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 |  I travel the country on business, sometimes the world. Come see where I've been. |
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Talk about perks, my job has one of the best ones I can think of! I travel in the course of business, delivering classes for my employer. I am a Senior Training Specialist for Motorola Solutions, and teach classes on a wide variety of subjects centered around 2 way radio communications. I'm qualified to deliver approximately 30 different classes, but about half of those are 'Legacy' classes, and are not in demand anymore. My students are technicians, those who maintain, program, calibrate, and repair large 2-way radio systems. Some of these systems are statewide, and use TCP-IP networking to allow sites to communicate with others. Some are small, traditional type radio sites. The size doesn't matter, in each case the systems must be kept operational at all times, since many of them are Public Safety Systems. So I get to travel, sometimes frequently, 3-4 weeks in a row.... where am I this week? This probably won't have daily entries, but I will make entries when I get to go somewhere, and keep an updated list of coming trips. My schedule changes faster than the weather, so don't be too surprised to see me list an upcoming class, only to remark later on that it is cancelled, or delayed. Delays are fine of course, but a later date might mean that someone else gets to go instead of me,,, Well, here we go with this, let's see where it takes us.  Best Cultural And Regional Honorable Mention |
| Date: Week of August6th Locale: Plantation, Florida This week finds me in Plantation, Florida. This is what we call a 'resident' class, except it's being taught at the Motorola Facility in Plantation Florida. Plantation sits about 10 miles inland from Fort Lauderdale, so you would think you could find me at the beach in the afternoons/evenings. Not a chance. Don't forget, I'm now 64, my hair is completely silver. My skin is prettty white. I don't want to be mistaken for a beach whale.... Even worse, have people wonder about this old man who thinks he's young, playing around on the beach. The class was fine, I've taught it many times. We had a few small delays as I tried to locate cables and adapters needed for radio testing. Overall, it all went well, and everyone seemed happy. Then came the trials and tribulations of getting home Friday night. My flight was scheduled to leave at 4:20 Friday afternoon, but the flight down from Chicago didn't arrive until almost five! They were anxious to get us aboard and out of the area, so as soon as the arriving passengers were off the plane, we boarded. Luggage was loaded, food loaded, and we left. Yep, they didn't refuel, since the plane had plenty of fuel. I guess Mother Nature had other ideas. Thunderstorms hit the Fort Lauderdale airport area, and we sat on the tarmac for at least 45 minutes. We finally took off, but the pilot had to change the flight plan several times to avoid thunderstorms between us and Chicago. We were a bit west of the normal flight path, around St. Louis when the pilot announced we were being diverted to Kansas City to refuel. You have to wonder why we didn't go to St. Louis proper, but I'm sure (I hope) there were reasons. I quickly realized that going to Kansas City, sitting there for 30 minutes while we refueled, then another 45 to Chicago meant I'd miss my connecting flight home. Oh wait though, it got better. (NOT!) After refueling, we backed out and headed to the runway. Suddenly, we found ourselves back at the gate. Our flight crew had become 'illegal'. They had reached the limit they could fly a plane in one day, so we were going no where. Many people got rental cars, some hotels for the night. I was still in the gate area when the employee who was trying to help us announced, "Chicago passengers! Hold Everything!" We quickly learned that a crew was bringing a plane in from the east coast, and had volunteered to take us to Chicago that night! Better yet, they were 'no where close' to being illegal. Could it really be true? To make a long story short, they became illegal at midnight local time. We boarded at 11:25 pm, and were off the ground at 11:56pm, heading to Chicago. I spent the night in a hotel, then flew to Springfield Illinois Saturday morning because United Airlines had no flights going to Peoria Saturday. To add insult to injury, my bags were never re-tagged for Springfield, so they remained in Chicago. They were delivered to me at home on Sunday. Noteworthy Restaurants: Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza https://acfp.com/location/plantation/ I don't eat Pizza too often, but this place was pretty good. Their Pork Ribs with vinegar peppers (I chose hot peppers, and they were decently hot!), and Paulie's Pie (Meatballs, Sausage, Hot or Sweet Peppers & Ricotta Cheese) was good too. Hit the spot really well. Bin 495 http://2yo03d47e58421qztg1d9hf5-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/BIN-Dinner-FINAL.pdf I don't normally dine at hotel restaurants, but I was tired one night and thought I'd give it a try. Excellent Lobster and Shrimp Salad, I also enjoyed their chicken wings! In Closing I am home next week, delivering a radio programming class on line. Since this week is already here, you know I had problems with my work PC. I'm not sure it was a virus or not, but there are many other people having problems installing the software I was installing. Either way, my work PC is fixed, and I'm back in business.  Next week I will be in Amherst Massachusetts. Til my next entry, y'all write all you can! Love those who are close to you, tell them every day. See you next time around.... Jim Dorrell |
