Where In The World Is Sum1?

A week in the 'Show-Me' State Capital City

         This week I was in Jefferson City Missouri delivering a class to the State Police Radio Technicians.  I had decided to drive to this location also because it made more sense.  Flying would have taken just as long, and I wouldn't get to see the countryside like I wanted to.  I also decided to detour on this trip, and see a couple of places I'd read about as a child.

         It was during the drive there that I took the first detour.  I drove south to Springfield Illinois, but instead of continuing south to St. Louis, I detoured west along I-72, and ended up in Hannibal Missouri.  Of course, this was the home of Mark Twain, my real 'tourist destination' for this trip. 

         Hannibal is a small river town on the Mississippi River.  A lot of the town is centered around their famous writer, Samuel Clemens, who we know as Mark Twain.  If you've never heard how he came to use the name Mark Twain, read up on it some.  It's an interesting read in itself, and a bit short if I'm not mistaken.  I saw Tom Sawyers childhood home, with Becky Thatcher's house right across the street, along with the wood fence that Tom convinced his friends to whitewash for him while he watched.....  Wait a minute, weren't Tom, Becky, Huck Finn, and the rest all fictional characters?  Makes one wonder, huh.  That, or good touristy marketing by the town to cause people to stop there and explore some.  Getting to Hannibal was pretty boring if you ask me.  Central Illinois is very flat, making for a pretty monotonous ride.  However, depending on the time of year, you see different things.  Being spring, there were quite a few farmers in the fields turning the soil, getting things ready for planting.

         The class itself was a 'typical' Networking class.  A lot of what I teach in this class cna be applied to the technology used on today's internet.  But the material itself is centered around the equipment used in the Motorola Solutions ASTRO Radio systems.  I've never talked much about what I teach, mainly because I didn't want to bore you all with it!  Since some of you might be a little interested, there's a brief explanation of this week's class.

         When I left Jefferson City, I decided to drive along Hwy 94 to the St. Louis area.  What a beautiful drive that was!  To my right was the Missouri River, its flood plains clearly visible, though dry at the moment.  As I got close to Augusta Missouri, the road began to twist a bit, with a few hills here and there.  This made the drive beautiful and fun, and I also knew I was approaching my next 'tourist' activity.  I had decided I would stop at a couple of wineries and sample their wine, perhaps buying a couple of bottles.  Sure enough, I found a nice semi-sweet white wine at the Blumenhof Winery, as well as at the Louis P. Balducci winery.  I would have gotten more, but didn't want to overspend.  So I arrived home in Illinois late yesterday afternoon, and one of the bottles of wine is already gone.    Now I have to make a road trip there to get a few more! 

         For the first time this year, I'll be home for three weeks in a row.  A week from Monday I will have minor surgery to repair an Umbilical Hernia.  After a week in recovery (at home), I'll work a week in Schaumburg before leaving on my next trip.  Right now, it's scheduled to be in Buffalo, NY.  I'm a bit excited about that for two reasons.  Seeing Niagara Falls from both sides of the river, and seeing the large statue of Tesla.  He was instrumental in the early years of Electricity and Electronics, a bit of an eccentric, and an amazing mind.  Till next time, y'all be good, and don't work too hard in your gardening.  Whatever you do though, keep writing!