leanin' H
Well-known member
After much gnashing of my teeth and a few small, insignificant cuss words, I accepted an invitation from the company I work for at my day job to attend a weeklong training course in.........wait for it.......................any guess's................................................................................................PHILADELPHIA :shock: :shock: :shock: I ended up kinda, actually, sorta enjoying myself. But that may just have been the Bute that i was given in order to get on the plane. 
Spent a week learning about high voltage splicing on under ground cable. Guys in class were from all over. 2 from Florida, 2 from Tennessee, 1 from Philly, our instructor was from Delaware and 2 fellars came clear from Eygpt where they work on power in the Suez Canal! It was durn cold back there and we bundled up while outside practicing. Group picture. Sad that the Eygptians (left) look more at home than the cowboy.
Learned a lot in class and never blew anything up which helps you pass. The highlight of my trip was we were just a few minutes from Valley Forge. Only had a half day on the last day so got to look around. Special place in America's history. This is a bell called the justice bell at the chapel in the park.
A view of the tower that is part of the chapel. It was neat with tributes and monuments to folks who fought for our freedom. And my favorite part is the entire park was open spaces! Philly is one big city which never ended. The park was 800 acres of history and allowed me to breath a tiny bit deeper although I prefer not to see my air.
The troops started out camping in tents and like 24000 strong. Winter was fierce and a lot went home and some never went home. One of the lady nurses wrote a book about it called "The winter of red snow". 1600-1800 amputations due to frostbite and gangrene. The built little log cabins like these replicas' and managed to stay alive to fight if needed. Thankfully the fight never came. By spring the numbers were down to 9000 and Britain coulda wiped them out but they were led to believe the numbers were much higher and never mounted an attack.
I simply had to share this picture as it was a welcome sight to see a man with a leg over a horse! General Anthony Wayne's statue and some homesick feller from a ways to the west.
George Washington was just about perfection for leading our fight for independence!!! Read anything you can about him cause he is a true giant in American history. He could of been king for the asking. Instead, he turned in his commission and returned to his beloved home to farm. One of the men he helped to defeat called him "surely one of the greatest men of our time". I have no shame in feeling very blessed to have stood where he once did and as I stood at his statue, I took off my hat and offered a heartfelt prayer of thanks to my Maker for MEN like him! God Bless George Washington!
Then I ran to the rental car, listened intently as the nice lady gave me gps directions to the airport. Then I jumped a plane west and headed for the desert. Bless you folks hearts who live in big cities. I have no idea how ya do it. I have never felt more alone and upside down than surrounded by the masses of civilization. Talk about a fish outa water, or in my case, one lost lizard! When the Rocky Mountains came into view out the window of the plane I wanted to dance a jig. Yipeeee!
Rio Tinto's Giant open pit copper mine was even a welcome sight as I could walk home from there if I'd a had to. May a taken a week, but it was still good to see home terra-firma!
There's HOME! Can't see many folks out that window can ya? I live out there amongst those desert mountains where my fellowman is scattered some. And that's where I will stay.
I managed to get on home to 80 odd miles without getting a single speeding ticket. Tonight, me and littlest H went looking for rutting muledeer and found a few. Not the biggest buck, but pretty as a picture for my eyes. After a trip to North Carolina and now this trip for work, I hope they have about got me trained as I need about 20 years before I am ready to cross the Mississippi. Hope ya enjoyed the pictures and please have a fine evening.
Happy Thanksgiving to ya'll. Thanks to George and the boys, we have the freedom we crave!
Spent a week learning about high voltage splicing on under ground cable. Guys in class were from all over. 2 from Florida, 2 from Tennessee, 1 from Philly, our instructor was from Delaware and 2 fellars came clear from Eygpt where they work on power in the Suez Canal! It was durn cold back there and we bundled up while outside practicing. Group picture. Sad that the Eygptians (left) look more at home than the cowboy. 
Learned a lot in class and never blew anything up which helps you pass. The highlight of my trip was we were just a few minutes from Valley Forge. Only had a half day on the last day so got to look around. Special place in America's history. This is a bell called the justice bell at the chapel in the park.
A view of the tower that is part of the chapel. It was neat with tributes and monuments to folks who fought for our freedom. And my favorite part is the entire park was open spaces! Philly is one big city which never ended. The park was 800 acres of history and allowed me to breath a tiny bit deeper although I prefer not to see my air.
The troops started out camping in tents and like 24000 strong. Winter was fierce and a lot went home and some never went home. One of the lady nurses wrote a book about it called "The winter of red snow". 1600-1800 amputations due to frostbite and gangrene. The built little log cabins like these replicas' and managed to stay alive to fight if needed. Thankfully the fight never came. By spring the numbers were down to 9000 and Britain coulda wiped them out but they were led to believe the numbers were much higher and never mounted an attack.
I simply had to share this picture as it was a welcome sight to see a man with a leg over a horse! General Anthony Wayne's statue and some homesick feller from a ways to the west.
George Washington was just about perfection for leading our fight for independence!!! Read anything you can about him cause he is a true giant in American history. He could of been king for the asking. Instead, he turned in his commission and returned to his beloved home to farm. One of the men he helped to defeat called him "surely one of the greatest men of our time". I have no shame in feeling very blessed to have stood where he once did and as I stood at his statue, I took off my hat and offered a heartfelt prayer of thanks to my Maker for MEN like him! God Bless George Washington!
Then I ran to the rental car, listened intently as the nice lady gave me gps directions to the airport. Then I jumped a plane west and headed for the desert. Bless you folks hearts who live in big cities. I have no idea how ya do it. I have never felt more alone and upside down than surrounded by the masses of civilization. Talk about a fish outa water, or in my case, one lost lizard! When the Rocky Mountains came into view out the window of the plane I wanted to dance a jig. Yipeeee!
Rio Tinto's Giant open pit copper mine was even a welcome sight as I could walk home from there if I'd a had to. May a taken a week, but it was still good to see home terra-firma!
There's HOME! Can't see many folks out that window can ya?
I live out there amongst those desert mountains where my fellowman is scattered some. And that's where I will stay. 
I managed to get on home to 80 odd miles without getting a single speeding ticket. Tonight, me and littlest H went looking for rutting muledeer and found a few. Not the biggest buck, but pretty as a picture for my eyes. After a trip to North Carolina and now this trip for work, I hope they have about got me trained as I need about 20 years before I am ready to cross the Mississippi. Hope ya enjoyed the pictures and please have a fine evening.
Happy Thanksgiving to ya'll. Thanks to George and the boys, we have the freedom we crave!
