Congressional Perspective on Nuclear Power

Congressman Fred Upton is the ranking member on the Energy Sub-Committee (he would be the chairman if the Republicans controlled the house).  Today, as an officer of our Political Action Committee (PAC), I was my honor to be part of the group that welcomed Fred (as he insists on being called), to our Nuclear Power Plant.  He was at our plant to talk to our PAC members, and that was followed by a press conference.

 

Congressman Upton recently visited Cherbourg, France, where they have a nuclear waste re-processing facility [France produces about 90% of their energy via nuclear power].  Fred explained that for an individual that consumed energy produced by nuclear power for their entire lifetime, the amount of waste produced would be the size of a soda can.  If you in turn re-process this waste to be reused as re-cycled nuclear fuel, the amount of resulting waste would be the size of a 50-cent piece.  It would be much better to send 50-cent sized waste to Yucca Mountain than soda can size waste.  I thought that was a very easy to understand analogy.

 

As we move toward a nuclear renaissance, we have a lot of work to do if we want the renaissance to be home-grown phenomena.  In the 1970 – 1980’s, 85% of our nuclear power plant components were manufactured and steel companies and cable companies here in the United States. Congressman Upton believes that we need to send the message that the “Nuclear Green Light” is on to revitalize Universities, Steel Manufacturers, and other industries to keep jobs in America, and in the local community.  In order to ensure that at least 20% of our energy is provided by nuclear power, 52 new nuclear power plants will need to be built in America between now and 2030.

 

Congressman Upton further explained that the attitude in Washington D.C. is changing, providing a growing surge for a nuclear renaissance.  Last year, the U.S. supply of oil was reduced by 126,000 barrels per day, while our demand increased by 1,000,000 barrels per day.  This is further exacerbated by the increasing demand in other countries (i.e., China and India).  This has resulted in the near doubling of gasoline prices in the past year.  

 

The scenario for electricity prices is very similar.  In 2007, the Sierra Club batted 1000 in killing all proposed new coal plants.  In addition, Wall Street has indicated that they will not finance any new power plants, especially coal plants (our greatest energy source potential) unless it is a clean type of technology.

 

We must have an impetus to move toward other technologies, such as nuclear, coal with carbon sequestration, and new locations for renewable energy sources (i.e., windmills and solar).

 

New nuclear plants, at the cost of approximately $6,000,000,000 (yes that is billion as in big), is a big commitment for any company.  During the construction phase, this results in $600-$700 Million in benefit for the local economy, not to mention millions per year in taxes and economic benefit for every year that the plant is in operation.

 

That is enough for tonight, later this week, look for an entry regarding Congressman Upton’s perspective on the fall election :o)

Tags: Congressman Upton, Nuclear Power, blogplugs

Anger Management 101

As we all travel through life, we encounter people who for one reason or another just make us angry.  If it is a chance encounter, it is easy to write it off as a one time event, say that you will never see this person again, and move on.  However, we all have people that cause us anger for various reasons that we need to interact with on a regular basis.  This anger may be due to their values, their interactions with others, some past event, their predictable response to situations, or you fill in the blank ___________ :o)

 

How we choose to deal with this anger is a defining moment – do you swallow the anger, making it a poison pill; or do you accept the fact that the person or situation makes you angry and just deal with it when it is encountered?  For people that swallow the anger pill, this anger becomes the reason for anything in their life that does not go as expected.  When such a person looks in the mirror, they see a victim, having been hurt and misunderstood by so many people.  If in reality they could see their past, they would see patterns of multiple broken relationships, multiple slights, and a lot of frustration and unhappiness. 

 

I think one of the reasons (the list is very long) that Beth and I get along so well is because we both fall into the second category.  When we know that we need to interact with someone that has swallowed the poison pill (I envision various larvae feeding on the anger), we anticipate the escape of the anger, and have a pre-planned exit strategy.

 

Recently, I had to interact with someone whom has caused a lot of anger for me over the past year or two.  Beth and I discussed our strategy, laying out the potential scenarios, and determined that if discussions got off track to the point that I was getting angry, the exit strategy was to simply leave and not get dragged into an argument. 

