Service Flag

With the redeployment of my brother, Russ, to Afghanistan, I felt it appropriate and necessary to re-hang the service flag at my home.

Dating back to WWI, the service flag was originally stitched by hand, with the capacity of up to 6 blue stars being placed on the field of white. In the unfortunate event of a service member's death, the blue star was then covered with the gold star. This flag's tradition continued in the 2nd World War, with it carrying over slightly into the Korean War. Apparently, during Vietnam, the flag was not seen as often. With the new war on terror, it has again become a tradition of families across the nation to fly this flag to honor their family member(s) who are serving the country. I see it frequently here on the road in Washington, in a house, on a car, or flying on the family flag pole.

You can read more about it here.

Be safe Russ.

~N

End of trip

Home at last. Yes, as of Saturday evening I was officially home. I still don't feel quite home, as my body is still trying to adjust to not driving down rough roads, endless stretches of highway, or cabling up/provisioning our new systems.

I really wish I would've had the camera handy for the surprised look that I received when I announced my homecoming to Julie. Truly "shock and awe", or sheer befuddlement. I think my phone calls to her earlier in the day made the difference, especially telling her that we were heading south to fix some problems. I know, it is a terrible thing to do this trickery, but I think the surprise was worth it for both of us. I missed Julie dearly, and she missed me equally. It is a nice feeling to be missed like that.

So I am spending my first couple of days back reading notes of our trip, laying out my yards of receipts for expense reporting, and generally trying to unwind from the trip. 14 days, 3,555 miles, plenty of extra hours of work, and too many sleepless nights in motel rooms to remember. Not a rough life by any stretch, however it sure wore me out.

~N

The photo says it all.

Cedar City, Utah

Well out of the Cal-Nev-Ari portion of our trip, we now begin our leg towards Salt Lake City. Today was, hopefully, our last stop in Nevada and the desert southwest, where we left behind sunny skies and 70 degrees. Thinking back about one week before, some of us were stuck on the grapevine in a snow storm.

With yesterday as an off day, I'd say most of us were slightly recharged. We left behind one member of the core team to pick up another who is based in this area. We arrived here in Cedar City to a nice chilly 28 degrees. What else would one expect this time of year? I am enjoying the beautiful scenery that I've seen along the trip. Virgin River Gorge was stunning! This area is definitely someplace I need to bring back Julie and the kids too experience. I'm thinking early spring would be the best time to visit, before the temps get too high.

Well, off to bed, to try and stay ahead for once during the trip. I caught sight of a small cactus, and figured I should snap a photo of it since I hadn't captured one yet. A slow farewell to the desert behind me.

12 days on the road. Feels like more!

~N

Wagons East

We begin our next phase today. All of us are hoping for good weather as we head over into Utah. Noooo snow!

~N

Lost Wages again, but with a twist

Back into Las Vegas tonight/this early morning. Another long, super long, day on the job. We finished our leg from LV to Phoenix and are getting a day off tomorrow.

The boss is riding with me again today, and says, "Let's stay on the strip." Luxor we agree on, and we stop. Full. Off to the Excalibur, full. MGM? Full. New York, New York? Open for 350.00 per night. Hooters hotel, surely they can't be full. They are. Desperation setting in now as we've made a mistake by assuming that a random hotel would be open in Vegas, in January. A frantic call to Julie reveals that the Monte Carlo has rooms available for 159. We call and reserve them QUICK! Check in arrives, and there is an upgrade. How about an upgrade to the 29th floor suite? "For the same price?" The reply is yes, and of course I feel obligated to take this offer.

So here I sit, on this super comfy bed, 2 bathrooms, jet tub, kitchenette, terry cloth robe. I am soooo glad I get tomorrow off. I think I'm going for a massage...

Julie, wish you were here! Really, it is something! Miss you much and love you a more!

Good night all,

~N

Tired in Laughlin, NV

Yup, here I am in Laughlin, NV.

I'm tired, I'm here, I'm going to bed... good night all!

Go Carlee

Well Carlee had her third basketball game this Saturday. Papa Mike and Grandma Susan came to watch her. Unfortunately, it was another loss for Rockets. Carlee almost had a basket and was very pleased with herself. She is doing well and with every practice and game she is improving.

He Loves Me!!!

One week down three weeks to go...

On Friday, Neal sent me flowers at work. Oh how good he can make me feel even miles away.

I love you...Thank you...They are beautiful.

Julie

Lost Wages

Arrived at the never sleeping lost wages yesterday. Did laundry, worked more, got to my hotel, ate, and went to bed.

