Forty years.

I mowed the lawn today.  I listened to Paul Simon and his "Bridge Over Troubled Water" among other songs from my time in Vietnam and was simply lost in thought and tears.  There were 6,000 Americans killed during my tour.  And I pondered my blessings.  A wonderful wife, great kids and grandkids and good friends.  I have to wonder, why am I here, why am I not a name on the wall?  I pray I am worthy, I pray for all those lost over the years and for those lives still to be spent.  You all deserve the peace you've found.

Gateway Pundit: Pro-Obama Cop to Protester: "Put Sign Away... I Can Charge You With Whatever I Want To Charge You With!" (Video)

First Amendment??  We don’t need no stinking First Amendment!

 

Gateway Pundit: Pro-Obama Cop to Protester: "Put Sign Away... I Can Charge You With Whatever I Want To Charge You With!" (Video)

37 Years today!! Really!?!?!? Already?!?!?!

Happy Anniversary Sweetie!!

August 19, 1972

 

Rock Island, MN  August 2009

Holy Cow - That was quick!!!!!

And he took a walk.

I realize this post is about a week late – heavy sigh. Life seems to find a way to fill my time.

On July 20^th 1969 Neil Armstrong took his walk in the Sea of Tranquility. It has been a tremendously exciting 12 years. I remember all the excitement around Sputnik. School changed completely. Science and math were emphasized. New learning methods were tried. By the early 60s we had TV in the class rooms. Launches were televised and we watched every one. I have vivid memories of sitting in Ms. Atkins classroom in 5^th grade drawing the outline of Florida and the flight path of Shepard’s first suborbital flight. I even remember the green fountain pen I used to outline the coast line.

Things continued to accelerate – John Glenn’s three orbit flight. Ed White’s first space walk. The first Apollo orbital flights. The loss of White, Grissom and Chaffee – a devastating event that took us all by surprise and reminded us this was uncharted territory with all the attendant dangers.

One additional connection to these flights was my Uncle Victor, a WWII bomber pilot that had become an aeronautical engineer. His project was the attitude jets on the side of the lunar lander. Very cool!

As high school came to an end, war was all around us. Vietnam was just coming out of the trauma of Tet 1968. It was before the lottery, you simply received a letter from Uncle in the mail. I volunteered instead – Air Force. Even then we were hell bent on getting to the moon! I read everything I could. Now I was working on some of the same systems used to communicate with the capsules. Again, very cool!

And, that’s how I ended up in Taiwan. I was at a number of locations, but in July 1969 I was in Tainan. To kill some of the evenings, I had started teaching conversational English at a regional Taiwanese military artillery school. On the evening of July 20^th the commander invited me to the base to watch Neil Armstrong take his historic walk. It was an electric moment. There, on a black and white – slightly snowy – TV, man was walking on the moon. It has enthralled me ever since.

We were a more committed country then. We were willing to take on big endeavors. People were independent. Industries were confident in their abilities and ready for every challenge. Every kid wanted to be an engineer, a pilot, and astronaut. We were truly reaching for the stars.

All because of men like Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins. They demonstrated what we were capable of. I pray we rediscover that again.

Alaska - 2009 - A video!

Again, it was a GREAT trip!!  Enjoy!

A Random Dropping

I noticed my last post was entitled "Busy, busy, busy!"  And was done while on our Alaska trip.  A month already!!  Really???  Yep, busy seems to be the right phrase.

Since the trip our local group of concerned citizens have held their first public forum on our country's direction.  Emphasis was given to the economy, healthcare, national defense and small business.  It was a genuinely interesting evening.  You can read the results of our group at: 

http://notwithoutourconsent.blogspot.com/2009/07/results-of-our-first-meeting-june-23.html 

if you have any interest.

Preparation for a scouting trip to the Boundary Waters has been fast paced this past weekend with our shakedown paddle, trip planning, defining the individual groups (3 groups, 21 scouts and dads).  This week will be food shopping, repackaging and packing and then we hit the road at 5AM on the 11th.  Again, coming too fast!!

