Aquarium, Chattanooga, TN

Seamus really enjoyed his first hotel stay, escalator ride, and even the aquarium visit. There are some videos near the end.

Proximity

Traveled to Greensboro for a meeting at a trendy hotel that was very sustainable. Solar assisted hot water and much more. Most interesting to me, all the hotel shuttle vehicles out front were unusual antique or foreign taxis.

Hilton Head....

Greetings from Folley Beach in Hilton Head. On family vacation with the sisters and their families. More pictures soon. Seamus is a huge fan of the ocean. I was wondering whether he would like it or not, but he loves it especially being out in the waves.

Here Seamus checks out the pool at the Beach House.

New Belgium Brewery

Toured another awesome plant research facility today, but was not allowed to take pictures. All I can tell you is that the future of agriculture looks very bright. Later in the afternoon we toured the New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins. It was started by a guy who was an electrical engineer inspired by Beer on a Belgium bicycle tour in the late 80's. The brewery is beautiful, very sustainable, and every employee gets a bicycle on their one year anniversary of hire date. Pretty cool!

Garden Scenes

I am traveling in Fort Collins for work. The really cool stuff I saw today I was not permitted to take pictures of, but here are some fun shots from a garden center and a very creative public children's garden.

Traveling....

Been traveling way too much the past few weeks, so posting has been minimum. Last week I was in Raleigh (neat ballroom under renovation in the historic district) and Goldsboro. Best quote from the trip: "that is what you call a frog stranglin rain".

Big Creek

Christine, Seamus, Her folks, and I went to Big Creek on the western edge of the county. Great day for Wildflowers.



There was no good way for Seamus to sit at the picnic table so he had to eat in his baby jogger. He did not seem to care. BTW, I haven't mentioned it before, but this jogger has 4 cup-holders. 2 for the infant and 2 for the adult. I suppose if you had the inclination you could go on a very long jog without fear of dehydration.

For St. Patrick's Day...

Abandoned Abbey visible from the Rock of Cashel.

One of our last stops on the Ireland trip a couple of years ago was the Rock of Cashel. From Wikipedia:

The Rock of Cashel (Irish: Carraig Phadraig), also known as Cashel of the Kings and St. Patrick's Rock , is a historic site in Ireland's province of Munster, located at Cashel, County Tipperary.The Rock of Cashel served as the traditional seat of the Kings of Munster for several hundred years prior to the Norman invasion, though few remnants if any of the early structures survive. The majority of buildings on the current site date from the 12th and 13th centuries. Cashel is reputed to be the site of the conversion of the King of Munster by St. Patrick in the 5th century A.D. The buildings which crown the Rock of Cashel present a mass and outline of great complexity, rivalling other sites in western Europe. The complex has a character of its own, unique and native, and is one of the most remarkable collections of Celtic art and medieval architecture to be found anywhere in Europe.

Florida Weekend IV

Cochina stone near Matanzas inlet.

Gaillardia growing in the dunes.

I really like the skylights at the Orlando Airport. They do a nice job of bringing the Florida sunshine in to a climate controlled space.

I took this 4-part weekend series with Christine's Olympus 790 point and shoot camera. It is tiny and takes pretty impressive pictures.

Florida Weekend III

Turtle and bark from a live oak tree at Washington Oaks Garden south of Matanzas Inlet.

Florida Weekend II

Much of the ocean front residential road washed out near Marineland, Fl. Leaving some interesting relics.

Some of the largest live oaks in Northeast Florida are at Washinton Oaks Garden. Their long horizontal branching habitat makes for incredible epiphyte habitat.

What would a trip to Florida be without a gratuitous banana flower picture?

Florida Weekend I

Even if you are 'local traffic' the traveling is very sketchy after the recent few years of hurricanes.

Interesting architectural style. This home was abandoned, no longer has road access, but someone has strategically placed a sofa to enjoy the ocean front view.

Some shots from the beaches around Matanzas Inlet and Marineland, FL.

In a dark room with Jeff Corwin...

Jeff Corwin was the Keynote speaker at the Educational Technology conference I am attending. I must admit, that even without animals, he was an intriguing speaker. The guy really has an interesting job. I was most impressed with his ability to intelligently discuss conservation issues in a manner that indicated how critical the situation is without sounding radical or alarmist. I left feeling I should try to do a little more in this arena.

Another thing I have learned over and over is that there are many teachers that love teaching to the point that they have alternate careers to finance their teaching dreams. I met an English teacher in the public school system from LA who writes scene transitions for the theater, movies, etc. He is currently getting lots of work since has been non union for a few years. I didn't even realize there was writing work that was that specific.

I met another lady who teaches elementary school, but develops learning software on the side. We should give talented men and women like these raises so they can focus on education full time. We would all be better off.

The only negative so far is the the number of exhibitors that are exclusively demonstrating software products that help kids meet expectations on standardized tests. Most of you with kids know this, but the testing has gotten out of control. In my humble opinion schools with low test scores need management intervention that involves a bigger budget not a smaller one.

Efficiency at the expense of customization...

I take maybe 3 or 4 substantial trips a year. For me, substantial means 3-4 days away from home involving flights and/or rental cars. Since I am an educator, we usually wind up making our own arrangements.

