andy’s place…

Sitting here, 11 hours before my return flight, I’m looking out my window at the memorial I just left.  National WWI Memorial and Museum.  Well worth the trip… and the price of admission.

The rest of this town though, eh.  It’s nice, it’s clean, but where I am there isn’t much to do when you don’t have a car.  Everything closes at 6 PM minus a few restaurants, drinks are far too expensive to use as entertainment, and the TV sucks.

My last resort for entertainment, the free Internet in the lobby, got ruined by this infestion of wannabe cougars and soccer moms selling crap jewelry and bringing it all to a convention here.  So the lobby is flooded with these yap-yap-yap, where are you from, that’s pretty, I should sell that BS  and a bunch of drunken women taking every seat in the sports bar.

Oh well, it lets me sleep more.  5 AM wake up call, 9 AM flight, back home by 2:30 on Thursday, and back to the rat race again…  more REED fun than you can shake a stick at after pointing yourself in the eye with it.

Gotta love paid holidays while you get to celebrate a major event in history with friends and family…

So, in trying to keep up with the Jones’ around here that seem to be blogging daily, since I actually had something happen today other than wake up, go to work, come home, sleep, repeat… I thought I would share the details.

July 3rd was spent finalizing work stuff for the week, then hitting up a neighborhood on the outskirts of town where a local, very populace family comes together for a large fireworks display.   It’s sad when a private group can put on a better show than what a city can…  although this year both were good.  47 minutes of non-stop fireworks, all Class B license (good stuff).  I have no idea what it cost, but 10-20k isn’t out of the question…

July 4th was all about prepping for my hosting of the family 4th event.  After the Fort Pierre rodeo (no, I never go), they launch the biggest fireworks show in this part of the state.  Being that it’s on the other side of the river (the big one Seth, the big one), and that I live on the river, I have the best view.  So I invite the family in for fireworks, food, and a late night show.  Despite my efforts with a former controlled bug spray, the lack of wind resulted in the neighbors mosquitoes coming over to bite us.  Not horrible, but enough to be annoying.  Had too much food, as I was told my guest list went from 5 to 9, but wasn’t planning on 3 of them not eating…  so I have some serious leftovers…

All in all, a lot better than the previous 2 weeks in the office chair.  But now, I’m prepping for a wedding on the 5th, and then my month of travel really starts….

July 14 - Madison

July 15 - Brookings

July 16 - Vermillion

July 17 - Pierre for golf tourney

July 20 - 24 - Kansas City

July 28 - 29 - Sioux Falls

And probably a North Dakota trip in there somewhere, a Nebraska trip is likely in August, and maybe Boston in late August.  My limited supply of luggage is going to get a work out…  as will my tail in all these crappy minivans I’ll get to ride in.