Have had lots of conversations with my daughter about her economics class.  Pretty interesting chats and a fun process to watch.  She is driven to get an "A" while pushing to learn everything she can but is saddled with a prof that just seems happy to do the minimum.  I feel her frustration and really admire her extra efforts and extra reading.  She will make a terrific school administrator some day!

Work has been nuts - even closed two deals on our Alaska trip!  I really like that feeling.  The follow on work is really intense with installation, training and the initial startup.  We have completed over a dozen training's in the past month - busy, busy, busy.  Not that I am complaining.  In an economy when many businesses are struggling we are fortunate to offer a product that can save hospitals tens of thousands of dollars each year.  Enough to get their attention and to move.  As a business, we are truly blessed.

And so it goes.  There are honestly days I feel truly harried - yet that is how I have lived my life and am not sure I would be satisfied were it any other way.  Next week, while in the Boundary Waters, my crew wants to paddle a bit and fish allot.  Sounds good to me!  Though not a big fisherman, it should provide ample time to enjoy the scenery, listen to the loons and allow my body and mind to slow a bit.

I have also taken time to create a 10 minute video of our Alaska trip.  It's processing even as I type!  When it's complete, I will post a link so you can see what we saw and enjoy it along with us.

So ends a random dropping update.  Enjoy the day!!

Busy, busy, busy!!

Can’t believe how busy this trip is and how fast it’s going.

We are at Icy Point today.  Had a wild life search trip today.  Saw one brown bear and very pretty country.  Yesterday was Skagway.  Nice bus/train tour of Whitehorse Pass.  No wild life but stunning country side.

Only downer is that Phyllis got sick with the Norwalk virus (along with dozens of others).  Barfies and diarrhea last night and today.  She’s hoping to recover for our formal dinner tonight.

Ketchikan tomorrow and then a day of sailing and home on Friday.

Going fast, fast, fast!!!

On the boat

Well we got on the boat yesterday.  Good trip down.  Saw a really cool grizzly just entertaining the folks along side the road!

Meal last night was great.  Good weather today.  And, expensive internet -  $.53 per min.  Will do mini updates and phone calls on shore during the day.

Love you all – from both the Kellers and McKees

Yet another busy day!

Drove to Denali today.  Got there in time for lunch and then a couple mile walk in the woods and around a meadow. 

For supper there was a very nice dinner theater.

Early day tomorrow with a 5 hour tour of the park and then an 8 hour train ride back to Anchorage.

Day 3 – there’s gold in that there stream!!

 

These folks sure keep you hopping.  Headed out about 9AM for a gold mining operation.  Rex and Phyllis were dropped at the museum that the fellow who went with Rex’s dad acted as a procurer for.  They had a great time there while the rest of us went to the mining operation.  We were shown how they used water too look for gold and taught how to pan for gold.  Then, we were given bags of “pay dirt” and off we went.  Susie beat me with $33 and I found $9.  Enough for her to get it made into a nice pendant and a pair of ear rings.

After that we went on a river boat cruise, visited a native village, visited the late Susan Butcher’s new dog kennels and just had a nice leisurely afternoon.

That was followed by a great supper and a visit with Rex’s compounding friend from “North Pole” – yep, that is truly the name of his town.

For me, it was back to the room.  I had an urgent email from a prospect  that she HAD TO HAVE A DEMO TOMORROW AT 8AM!!!  Geezz, that’s 5AM here!!  Ah well, money is money!  So, at 5AM local time tomorrow, I’ll be ready!!

So ends another day.  Tomorrow – Denali!!

Alaska – Day 1

What a long day! Alarm set for 4:45 AM!!!!!! This is vacation for Pete’s sake!! Anyway, breakfast and on the bus by 7AM and off to Fairbanks. Lot’s of gorgeous scenery! Mountains, rivers, marsh lands. Very beautiful. Saw Moose, sheep, reindeer – very cool. Saw a moose plunge out of the forest right into the side of a truck hauling a trailer just in front of us. She bounced off, fell on her butt, got up and ran back into the bush. Took the mirror off the side of the truck and dented it a bit. We finally got to Fairbanks around 7:30PM. Had supper and made it to the hotel around 9PM. End of a very long day!!! But, lots of fun! Tomorrow – gold mine, paddle boat trip. Should be a good day. Will try to post some photos tomorrow.

