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 Being Retired now, I thought that it was time for a new name to this Blog |
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Talk about perks, my career had one of the best I can think of! I traveled in the course of business, delivering classes for my employer. I was a Senior Training Specialist for Motorola Solutions, and taught classes on a wide variety of subjects centered around 2-way radio communications. I knew that when the time arrived that I would retire, and I have. I've always said that if you can't stand the heat in the kitchen, get out! I can't handle the heat anymore. I was qualified to deliver approximately 32 different classes, but about half of those were 'Legacy' classes, and were not in demand anymore. My students were technicians, those who maintained, programmed, calibrated, and repaired 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 traveled, sometimes frequently, 3-4 weeks in a row.... where have I been? Some of the places I've been (I can't list them all here, the list would be toio long) are pretty interesting. 1. Hawaii - Four times, Oahu, Maui (twice), and the Big Island 2. BangkokThailand, twice 3. Frankfurt Germany, twice 4. Algiers, Algeria 5. Melbourne Australia 6. Bismarck North Dakota, Summer & Winter 7. Los Angeles, Too many times to count 8. Washington DC, Too many times to count 9. Seattle three or four times 10. Texas, all over the state 11. Florida, all over the state 12. New Mexico, HOME! Several times  Best Cultural And Regional Honorable Mention |
| Date: Week of April 3rd Locale: Lansing, Michigan This week finds me in Lansing Michigan again. My customer this week is the Michigan State Police, the course one of our smaller boxes. There's a bit of a story behind this course that is neither here nor there. Just know that I wrote it, and am still learning it, since it's a different type of device than others in our systems. You don't configure it with the same basic steps as you do other devices, so it takes a bit to understand it. I think that in delivering this class to MSP twice in three weeks, I'm finally starting to feel comfortable with it.  Once again I drove, but this will be it for a while driving wise. I drove through pouring rain on both drives, and of course, I had to fight the Chicago traffic both times. Pouring rain and Chicago traffic does not make for a pleasant time. I did enjoy my visit, and found a place I'd dine at again if ever in the area. Noteworthy Restaurants: http://www.thecreolelansing.com/ This is one of the few restaurants I've dined at the serves Bone Marrow as an appetizer. I've never had it, only seen it in bones, and just couldn't bring myself to try it. The couple sitting next to me had it though, and I have to say it looked good! I chose their 'Blue Crab Fritters', and wasn't disappointed one bit. The main menu has some interesting items on it, but the one at the bottom really intrigued me. It was simply titled 'Trust Us', with no description. Nor will your server tell you what's in it. This is a special dish that changes almost daily. I just had to order it! When it arrived, I was pleasantly surprised at its contents. A small layer of crawfish etoufee covered with sauteed Collard Greens, topped with thinly sliced hanger steak. To the side of the dish were two quarters of a round waffle, with a smear of Peach Jalapeno Jelly. I loved every bite of this dish, and one of the things I really liked about it, is that it wasn't huge. It was a good size, the kind you'd serve yourself at home. It wasn't one of these huge dishes that you can't finish due to its size. Til next time, enjoy the spring! Right now it's April 8th. I am on the road again, driving (remember what I said about driving?). This time though, it's personal. I am driving to Albuquerque to see my brother. I don't have details or facts, but I know he's terminally ill, with just a few months left. Since I am booked solid between now and mid-July, this may be my last chance to see him. All of you my friends, take care of yourselves. Spring is here, summer is on the way. My muse is demanding I write a poem. It's scribbled on a notepad, but needs a bit of editing. Quite a bit. Funny how driving in a car alone, no radio on, wakes your muse..... |
