New Digs and Mississilwaukee

It's been a busy couple of weeks and this post is much-overdue.

I moved into an old farm house at the end of September. It belongs to James Williams, a fellow dealer's son who moved back to North Carolina to take over the dealership. His house hasn't sold in the last year or two and I was looking for something different, so renting it from him works out for both of us. It's only six miles north of Pella and is definitely out of town, is on 3/4 acre, has a couple sheds and a garage, and a nice workspace downstairs. I've been enjoying it so far; I just need a couple more couches and I'll be pretty well settled. I've even got two kittens to watch for mice. They proved themselves on day one.

I hadn't done any traveling for work since my Montana trip in June until I took a day trip to Emmetsburg in northwest Iowa two weeks ago. I went to look at a couple rakes before cornstalk baling season started, and I went with a new baler engineer Steven Talsma, who looked at four balers. It was a 17-hour, 615-mile day, but was productive. I went to work the next day (Friday) and was told to pack my bags and be ready to leave for Mississippi on Sunday to be in the field on Monday. Ryan Walker, another new baler engineer Alex Knee, and I folded ourselves into an extended-cab service truck for the 880-mile drive to Meridian, Mississippi.

Many parts of the south make hay from Bahia grass, which is slick and short; it's basically lawn clippings this time of year. Certain balers have issues with it late in the season, so we were sent to look for solutions. I went to represent Enhancement as this is a perennial issue, Alex went to help with the Go-Pro camera and to learn some things, and Walker went because he is just so handy and has a lot of experience.

We mostly ate fast food, but went to a highly regarded steak house one night. The "best seafood in town" happened to be at a gas station. Regional Manager Bryan Setzer and the dealer Van Davis swore by it. Walker and I were game to try it, but Des Moines-grown Alex was visibly terrified and only had hush puppies. I had an overstuffed fried shrimp po-boy, ate it happily, and survived the day. 

It was one of many instances in which Alex was given grief: he had a rather tough week. Aside from the learning curve he was experiencing, he also couldn't quite make a 12-foot gate with a 7-foot wide truck, scratched it a bit, and blew a tire. We had an older spare, which we discovered didn't fit because new hubs on Ford trucks are metric. We had planned on leaving that evening, but had to stay an extra day to wait for tires. We worked on a customer's baler in the meantime, and while taking off a sprocket Alex managed to hit himself in the face with a gear puller. His other mishaps included breaking the pull cord out of the gas-powered air compressor twice and breaking a (crappy) drill in half. He had a lot of explaining to do on Monday when we got back. 

I thankfully had an easier go than he did. This was also probably the one time I'll ever get to say that we raked and baled on ground owned by Lockheed Martin, the airplane manufacturer. I enjoyed being out in the field and on the road, seeing two new states, Arkansas and Mississippi, bringing my count up to about 32 states I've spent appreciable time in. I also realized on the way back I'd somehow hogged all the city driving, going through St Louis twice, Memphis twice, Jackson, and Tupelo; Walker has been on the road for Vermeer for more than twenty years and is no slouch behind the wheel, but I think he'll get over it.

The Enhancement Group is now back up to two members, so I am no longer a one-man show. Madison Delaney started at Vermeer in January as a manufacturing engineer, and is a good fit in his new position. I never heard the story why Jacob Limke's spot was filled after only one month instead of nine, but I am grateful to have someone to work with because there is much to do and Enhancement is very busy.

Sarah and I have been together for two years as of last weekend! I honestly can't quite believe it. She almost pulled off a road trip without letting me know where we were going, but I drew it out of her and spoiled the surprise. We went to Milwaukee, which may sound odd to skeptics. She had been there a couple times but I had never been there and had no idea what to expect. There was some surprise involved because the city was not what I expected. It seemed to have a lot happening. Some intersections are a little weird compared to other cities I've been in, but I think I can forgive them.

