It's good to be a Husband and Dad...

I always feel so fortunate to work with the people I do, and to have the Family that I have. I have two beautiful sons and a wonderful wife/best friend/companion/guide/mentor. Travelling as much as I do, it can be easy sometimes to feel a bit untethered. That can be a very cool, free feeling, or it can be a lost, sort of lonely, empty feeling. The people I travel with feel as close as family, and I've known most of them for 10+ years, so it is always great to see them and share the world with them. But no matter where I roam, no matter what cool corner of the world I find myself in, There is always a large part of me that would rather be sitting on the couch with my wife and sons, or out throwing a baseball around, or goofing around with Juani to the point where she just looks at me and rolls her eyes (it get's to that point pretty quick!). At the risk of getting all "lines from the movies" about it, they really complete me. I really am blessed to have such a full life, and I guess this is just a thank you to the world, to the Gods, to the cosmos, for a life filled with such wonder and grace.

Whoa, cue the sappy music, or what?

Amsterdam

So, Here I am in Amsterdam, and of course there is a picture of a windmill and a flower! It really is very beautiful here, what little I've seen away from the Hotel. I'm hoping to get in to town on Friday. I had Steve and Tom fly from Bangkok to Amsterdam on the morning of the Site Manager's Meeting (what was I thinking?). they flew overnight on a non-stop, and actually made it about a half hour before the meeting. A little close, but I didn't have many options. I'm blessed with the honor of working with the greatest, most flexible, most professional guys in this (or any other) business, and events like this just remind me of that fact. Not a gripe, not a moan, and they flew in coach! It doesn't go unnoticed, or unappreciated! Well, gotta catch the shuttle to my Hotel... Hope to post more later in the week.

Antwerp, Antwerpen, Anvers

I love my job! I get to work with people I love and respect, and I get to go to very cool places. We are doing a small meeting in Antwerp, which is a beautiful little city in Belgium. Great people, great architecture, great food, great beer (and lots of different beer!), an easy city to explore on foot, it really has all of the elements! Here are some quick images. Note the one of Steve getting worked... he had just set up a shot when a tram comes rolling RIGHT in front of him... priceless!

Still Raining!

Well, another day of soft rain. I actually like this weather (to a point), it seems to take the edges off the day, and makes the day feel almost endless. I went out between the showers to grab a few more shots.

Rainy Day

Today has brought a beautiful, steady rain. One of those great, soft, soaking rains that just makes you want to climb back into bed... So of course I ran outside, got soaked and grabbed some shots of the plants and flowers loving this cool spring wet. Enjoy!

The Great Swamp

We have a nature preserve here in NJ called The Great Swamp. An unfortunate name, perhaps... but a beautiful place. They have volunteers that hand out lists of what animals might be hanging out, along with loaner binoculars, it really gets the kids involved. My boys love to stop at Stewart's, get a mug of root beer, then go look for snakes, frogs and turtles... we weren't disappointed!

Take A Hike... Ummm, OK...

So, it was a beautiful Spring Sunday, so what better thing to do than take the family and the neighbor's son out for a hike? the park is called Hackelbarney, and the Black River runs through it... absolutely beautiful park with lots of hiking trails, a great time was had by all, followed by a great dinner (with a pint of Pilsner Urquell, Steve).

I am UDDERLY without new posting ideas

get it, UDDERLY...
Have a Great Day!

A Better Day Today!

"There's Always Tomorrow..."

Every day is a new set of opportunities (corny, huh?). I always feel like the World "resets" overnight, and the next day provides unlimited potential. And I like toast.

One Of Those Days...

Sometimes I feel like this guy...

Arreviderci Roma!

Well, it has been great fun (if a bit rainy). Rome really is a beautiful city, and deserves more than a week. We were walking a different route back to our Hotel tonight and found a whole new area... and found a new restaurant near our Hotel with the most unbelievable pizza. Arreviderci, Roma!

The Vatican (WOW!)

Spent the afternoon at the Vatican... quite amazing. An unrivaled collection of art and artifacts... our guide said that there were 4 miles of hallways in the Vatican museums, and if you were to spend two minutes at each display, it would take 12 years to complete... We only had three hours, so we missed one or two things! our tour guide was a Protestant, so we got an interesting insight into the lives of the Popes (not all so "Holy", you might say). Truly an amazing site, some breathtakingly beautiful works, The Pieta is really a moving piece...

Roma, Napoli, Food!

We took a train down to Napoli on Friday, very different city, but very interesting. We didn't have much time to see things, but it is a beautiful seaside town, very cool to see Mount Vesuvius in the distance. We have had some wonderful meals... from great thin-crust pizza, to wonderful pasta. Roma is a very walkable city, but there is so much to see, I constantly feel as of I am walking past or over something incredible and totally missing it (which I probably am!)... Oh well, I'll just have to come back!

Ah, Roma!

Business was slow, I had some extra miles... Let's go to Rome! What a beautiful city... ruins everywhere, unbelievable history, great food, great people. Our sons are having a blast running around in various Piazzas (Piazzi?), and Juani and I are just enjoying everything. The weather has been a bit rainy, but there's still plenty to do. All roads lead to Rome indeed!

Another Hotel

Staying in another Hotel (not that I'm complaining!). There is a certain sameness, no matter where you are, or even no mater how nice the Hotel (to a certain extent). I decided I was going to try and capture some different angles, and some things that I may catch out of the corner of my eye, but never linger on... Enjoy.