Tip Toe Through The Tulips

Every year, the Skagit valley of Washington is host to a colorful and enjoyable treat. It is Tulip Festival time in the valley. Lori and I hooked up the fifth wheel and headed north. I was not looking forward to Seattle traffic and we waited till the morning traffic slowed, giving us a better chance. We made it through with little traffic and soon were set up in a nice spot at the Burlington KOA. Only minus for this park is very narrow roads, making getting in and out very close. We did ok and soon Lori's folks were there. We got all set up and set out to tour the fields for a preview. Nothing but dirt! The cold spring has delayed the bloom by a couple weeks, but a couple fields were in bloom and we were happy.

We relaxed at the trailer Friday night and picked our teeth after a great dinner. I had the heat up a little and didnt sleep well as it was warm in the trailer. In the morning, we feasted on another great Lori breakfast and as we were cleaning up, Mel, Lori's brother called and came up to hang with us. He found the campsite and after we ate, we piled in the car and headed for the fields. We stopped at Tulip Town, walked around and enjoyed the flowers. Later, we returned to the trailer, had dinner and watched a movie.

Sunday morning, we loaded up and headed south. Traffic was alot heavier going south, but we did ok and had a nice drive home. I felt the area was way too tourist oriented and everything from parking to going to the fields cost money. At Tulip town, we had to pay to get in for the privilage of purchasing things inside. Weird! Anyway, still a great weekend.

Indy for a Week

Couple weeks ago, I was fortunate to get to Indianapolis, Indiana for a week to train on a new video forensics system we have. It was a very busy week and at times a little overwhelming. I flew out of Portland Sunday Morning and the flight to Minneapolis was relaxing. As we made the connecting flight to Indy, the plane backed away from the gate and stopped. The captain announced we had to wait as severe storms were rolling through. We sat for about an hour and finally got out.

Once in Indy, I got settled and after a few brief hours of sleep, I was on a bus and off to school. On Tuesday, we had a surprise visit by the current Miss America who hails from Indy. She came in and talked, posed for pics and just talked for awhile. She was interested in talking to trainees who were from foreign counties. We had six countries represented. If you look close at the picture, the guy in the blue shirt is me! I was a little behind in our project so I was hard at work.

The flight home was interesting. Several interesting people on the flight and on the final leg, alot of kids. I was pleasantly surprised that most were well behaved. It was a fast paced, hard, but very rewarding week. I came home with cases waiting for me to apply new technology (to our area).