It was a nice drive from Needles to Las Vegas, scenic in a different way. Lots of desert driving to come, and I'm sure that there will be less of the scenery and more of just the highway.

2,000 miles since last Saturday 1/13/07. Many more to come.

Good day to work!

~N

Needles, CA

Hello from Needles, California!

I spent some time today sitting on my rear in Barstow because my truck had an issue with the right front brake caliper coming loose. Well, not just loose, one of the two bolts that holds the caliper on fell off somewhere in the LA metro area. I heard the noise last night and drove up next to my boss in the other truck to listen to it. We agreed to park it at a station somewhere and have it looked at. Thankfully it was a relatively quick fix, and only $50.00! Thanks to Barstow Tire & Brake for a quick fix and a reasonable price!!! That helped my company stay on time for our project.

Leaving Barstow behind in a roaring cloud of dust, our next stop was out near Amboy, CA. I am certain the population was somewhere near 7, but I cannot confirm that. We actually saw the once famous Roy's there on Route 66, and worked just around the corner from it. Sure could have used the motel there tonight, as when we finished in Amboy, we had to head east towards the next booming metropolis of Needles. So here our crew sits, each in our respective rooms, doing whatever it is the others may be doing and listening to the RAIN fall upon the roof.

I'd love to share a photo from the places we were at today, but with all the extra running around, time was short. Come to think of it, this trip has gone very fast, which is good! We are still on schedule, although the road blocks we've come across have really been tough. It's a good crew, and that right there makes the trip a ton easier. Hope to blog from a bigger town tomorrow night, and I hope to get some laundry done here real soon.

Here is a photo of some very "scenic" country earlier in the trip. I cannot recall which site it was, we've been to so many now that it is blurring together. Somewhere near Fresno if I can recall.

Love ya Julie, I'll be back soon!

~Neal

We're outta here!

The end result is that the team and I are happily out of the Los Angeles area! The long story of it is our navigator got lost, in LA, at rush hour! Details too numerous to write about here tonight.

All of us are very happy to be out of LA. Between some of the attitudes, the traffic, and the smog, we're all beat!

So with that, I am going to bed to rest my weary body. Here is a photo of the nicer day we had on Sunday, driving past Mt. Shasta.

Love ya Julie!!

~N

Pigs may fly!

Yes folks, pigs may actually flying soon. Today, January 17th, 2007 it snowed in parts of Los Angeles, California.

I am absolutely exhausted from the days events which contained the following items of note. Breakfast, leave Bakersfield, proceed towards L.A., climb the pass known as the grapevine, exit at Gorman, Ca in a fair sized snow storm, work at a site, leave site, re-enter I-5, and then sit for about 3 hours on the top of the grapevine pass.Even though we had 4x4 trucks, the highway was entirely blocked from guardrail to guardrail at different points. We spoke to CHP who told up to stay put, just to keep it easier on him we assume, due to the amount of accidents ahead of us. So we stayed, watched the passing flakes, and a movie on the laptop. Hard days work...lol.

More photos below.

~N

The __ state

The __ state,

This is the new motto for California. As quoted by one of my co-workers today, I would whole heartedly agree that this new motto be voted in by the residents of California, or maybe by congressional something decree it be blessed upon them.

This motto sums up the entire attitude, or "being" that is California. I suppose it is something to witness first hand versus just hearing about it. The __ state really can't be used elsewhere, due to the fact that only here does it fit. New York or somewhere on the east coast maybe, but I really think that it belongs here. I mean come on, this is where Hollywood is, this is where so much "happens." This is where if you don't drive 80, you're holding up commerce.

I don't understand it, but this is why I don't live here.

Blogging from the home of the late, great Buck Owens. If you're not sure, google it. We are due to be in Los Angeles tomorrow, and wow I am soooo looking forward to the traffic. The smog is noticeably worse the further south I go, however the mountains do add a good change of pace.

I was going to add that post blog last night, I went to sleep on what one would assume was a bed but I am certain it wasn't. I think that if I had uncovered it, the "cushion" would have said Weyerhauser plywood on it. It was really that hard.

Blog to you later!

Love you Julie! Miss you!

~N

p.s. the __ state is...... The Me State. Everywhere you go, it's about me, me, me...

Kettleman City, CA

The song by Dire Straits, "So Far Away From You" comes to mind after reading Smoochie Bear's first blog. I love and miss you too Julie! I'll be home soon, we're down here working hard and fast. It's Shake n Bake time! Inside joke at work.

