The Holidays

Cindy and I had a very nice Christmas at our new home. The holiday came up quickly for me, mainly because I was in Georgia over Thanksgiving and got behind on the preparations for Christmas but as usual things seemed to work out. Christmas Eve was over at Aunt Susie's for the traditional Holy Supper featuring potatoes several different ways, noodles several different ways, beans several different ways, cabbage several different ways, and mushroom soup. It's a Russian Orthodox strict fast meal with really nothing but starches and vodka. It inevitably leaves me with indigestion and a buzz. It is a good time although the crowd for the meal continues to shrink. This year it was just my aunt Sue, cousin Bobby, Cindy and me. Still, we had a very nice time and it's a very pleasant tradition despite the heartburn.

Santa did arrive at our new place

Christmas morning was just Cindy and I with the cats. It was a chilly morning so I started a nice fire and we spent a leisurely morning opening presents and eating Christmas cookies (indigestion, round 2). That evening, we headed over to sister Karen and brother Randy's home for dinner with a big chunk of the family on the Morford side. It was a very nice night in their beautiful home. We got to meet our great-nephew Magnus for the first time. He's a well behaved and happy child who is fortunate to have such loving and doting parents.The next couple days were spent leisurely opening a few presents and watching movies; really the first time in years we've just relaxed at home.

We had enough snow to run the snow blower in the middle of the month. I was way out of practice not having operated the thing in two years and I made some pretty crooked paths up and down the driveway. I need to adjust the little skid plates on the sides of the blower to better clean the surface but in general it worked well. The weather remained cold with a bit of new snow here and there so we ended up with a white Christmas, although it did turn mild near the end of the month.

Santa knew what I needed as an amateur home restorer and many of my presents were tools or tool related. I got a new cordless drill and impact driver set. While my old Craftsman drill works just fine (I got it as a kid) it is a pain looking for places to plug in and dragging extension cords everywhere. To go with it, I got a new drill bit set. My old drill bits were as as old as the drill itself and basically had no ability to put a hole in anything they were so dull. I got a nice new socket and ratchet set, the kind where the sockets work with both English and Metric bolts. Santa also brought me a 17 foot folding ladder, one of those that locks into several different positions and can be used as scaffolding or a step ladder. It holds 300 pounds so I'll be fine as long as a I stop eating Christmas cookies and potatoes.

While not a Christmas gift I did notice a good sale at Harbor Freight and went out and bought myself an electric chainsaw. I know enough about and had enough experiences with chain saws to have a healthy respect for them and think I can trim trees and cut firewood without dropping a branch on my head or cutting my arm off. We'll see. Chainsaws are an extremely useful but dangerous tool that require a lot of maintenance and care. I've hesitated to own one for those reasons, but really needed it for tree trimming and work on the firewood.

Home Depot continues to call for me to pick up our windows. I hope to do that over the next couple days and should find some time to install them. That will actually give me a project to write about in an upcoming blog.

Travel

Do I travel a lot? I'm not sure. It seems so sometimes. Travel for me seems to come in bursts. I've recently had two long trips, to Arizona and to Georgia, both for work and the two couldn't have been more different. I do not mean the destination, which of course, are very different, I mean the trip itself. The Arizona trip was troublesome, with several frustrating events, while the trip to Georgia went smoothly, and reinforced some lessons I've learned on previous trips.

My only picture in Phoenix. This was a stop I needed to
make to get my weather equipment. It wasn't there. 

My ultimate destination. Fire camp in northern Arizona.

On the Arizona trip, I was booked on two different airlines by the government travel agency, a big mistake, and was booked through Newark Liberty Airport, another mistake. The trip to Newark from Binghamton is no longer available, and I will not miss it. The Newark Airport is confusing, period. I've been through most of the large airports in the country, and I'm not stupid, but I absolutely could not figure out how to get to my next gate. I finally asked a pilot (because there was no one from the airport around to help) standing in line for coffee, who seemed annoyed but was helpful, The gate search was complicated by the fact that I was changing airlines and required leaving the secure area and re-entering through a security check point. Not intuitive at all. Adding to my frustration was a lousy breakfast sandwich from a "deli", which was amazing since I consider the NYC metro area to have the best food in the nation. Upon arriving in Phoenix, I waited almost 45 minutes for my bags to arrive. Yes, I check luggage. A necessity when you are planning a 2 week dispatch that requires special equipment. I was concerned that my bags would be lost, a not uncommon occurrence when switching airlines mid tip. Without my equipment, I'm pretty much useless. Also, since I'm not staying in a nearby by hotel, but expected at a wilderness location hundreds of miles away that afternoon, they must be with me and not shipped later by the airline. After finally getting my bags, I went on a tour of the enormous Phoenix Sky Harbor Aiport. Lugging my stuff through elevators and trains to the car rental center I arrived at the counter. Here, I waited for an hour and a half for the rental car company to sort through computer issues and get me and about 40 other people, their cars. The frustration on this trip was compounded when I went to the nearby weather office to retrieve my weather equipment that I had shipped ahead, only to find out that through a series of miscommunications and errors, my instruments would not be available until Monday, two days later. Ironically, once I finally arrived in fire camp, I found quickly that the situation was winding down and I would be sent home in just a few days.