 

Sure enough, during a recent interaction with such a person, the discussion took a turn that started to cause me anger.  I simply, and abruptly, left.  As I glanced behind me, I had the perception that this person appreciated my exit strategy, this person was waving at me with one finger and shouted a dinner menu selection my way (have the “ground chuck you”).  Later, I had feedback that my abrupt exit was a “tantrum”, so I think I may not have heard clearly :o)

 

In all seriousness, such a response is unfortunate, and I hope that it was not observed by others.  Having someone respond to me in such a manner is very aggravating, but predictable.  So after a few hours of quiet contemplation, I determined my best course of action was to make this entry, and put it behind me as another encounter dealt with. It is often said that humor can help with a situation, so I hope you found some humor above.

Tags: Anger, blogplugs

Saturday Update :o)

Today was a nice day.  It started out a little "wet" with thunderstorms in Dayton, Ohio.  But it soon cleared, and I had the top on Blacky down for the ride home tonight :o)

I had the chance to see my daughter and give her a hug and tell her I love her - she had decided to not have a visit (disappointing, but understandable for a 14 year old). 

Since it was raining, my son and I headed to the Fairborn mall, and just walked and talked for a couple of  hours.  We then headed to a pub for a spot of lunch (he had a Philly Cheese steak, I had a Turkey and Bacon sandwich).  After we ate, we headed to the back room and played at least 7 games of pool, and threw some darts.  Alas, I have to admit that he did not win in either game, but that is to be expected, they were bar games :o)

We then headed to see the new Hulk movie, entertaining and much better than the remake several years ago.  It was enjoyable to spend time with my son.

Here is hoping you are having a nice weekend and that Sunday does not go to fast for you!

Tags: Dayton, Cheese Steak, Hulk

Nuclear Power - Political Message Attached

Monday, I will have the pleasure of hearing Congressman Fred Upton, from Michigan, talk at the Cook Nuclear Power Plant.  I am a member of the Board Of Directors for our Michigan Committee For Responsible Government, another way of saying a PAC.  Michigan law is unique (go figure), and we can only contribute if we have a separate PAC (versus the Federal PAC that the rest of my company belongs to).  Fred has been a huge supporter of Nuclear Power over the years, so I am really looking forward to hearing his perspectives with the election looming.

After he has lunch with us, and provides us with his insights, Congressman Upton will be conducting a press conference to announce an $80,000 NRC Grant to our local Lake Michigan College (LMC) for scholarships supporting a new Energy Production Technology Degree at LMC.  Our Chief Nuclear Officer, who I work with on a frequent basis, will also be part of the press conference, stressing the need for a future qualified workforce in nuclear power.

Rest assured, there will be an entry on Monday with some tidbits :o)

Tags: Congressman Upton, Nuclear Power, Michigan, PAC

TGIF :o)

As John McCain would say, well my friends, Thank God Its Friday :o)

And to be politically semi-neutral (I have not actually made up my mind on which candidate I will vote for), here is to Unity (congrats to Obama and she who shall not be named campaigning together today in New Hampshire).  Note: for those of you who may take offense to this comment, read my sidebar, I AM A CLOWN, I joke and tease - it is part of who I am :o)

Anyhoo! [not one of my normal phrases, but inserted here for many J-Landers <LOL>], here is a big thank you to all who have commented on my journal, or at Magic Smoke, about my being Guest Editor at Magic Smoke this week.  The comments certainly made me smile, both on the inside and the outside. Thank you so very much, and here is hoping you have a stupendous weekend!

Thursday, Almost the Weekend :o)

Glad today is Thursday, that means only one more day until the weekend starts :o)

This morning was a whirlwind, getting four meetings completed, some last minute business conducted, then hitting the road.  I got home around 2:45 P.M., had a cool beverage with my bride, scratched the kitty behind the ears, and packed my bag for a quick two day trip.  The first leg of the trip is to Columbus Ohio for some knowledge gathering on how our business is run in other parts of the company.  Arrived after 4.5 hours of straight driving, called my boss who arrived last night, and we headed across the street to Morton's Steakhouse.  After a long day, a couple of beers, and a nice glass of Merlot went very nicely with my two bacon wrapped filets <yum>.  This was after a quarter wedge of lettuce with Blue Cheese, tommytoes, and eggs; and an appetizer of Calimari.  A nice meal and some candid and also fun talk with my boss.

After the meetings tomorrow, it is off to the Dayton Ohio area, where Saturday I am looking forward to spending the day with my kids.  It has been a couple of months since I have seen them.......

I am looking forward to our day together.

Here is wishing you a happy Friday, and a nice run up to the weekend.

