Pix Of The Day: The Desert Sewer Cleaning Camel
CREDIT: © Ian Scott-Parker/CAMwrangler.com
WHERE: Hurricane, Utah, USA. WHAT: sewer cleaning operations.
MAP: Hurricane, Utah, USA. Thumbnail click pops-up larger image.

We live in a quiet neighborhood, on a very quiet street. A few weeks ago our local fire department despatched an appliance that came past the end of our street with lights ablaze and sirens wailing, but it turned out to be a false alarm. The usual highlight of the week is Thursday, when our town's waste management department sends a truck with a hydraulic arm that lifts and dumps out the household trash wheelie bins. It is an empty week if we sleep late and miss the show.

Last Wednesday, quite unexpectedly while we were anticipating the excitement expected on the following day, the waste water management department sent a sewer cleaning truck called a Camel. It has to be said that all the other kids in our sub division maintained an aloof detachment towards this treat. Most of them are at least half a century younger than we are, and this must explain their jaded ennui: old enough to have been bombarded with sensory stimulation from TV violence, and too young to be allowed the freedom to roam the web, they are clearly at an in between stage when saying, "So… is that it?", counts as a poised and street wise response.

Not us! Clad only in house schlepping garb, our slippered feet shuffled eagerly out into the world to inspect this activity at closer quarters. The operators were quick and efficient, soon finishing their task with the practised familiarity of a slick routine. No spillages, crashes, or other untoward occurrences happened. Briefly we wondered if the boom might short out the overhead electricity cables, but these guys had been there, done that, and lived to tell the tale. Even so, it was a day to remember!

The following day we waited for the trash collector, fearful that the weekly highlight might now seem tame; dull even. No truck appeared until late afternoon. There must have been a mechanical problem with the usual truck, because the one that did arrive was a different model with a different method of lifting the wheelie bins. We hope next week passes without incident, and the neighborhood returns to a familiar routine. All this excitement is proving a little too much for us in our dotage.

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