11 hours and counting!

I'm not sure who's more excited, me or the boys but I have just about 11 more hours until back to back vacations! Needless to say, I'm counting the ticks of the clock. I wish I could say that today has been laid back and easy to make for a smooth transition into my vacation but on the contrary, it's been fairly busy. Some of that was due to me (being the whip cracker that I am) and the rest due to calls etc. All in all, it's been a good day. We did witness what is sure to become bad news. Apparently the surveying has begun on the property adjoining our back lot. We have heard for some time now that the plans were for the owners to add new curbing etc which will take away our rear access (the main entrance / exit for the house). Guess it wont be long before we're shuffling vehicles to make room for shift break and using the (basically) alley way between the station and our upholstery neighbor. Here's a pic of the survey crew. Later in the shift, after the normal checks and chores, we did a little house cleaning. A-shift took the time yesterday to give the ol War Wagon a good waxing so we decided to give her a clean spot to rest. The boys went the extra mile and gave the bay a good scrubbing before washing out. Needless to say, when you add soap, water, a smooth floor, Steve FM radio and Tyrone you're in for some good video. The bad news is that I didn't get any footage. I did manage to snap a pic. Also, Thanks to the part time guys on Medic 101 today for jumping in there and lending a hand.
Now, It's only right to give the boys a little down time after working them so hard (despite my reputation..."by the book Wines") so afterwards, while the floor was drying, we took a break to enjoy the weather. Now this sometimes puts the boys in such a spiritual mood that they close their eyes to pray / meditate. Enter Wheezy and Tyrone and you get the following...


I'll also add in a pic of a visitor we had today. Jr Vandam or "Van damn it" as I say stopped by for a moon pie and RC cola. One of our Department's newest "road doctors" was chocked full of stories and seemed to enjoy passing some time with the Melrose Misfits.

Another visitor for the day was Opie's family. I had to snap a shot of his son Kyler's shirt. I reads Fireman in Training. Here's little Kyler.

We also received some "take that" news today. Apparently our little Medic truck "Poop Magnet" Coon has been keeping up with the blog while on vacation in Fla. If you too are a regular reader, you may remember we threw a tiny jab last post due to all the rain he's had while vacationing. Well, I guess it stopped raining long enough for Coon to drag himself down to the nearest watering hole and snap a few pics of his own. I'm not sure why he thought we'd enjoy this one, but he sent it anyway... lucky bastard

LOL all kidding aside Coon, enjoy the vacation and have a safe trip home. The last pic for the post is of yours truly. I'm not sure why the boys have such a fascination with my legs but every time I put on a pair of shorts (ok ok both times that I have) they run for the camera. Not to be predjuduce or "one way" I'll post it but I still cant figure out what's so damn funny.

Rumor has it that our little Hippie friends over at Station #3 provided an escort for the bikers from NYC on their trip through the city. If they update their site, you may get more details.. check em out here. There's a lot of things happening in Roanoke this weekend including the National memorial service for fallen EMS workers. I wish I had more details or a link but I don't. Maybe check out Rhett's sites here , here or here. I do know some of our men are providing the Honor Guard detail so hopefully Goodo will have more on A-shift's post. Lastly I'll mention once again our brothers and sisters in Lynchburg. They are facing a 3% pay cut and have a rally scheduled for Tuesday the 26th. Anyone wanting to take a short road trip to show our support, just give me a call...as of now, I think I'm going to ride up. Ok that's it for tonight...I'm going to get back to watching the clock and counting the minutes. See ya next month, stay safe and keep em in the house! Capt. Wines
PS. I almost forgot our favorite visitor of the day. Now Rebecca "Pookie" Smith ran out before I could take a picture but she did happen to mention NOT to call her "Pookie" or to let anyone else know of the nick name because she DOESN'T like being called by it. So, don't worry POOKIE, your secret is safe with us (shoulda let me get the pic...LOL).