March 9th, 2009

Hi Everybody,

John and I just got back from a trip out west. This year is starting off very slowly, which comes as no surprise. We spent about two weeks home early February trying to find loads. While we were home, John decided to repair some cabinets under the kitchen sink. A friend of his came over to help. I have to admit, they actually looked like they knew what they were doing. All the measurements were exact and the cuts precise. As they were putting in the last piece, they moved one of the flexible water lines and it split! There was water shooting everywhere. John got the water shut off, and after a few minutes the pressure dropped and the water stopped spraying. Good thing all those pots and pans were handy. Fortunately, it was an easy fix.

A few days later we put together several partial loads going out to Ohio, Texas and California. It sure was nice to finally get out of all the snow and cold weather. We had a day to kill in El Paso, TX before we could deliver there. John was doing some work on the truck and I was watching a couple of dogs in the truck next to ours. Later in the day, we all happened to go out at the same time and found out there were 7 dogs in that one truck! They were all small dogs, but I'm sure glad I don't have to live in such cramped quarters. I've already done that once!

One problem I have out west is the burdock's that stick in my paws every time I take a step. I don't know how all the animals put up with them. Maybe I can talk John into buying me some of those precious booties I see the poodles wearing.

We Got to our last stop in California. We had a machine to deliver at the Mexican border. U.S. trucks aren't allowed to cross over, so a Mexican truck came across and loaded it and took it across. As luck would have it, we found several loads coming back east. Two were in L.A. and the last one was in Phoenix. Coming out of California, we saw lots of windmills while we were going across the Palm Desert. There were miles and miles of these windmills!

The next evening, we made it to Roswell, NM. We didn't see any aliens, except,maybe, some illegal aliens. We did see a spectacular sunset and later that evening, Venus right next to a crescent moon. The desert is a beautiful place, except for the burdock's!

Our first delivery was in Johnson City Tennessee, then Albany, NY, Berlin, CT, Rochester, NH and tomorrow, we finish in Fairfield, ME. John Has a Jeep that is going back out to California, And some Machinery going to Pennsylvania, so things are picking up a little bit. He still has to find something to fill the trailer from PA to CA.

The snow is melting fast here and the temps this weekend were up in the 50's. Lets hope spring is on the way.

Hudson

Hi everyone,

John and I had a few weeks home time, due to very slow freight. We had a load set for California that fell through. After that, freight just dried up. We were able to look after three kids for some friends of Johns. They had their anniversary, so, John offered to take them overnight so their parents could have a nice quiet weekend. it was fun, but I didn't like sharing.

A few days later, we took a few bundles of lumber out to Tacoma and Vancouver Washington. the whole load would have fit in a pickup truck. The lumber mill is making a new product and needs testing done on the units. It was nice to have such a light weight load for a change. It would be like putting a 25 pound bag of dog food in the back of a pickup truck!

After we unloaded, we went to Portland, OR and loaded another army truck, this time headed to Florida. Along the way, we picked up some machinery in Tulsa, OK going to Florida as well. Once we unloaded, we picked up an antique cable operated backhoe that was about 55 years old. We delivered it to a man in Worcester, MA, whose father had one when he was young. It was fun seeing his excitement as we pulled into his yard. A kid with a new tonka truck!

We then went to Kittery where John borrowed his mothers car so he could go home. He had a Photo shoot with the local Newspaper! He has an Antique truck that he has lit with Christmas lights for the last three years. Well, it seems that thepaper thinks it was neat enough to put in the paper, so he had to get his picture taken. I guess this is the time I give John his 15 minutes of fame. The Photos will be in the Lewiston Sun Journal Sunday, Dec. 14th. Click here to read it online.

After we got back to the truck and headed out, John's phone rang. His mother couldn't find her pocketbook! After searching the car and the area where the truck was parked,it was decided it must be back at the house...80 miles away. So, at 9:30 PM. John headed back to Durham in search of a pocketbook while I stayed with his mother. About 1 am. he returned with the pocketbook and he and I were off for Ohio. We didn't make it far before he had to get some sleep.