Ken :o)

Tags: Columbus, Dayton, Children

Vacation Blues

What a past couple of weeks it has been.  As you may know, we had our vegecation to Florida about two weeks ago.  While we love our vegecations, the run up, and aftermath at work never ceases to amaze me. 

Up until last night, in preparation for our comedy club evening, and today, a family reunion, we have not eaten dinner prior to 9:30 P.M. due to my late arrivals home from work, and having additional work to do when I get home (I try and get home as early as I can, 'cause working at the table with a cool beverage is so much better than being at the office :o). 

Tonight, I can finally claim victory to being caught up from vegecation.  I had to do the performance review for my team, and that was the last thing on the list. 

I almost dread our next vegecation, about 10 days in California at the end of July and into early August.  So, 10 days, does that mean 3 weeks of catch-up?  I hope not, I will do my best to get things arranged to not require that level of effort - IT IS VERY DRAINING :o)

Hope you had as nice of a weekend as we did :o)

Do Not Try This At Home

Thursday night, as I was putting away my “work” work, and we were getting ready for dinner and a movie, I did the unthinkable – I had an injury.

 

For those who have read me for a while, you know that my work place (a nuclear power plant) is striving to improve our safety performance.  Imagine my chagrin when as I was putting away my portfolio binder, and my large Dell computer laptop, the computer fell off the back of the couch and landed squarely on the bridge of my foot.

 

Needless to say, I was speechless for several moments (not to say that there were not some groans and such being muttered). As the immediate intense pain subsided, I determined that I would gingerly apply some pressure to my left foot – I am pleased to report that I did not immediately buckle and fall to my knees :o)

 

Luckily a 2-1/2 foot drop is not enough to break your foot with a laptop, but I have to admit that I would not recommend this course of action for any J-Land readers.  Friday at work, the limping gate I experienced going from my vehicle to my office, and then intothe plant, resulted in a cold sweat.

 

I muddled through Friday, and today was a little better, I was actually able to do some yard work and exercise without any grimaces. 

 

As I was out and about in the yard, having chopped up a few branches that fell across our path through the marsh, a thunderstorm decided to make its presence known while I was mowing the yard.  So tomorrow is another day (and hopefully I can finish the lawn :o)

 

Tonight we are going to the local Comedy Club, and tomorrow is a family reunion on Beth’s side of the family. 

 

Here is hoping that you are having a good weekend.

Tags: Storms, Yard Work, Injury

Science Scene - Shattered

Have you ever wondered why some forms of glass shatter into small pieces that are less likely to be jagged and sharp?  I know that as an engineer, these types of thoughts occasionally cross my mind.  Below is the explanation (plagiarized from the July 2008 Popular Science) of how tempered glass is made.  Thanks for keeping us safe scientists and engineers of the world :o)

 

The PopSci article describes the making of extremely strong glass droplets, with a tail.  You can not crush the droplet, but if you break the tail, the whole droplet shatters as the pent up energy is released.  The description is that when molten glass hits cold water, its outer surface cools rapidly and shrinks as it solidifies.  Since the center is still fluid, it can flow to adjust to the outer shell’s smaller size.  As that center eventually cools and solidifies, it also shrinks, but now the outer shell is already solid and can’t change its shape to accommodate the smaller core.  This creates internal stress, as the center pulls the outside in from all sides.

 

Tempered glass, common in cars and glass doors, works the same way.  Jets of cold air are used to rapidly cool the surface of hot sheets of glass, creating a milder internal tension that keeps the surface compressed at all times.  Tempered glass is extremely strong, but the pent up tension is released when the yield strength is reached, resulting in the shattering effect that prevents large shards of glass from being formed.

Tags: Popular Science, blogplugs, Tempered Glass, Science

Bad Sheeba Poetry III - Here's Looking At You :o)

 

 

So sorry to hear,

Things have been a real bear,

I feel the need to shed a crocodile tear,

Hoping you can "tie" up loose ends and be near,

That you can find your way clear,

To be with your Kitty, who will flop for less than the price of a beer.

 

[Told you it was bad.  For explanation, every night when I get home,

Sheeba lets out a several little mews, and then proceeds to flop on the

carpet at my feet for an extreme belly rub :o)] 

 

 

Pragmatism

Often in life, you have the opportunity to determine how you define yourself. 

