ifr into dodge city

I should be able to log .7 hours of IFR this morning, driving to Dodge City in heavy fog. If you’re a pilot, you understand. If you’re not a pilot; well, it was very foggy.  I actually used my GPS receiver to tell me how far I was from my required turns, because the fog was so thick. Yes, I drove below the speed limit, and no, I didn’t use my bright headlights.

I am staying with my brother-in-law and his wife, about fourty-five miles southwest of Dodge City, while I wait for an apartment to become available in town. That means I have a ninety minute round trip commute ever Monday through Friday. Add to that the three hundred miles I’m piling on my truck or motorcycle driving home to Wichita every weekend, and you come up with just about seven hundred miles a week!  I should get ‘professional driver’ status in the truck stops.

Here’s a picture from a lookout point on Highway 50, just east of Dodge City. This feedlot sits just across the road from the packing plant you can see in the distance. I’m told it will smell much worse in July and August. Imagine the anticipation.

 

 

As I mentioned before,  I’m still waiting to get in to my new apartment. When I first made the arrangements, the unit was to be available June 1st. Then it was May 1st.  Near the end of April, I called the apartment to firm things up, and got the bad news. The leasing office girls made a mistake, and the apartment was not going to be available until June 1st. Is that a problem?

My home, for now.

Just a wee one. But wait! The owner of the apartments felt so bad, that she gave me the first month’s rent free when I move in first of next month. Win! And free cable! Okay, so they give free cable to everybody, but still, it’s a win!

 

The job is going well, and is very interesting. I’m working with a CAD system that designs, draws and archives maps for copper and fiber telecom cables. My boss is actually in Austin, Texas, so I have no one actually looking over my shoulder, so to speak.  You can imagine that it’s pretty relaxed.

As the weather warms up, I’ll be moving around Dodge City more, with my cameras in hand. I got my Dodge City Library card today, so soon I’ll begin doing the research into the history of this gateway to the wild west. And of course, the new Boot Hill Casino is rapidly taking shape just west of town, so I’ll snap more pictures this week to show you what it looks like now.  Until next time, thanks for reading.

dodge city dazed…

I’ve been occupied with the temporary move to Dodge City, Kansas, and haven’t been focused enough to write anything here for about a month. Thanks for waiting.

As I mentioned last time, my company is in the process of downsizing about twenty thousand people all over the world, and some of them were in Kansas. I had options to take a modest severance package or seek work elsewhere with the company. I chose elsewhere, which happened to be Dodge City, Kansas.

Eventually, I will be working as a Computer Aided Design Technical Specialist at my new assignment. I think my company was surprised that anyone agreed to take job in Dodge City, because they had no training plan in place for my new job. To be fair, there is a union contract being negotiated and possible strike looming right now at my company, and there’s no doubt that is the focus of the middle and lower level managers who would normally be training me right now.

I’ve had a difficult time finding a place to live in Dodge City. There are major road, jail and casino construction projects (probably all related, somehow) going on right now. Those projects have made decent rental properties very scarce.  I finally found a nice apartment, but it won’t be ready for another three weeks. After three weeks in a hotel, and three weeks taking advantage of the kindness of nearby relatives, I’ll be ready for a place to call my own.

When I get settled in the apartment, I’ll write more about work, life and the social experience that is Dodge City. The area is rich with history, as I found out at a lecture last week. I will have much to write about over the coming months, and I hope you’ll find some of it relevant. I’ll be including some photos, too, of my new home and some points of interest for you to look at. Until then, thanks for letting me share.

go west, young man.

Just like nearly everyone else, I have been touched by this recession. My company has nearly 300,000 employees world-wide, and even before the market nose-dived last year they announced a plan to cut costs, slash jobs and increase share value.  I’m a stock-holder, and have been for longer than I’ve been an employee, so I understand this. It’s nothing personal.

As an employee, however, I am affected in a very personal way. At the end of October last year, seventy of my co-workers and I were “surplussed”; my company’s definition of a “layoff”. Some retired, while some took a severance package that could equal a year’s wages. With just nine years service, mine was much less than that.

However, my company has a labor contract that requires them to offer me another job in Kansas if I am in danger of being laid off. If I accept a relocation, I get a new job with the company, often at a lower rate of pay. If I refused the job offer, I would be out-the-door with nothing more than unused vacation pay and unemployment benefits. No golden parachute. No gold watch. Just a “Thanks for everything. Please give us your key-card and ID badge. Goodbye.”

I don’t want to move. My wife has a very good job. My son enjoys and thrives in his school. While they really can’t move, we discovered that I, in fact, can. Two good incomes in today’s economy will be necessary, and I won’t find comparable work anytime soon here. It was a very difficult decision for me. Just ask my wife. But reality and the economy won out.

Two weeks from today, I report to my new job in Dodge City, Kansas.

a quick update….

Sadie got adopted!

Sadie has a new family! She was adopted over the weekend from the Kansas Humane Society. If you read my previous post, you know what a difficult decision it had been to give her up. We’re just delighted that she’s found a new home, and will take her rightful place as Queen of the House with some other lucky family.