The next morning, we had driven for about an hour when he had some problems with the air system. The pressure was dropping, the brakes, suspension, and other items like wipers, horns, work off the air system. Since it was very cold, the probable cause was ice in the system. The solution is to pour alcohol into the airlines to disperse the ice and remove any water in the system. Easy fix until a certain truck driver breaks a fitting! Luckily, John has some friends, GOOD friends, in the area, who gave him a ride to get another fitting, and helped find where the problem area was. This put us about 4 hours behind schedule, combined with the previous evening, didn't give John much sleep for the next couple of nights. The rest of the trip went well, however. The pickups and deliveries went smoothly so we were able to get home before the ice storm got out of control.

I guess I've rambled enough for now. We will be at the B.O.N.E.S. wrap on Saturday, December 13th at the Borders bookstore in Braintree, MA. Look at that, two plugs in one chapter! Now I'm definitely finished.

Hudson

Hi everyone,

Sorry it's been so long since our last update. The computer was being repaired and it took a month. Seems that IBM lost it for a while.

It's hard to remember where we left off...oh yeah, the beagle bash. After we returned home, we loaded a load for Seattle, WA. it was a pretty good trip until we hit snow in South Dakota. By the time we got to Billings, MT, it had gotten pretty bad so we shut down for the night. We had another oversize load so we couldn't go much farther anyway. Things were much better the next day and we were able to drive out of the storm after a few hundred miles.

We unloaded in Seattle on Tuesday and had a load lined up for the next day going back to Maine. It even paid well! It was too good to be true, the next day, the load got canceled. Three days later we found another load going back to South Dakota. The good news was that we were able to spend the weekend with John's sister and her family. I had fun seeing Maggie again. For a dog with no legs or tail, she can get around pretty well. John says Corgi's legs are short, I call them stubs.

I got a chance to go after a deer while I was out there. We were in the truck, I had just finished my dinner, and John's niece, Anne, came out to visit. As soon as she opened the door, there he was, a big buck! I flew out the door and took off after him. I chased him into the woods where I proceeded to loose him. Slowpoke finally caught up to me and we went back to the house. I still have this thought that still bugs me, what if I treed him. I never thought to look up! Anyway, the big one got away. Now I sound like one of your fishermen.

After a nice weekend at the Heatons, we headed for Mitchell, SD, made our delivery, and reloaded in Rapid City, SD for Kansas City, Mo, and then reloaded in Peculiar, MO for Maine.

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Hudson

Hi everyone,

John and I are in Iowa, waiting for a load in the morning. It has been a very busy six weeks and it looks to continue to be busy. We took an oversize load from Maine to Seattle the first week of September. On the way, we were able to stop for a visit in Spokane with John's sister and her family. We had a nice visit for a couple of days. They have a Corgi named Maggie and she and I had a good time chasing each other around the house. The only problem is that they have hardwood floors, so I slid into a lot of furniture. After we unloaded in Seattle, we went down to Portland, Oregon and loaded an Army truck headed to Vermont. John had several other partial loads to pick up as well in the Seattle area, and in Colorado. We had a beautiful ride from Denver, west, over the Rockies to the central part of the state. There had been a major snow storm a few weeks earlier and there was still snow in the higher elevations. We got back up into New England the following week and started making deliveries. John had planned to go home after getting unloaded, but there was a farm tractor in upstate New York that had to be picked up and brought back to Maine. During that trip he got another call to take a load out to Illinois. That is where we are now, we unloaded this afternoon and will load tomorrow and be home Friday.

This last load allowed us to stop by the Beagle Bash, otherwise, I think John would have turned down the load. There was a great turnout for the bash, despite the weather. It was good to see old butts and meet new some ones. John also saw old friends and made some new friends,(of course, they only talk to him about me). It is kind of embarrassing how you humans seem to touch hands and talk to each others face. I guess I'll have to accept your disgusting habits. The best part of the day was seeing what was in the gift bags. I got some dog food, some treats, and a bandanna. John got a lint/hair remover and a mini-container of plastic bags, to pick up after me!...Now who's the Master! We want to thank all the people that put in the time and effort to make the Bash possible. While I'm on the subject, Thanks to all the volunteers who donate their time, experience, skills, or contributions to make life better for both Beagles and humans. Anyone interested in getting involved, please do, a little goes a long way and is greatly appreciated. OK, the plug is over. Time to go out.

Hudson

July 4th, 2008

Happy fourth of July!