We got there late last Friday, and went straight downtown to listen to a session, which was just great. We saw the Public Market, a Pabst Brewery tour, a Pabst Mansion tour, and the Lakefront. We had a nice seafood dinner at a bistro, at loose ends for the evening. We had seen several theaters downtown, and found that one nearby featured Brian Regan, a favorite comedian of mine, that night, so we impulsively bought tickets. He is genuinely hilarious, original, and not obscene, which is a rarity. It was a full day well spent.

We went to mass at the Basilica of St Josephat, which was very beautiful and even had a choir. Yet another Milwaukee surprise. We wandered our way back to Pella, the kittens skittering across the gravel to see us, finishing our 763-mile trip. I've driven 3290 miles on all my October roadtrips, so I'm ready to stay at home for a little while.

Two sister visits in the same week!

My family doesn't come to the Midwest often, but last week both Alicia and Courtney were, so I took the opportunities to see them. Alicia was in Minneapolis the weekend before last for a wedding, so Sarah and I diverted our plans to camp elsewhere that weekend to see her instead, and meet her new boyfriend Jeff. We were literally loaded up and driving out of town when she called. The 4.5 hour drive was worth it, and we had a good time exploring downtown Minneapolis, particularly The Butcher and The Boar German restaurant. I like impromptu adventures.

Court was in Des Moines for work for the first time since I've lived in Iowa. She was familiar with the area after she and Aaron lived in Oskaloosa, a town just south of Pella, their first married summer. Work also used to take her to Des Moines fairly often. Sarah and I met her for dinner after she flew in last Tuesday. She came down to Pella after work on Thursday, and we had a very nice Sarah-cooked dinner, drove around town, took pie to some friends who were out putting up hay on a very nice evening, and got the tour of my new place. I believe she approved.

I hope the time before Thanksgiving flies by so I can see them again soon!

My time as Enhancement Man turned out to be short-lived: another engineer was hired this week and will be joining me in Enhancement in early October. He's been in the manufacturing engineering department since the beginning of the year so I know him a little already. I think he'll fit in just fine.

I Am Enhancement Man

One topic I should have mentioned in the last post was that I am now a one-man team in Vermeer's Forage Product Enhancement Engineering group, which typically has two. Mr Jacob Limke was moved back to the baler group after two years in enhancement. I will be fending for myself at least until May when a new-hire will be brought on and trained by me, which may not be convenient if the season ramps up like it should that time of year. I counted today, and enhancement covers at least thirty models, including eight that were covered by a dedicated alliance engineer until a year ago. Despite the daunting work load, I have been assured that I will not be expected to do the work of two. Other groups may help with some of my responsibilities if things get too busy.

It's easier in a way because I know exactly what's going on with all of enhancement's issues. This is only the second week since the change, but it's manageable.

Portland, National Dealer Meetings, and the Eagles

I've had a very exciting ten days or so. I flew to Portland, Oregon on the 28th to join in on Scott Ervin's wedding festivities. Sarah was not able to come with me because she was in Vegas on a bachelorette party adventure. Scott is a good friend from the Bozeman days, and we were joined by a strong group of MSU alumni, many of whom I hadn't seen in a couple years. It still amazes me how much I can catch up with these old friends and it feels like it's been a few days since we've seen each other, not years. Congratulations Scott and Cheryl, and thank you for the honor of standing with you on your big day!

I had a blast seeing some of Portland, a one-of-a-kind city. My cousin Emily Torstveit and her husband Sven even met up with me for a couple hours. Our trip to a Korean-Hawaiian food truck just about made the trip worth it by itself. There are lots of reasons I need to go back to Portland, so hopefully it isn't long before I can get back.

Vermeer Forage held its National Dealer Meetings this past week. They are held every three years, so I hadn't been involved with one yet. My role was to drive trams of dealers to various events on Thursday afternoon and evening, and to drive a shuttle to the airport on Friday. Seeing the dealer reactions to multiple new product unveilings was very exciting. My dad was not able to attend due to being busy with second cutting and calving. All of the field demos went flawlessly, and the entire program went unbelievably smoothly as far as I could tell.