| Date: Week of March 20th Locale: Kansas City, Missouri This week finds me in Kansas City, Missouri. The customer is a radio support shop here that needed a bit of training. A Co-worker joined me here so he could learn the courses I'm delivering. That's a good thing, these two courses are short (2 days), and I'm about the only one who does them. One other does one of them, but I end up delivering most of them.I drove here, my route taking me south through St. Louis, then west on I-70. As I've said many times in the past, I'm much rather drive than fly. Have recently been thinking of getting a motor home RV. I could drive to most locations, wouldn't need a hotel, and my gas expenses would be covered. One of my biggest questions then would be, what would I use for a mailing address? Historic/Interesting Places Visited: It was an excellent week, and I did find one place that many should visit. Of course, being a memorial to a war that ended about 100 years ago, many have no desire to remember or honor it. I wonder how many of you who read this know what started the war (Originally called 'The Great War', until the onset of WW II)? How many know how long the U.S. was in it, and why we entered it? I didn't have near enough time to spend there, would need about a half day to satisfy my curiosity and thirst for knowledge. https://www.theworldwar.org/?gclid=COTMu6CkiNMCFZe6wAodTcsG2Q Of course, visiting a place like this wouldn't be complete without a photo, would it? I just wish I could take photos with the camera held straight. It seems like most of my photos slant one way or another.  Noteworthy Restaurants: LC's BBQ. 5800 Blue Pkwy, Kansas City, MO 64129 There isn't a website for this place, but if you enjoy good BBQ, this place is a must! The travel channel has been there twice, I can see why now. It's a hole in the wall type place, but you will love it. Beignet http://www.beignetkc.com/ I know, Kansas City is renowned for it's BBQ and beef. So why would I visit a place like this, that serves Cajun entrees? Simple, I love Cajun food! Excellent food, their Boudin Balls were very good, though the Etoufee could have used more rice if you ask me. Still, over all excellent food! Til next time, enjoy the spring! Right now it's April 3rd, and I'm off to Lansing Michigan for a second time in less than a month. Til next time.... |
| Date: Week of March 13th Locale: Lansing Michigan Well, all good things must come to an end, and my reward after two weeks on the beautiful Hawaiian Isles, is a week in Lansing Michigan. To make it even better, it snowed, and has been COLD. At least we didn't as much snow here as the East Coast got! Lansing's a nice city, but I haven't gone out much. Not because of the cold, nor the snow. It's the time difference. We 'sprung' ahead Saturday night, except Hawaii doesn't observe Daylight Savings Time. So instead of coming home to a four hour time shift from Hawaii to Illinois, it was a five hour difference. Which is then a six hour difference to Michigan (East Coast) time. I flew out of Kona on Sunday at noon. There was a 1.5 hour delay leaving Kona due to a mechanical problem with the plane, so my two hour layover in San Francisco became twenty five minutes. Leaving at noon meant it would be a red eye flight from San Francisco to O'Hare. A flight I've learned to hate, but an almost necessary one for this trip. I arrived at O'Hare at 5:30 am on Monday morning, only to get a rental car and head for Michigan. Fatigue, pure and simple, is why I haven't gotten out much. But I will be back here in three weeks, so maybe I can see more then. That's about it for this entry, not much to say I guess. Til next time, y'all stay warm out, it's still winter. If down under, stay cool, it's still summer! |
| Date: Week of February 27th & March 6th Locale: Hilo, Hawaii I have no idea how I got this lucky. Two weeks in a row in Hawaii, this time on the Big Island of Hawaii itself! I know I will be thanking the scheduler for weeks, if not months. The customer this week is the County of Hawaii. I am delivering two classes to them, one on programming our APX radios, and the other on maintaining, testing, aligning, and repairing them. I arrived on Monday, but didn't get here until about 9pm. By the time I got the rental car and grabbed a bite to eat, it was 11pm. That's 3am my time in Illinois, so it's been a bit of a struggle getting used to the four hour time change. But a day is here always great if you ask me, and I may have the chance to meet another member, Wordsmitty ✍️  Always nice to meet a member of the extended family. If there are others on WDC living here, I'm open to meeting you too.Of course I've taken a few photo's, but have not taken the one I'm hoping to get.    