| I spent the past 2 weeks (Okay, past week and a half) in Schaumburg working on upgrading a small radio system I teach. I really think most any instructor could do this, but most of them don't teach anything on this system, so I take care of it. It's not all that tough, but there are a few things that needed done. Upgraded two desktop PC's to Win 10. This also requires using a special disk provided by Motorola to harden their operating system. Also upgraded the system routers and switches operating systems & installed new configurations. The Base Radios, Comparator, and a device called a Site Controller were all upgraded. That was the easy stuff. The hard part came when it was time to upgrade the Virtual Servers. Right now, we use HP 380, Gen 8 Virtual Servers. These run on ESXi, a Virtual Machine operating system. You install that, then create the virtual servers using VM Ware. Well, this particular machine was 'scrounged' from one of our support labs, and what I thought was a good operating system, wasn't. I spent almost a whole day getting it partially configured and ready to go, only to find that the hard drives were.... well, I can't say/type that word here. So the next day, I reinstalled the ESXi operating system, reformatted the drives in the process, and created the two virtual servers that needed to be on it. The first one was easy, I'd installed the current one three years ago, and still remembered much of the procedure. The second one? That's another story. Luckily for me, a tech from our support lab upstairs had volunteered to help with this, and it's a good thing he did. To make a long story short, our manuals don't provide a lot of details, and if he hadn't been there, I'd still be trying to get that second VM installed! Now that the upgrade is done, I've been tackling a problem we've had for a long time. This problem doesn't affect the system operation, but I can't demonstrate one thing until this is fixed. Never had the time (nor knowledge on some of it) to fix this, and am still learning. It's not fixed yet, but I have a much better idea of what's wrong than I did Monday. However, I did spend most of the day yesterday banging my head against a wall, getting no-where.... I decided that if I couldn't get it done, I'd come home and relax a little before traveling to Plantation Florida Sunday. Til my next entry, y'all take of yourself and your loved ones. And Write all you can! Aloha to you all. |
| Date: Week of July 9th Locale: Calgary, Alberta, Canada This week finds me in Calgary, Alberta delivering a class to the Canadian Pacific Railways. When I made the reservations for this class, I couldn't understand why hotels in Calgary were priced so high. When I got there, I found out why. A 'small' festival, called "The Calgary Stampede!" Now, I'm not much of a country-boy, and am ashamed to say I've never really ridden a horse. Unless riding a pony in circles at a State Fair counts.... But you know I had to go. Calgary has a bit of a western atmosphere, and it shows. You see a lot of cowboys around, and a lot of western type atmosphere. It wasn't all because of the Stampede either. When class was done on Thursday, I decided it would be a good night to see what this Stampede was all about. I figured it was something like one of our State Fairs, and I wasn't too far off in that idea. I didn't get to see near enough of it. Arriving at 6 pm after working all day was fine, but it didn't leave a lot of time to explore. Especially since I decided to take in the evening show. The evening show is actually a series of races between Chuck Wagons. The races are actually heats, with four wagons in each. Needless to say, the people in the stands had their favorites, and cheered very loudly. What amazed me though, was the drivers of these Chuck Wagons. Let me tell you, these guys were 'Mad Men'! To see them coming around that 4th turn, reins in both hands yelling and raising the reins to get the horses to run faster. It was a good time, but I remained quiet the whole time, mainly because I was alone, and had no idea who to cheer for.... I finished class on Friday, and decided I'd look into leaving that day, instead of waiting until a 6 am flight Saturday morning. Changing the ticket was no problem. I have a high enough status with United that I can change a ticket for no additional fee. Now, instead of leaving Saturday at 6 am, I was leaving Friday afternoon at 3:20 pm, and would be in Chicago by 8. So far so good. After landing in Chicago, I went to get a rental car (I'd foolishly decided to rent one for the drive up, and