3 fast food joints, one "real" restaurant, and the 2 motels. Not much here and not much out there in this part of California, but lots of farms. We saw lots of trucking depots out and about today. We also saw lots of highway, already over 1000 miles on this trip, and many more to come. Hope the weather gets better.

Woo-hoo, it was 54 degrees down here today, quite a bit warmer than it was at home. No photos from where we were at, but here's the scene...Eastern Washington.

More updates as the time permits, I'm beat and we've got much to do tomorrow.

~N

Time apart

Well today is the first day of what seems to be an eternity of time that Neal and I will be apart. Although work is a part of life, I have to admit I am already missing him dearly. I know we will talk everyday as usual, but nothing compares to having him home. Please pray for him as he travels many more miles and for his safe return.

I love you Neal, xoxo

Julie aka "Smoochie Bear"

Tracy, California

After 10 hours of driving down the grand old I-5 my boss and I made it safely to Tracy. We went from a chilly 20's to 30's up to a smoking hot 55! The weather was beautiful and that made for a good drive.

I'm tired, that was a lot of driving and a whole bunch more to come. I'll add a photo from the drive today, Mt. Shasta, later...

~N

Carlee's first hoops

Today was Carlee's baptism into the game of basketball. In fact, most of the kids on the team had their first game today.

It is obvious that practice is much different from the real deal, but developing is the key. The other team looked as though they had played together before, they played well. Our team, The Rockets, got pretty much steamrolled but they played their hearts out and had fun. That is the real reason to play, have fun.

Too many of todays athletes and parents have forgotten that fun is first. They're concerned about the flashy moves, the glory they think is owed to them, and the money. Oh the money...

Here are a some photos from the game, and the final score. Good job Carlee! Keep up the "have fun" attitude, we're all proud of you!

~N

The tropical paridse

Oh it is a balmy 8 degrees here in Pasco this fine morning! The best news is that there isn't snow falling, or ice pellets, or any major news sources close by to make it look like Armageddon!

I think it is really funny how much overplay the bigger city news has to make things, especially weather, to keep up their ratings. Actually, it is not funny at all, it is more like a bunch of kids walking in a circle saying, "Oh yeah well my dad..." It really is a t.v. drama of it's own, played out each night at 5, 6, and 11.

Just give me the damned news, weather, and sports without the drama or "STORM ALERT", "BREAKING NEWS" or crap like that. Half of the time or more, the talking heads look like morons trying to fill the air time with chatter on a subject they don't even know anything about. Just tell it like it is, and get back to us later. "A plane has crashed in the town of X. We'll return you to your program now, and give you an educated report at 6 or 11, or when the experts tell us what happened."

Well, time to hop off my soap box here. Read some "breaking news" from the www, and drink my morning cup of joe. I leave for Cali tomorrow, and that means leaving Julie behind for all those final details of the wedding I won't be able to help with.

Comet

I had the pleasure of showing Carlee, and her friend Daly the new visitor to our heavens above! The McNaught comet is currently hovering low in the evening sky, as if it is chasing the warmth of the sun that so magnificently radiates the streaming tail.

I am hopeful that someday Carlee will appreciate the value of what I've been able to show her in space viewing. Especially the rarity of comets.

I woke this fine morning to

No snow, no rain, nada!

What is up with the forecast of snow, cold temps, and then we get nothing?! Argh, I wish I had a job where 50-60% of the time I could be wrong. These guys do have it easy here, when 80% of the time they can predict sun and wind, they'll get it right most of the time.

Oh well...here is a picture from the tropical island of Vashon, where the snow seems to be piling up as of last night.

Coming soon...

In an effort to really get this blog off to a flying start, I've decided to post again!

I was thinking about what is on the plate for Julie and me in the next few weeks as the wedding draws near.

• Finalizing plans and details for the wedding.
• Neal has to leave town for a major project in California, Nevada, and Arizona.
• Julie is left with no help...

Sure seems fair to me! Not really, but with my leaving for this job, the wedding should be all paid for in cash by the actual day of. What a fantastic feeling to know that it's paid in full and no debts owed! Talk about another way to get off on the right foot.

I'll try to blog from California, and points beyond. We'll see how much I can talk Julie into posting on this!

~N

The Opening Act

Hello and welcome to our blog.

Apparently this is the new, hip thing to do around the good old internet(s). I guess the biggest question will be this: How often will it be updated? I DON'T KNOW!

So, sit back, enjoy the thoughts, and participate where you wish!

Love to all,
Neal and Julie

(although it'll be more Neal than Julie at this point)