New Beginnings

My buddy Rip Case got me interested in flying a drone a few years ago. He had a really nice one and I was intrigued but not to the point of spending that much money on a new hobby. So I go out and buy a $100 drone just to see how it goes. I might as well have just wadded up a $100 bill and threw it in the trash. It was junk, the drone would not respond to the controller and it was frustrating. So I try once more and bought a small drone made by DJI called a Spark. It was very compact (smaller than my cell phone) and slow, but it was easy to fly and I could control it very well. The pictures and videos were great and I really liked it. The only thing I did not like about it was the battery so small. When it was windy the battery would run down in about 6-7 minutes. A few years later I upgraded and bought a DJI Mavic Pro Platinum. I still have that one and while it is technically old, it is still a very good drone.  The picture and video quality from these little drones is very good,...

 In June of 1993 I was working for Hanson Industries who sold a group of their concrete batch plants to a  group of private investors out of Calgary Alberta. I happen to work at that group that sold. In the beginning I did not like the management change and was preparing to make a change and leave. It was a tough job in a tough industry but I hung in there and that turned out to be the best decision of my working life. It took a few years but I went from being a Plant Manager, to Area Manager, to Divisional Manager then to Vice President of Operations in 1998. Bill Mabry was the General Manager of the company and he recognized my work ethic and ability and soon gave me the opportunity to grow into a high level position, helping to manage a $200 million/year ready mix concrete company. The job was demanding and the hours were long and arduous, requiring complete commitment. I worked tirelessly to learn the business from the bottom up and earned the opportunity to be a Vice Pres...

We had this drawing done while on our trip to Niagara Falls. The guy that drew this did such a great job and so quickly too. I told Carol Ann I would like to do one of those old photos or a caricature of us as a momento of the trip. She said she  would not be putting on an outfit that hasn't been washed in who knows how long so this drawing was the choice.  It has long since been a favorite of mine and hung in my office for several years. It is June 2005, Brad has just finished his freshman year of high school and Jacob the 6th grade and it was time for a summer vacation. We chose this destination for a few reasons, (1) we had never been there before, (2) it is such an awesome natural phenomenon, (3) we hoped it would be a trip the boys would always remember, and (4) it was one of those locations seared into my mind as a kid thanks to the 3 Stooges! I may have to explain that last reason to the boys one day. I doubt if either of them have  seen that episode and the Stoog...