I had the opportunity to attend an Eagles concert last night in Des Moines with Sarah, her parents, and two sets of aunts and uncles. I'm pretty sure we were the youngest people there. To be perfectly honest, I went in knowing who the Eagles were, and knowing Hotel California, but not much beyond that. I got the feeling right away that the show was aimed at the demographic who had grown up with the band. Things picked up speed, however, and so did my interest. I was surprised how many of the songs I knew. Their musical talent is undeniable, with multiple harmonies and most band members playing multiple instruments well. It was quite an experience.

My biggest news at the moment is that I will be in the process of moving to an old farmhouse north of town soon. My roommate got married a month ago and moved to Des Moines. I was ready to move on from my current apartment in town some time ago, but it seemed best to wait until after Tyler was out and it was closer to the end of our lease. My friend, fellow engineer, and fellow dealer's son James Williams is leaving for North Carolina at the end of September, so his place was available. It's six miles straight north of Vermeer so the commute is easy. It's on 3/4 of an acre with a garage, a workshop, a 30x40 shed, and a party shed called "the Pavilion". It has a corn/wood pellet furnace which most people are confounded by, but I'm quite comfortable with. I am very excited to have a place with a little more room for projects and to have people over.

Colorado and Montana in Summer

I've gotten behind in my journaling. It's been a month since my trip to Colorado Springs for Jake Duede's wedding, and I'm just now writing it up. Sarah and I had a nice drive across Nebraska to partake in the festivities and enjoyed the Air Force wedding over 4th of July weekend. Alicia and my parents were also there, so it was a good get together all around. Congrats Kate and Jake!

It was a big week in Winston last week, with my mom's birthday, my sisters coming home for their 10th and 20th reunions, the Townsend rodeo, and the family celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Cox Ranch this month. My Aunt Janet, Uncle Allen, and Janet's sister Nancy were also vacationing in Montana, so it was a busy week. All this, along with the usual ranch busy-ness of summer meant there was lots to do in just a few days. I apologize to many for not being able to visit quite as much as I like, my usual regret after a trip home. There will be a next time, I promise!

Quick Trip to Dillon

Two Tuesdays ago, Travis Koster and I started one of two driving days to Dillon to work on a mower conditioner. This was the first work trip I had gotten to take to Montana. As usual, we had to drive to take parts and tools. I've been getting familiar with the I-80, 29, I-90 route after several trips down in the last couple years. Travis had never been to Montana, a trip to Yellowstone as a kid notwithstanding. This is the prime time to be there in my opinion, and we both thoroughly enjoyed the drive.

We made the executive decision to stay in Bozeman on Wednesday night. Shepherd's Garage in Dillon wouldn't be open til 8 or so anyway, so there was plenty of time in the morning to get there. I told Travis my choices for food would be self-serving, but that I wouldn't disappoint. Mackenzie River with Chris and Jim, Jim's dad Roger, and my Grandma was great and as reliable as ever. I also relished stops at my old favorite bars.

This mower campaign was an update of mower conditioners that were launched last year. There was only one MC in Montana. The updates were substantial, but Travis had done several of them elsewhere and we got the job done in a day and a half. Finishing up at noon on Friday opened up the weekend nicely, and we made our way to Winston. I hadn't been home in seven months, and it was good to see my parents and the ranch.

Travis comes from western Iowa and has been around cattle, hogs, hay, and corn his entire life. Montana ranching is a bit different from that environment, and I tried to give him a taste of this whenever we weren't doing other Vermeer-related activities for my dad. Irrigating is mostly unnecessary east of the Missouri so our pivots, wheellines, handlines, and ditches were foreign to him. The scale of the pastures was also beyond what's seen in Iowa.

