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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 September 17th Locale: Denver, Colorado This week finds me in Denver, Colorado for a class with the VA Hospital. Denver is a decent sized city, with all the perks and problems you find in other cities. I was a bit happier 50 miles north in Fort Collins/Loveland. Not so much traffic, not so congested. Oh well....  After a great weekend exploring the Four Corners Area of the country, it was time to get back to work. This class is easy to deliver (if you ask me), but at the same time, it was one of the hardest deliveries I've had. The main reason was that I only had TWO students, and neither of them were RF type people (Technicians/Engineers). They were technically inclined, but asked me to deliver the class from the '37,000 foot level'; they wanted a very broad overview of things. To put it in perspective using something I was quite familiar with, imagine sitting in a classroom with me for three days to learn about a submarine, and how its nuclear power plant operates. Learning its operation and maintenance at a high level because more than likely, you'll never operate it or perform maintenance on it. A contractor will do all that for you. Everything with the class went well though, the students really want to learn, but were often called away to get things done. Nothing we could do about that. Once the class was completed, the drive home was pretty uneventful. Noteworthy Restaurants: North County https://www.northcountydenver.com/menu/ This was quite the gem really. One of the few places that serves a good sipping Tequila. A shot of one of their Tequila's will run you $60. Needless to say, I didn't have that, but I did have a 'flight', 3 shots of Mezcal. Outstanding! But I have to tell you I skipped the Appetizers, and had just this. Poké Burrito — Soy & sesame marinated Ahi Tuna, sticky rice, shredded Napa cabbage with cucumber & cilantro, mango, avocado, pico de gallo, chipotle crema It was excellent! Photo's From Visit:  POW/MIA Table at the VA Hospital  In Closing I will be in Springfield, Illinois next week, for two days only. I will stay there though, I have no desire to drive back and forth each morning, worried I'll be late for one reason or another. Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE!  Jim Dorrell |
| Date: Weekend of September 14th Locale: Four Corners Area With a weekend free in Colorado, I couldn't just sit in the Denver area, I had to be a tourist. Class was done Thursday at noon, so I checked out of my hotel, and drove to Pueblo, Colorado. After spending a relaxing evening there, I drove to Farmington, New Mexico on Friday. It was a very pleasant drive, made more so by a side trip to the Taos Gorge Bridge. This bridge was completed in 1965, and spans the Rio Grande River just west of Taos. It has been featured in several movies, most notably for me, "Wild Hogs". It was quite the ride getting there, but this momentary destination was even more pleasant. There were quite a few roadside vendors at the rest area nearby, and I shopped a little. But I really enjoyed walking out on the bridge and taking a few photos', as well as a selfie with the gorge in the background. After relaxing at the gorge for an hour or so, I drove west alone Hwy 64 to Farmington, NM. A special treat (at least for me), was stopping to visit the Earthship Community just west of Taos. It is very interesting, a lifestyle I can see myself having lived all these years if I hadn't joined the Navy. Arriving in Farmington, I spent Friday and Saturday nights there, using it as a central spot for my weekend 'adventures'. Saturday, I drove to the Four Corners Monument, a place I'd never been to, despite growing up in Albuquerque! I found it fascinating, and exhausting. I mean how many of you can say you've walked around four states in less than a half hour? At that elevation, it was particularly tiring....  