would need one for the drive back), and was told that Avis had no cars to rent one-way. But, once I was at the Avis Office, I was told I could rent one since the distance home was no that far (only 150 miles or so). I asked about an SUV for this week's trip, but was told there was no way. So I told her I'd take a Yugo if it would get me home Friday night. She told me it was no problem to get me a car, and that it was 'only' $295 for a one day rental! I told her she was high (I wasn't irate or anything, it wasn't her fault, it was the company), that it was highway robbery, and that I wouldn't pay that kind of money to rent a car. I called Hertz, but they wanted $335 for the same time period. Turns out no car rental companies will rent a car one-way on a Friday or Saturday night from O'Hare. I ended up spending the night in Chicago, and was picked up Saturday morning. So much for getting home a day early, huh! Historic/Interesting Places Visited: Calgary Stampede https://www.calgarystampede.com/ The Calgary Stampede bills itself as 'The Greatest Outdoor Show' on Earth. It's well work coming to Alberta to experience it. You will enjoy yourself, I promise you. In Closing I will spend next week in Chicago finishing the work I started in June. I will be upgrading one of the systems we have, the one I take care of basically. Should be done Friday, and have the week of July 30th to relax before heading off to Plantation, Florida! Til next time, take care of yourself and those you love. And of course, WRITE! |
| Date: Week of July 2nd Locale: Bloomington, Illinois After spending a week in Schaumburg working/upgrading a small system I maintain, I am home for a week. It's a week to relax, enjoy 'normal' life, and celebrate our nation's birth. I have to say, it's been a fine week, and it's only Tuesday! Tonight I had the privilege and honor to attend an outdoor celebration put on by the local parks and recreation, and sponsored by the local newspaper. It was the prototypical small town celebration, and I loved every minute of it! The hosts were four young adults, but the whole company comprised people of all ages. Every song was a celebration of the United States, and I was reminded of what our forefathers meant when they wrote the Declaration of Independence, and thought of a lot of our history. No, we're not a perfect union. We also aren't fatally flawed either. As they emphasized in the show, we need to remember, and come together as one. Not as groups who hate (a word I rarely use, and only use it here for emphasis) others who don't agree with them or think differently than them. I won't lecture, far be it for me to ever lecture people on how to act. But we could do so much better than we are right now! For some reason, my eyes got sweat in them during the National Anthem. They always do. It happened again during America The Beautiful. I wasn't surprised. In the middle of the show, they honored veterans and active duty by singing the hymn for each branch of service, and asked us to stand when the hymn for our branch was sung. I proudly stood, but man, it was tough to not get sweat in my eyes again. For me, the whole show was very well done, even if the performers were mainly 'amateurs'. It's something more people should experience so they too can remember what being an American is really about. Okay, enough lecture, enough standing on a pulpit and preaching to you all.... In Closing I wish you all a very safe, and happy 4th of July. Take some time to reflect on things, remember those you love, and tell them you love them. Every day! Til next time, take care of yourself and those you love. And of course, WRITE! |
| Date: Week of June 17th Locale: Saint John, New Brunswick This week finds me in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada delivering a class to an interesting group of men. Well, okay, not really a group, just four of them. It's the academic credentials that makes the class interesting, and fun. The students are all teachers at the New Brunswick Community College; there's an effort underway to get people hired to maintain a radio system here in New Brunswick, and they have been tasked with learning enough about our radio systems to teach these new hires. They have so much to learn though... Saint John is a mid-sized city sitting on the north side of the entrance to the Bay of Fundy. I've known about the tides, or rather the size of the tides for many years. Driving 2 hours to see that was a no-brainer. What struck me as I watched the tide rise, was how relentless it is, and how man could do nothing to stop it. I walked out on the 'beach' (it's not really a beach, since the tide changes so much, it's too rocky), and got pretty close to the water. The tide was already coming in, you could see the water creeping in. The waves are tiny, very small, but again, relentless. I was about 30 feet from the water, and stood there counting the seconds until I'd have to move. In less than 2 minutes, I had to retreat. So I did, and counted again. And again, in less than 2 minutes I was moving. Not only that, I had to watch to my right because the water was advancing there at what seems a faster