John an I find ourselves in Oregon again for a second fourth of July weekend in a row. Last year we were on the coast, this year we are in Portland, at the world famous Jubitz Truck stop. It is one of the nicest truckstops with plenty of parking, clean facilities, movie theater, restaurant, store, country music and more. The city of Vancouver, WA is just on the other side of the Columbia river, and they put on a great fireworks show that you can see from the truck stop. We will leave on Saturday to go to Logan, UT and pick up a load headed for Auburn, ME.

Prior to this trip, John and I loaded for Virginia, so he could attend another graduation celebration, this time, for his nephew. After a couple of days with relatives John had enough and said it was time to leave. If only it were that easy. John's other sister dumped her 15 year old brat on us for a week. (Those are John's words, not mine) We actually had a good time with Alex. We loaded some trailers in Virginia and took them to Bangor ME. we then spent the weekend plus a couple days in Durham looking for something to load. We found a load heading out west which we loaded and then we dropped Alex off in Virginia on Thursday night. Going through New York City, John and Alex had a good laugh over an overhead sign warning of traffic. They had been in the traffic for 45 minutes already. Those New Yorkers don't miss a thing.

It was nice to have Alex travel with us but it is nice to have the truck to ourselves again.

The trip out took us to Albuquerque, NM, then to Ogden, UT and finally Salem and Portland OR. While traveling through Utah, we came upon a brush fire that had closed highway 89 for a while until the firefighters got the fire under control. A lightning strike caused the fire. After about an hour we were on our way.

We came through some beautiful parts of the country, but I have to be on the alert when I'm out doing my business, lots of poisonous creatures out there. So far, so good.

The weather was quite hot and the air conditioning needs to be recharged. Running down the road it works fine, but at idle, it doesn't do such a good job. Fortunately, we haven't had much idle time, and here in Portland it is cool enough that we don't need it.

That's about all for now.

Hudson

John and I are here in Westbrook, Maine, getting an axle alignment on the truck. He just bought 8 tires last week and the alignment will make sure we get the most out of the $3,200.00 dollar tire bill.

The last month has been kind of crazy. We had a couple of trips out to Minnesota with lots of last minute changes and canceled loads. Everything worked out all right but we ended up sneaking another over-sized load from Tennessee to Maine. Somebody forgot to mention the fact that the dump body we were to pick up was wide. Since we had two other loads to go along with it, we couldn't order permits like we could if it was a full load. As a result, we had to sneak around. The trickiest part was when we went into Bayonne, NJ. We had to get on the New Jersey Turnpike, but oversize loads are prohibited. It was a tight fit through the tollbooth! Luckily, the attendant wasn't paying close attention. That night, in Bayonne, we heard a couple of people arguing in the street, near where we were parked. I wanted to go see what it was all about but John kept me in the sleeper. We didn't hear any gunshots, so I guess they settled it.

On our way home from Bayonne, a car lost its front wheel right in front of us. Sparks were flying everywhere! The driver did a great job of controlling his car and getting it stopped safely, while John slowed down traffic and warned the other truckers behind us on his CB radio. We made our last delivery and got home without any further incident.

John Went over to Europe to visit his brother and his family, who live in Poland. He and his brother first spent a few days in Ireland and then went on to Poland. His niece graduated high school in Poland which was the reason he went over. I got to stay with John's friend Terry and his wife. I have spent a lot of time there while they are working on the truck. They have a German Shepherd and three cats. I had fun while I was there. The one thing that I didn't like was that I wasn't allowed to sleep in their bed at night, can you believe that! I took over the dogs bed the second night, so he had to sleep on the floor. I also got to eat his food along with mine since he was slow about eating. That only lasted a few days until he realized that he had some competition. I had fun while John was gone, but I'm glad he's back...I just won't let him know.

I'm looking forward to our next adventure!

Hudson

On the second trip, we were in Toledo, OH on our way to Chicago. John stopped at a grocery store to stock up. After we had dinner he decided that it was a good place to sleep. Well, about 12:30 in the morning, we were jolted awake. Another truck was parking next to us when his trailer hit the corner of our trailer. The other driver and John were outside for a while taking pictures and filling out paperwork. The other driver was sorry and he and John both laughed at the fact that the parking lot was empty and he was still able to run into our trailer.