But we still miss you, girl.

a humane choice

Yesterday our family made a very difficult decision. We took a one of our dogs to the Kansas Humane Society to be adopted by another family.

We’ve never had a pure-bred animal at our house. They’ve all been shelter-adopted and well-loved by our family.  Sadie was a special dog from the day she came to live with us as a puppy. A Border Collie Mix, she came from a shelter in my in-laws hometown in Texas. My wife fell in love with her and brought her home after a weekend visit a few years ago.

Within a couple of weeks, Sadie got sick with Parvovirus. A disease that often kills young dogs if not treated quickly, Parvo was a real fight for Sadie. She spent nearly two weeks in a vet hospital, and we spent nearly eight hundred dollars. Extreme by some people’s standards, including mine.  But a young veterinarian took a special interest in her, and we all pulled for Sadie’s recovery. Soon, Sadie came home to grow into our family.

We had an older dog, adopted in 1994 from the Humane Society in Columbia, Missouri. Soon, it became apparent that the puppy was really giving the older dog a real work-out; one he didn’t particularly enjoy. As she grew, Sadie became even more active.

One day, while at the Humane Society to help a friend adopt a cat, my wife fell in love with another pound-puppy, a Golden Retriever mix that begged to come home with her.  And then we had three dogs; Buddy, Sadie and now Abbey. My wife thought that Abbey would play with Sadie, and give old Buddy a rest.

But Sadie had other ideas. She soon became the dominant female and constantly assaulted the new female dog. It got to the point where the Golden Retriever wouldn’t even come out from under our bed. Nothing we tried; treating her with deference in front of the other dogs, separating them when we could; giving her extra attention; nothing seemed to help. More recently, she has become aggressive toward our other dogs, and sometimes people when they get between her and my wife. That was the real turning point for us.

My wife took Sadie to the Humane Society on Friday, even though I offered to do it for her on Saturday. Although very painful for my wife, she felt that an extra day would give Sadie a better chance of being adopted over the weekend. Behavorial staff at the Humane Society told her that Sadie might do well in a single-dog family, pending an evaluation on Saturday. We are hopeful that she can be placed in a loving home where she can be the center of attention that every dogs wants to be.

Even though the remaining animals at our house will be considerably calmer now, we are filled with sorrow that we had to make a very difficult decision about an animal that we cared very much about. Some will say that we spread our household too thin, having so many dogs. Maybe they’re right. It doesn’t make it any easier, though.

keep in touch

President Barack Obama’s use of technology, including his most coveted Blackberry has been the focus of a large amount of media attention lately. Questions about security, privacy, and isolation as the leader of the free world have sparked debates about appropriate and prudent use of today’s communications technology.

Do I think Obama is going to text a jogging buddy in Chicago to ask his opinion about a sensitive military issue? No. Do I think searching his Blackberry for scores on a Cubs, Sox or Bears game is going to get in the way of a meeting with the Joint Chiefs? I doubt it.

What I hope he will do is use it to keep in touch with people like a small group of non-Washington types who knew him when he was a Community Organizer. People

Order a tactical air-strike, not a pizza

who knew what he stood for before the campaign promises, and people who can give him unique and personal perspective on the issues on the minds of everyone outside the beltway.

One thing I’m not worried about is security. Obama’s close staff will have at their disposal many high-tech devices for those really important calls that demand absolute privacy and confidentiality. Devices like the General Dynamics Sectera Edge, pictured at right, are sure to be among the tools used to keep our high-tech President constantly connected to his staff and military leaders, no matter where he goes in the world. Dropped calls? Not likely. According to the General Dynamics PR, this thing is built like a tank, and can withstand some pretty punishing treatment. I have no doubt

Spell: d-y-s-l-e-x-i-c

that the President will be secure and in touch using such devices to communicate with complete security.

And it’s leaps and bounds ahead of the previous Commander-In-Chief used to communicate his thoughts and ideas.

Whether Barack Obama uses a Blackberry to talk to his friends isn’t really important. What’s important is what he says in person to other world leaders, members of Congress, and the American people. What he does in this first hundred days is even more important.

That’s what I’ll be paying attention to.

the iceman commeth…the iceman taketh away….

It’s become a turf war in my office building. We had an ice machine in one of our 4th floor break rooms, which used to serve almost 200 employees.  Now that we’ve dwindled in number to just seven souls on our floor, we arguably don’t have the high demand for ice in our drinks.  But we did have that ice machine.

A few weeks ago, it stopped making ice. After  a week or so, someone came to fix it. But alas, it was terminal, and the decision was made to order a new ice machine. We were ecstatic! And then, it happened.

Some enterprising sales weasel from the 2nd floor, also hemorrhaging people in a major downsizing of our company, bribed the building manager to have the new ice machine installed in their break room. You see, even though we only have seven people right now, that number is expected to swell to well over one hundred and seventy-five in the coming months, as a new group moves in. So what are we left with? A gaping hole in our break room, and no ice machine at all! Now we have to drink our water and tea at room temperature!!! The audacity of those sales weasels on the 2nd floor!