For myself, if I had to select a single word, it would be "Pragmatic."  For me, the first awareness of this is from the mid 1980's.  I was living in San Francisco, and it had become an annual affair for my Dad to put his Colorado timeshare in the bank, and book something for me in Lake Tahoe.  I would go up and ski during the day, and gamble at night.  Normally, it would just be me, as I was kind of a loner at the time.  However, this particular year, I invited a very good friend and his girlfriend up for one of the weekends.  I sat in Friday night, waiting for them, and they never showed.  Needless to say, I was hurt, angry, and disappointed.  So how did I deal with it?

Well, this was not the first time my friend had been late, or that plans had changed.  So, on the drive back to the City By The Bay, I determined that I would say something to my friend, but I also came to realize that this is his nature.  He is a type of free spirit that goes where he is moved to go, and he did not mean to intentionally hurt me.  I could choose to recognize and accept this in him, or I could end our friendship.  I chose to accept.  So, in the future, I always took our plans with a grain of salt, and we have been great friends ever since.

That has become part of my nature.  I truly believe in the innate goodness of people, but also really believe the axiom:  "Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me."  So for me, when I first meet and become acquainted with someone, you get the full benefit of the doubt. I trust you and believe what you say.  Usually, it is not too long before actions speak louder than words, and a person's true nature is revealed.  Most of the time, this is more positive than not and just requires some minor adjustments, and a relationship is formed.  But sometimes, this is negative, and that is where my expectations for dealing with that person are lowered to the point that there are no expectations. 

You see, I find that if you have no expectations, then you cannot hurt yourself (because, emotionally, only you can hurt yourself if you have the right attitude).  You can be disappointed, but not hurt. So over the years, I have become very pragmatic. 

Sometimes, people or situations will change, and you can start to raise expectations based on a track record of behavior, and that is priceless.  That has happened for me once, when a person that had hurt someone close to me changed their behavior and attitude, and is now a wonderful part of my life.  I expect that this one instance will not be the last, because you see, I am a hobo at heart, maybe down on my luck with some relationships, but eternally optimistic :o)

Tags: Pragmatic, Relationships, Expectations, blogplugs

Public Service Announcement - Free 411 :o)

Cell phone companies are charging $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 Information calls. Since no one carries a telephone directory in their vehicle, they get away with it. 
 
When you need to use the 411 information option, simply dial 1(800) FREE 411, or 1(800)373-3411, you will incur no charge. This works on your home telephone as well. If you enter this number into your cell phone, you will always have a way to get a phone number if you need one. 
 
Verified at Snopes: http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/nothing/free411.asp 

Weekend Rituals

Yesterday was a beautiful day here at Nutwood.  The temperature was in the mid-eighties, there were few clouds in the majestic blue sky, and the birds were a-singing.   :o)

After the weekend morning ritual of coffee and the paper, it was out to mow the back forty (actually only two of our eleven acres are grass).  I had on a sleeveless T-shirt, ready to soak up some Vitamin D.  I started with the push mower, a way to get in my exercise for the day, and a good way to avoid getting poison ivy on my legs as I often due when I use the weed-whacker.  I mowed around the front roadway flower box, the back garden pond, the back steps, and under our two year old red-bud trees. We have had only sporadic luck with trees (deer love fruit tree leaves), but these have taken off like gangbusters, don't you think?

After mowing, and since there was only a very gentle breeze blowing, I took the BBQ box and did the burn pile.  While we do try and mulch our downed branches, some of them are too big, and we have plenty of firewood (although the fireplace is still a couple of years off).  The last activity was to set off a bug bomb in the lawn mower shed.  The past two times I have gotten out the lawn tractor, there have been little piles of sawdust on them - I suspect some carpenter bees or such.

Then it was off to shower and to settle in for some U.S. Open action and to watch Tiger do some amazing things.  While I was mowing, Beth foraged at the local supermarket for some big baking potatoes, a head of lettuce, and some blue cheese dressing.  We love our grilling and meat and potato diet :o)  They were cooked perfect, can't you just smell them?

 

Hope the weather is nice in your neck of the woods (or suburbia), and that you get a chance to have a Father's Day cookout.  Soon I will call my Step-Father and wish him a happy one.  I'm also thinking of my Dad today, waxing nostalgic over these types of weekends that I used to share with him.  He would have been 82 this year, just three years younger than Beth's wonderful father, who I am proud to call Dad :o)

Tags: U.S. Open, Tiger Woods, Steak, Grill, Father's Day

What an Idiot :o)

Well, back from Florida a week ago today, and what a week it has been.  11-12 hour days, plus work at home, I do not think we ate dinner before 8:30 P.M. all week.