On our last trip, we had a piece of farm machinery that we loaded in Illinois that was coming back to Maine. It was oversized so John had to get special permits for it. We loaded it on Friday afternoon and we had some of the permits, but not all. Ohio was one we were missing. There is restricted travel with oversized loads. Weekend travel and night time travel are restricted in some states. We could make it as far as the Pennsylvania line before we had to shut down until Monday. John decided that since we were taking back roads across Ohio, and it was cold and rainy, and snowy, that it was worth risking the trip across without the permit. Well...we made it 230 miles without seeing any kind of police until we passed a rest area that had a commercial vehicle enforcement vehicle inside. I didn't care, but John quickly became quite nervous. Another driver said, on the CB radio, that the van was coming out of the rest area. Well, John spent more time watching his mirrors than watching the road ahead of him. Anyway, we made it the last 15 miles to the truckstop and didn't get caught.

Along with hauling freight we have started hauling Beagles. As luck would have it, John has been home twice when volunteers were needed. Two weeks ago we took Snoopy up to Lancaster, NH, where he was eventually headed to his foster home in Vermont. I didn't know how the trip was going to go so I told John to ask a friend if his daughter would like to go along and watch us while he drove. Kayla was a great help and both she and Snoopy and John behaved well. We then helped transport Lucy, Shadow, and Tidbit down to Massachusetts where they were eventually headed to new homes. John's niece came up with a catchy slogan,"deliver this day, our daily dog". I bet we could fit about 50 crates on John's trailer. Maybe I can talk him into specializing.

It is amazing how much effort goes into coordinating these transports. It's nice to be able to give back a small fraction for what we have both received from B.O.N.E.S..

That wraps it up for now.

Hudson

Since my last report, John and I did a trip to Nashville, TN, and back home. We then went to Aiken, SC and then another load home as well.

For our first trip, we loaded a bread van that was loaded with furniture, an SUV, and a couch. The family was moving to Memphis from Concord, NH. John got it all loaded and we arrived just outside Memphis to their new home. John had arranged for a rollback truck to unload the bread truck since it was too big for his car ramps. The one that showed up wasn't as big as the one that loaded it. The bread truck was too long and John and the operator had to block the front end and chain the rear to the wrecker. It wasn't pretty but they got the job done.

We went to Nashville to reload and after John was loaded and tarped he took me for a walk. When it was time to get back into the truck, I decided to see how fast John could run. I took off under the truck and headed across the street to anotherwarehouse. When I got to the door, I looked back just in time to see John run through a ditch, lose his boot in the mud, and run across the street with only one boot on. I was so embarrassed. I just hope nobody saw me with him. We got back to the truck after he retrieved his boot from the mud, and headed to Boston.

After we unloaded in Boston, we headed over to Lancaster, MA and loaded a horse barnpackage that was going to Aiken, SC. We arrived Monday afternoon and found out thefork lift wasn't going to show up until the next morning. We found a jumping arena nearby and explored a little bit. John was trying to get me to do some jumps but I wasn't interested. Uno doesn't have to worry about competition from me!

After unloading the horse barn, we loaded some army trucks going back to Maine. We unloaded on Friday and made it home before yet another snow storm.

The next week we spent at home. The truck had some engine repairs that needed to be taken care of. John had Dentist, doctor, and eye appointments and I had my annual check-up. Both John and I got clean bills of health and are ready for our next year of adventures.

Hudson

February 27, 2008

We were run off the interstate by a boat!

Pretty good headline, huh. John was traveling on interstate 80 when a u-haul towing a boat drifted into our lane and crowded us a little bit...O.K. so we didn't get run off the road, literally. I guess I've been hanging around truckers just a little bit too much.

Our last trip started out with some machinery going to Wisconsin from Maine. From there we loaded 6 long crates headed for LA. we loaded the crates in Chicago during a snow storm and left during rush hour. After a couple of hours the weather was getting worse so we called it a day. The next day was clear and off we went. More snow in the Rockies and then some more in Utah. Once we got to Nevada, it was all rain.

We unloaded in LA and then went to load a street sweeper nearby going back to Maine. It wasn't a full load so John tried to find something to go with it. After a couple of days John couldn't find anything. He had a farm tractor in Buffalo to get which, along with the sweeper, made a good trip home. Too bad he couldn't find anything from California to Buffalo. Oh well, that's trucking.

