August already? I'm ready for a Vacation!

Is it August already? What happened to July? With the traveling I did and the yukky weather keeping me inside on the weekends, I guess I didn't notice that summer is supposed to be here. I've not been avery good correspondent, that's for sure.

I spent a week in Atlanta again, and my time there is going by very quickly these days. I am working with a guy we just hired, Jeff, and he and I have lots to do to get the mobile chipper product line going. I've been trying to put out the 'fires" in the field before I hand it over to Jeff, and one of the fires just doesn't seem to want to go out. It is difficult when you need the support of the BRUKS office in Sweden, and EVERYONE in Sweden is on HOLIDAY all of the month of July, and most of August. It sure crushes motivation on this side of the Atlantic, I can tell you, and customers are not understanding when you tell them you will have an answer in 3-4 weeks! I hate this part of the year for that reason.

Last week I shot through Oregon with Jeff, showing him some of our installations and visiting a mobile chipper down near Roseburg. We had a very nice visit, and the weather was good for most of the trip. We capped it off with a golf outing on Thursday afternoon, and we discovered that we are about even in golf scores (although I believe that he is actually much better and is just rusty).

This week I am working from home, chasing down a couple of projects that are about to become orders. Both are in Oregon, and both are biomass for energy projects. Good work fo rus, but things are hopping all over and the demands on engineering and project management in other corners of this company are mounting. We don't turn away work, but the lead times are beginning to stretch out for drawings. It looks good for me, however, as my commission check is not dependent on the engineering department doing their thing in a timely manner. The customer can get pissed and I have to deal with that, but the check cashes just the same...

Next week we are off to our summer vacation, and we are going to Kellogg, ID for a week of bicycling and fun in the sun. We stayed in this little white house last year, and loved it. Shannon and Clint will be with Judy and I for the week, and my cousin and her family will be with us on Sunday night. The weahter there is always sunny, and the temps are in the 90's. We can't wait to get sun burned and sweaty. There is a rails-to-trails ride along the Couer d'Alene River and Lake C d'A where we will ride. On the southern end of the lake there is a town called Harrison where they have great ice cream stores, and riding to Harrison for a triple scoop cone sounds like a great idea. Or maybe a milkshake. Or both! If you ride there on a bicycle you can eat ice cream guilt free and not gain weight, right?

My heart is breaking for my friends in Spokane. They are dealing with a triple scoop of bad luck! Mark broke his leg in March, and is only now healing past the cast stage. Anne broke her arm this past weekend. And now they have to move to Olympia for Mark's work! Cripes! at least they will be closer to us in Olympia (90 miles away) than in Spokane (260 miles away). Maybe our healing powers will help Anne get better, and I know of some pretty good golf courses down that way that will help Mark find his swing groove again. I can hope, anyway.

If you have given up checking this blog due to inactivity I certainly understand. I had intended to make this a more frequent stop for me as I hit airport after airport, or in recent times, hotel after hotel along I-5, but I have been remiss. Kick my butt, metaphorically, by sending a courteously worded response to this blog and let me know how you feel abandoned. It will help motivate me in the future...