Below is one of the videos I took with Beth's cool Flip video recorder.  Shows the beach and New Smyrna and some of our local friends :o)

 

Tags: Flip, Florida, New Smyrna

Simple Things Can Make a Difference - ICE

ICE Campaign - 'In Case of Emergency'

 

 

We all carry our mobile phones with names & numbers stored in its memory but nobody, other than ourselves, knows which of these numbers belong to our closest family or friends.

If we were to be involved in an accident or were taken ill, the people attending us would have our mobile phone but wouldn't know who to call. Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the contact person in case of an emergency? Hence this 'ICE' Campaign.

The concept of 'ICE' is catching on quickly. It is a method of contact during emergency situations. As cell phones are carried by the majority of the population, all you need to do is store the number of a contact person or persons who should be contacted during emergency under the name 'ICE'.

The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when he went to the scenes of accidents, there were always mobile phones with patients, but they didn't know which number to call. He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognized name for this purpose. In an emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital Staff would be able to quickly contact the right person by simply dialing the number you have stored as 'ICE.'
For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3 etc. A great idea that will make a difference!

Let's spread the concept of ICE by storing an ICE number in our Mobile phones today!

Add ICE to your cell phone only after you've affixed similar information to (or near) the official photo identification you routinely carry in your wallet.

Why?

With so many types and brands ofwireless phones, it can take precious minutes to learn how to access a phone's directory. Many wireless devices are also found to be locked, damaged or have discharged batteries following an incident, rendering ICE unusable.

Please do encourage your loved ones, friends and colleagues to make an ICE entry in their cell phone, especially if it will give them peace of mind — but not at the expense of written emergency contact and medical information.

Tags: ICE, Cell Phones, Blogplugs

Science Scene - The Oil Barrel

Reading the June 16th edition of Time, there was a very interesting article regarding the [Brief] History of The Oil Barrel.  Some interesting facts:

Oil was first discovered in the United States in Pennsylvania (circa 1850's).

Used to be called Rock Oil to differentiate from vegetable oil or animal fat.

In the 1860's, overproduction resulted in the whiskey storage barrel being twice as expensive as the oil contained within.

As the oil boom blossomed, the "barrel" size was standardized at 42 gallons (standardized in 1866).

First pipelines for the "black oil" were made of wood.

1870's, first oil tanker passed through the Suez Canal.

Today, oil tankers hold 4,000,000 barrels, and the world demand is 85,000,000 barrels.

Tags: Crude Oil, Barrel, Suez Canal

Smile It Forward II

Today at work, it was my responsibility to be Safety Observer, performing walkdowns in the field to ensure our workers are being safe (we have had a horrendous nine OSHA recordable injuries so far this year).  Our motto is that all injuries are preventable, and there are plants and industries that go years with no injuries.  We just do not seem to "get it". 

The directions for the Safety Observers that came out recently have a requirement to provide face-to-face feedback, positive or negative, verbally to the workers. 

The "positive" part is a paradigm shift for us.  Typically when we are in the field observing, we observe the positives and move on.  Today, I had four positive encounters, going up to workers and giving them the thumbs up signal and saying "good job" on having all the proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) on, and observing various safe work practices.  In every case, the workers smiled at me (usually they practically roll there eyes when you mention you are the Safety Observer, since we used to approach only when corrective coaching was required). 

I also made a point of looking up two of the supervisors and providing them positive feedback.  One was a return phone call to a note I left, stating I had positive feedback.  When he called, I asked how he was doing, and he said "great, I love getting positive feedback for my crew." 

Tomorrow at 0730 hours, I report out my findings, and I will be stating that it was my pleasure to be the Safety Observer, and that the smiles and positive feedback is a paradigm shift for us and makes this duty truly enjoyable.

Tags: Industrial Safety

Science Scene - New Nukes, Poll Results For You

We all are hearing about the perils of climate change, and although there are still issues with nuclear (cost of new plants and waste disposal), these issues are political in nature, not technological.  We have deep burial, transmigration (melting and enclosing in glass), and reprocessing options available, just not the political guts to choose an option and move forward.

Options: Do nothing and bury our heads regarding global warming; energy conservation - only solves part of the problem; renewable's - only solves part of the problem and requires 100's to 1000's of acres of footprint compared to a power plant; you get the picture.

New Nuclear is a clean energy choice that can tide our nation, and the world, over until the next scientific/engineered solution presents itself. Am I biased - yes! Would I want a waste burial site in my backyard - yes, I could deal with that. Do I want a nuclear power plant in my back yard - Yes, been there and done that.

