Should have taken the bus! Well, it's been a crazy, great Winter around here in NJ (if you LIKE Winter, that is...). Lots of snow, lots of cold, really pretty and dramatic. The biz is still a little slow, but everyone's happy and healthy, so who can complain?

I am working up a post about preferred vendor systems in corporate America, stay tuned for that...

I went through a camera adventure, sold my Nikon D700, downsized to a D7000 (the new IT camera in DX), didn't care for it much at all and went back to my trusty D300s. I really like the feel of the D300s so much better than the D7000, and I found the focus on the D300s to be much more accurate and friendly than the D7000 (although it seems that I am in the minority). I should know by now that when I follow the herd, I always end up less than satisfied!

Another Show...

Ah, another show, another opportunity to be with the people I love and respect (except Steve!). I miss my family, and the gentle wonderfulness that is my wife, but it is really great to be with a bunch of people who are so great at what they do (except Steve).

This is a show that I have been doing for over 20 years, and most of the crew has been doing it with me for the last 10 years, a pretty extraordinary thing in this business.

We may be off to Buenos Aires in the next two weeks, if we get the meeting (still waiting to hear), so that should provide some interesting material...

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!