We got to Buffalo and it was cold and snowing when we loaded. It was a tight fit and while John was telling the operator to stop, another guy was telling the operator to go ahead. There was a load crash which got everyone's attention. They pushed the tractor into the sweeper and shattered the windshield of the tractor...oops. Check out the smaller window on the photo.

We made it home without further incident and got both loads delivered safely. That evening, we had a major snow storm that left about 10 inches behind. to make matters worse, 2 inches of rain fell as well. John spent the next day with a couple friends shoveling roofs. I'm glad I wasn't out there. They looked cold, wet, and tired. You people say that us dogs look funny when wet, you should have seen them!

I guess that's about all for now. Until next time.

Hudson

February 1, 2008

Greetings from Durham, Maine. I started this out with greetings from Casper on New Year's Day but when I was done dictating to John, he started yelling and screaming and when he finally calmed down, I found out the computer crashed. After three weeks on the road, we were able to get home and he had to buy a new one.

Way back in early December, I took John to the beagle wrap at the Borders book store in Braintree, MA. I was a little nervous about how he would act but he did OK. One woman made fun at his lack of wrapping skill but he took it well. After that we had several short trips that kept us busy up until the holidays.

John and I spent Christmas day visiting friends and neighbors and had a nice, low key day. There has been lots of snow this year and John went snowshoeing with friends that day. He has kept a path opened up for me at home so I can go to my favorite telephone pole to do my business.

The day after Christmas, we loaded a log home that was going to Casper, Wyoming. We were scheduled to deliver at 10 am new year's eve but we were late because interstate 80 was closed at the Wyoming border due to whiteout conditions. We were one of the first ones when the road was closed so we were able to get parked at a little truckstop at the state line. Trucks that arrived later had a hard time finding a place to park. The next day the interstate opened up and we arrived at the job site at about 1 pm. I had a chance to chase some rabbits while we were there but they were really fast. It was a disappointment having my dog food that evening after thinking I was going to have fresh rabbit. I guess I've been hanging around John too much. He's ruining my hunting skills!

There were a lot of storms this trip and we spent a lot of time dodging them. We went up into South Dakota to pick up a load going to Grand Junction, Colorado. We had to wait half a day in Denver because I-70 was closed due to avalanches. The following weekend we spent in Reno, Nevada.We waited out three storms that came into California in the form of heavy rain in the San Francisco area and then snow in the Sierras, up to 10 feet! We were able to get through the passes mid-day Monday. From that point, we had better luck coming home.

We had some deliveries in Virginia and were able to spend the weekend visiting with two of John's sisters and their families. They both have dogs so it was fun for me too. We had the usual territorial disputes but we got them settled. Two of the dogs, Shadow and Toby, I had met last summer so it didn't take long to get re-acquainted. The other dog, Haley, took a little longer but we ended up getting along well.

John and I are off to Wisconsin on Monday and then back out to Los Angeles to pick up a street sweeper among other things so we'll be gone a few weeks. Let's hope there aren't so many storms!

By the way, here is a photo of me on the path John shoveled to get to the telephone pole.

Hudson

November 27, 2007

Hi everyone, Hudson checking in
I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving, we were on our way from Fresno, CA to Springfield, MA with a load of machinery so we celebrated Thanksgiving in Kansas. The trip started in Phillipston, Ma with a backhoe and a couple of excavators that we took out to Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri. We then loaded some boat docks in Missouri to take out to Bethel Island, California. The first 400 miles were on Highway 54 from Camdenton, MO where we loaded, to Tucomcari, NM where we picked up interstate 40.

It was a beautiful trip through real America.That evening we saw a beautiful sunset and then about 6 hours later we watched the crescent moon set as well. Then, while traveling through a small town near Dodge City, John stopped in the middle of the street because there were three horses in the street. He and a few others were able to get the horses off the street and by that time the owners have been contacted and arrived up to take the horses home, there was a hole in the fence. After that the only animals I saw were in the fields, where they belong.

The trip home was uneventful except for the drive through Greensburg, KS where a large tornado passed through last summer. What appeared to be the downtown area was completely destroyed except for two gas stations. The hospital consisted of two rental trailers and two military hospital tents. Everywhere there were home made signs saying thanks for stopping, thanks for supporting our town, and countless signs of faith. It was a somber sight going through such destruction and seeing the spirit of faith and survival everywhere. It gave a whole new meaning to Thanksgiving.

