Wow, i must be having fun, cause time sure is flying!
Big day tomorrow, it's officially my last day as an HP employee. Without going into the minutia of it, i was told i had to move to Texas in order to keep my job, and we don't have a desire to leave family, friends and the Pacific Northwest, so instead of waiting till the last minute to be kicked off the bus, i found a stop i liked and got off. I'm bummed to leave a job that i was good at, that i enjoyed (most of the time) and the people i worked with, but such is how the world turns. I'm going back to school in aspirations of getting a GIS (geographic information systems) certificate from Oregon State University. It should take just over a year to get the certificate, so i'm hoping the economy picks up by then and i'll be able to find a job in that field. First term went well, i took two courses to make sure i was interested and motivated to be in school, and i ended up earning a 3.87 GPA - not too shabby for an old dude like me :)
I'm "taking the summer off", working around the house, taking some trips to see family & friends, etc. I'm excited for the downtime and have already gotten off to a pretty decent start.
I'll try to find time to take some pictures and post some info about what's going on - i *should* have more time now ...
Monday, June 29, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
A Day at the Cape
Back in the day, i had been to Cape Town, but had never spent much time there - so it was great to do some driving around and seeing the sights. We went to the Cape of Good Hope which is in the Table Mountain National Park. Seeing as i hadn't seen any Proteas in a while, i had to take a picture of one. The King Protea is South Africa's national flower - this is not a King, but it looked cool.
The Cape of Good Hope has some significant nautical history - it's not the southern-most tip of Africa, but it does signify the point at which sailors could stop heading directly south. In the 1400s, a couple Portuguese explorers left some landmarks. Below is a replica of the one left by Vasco da Gama. The information sign said the original was placed in 1488 and that it's whereabouts are unknown - so this has been erected in it's place.
Closer to the coastline there is a lighthouse with a path winding up a series of WWII watchpoints. It turns out that Toby is not all that fond of heights, but he hid it well and even got some 'over the edge' pictures.
How could we resist a hike to a lighthouse on the coast?
We got another picture with Susie's hair pretty much straight up in the air from the wind, but i've been "requested" not to post it.
We didn't stop at it, but there is a second similar landmark that had been placed by Bartolomeu Diaz (not sure what year).
We drove around the rest of the park as it is more of a nature reserve. We saw some animals that i didn't expect to see - bontebok, tsesebe, eland, ostrich, and white deer.
The Cape of Good Hope has some significant nautical history - it's not the southern-most tip of Africa, but it does signify the point at which sailors could stop heading directly south. In the 1400s, a couple Portuguese explorers left some landmarks. Below is a replica of the one left by Vasco da Gama. The information sign said the original was placed in 1488 and that it's whereabouts are unknown - so this has been erected in it's place.
Closer to the coastline there is a lighthouse with a path winding up a series of WWII watchpoints. It turns out that Toby is not all that fond of heights, but he hid it well and even got some 'over the edge' pictures.
How could we resist a hike to a lighthouse on the coast?
We got another picture with Susie's hair pretty much straight up in the air from the wind, but i've been "requested" not to post it.
We didn't stop at it, but there is a second similar landmark that had been placed by Bartolomeu Diaz (not sure what year).
We drove around the rest of the park as it is more of a nature reserve. We saw some animals that i didn't expect to see - bontebok, tsesebe, eland, ostrich, and white deer.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
We arrive in South Africa
Paris was a great stopping point, but to reach our destination we had to catch another 10.5 hour flight. When we had selected our seats, the plane looked relatively empty, so we were hoping for some stretching room. Things started out looking good, but before long we realized the flight was pretty much full. Susie and i sat next to a South African lady that now lives in London. It was great meeting and getting to know her a little bit.
We landed in Johannesburg at O.R. Tombo airport and after a quick lunch with Guy - a guy that sat next to Toby and Lynne'e - we boarded another flight to head down to Cape Town. Interesting bit of trivia for you all ... both Tam, the lady we sat next to, and Guy went to school in Pietermaritzburg ... yes, the same city i went to boarding school in. It's a small world!
The Cape Town airport is being overhauled for the 2010 World Cup, so it wasn't much to talk about, but the plans for the new airport looked impressive. We picked up our rental car and headed to our first couple night's stay in Wellwood Lodge in Fish Hoek. After a good night's sleep and a great breakfast the next morning we set out in search of some penguins. So to Simonstown - The Boulders - we went.
We found a place to park (and someone to watch our car as long as we were willing to tip them) and headed to the water. There is a really nice wooden boardwalk setup to assist you in your penguin search; and along said boardwalk were some very descriptive bins.
After trekking a while (about 5 minutes) we came upon some birds on the rocks.
Along with another helpful sign.
The area is setup as a sanctuary, but is a good mix of allowing you to easily see the wildlife without encroaching too far into their space. Part of the incentive not to encroach was the nasty green sludge that the penguins were hanging out near. We couldn't figure out what the deal was, but i hope it's not what i think it is.
Susie did find some non-sludged ground to get down and bridge the gap between human and penguin kind. It's a good thing she did, lest relations run afoul (get it ... a foul?).