Kilauea is erupting as it has for many years now. Lava is flowing to the sea, exiting a lava tube on the island's south side. But it's hard to get to it, unless you are willing to go on a helicopter or boat. Since those are a couple of hundred dollars each, I will most likely forego that. Tomorrow I will visit the Volcano National Park, and see how close I can get to the caldera of Kilauea. Will most likely get to Kalapana, which is a few miles from the lava tube where the lava exits, and a few other places. One thing I love about the islands, is the food you can find here. I really love Hawaiian food, and most other Eastern foods. Korean food can be a bit much for me, since I'm not high on Octopus and Squid,, nor Kimchi. Here's a few places I've eaten at so far. Noteworthy Restaurants: Pineapples Restaurant http://pineappleshilo.com/ Miyo Restaurant (for lunch on Thursday) miyosrestaurant.com Hawaiian Style Cafe hawaiianstylecafe.us It was here that I had the Hawaiian Special plate last night.  Historic/Interesting Places Visited: Today I visited the Pacific Tsunami Museum. http://www.tsunami.org/index/index.html It's an interesting place, with exhibits of the aftermath of Tsunami's that have devastated the islands (especially Hilo) over the years. If one were to live here, learning what to do when a Tsunami is expected, or suspected to be on the way is essential. I couldn't help but think of an awesome poem I read on WDC about this subject, and thought I'd plug it here. If you read it, notice the layout on the screen. The formatting of it makes it more powerful.
Hopefully I will add to this entry as I see more tomorrow, and next week. The only 'bad' thing about this trip (besides leaving beautiful Hawaii), is that the following week I will be in Lansing Michigan, back in the cold once again. However, Spring is on the way! Til next time, y'all stay warm out, it's still winter. If down under, stay cool, it's still summer! |
| Date: Week of February 13th Locale: Plantation, Fl. Wow, FIVE weeks with no travel, I was about to go bonkers!  That's not true at all, but I can't believe I haven't traveled since the first week of January. That doesn't mean I've not been busy though. I spent a week upgrading a small system in Chicago, spent two weeks teaching in Chicago. One class was an on line class, the other a spur of the moment thing when two students showed up for a cancelled class (there was a big mix-up somehow of course, since they were already there and needed other classes, we gave them one of their choice, and I was the guy available). I am in Plantation Florida this week (yeah for the warmth!) delivering a special resident class for Hamilton County, Ohio. It's a two day class that will teach their technicians how to program their new radios. The model this week is the Motorola APX Multi-band radio. I know, that means nothing to most of you. So just a quick explanation. Two way radios in the past operated in one band only. The FM Band is divided into different bands by the FCC, and two way radios will operate in either the VHF, UHF, 700/800 Mhz, or 900 Mhz band. This radio can operate in all four bands! When you consider the electronics needed to allow it to do that, and the fact that it has to fit into a device you can hold in your hand, it's pretty amazing. I arrived a day early to spend some time with them as they were shown what's called the APX experience. What they do here is assemble the radios, and test them. These radios undergo very rigorous testing, far more than you might believe, so I will tell you a little about it. First, the radios can operate without problems in temperature ranges from -22 degrees Fahrenheit, or 130 degrees Fahrenheit. They are also very shock resistant, water resistant, and dust resistant, and much more. All of this I already knew of course, have to in order to deliver these classes. But yesterday I saw some of the testing the radios are put through. Some of the things they showed them included: 1. They took a hand held radio, powered it on, and lowered it into a large tube of water to a depth of five feet. Left it there for 3-4 hours. Once in a while, they would transmit from another radio, and watch the indicators on the submerged one, showing that it could still receive the voice. 2. The guy doing the demonstrations took the radio he was holding, and threw it on the ground as hard as he could. Nothing broke on the radio, and it remained powered on. He offered to let anyone take a radio outside and throw it as high in the air as they wished, but no one tried that. 3. They showed a video of a radio meant to be mounted in a car being placed on the ground and slowly run over by a firetruck. The whole time, they had a microphone plugged in to it, and transmitted to another radio. They also stopped the firetruck and lowered its leveling jacks to the radio, and lifted the trucks wheels off the ground. Again, the radio still worked. It was then sprayed with a fire hose on straight stream, and still continued to operate. 