Entry for September 26, 2010

The work I do at Volkswagen seams to be never ending. Meetings and a lot of coordination with other contractors keeps me busy most every day. I stayed in Chattanooga this weekend to help with providing project support. We worked a few hours Saturday morning and determined all would be fine for the rest of the day. The notion was to take a little trip to the whisky-whiskey distillers. We, Klaus, Reiner and I, talked about the tours of George Dickel and Jack Daniels distilleries. Both are in the same county and only 12 minutes from each other. The misspelling of whisky is based on George Dickel deciding to use traditional Scottish spelling of the spirit name. With the help of TomTom and iPod we enjoyed our drive up to Tullahoma and Lynchburg.

The George Dickel distillery tour was given by a girl named Brandy. Yes, we had a whisky tour by Brandy. During the tour we were instructed how to taste whisky be smelling the fermentation tank contents. Brandy instructed the brave, to lean over the tank, reach down with a cupped hand, then pull up air toward our face and inhale. The first time I think I burned my nose hairs. Then we instructed to do it again, but to breathe in through our mouth. The second time I could taste the whisky. The George Dickel tour group was small and the gift shop was nice and not crowded at all.

We left George Dickel distillery with souvenirs. Klaus and Reiner picked up a bottle of whisky each. I picked up a t-shirt. I'm no longer considered a drinker of any sort. I would have liked to been offered a sample from the distillery, but they weren't offering.

Lunch was wings and things at Zaxby's in Tullahoma. The first time Reiner and Klaus had ever eaten there. Both seamed to enjoy their meals and said they would probably eat it again if given the chance.

I think the little voice in the GPS gets confused when you stop along a route for lunch. We left Zaxby's and were instructed to turn left, when I was almost certain we should go right. We traveled a few blocks, then were instructed to turn around. Sheeesh!!! After that little side trip, we were in Lynchburg, TN and at the Jack Daniels distillery. We were joined by hundreds of others wanting to tour the distillery. We were told it would take 30 minuted before our tour would begin. Reiner and Klaus walked around the lobby for a while, then they decided to skip the tour and take a look at the town.

We walked a few blocks to historic Lynchburg and stopped in several shops. I picked up a few items and took a few pictures. Reiner and Klaus did the same and decided that it was one big tourist trap. We left around 4 and were back in Chattanooga around 6 for a light meal a few beers for Klaus and Reiner at Hooters. We sat next to a rowdy bunch of college boys who were wrapped up in the Alabama v. Arkansas game. I'm still not sure why the pulled for 'Bama, but they sure did scream and yell a lot about it. Reiner took a picture of Klaus with our our waitress before we left. I think Klaus enjoyed the place.

It was good to spend time with my German colleagues outside of work. Sometimes things get to serious and we don't know each other other than what we have to do because of the job. Letting down our guards and enjoying life helps make the working relationship all the better.

P@

Entry for September 19, 2010

Going home is bittersweet these days. Sweet because I get to be with Gin and see the Grandsons. Bitter, because the time is too short. Working out of town has many disadvantages. Too many to name but mostly, not being with family for the unplanned events that happen daily. Gin has handled many unexpected problems in my absence over the last few months. Her truck overheated, my car overheated (she was driving it while the truck was in the shop) and the home air conditioner fan started smoking and had to be replaced. All those things happened within days of each other. Being a few hundred miles from home and listening to her describe the events and how upsetting some of them were, was frustrating for me. The A/C happened overnight. The truck overheated when she was running errands...and just after she waved at our mechanic as she passed him in town.

At lot of events can be handled easier when I'm working close to home. Being helpless to Gin at my current working location is unsettling for me. On the good side of things, Gin has become better at working through the little obstacles that pop up.


This weekend was supposed to me my time to stay at the Chattanooga project site and keep up with happenings. A few changes in plans worked to my advantage. First I was watching closly for an opportunity to attend the Jonathan Byrd concert in Asheville Saturday night. Second was having our subcontractor have his regular weekend schedule when his crews do not work Saturday night or Sunday. Third was having two gentlemen from Germany available to cover anything that may arise on the project in my absence. And so, all plans worked out and I drove home Saturday afternoon, took a short nap before Gin and I drove up to Asheville for the show.

