Sunday, December 21, 2008

A long cold business trip

I just returned from two and a half weeks in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The purpose of the trip was to manage a technical problem with an electric motor. But the most memorable aspect of the trip was the weather. It was cold and snowy.

When I arrived, there was several inches of frozen snow in the ground, the temperature was well below freezing. I grew up in Milwaukee, and remember lots of snow from the days of boyhood, struggling with snow shovels, digging forts in the piles of snow, snowball fights, and ice skating. I also remember lots of snow from from the days of my early adulthood, but these memories center more on the work caused by snow instead of the joy.

It snowed several times while I was there. It actually got above freezing for a day, and the dirty slush on the streets melted and flowed away, and it was pretty nice out. But of course that didn't last long. I remember times when we wondered whether there would be snow for Christmas. A few years there was not. But snow came early this year to Wisconsin.

The trip afforded an opportunity to visit friends and family, as the business side of things dragged on slowly. That part was fine, it is always good to visit the ones you love and appreciate. I rescheduled my return to Texas several times, and finally got back. The technical part of the trip continues to be a concern, and will hopefully work itself to a successful conclusion in another few days.

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