4. The radios are placed in an air tight chamber, and a fine grit, white dust is blown around them at high speeds for three hours. At the end of that time, each radio is tested for proper operation. Every button and switch is tested 30 times, each must work every time, or the radio fails the test. Here is one that has been tested, and already wiped clean, or as clean as simple wiping can get it.  There are more tests performed on the radio, including vibration testing, static electricity, audio testing(think working at a fire scene, sirens and horns blaring nearby, loud noises everywhere). Of course the radio will transmit, but can the voice be heard on the other end without all that background noise? I've read about this in the past, I knew this was done, but I'd never seen it done. For me, it was a real eye-opening day. You might wonder why we put our radios through such testing I'm sure. The reason? They are used by first responders. Police, Fire, Military, and many other jobs, like construction, utility company's, etc. . Often they end up being dropped, fall out of helicopters, submerged, etc. I saw one that had even stopped a bullet! These radios cannot fail to work when these people need them. Today I will start teaching them how to program those radios. The radios are useless if the technicians don't know how to program them. My job is 'easy', at least compared to some/ Yes it's very technical, it can be demanding, but at the same time, easy. I just have to be prepared is all, and I am. My next trip is in two weeks, when I will be going to the Big Island of Hawaii to deliver this same class, as well as the follow on class that will teach the technicians how to maintain these radios. Things like disassembling them if needed, of course reassembling them also. Testing, calibrating/aligning the radios, repairing them should they fail. Two weeks in paradise! To say I'm looking forward to it would be a gross understatement. Til next time, y'all stay warm out, it's still winter. If down under, stay cool, it's still summer! |
| Date: Week of January 4th Locale: Las Vegas, Nv My journey this week found me flying to Las Vegas, Nevada. I think most everyone in the States know of Vegas, the gambling center of the universe according to some I'm sure. For me, it was 'just another town' to visit for business. This is not meant to be a 'put-down' for the city, it's just that Vegas and its gambling & fantastic shows holds no real draw for me. It's just me, I know. I have several friends who visit there regularly, and either spend quite a bit of time in the Casino's, or seeing the wide variety of shows. It's just not something I do. There was a draw for me though, of a different type. I looked at Google maps, and realized that Hoover Dam would be only 15 miles from my hotel! Now there's something I can get in to! When I arrived on Tuesday, I immediately drove the short distance to visit the dam. This would be my only chance, since I would be teaching class all day Wednesday and Thursday, and flying home early Friday. The dam was everything I expected, and then some. It is difficult to snap a good photo of the dam, since most viewpoints are too close to allow a decent view. I could have driven a bit to find a lookout I'm sure, but I was short on time, and had a self imposed agenda to adhere to. I arrived at the Dam around 1:30, and purchased tickets for a tour of the dam, and powerplant. The Dam was built to control the flooding of the Colorado river, as well as provide hydroelectric power for the region. The powerplant was something I was really interested in, but knew I'd see very little of it. My Navy background is Power Generation and Distribution, hence my interest. I found the whole tour interesting, especially the details about how the Dam was built. Some of you may not know this, but when you pour cement, it heats during the drying process. I believe the tour guide said that if artificial cooling had not been provided, it would have taken over one hundred years for the cement to cool enough, and set properly. They installed over 600 miles of piping in the concrete as they poured it, cooling it far faster than most thought possible. This is the kind of stuff I found fascinating. I know, I'm a geek. It was very interesting what they did to check for movement of the concrete pieces that make up the dam. For more information on the Hoover Dam construction, click here.http://www.history.com/topics/hoover-dam I did snap some photo's of the dam itself, but none show the complete dam. Here is one taken while standing on the sidewalk that crosses the dam, at about the center of it.  Historic/Interesting Places Visited: Hoover Dam https://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/ I teach class this week in Chicago, but will work from home in Central Illinois next week. I have two weeks working up here as a student  before flying to Plantation Florida for my next class. It's winter here, y'all stay warm, take care of yourselves, and be careful driving and getting around in the snow. Til next time.... |