I made my usual reservations this time which included reserving seats. I got an e-mail a few days ago that my flights had changed. No biggie, it only translated into leaving about 10 minutes earlier.

Both flights were completely full, which means they probably consolidated. I actually applaud this effort and think it makes good business sense. However, in the process I was told they were unable to honor my seat reservations. On my second flight I was relegated to seat 49C even though I purchased this particular flight over 3 months ago. My question is...what is the process for deciding who gets what seats. We were talking a giant flight here with tons of seats...why did I wind up in the absolute last row in the center aisle? Random draw, punishment for flying coach, flying alone... hmmmmmm

I'm a lucky guy...

Now I am not the seasoned road warrior that Bullbunky is, but I have to travel for work occasionally. Today, when I checked into the Hampton Inn in Wilkesboro, NC I was informed I was the Guest of the Day.

This included a Reese's cup, a labeled parking spot by the front door, and a 10% coupon to a local restaurant. Now the parking spot was something...too bad someone parked their big SUV in it. It was pouring rain. Well, peanut butter and chocolate is always a good combination.

Weekend Getaway

I finally used some of those Hilton Honors points for something pleasant. Nana and Poppa agreed to take care of Seamus for a couple of days so that Christine and I could get away. They live in Richmond and there was a relatively new Hilton at Virginia Beach, so the destination was chosen. I couldn't use the points on Oceanfront, but they did upgrade us to a room with a side view and even a faux balcony. It had a sliding door and everything, but no place to stand. We were actually quite pleased with the accommodations. There was even a large flat panel TV.

The restaurant on the first floor had good food and marvelous lighting. Every night they lit candles and got the fire pits going. The little arrangement above was right next to our table.

We could also hear the band playing bar side if we left the 'balcony' door open. The weather in the 60's at night actually made it quite nice to do just that. We actually didn't make it to the bar, but it stayed busy and folks seemed to enjoy the band. I really liked the layout.

Seamus and Nana got along famously.

A day to forget...

I was at the Kansas City Airport by 7:30 am for a 9:00 am flight. The flight was overbooked, so I volunteered for a four-hour delay, $400.00 voucher, and free upgrade to first class. Things were actually looking good. After all, there was a Starbucks and I had my laptop...I could work.

Just as the final zone is loading the Delta agent calls my name. Someone didn't show, so I can get on the early flight and instead of the goods I get seat 22A and 2 coupons for a free beer, cocktail, or disposable headphones.

I get to Atlanta. Finally get to Starbucks and the barista is a wise ass. She asks my name for the order and as she writes it on the cup she asks me to spell it. OK, now I am worried "B-U-D-D-Y". Simple order nonfat, no whip, Mocha...what I always get. Well she gets a big laugh from the Atlanta crowd at my expense when she loudly calls out my name.

It was pretty funny and the Mocha tasted fine....no big deal.

So my turbo-prop connector to Asheville is an hour late. We finally board and a thunderstorm breaks out when about half of us are on the plane. They close the ramp due to lightning. We sit without AC for over an hour. Remind me to thank the inventor of deodorant and curse the people who refuse to be part of the 20th century by using the stuff.

We finally takeoff close to 3 hours late. I arrive in Asheville and just as I head towards the parking lot it starts to pour. On top of the rain, I now have to get through a major Interstate Construction site at rush hour.

This would be a perfect post for Travels and Tribulations, if only this had happened to Bullbunky instead of me :-)

Kansas City, MO - Final Day

...and yes that is Stedman Graham. In addition to inventor Doug Hall, a VP from Boeing, and a VP from Toyota; Stedman spoke!

Kansas City, MO - Day 2

OK, every time I travel to a "big city" I feel a bit out of sorts. Lots of bright shiny things (like this sculpture suspended from the lobby ceiling) and lots of dingy, dark, dirty corners. I am not cheap, but even I complain about how much everything costs.

Conventions are designed to separate attendees from their money. From the isolated conference center hotels to the seemingly endless fees attached to everything. Cab rides, airport transfers, and limited eating choices just about do your travel allowance in.


The architecture can be interesting. This is a neat sky walk that leads from my hotel to a mall where I can buy overpriced goods.

Kansas City Bound....

This was the view out the window of my departing flight today. I have a thing about appearances. I just think at the airport this should not be the last thing folks see before they leave our area. Western North Carolina is truly a beautiful place to live and I think our airport should reflect that. I am sure it is a budget thing...but this sign has been in disrepair for over a year now.


Now on a more intersting note, I am reading a book by Victoria Finlay entitled Color: A Natural History of the Palette. Some of you know I am a graphic design enthusiast...no real skill to speak of, but I love the stuff. This book was reviewed in a magazine and I was intrigued and I have not been disappointed.


So many interesting stories, but here is the most bizarre factoid so far. The female cochineal beetle is white on the outside and feasts on Prickly Pear (Opuntia spp.). Now if you pop one of this little beetles between your fingers a bright red color is produced. This 'dye' is extremely valuable and there are Prickly Pear farms that are infested with cochineal beetles purposely. In the United States the dye is used in eye shadow and Cherry Coke...among other things :-)