Lee's Blog

Category: Personal

  • Photoblog – Boston / Head of the Charles Regatta

    All that I know about rowing is that these people get up at wee hours of the morning to go out on the water in the chilly fall weather. Always seemed crazy to me. But what do I know? I like to go fight rush hour traffic on two wheels.Anyway, there has always been something elegant and maybe a bit romantic about this sport. Ya gotta admire these people… So I enjoy this autumn spectacle from the shore on my two wheels.

    I love the Charles River. I used to commute to work along its banks some years ago, and it is just great for enjoying the scenery while getting some exercise. I regret that I don’t get into the city often enough to enjoy it much these days.

    On another note, I missed out on the record-setting jack-o-lantern festival put on by the Life Is Good folks. I guess I should read the newspaper in the morning, not the evening… Anyway, by the time I showed up the next day, all the gourds were sitting in dumpsters, waiting to be taken away to the compost heap.

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  • How can a VW cost $100,000? and other interesting blurbs

    Did you ever wonder why Volkswagen Phaeton costs up to $100,000? Check out the factory where they assemble them:
    http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1837641

    And speaking of impressive facilities, check out these 10 seeeeeriously cool workplaces. It’s enough to make me want to look for a new job…
    http://positivesharing.com/2006/10/10-seeeeeriously-cool-workplaces

    Living in a litigious society:
    http://www.glumbert.com/media/consent

    When I lived in Indiana, and the thunderstorms would keep me awake at night, I’d set the camera up on a tripod and take pictures through the patio doorway. That’s how I managed to get pics like this:
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  • Photoblog – Crater Lake – July 2000

    In July of 2000, I had to take a business trip out to Redding, California to investigate failures of some of our oxygen systems. The investigation was very short, but the point of the trip was more to reassure the customer.

    On the plus side, much of northern California is amazingly beautiful. I flew into Sacramento, and drove up to Redding. One evening, I drove out to Lassen Volcanic National Park, where I got to see hot springs, beautiful scenery, deer and foxes. After a brief second visit to the customer, I then headed north to beautiful Mt. Shasta, and then kept going towards Oregon and Crater Lake.

    These sites represent the southern end of the volcanic Cascades mountain range – better known for Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Ranier. And while most of you may not be geology geeks like me, you’ll probably agree that these volcanic sites make for some spectacular scenery and some interesting history and folklore.

    Hope you like the pics.
    Sorry, some of these are from the early days of digital cameras – quality ain’t so hot…

    Lee

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  • Photoblog – 2004 Red Sox victory parade

    As yet another Red Sox season ends with a whimper, I thought I’d reminisce about an epic season (no, not ’86!) and share my photos from the victory parade.

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  • In Memory of Shiki Toma

    In Memoriam
    Shiki Toma
    September 1943 – December 1988

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  • In Memory of 9/11 – Ground Zero

    I’ve visited New York City a number of times in the past few years.  People still go about their daily business – this is New York, after all – but there is a huge void there.  The World Trade Center complex was a landmark from which you could get your bearings no matter where you stood.  Now its absence marks the loss of 3000 souls.  May they rest in peace.

    View of post-9/11 Manhattan from Jersey City – August 25, 2002
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  • In Memory of 9/11

    I was fortunate to have had an opportunity to spend some time in New York City during the summer of 2001.  In June I attended a trade show and award ceremony, and spent a full day seeing the city before heading back to visit family in Boston and then I flew home via Washington.

    And in September I visited family in Boston again, and then visited friends in New Jersey.  I dropped my friend Preston off at Newark Airport, and then drove back to Boston, where I caught my flight back to Indy.

    Two days later, terrorists departed from those same airports.

    Five years later, some of the shock, sadness and anger have dissipated – for me, at least.  Yet for many the losses that day had a far greater impact.  My deepest sympathies to all who lost friends and family on that day and in the wars since.  And we all pray for the safety of Charles and all his comrades deployed overseas.

    ~ Lee

    Battery Park – June 5, 2001

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  • Work – My freakin’ inbox

    Okay, so I was away from work for two days last week, and when I came back, this is what my inbox looked like:

    …a foot-high stack of change notices to review!

    What’s the deal?  Do people drop stuff off at my desk when I’m not there because I’m not there to defend my desk?  A practical joke maybe?  NOT FUNNY.

    And now I’m gonna be away for another day-and-a-half.  Uh-oh.

     

  • Travel – Mono Lake

    In 2001 I had to go to Reno, Nevada for a conference on Pro/ENGINEER computer aided design software.  So, I tried to make the best of it, and I added extra time on both weekends for personal travel.  I got to see Reno, Lake Tahoe, Carson City, Virginia City, Devil’s Postpile, Yosemite National Park and Mono Lake.  That’s a lotta stuff to fit into two weekends!  But somehow I managed it, and for the most part had a great time traveling.

    I had read about Mono Lake many years ago in a National Geographic article.  It described how the lake was isolated in a desert valley, and how Los Angeles was taking the freshwater from the local streams and piping it away.  The result is that the lake is gradually drying up.

    The unusual thing about Mono Lake is that it has hot springs that pump water in from the surrounding water table.  Some of this water dissolves the minerals, and deposits them when it enters the lake.  This creates chimneys of tufa, which have become exposed as the water level has dropped.  The landscape is eerie, spooky and alien-looking.  Seems almost like a Tim Burton fantasyland.

    It is bizarre and fascinating to walk among these formations.  Now that they are exposed to the wind and rain (and tourists!), they are gradually eroding away.  I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to see them.  And now I am sharing some of my pictures of this surreal landscape.  Hope you enjoy.

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  • Roy’s 90th Birthday

    So on Saturday August 26th, Roy celebrated his 90th birthday.  Thanks to the Niertit family for hosting…

    It was good to get out and see everyone.  I don’t get out that way very often now that I don’t drive to Indiana.  Usually, on my short trips, everyone is off doing their own things – work, school, etc.  But on a big occasion like this, EVERYONE was there, including people I’ve only seen on family trees – plus people I’ve never even heard of!

    I had hoped to enjoy some nice fresh ripe New York peaches on my trip, but for some reason, this has been a bad season for them.  So between the bad crop and the business trip, no peaches to bring back for family or for work…  Oh well.  Maybe next year.

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