Well, I didn't mean to get so heavy with this chronicle, I guess I'm just an over emotional beagle.John and I will be wrapping gifts (at Borders bookstore on Grossman Drive in Braintree, MA) this Saturday Dec 1st for B.O.N.E.S. so stop by and say "hi".

Hudson

October 28, 2007

Greetings from San Antonio Florida!

John and I had a great time at the Beagle Bash and enjoyed meeting lots of people and beagles during to day. I even got to see some of my cousins from Limington which was a treat. I was a little nervous about John, he doesn't get out much, but I think he behaved himself and acted like an adult.

The week of the bash we did a quick trip out to Ohio and things went well except for a little mishap at one of the places we loaded. John went to move his truck out of the way of another who needed to back into a loading dock. while he as doing this, he hit a concrete pillar that was on the edge of the parking lot. It damaged the bumper and fender and there is bright yellow paint on both. When anybody asks what happened, he tells them the paint came from a school bus full of nuns, orphans and puppies that he pushed off some railroad tracks with the truck. What a liar. How can you tell if a trucker is lying? His lips are moving. Sorry, I know its old but I couldn't help myself.

Our latest trip brought us here to Florida. We loaded a car in Maine, a machine in Boston and finally, some lumber in South Carolina. All three delivered in the Tampa area. John has had me on a tight leash since he says there are alligators down here. I don't understand... I like everyone. Why can't I play with an alligator? I guess that's what I have to expect, living with him...he thinks he is smarter than I am.

Freight continues to be slow so we had to spend the weekend here. Yesterday, while we were going for a walk, John stepped on an anthill and had red ants all over his feet. I have to watch out for him as well as me I guess. How do you humans survive on your own? I guess that's all for now. Happy Halloween!

Hudson, and him

October 4, 2007

Hudson here, what a weekend! John loaded some freight going to Phoenix and then up to the San Fransisco bay area. I liked the desert southwest...lots of different smells! still hot but it's "a dry heat". I'll bite the next person who tells me that. One of the deliveries in California was a motorcycle to a friend of John's. They have a beagle named Cash and he and I had a great time playing together. They left us home while they went out to eat and we had so much fun that we were fast asleep when everyone returned. That night, John and I went north to load and then came back to the Bay area to visit his relatives. I was imprisoned while they did a little yard work. You know I tried to squeeze and dig my way out but after a while I gave up and just tried looking pitiful.

One of John's cousins came over and asked if we wanted to go in the "vette". John said yes and I said NO!!! Little did I know the "vette" was a car and not the place so near and dear to my heart. They kept talking about all the women checking them out in the car. That's stupid, the women were checking me out, after all, I am a Beagle! We visited with his two other cousins, one of whom have a golden retriever. I learned this weekend that I like playing with balls, especially tennis balls. I can chew off all the fuzz.

I have to admit that as much fun as I had, it was nice to get back in the truck and back to my routine. I am looking forward to our next visit out there to see everyone again. Right now we are in St Louis waiting to load a fire engine in the morning that is going up to Bangor Maine. Next week is a short trip out to Ohio to get a piece of machinery and bring it back to Rhode Island. The toughest part is trying to find a load out to Ohio. If we can get that all done during the week we hope to stop in at the world famous B.O.N.E.S. Beagle Bash.

Wish us luck!

Hudson.

August 26, 2007

Hi everyone, Hudson here. It's been a pretty busy month. Lots of John's relatives were up for vacation at the southern maine beaches and there was a friends wedding and another friends 40th birthday party so, needless to say,our trips have been short and close to home. It was fun to go to the beach and get so much attention from all the neices and nephews (what ever they are). There were two dogs there as well, one who didn't like me and one who liked me a little too much, if you know what I mean. After spending a few days visiting everyone we had to go back to work. We loaded several partial loads which sent us out to Wisconsin eventually. Next, we went to Illinois and loaded some sander bodies to bring back to Maine.