Along the way, I stopped to snap a few photo's of Shiprock. Shiprock is the throat of an extinct volcano, the surrounding land has eroded away, leaving only this volcanic center to rise above its surroundings.The real treat was Sunday. I had to head back to the Denver area, so I first drove the Mesa Verde National Park. I had no idea it was so big, or that the drive to the actual Pueblo ruins would take an hour! As a result, I didn't tour any of the sites, only stopping to snap a few photo's and enjoy myself. Needless to say, I have to return there and spend a whole day exploring that park! After that adventure, the drive back to the Denver area was pretty mundane. Photo's From Visit:  } Rio Grande Gorge Bridge  An Earthship House, part of the Taos Earthship Community  Shiprock  Cliff Palace, Mesa Verde National Park Historic/Interesting Places Visited: Four Corners Monument The Four Corners Monument is cared for by the Navajo Nation, and sits in the middle of no-where really. But that's how it should be, if you ask me. It is the junction of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah. I know that GPS coordinates place the 'true' Four Corners some miles away, but this was the site designated by surveyors years ago, so it will/should remain as the Four Corners Monument. Shiprock Rock Formation Mesa Verde National Park https://www.nps.gov/meve/index.htm Mesa Verde National Park was established in 1906 to preserve and interpret the archeological heritage of the Ancestral Pueblo people (The Anasazi) who made it their home for over 700 years, from 600 to 1300 CE. Today, the park protects nearly 5,000 known archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. These sites are some of the most notable and best preserved in the United States. In Closing Next week I will be in Denver delivering a class to the techs at the Veterans Hospital. Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! Jim Dorrell |
| Date: Week of September 10th Locale: Loveland, Colorado This week finds me in Loveland, Colorado for another class with the Western Area Power Administration. It's the same class I've delivered in Bismarck, ND and Watertown, SD. Loveland is quite close to Denver (~50 miles), and since I'm in Denver next week, I planned on staying out west the whole time. The class itself went fine, but it was the journey here that made it special. As mentioned in a previous entry, I visited the site of Bonnie & Clyde's last bank robbery, the Freedom Rock (3rd visit), and the Golden Spike tower in North Platte Nebraska. I did manage to find a couple of excellent restaurants here in Loveland, and even had a little time to get into the mountains. I wanted to see a 'Tiny Home' village, but was disappointed to find it's now a tiny home resort of sorts. I also went to Estes Park to see 'The Stanley' hotel. Stephen King and his wife stayed a night here in 1973, and it became the inspiration for his novel, "The Shining". I really wanted to walk in the place and stroll down a hallway, but it's gated, only registered guests or those registering can get past.  To be honest, I didn't try to get past, I saw the gate and figured I'd not even try. Go ahead, you can call me "Chicken!". Noteworthy Restaurants: Smokin Fins http://finsconcepts.com/smokin-fins-menu/ This place was so good the first time that I went back for a repeat visit! Excellent seafood. Their Lobster Stuffed Fried Avocado is something you really have to try.... Not only that, but the Southwest Poki Bowl is excellent too. Photo's From Visit:  The Stanley Hotel Historic/Interesting Places Visited: The Golden Spike Tower https://goldenspiketower.com/ This is one for Railroad Buffs, and anyone who enjoys interesting sites. This Union Pacific Railroad Yard (Bailey Railyard) processes over 10,000 rail cars a day! Sort of like a sorting place for Union Pacific trains. Freedom Rock https://www.thefreedomrock.com/ Artist Bubba Sorenson paints a new mural on the ~60 Ton rock every year. Each mural honors American Veterans in one way or another. I've been fortunate enough to visit it three times. I know, some of you are saying, "visit a rock three times?" In Closing I will spend the weekend in NW New Mexico, staying in Farmington while I visit the 'Shiprock' rock formation, Four Corners, and Mesa Verde. Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! |
| Date: Week of September 3rd Locale: On The Road, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska This weekend I drove from Central Illinois to Loveland, Colorado. Right now, I'm in Ogallala, Nebraska for the night, but had to share a few things from the drive. I will post more once I arrive in Loveland, and see the sights I plan on seeing. The drive has been uneventful, but I've seen a few places I wanted to share with you! Photo's From Visit:/Historic/Interesting Places Visited: Freedom Rock https://www.thefreedomrock.com/ Freedom Rock is a large boulder (apoproxximately 60 tons?) sitting about a half mile to mile south of I-80 at mile marker 86. Artist Bubba Sorenson paints a new mural on it every year. His goal is to pain a mural on a large boulder/rock in every county of Iowa. Below are three photo's from my visits (Yes, I've stopped there three times) over the years.  