Below are the poll results for new nuclear for your reading pleasure. 

 

[Courtesy of Plattes] SIXTY-SEVEN PERCENT OF AMERICANS FAVOR BUILDING NEW NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS in the US, according to results of a Zogby Interactive online poll released June 6.   Forty-six percent of those surveyed said they "strongly support" new nuclear plants, Zogby said. "A majority of respondents of all ages -- with the exception of those age 18 to 24 (47%) -- expressed support for building new nuclear power plants," Zogby said. Men (82%) are more likely than women (52%) to favor new nuclear plants, it said. The survey of 2,925 adults was conducted May 20-22, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.8%, Zogby said. The results are online at www.zogby.com/News/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1515.

Tags: New Nuclear, Energy

Do I Love You My Deer?

As always, our return home is wonderful, and we always make sure the day after is not a normal work day.  We stayed up and watched a Saturday Night Live rerun (actually opening mail, reading e-mails, etc.), and then a Law and Order, finally to bed around 2:00 A.M..  Nice to be in our own bed.  Sheeba was very vocal this morning, so I got up about 8:30 A.M., read the paper, had my coffee, balanced the checkbook, etc. 

 

At about 11:30 A.M., out to the yard to get caught up on almost two weeks worth of growth, and as those of you in the Midwest know, there was plenty of rain last week, so the yard, and especially the path through our marsh, was very dense. 

 

Saw our first fawn of the season while I was mowing the marsh path, still had the white spots <aaawww>.  While I love our deer, they have been doing a number on our new fruit trees.  Today, I pounded some poles into the ground and attached wire baskets to them to try and salvage them.  The cute deer sure do like the sweeter leaves.

 

Finished up at about 3:30 P.M., and came in to get cleaned up.  My timing was excellent as I sit here and type this entry, it has been down pouring for 30 minutes, with lightning and tornado warnings.  The worst of the weather missed us though :o)

 

Here is hoping that all our friends out there were able to miss the worst of the weather.  Dan of Slapinions in Milwaukee reported a flooded basement, so send good thoughts his way that it is not to significant.

 

Back to the grind tomorrow :o(

 

Update: at 5:00 P.M., the rain has stopped and everything is calm :o)

Tags: Deer, Yardwork, Weather

Smile It Forward

After loading our bags into the back of Big Blue, I maneuvered through the Long Term parking lot exit gate, and pulled up to the gate house to pay our parking fee.  The parking attendant immediately inquired “How was your trip?” with a very happy and cheery attitude.  “Very nice” I replied. 

 

The total parking fee for the week was $64, which seemed higher than usual. The parking attendant then inquired whether I was aware that parking in the economy lot would give us significant savings.  Turns out that the Long Term lot is $8 per day, with no maximum, but the economy lot, which is only about an extra one minute walk, is $7 per day with a $35 maximum fee.  My normal trips are only three or four days, so I have not paid attention to the fee schedule.  So lesson learned, if we are going to be gone for more than five days, economy is the only way to go :o)  Make sure your research your parking fees schedule at your airport of choice, there could be significant savings in your future.

 

As we exited the airport, Beth and I both commented on how pleasant the attendant was, and what a wonderful representative of South Bend he is.  A smile and a kind word is important, and hopefully returned many times over.  Think, in the course of a day, how many smiles he created, and what the payback of that is – priceless!

 

Here is sending a Huge Smile To You :o)

Tags: Smile, Economy Parking

Home Sweet Home :o)

Warm and calm morning in Florida this morning.  We worked up quite a sweat getting checked out (recycle and garbage, strip the beds, final packing and loading the car).  After we had most of the work done, we headed down for our last beach walk, with some left over bread for the [stupid] birds. 

We did pretty good this trip in not wasting much.  All we threw out was some shrimp cocktail, some cheese, and some grapes.  Everything else was consumed, or packed in the luggage (some liqueur, cereal, rice, and spices).  Next year when we start driving down, things will be much better (bring some things from home, and have a cooler for any perishables on the return trip).

Hope you have avoided the rainy weather and are having a good weekend!

VegeCation Wind-down :o(

Friday already, hard to believe how fast the second part of the week went.  I clearly recall on Tuesday thinking wow, not even half over yet <sigh>.