pace, and I didn't want to be cut off. Luckily, I wasn't. But I was left with the impression that the Bay of Fundy experiences a minuscule, slow moving, tsunami twice a day, every day of the year! Here in the city of Saint John, the tide affects the Saint John river quite a bit. The current as the tide comes in, or goes out are quite strong. Add to that, the river's flow changes! During ebb tide, the river flows normally. During rising tide, the river flows backwards! There are a lot of rocks around, so trying to navigate through there during tide changes is very dangerous. As a result, boats can only navigate through the channel for about a 20 minutes period between tides. That's a 20 minute period, every 12 hours! It's been a good week overall. Because of the students' knowledge level, and due to a couple of things happening on one of the afternoons, I've had a bit of free time. There was a BBQ on Wednesday at lunch that I was invited to, Thursday was the college's graduation, so they needed the afternoon free. Fortunately, the Thursday morning session is a subject they teach themselves, so we blew through that one, and completed the Thursday afternoon subjects to allow them to attend. It was particularly important to Jeff (one of the students of course), because his son was graduating. Another nice thing occurred while I was here. A Norwegian Cruise Lines ship moored in town, and my window gave me a beautiful view of it! Noteworthy Restaurants: Big Tide Brewing Complany bigtidebrew.com This was a fun place, made even more pleasant by a session of Pub Quiz while I was there! I was invited to participate, and did for a bit. But I was playing alone, and did terribly. Plus, it was getting time for me to return to the hotel.... The Kebab House Persian Cuisine facebook.com I don't normally visit a place that doesn't have their own website, but I was able to see their menu on Facebook, and decided it was a place I'd have to try. One thing I really enjoy, is sampling food prepared from faraway lands. The ground beef/ground lamb Kebab was terrific. However, I really loved the Persian Salad! It was 'only' tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers in a garlic oil dressing, with Persian (Iranian) spices. Yummmy! Photo's From Visit:  Hotel Room View  Incoming Tide on the Saint John River, water flowing upstream  The Saint John River flowing normally downstream  Stranded Boats Historic/Interesting Places Visited: Saint John Falls View Park m.discoversaintjohn.com You need to come here to really see the effect the changing tides have on the river. I have long held the power of water in high respect. If possible, it's even higher now. Fundy National Park pc.gc.ca One of the many places you can experience the enormous tides in the Bay Of Fundy. High tides are experienced around the world at various times, over about a 12 hour period. The Bay Of Fundy's tides are so enormous due to a couple of things. First is that the entrance to the bay is fairly deep, and wide. At the upper (Northeast) end of the bay, it is quite shallow, and narrow. This is what mainly causes this dramatic shift in tides. In Closing I will spend the next two weeks relaxing at home for the most part. I am going to Chicago for 3 days next week, but it will be to do some work, not teach. I will be upgrading one of the systems we have, the one I take care of basically. Should be done Friday, and have the week of July 4th to relax before coming back to Canada, this time in Calgary! Til next time, take care of yourself and those you love. And of course, WRITE! |
| Date: Week of June 11th Locale: Lansing, Michigan This week finds me in Lansing Michigan again, and again the customer is the State Of Michigan. I drove here again, mainly because getting decent flight times to and from Lansing from home is almost impossible. Besides, it's only a 5 hour drive, which is about the same, or less time I'd spend in the air, on layovers, or getting to the airport initially. This is the same class I've taught them three times before; they just have so many technicians that they can't all attend in just two sessions. It wouldn't surprise me if I were to return here again for at least 3-4 more classes. Lansing is not that big, and there really isn't a lot here to see 'tourist' wise. True, Michigan State University is here, the city (town) is nice, not too big. But as far as sights to see? Nothing that I've found so far. Then again, I usually get here in the evening of a day, spend the next two days teaching the class, and leave after class is done the second day. So no real time to get out and explore much.  Noteworthy Restaurants: Lansing Brewing Company http://www.lansingbrewingcompany.com/ This is a really 'hoppin' place,very busy each time I've been there, with excellent beer and food! Been there a couple of times now, will go again should I return to Lansing. In Closing My next two classes are in Canada. Next week will find me in Saint John New Brunswick, then I have two weeks of non-delivery time where I will work from home, and work in Schaumburg to upgrade our small Conventional Radio System. After that, I get to visit Calgary, Alberta! Til next time, y'all stay cool in the heat, enjoy your time, your loved ones. And most of all, Write! Jim Dorrell |
