Boston

Beer, the brewery and not the town is the maker of Sam Adams family of beers. It is located just outside Allentown, PA at the site of an old Stroh brewery. A few weeks ago, the purchased some of my equipment and called yesterday to say that they were having problems with my equipment. This just after I was there last week and there were no problems then.

So I make flight reservations yesterday to fly into Philly, then drive to Allentown for a 7:30 AM meeting at the brewery. With storms in Philly delaying all arrivals and departures, my plane gets in after midnight and I drive the hour plus to the hotel.

We (my local Rep and I) get there and the person that we were to see had not told security that we were to arrive. It takes nearly an hour for "security" to reach our contact, and we are escorted into the facility. We get to my equipment and it is not running, so we stand and talk; stand and talk; stand and talk some more.

About 10:45AM they are just about to use the equipment, an aid to filtering the suspended solids out of their product. About 11:15, my pumps start up and work great for about 20 minutes, and then a loud hissing sound just before liquid starts shooting out of inappropriate places.

We shut the equipment down, quickly and find that a valve has closed in the process, creating no place for the liquid to go. This means that there is a control issue on their part creating problems for the equipment. Once this is discovered, our contact is really embarrassed and thanks us for the assistance.

We then talk with him and a couple of other people about 1) how outstanding our service was for this issue and 2) about an outstanding quotation for $20K worth of equipment. At that point we got a verbal commitment for the additional equipment to be purchased next month.

They do need the equipment, but we helped them and they appreciated that. Breweries are interesting places to go. They smell good (like a fraternity house on a weekend morning) and there are interesting processes. It seems that Sam Adams is taking control of their brewing from Miller. Good for them.

I can tell

That summer is coming, just by looking at my home.

A is already home for the summer from UNC and is dominating life around the house with everything she brought home. She is purely type A, and must have a schedule weeks in advance. (As an example, when we visit family in Toledo, A wants to know exactly what is happening and when, so K and I would make up departure times and activities just to get her to focus elsewhere. When these things did not happen, we said plans changed.)

We have also been over to C's school bringing stuff home for the summer. One van full so far. and we are not close to done. C has 7 days of classes, then finals and will be home on June 7th.

It is OK as when both A and C are at home, they get along quite well and do many things together when there is time.

C

C went before the GS Gold Award committee yesterday to discuss her project prior to approval. She is fearless when it comes to making presentations, which is great. She spent 20 minutes in front of 4 adult GS Council members, explaining her project, how she selected it and what it does for the community. Confident, she answered their questions with knowledge and authority.

In the end, it was approved without modifications. Way to go C. You are truly a member of our family.

Job Latest

I got the news today that I will be covering the New England states beginning in June. This is due to a corporate realignment of personnel. Starting June 15, my territory will now cover Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Virgina, North Carolina and South Carolina. Yep, 16 states. Should get more interesting.

Mom

I do not wax as eloquently as some of the rest of my blogger family, but I will try anyway.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom. Although you are at peace, not a day goes by I don't think of you. Each day, that some little thing reminds me of the joy you had when around your children and grandchildren. You standing by Dad, supporting and encouraging all of your children, and reminding them from where they came. You told the great stories to the grandkids of how your children were just a mischievous as they were, encouraging them to be just like their parents, then read stories to them.

When I am home, I am in the kitchen frequently. There are too many evenings spent in restaurants in towns across America, so that when I am home, home cooking is preferred. K is at home and wants a break from cooking, so I take over. So, when I am in the kitchen, nearly everything I do reminds me of you when you were in the kitchen. You taught me to cook, though I am not as good as you. When cooking together when I was young, you talked about your childhood, your grandparents and your relatives along with the unspoken expectations for each of us. We discussed what was happening from this child's perspective.

Looking back from a 51 year perspective, the only thing that could be better is for you to be here. Thanks and love ya Mom.

Tornado

As some of you may have seen, parts of Greensboro, NC got hit by a tornado. Fortunately for us, it hit the west side of the county and we are on the east side. It did not even rain here, some 10 miles away while the tornado did it's damage.

In case you were wondering.

So, I'm in Dallas

at a trade show. Staying at the Sheraton in downtown Dallas, on the 36th floor. So other than dirty windows, the view is pretty good. It is Tuesday, and there is nothing to see when looking out my window. Normally there are buildings, planes and cars when you look in various directions, but not today. Apparently the view from my room is going to be gray all day.

Some say I have my head in the clouds, and at least for today, they would literally be true. No sense taking pictures to show you, because how do you show a cloud when you are in it.

Update: It is 9AM here and there is lightening and thunder outside the window and from the 36th floor it is really weird, but also really cool.

Cell Phone Madness

I am in the market for a cell phone. I want to stay with V, so that begins to limit things. I carry a laptop nearly everywhere I go and do not need to be that connected, so a blackberry or smartphone is out, at least to me. I want a good, sturdy phone that will take the beatings that I give. No need for MP3 player, etc. The only thing that I do reasonably often is text message K and the kids.

The kids want EnV phones, but I am not so sure. Any suggestions for me?

Begining tomorrow

I will be in Dallas for a trade show dealing in the Pulp and Paper market. These things bore me, but at least I will know many people at this trade show. Not just vendors or my business associate (with whom I enjoy spending time) either. There are many people from various Paper Companies that will be attending that I know and I have asked many of them to go to dinner on the various nights. Some said yes, some said no due to other commitments, but at least I will be able to see some friendly business aquaintenances.

I will not have a car, so cannot go to Southfork, but may go to Dealey Plaza and the Book Repository, and the grassy knoll as they seem to be close to where we are staying.

Coming back Thursday PM. Cannot wait