We have arrived!

Nice, on time flights to MN and AK.  Good weather and service right to the hotel.  There is a three hour time difference so while our bodies feel like 12:30 Am it’s only 9:30 PM here.  Cell service does not work here so if you want to find us kiddies, send an email and we will get it in the evenings.

All is well in vacation land!

North to Alaska!!

Yep, off to Alaska for two weeks.  For family wondering where the hell we are, here's a link to our travels.

http://keller-systems.com:8080/alaska/d01/06/2009?display=M&style=B&positioning=A

Eat your hearts out!!

THIS is my next car!

I have been watching this product for nearly 2 years. This I will buy.

I love technogy.

I set up my cell for blogging this morning - very cool.

Speaking for life.

I try to keep this site apolitical.  I will make an exception for this video from the students at Notre Dame

Our very own Papillon and the great escape!

"Have you seen Daisy?" asks my wife at 1AM as she arrives home from work.  I open an eye, try to regain consciousness and say "Nope>".  Honestly, she has a number of hiding places to sleep in, it's 1AM for Pete's sake, I am sure she's here somewhere.

1:36AM, the boy shows up.  Again I struggle to consciousness - "what the heck are you doing here?" I ask in a loving way??  Cell phone is back from the repair shop, wants to get it first thing in the morning, thought he would come home, sleep here and get an early start.

"Seen Daisy?"  the mom asks.  "Nope" the boy replies.

And so we let it go and go to sleep.

Friday morning still no Daisy.  She usually attends at the shower door guarding us against who knows what - but she is absent her post.  So the search begins with "Daisy" being called in all rooms and all floors of the house.  No Daisy.  A second search pattern, this time physically looking at all the favorite hiding/sleeping spots.  No Daisy.  We bring out the big guns - her treat jar - rattling and calling throughout the house. No Daisy.  One final pass crinkling the wrapper on a pack of lunch meat - usually enough to have her flying from where ever to the kitchen.  No Daisy.

The obvious conclusion - she is either dead or had snuck out of the house.  She is 8 year old, no front claws and only 4 teeth - not much to get her by in the wild.  she has not spent a single night outside in her 8 years with us. Not good. Heavy sigh.

So, the above process is repeated outside.  The yard is searched.  The perimeter of our neighborhood's 20 acre wood is searched.  Twice.  Neighbors are visited.  The center of the woods is searched.  Nothing.  I head to look at the last possible spot I can think of - the clean-out pipe for the septic system.  And happen to glance to my left.  And there she is, lounging under our canoe rack of 8 canoes looking at me as though to say "Well I am right here dip-stick!"  No enlarged eyes, no nervous twitches, no urge to run away.  Just lounging in her yard.

It was nice to find her.  It would have been a truly crappy weekend if she had been truly lost.  So here she is, our own little Papillon.

Sex at the weapons range!

 

I took a break from the stress of being a wildly successful entrepreneur today and cleaned a couple of my guns.  My favorite - a Ruger 22/45 and my six gun, a Ruger Blackhawk 45 Long Colt.  There is something relaxing about the process.  Disassembling them, cleaning each part, oiling them and reassembling them.  The only thing better is shooting them of course.

So, in keeping with my right wing extremist persona,  I went to the weapons range to play.  Well, it seems I interrupted a hot sex session right there at the range.  It seems the couple didn't mind so much, in fact the let me shoot a bit of video and take a couple of photos.  I thought you might enjoy it!

And as for my results, not bad.  50 rounds at 25 ft - 90% in the black.  50 rounds at 25ft - 70% in the black, 50 yards - 80% on an 8x11 sheet of paper.  I'll take it for the first outing of the spring.

Second round to TEA Party photos and one more video.

A few more photos and a "tour" video of the TEA Party for those interested.

TEA Party Interviews

For those interested, here are my TEA Party interviews from my visit to the Dubuque, Iowa TEA Party today.