Is this really July? Holy Cow! - 07/09/08 04:06 PM
Geez, sorry for taking so long to blog! Between the Canada trip, getting the July/August issue of Pond Boss ready and the conference this week, it has been a whirlwind last 30-something days.
Here's what I've been up to. Got home from Canada Sunday the 8th and Monday the 9th had two pond consultations about two hours from home. Then, early on the 10th, Debbie and I loaded up the wagons and followed Ashley to College Station. The 18 year old made her first trek to College at A&M (go figure). She left with much excitement, angst, trepidation and energy, just like we would hope and expect.
Ashley didn't graduate in the top 10% of her class and missed a 1300 on her SAT by 20 points...so she missed the automatic selection into a state school. Darn, she has to "earn" her way in. She pestered the registrar's office every day, enough that she was invited into what they call the "Gateway" program. She takes 8 hours the first summer session and if she makes at least a 2.0, she's invited into the fall.
For those of you who know Debbie, that woman fights to make sure her kiddos get what they need and she nurtures them until the cows come home...actually well past the cows come home. I expected to stay at A&M for a couple of days, head home and enjoy an empty nest.
We did the new student conference and I fled on Friday the 13th in the afternoon to go meet up with a new client and develop a game plan to improve his fishing lakes on a ranch he just bought. There will be a story here, as it develops.
But, when I finished with the consultation, I headed 3.5 hours back to Malfunction Junction to hang out with the peeps.
Ashley still wasn't settled into her dorm, even though it looks like Martha Stewart her ownself came and decorated the concrete block room.
Debbie was beginning to complain a little with a sore tooth. By mid-day Saturday her jaw looked like Alvin the Chipmunk, so we called our dentist, Dr. Bruce Condello, in Nebraska (get me to tell you the story why we go see our dentist 9 hours north of home base). Bruce expected her tooth to be absessed, so he called in a couple of prescriptions. I just love America. Dentist in Nebraska (he was fishing at the time, by the way), calling a CVS pharmacy in College Station, Texas, to get medication for my Debbie, 260 miles from home.
Well, she didn't quite get to CVS before the pharmacy section closed...so she semi-slept with a throbbing, swollen jaw.
Welcome, Father's day...I got up, got her drugs, watched her shovel a couple into her lopsided mouth and swallow. Relief...well, not so fast. It took two days for real relief.
It was a good thing we were headed home on Father's Day.
Ah...but there's more.
Ash wasn't quite ready for mom to leave...not quite, yet.
Of course, Debbie did what anyone but me would have done. She stayed.
I piled into the car with my mostly dirty laundry and spent 5 hours of Father's Day traveling up Hwy 6 to I-35 and north to the beautiful confines of LL,2.
It was truly an empty nest...real empty...for four days.
All my kids called and wished the fish guy a happy Father's Day. I felt warm and fuzzy.
Enough of that....
On Monday the 16th, I hunkered down in LL,2, to finish the program for this week's Pond Boss Conference and Expo. Scheduled all the speakers, confirmed and re-confirmed their presence and worked hard to plan for the two day event.
Much of Tuesday, the 17th was spent doing the same. Kathy and our office staff has done an outstanding job for this event. I hope to see you there. If you are attending, hunt me down and let's talk. We'll have some fun.
Oh, one other thing about A&M. Debbie stayed in Ashley's dorm room and one night she called me at 11 pm. I heard this loud, screeching noise in the background. Fire drill. Hilarious. My wife, hanging out in a dorm in her flannel shorts and t-shirt, in a fire drill with a bunch of freshmen. That'll teach her.
The 18th was spent on pond consultations, electrofishing and final plans for the conference.It was a long day.
But, I made up for that long day over the next two. I left for Hot Springs, Arkansas to pick up some fish to be delivered to the lake I helped design and oversee the construction of in Mexico. I picked up the bass, headed back to Whitesboro and prepared myself mentally for the next leg of the trip. It's about 4.5 hours to Hot Springs, an hour to load and then home by about 6 p.m. Debbie wasn't home, yet. She and Ash popped in about an hour later. Ash had finished her first week of college, mom was fairly satisfied her baby girl could make it okay on her own and I was pooped from another 12 hour day...2 hours to prepare, 9 driving and 1 loading. I exchanged some water on the fish and went to bed. Got up around 4 and headed toward Eagle Pass. Met up with the ranch manager, who had taken care of all the paperwork, and we headed to stock the fish. No problema, amigo.
It was 9 hours down there and we were able to cross about three hours later. Finished stocking the lake, got across the border about dark and headed toward San Antonio. Made it about 30 miles south of the city, gave up and got a room and slept for a few hours. Then, drove about 7 hours home and got ready for the next adventure.
Then, came one of the most fun and exhausting trips of the year.
Debbie and I headed to North Carolina. I was ready to go on Saturday, after the grueling turn around to and from the third world country....
Oh gosh, look at the time....I gotta go. Headed to Arlington in about an hour and I still have to pack.
Stay tuned.
I have several cool stories about the adventure to and from North Carolina.