Freedom Rock November 2006  Freedom Rock June 2016  Freedom Rock September 2018 Stuart, Iowa, Old First National Bank Building  So why take a photo of a hair salon? Because 84 years ago, it was the First National Bank of Stuart, the site of the last bank robbery by Bonnie & Clyde Bailey Rail Yard, North Platte, Nebraska https://www.up.com/aboutup/facilities/bailey_yard/ This is the worlds largest railyard. They process over 10,000 rail cars there each day! Essentially, it's a sorting facility, much like a mail center. Trains come in, drop off their cars. The facility sorts them, and will make a new train combining cars as needed, headed for new destinations. TEN THOUSAND though? WOW!  Bailey Rail Yard, North Platte, Nebraska In Closing Tomorrow I will continue my trek to Loveland Colorado. I wanted to share these photo's with you, and tell you a little about the drive here. Til next time, take care of yourself and those you love. And of course, WRITE! Jim Dorrell |
| Date: Week of August 20th Locale: Amherst, Massachusetts This week I was in Amherst Massachusetts delivering a class to the University of Massachusetts Police. It was a pretty interesting class, since none of them had any idea about a radio system, or radios in general for that matter. Fortunately, this class only covered how to program radios, so a little easier to understand than other subjects. For the first time in a while, my flights were pretty mundane. Nothing out of the ordinary happend, and no real flight delays. This is my second time in a year to that area of the country, it is quite beautiful in many ways. The area is covered with gently rolling hills that are full of trees and other growth. Amherst is a charming town that has four universities in it! The area really consists of Amherst, Hadley, and North Hampton. I found the downtown area of both Amherst and North Hampton to be really appealing. There's a lot to do around there, plenty of bike rental racks, etc. I consider myself a bit of a foodie, and restaurants abound in that area! Noteworthy Restaurants: Ginger Garden http://gingergardenamherst.com/menu.html I love Sushi, and was in the mood for some when I arrived. This place fit the bill nicely. Their Yellowtail Jalapeno appetizer was excellent. The Sushi was very good, but I wasn't completely full, nor did I want to be. But it was early, and I knew I'd be in the mood for a little more later on. Their house specialty Lo Mein fit the bill there perfectly! It was too big for one sitting, so I munched on it all week. East Side Grill http://www.eastsidegrill.com/eastsidegrillmenus.html Their Seafood Gumbo was very good, I'm pretty sure it was housemade, and not served from a can. But their BBQ Shrimp with Grits and Spinach was excellent! Since this was Thursday and my last night there, I treated myself to dessert. Chocolate-Cherry Bread Pudding with Amaretto. Yummy! Historic/Interesting Places Visited: Springfield Armory https://www.nps.gov/spar/index.htm The Springfield Armory was commissioned by George Washington, and designed to manufacture weapons for this new country. This way, we wouldn't depend on foreign countries to supply us with their weapons. It is an interesting place, one I'd love to tour in-depth, but I had to get to the airport for my flight. So you might ask why I dropped by? Well, about 10 years ago, I purchased a National Parks Passbook book. When you visit a National Park or National Historic Site, you will find a Visitor Center. There you can find a good old fashioned Rubber Stamp, and stamp your passport to show your visit. The one I originally purchased was the small, hip-pocket size one, but I'd run out of room in a couple of the regions. While at the Flight 93 Memorial earlier this year, I found a collector's edition that was much larger. This meant I'd have to start over getting stamps, but it was well worth the cost if you ask me. So I stopped here to get my Passport stamped, and to see what this place has. I need to come back though, and 'properly' visit it. In Closing I am home for the next two weeks. Yes, you read that right, TWO weeks at home! It's okay though, I have plenty to do in preparing for future classes. Til next time, take care of yourself and those you love. And of course, WRITE! Jim Dorrell |
| 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! |
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I then went to Taiwan for two weeks; but, although that was nice, it wasn't 'home'. 
