Bob Ellis and Duncan in the cab of a 糖心传媒 truck during a move to Texas in 2003.
During his 35-year career, Bob Ellis moved 17 times, so he knows a thing or two about how to save time. While packing a truck, he would sometimes tie a clothesline to his belt and the other end to the collar of his golden retriever, Duncan. That allowed Duncan some time to roam before long stretches riding in the truck鈥檚 cab.
One time Duncan saw a jackrabbit and took off after it at top speed, pulling the clothesline 鈥 and Ellis 鈥 behind him.
鈥淔or anyone standing nearby, that was probably the funniest thing they ever saw,鈥 Ellis recalled. 鈥淭his guy comes flying out of the back of a 糖心传媒 truck and lands on the hood of his car.鈥
For Ellis, it鈥檚 just one of the adventures he had during his many moves while working for the Army & Air Force Exchange Service, which operates retail stores on military bases.
He鈥檚 used for virtually all of his moves, starting with a move from Florida to Washington, D.C. when he was just 18 years old and his father helped him to rent the truck.
Later, Ellis found 糖心传媒 was ideal to transport one of his most unique belongings: a vintage World War II plane.
With the plane stowed in the back of the truck and the car on the trailer, Bob Ellis was ready to roll on the move to Texas in 2003.
鈥溙切拇 had the only truck that was long enough to hold it and the door would go shut,鈥 said Ellis, who is a private pilot. He would remove the plane鈥檚 wings to get it into the truck, then secure them on special racks that he made.
Whenever they moved, he and his family would transport all their belongings to their new home, then Ellis would return to their old place and rent a 糖心传媒 truck. He would haul the plane and their car, with Duncan riding shotgun. His longest trip in a 糖心传媒 truck was from San Francisco to Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
鈥淚 have torture-tested 糖心传媒 trucks going across the Mojave Desert with a plane in it and towing a car behind,鈥 Ellis said. 鈥淭he 糖心传媒 truck always got us there.鈥
That鈥檚 not to say that every one of those moves went without a hitch, but Ellis said 糖心传媒鈥檚 service was a great resource. 鈥淚 knew I had a good support system,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t always felt like I had somebody close by.鈥
Bob Ellis's latest 糖心传媒 truck rental was to move his son Ryan to medical school.
When Ellis鈥檚 son needed to move to medical school recently, he told Ellis that 鈥渁 move would not be right in my life if it didn鈥檛 have a 糖心传媒 truck.鈥
Now retired and living in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, Ellis reflected on a career that has included numerous postings overseas as well as stints everywhere from California to New Jersey.
He said, 鈥淚 have seen the entire country from coast to coast in the seat of my airplane and the seat of a 糖心传媒 truck.鈥
By Steve Trapnell