The last remaining hostages….I mean, hard-working thirsty crew members on the fourth floor, are plotting our next move. We’ve already ruled out stealing the toliet paper from their restrooms on the second floor. I mean, you’ve got to draw the line somewhere. But we vow to not go quiety. That’s our nature.

If you have any ides for a sweet revenge, pass them along to me in a comment. And watch this blog for updates to the iceman taketh away….

our aviation history revealed

Wichita has been known as the “Air Capital” for decades now. But if you don’t fly a plane or work in the aircraft industry, much of what you know about aviation in Wichita comes from news stories about layoffs and government contracts.  But there’s so much more to this story.

The Kansas Aviation Museum, George Washington Boulevard at 31st St South tells the story of the birth of aviation in Wichita with passion and pride. But so many Wichitans have never passed through the gates of this aviation monument, and they’ve missed a truly great experience unique to Wichita.

You won’t be able to use money as an excuse not to visit the museum later this month, during a FREE public open house. You caught the word FREE, didn’t you?  Read this press release, and show up to see why Wichita is known as the Air Capital!

Kansas Aviation Museum to Hold Open House

On Thursday, January 22 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., the Kansas Aviation Museum will hold an open house to showcase our newly renovated lobby, Open Archive Area (formerly the Engine Room) and he newly completed Lattner Foundation Education & Archive Center.  In addition, the open house will unveil for the first time a new exhibit that features a detailed map of Wichita with all aviation manufacturing companies identified (beginning with the early days of aviation to the present) along with photographs of their buildings and more detailed information regarding the most prominent of these companies.  This exhibit will also include information sheets intended to be taken by guests and used to conduct a self-guided driving tour of early Wichita aviation companies like Stearman, Swallow, Swift and the like.

There is no charge for the event, it is open to the public and all are encouraged to attend.  Appetizers will be available (hosted by Larkspur) and each attendee will get one drink ticket for the wine and beverage bar.

The Kansas Aviation Museum is dedicated to the preservation of Kansas Aviation History.  The collection includes early Stearmans and Swallows both complete and under restoration, experimental planes conceived and constructed by Kansans, a KC135, a B-47 under restoration, a children’s activity center and much, much more.  The museum is open to the public Monday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

For further information about this event, contact Lon Smith at 316-683-9242 or by email at lonsmith@kansasaviationmuseum.org.

I’ve been a supporter of the Kansas Aviation Museum for years now, but just became an offical member last year. I don’t know if you’ll appreciate it as much as I do now, but for free admission, what do you have to lose? Go check it out on January 22nd for FREE!

birthdays, new years, do-overs

On January 3rd, I celebrate my 49th birthday. Wow. When I was younger, I couldn’t even imaging being this old. It’s amazing how your perspective changes as you age. I thought I’d be fat, old, tired and used up by now.  Damn, I’m a clairvoyant!

Really, though, I don’t think of myself as old. I’m a little overweight, sure. But tired?  Nope. (first one up on New Year’s Day, even!) Used up? Hope not! Not to my wife and son anyway. Am I where I wanted to be in my life by now? Yep. Pretty much, except for the weight thing, and I’m working on that.  I have a great wife, pretty good kids, a nice house, and all the big-boy toys I could want. A really good job pays for those. I don’t think I want any do-overs.

As a society we are becoming more aware of the world around us. The Internet can take much credit for that. I’m more politically active now than I’ve ever been. Not more radical, just more active. Do we all get that way when we get older? Ironically, it’s more fun now. Having George Bush for President for 8 years  cost the Republicans some street cred, but it sure got a lot of people involved in the process. That’s a good thing.

New Year’s resolutions? Don’t think so. I’m still working on the ones from last year. And 2007. I’ll get back to you on that.

Happy Birthday to me!

eating like birds

The birds outside our kitchen window are attacking the bird seed my wife put out in the snow for them today. I was amazed at how much they appeared to be eating, since they were so small. But them I realized how hard they were having to work for their meal. First, they would swoop down and scoop up a seed. Then, they’d fly up to a safe place in the pear tree to eat it. Some of them had to be cracked open, and that took quite an effort. Then, they’d swoop back down and grab another seed. Back up to the tree, sometimes having to fight a larger bird for their prize. All together, quite an undertaking for sometime so tiny.

If I had to fight for each nibble of a double-quarter-pounder, or could only take one bite of food away from the buffet line at a time, I’d be in much better off. I could eat all day and still stay in shape because I’m gettimg my exercise while I’m foraging for food. Come to think of it, might take all day. I’m a pretty big guy. When would I have time to work, so I’d be able to pay for the house, the cars, the Internet access, etc.

Guess I’ll have to just make smarter choice when I eat food that someone else harvested or prepared for me. If I can do that, and keep up with the exercise plan I bragged about undertaking in my last post, maybe I can come closer to my goal. And I won’t have to eat bird seed.