| Date: Week of June 4th Locale: McAllen, Texas This week finds me in McAllen Texas for a class with the Customs & Border Patrol once more. It's the same class I delivered in Tucson, different students of course. McAllen sits on the Rio Grande, meaning that Mexico is a hop-skip&a jump away all the time. Small town, and of course the popular places to dine are Mexican Restaurants. Needless to say, the food was excellent, with HUGE serving sizes! This class is far from the challenge my last class was. This course was the first class I taught at Motorola, way back in April of 2001. I've taught it so much, I could deliver it blindfolded, with my hands tied behind my back! Okay, not quite like that, but you get the picture. It was difficult to find decent flights from Central Illinois to McAllen, plus Motorola wanted me to complete forms as if I was going to a violent foreign country. I even asked myself if I needed a passport!  So instead of flying in to McAllen, I looked at other cities to fly to. Much as I wanted to, I couldn't get decent flight times to Corpus Christi, so I flew to the closest large city I could, San Antonio. But that meant a four hour drive to and from the airport. Hopefully I can sleep on the plane tomorrow, since it leaves at 6am, which means I should be there by 4:30 at the latest.... Historic/Interesting Places Visited: Padre Island National Seashore https://www.nps.gov/pais/index.htm I wanted to spend a lot more time here, A LOT more. But I couldn't, since I stopped on my way to McAllen. I would love to have relaxed on the beach, just listening to the waves. Ah, another day, another trip perhaps, Padre Island National Seashore is the longest stretch of undeveloped barrier island in the world! It's beautiful, but you need to spend some time to really appreciate it. I also came here for a specific reason though too. I purchased a National Parks Passport years ago, 2010 I think, and started collecting stamps at Visitor's Centers (good ol' ink stamps). But some sections were full, and I couldn't place any more stamps. While at the Flight 93 Memorial two weeks ago, I saw a beautiful collectors edition passport, much larger, with many more pages for stamps. So I decided to start all over, and get this one stamped. Padre Island National Seashore got me going, with four more! Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park https://www.nps.gov/paal/index.htm This is one of the newer National Parks, and is significant for it's part in the Mexican-American War. It was fought twenty years before our Civil War, and many of the senior officers in the Civil War (on both sides) fought in this battle. And of course, I was there to get more stamps. I really dislike stopping just to get my passport stamped, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. As I approached the park though, a spring storm appeared almost out of nowhere. It rained so hard, we couldn't drive more than about 30 mph. Luckily, as I turned off the Interstate to head to the park itself, I left the rain behind. I found the rain again later today as I drove to San Antonio. In Closing I will spend next week in Lansing Michigan again, before heading to Saint John, New Brunswick the following week. I have to confess that I'm not really looking forward to that class, mainly because of who will be in it. They are all instructors themselves; it's supposed to be a train-the-trainer class, something we don't normally do. However, there are four students. One has a BSc in Engineering, with 20 years teaching experience (I have 22 though). Another has an Electronics Diploma, with 15 years teaching experience. A third has an MSc in Engineering, and has taught for 2 years, and the fourth has a PhD in Engineering, with a number of years in Electronic Communications in the Private Sector, and 20 years teaching experience. I have a HS diploma... and a wealth of experience that most don't have. Oh well, it will be fine, I just dislike classes like this is all. Til my next entry,y'all stay warm or cool, love those close to you, and write! |
| Date: Week of May 21st Locale: Salisbury, Maryland I decided to drive to this week's class, and really enjoyed myself in doing so. The drive was uneventful, other than visiting National Museum Of The US Air Force. This was the opening weekend of the Memphis Belle Exhibit. I know many of you have probably seen the movie, but wonder how many of you know the entire story of the plane, and its remarkable crew.... The movie was good, but learning the complete story is worth it. Suffice to say that they (the 10 man crew, the same crew for every mission) flew 25 missions against the Nazi's in World War II. This in itself was highly unusual. It was not uncommon for a B-17 Flying Fortrress to be shot down, nor was it unusual for a crewmember to be baly hurt, requiring a replacement to take their place. These 10 men flew together for 25 missions, but what really amazed me, was that their pilot was a really 'old' man. He was all of 24! The class itself was a bit of a challenge. Not because I