Gin and I have followed Jonathan since...I don't know...2004??? Anyway, he was opening up his Saturday night show for Arlo Guthrie's daughter, Sarah Lee Guthrie. My desire to see the performance of the daughter and grand daughter of living legends Arlo and Woody helped me decide to make things happen in my favor. As always, it is also a pleasure to attend any show  featuring Jonathan Byrd, a legend in his own time. We arrived at the Grey Eagle around 8:30 and were able to briefly sit with Jonathan, his gal Mary Moss, their son Rowan and Sarah Lee Guthrie. Its good to have friends in the music business. Jonathan introduced Gin and I to Sarah Lee which made our night even more special. Sarah was so nice and friendly to both of us before and after the show. She lives up to her family's legendary talent and friendly disposition.
http://www.jonathanbyrd.com/
http://www.sarahleeandjohnny.com/

We were home from the show around 1am and sacked out shortly after. Of course, on the night of a late bedtime, out latest addition to the cat clan, Rosco, decided to strut the house crying , scratching windows and doors. He finally settled down ,then got started again around 4am. I finally rounded him up and put him in a spare room with Mac for a little down time from the noisiness. Ahhh!!! Sweet slumber once again!

 Gin and I dropped in on Patrick and Jessica for a brief visit with Nolan and Dean before heading back out of town. Gin and I had lunch before we arrived, and sat in while the family had theirs. I was Nolan's booster chair and enjoyed his conversation about drag racing, trains and I don't know what all while he ate his chicken and tossed his string beans. We played a little bad-bug after lunch was done. Bad-Bug is Nolan sitting on my shoulders as I walk around the house and let him slap the door frames as if he was killing a Bad-Bug. As he slaps the door frame, he calls out "BAD-BUG" then laughs.

Soon it was time for Nolan's nap as Dean woke up from a slumber in the baby swing. We visited a little longer until Nolan had to be put to bed (for being so tired). I said my goodbyes with hugs and kisses to all. Then made my way back to Tennessee.

For such a short weekend, I was able to spend quite a bit of quality time with family and have a lot to great memories to reflect on.

Life is as good as you make it.
Have a good one!!!
P@

Entry for September 5, 2010

I have not had my camera with me for several weeks. There has been no real reason to have it with me in Chattanooga. All I do is work all day and part of the night. So I pulled this picture from my files to keep the spirit of my blog rolling. The iron owl sits on a fence at a Norfolk recycling yard at 24th St. and Newport Ave. The yard is bordered by the railroad to the south. They have an interesting collection of animals made with scrap iron and other odd widgets. Drop by one day and have a look.

Sometimes I'll wear my armor and sit on a barbed wire fence like my friend the iron owl. Trying to look wise and strong. Making my presence known with an icy stare and few words. At least that is what people perceive from my non-smiling expression when I'm deep in thought. Sure, my armor is hard to crack...sometimes, but I'm just sizing up the situation before I show my true feathers. I enjoy adapting my personality to the situation. Then again, I'll make a comment that comes from left field just to break down the situation. 

This Labor Day weekend has been my turn to watch the store in Chattanooga. There is too much going on to discuss on my blog, so I won't. The one thing I will discuss is my brief return to a little blue collar work this weekend to help my project move a long a little easier. It's hard mixing laborious work with paperwork and meetings. I usually do not even attempt to do both. This weekend I have been able to put my hands on some fabricated materials and assemble some automation vehicles for our monorail system.

Gin went through another missing handyman weekend. The door handle on the refrigerator came off. She took it upon herself to fix it. Not to hard of a job for her...if she could find the right tools in my disorganized storage building. The place is a mess no doubt and I got the hard ugly truth about it Saturday night. Gin could not find my 1/4"  drive socket set(s). My bad! After discussing the situation and giving her the probably location of my green tool bag, she managed to get the door off the fridge today. She disassembled the inside of the door and reattach the handle. I'm proud that Gin was able to fix the handle and restore the fridge to its normal condition. I'm disappointed that I wasn't home to do it myself. I'm relieved I don't have to fix it when I'm home next weekend. 

I started jogging again last week. It has been at least two years since I ran on a regular basis. Caris has asked me to join her in some future road races and I am looking forward to running with her in several events. This week I kept it to 1 mile and a return mile walking briskly. The second day was brutal on the thighs and shins. YES, I took a day off in between. I managed three days of running last week and a round of disc golf on top of Cloudland Canyon in Georgia today. I've been slowly shedding a few pounds for the past few weeks. I dropped the diet Dr. Pepper habit at the beginning of last week. I've switched to Oolong tea or white tea to help with the soda withdrawal. I'm on my way to a healthy big 5-0 and beyond. I just need to control my Christmas binge!

Have a safe and fun Labor Day my family and friends. 

P@