Me an a couple other IMETS at the command post.

My trip to Georgia was the polar opposite, and couldn't have gone smoother. I was leery of traveling through the Philadelphia Airport, given it's reputation, but the transfer between gates went smoothly, and my luggage made the connection. Upon arrival at the massive Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, I retrieved my bags almost immediately, and once again traveled through requisite train system to the rental car center. Upon arriving I was told by the friendly clerk that since I was a preferred member, I was to proceed directly to the garage and pick out my car. At the garage, another friendly clerk told me to pick any car I wanted out of the four long rows of vehicles. An immeasurably better experience than with the other company in Phoenix. I was on my way in no time and heading to the command post at the fire.

A lesson learned is certainly to join the free "club" of whatever rental car company you may be using. Being able to skip the interminable wait at the counter is a huge advantage, and I'll never do it again if I can avoid it, even if it costs me a few bucks. I have the good luck to often be selected for TSA Precheck, which puts in a much shorter line at the screening checkpoint, and allows you the luxury of leaving your shoes on, and your laptop in the bag. Much faster. If I traveled often, and was not selected like I am, (probably since they can see I'm on government travel from my ticket) I would look into applying online for a permanent precheck clearance.

Decorated tree and fire on a cold day.

On the home improvement front, progress has been nil. Upon returning from Georgia, we immediately picked out and cut down our Christmas tree and brought it in the house, The next couple days were spent decorating the tree and putting up the outdoor Christmas lights, which include a beautiful artificial garland around the picture window on the porch. I did spend more time working on the leak around the tub and made a significant improvement, although I bit more work is likely needed. We did hear from Home Depot and our windows are in. Need to get them home and find some time to install them and improve the insulation through the old windows.

It's been over a year since I started this blog and am pleased with the growth and audience. I've got several faithful readers in Germany and Russia, as well as other parts of Europe. Of course, I appreciate the support and kind words from friends and relatives. I hope to keep you interested through 2017. Happy Holidays!

Off to a fire

You may have heard that there's been a drought across the southeast, extreme by any measure, and the inevitable result is wildfires. As a part of my job, I am an Incident Meteorologist (IMET) available to be sent to these fires to provide weather for planning and the safety of personnel on the fire. So, I was called to the Rock Mountain Fire in extreme northeast Georgia around the middle of November, and now at the beginning of December I'm finally getting ready to head home.

A "portable" weather station set up
for the fire.

The fire started small, as they all do, but quickly spread in the extreme drought, burning freshly fallen oak leaves and small brush through the hardwood forest. It quickly became larger that the local authorities could handle so state and national resources were called in. A fellow IMET, who was being  released from another nearby fire was diverted to this one. After two weeks of service we normally "time out' and as he did I was called to relieve him.

As a part of my IMET job, I go out to survey the perimeter of the fire, and even took a helicopter flight to see the fire from above. This help familiarize me with the fire and the terrain, which in turn assists me in forecasting wind, temperature and humidity, critical element in fire behavior and growth.

My days are long. Generally wake up around 5 AM to get to my desk at 530 AM. I check current weather and any updates I may need to make to my forecast that I wrote the night  before. Then I'm off to brief fire staff and firefighters on what to expect out of the weather for the day. After that, it's numerous meetings, briefings and monitoring the weather through the day. Most days end around  9 pm. The good news is that this is the first fire where I've actually been given a motel room. Most fires I bring a tent and sleep on the ground each night. Also, I've been able to eat in local restaurants and have a real roof over my head.

My view of the morning briefing.

So, the work is tiring but very satisfying. It really feels like you are helping a community and providing vital information. It's nerve wracking too. A mistake can endanger lives, and the firefighters and managers are quick to tell you when you're wrong.

The small town we are in is about the friendliest place I've ever seen. The local townsfolk are truly gracious and appreciative of the hundreds of us that have invaded their town and took over their church. They cooked us all Thanksgiving dinner, and it's damn near impossible to buy a cup of coffee anywhere in town.

Helicopter selfie, My monstrous head is exaggerated  by the
big white helmet. Really.

All in all though I'm ready to get home. I missed Thanksgiving dinner with the family and miss my lovely bride. I missed a big snowstorm too, and a big thanks goes out to friends who pitched in and helped Cindy shovel. I owe you one.  I'm looking forward to getting home and putting up the Christmas tree and decorating the house. More than anything, I'm looking forward to getting a fire going in the fireplace and watching a few Christmas movies from the couch with Cindy.

On the home front, I order six windows from Home Depot before I left and hope they'll soon be in. I'd hate to have to install them in the dead of winter, but don't want to delay too long since I'm counting on them to lower my heating bill. Otherwise I need to button up some of the drafts in the basement and better secure our home for the winter.