Spring Break!!!

Spring break in the Midwest can throw you just about anything..so we debated on heading south but it was not clear untill about 8:19am this morning where the destination would be. We ended up at lake Wappepplo in southern MO where we can skirt the incoming snow. Hopefully. It's not warm here but it's dry and the stars are shining so bright you don't need a flashlight. 

This is out season opener and good or bad it's better than a day at the office for me. 

The new mods to the hitch was much improved over last season and was actually nice to drive in the 15-20 cross winds. We made a bit of a navagating error and arrived about an hour later than we intended but no worries.

Playing Catch Up

Actually updating this stupid thing with any regularity will never happen. So here you go….bits and pieces from the last few weeks/months.

Costco Booze-A guy sold me on this while looking at it last week. I will admit, I never have taken to Crown Royal but for $19 it was for a ½ Gallon it was worth a try. First impressions are that it is much sweeter than Bourbon but very smooth. If you are a Crown drinker you should give this a whirl. Your wallet will thank you.  The Costco House brand Vodka is an excellent buy as well….the rumor is that its produced by the same distillery as Grey Goose and for $25 for a Gigantic Bottle it again does not disappoint. Liquor cabinet is well stocked. The large Jar is my pending Lemmonchello brew...details to follow

 

With the warmer months coming it’s time to get the RV in traveling shape. Last week I started to do a little preventative maintenance on the hitch head and noticed a few things that looked odd. One of the spring bar supports seems to have a more metal wear than the other and after removing them it was clear to see that something is up. Husky Towing products was quick to assist and are actually sending out new parts and some recommendations on how to prevent this from happening again.  While I am not 100% sold on this design of hitch, I am completely satisfied with their customer service. We also stocked up on propane bottles for the season. 

I was able to do a little cooking the last few weeks and with the help of the Weber Grill we enjoyed a few good meals.  The first few photos are my attempt at a Bourbon Hatch Pepper Sauce. It’s a variation of the Sauce served at Mesa Grill with the Spicy Tenderloin dish. I have made it before but this time I didn’t have all the ingredients and substituted the Adobe Peppers for Roasted Hatch we had in the freezer. It was good, but not great.

Also the new favorite is Chicken Fajitas W/Chorizo. The trick is to half the chicken breasts and sear them on cast iron over high heat. Heating the tortillas on the grill adds some good texture as well. They are even better the second day. 

I did a bit of traveling for work over the last few weeks. I am always a little grossed out when there is a whirlpool in the hotel room. Who actually uses these and how often are they cleaned? Yuck. 

Sam had a program at school that related to President’s Day. It was actually pretty funny and he looked a little uncomfortable up on stage. 

At what point does you job become more than a job? It seems everyone is in search of the perfect job these days. What about a career? To me these things are two totally different categorizes of employment. For me it was almost an immediate decision to make my job a career. One huge reason is the folks I work for and with and that may change as the years go along.With that said,  the core values have been instilled pretty much in every aspect of the operation.

I spent the week on the road meeting with customers and principals we represent. A lot of time was spent in the car (983 miles to be exact)  being by yourself for a few days really makes you think a bit about how you got to this point.

This career has taken me many, many places that I never thought I would go and provided stories and experiences that I never thought possible. I learned to say really bad words in Spanish while at a power plant in Mexico that I have now forgotten. Had a daily 2 hour lunch with engineering staff at the same plant where the restaurant literally was a lean-to shack on the gulf of mexico. This may be the culture or just the fact that we were 2 hours from any authority but you always washed down your lunch with at 4 or 5 beers.

I have walked on a different Continent and been involved with some of the largest power projects in that perspective city. I went to a Bull fight in Thailand and had dinner among rubber tree plantations prepared by someones mother.





I have experienced the brutality of a Calgary whiteout with temperatures of -50F and visited drove a Kia into the Canadian Rockies to view one of the most beautiful lakes I think that exists on earth.

However, all those things are great but what really makes this special is that this career makes you feel like you are apart of something. Some days it really sucks, but the good still WAY overcomes the bad.

Plus we are going to Vegas in November.....