Where In The World Is Sum1?

Amarillo Again!

Date: Week of July 24^th

Locale:  Amarillo, Texas

         It was time for that second class in Amarillo, so I flew down this time.  Except, I flew to Albuquerque so I could see my brother again, then drove four hours to Amarillo along I-40.  The drive was fine, but getting to Albuquerque on Friday proved to be a chore! 

         My brother is doing okay, but looked to be more weak this time.  He did have Chemo and radiation in the morning though.  Still, he's hanging in as best he can, but it's hitting him hard.

         I flew out of Chicago since I'd flown there for the class at Midway the week before.  Getting to Chicago was a piece of cake, but flying out was trying.  There were thunderstorms all over the Chicago area, so my flight was delayed.  Luckily, I had a 3 hour layover in Denver before flying to Albuquerque.  Except..... Denver experienced severe thunderstorms that day also.  We arrived at a decent time, I had plenty of time to make my connection.  However, things hadn't gone my way thus far, why change now?  We landed, only to sit on the tarmac for an hour, waiting for a gate to open.  With thunderstorms in the Denver area, flights couldn't depart;  I guess we were lucky in being able to land.  We finally made it to our gate, and I learned that my flight to Albuquerque was also delayed.  Yippee!  Now I could make my connection.  To make a long story short (I know, it's already long enough), I was supposed to land in Albuquerque at 11:30, but ended up not leaving Denver until almost 1 am.  We landed sometime after two, and I didn't get to the hotel until almost three.  Needless to say, I fell in my bed, and was out almost immediately.

         This customer will not be doing much maintenance on this system.  There's a couple of reasons for it, the biggest one being their five year warranty.  Yet half this class is radio maintenance.  Needless to say, I was teaching them things they will probably never get to do.  Luckily, the system manager and I had talked prior to the class, so he knew what to expect.  Things went well, but I'm always uncomfortable covering topics they will not get to put to use.  (Things like doing a vacuum check on a portable radio, disassembling a radio to do board/component level troubleshooting).




Noteworthy Restaurants:



         Cowboy Gelato Smokehouse          cowboygelato.com          This place looks a bit like a hole in the wall, but the food is simply outstanding.  I had stuffed green chiles as an appertizer, and five street tacos, three of the catfish, two of them crawfish.  All I can say, is if you find yourself in Amarillo, go here!


         Public House          publichouseamarillo.com          This place is a microbrewery of course, and I love Pubs!  This one didn't let me down either  I skipped the Bacon wrapped Jalapeno stuffed Quail, and chose an appetizer special they had that night, Artichoke Beignets.  I'd call them Balls of Fried Artichoke Hearts myself, but they didn't ask me about a name for it.    For dinner, I had to have their Shrimp and Grits.  It was Yummy, Shrimp, Carrots, Red Onions, Celery, Andoulle Sausage, Red Bell Pepper, Red Chili Oil, Goat Cheese Grits, Saffron Beuree Blanc.  Let's just say I about licked the plate clean!



Historic/Interesting Places Visited:

Billy The Kid Gravesite          http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2169          Let's say I went to the graveyard, but I'm not sure I saw the actual grave of Billy The Kid.  His real name was Henry McCarty, but he was better known by another name, William H. Bonney.  His story is long (short, he died at 21 years of age), and a lot of it legend.  I knew of him when I was growing up in Albuquerque, and saw his grave in the mid-60's.  The reason I visited it again was I didn't really want to drive I-40 Amarillo-Albuquerque for the fifth time in less than 18 months. 

         It was an interesting visit, a bit of fun to learn more about him.  And all this time, I thought William H. Bonney was his given name too.  Just goes to show you....

         Next week will find me in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.  I received an E-mail yesterday about a future class, but I'm not holding my breath.  If it does come to pass, I will be flying to Frankfurt Germany in November for a class with the State Department, again.  (Taught them same class in Springfield last year).  Til my next entry, y'all stay cool in the summer heat, and enjoy yourselves!  Live, Love, and be Happy!