 

Our friend Lee came down yesterday from Jacksonville, and we made our ritualistic pilgrimage to Breakers for the best darn burger in central Florida :o)  After that, we felt a need to take a walk, so headed down to see the results of the beach rebuilding effort along the Atlantic coast (Jacksonville to Miami).  They dredge from a local inlet, and take the dredged material, send it several miles through 18 inch piping, and “spew” it on the beach.  After sufficient “spewing”, a bulldozer reshapes the upper half of the beach.  It is very cool to watch, and wonderful to have the beach restored.

 

After our beach walk, we settled in for some quality chat time, discussing topics from finances, to politics, to book writing (Lee is writing an e-book regarding ‘do you really want to start a company [Chapter 1], and if so, here are the skills that you will need [the rest of the book]).  We are pulling for him to have his book be a success.

 

After a nice chicken barbeque (quite good if I do say so myself [patting myself on the back] :o), we settled in for some board game play.  Silly me, I agreed to a word game, and Beth whipped our a#%&s. 

 

Today, we had a leisurely morning, and then headed to Bethune Park to see the Manatees and Dolphins.  The park is next to a salt water estuary, and there were at least five manatees frolicking in the shallow, shadowed water.  Always a favorite visit for us on our Vegecation.  Then it was on to JB’s Fish Camp [Beth is reading over my shoulder and indicates that a Fish Camp is where minnows go to learn to be Fitch <LOL with a roll of my eyes>] where we have our Friday lunch.  Today was fresh OOOYYYsssttteeerrrs on the half-shell, and some fresh Fitch (Beth had a fried sampler platter, I had stuffed shrimp).  Beth finished the piñata stuffing with a piece of key lime pie, after which I had to inquire if I should get a hand-truck to get her to the car :o)

 

After lunch, we wished Lee farewell, Beth laid down to attempt to settle her belly gurgles, and I went for a hour run on the beach.  When I got back, and cooled off a little, we headed down for our last ocean dip. 

 

Tonight will be Swordfish steaks on the barbie, some shrimp cocktail, a little wine, and topped off with some Irish Cream liqueur, and a “see you next year” cigar.

 

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend.  We will be traveling tomorrow, and most likely will not be able to log-in until tomorrow evening (we get in to the South Bend airport at about 7:30 P.M.).

Tags: BBQ, Board Games, JB's Fish Camp, Breakers, Ocean

Fore!

Today was low key, but fun.  We headed out at 10:30 to Turnbull Bay Golf Course for our Vegecation tradition.  At this juncture, I play, Beth drives the cart, and she does a little chipping and putting.  Down the road, she will be able to play a full round.  She did manage to hit a few at the driving range though :o)

Not bad for the first time out this year (that is so disappointing), five pars, a birdy, and a final score of 88.  That is probably one of my better efforts.

After we cooled off on the balcony (it was very hot and I definitely sweated up a storm), we walked down the beach to the original New Smyrna downtown.  We went into a few shops, and got a vase for our curio cabinet, locally made.  Then to Breakers on the beach for a couple of beers. 

Very pleasant, walking with my best friend along the beach, holding fingers (too hot to hold hands :o)  Sad that there are only two days left, but with our friend Lee from Jacksonville coming tomorrow to stay for the night, and some good lunches in our future, two days is "priceless".

Tags: Golf, Beach, Best Friends

Jaws IV

Not quite the same as California weather (when I lived there, especially on the central coast, watching the weather forecast was a joke – sunny and mild, sunny and mild, etc….).  We had two bouts of rain yesterday (Monday), but fortunately, the weather gods smiled down on us, and I was able to grill the steaks in between the downpours.

 

Waking up this morning, the second time this week, to the sound of a little Princess screaming in the pool (see Beth’s entry at Nutwood Junction), we got a reasonable start to the day at about 0900 :o)  We had four definitive things on the agenda for today; 1) Ken get a workout in, 2) Bake in the sun on the beach, 3) go to the store and get some Fitch (fish) for three dinners this week, and 4) Vegecate :o)  I am please to inform you that our busy agenda has been accomplished.

 

I headed to the work out area at about 10:15 A.M., they had a weight machine, an elliptical machine, and a treadmill.  No water (luckily I brought my own), no towels (I used paper towels to wipe down the equipment), and no windows.  The space was only about 15x20 feet – so I see some feedback to the Timeshare management in my future :o)

 

We slathered up and headed to the beach for some rays around noon.  There was just enough breeze that it felt cooler than yesterday – I estimate 93 degrees today versus 96 degrees yesterday.  I never cease to marvel at the Scottish/American Indian (Osage) blood combination.  As long as I do not burn immediately (easily avoided with some sun screen), then I will start to brown the next day.  Beth always comments on how fast I start to tan. Beth headed up after a little more than an hour, and then it happened!