| Date: Week of December 5 and 12th Locale: Springfield, Va. My journeys these two weeks took me to the beautiful states of New Jersey and Virginia. I worked Thursday and Friday on an upcoming course for New York City Transit. I was able to review one of their sites and get their specific system down pretty well. I had to do this because their system setup is pretty unique; it would have been pretty difficult to teach a class about a site you've seen once, about 1.5 years before delivering the class. Once again I drove there, taking a somewhat northerly route along state highways instead of interstates. It was pretty nice, I loved seeing the small towns as I drove through Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. On Wednesday though, I switched to the interstate to get through Pennsylvania. On that drive, I found a really nice place for lunch in the small town of Milton. If you find yourself in this area, be sure to drop by Lisa's Milltown Deli. http://newportvilleinn.net/ Over my two days in the Berkeley Heights area of New Jersey, I made what I'd call an error in choosing where to eat. From what I understand, that's a great area to dine on Italian food, and I failed to visit a single Italian restaurant. I did make an effort to get into NYC (I was seven miles from there) on Friday evening, but the traffic (and construction) was terrible, so I never made it. As I said in a notebook post, my hats off to those of you who live in an Urban area like that. With work done on Friday, I spent the weekend driving the short stretch to Springfield, Virginia. I visited an area I'd been in during 2009, Sandy Hook. It's actually called the Gateway National Recreation Area, but I just call it Sandy Hook. It was cold and windy that day, so I didn't spend much time seeing the sights. I really came to see how badly the area had been ravaged by Superstorm Sandy in 2012, and to see the lighthouse once again. I also drove down to see Atlantic City, but never got out of the car. Casino's and such are not a big draw for me, I was there just to see what it was like more than anything else. I stayed quite a bit north all that day and night, and dined at a place I found in June 2012, Newportville Inn. If you enjoy German food, this is the place for you! http://newportvilleinn.net/ Their prices are very reasonable. Both times I've been there, I had the Mixed Wurst Sampler. It's a plate with a sampling of sliced weiss, knock and bratwurst with sautéed onions and apples. It is served with potato pancakes. I loved every bite! My dinner this time was the Farmer's Feast, Smoked pork chop, knock and bratwurst, with braised red cabbage, potato pancakes and sauerkraut. I guess the best thing I could say about this place, is that if I am in the area again, I will visit them once more. An added attraction for me this time, was their Growlers. For those of you who haven't seen one, a Growler is a 2 liter jug for beer. Of course I had to get me one, even though it was empty. Fresh beer in a Growler does not last more than a week before losing flavor and 'head'. I knew there was no way I could drink all that in a week. The class in Springfield was for the Department of State (State Department). Their techs needed to learn a new product, and I am the resident Subject Matter Expert on it. As written, the class would have covered about 2 hours on a small device. One of the techs was trying to get this configured and working for the Embassy in Kampala, Uganda. He showed me what he was doing, the problems he was having, and we had it configured and operational in 2 days. That may seem a long time, but keep in mind, I was teaching the class, and working on it with him during breaks, a little at lunch, and for an hour or so after class. Noteworthy Restaurants: Newportville Inn http://newportvilleinn.net/ Lisa's Milltown Deli http://newportvilleinn.net/ Historic/Interesting Places Visited: Gateway National Recreationi Area. Come here for fun. But do it on a warm day, not on a cold, blustery November day. If you come in the summer, expect crowds. The drive home was uneventful for me. I had to be pretty careful leaving Columbus Ohio on Saturday, they had freezing rain and a bit of snow, making the roads treacherous if you weren't careful. Sadly, many people weren't so careful. As I drove through Indianapolis about 10 am, I saw about 30-40 cars sitting by the side of the road, some obviously damaged from hitting the wall, some on their sides. And this was just a small stretch before I-70 at the airport, and the turnoff for I-74! A distance of maybe five miles. I'm home for the holidays, and in the process of reloading software on my laptop after having the IT department re-image it yesterday. This will take most of the day. I will be in Las Vegas the first week of January. My schedule is already full for the first quarter with more courses yet to be added. Stay warm everyone, be careful walking and driving in this snow and cold! Most of all, have a very Merry Christmas, and a safe, and Happy New Year!       