Guanajunto, Mexico

The travels of Angus. This week: Guanajunto, Mexico.

The week of October 20, 2008 was spent in Guanajunto, Mexico for some company management meetings. There was a little time to look at the city. Guanajunto is the city where the Mexican revolution to gain their independance from Spain started in 1810. The hills around this area were found to contain gold and silver.
Guanajunto has remained an old-style, traditional town much as it has been for several centuries.
The town is built in an area with numerous hills. The streets and buildings are built up and down the hills taking into account the elevation changes. Nothing is straight or level.

The town was founded in the mid 1500's and quickly grew with the mining industry. Compared to mine shafts in Colorado, the shafts here are much larger. The veins of gold were incredibly gi-normous. This was supposed to be the largest area of gold production in Mexico for many years. The mines beneath the town have been turned into a system of roadways that are utilized for automobile traffic today.

This is an apartment building in town. Guanajunto has a nostalgic feel and is listed as a World Heritage site.
One of the many alleys leading up into the housing areas of the town.
Typical construction style of old Mexico.

A traditional musical group that sang for our group during our tour of the city.
One of the several old churches in Guanajunto. This is the primary church, as symbolized by the dual belltowers. Most churches only have one belltower.
These are Mexican girls dancing one of their many traditional dances.

Court's Blog

Check out Courtney's blog - she finally updated her blog. The picture of her baby smiling looks like Angus' smile (Bud.) In case your are wondering, Bud changed his blog name to Angus, his new Scottish name! What a nerd!!! I love him though.

Colombia

I just returned from a week long trip to Colombia. Most of the week was spent in Bogota in meetings. Bogota is a city of about 7-8 million people. There is a strong military/police presence around the city. The city is safe but you do need to be careful.

We did make a trip out to an oil rig that is drilling in a remote part of the country. My company will be providing equipment for this rig in the near future. Colombia is a beautiful country, especially when you get out of the big city.

Bogota, Colombia from the air. The city was built between several mountains that border it on each side. I was flying in a small charter airplane from Bogota to Yopal.

Bogota is located in a mountaineous region of Colombia. It sits at an elevation of about 7,000 feet.
A mountain lake between Bogota and Yopal.
View from the plane over Colombia.
The small town of Yopal, Colombia. It has a very small airport. Yopal is the staging area for the local oil drilling industry and sits at an area that transitions from the mountains and the eastern plains.
This is the small helicopter that we took from Yopal out to the drilling rig. The rig is located about 15 minutes by chopper from Yopal.
The mountains in the area of the drilling rig. We picked a day with a dark storm coming in.
The terrain outside of Yopal, headed to the rig.


The drilling location as we approached in the helicopter. Who wouldn't want to work in a beautiful location like this?
Headed down to land at the drilling rig.
The oil rig drilling in the Colombian foothills.

The mountains looking down on the location where the rig sits. The mountains are very rough but beautiful.


This picture shows the mountains looking over the rig location. It is a beautiful area.

Lift off--headed back to Yopal.
The chopper landing to pick us up from the rig.

The ride between the rig and Yopal.
The ride back to Yopal.The flatlands east of Yopal. Looking west of Yopal you see mountains, east is the plains.

Why we are moving to Scotland

I wanted to take a few minutes to tell you why we are moving to Scotland. My company is growing and my workload is taking me all over the world. I have traveled to such places as Australia, Singapore, China, Mexico, Canada, Colombia, Norway, Italy, Denmark, Germany, France, England, The Netherlands, and Scotland. It is getting to the point that I can't keep up with the entire world. The demands of the different areas of the world have required that we divide the globe into three regions. I have been given the responsibility to oversee the Europe, Africa, and Russia region. My regional office will be in Aberdeen, Scotland but I will still be required to travel throughout Europe, Africa and Russia as well as occasional trips to the US and elsewhere. My primary focus for the short term will be on the North Sea--Norway and Scotland.

This is an exciting opportunity for me to manage a growing business in a very interesting country. I am sure that I will grow and learn as the realities of the move and work set in. Mel and I are looking forward to the challenges that we will be facing as we move to Europe. There will be days when we will miss our country and our home but we know that the opportunities to learn and grow will be numerous. Of course, it will be difficult to leave our children and grandchildren. I will be saving airmiles so that they can come visit as often as possible. I would also like to extend an invitation for my family and friends to come and visit. Our home in Scotland is always open for you.


Edinburgh Castle: this is one of the largest castles in Scotland. It is well-worth the visit. It holds the Honors of Scotland (the crown jewels, sword, etc).

This is an older castle called Dunottar. It is fairly close to Aberdeen. It sits on a cliff overlooking the North Sea. William Wallace burned some English soldiers in the church here when they tried to ambush him.