We stopped by Dave and Barb Clark's on Sunday on our way out. Travis is admittedly not a horseman, and I suspected he had gotten bored when the conversation drifted toward stockwhips, riding, and saddles. I later learned he had never heard such a conversation, and what stuck with him was that it could have happened an era ago with no difference. I'd secretly hoped he'd get that sort of experience. We rolled back to Iowa from there, stopping at King Ropes in Sheridan. I could have spent a full day wandering through all that tack.

Only a few days after getting back to Pella, Sarah and I backtracked to Mitchell, South Dakota for a wedding of a Vermeer engineer who grew up near there and recently moved back to work at Vermeer's Freeman facility. It was a great day, and great trip, and we were glad to be there. Our return to Pella topped 3600 miles for me in twelve days. Just five more weddings to go this summer...

All Around Georgia

With my bags barely unpacked from Ireland, I packed them again and headed to Georgia for a work trip last week, this time to ride around with regional manager Bryan Setzer, who oversees the territory managers in Texas and Louisiana and himself manages the territories in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and part of Louisiana.

Riding with a TM is on my official list of goals for the year at work, to better understand their role at Vermeer and the scope of everything their title entails, to learn about regional markets around the country, and to meet a few of the dealers in those areas. I definitely did all of those things.

Bryan lives in Montgomery, Alabama, so my tour started there after an early flight on Monday. Montgomery has a great deal of history involving the civil war and civil rights movement. We drove to Cumming, Georgia afterward. We called on two dealers in the area the next day, stopped at a customer's place to help him set up a TM850, (editor's note: this customer happened to be Bill Elliott, the winningest NASCAR driver ever. He's also a very agreeable fellow) and hiked to Amicalola Falls, which is on the approach trail to Springer Mountain, the starting point to the Appalachian Trail. We met four dealers on Wednesday all over eastern GA, and wound down to St Simon's Island that night. After breakfast on Jekyll Island on Thursday, we made a long haul west to Elko to the aptly named Perfect Equipment, a long-time farmer-dealership. Though I'd known nothing about it before seeing it, we stopped at the Andersonville Civil War Prison Camp and National Cemetery. Learning about the unimaginably miserable conditions in a place where 12,900 people had suffered and died and seeing the resting place of those soldiers and those of other wars was very powerful. We made it back to Montgomery afterward, with a wander through the Auburn University campus. We'd covered 1440 miles in four days

The food on this trip was outstanding. Bryan has been doing this for years, so he knows all the best places. Georgia and Alabama offer both good barbecue and seafood. Gator tail and whole steamed shrimp on the Alabama River, listening to live blues out on the patio wrapped up the trip very well.

Being a TM is tough to imagine; 60,000 miles on the road a year, managing and dealing with scores of people, and keeping a handle on so many constantly changing ins-and-outs are all daunting tasks. I much better understand that end of the business after this educational trip.

Trip to Ireland

Sarah and I got back from Ireland Tuesday night. We left the morning of the 26th, flew to Newark for a day-long layover. A bus and train ride took us to Hoboken where we toured Noah and Jean's new house, had a walk round town, had lunch, saw the New York skyline over the Hudson river, and watched Lydia play. It was a very short visit, but a day well spent.

After flying overnight with little sleep and getting picked up at the Dublin airport Thursday morning by David Kelly, we dropped our stuff off, got breakfast, cleaned up, and headed into Dublin. David had the day off so he showed us around. We braced for rain on the way to the city, but it quit after the twenty minute train ride; we were very lucky the entire trip as far as weather went: Saturday was a little damp, but it didn't rain otherwise. Thursday took us to Dublin Castle, St Patrick's Cathedral, the Old Jameson Distillery, then O'Connell and Grafton Streets. I was randomly picked to do a taste test of Irish whiskey versus Scotch and American whiskeys, and now proudly own a certificate of my accomplishment. We collapsed into two pubs on Baggott Street, which has several old "still as they were built" pubs, which were exactly what we were looking for. It was here that Sarah was introduced to proper Guinness, not the questionable stuff gotten in America, and she was instantly converted. She's also a fan of Irish coffees. After a full day of touring on next to no sleep, we collapsed into comas after having been awake for 37 hours.