Yes, I realize some of you may not celebrate Christmas, and celebrate another holiday instead because of your faith, background, or ethnicity. In that case, as you read my greeting above, when you see Merry Christmas, in your mind, insert the word of greeting for your holiday. If you were to send the same greeting back to me, I'd expect you to use your greeting for the holiday, and I'd read 'Merry Christmas' in its place. I wish you all well, send you my love year round, not just over the holidays.  Jim Dorrell |
| Date: Week of November 28st Locale: High Point, NC My journeys this week took me to the beautiful state of North Carolina. High Point is just south of Greensboro, and is part of what they call the Piedmont Triad, an area consisting ofGreensboro, High Point, & Winston-Salem. I drove there for this trip because I really prefer driving over flying. But flying as much as I do, I want to keep my 'status' on United at least at the Silver level so I can board a little earlier, instead of with the later groups. I know, I'm spoiled. On the drive down, I stopped in Asheville and visited the Biltmore Mansion. This is a place that can be fun to visit, but I find its sheer size to be more than I can handle. I realize it was built over 100 years ago (constructed between 1889 and 1895), but I cannot fathom how a man needs a mansion that is 175,000 square feet in size. With over 33 bedrooms for family and visitors, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces, it is a behemoth of a mansion. When I think of all the people who struggle to make ends meet, I find the wealth on show there almost repulsive. Guess I'm never meant to be that wealthy, and if I were, I would hope that I'd never have a place like that.  In driving to Asheville, I took the back roads and drove through Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg Tennessee. It was the next day that the wildfires broke out. No, I didn't start them.... A lot of the magnificent sights I saw on that drive, the beautiful buildings and scenery, are now ashes.  When I arrived in High Point, I visited the customer the day before the class. It was then that I learned they expected to receive training on a different subject than the one I was sent to deliver. Luckily I am qualified to deliver that one also, so just ran with it, and taught what they wanted to learn. Noteworthy Restaurants: On the drive there and back, I encountered a few excellent restaurants. One I would not go back to again though, is the Cabo Grill http://cabogrillmexicanrestaurant.com The food is very average, my Margarita very watered down, and the food not authentic. (Very bland actually) Excellent places to eat would include: Wild Eggs. This is a breakfast place that is around the southern part of the US, but not in High Point. I love that they serve a Grits of The Day, the rest of their food, and service are both excellent. First Watch. http://firstwatch.com This little gem of a breakfast restaurant is in Lexington, Ky. If you're traveling through the area, stop by, I can almost guarantee you that you will not be disappointed. Try their Avocado Toast, amazing amount of avocado (actually one half of an Avocado on each slice of toast) on thick sliced bread, topped with a basted egg. Historic/Interesting Places Visited: Biltmore Mansion http://www.biltmore.com/ Over 250 weddings are held at Biltmore every year. I can't imagine what that would cost, so someone (not this Sum1) has money.  On the drive home, I saw a sign for a place called Josephine Sculpture Park. My curiosity was aroused, so I followed the signs to its location. It's a 20 acre park sitting on a farmers property south of Frankfort, Kentucky. What a great place to stop and visit! The sculptures you'll find are unique, interesting, and beautiful.  Butterfly Chair  Clippity Clop I will be in NYC Thursday and Friday next week before going to Springfield the following week. Getting cold out, y'all be sure to stay warm! Jim Dorrell |
