Where In The World Is Sum1?

Stately Affairs with the State Department.... NOT!

Date: Week of December 5 and 12^th

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