1st of April seemed to be the Christmas of spring 2013. We heard that the road to the Ranch had been plowed after heavy snows. Arriving was an adventure. All good to Tauragnai, then that crucial road beyond was heavily laden and of its own mind. Trying to get to the shops 2 days later with as many days of further snow falls, we ventured out. What would have taken a few minutes, expanded to 1.5 hours, back and forth, up and down, what seemed to be the futility of Frances Alys's 'Take Rehearsal' the 30min performance of his VW caught in a valley outside Tijuana, accompanied by a brass band. Our seeming futility was not accompanied by a brass band, though the plucky '95 Opel was rehearsing nonetheless... to get to the top of the hill.
With no hurry to get back, after much 'necessary' shopping and diversions in town, we returned to a snow-plowed road. Near tearful with joy at reaching the Ranch with barely a rev, spin or expletives, we went to visit Juozas, as it seems he had rolled out the red carpet with Stasys's assistance.
A former fire truck, adapted to be the foremost in snow plow engineering. If my research serves me well, this could be a descendent from a long line of robust Soviet designed all-purpose trucks. A Kamaz or even a MAZ series commemorated in a postal stamp issue of matchbox models, designed and assembled in nearby Belarus. I am sure I will stand corrected soon.
If it were a MAZ, an ancestor would have won the Grand Prize at the World Expo in Brussels World Fair, 1957. If it were a Kamaz, among other uses, its descendent would become a record holder of 11 Truck Dakar Rally wins to date (2013).
