A bright, shiny R.E.D. truck

Neighbors had a major driveway project underway when the brightest, shiniest R.E.D. truck I've seen in quite some time arrived with gravel.

Time out for a portrait. Though it was a working vehicle, this truck was spotless and the chrome thoroughly polished. I wouldn't mind riding around town in it. Any day.

Down to business. First the gate is raised (above). Then the big hydraulic piston lifts the box and the dump begins (below).


The box is lifted even higher to move the last of the gravel.

And here's the end result -- two carefully placed heaps of gravel which added up to a very small load for the beautiful, shiny R.E.D. truck.

Posts Past: One post that keeps getting comments from old timers is one I did on empty stores on Miller Valley. Tonight, I just had another comment -- you might want to check it out.

What's in the back of that truck?

As Americans, we do an awful lot of moving stuff from here to there and then to elsewhere. Much of this activity is in the course of doing business -- especially businesses that serve the homeowner.

For example, in the back of this thoroughly cartooned up pickup are a hose and other tools necessary to fight termites and other household pests.

Often, the truck is hauling another means of transportation. Above, a stripped down bicycle; below, a pontoon boat and below that, three or four quads for ripping around the outback.

Household stuff lands in the back of a pickup often. Towels.

A chair. A mattress.

This looks like a safe that was heading for a new home.

A well equipped painter above, a contractor below.

This trailer opened up to reveal tooling to repair broken pipes (above). The yardman below announced his trade with the rack of tools at the rear of the truck cab plus a riding mower on the trailer. The rack of yard tools, common on trucks hereabouts, reminds me of the iconic signs posted once upon a time by European tradesmen for a populace that had not yet learned to read.

I'm not sure if this truck was toting glass, tho it appears to be equipped for that use.

Two totally different uses for a truck: above, veggie distribution from a Chino Valley farm for members of a coop buying group, and, below, a traditional Western pickup load.

Trucks areel

It's not often one happens across a mobile spool. Since I've met up with reeling trucks twice now, it's time for a post! Above and below is a vehicle that delivers and probably pays out heavy-duty, overhead electric line. A fine specimen, eh?

Sorry I didn't get the full picture of this truck; however, its reel was up front with plenty of dials and indicators for guys to play with; it appears to handle liquids of some sort. Doesn't look like the local honey wagons, however, which aren't nearly as preposessing.

More New Blogs: New entries on both the Arizona list and the Rest of the World list. Tombo's Blog is another Prescott offering, while World Photos 4 is from an old online friend in Germany, who is currently fascinated with his European red squirrel.

Antique Trucks: Working Stiffs

To one who plays at being a photographer, let's face it, old trucks are a lot more interesting than antique cars. Vehicles that worked for a living offer more character and variety, therefore this selection from the recent antique auto show out at Watson Lake Park.

There were fire trucks two. And, yes, that is me in the red stripes -- some of the pictures in this set were taken by the Niece from Memphis; the girl in the shades is her daughter.

A scene almost obliterated from our green world -- a logging truck. It would be good to see a few more trucks loaded with timber from the many drought-killed trees that still stand in local forests.

Piggy back, old-style or a wrecker or merely a utility truck for long loads. I'm not quite sure which.

However, this well equipped vehicle probably served as a wrecker and undertook many other tasks.


Double-duty for the show -- an old truck hauling in old machinery for the exhibit of old engines.

A fine, if stripped down tractor. The caterpillar my grandfather drove in the early 30s was a much more elaborate contraption, complete to a big umbrella to protect him from the hot Phoenix sun.

The owner decided to have some fun outfitting this minimalist machine.

And here was what you might call a jack-of-all-trucks. Note all the gear lashed to the side panel.

Not to mention two extra seats for the hitchhikers.