David had to go to class for grad school on Friday, so we adventured on our own. A day-tour bus took us to various places. we went through the Irish Museum of Modern Art mostly because it was close to the Kilmainham Gaol. The jail had operated for 250 years and would have been a very foul place to be, and was even a step up compared to city life in the rougher times. Much Irish history had been affected by what had happened there and by who had gone through it.

The rest of the day was spent idly listening to the bus commentary, walking around the O'Connell and Grafton Street areas, having dinner together, and getting drinks with David and his wife Amy on Baggott Street. Another fine day.

We headed west on Saturday and had lunch with David's parents and brother Ciaran in Tober, Co Offaly in the center of the country. Sarah and I took the train to Galway afterward. Galway is on the west coast and is a city of about 75,000, much smaller than Dublin's 1.2 million. It's known for it's music and festivals and many pubs have music every night.

We headed out Saturday evening, including my fiddle, and stepped into Taaffe's bar which had a sign for music, and we were not disappointed. I asked the session leader if I could join, and the Seattle-native offered me a seat. I knew a few of their tunes, taught them one, and loved it. The leader invited me to another session a few blocks away across the river at the Crane Bar later that night.

The Crane Bar has two floors, and the upstairs is exclusively for nightly sessions. The place filled in after 10, including a nicely varied bunch of about a dozen players: younger at about my age, older to about 80; fiddles, banjos, flutes, a bouzouki, and a concertina. It was also supposedly a quiet night. There were songs sung as well. Nothing against bodhrans, but I particularly liked the rhythm kept by the stamping of the session leader's feet on the wood floor. I liked being part of a session in a place where everyone present was there for the music and what it evoked. I've missed sessions, and playing in these two have inspired me a great deal.

Sunday was a startlingly sunny day; indeed the best Galway had seen yet that year. We booked a day tour into Clare to see the Burren region and the Cliffs of Moher. I had no knowledge of the Burren before then, and was intrigued by its ruggedness, its surprising biodiversity, its history, its lack of touristiness. It is a hilly limestone region that is home to a majority of Ireland's biodiversity. The limestone allows its seven feet of rainfall to be absorbed into the ground, making it one of the driest places in Ireland in terms of surface water. Its stone fences are a practical relic from another time and are endearing. An ancient tower and an abbey were in the valley.

The tour took us to a farm in the Burren that covered 100 acres of pasture and 700 acres in the hills. Their Angus and Charolais cows grazed in the valleys in spring, summer, and fall, and wintered in the hills because the weather is that mild. The guide was local and had been formally trained in Irish history. One of the most poignant topics of the tour was the stone fences built over the hills, dividing nothing. Instead of putting their tenants to work doing any number of useful tasks to earn their soup rations during the potato famine, landlords had instead given them busy work. How terrible it would have been to barely survive a famine by performing menial, pointless labor.

The Cliffs of Moher are an often photographed icon of Ireland, but cannot be given justice unless seen with your own eyes. The 700 foot drop straight to the sea is truly awe-inspiring and just has to be taken in. Most of the five miles of the cliffs are a park and are fenced off, but part of them are not, so the edge is unguarded and available to anyone interested in peering right over the edge, namely me, to Sarah's disapproval.

After the lovely ride back along the coast, we found another session at the Tig Coili. This one was smaller but in one of the best-known music pubs in Ireland. I didn't know any of their tunes though, and they were just about wrapped up when we got there. We were exhausted after this anyway, after being out late the night before, the early rise for the tour, and the lost hour due to daylight savings. We were not thrilled to have caught the worst night of the year twice.