This mountain is part of the Scottish Highlands. The area is rough and cold.
Driving through the Scottish Highlands. The old Scots who lived in this area would have had to be pretty tough just to survive.

This is Urquhart Castle, and old castle sitting on the shore of Loch Ness.

This is Loch Ness. I did see Nessie (she is real) but I didn't get my camera out quick enough. If I had been quicker, I could have provided proof to the world that she is real.

Can you believe it? These guys are wearing skirts!!! You see that kind of thing in Scotland. The bagpipers come out in droves for special occasions.

A street in downtown Aberdeen. Almost all of the buildings are made of gray granite.

Aberdeen is called the "City of Granite" because most of the building are built from granite quarried locally. It is also called the "Gray City" because of the granite buildings and the gray skies which are very common.This is the William Wallace Monument located in Stirling. This is the site of his first major victory over the English at the crossing of the river in Stirling. There is a narrow winding staircase that goes all of the way to the top of the monument. It also houses Wallace's sword which is huge. To be able to use the sword, they have determined that Wallace had to be at least 6'6" tall.
View from the top of the Wallace Monument.
The country has rock walls and fences built everywhere. They were built by the Stone Masons (predecessors of the Free Masons) centuries ago. They divide the fields and farms as well as border roadways.
Scottish countryside near Aberdeen.

I will try to add updates and pictures as I travel. If you have any specific questions, please let me know.

Angus (my new Scottish name)

Grandpa & Izzy Lizzy

Izzy Lizzy is well on her way to being a grandpa's girl.
She loves just hanging out with Grandpa.

Grandpa's favorite time is probably nap time - you get to snuggle then!

I can't get over what a good baby she is. Izzy Lizzy sleeps for 4 1/2 to 5 hours at a stretch. Her mama only has to wake up once, sometimes two times during the night. Izzy had her two week check up on Monday. She had gained two pounds and grew one inch. The doctor was wondering what was in her mama's milk. When Izzy got her PKU the nurse had to do it twice. The first time she really just whimpered a second. The second time they really cut her heel and she screamed. Rynie saw the blood and heard the crying and said, "Get me out of here. My baby is hurt. Get me out." He then started crying wondering why they were hurting his baby. Izzy recovered better than Rynie. What a sweet brother!

Thief!!

Have you ever noticed when you come home from a good vacation, the good times keep on coming? Some sweet Floridian has our debit card information and has been charging at gas stations! No, we did not have our cards stolen - they just have our information. Pretty good scam, get the info, wait a few months and then start using them. We had a charge for $186 at a Marathon Gas out of Weston, Florida and two $50 charges at a Shell station in Miami, Florida. Weston and Miami are not too far from each other. Luckily, I check our bank balance every day just for this reason. (If you don’t do that you should!) The bank canceled our cards and reimbursed us. It is a pain though, because you have to file a police report and take the report number to bank so they can document it as a reported theft. I HATE THIEVES!!!! I think about how many man hours it takes just to stop those three payments, plus the actual money lost. Some people have no class whatsoever!

Sound Investment Advice??!!

It makes you wonder . . .

If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in Delta Airlines one year ago, you would have $49.00 today. If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in AIG one year ago, you would have $33.00 today. If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in Lehman Brothers one year ago, you would have $0.00 today. But, if you had purchased $1,000 worth of beer one year ago, had drunk all the beer, then turned in the aluminum cans for recycling refund, you would have received $214.00. Based on the above, the best current investment plan is to drink heavily & recycle. It is called the 401-Keg. A recent study found that the average American walks about 900 miles a year. Another study found that Americans drink, on average, 22 gallons of alcohol a year. That means that, on average, Americans get about 41 miles to the gallon! Makes you proud to be an American!

What Women Want!!????

So the other night I was surfing the net and I came across an article on marriage - I read it. It was okay, but then I saw this article on What Women Want. I thought, "Okay, let's see if you get it right." I have to say, they pretty much hit it on the head. I will admit at one time or another I have felt this way and that's okay, as long as you keep working at the issues. That's the key. (They - the guys - do get better with age. That's the beauty of growing old together! 27 years and counting.)

By the way, the article was by eHarmony and no I was not looking for a replacement for Bud!


Five Things Woman Want


by eHarmony Advice

Happy CoupleIt's been the subject of movies, books and countless conversations: What do women really want? Specifically, what do women want from a mate? We know, guys, that it can seem impossible to guess what women are looking for, but it's really not that complicated.

1. Women Want You to Listen Up
In general, women complain that men don't listen to them. In your defense, you listened to her the first time as well as the 21st time she aired her concern, but she continues to mull it over and discuss some possibilities. She carries on about her overbearing and unfair boss, so you suggest quitting her job.