Plus, I've got some photos of that trip...it was a packed couple of weeks.
Fish on...until I get to Arlington.
Here's what I've been up to. Got home from Canada Sunday the 8th and Monday the 9th had two pond consultations about two hours from home. Then, early on the 10th, Debbie and I loaded up the wagons and followed Ashley to College Station. The 18 year old made her first trek to College at A&M (go figure). She left with much excitement, angst, trepidation and energy, just like we would hope and expect.
Ashley didn't graduate in the top 10% of her class and missed a 1300 on her SAT by 20 points...so she missed the automatic selection into a state school. Darn, she has to "earn" her way in. She pestered the registrar's office every day, enough that she was invited into what they call the "Gateway" program. She takes 8 hours the first summer session and if she makes at least a 2.0, she's invited into the fall.
For those of you who know Debbie, that woman fights to make sure her kiddos get what they need and she nurtures them until the cows come home...actually well past the cows come home. I expected to stay at A&M for a couple of days, head home and enjoy an empty nest.
We did the new student conference and I fled on Friday the 13th in the afternoon to go meet up with a new client and develop a game plan to improve his fishing lakes on a ranch he just bought. There will be a story here, as it develops.
But, when I finished with the consultation, I headed 3.5 hours back to Malfunction Junction to hang out with the peeps.
Ashley still wasn't settled into her dorm, even though it looks like Martha Stewart her ownself came and decorated the concrete block room.
Debbie was beginning to complain a little with a sore tooth. By mid-day Saturday her jaw looked like Alvin the Chipmunk, so we called our dentist, Dr. Bruce Condello, in Nebraska (get me to tell you the story why we go see our dentist 9 hours north of home base). Bruce expected her tooth to be absessed, so he called in a couple of prescriptions. I just love America. Dentist in Nebraska (he was fishing at the time, by the way), calling a CVS pharmacy in College Station, Texas, to get medication for my Debbie, 260 miles from home.
Well, she didn't quite get to CVS before the pharmacy section closed...so she semi-slept with a throbbing, swollen jaw.
Welcome, Father's day...I got up, got her drugs, watched her shovel a couple into her lopsided mouth and swallow. Relief...well, not so fast. It took two days for real relief.
It was a good thing we were headed home on Father's Day.
Ah...but there's more.
Ash wasn't quite ready for mom to leave...not quite, yet.
Of course, Debbie did what anyone but me would have done. She stayed.
I piled into the car with my mostly dirty laundry and spent 5 hours of Father's Day traveling up Hwy 6 to I-35 and north to the beautiful confines of LL,2.
It was truly an empty nest...real empty...for four days.
All my kids called and wished the fish guy a happy Father's Day. I felt warm and fuzzy.
Enough of that....
On Monday the 16th, I hunkered down in LL,2, to finish the program for this week's Pond Boss Conference and Expo. Scheduled all the speakers, confirmed and re-confirmed their presence and worked hard to plan for the two day event.
Much of Tuesday, the 17th was spent doing the same. Kathy and our office staff has done an outstanding job for this event. I hope to see you there. If you are attending, hunt me down and let's talk. We'll have some fun.
Oh, one other thing about A&M. Debbie stayed in Ashley's dorm room and one night she called me at 11 pm. I heard this loud, screeching noise in the background. Fire drill. Hilarious. My wife, hanging out in a dorm in her flannel shorts and t-shirt, in a fire drill with a bunch of freshmen. That'll teach her.
The 18th was spent on pond consultations, electrofishing and final plans for the conference.It was a long day.
But, I made up for that long day over the next two. I left for Hot Springs, Arkansas to pick up some fish to be delivered to the lake I helped design and oversee the construction of in Mexico. I picked up the bass, headed back to Whitesboro and prepared myself mentally for the next leg of the trip. It's about 4.5 hours to Hot Springs, an hour to load and then home by about 6 p.m. Debbie wasn't home, yet. She and Ash popped in about an hour later. Ash had finished her first week of college, mom was fairly satisfied her baby girl could make it okay on her own and I was pooped from another 12 hour day...2 hours to prepare, 9 driving and 1 loading. I exchanged some water on the fish and went to bed. Got up around 4 and headed toward Eagle Pass. Met up with the ranch manager, who had taken care of all the paperwork, and we headed to stock the fish. No problema, amigo.
It was 9 hours down there and we were able to cross about three hours later. Finished stocking the lake, got across the border about dark and headed toward San Antonio. Made it about 30 miles south of the city, gave up and got a room and slept for a few hours. Then, drove about 7 hours home and got ready for the next adventure.
Then, came one of the most fun and exhausting trips of the year.
Debbie and I headed to North Carolina. I was ready to go on Saturday, after the grueling turn around to and from the third world country....
Oh gosh, look at the time....I gotta go. Headed to Arlington in about an hour and I still have to pack.
Stay tuned.
I have several cool stories about the adventure to and from North Carolina.
Plus, I've got some photos of that trip...it was a packed couple of weeks.
Fish on...until I get to Arlington.