Another Fine Mess
For sheer beauty, for idyllic tranquillity, for serene repose, I offer the state of Maine. It's not a bad place to have a tire blowout either.
Having picked up a very heavy load of paper, I proceeded down I-95, whereupon I felt an odd vibration in the steering wheel. Shutting down the cruise control, I noticed the vibration getting steadily worse for another second or two, then with a thunderous "BOOM," one of the tires on the rear of the tractor blew out, shedding chunks of rubber under the trailer and shooting them onto the roadway behind me.
Fortunately, I am in Maine instead of the Boston area. Here, the drivers gave me room to maneuver to the shoulder where I presently await a repair truck. Had I been another hour or so south, they would have tried to ram me into a ditch. A friendly reminder: Please give large trucks extra space. If you crowd them, and something goes wrong, you are likely to have a very, very bad day.
But I must say, the scenery here is gorgeous. I think I'll enjoy the autumn leaves and a can of beanie weenies while I wait for the mechanic.
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Comments :
Jul '10
Re: Another Fine Mess
My dad drove a 30-year-old Kenworth logging truck and all he could afford was recaps.
I learned much of my colorful vocabulary watching him change tires. No road-service contractors - it was a sledgehammer, a wedge and a tire iron. Seemed the harder he cursed, the more obstinate the wheel - or was it the other way around?
Jun '10
Re: Another Fine Mess
Nice to hear from someone who's enjoying the moment, even though it's only eight days before D-Day. Enjoy the leaves.
May '10
Re: Another Fine Mess
Can't fool us, Dave. You're sipping a dry martini while surveying at the regatta from your Booth Harbor pied-a-terre.
Is that John Kerry on the line? "Lovey? Mr Carter has invited us to cocktails at Vorhees Manor. He says a blazer and old school tie will do."
Jun '10
Re: Another Fine Mess
Beenie Weenies, Dave? Jeesh, it's a good thing nobody is sharing the cab with you. Good luck and God speed.
j
May '10
Re: Another Fine Mess
I fell in love with Maine while reading The Letters of E.B. White--which, though it sounds like it might be a bore, is actually a page-turner.
I've only been to the state once or twice since, but I haven't been able to shake the fascination. It is truly a beautiful place. (Although I hear the winters can be quite brutal.)
Re: Another Fine Mess
Kennedy, just because I remember ol' Ariadne whats-her-name from community college, before she became an opera, it doesn't necessarily follow that I have a Booth Harbor peid-a-terre, etc. But the blueberry cobbler tonight was delicious.
Jul '10
Re: Another Fine Mess
Tell Olympia Snowe that We just love what she did with the Senate.
Jun '10
Re: Another Fine Mess
My dad was stationed at Loring AFB in the early 90's. I got to visit them a few times. Absolutely stunning landscapes, in both summer and winter. Pleasant drives (and black flies) during summer, cross-country skiing in the winter. Not sure I'd want to live there, but wouldn't mind some tranquil vacation getaways in that area.
Oct '10
Re: Another Fine Mess
"Had I been another hour or so south, they would have tried to ram me into a ditch."
...and then, no doubt, the Massachusetts liberal establishment would want to take the keys away. Keep on truckin'!
Re: Another Fine Mess
Jim, in 1989, I was on a C-5 transport (think of a gymnasium with wings), enroute to Germany when engine failure forced our landing at Loring AFB for the night. They put us up in a motel, close to a quaint little restaurant. Wonderful place, and the people were exquisitely friendly. Today I found them just as friendly as I remembered. Lovely state, in every aspect.
Re: Another Fine Mess
For the record, cdor, beenie weenies is food of the gods. Also, not bad in cold weather...
Oct '10
Re: Another Fine Mess
As an expatriate with Maineiac lineage stretching to the 18th century, you all need to stop touting the State’s natural beauty and decidedly non-urban ethos. That kind of loose talk is the reason Maine became a RINO poster child in the late 20th century; it attracted all those latte-sipping overeducated urban elites searching for happy hippie hunting grounds with convenient Starbucks access. Let’s get the story line straight: it’s cold and wet all year, turns dark early, the best “Fall colors” are in the Green Mts of Vermont, the hicks are hostile and they spit second hand tobacco through the gaps in their teeth. Trust me, all you need to know about Maine can be gleaned from the LL Bean catalog conveniently delivered to your mailbox. Buy the boots and whatever other gewgaws they are hawking so you can experience the power of rural hip. If you must visit, do so in the summer when my relatives can charge you a ridiculous rent. But don’t move there.
Jun '10
Re: Another Fine Mess
Yep. Got a chance to climb up through the nose cone of one of those at an air show (or some such thing open to the public) while we were at Mather, circa 1980. Behemoth.
May '10
Re: Another Fine Mess
We just got back from 2 weeks along the midcoast of Maine. Indescribably beautiful but teeming with leftists.