 

I was out in the water, watching the pelicans dive bomb into the surf for a snack/meal.  Then, there only about 20 feet from me was a fin, slicing through the water.  In a fraction of a second, the NaNa, NaNa, NaNa theme raced through my head, and I immediately started backing up.  The fin resurfaced… Much to my relief, the culprit was a dolphin, as evidenced by the arching motion through the surf, and for the next ten minutes I watched them search for fish (actually saw one jump out of the surf, with the fish bouncing off of its “nose”).

 

Our last real errand of the day was heading to the fish market, we got some deep sea scallops, some tuna steaks, and some Florida swordfish steaks.  Also, just for good measure, we got some shrimp cocktail.  Tonight, I believe it will be tuna steaks on the grill (the CVS pharmacy just in front of the fish market was advertising Bumble Bee tuna, and Beth commented that we could have tuna for dinner, since that was fitch, so yes dear, we are having tuna for dinner :o), with a baked potato, and salad – most likely with blue cheese dressing.

Tags: Fish, Jaws, blogplugs

Sea Breeze

Today was another lazy Vegecation day.  After a kind of lazy morning, coffee for me and tea for Beth, and some reading on the balcony/walkway, we decided to venture to the beach for some rays.  After we slathered some SPF 30 on our fair skinned bodies, we headed to the sand and waves.

 

Beth remained out for about 60 minutes, me for about 90 minutes.  I am pleased to report that neither of us over did it today.  The water felt a little cold at first, but we became acclimated quite quickly.  After Beth went in, I ventured out a little farther and enjoyed a little bit of wave smack-down.  It is truly amazing the power of the ocean, and I never tire of going out into the waves.  Later this week, I will rent a boogie board and catch some wave action, usually best at high tide.

 

We went out to get a few things today, and unfortunately, the fish market was closed today.  We will have to settle for grilled steak, baked potato, salad with blue cheese, and fresh corn on the cob – woe is us, how shall we endure (picture back of hand brushing across my forehead :o) 

 

Three days down, and two books behind me.  The first was Dean Koontz's "The Darkest Evening of The Year", very entertaining and some unique characters as always - with more and more information provided as you turn the pages (I cannot say more cause Beth is reading this one now).  Second was Dean Koontz's "Odd Hours".  Odd is such a great character, and reading his "manuscripts" is truly wonderful. 

 

We had a late snack, so are planning a beach walk.  It is always refreshing to pull in the sea breeze, especially after a thunderstorm squall blows through like it did tonight at about 5:00 PM.  Very normal for this time of year.

 

Hope the start of your week was pleasant today.

Tags: Sea Breeze, Dean Koontz

VegeCation

We made it down without too much problem yesterday.  Our flight out of Cleveland was delayed about 30 minutes, so we did not get off the plane until about 3:30 PM.  By the time we got the rental car, and were on the road, it was 4:00 PM.

Funny thing was is that the traffic was horrendous, we thought it was due to construction, but turns out, it was actually due to the Shuttle launch.  We were able to get to just outside Titusville at launch time.  We joined numerous other vehicles and pulled off to the side of the road at about 4:55, for the 5:02 launch.  As can be seen in the picture, it was awesome.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We stopped at the local liquor store, got some cool beverages, and headed to the timeshare.  After checking in, we were able to get unpacked, and then headed off to the grocery store.  For this trip, we made a list before we left, and we stuck to the list.  It was also so great that due to a "health survey" at work, we had a $150 AMEX gift card.   We were able to get all our groceries for $180 ($30 after the gift card:o), even though we may need more charcoal and beer before the week is over.

After grocery shopping, we headed to PJ's for dinner.  Beth had snow crab legs, and I had the sampler plate (snow crab, mussels, clams, oysters, and shrimp).  It was very good, but we were so full (as Beth said, to the "Gills"), we had no room for dessert.

A wonderful first day.  Today was very low key, I went for a one hour run on the beach, and we sat around the pool for a while (we both finished our Dean Koontz books).  At about 6:30, I fired up the grill and we had some delicious ribs for dinner (salad and baked potato as extras :o)

Hope you all had a great Sunday, I know we did :o)

Tags: Florida, Ribs, Shuttle, VegeCation