick side-trips to shoot the sights slightly off the main route without blowing the big rig’s gas…
If only I could find a way to get my own rig–that would be totally awesome! But, then I’d probably get myself into trouble not making deliveries on time because I’d be wanting to do more photography than driving! One of these days I’ll win the lottery, then I can just take the time off and drive all over the country doing what I want to do do most….see the sights (and every NASCAR race in person) and photograph all of it!