Guys, admit it: A lot of you are "fixers." You listen to a problem for three minutes before you offer up a suggestion. Why? You want your girlfriend, wife or friend to be happy, so you provide a solution to the problem.

It may seem contradictory, but women don't necessarily want an answer or a solution. They actually want you to act as their sounding board. Instead, listen patiently and let her work through it, offering advice when prompted.

2. Women Want to Be Taken Seriously
The fact that women want to be taken seriously is closely linked to point #1. Not only do women want to be listened to, they want their problems, thoughts and feelings to be taken seriously.

Before you dismiss the idea, consider the fact that maybe your girl does know how to rewire the bathroom or how to organize your investments. Who says that sound advice can't come in a sweet-smelling package? Defer to her opinions and give her ideas a whirl sometime. You just may find that her second opinion is seriously prudent.

3. Women Want to Be Considered When You're Making Plans
Amid the poker games, guys' nights out and work, women want to be considered when you're making plans. (Wouldn't you?) Women don't necessarily need to be THE priority - they just don't want to be an afterthought.

Whether you are a workaholic, gamer, sportsman or couch potato, let your sweetheart in on the action. Sometimes it's easy to let everything else get in the way, but if you make her feel important and needed, she will make you and your needs just as significant as you make her.

4. Women Want to Be Adored
Women love to feel adored. Honored as the most beautiful gal in the room, she wants you to positively love what she is all about. So maybe there are smarter, more attractive or more successful women out there, but to you, she is the bee's knees. Your esteemed ladylove wants to feel that you are fortunate to have her, that you can't keep from beaming when you see her or even that she makes your life better for being in it. Feeling your devotion will only encourage her to reciprocate and feel lucky herself for garnering such a good man.

5. Women Want Acknowledgment and Appreciation
Women want you to acknowledge the things they do for you. They want more than just a pat on the back: They want to be appreciated for their efforts. No matter what her role in your life, whether it's making plans, fixing up the house or booking dream vacations, she wants you to be happy.

Try to meet her halfway with proactive measures or at least offer some sort of recognition or acknowledgment. A little goes a long way with your female counterpart, so take notice and compliment her on her attention to detail.

So do you ever feel this way????

The Most Dangerous Cake!

I receive an email newsletter and it had this recipe for Chocolate Mug Cake. It intrigued me so I thought I would give it a try. Here is the recipe.

Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

1 Coffee Mug

4 Tablespoons Flour (not self-rising flour)

4 Tablespoons Sugar

2 Tablespoons Cocoa

1 Egg

3 Tablespoons Milk

3 Tablespoons Oil

3 Tablespoons Chocolate Chips (Optional)

Small splash of Vanilla

Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips and vanilla, and mix again. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for three minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed. Allow to cool a little and tip out onto a plate if desired. Why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now we are all only five minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

Sounds good, huh? Here is the end result. I used white chocolate chips. I was eating it at lunch, telling Bud about it, saying, "Well its not too bad. Its a little chewy. I don't know if I would necessarily try it again but its okay. You should try a bite."




So Bud tried a bite and exclaimed, "I can't believe you got me to eat this crap!" So there you have it! I guess it is a good thing it is not that good or I would be having chocolate cake everyday.

New Siblings!

Rynie, Cute and Tiny with his new baby Sister

This was taken at the hospital right before they left.

I am not sure Rynie knows quite yet what he is suppose to do with this!
Rynie has been a sweet boy. He seems to love his sister. He got woke up two different times during the night by her crying and he was all concerned.
"Why is my baby crying, is she sad?"
He hasn't really shown any signs of obvious jealousy. ( I am sure there is still time!) He is a little whiny though. I had to rescue him (or was it rescue Snort) yesterday. Rynie was trying her patience. He and I ran some errands, went and saw Kung Fu Panda, had dinner and got some ice cream afterward. I had such a good time with him and he was so good and sweet. I guess he needed a break from all the goings on at his house. I sure will miss this little guy when I move. Maybe I will put him in a suitcase and take him with me. Don't tell Snort!

Grandma took these pictures yesterday while holding the new babe.

A little smile!

I was trying to get little Izzy Tizzy to open her eyes. Bug off Grandma!

I think that her mama must be feeding her well.
She seems to be filling out nicely.

Snortney told me that Izzy Tizzy only woke up once last night at
2:30 a.m. What a good baby.
Of course that followed days of Snort seeming to nurse her 24/7.
It is quite a new thing for a baby to adjust to life outside the womb!
Izzy Tizzy seems to be starting to adjust and nurse and sleep better.