We landed in Johannesburg at O.R. Tombo airport and after a quick lunch with Guy - a guy that sat next to Toby and Lynne'e - we boarded another flight to head down to Cape Town. Interesting bit of trivia for you all ... both Tam, the lady we sat next to, and Guy went to school in Pietermaritzburg ... yes, the same city i went to boarding school in. It's a small world!
The Cape Town airport is being overhauled for the 2010 World Cup, so it wasn't much to talk about, but the plans for the new airport looked impressive. We picked up our rental car and headed to our first couple night's stay in Wellwood Lodge in Fish Hoek. After a good night's sleep and a great breakfast the next morning we set out in search of some penguins. So to Simonstown - The Boulders - we went.
We found a place to park (and someone to watch our car as long as we were willing to tip them) and headed to the water. There is a really nice wooden boardwalk setup to assist you in your penguin search; and along said boardwalk were some very descriptive bins.
After trekking a while (about 5 minutes) we came upon some birds on the rocks.
Along with another helpful sign.
The area is setup as a sanctuary, but is a good mix of allowing you to easily see the wildlife without encroaching too far into their space. Part of the incentive not to encroach was the nasty green sludge that the penguins were hanging out near. We couldn't figure out what the deal was, but i hope it's not what i think it is.
Susie did find some non-sludged ground to get down and bridge the gap between human and penguin kind. It's a good thing she did, lest relations run afoul (get it ... a foul?).
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Africa trip - touring Paris
After hitting the Cathedral Notre Dame, we headed to the Eiffel Tower - what trip to Paris is complete without seeing that? I'm not sure if it's standard fare, but there was a circle of stars on the front - i don't recall ever seeing those in pictures, but maybe i hadn't been paying close enough attention?
Just in case you were wondering, it was a tad chilly, especially when you're armed with a wardrobe that's ready to head to summer in South Africa. I might have mentioned this in the last post, if not, i might say it again sometime, it was pretty stinking cold.
Once we were sufficiently amazed by the tower, we headed towards the Champs-Elysees (i would spell it with all the accents, but i can't find them on the keyboard) in hopes of seeing the Arc de Triomphe. Oddly enough, we headed in the correct direction and intersected the avenue about half-way between the arc and the ferris wheel (i prefer paris wheel). I would have preferred that a French car had been in the picture, but in the grand scheme of things, you can't complain when a BMW shows up.
Lining the avenue on both sides were stands with people selling Christmas goodies. I didn't check, but i'm guessing most of the goods being sold were made in China, but it was a really cool atmosphere. We wandered down to the ferris wheel. We never did figure out if it's a permanent ferris wheel, or if it was brought in specifically for Christmas. It sits on the Concorde with the Obelisque de Louxor.
After a brief shuffle down the Tuileries Palace - or should i say the remains of it from it's destruction in 1871 - we found the Louvre. Of all the things in Paris, the Louvre is the one thing i HAD to see. I wish we could have spent a couple days there, but we only had around 2 hours. It was just enough time to hustle through some of the more famous displays [ the Main Entrance, the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, Aphrodite (the Venus de Milo), etc ]. We also spent a little time in my favorite paintings - 17th century Italian! There is so much more i wish we could have seen - i believe i could spend a week just in the Louvre and still not feel like i saw everything - but i'm very glad we did get a chance to pop in.
Time was starting to run short, so we bolted the Louvre, hopped back on the subway and scooted back to Charles de Gaulle. Turns out the subway got back faster than we expected, so i took the chance for a little catnap.
Just in case you were wondering, it was a tad chilly, especially when you're armed with a wardrobe that's ready to head to summer in South Africa. I might have mentioned this in the last post, if not, i might say it again sometime, it was pretty stinking cold.
Once we were sufficiently amazed by the tower, we headed towards the Champs-Elysees (i would spell it with all the accents, but i can't find them on the keyboard) in hopes of seeing the Arc de Triomphe. Oddly enough, we headed in the correct direction and intersected the avenue about half-way between the arc and the ferris wheel (i prefer paris wheel). I would have preferred that a French car had been in the picture, but in the grand scheme of things, you can't complain when a BMW shows up.
Lining the avenue on both sides were stands with people selling Christmas goodies. I didn't check, but i'm guessing most of the goods being sold were made in China, but it was a really cool atmosphere. We wandered down to the ferris wheel. We never did figure out if it's a permanent ferris wheel, or if it was brought in specifically for Christmas. It sits on the Concorde with the Obelisque de Louxor.After a brief shuffle down the Tuileries Palace - or should i say the remains of it from it's destruction in 1871 - we found the Louvre. Of all the things in Paris, the Louvre is the one thing i HAD to see. I wish we could have spent a couple days there, but we only had around 2 hours. It was just enough time to hustle through some of the more famous displays [ the Main Entrance, the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, Aphrodite (the Venus de Milo), etc ]. We also spent a little time in my favorite paintings - 17th century Italian! There is so much more i wish we could have seen - i believe i could spend a week just in the Louvre and still not feel like i saw everything - but i'm very glad we did get a chance to pop in.