didn't know the equipment or course material, but because we encountered small issues at every turn. Luckily, I was able to answer all their questions, and show them things they hadn't known yet. I could (should) have done better though, but this was only the third time I've delivered this class. No excuse. But it is the truth. Once class was completed on Thursday, I drove to York, Pa on a special 'mission' of my own, spent the night there before heading home. Friday was a very somber day for me. I was in the area, and thought I would visit the Flight 93 National Memorial outside Shanksville, Pa. Tears welled in my eyes as I saw some of the displays, listened to recordings from that fateful day (9/11/01) in case some of you don't know about this), and saw a graphical viewing of the last minutes of the flight as the passengers tried to wrest control of the aircraft from the terrorists. A black walkway made of individual black brick tiles marks the flight path of the plane as it approached the meadow. The meadow has a large boulder at the approximate site of the plane's impact. Nearby is a marble wall with 40 slabs, each slab contains the name of one of the people on the plane. A wooden gate at the end of the wall is a symbolic entrance to their final resting area. A new monument called the Tower of Voices is being erected at the entrance to the Memorial Park. It will be a series of large wind chimes hanging in the middle of a 16 foot diameter monument. https://www.nps.gov/flni/getinvolved/tower-of-voices.htm There will be a 40 wind chimes, one for each American who perished on the aircraft. The plan is for it to be completed in time for the remembrance this year. I would love to be there! Sadly, I will be in Colorado that week, thus unable to attend. If you are in that area, take the opportunity to visit this wonderful memorial. Have tissues handy, you'll need them. Noteworthy Restaurants: The Crabby Pig http://www.thecrabbypig.com/ This place sits under the Interstate (I-68) in Cumberland Maryland. It is a unique place, serving seafood and BBQ. Their Rib n Seafood Combo was very good! Old Mill Crab House oldmillcrabhouse.com This place was recommended by the students, and I can see why! It sits right on the Maryland-Delaware state line. I figured I'd have something 'small', so I ordered their Blue Crab Mini-Feast. Except small could never be used to describe this plate! FIVE Blue Crabs, a Boat Of Fried Clams, Corn-On-The-Cob, a Boat of Fried Shrimp, a piece of Fried Chicken, and a Boat Of Hus Puppies! Needless to say, I didn't finish this feast... Photo's From Visit:  P51 Mustang  The Memphis Belle  Bockscar  View Of The Meadow Where Flight 93 Crashed  40 Victims of Terrorism  A View Looking Down The Wall Of Names Historic/Interesting Places Visited: National Museum Of The US Air Force http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/ If you enjoy things that fly, this is the place for you! Touring it is a joy for me, I've done that in the past, but not this day. I was here for one reason, to photograph the Memphis Belle. If you plan on visiting this museum, give yourself plenty of time, like 4-5 hours at least. Flight 93 National Memorial Every one in America should visit this site to remind them of why we need to remain strong as a military power. I've said it in this post already, war is horrible. I don't think it's a necessity, but until we can find a way to not war with other nations, we need to keep our military strong, Visiting this site will remind you of what can happen if we let our guard down. In Closing I will spend next week in Schaumburg attending meetings, and learning a new course to teach. After that, it's back to the grind of delivering classes and traveling. Til my next entry,y'all stay warm or cool, love those close to you, and write! Jim Dorrell |
| Date: Week of May 7th Locale: Tucson, Az After spending a couple of days in Lansing, my travels took me to Tucson, Az. I flew in and out of Albuquerque so I could visit my sister-in-law briefly and make sure she's doing alright. She is doing as well as can be expected, cheerful at times, others times teary eyed. She invited me to dinner Sunday with her daughter and grandchildren there, and it was a good time. We talked some, I managed to play a bit of Wii Sports with her two grandsons, and had a nice dinner. Ruth does not like going out to eat, never has. She would rather sit home and cook than go out to any restaurant, and she's an excellent cook! She fixed us homemade red-chile with chunks of pork in it, Navajo Fry Bread, Spicy Guacamole, and the fixin's for Navajo Tacos (shredded lettuce, onions, tomatoes, etc.). If you enjoy New Mexican Food, you missed quite the meal! Yes I said New Mexican, because this is not Tex-Mex, neither is it Mexican. You have to visit here to understand really. Since class was in Tucson, it meant I had a drive ahead of me. Monday I headed over to Tucson via I-25 to Hatch, then across southwestern New Mexico to I-10, then I-10 to Tucson. Weather was great in Tucson, at least if you ask me. It was 105 each day I was there, yet it never felt that hot to me. The lack of humidity really causes that