It's been an interesting last couple of weeks. First there was the trip to St. Louis for Blake and Hannah's wedding, rounded out with a brewery tour and some time around the arch. No sooner than we had gotten back to town than I started re-packing for Europe. Destination Germany. Monday morning I was in the Blazer headed down to CR with a bag packed and laptops aplenty. The initial leg to Detroit was quite favorable and I was able to experiment with various window configurations for the new building using the MBA. Oddly, the woman next to me spent much time flipping through her binder of what appeared to be window configurations and cross-sections. After a short while she realized what I was doing and we struck up a conversation about...windows.
The 4 hour layover in Detroit went much quicker after a burger and a couple beers and after a bit I was in the air. I remember looking out the window as we went over St. John's Bay and watching the lights disappear into the darkness of night; next stop, Frankfurt.
The week was a blur of large and delicious meals, dark beers and little sleep. There's much to take in and much to wax philosophically about. Eventually I concluded that the people I traveled with were oblivious to their surroundings. I was searching out details- comparing and contrasting human behaviors, energy saving schemes, road signs and markings, construction details, similar but different items in stores, etc. They were searching out...bars. Eventually I got over the jet lag...just in time for the return trip. The 8 hour flight was made easier by the "on-demand" video system. I rewatched the highlights of The American, took in Unstoppable, and an awful movie, Hereafter. Described as "a thriller centered on three people who are haunted by morality". "Thriller" is not exactly the word that comes to mind.
Now it's been a week back in the country and I'm pretty much over the jet-lag. However a new problem...Construction Season.
Since we've been "on shutdown" I've had a little time to line the ducks up for April. Not only is the official move-in this weekend, but if weather holds for Sunday, the initial stages of construction will begin. This means hammering out details and drawings for the steel beams and columns, gathering materials for the downstairs framing, and at the same time getting the lodge back into shape. Today's post-work task was stocking up on 2x6's that were actually straight and usable, loading them all into the Blazer, and hauling them to the lodge. All 42 of 'em. Yesterday it was treated lumber post-work. The day before it was hauling the trailer to Waterloo for a load of glass and jalousie windows. And the day before that it was a lodge visit (damn mole!) and getting the trailer roadworthy.
Tomorrow, a visit to the steel fabricator's and the engine rebuild machinist. Plus starting on the Lodge's spring punch-list.
I think it's time for bed.
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