During the last month I have learned a new trick which has earned me a new name...Houdini. I have learned how to push out the screen and escape. I don't mean to brag but I have gone through the front door, the livingroom window, the bedroom window and even the bathroom window. I only need about 4 inches of space to squeeze through. The first time I got out the neighbor came over looking for me. soon another pickup drove in and the mechanic who works on the truck got out and he started looking for me too. They walked all over and then they saw me watching them from inside the house. I went in the pickup to the garage where John parks his truck. He had just arived after running errands. He went out and got a childs gate that he put across the door. The next day he went out and returned shortly and, you guessed it, I was outside waiting for him.No gate can keep me in! I have gotton to meet 4 of his neighbors and they are all really nice. They call him and he comes over and picks me up and trakes me home. He is getting better about checking all the windows to make sure they are all closed enough to keep me in. The last time I got out I found the bathroom window. That was a little tricky, I had to climb on the tub and then up on the counter to the window. I think John has finally learned to keep all the windows closed so I can't escape. It sure takes him a long time to learn. I can't help but wonder if all humans are this slow. He seems pretty patient through all of this so I should go easy on him. The only time he gets mad is after he has come to get me and we get home and the garbage is scattered all over the kitchen. Oops.

That's about all for now. We are leaving for Harrisburg, PA this afternoon. I hope everyone has a great end of the summer.

July 30, 2007

Hi everyone, it's Hudson reporting in. John and I have had two trips since I last checked in and now we're home for a little down time.Our first trip took us to Toledo, OR to deliver some sections of large fiberglass hoods to a paper mill. We were only a short distance from the coast and delivered the day before the fourth of July. We went up to Lincoln city and got a motel room for a couple of days. The first night we pulled over on a wide pull-off and spent the night. That is where the picture was taken. (I hope this one comes out!) We checked in to the motel the next afternoon. To get to our room, we had to go through some doors and stand in some sort of box. It was quite dangerous. There was a lady and her dog who went in before us. When the doors opened they were gone. I searched every corner of that box and couldn't figure out where they went. I'm just glad that we never disappeared when we used that box, we used it every time we went to and from our room. For the fourth of July, we went to the beach and watched the sunset and then watched the fireworks. It was windy and I sat on John's lap to keep warm and to get away from the blowing sand that was low to the ground.

The next day we went to Portland to load some machinery to take to Georgia. It was hot and the trip ac cross Oregon, Idaho, and Wyoming it was 100 degrees. I never knew that much of the northwest is desert, I always pictured it as being all forests. After we unloaded in Statesboro, GA we headed up to Danielsville, GA to load trailers. John new the guys there and they were really nice...in fact they started talking to me, you know the same way people talk to cows by going moo. Well anyway, I started really talking back to them and I kept talking and talking and talking. Finally, I jumped out of the truck so I could come over and say hi. I had fun there and hope we can go back there. We got back to Maine on Friday and delivered the trailers in Fairfield and had the weekend off.

The next trip was just a short one down to Kentucky with some sections of pipe for a power plant. Next we went up to Ohio to load some fence products to deliver in New Hampshire. We had to get back for the weekend for a friends wedding. I guess that's about all for now.

We have received this note from John:

Just want to say hi and give you my own account on Hudson. He is doing great and still seems to enjoy the trucking life. He loves people and dogs and cats, so he has made lots of friends. Unlike Cassie, who didn't like dogs, Hudson is a joy to watch playing with other dogs. At home his only problem is getting into the garbage which to me is only a minor problem. He doesn't let me out of his sight and follows me from room to room. He is also very vocal if I leave his sight.When I go out, I leave the front door open so he can watch out the storm door and one friend reported that while he drove his truck past my house every hour to a job site, Hudson was at the door every time watching the world. Thanks again for making two lives better.

John

Hi everyone, Hudson here checking in.

John and I are here in Sioux Falls, SD waiting for a load on Monday. It's pretty hot this weekend so John decided to get a motel room. I hope he is comfortable because it's really hot here in the truck. Just kidding, in fact, we were poolside this afternoon for a little while. We have been staying close to home recently due to his and my personal schedules...dentist, vet, repairs, and finally we were able to get out and stretch our legs a little. We loaded an antique truck in Hancock, ME and a truck tank in Bangor. The truck went to Minnesota and the truck tank went here to South Dakota.

While we were traveling through the Chicago area we were stopped at a traffic light where I saw a pretty girl walking her German Shepard. Since the window was down, I decided to jump out and introduce myself. Luckily, John acted quickly and grabbed my tail before it was too late...I always wondered what my tail was for, and now I know.