Time was starting to run short, so we bolted the Louvre, hopped back on the subway and scooted back to Charles de Gaulle. Turns out the subway got back faster than we expected, so i took the chance for a little catnap.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Africa trip part 1
Susie and i took most of December to go to Africa to visit mom and dad (Friberg) before they retire from being missionaries there. I had great plans of blogging every couple days while we were on the trip, but Internet access was a bit of a problem, so i'm going to do a little catch-up work and hopefully will recall any details i need.
We flew out of PDX on December 2nd and met up with Toby and Lynne'e at LAX. Air France had the cheapest air fare, so we headed to Paris for a 12 hour layover on our way to Johannesburg. On a side note, i was quite pleased with Air France. We flew on Boeing 777-300's which i think are the newest of the 777 family. The service was excellent and the food was good. I'd fly with them again.
The flight to Paris was around 10 1/2 hours and none of us really slept that much. The seats on the plane were fairly comfortable, and all things considered, there was enough leg room, but those seats are clearly not made for adults to be able to sleep in. I sat next to a German guy that was coming back from the SEMA auto show. He works in Italy for Lamborghini - i want his job.
We made it to Paris in one piece, and had around 12 hours to do some sight seeing. One of the other passengers gave us some tips on how to get around on the subway, so we plotted a course and headed out to see the City of Lights.
Paris was chilly and raining on and off, but not bad enough of either that it stopped us from doing our tour. Warmer clothes would have been a wise choice, but since we were on our way to summer in South Africa, our wardrobes were a little slim.
We caught the subway into town and wandered around in search of something to eat. We found a small cafe and headed in to get out of the rain. Right across from the cafe were these Christmas trees - it seemed funny that in the middle of Paris we would find Christmas trees for sale, but there they were, and were priced around 70 Euro each (around $100).
After a light lunch, we decided to go to Notre Dame. We asked directions and somehow in the translation i snuck a 'si' in which the French cafe owner understood, but thought was very funny that i didn't use an 'oui'.
The directions were a little vague, i suppose there might have been some steps lost in translation, but eventually we found it.
It seemed a little sacrilegious to take pictures in a church, but it was quite awesome in there. This is one of the two huge stained glass windows that are approximately in the center of the cathedral.
After Notre Dame, we headed to the Eiffel Tower - i'll put that in a new post ...
We flew out of PDX on December 2nd and met up with Toby and Lynne'e at LAX. Air France had the cheapest air fare, so we headed to Paris for a 12 hour layover on our way to Johannesburg. On a side note, i was quite pleased with Air France. We flew on Boeing 777-300's which i think are the newest of the 777 family. The service was excellent and the food was good. I'd fly with them again.
The flight to Paris was around 10 1/2 hours and none of us really slept that much. The seats on the plane were fairly comfortable, and all things considered, there was enough leg room, but those seats are clearly not made for adults to be able to sleep in. I sat next to a German guy that was coming back from the SEMA auto show. He works in Italy for Lamborghini - i want his job.
We made it to Paris in one piece, and had around 12 hours to do some sight seeing. One of the other passengers gave us some tips on how to get around on the subway, so we plotted a course and headed out to see the City of Lights.
Paris was chilly and raining on and off, but not bad enough of either that it stopped us from doing our tour. Warmer clothes would have been a wise choice, but since we were on our way to summer in South Africa, our wardrobes were a little slim.
We caught the subway into town and wandered around in search of something to eat. We found a small cafe and headed in to get out of the rain. Right across from the cafe were these Christmas trees - it seemed funny that in the middle of Paris we would find Christmas trees for sale, but there they were, and were priced around 70 Euro each (around $100).
After a light lunch, we decided to go to Notre Dame. We asked directions and somehow in the translation i snuck a 'si' in which the French cafe owner understood, but thought was very funny that i didn't use an 'oui'.
The directions were a little vague, i suppose there might have been some steps lost in translation, but eventually we found it.
It seemed a little sacrilegious to take pictures in a church, but it was quite awesome in there. This is one of the two huge stained glass windows that are approximately in the center of the cathedral.
After Notre Dame, we headed to the Eiffel Tower - i'll put that in a new post ...
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Announcing "Sparkle Avenger"
Sparkle Avenger
I'm going to post the few pictures of the WOU Gladiator Challenge and let Mike do the commentary since he viewed the event from the stands. He'll give you the spectator's perspective. Here is the pose I chose when I was introduced. As you can see it needs some work. The ending stance is more in line of "Walk Like an Egyptian" not a Gladiator.
I'm going to post the few pictures of the WOU Gladiator Challenge and let Mike do the commentary since he viewed the event from the stands. He'll give you the spectator's perspective. Here is the pose I chose when I was introduced. As you can see it needs some work. The ending stance is more in line of "Walk Like an Egyptian" not a Gladiator.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
The Finished Look
I thought Mike had posted the final touches of the sink hardware. Here it is. The faucet is a good match with the decor. All Mike needs to do now is caulk the baseboards and put in a door plate between the carpet and the travertine. Maybe this weekend.
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