We went to mass Monday morning at Galway Cathedral, then walked along the pier and the busy Shop Street. We rode the train back to Dublin and spent a perfect last evening of the trip out to dinner with the Kellys. They were perfect hosts, and we enjoyed that they are in nearly the same spot in life as we are. David and I always seem to have plenty to talk about, and I thank him and Amy again for making my time in Ireland even better.

The flights back to Iowa were uneventful, and back to work on Wednesday, another adventure in the books and batch of stories collected.

On Our Way to Ireland

Sarah and I are leaving for Ireland on Wednesday! After missing Mr David Kelly's wedding last August to be at my parents' anniversary, I had made it a priority to go visit. We can only be gone a week due to our limited time off from work, but we are going nonetheless! David and his wife live in Dublin so we will spend some time there, and in Galway in the west, but not in Belfast this trip.

As for everyday activities, I've been liking my role as an enhancement engineer. I deal with a lot of people, touch all of Vermeer's forage products, and generally feel satisfied with what I'm doing. I feel like my activities have a much more immediate impact than they did as a new product engineer.

Iowa has had what they consider a long winter, with snow into the second week of March or so. I scratch my head at what they'd think of Montana's regularly long winters; I distinctly remember many years where snow continued into May or even twice into June, and one semester with snow every single week, including during finals. And that's not even considering the early starts to the winters. Everyone also seems to have forgotten that it snowed here last May. In any case, we seem to have turned a corner, and it is more pleasant lately.

I've finished two more stockwhips this year, one going to Jesse Munk, and another that I intend to keep. I've got a kangaroo hide that will get cut up and braided after the trip. To test out the roohide, I made Sarah a one-of-a-kind roohide bracelet for Valentine's Day.

Stay tuned for forthcoming stories about my return to Ireland!

Christmas and a Job Change

This is long overdue. I went home mid-December for a week to celebrate the life of Olive Robison, the late mother of my uncle Jim. I was glad to have been able to know her, and to have spent time with the Robisons at that time, especially right before Christmas. I hadn't seen my cousins Emily and Noah in several months and two years respectively, and wouldn't have otherwise because Sarah and I had already made plans to meet my parents in Arizona to spend Christmas with my sisters. Much catching up was done in just a couple days, then I went to the ranch. It's a quieter time of year there, and I happily relieved my dad from a few days of feeding, which he seldom gets a break from for six months a year. I had brought my fiddle because I couldn't have shown up to a Robison gathering without one, and got one evening of playing in with the Helena crowd, thankfully at a slow, closed session where my out of practice fiddle couldn't be heard by the general public. They always welcome me back like I haven't been gone at all. My friend Dan Boyce met me for a couple beers and his company was as good as could be asked for, as always. Somehow without weather delays, I made it back to Iowa.

After two very pleasant days spent in southeast Iowa with Sarah's family for their Christmas, we each worked one day, then flew to Phoenix that night. We spent the week with my parents, sisters, Aaron, Elayna, and Brian, spending overdue time with each other in ACE's massive new house, cooking, hiking in the hills in and around Phoenix, bowling, watching E do things, taking in a Suns game, playing games around ACE's backyard firepit, riding segways, and going to interesting restaurants. The latter included sushi, a semi-famous breakfast place, and a Mexican-Chinese mashup. The Arizona winter was also appreciated by those who'd come south. Sarah and I regrettably had to endure late night/early morning flights (direct 2:30am return), but otherwise our travels went smoothly.

I've accepted a different role at work. A spot in the enhancement group, which is in the same office but deals with production problems and changes to current products, opened at the end of the year. My workload for Brazil-related things had dwindled to very little, and I felt the need for a change. I am in the middle of my second week, and all is well so far.

I am taking advantage of the indoor weather this winter by working on a couple braiding projects. I am just about done with a stockwhip handle, which will eventually go to Jesse Munk, whose place in enhancement I took after he moved to Parts Center. It's nice to not travel for a little while, after being gone for more than half of December.