Easter 2009

Ok I am really slacking on this thing. I guess insomnia might have a couple of uses. This entry is about the trip the kids took with me to Sheridan Wyoming to spend with my family for Easter last year. Allison was kind enough to let me take them for the weekend. I think the kids had a good time, and I know my mom and Dad thoroughly enjoyed them. Breanne and her cousin Arianna are so funny. I hope I spelled that right. Anyway, it had been almost a year since they last saw each other and they seem to continue as if no time has passed. Michael had fun with Zach even though he is several years older. And from all appearances had fun with Steven as well. Alex had fun with Alyssa (again spelling. I feel like a terrible uncle)and even more so with all the Barbies. It was wonderful to see them include Sarah in their ventures too They fell right in together. It is nice having nieces and nephews fairly close to the same age. Michael also had fun with his cousin John Michael, who seemed to enjoy Michael as well. JM had his laptop with, and that is right up Michael's alley. The trip out was pretty fun as well. I had the laptop going with external speakers so they could hear. I was surprised that the movie they enjoyed the most was "National Security" with Martin Lawrence. I winced at the language, but when I suggested a different movie, all three objected. They weren't arguing and were laughing at the antics so I let it play. They watched on the way out and the way back.
I was really pleased with my children during Easter supper. Jim's dining are wasn't quite big enough for both the adults, older children and the smaller ones, so the little ones got the privelege of eating on the deck. Michael was the oldest child out there. He helped with the littler children with drinks other stuff. He finished his food with no prompting from me as well as Breanne. They even encouraged their little sister and cousins to eat up. They handled themselves very well and I was very proud of them. I think it was a fun and enjoyable time for us all. Alex has asked more then once when she was going to be able to go back. For that matter so have Michael and Breanne. Hopefully this Easter too kids!!


I am pretty sure she wasn't supposed to be eating in the living room.




Something has their attention!!


Michael was on a mission!! The nerf dart guns got brought out! Michael, Zach and Steven had a blast chasing each other around. I will admit I got in on the action a little as well. What can I say, its fun!!





And now to the Easter Egg Hunt. It's always such a joy seeing the surprise and satisfaction on their faces when they hunt and find them all.




The last three are of the return trip home. Along with getting more productive on this blog I think I need to get better at remembering my camera as well. They are only kids for a short time and then they start on their own.

High Angle Rescue Training

Ok I realize that it has been October of last year since my last post. So time for an update. I finished in Cheyenne around the end of September. From there I went to work back in Brookings South Dakota. That ended the 11th of December where I went through period of Lay-off. I am back to work and in a small town called Burlington in Colorado. It's pretty enough. I am just glad to be back to work. In an unrelated, yet related way, the pictures are of what is called High Angle Rescue Training. I was selected among others in Cheyenne to be trained to help in case of an accident up tower. It involved knowing how to rig a totally unconscious person, to one that is just hurt but still can't get down unassisted. The pictures are of us learning how to repel. We were hoping to do this out of the back of the nacelle but the safety Nazi's decided it was too big of a liability. So we did it off a radio tower. Not nearly as high and not even close to as fun, but hey I take what I can get. This got me out of pouring concrete for a day. Anyway enjoy.

Back to South Dakota

Well, after six months in Cheyenne, I am back in South Dakota, Brookings area, not too far from the first project helped here just about a year ago. I won't be helping to erect any towers this time however, gonna be doing that lovely stuff people call concrete. Right now we are fighting weather and not the cold wet variety, just the wet. My truck has fun going through the mud (well I do to for that matter) Usually I have pictures to go with my posts, but alas not this time around. I should have posted more when I was in Cheyenne as I had some just breathtaking shots of cloud formation, sunrises and sunsets, with turbines typically in the foreground of course. :) From what I can gather, seems be here til around the end of November, then.... EEEEEEK possible lay-off. I have a couple of ideas in mind should that happen, just not sure which is more plausible at this point. I Just have to keep in mind that things work out one way or the other, and accept things if they don't work out the way I want... have had lots of practice in that arena.... WAY too much if you ask me. Anyway I'll try and be a little more fiberish when it comes to this thing and keep it more current.

Cheyenne

For those who don't know, my job currently has me in Cheyenne Wyoming. At this point in the job we have only 5 and a half towers to erect. Luckily they will keep us busy here for a while even after the fun and excitement of stacking cans is over. Picking up trash....woohoo, but hey it still pays. Anyway I know it's been a while since I posted (ashamedly) I have had some pretty cool things happening. Had a trip (ironically enough) to Sheridan Wyoming to celebrate Easter with my family. I know I have some pictures some place. Think I might be getting senile, I can't remember anything. We had a really great time. I know the kids just loved playing with their cousins. Bre and Arianna amazed us all. It was almost a year since the two saw each other last and they picked up right where they left off a year ago. I was very proud of Michael during that trip. He was wonderful with his younger cousins, and the two of them chaperoned very nicely at the kids table during Easter Supper. I give kudos to Allison. Just wish I was able to spend more time with them.

Ok, one thing that is so incredible about my job is we get some of the most beautiful skylines, or maybe it's just that we notice it more cause, well we are always looking up!!!! Unless of course we're in the tower, then obviously not. Recently we had to play touch and go with Mother Nature. It's a rare occurrence when she loses as far as that goes. 300 hundred feet in the air with lightening is not conducive to a long, healthy life, so when it shows up... we disappear. The following pictures were of a day that we did do a disappearing act eventually, but not before I got some nice picture of the towers with cool looking clouds as the backdrop. Enjoy!!!

This one is cool, well simply put we were literally in the clouds on the ground!!!

Finally some pictures!!!

Ok so I finally found the usb cable needed to hook up my camera to my computer. As a result I have some fairly cool pictures of the area I am in, as well as a couple of what we were doing. I would like to take more of the actions ones, but unfortunately work tends to get in the way of that. I have it in the works to get some photos taken by our safety guy, most of which are of us putting it all together.


I took the one above because I thought it was really pretty. I have a few that are like that.


Hanging the blade on the one above. I wish I could figure out how to take night shots without them being so blurry. I am sure it's the shutter speed, but can't find the menu options to correct it. :(



What can I say, I like the view and I like the truck!!!

Texas, Almost Done!!!

OK, so I know it has been a while since my last post. But this coming week will be my last one in Texas, maybe not permantly as we have other jobs coming up down here, but for a while anyways. I will get to go home for the weekend, spend it with my kids, and probably leave Monday, maybe Tuesday next week to find a new home in Cheyenne Wyoming. All I have to say is cool!!! That puts me roughly 9 hours closer to my kids. I really hope cell service up there is better then hear, cause it just plain sucks down here. They say everything in Texas is bigger.... I think they forgot the cell towers. Anyway I have some cool pictures that I have taken throughout the course of the project, but I am having problems locating the cable to hook up the camera to my laptop. As soon as I do, I will post them on my next probably couple of blogs. Hopefully the internet set-up will be better there too. If it is I will be a little more consistent on my posts.