February 19, 2011

• The other night I was thinking that there are a lot of things our children don't know about us.  At breakfast I asked them, (the remaining 5 at home) if they'd ever heard about our move to VA from MD.  They hadn't, so I told them the story.  I wonder if I shouldn't write these stories down before I forget them so they can enjoy them.  Not that any of them ever read my Xanga posts. 

  It was March 9 or 10, 1983, as I recall.  We were packed up ready to go.  Alvin and Esther Martin had left with a Martin's Elevator truck filled with our furniture.   My brother Nat had his car filled with odds and ends.  Tim Little had his Scout loaded, pulling a flat bed trailer with our freezer and '60 model Mercedes Benz which was also filled.  As we got ready to go, we told Nat and Tim to go ahead that we had some business to take care of at the bank before leaving town.

  Once we left the bank sometime later, we headed south on Interstate 81 in our black Malibu Classic, sad to be leaving our friends behind but looking forward to life on the farm with Granddaddy Martin's.  Vernon enjoyed working with the folks at the Elevator and we had made lifelong friends in Hagerstown, but he was a farm boy and wanted to get back on to it.  His brother, Arthur wanted to serve a term of VS in Red Lake, Canada so we were going to help Granddaddy's while he was gone.  Susana was a small baby of 10 weeks.  

  Suddenly we saw something ahead that made our hearts skip a beat or so.  I pointed, "Isn't that our Mercedes there in the ditch?"  At the Rte 40 exit, was Tim's Scout and trailer turned facing northeast instead of south, Nat's car was parked alongside the highway.  As we pulled to a stop, I could see broken glass where some of my canning jars had broken on their release from the Mercedes' trunk which had flown open in the crash.

  Fortunately, no one was hurt and nothing damaged except for the jars.  We gathered what we could out of the grass and replaced it into the trunk again.  What had happened was that when they loaded the trailer, they put the freezer closest to the trailer hitch and the car on the back.  It should've been the other way around to put the heaviest weight at the hitch instead of at the back of the trailer.  Nat had just passed Tim to lead when he looked in the rear view mirror and saw Tim fishtailing around.  By the time he got stopped, Tim's trailer had done a circle and was headed backward into the place between the ramp and the overpass.

  Also fortunately, Tim's uncle Arnold lived within a couple of miles of the Interstate on Rt. 40 so we went over there and borrowed his tractor to pull it out.  I don't remember any policemen but I am sure there were because Tim had to get permission to take a tractor onto the Interstate.  Anyway, the guys brought the Scout and trailer over to Arnold's.   They intended to reload the trailer but ended up just loading the Scout and trailer onto Arnold's flatbed truck and taking it to Va that way.

  After waiting a long time, I decided I'd better call Mom Martin to tell her that we'd be late...... 

  Its good that I did because they weren't expecting us until the next day!  She and Aunt Brenda made fast tracks to clean the house we were to move into. 

  I don't remember too much about the rest of the trip except that Vernon rode with Tim in the truck and I had to drive the Malibu with Susana.  This was before carseats were a requirement for babies so I had her laying beside me on the front seat.  I am not sure what happened but either she or something rolled to the floor and I reached to get it.  While doing so, I almost sideswiped a semi that was passing me and nearly gave Tim and Vernon a heart attack. 

  We got there late in the afternoon and Mom and Aunt Brenda were still cleaning the kitchen.  It was raining so Alvin's had had to unload the stuff into a dirty house to keep it from getting wet.  I guess it is things like that to help us from becoming bored in life.   

  I am so glad for God's protection that day!

  • 6:14 am
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