| Date: Week of October 31st Locale: New York City, New York This week finds me in a small town affectionately known as 'The Big Apple'. Yep, I'm right here in fabulous New York City for a meeting with a customer. I'm actually staying in Jersey City, on the river across from NYC. I have a nice view of the skyline from the window in my room.I arrived a day early so I could learn how to use the mass transit system in the NY/NJ Metro area. So yesterday I took a train under the Hudson River, and arrived at the World Trade Center. I toured that area, and reflected on the happenings of 9/11, realizing how hard it hit this city. I was also reminded of how it energized our nation, and brought home the idea of freedom to most everyone once again. I was going to find the meeting site, but quickly realized I had quite a distance to go still. However, a little studying of Google Maps on my phone helped, and I knew that could get there today without any problems. So I played tourist, and tried not to gawk at the scenes around me. I didn't want my head to be looking up the whole time, you know how it is when you're in a big city that you've visited once or twice, but never traveled around in much. I did manage to snap a few photo's (of course), and just about walked my legs off in doing so. My 'Fit-Bit' tells me I walked about six and a half miles yesterday, but some of that was walking in the airports too. Still, by the end of the day, my legs were pretty tuckered out.   Historic/Interesting Places Visited: National September 11 Memorial and Museum. If you come here, visit this site. I will be back here four times next year for classes with this customer, and one more time as I prep, learning their exact radio sites wiring and connections/signal flow. I may not get here to NYC for that one visit, but I will for the classes, since I'll be delivering them in a building on Broadway. I'm home the next three or four weeks, before traveling to Springfield Virginia in mid December. Winter is coming, y'all stay warm! |
| Date: Week of October 24st Locale: San Jose, California Last week I was lucky enough to go to San Jose. I know, San Jose? Well, the class was there, but it was an hour drive south for me, for a day of vacation as part of the trip that really excited me. I managed to spend the day Sunday in Monterey. Most of my time was spent in the World Famous Monterey Aquarium. It was a good time, with a nice dinner on the Monterey Boardwalk. Tuesday I went to Gilroy, about an hour south. It's the self-proclaimed Garlic Capital of the World. All I did was visit a roadside stand, but still, it was a fun evening. Being there in California, I spent my evenings having fresh seafood. There was one place that I wouldn't go back to, and will warn you about, should you find yourself in that area. The Island Grille. Look at their menu on line, then visit if you must. But while their on line menu looks and sounds yummy, the in house menu is completely different, and double the price! Despite the name Island Grille, most of their entree's are beef, chicken, or pork. Very little seafood, and none have anything to do with islands. I spent Friday afternoon touring the San Francisco waterfront and Fisherman's Wharf before catching a red-eye flight home. Of course that meant driving down Lombard Street too. Well, at least the small section of hair pin turns.   Historic/Interesting Places Visited: Monterey Bay Aquarium - https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/ No visit to the south SF bay area is complete without visiting this place. The ocean has drawn me since I was a child, seeing so many creatures in their habitat (I know it's not natural, but it's about as close as we'll get it, and still be able to see it) is always uplifting for my spirits. San Francisco Waterfront - Need I say more? I was sorry to see that Fisherman's Grotto had closed after 81 years of operation. Noteworthy Restaurants: There are a lot of excellent restaurants in the Bay Area. Too many to list here, but I must list one I visited. Hukilau Restaurant - http://www.dahukilau.com/sanjose/ Located in a small area known as Japan Town, this restaurant is a small spot of Paradise in the bay area. It's a Hawaiian themed restaurant, with excellent entrees. (Do you wonder why I liked it so much?) Their Teriyaki Beef Short Ribs were excellent. I came back the following day at noon to grab a Shave Ice from the Banana Crepe shop next door. Yes, it's properly spelled Shave Ice, not Shaved Ice. Until next time, y'all keep on writing, share your Trinkets, (tell me when you release one! lol), and stay warm or cool, since the seasons are changing. |
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