We are loading large beams for a stable in Lincoln, Ma tomorrow so it looks like we'll be home the end of the week. John and I send our thoughts and prayers out to Holden and everyone out there keeping an eye out for him. Until next time,

Hudson

May 2007

Hi everyone, me again. John and I got back last weekend. We delivered a log home in northern California up in the mountains. On the trip out we stopped to visit John's mother. She is really nice but she won't let me up on the furniture. Her house has lots of places to explore outside. I can't wait to go there again when I can have more time to explore. When we got to the delivery site the road was too small to get the truck in so they got a smaller truck to shuttle the bundles in to the site. This took a lot longer. That worked out well for me because there were lots of people there and I got lots of attention. (after all, I am a beagle)

I did have some problems on the trip out, however. I peed on the comforter and John scolded me pretty harshly. later in the week I had to go again and I knew I wasn't allowed to go on the comforter so I burrowed under the comforter and peed on the blanket underneath. I still don't know why John was mad, I didn't pee on the comforter? On the trip home we stopped at a truckstop in Wyoming and we were walking out back when I saw a bunch of dogs off in the distance. I pulled John over to the fence and they started coming over to say hi. As they got closer I saw how big they were and I'm not ashamed to say, I put my tail between my legs and ran. Those dogs were as big as...well, cows. (what ever those are) The rest of the trip home went well and I didn't have any more accidents in the truck. That's all for now, I'll check in again soon.

Hudson

Hi everyone, Hudson here. Happy Easter. John took me to some of his friends to celebrate Easter. They have three kids and a dog. I had lots of fun and even got my own Easter basket! I have been having fun since we got home. I have met two people with dogs and I have fun playing with them. John took me down to Portland to the Peterbilt dealership to get some parts for the truck. I met all the people there and visited one of the salesmen for a while. I have my own seat in his office. He made fun of john a lot but was nice to me. I think he likes me better. I'm not surprised, after all, I am a Beagle.

I had some fun on Thursday, I was in the pickup while John was visiting a friend here in town. The window was down about 6 inches and I managed to escape. John came out and started to look for me right away. He and two of his friends searched the parking lot and and were able to find my tracks. Big deal, there was still lots of snow! I got out of the snow and those guys didn't have a clue. John drove up and down the street several times and walked up and down lots of times. I was laying in the woods a few houses down. Those three were terrible hunters...they didn't even smell me! They could never find a rabbit, no less catch one. I'm glad I don't depend on John's hunting skill to feed me. He finally did see me lying there and came and get me. I thought it would be fun to play hide and seek with those guys but I got worried that I might be homeless when I saw how bad they really were. I learned my lesson.

Tomorrow it's back in the truck for three days to do two short runs here in New England. The following week we are supposed to load for California. More when it happens.

Hudson

Hey, Hudson here...I am returning from a trip to Seattle with John. It smells so much different out there than in Maine. I am getting the hang of this trucking thing. It is exhausting work as you can tell from the picture. I try to keep the recliner in working order as much as I can. I am adapting to life on the road. I'm not scared to be picked up and taken out of the truck..I try to jump out all by myself! The traffic noise doesn't seem to bother me as much either. I am mad at John, however, he got a garbage can with a lid! I had my first truckwash today and it was quite a surprise with all the water, brushes, and noise. I'm glad John stayed in the truck with me so I wouldn't be alone through it all. We should be home next week and I hope to have a couple days to check out my new second home, I hope the snow is melting so I can have a good sniff around. Thanks for the great spot on the website, we are both very honored to be there. I'll be in touch about our next mission.

From John:

Hudson is a very affectionate guy who likes to curl up on my lap when I steal his recliner. He's under the covers at night and several times a night he will come up for air/water and then I have to let him back under. I think we are both good for each other.

In Hudsons own words:

I've had fun on my first trip with John out to St Louis and back. We just delivered a tractor in Charleton, MA and are going to load a truck to take to Seattle. I have enjoyed the past week with John in his truck. I have taken over the recliner in the sleeper while we are driving. When I get tired of that, I move to the bed for a while. I do let John sleep in the bed at night with me, even though he doesn't share his meals with me. No matter how much I beg or how sad I look he doesn't even make eye contact. That's my only complaint, I'm stuck with dog food! I am a little scared when we go out if there is a lot of traffic or street noise but I think I'll get used to it soon. I am happy to be in the truck where it is just the two of us, no fighting for food or attention. I think I'll adopt John so I don't lose this good deal.