effect. I was home for the weekend, and while it was 'only' 85 there, it felt hotter at 85 in Central Illinois than it did at 105 in Tucson. Of course, it was about 60% humidity in Illinois, less than 10% in Tucson. Everyone jokes about the dry heat thing, but it's a fact. My customer was the Customs/Border Patrol, the class being one on a piece of gear called the 'Quantar'. This was the first class I taught for Motorola, so I'm plenty familiar with it. I swear, I could teach this in my sleep! Not too surprisingly, the class was well received and flowed very well. Class was completed about 11 am on Thursday, so I drove back to Albuquerque. This time I chose the mountainous route on state highways. It was a beautiful drive, but took a bit longer than the trip out. I loved it though, it's a pleasure to drive state highways instead of interstates.Photo's From Visit:  Iconic Saguaro Cactus  Beautiful Cactus Flower Historic/Interesting Places Visited: Saguaro National Park (East) https://www.nps.gov/sagu/index.htm Saguaro National Park is a United States national park in Pima County in southeastern Arizona. The 92,000-acre (37,000 ha) park consists of two separate areas - the Tucson Mountain District (TMD) about 10 miles (16 km) west of the city of Tucson and the Rincon Mountain District (RMD) about 10 miles (16 km) east of the city - that preserve Sonoran Desert landscapes, fauna, and flora, including the giant saguaro cactus. The volcanic rocks on the surface of the TMD differ greatly from the surface rocks of the RMD; over the past 30 million years, crustal stretching displaced rocks from beneath the Tucson Mountains of the TMD to form the Rincon Mountains of the RMD. Uplifted, domed, and eroded, the Rincon Mountains are significantly higher and wetter than the Tucson Mountains. The Rincons, as one of the Madrean Sky Islands between the southern Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Madre Oriental in Mexico, support high biodiversity and are home to many plants and animals that do not live in the TMD. Earlier residents of and visitors to the lands in and around the park before its creation included the Hohokam, Sobaipuri, Tohono O'odham, Apaches, Spanish explorers, missionaries, miners, homesteaders, and ranchers. In 1933, President Herbert Hoover, using the power of the Antiquities Act, established the original park, Saguaro National Monument, in the Rincon Mountains. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy added the Tucson Mountain District to the monument and renamed the original tract the Rincon Mountain District. Congress combined the TMD and the RMD to form the national park in 1994. Popular activities in the park include hiking on its 165 miles (266 km) of trails and sightseeing along paved roads near its two visitor centers. Both districts allow bicycling and horseback riding on selected roads and trails. The RMD offers limited wilderness camping, but there is no overnight camping in the TMD. In Closing I will spend next week back in Schaumburg delivering a class on radio programming. It's an on-line class, lasting only 2.5 hours/day, so it will be a relatively easy week for me. I will spend the rest of my day reviewing the course materials for the following week's class. This class is called Radio Management, and is not one I've delivered very often, nor very much. As a result, I need to do a little studying/prepping for that class, unlike the class this week. It's getting warm here in the United States, stay cool; read, write, and review! |
| Date: Week of April 30th Locale: Lansing, Mi Well, I flew home Saturday, even managed to get an earlier flight for no extra charge, and arrived home about midnight. Sunday was a busy day because of several chores that needed to be done. Chief among them were getting wash done (needed clean stuff for this week), general cleanup of the yard and such, getting a little groceries in the house, and resting when I could. Monday I got a rental car, and drove here to Lansing Michigan. I was here twice last year for this same class, but there's no way I could have trained every technician for the Michigan State Patrol in just two classes. So I'm here again for the same reason. I arrived here last night, and taught class today. This class is an evolving one in that I've changed my approach a little over the last year. This device is easy to manage and program, but it's configured a little differently that other devices, which is probably the hardest thing for people to get their minds around. Things went well today, tomorrow is my last day, already! Yep, short class, small device so a longer one isn't needed. In Closing I will spend next week in Tucson, Arizona. I am looking forward to being in the Southwest; I think that's where my heart lives. I will fly home to Albuquerque, visit my sister-iin-law (Ruth), and drive to Tucson from there. Being home is always special as you know. Since I get there so seldom, it's even more precious to me. Til next time, y'all continue to write, I'll review, credit the Anniversary Forum, and try not to make a pain of myself. See you then my friends.... |
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