Bridge over 'T.......' Waters

This past week I was in Philadelphia for a Fatigue and Fracture Conference sponsored by Lehigh University. The purpose of the conference was to understand how to make our bridges safe and functional for the next 100+ years. After the conference I visited three customers and helped them with their programming questions using our hardware. I have attached some pictures below. The Burlington Bridge had me at about 200+ feet above the river and 60+ feet above the traffic going across the bridge. This was the highest I had ever been on a bridge and was slightly unnerving when trucks would cross. I am thankful that Campbell's makes ruggedized dataloggers that can operate for years at a time unattended and collect bridge monitoring data that is needed to do renovation/retrofitting work on bridges. I love my job. The other bridge is the Tuscony bridge which is a Bascule Bridge.

Burlington Bridge. The whole bridge section is raised by gears and counter weights.


Gears built in 1930 for controlling the raising and lowering of the bridge section



Mega-Ton Counter weight on 32 steel cables. Picture needs to be rotated 90 degrees

Tuscony Bridge. It is a Bascule Bridge with the opening next to arch like a draw-bridge. It is between two brick piles.

For a demonstration of this type of bridge go to this website.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bascule_bridge

Up Up and Away!!!!!!!

After having our house on the market for almost a year and with the opportunity for Bryan and Natalie to get their own home, we have sold our home. It may be a crazy way to do it but it appears that it will work for us. We sold it on a Lease to Purchase. If the prospective buyer execute their option then we will be officially out of the home market. we have chosen to move into a small Condo for a year with the aspiration of looking for property and building our retirement home in 2 or 3 years. Sounds like a plan with a lot of faith.

The biggest stress factor in our lives in downsizing from a 5500 sq ft home to a 1600 sq ft Condo. We have accumulated so much in our 42 years of bliss that it is hard to let goal. I have a lot of reference books that I hardly ever open but when I need something it has been good to have. However with the invention of the Internet almost everything is now online why keep these books. I am getting rid of them except for a couple that seem logical to keep.

The move has been very hard and seems like we make very little progress but with the help of many (Natalie, Bryan, Hallie, Sydney, Luke, Heidi, Don,Kendra, Amy, Lonna, Lisa, Shawna, Adam, Tara, Marilyn, Sharon, Barbara, Laurie, and soon to be some Relief Society Sisters) we could not have done it. (I hope that I did not forget anyone). We should almost be out tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
From K & C to all

... A G R E A T B I G
T H A N K - Y O U
T H A N K - Y O U
T H A N K - Y O U ...

So life goes on and we thank the Lord for our many friends and family. Thanks for your love and support.

Not Lost but alive and kicking

A few years ago, I had a great experience, in fact the family had the same experience; we built a retaining wall. Well with all this rain we (who is 'we' yet to be TBD) get to do it again. The rain caused the base of gravel and dirt to settle and shift; thus getting the wall moving outward until it fell over into my neighbors yard. We are currently moving the blocks out so we can build a better base. Then we will move the blocks back. This is a great way to exercise and lose weight at the same time. I am soooooo exciiiiiiiiited.... Anybody looking for exercise "come on down". We will be out there almost every night and Saturday mornings. Tuesday Night's Trent and I will not be there but you can come if you want too. Have a great Spring and a better Summer.

And the work goes on and on and on

Some days I feel like the Energizer bunny. My work goes on and on and on. This week has been just that. Every time I finish one project I have two more appear on my plate. At this rate I will never catch up and when I retire I will have (100)s of projects left unfinished. As a simple example consider this progression (1 on my plate, complete it and now there is 2, complete one more now there is 3, complete that one and now there is 4, and on and on and on).

For an economy in a very stressful mode because many people are losing their jobs, Campbell seems to be getting busier and busier. For personal reasons this is good but I am left to wonder if this will break down later in the year. I hope not but I do hope that we get back to an even keel with our work load.

Even though the world is worried about jobs and finances and lack of mortgages and limited car loans, I remain the ever present Optimist and know that we will be stronger for having endure such an experience.

Oh Yeah!!!

Mother Nature is just tempting us. The weather has been so balmy these last couple of days that I am itching to get on my bike and ride to work. I know that winter is not over but I am so ready for the warm spring. Oh Yeah, I am ready. Prepare your bikes, oil the chains, put on the glasses and helmets and lets peddle. Saturday mornings are a great time to get in longer rides. Anyone interested in joining me; let me know.

Spring Wishes

I'm counting the days until I can get back on my bike and pedal to work. It has been a long winter but I am ready to exercise and shed a few pounds. My Goal 20 pounds by June first.

Something Special

Yesterday was a pretty neat day. I went to my semi-annual meeting with the Industrial Advisory Committee (IAC) for the USU Dept of Electrical and Computer Engineering. We normally meeting during Engineering week which was last week and then in October the Friday of Homecoming Weekend. As part of the February the College of Engineering the University gives out their awards for the year. This year I received the Utah State University - Distinguished Service of the Year for 2008 -2009 from the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE). This was as total surprise. They said I received the honor for everything I have done for the university over the years and also for the Dept of ECE. Over the years I have helped the IEE, the SWE, and the ACM student professional groups. I have provided seminars on how to prepare for a job interview, how to write a resume, participated in several mock interviews, worked with career services, supported Dept of ECE in their ABET Certification, was the chair person for 2 for the IAC, taught classes for the ECE Dept, and many other things. I did this things to help students and was a total surprise when I received this service awards.

A Game for the Ages

After reading every one's latest blog, cookies, pictures, Idiot(s) etc. I thought maybe a comment of the 'Game for the Ages' might warrant some blog time. I thoroughly enjoyed the game yesterday except the wrong team won but still the Steelers and Cardinals played an exciting game. The play up the middle was a classic that put AZ ahead with 2+ minutes left on the clock. I thought the game was over but another angel sitting next to me (he is pretty smart) said ; "I don't think so." Boy was he right. Ben is a tough man to bring down; he must have scrambled out of trouble at least 10 times during the game. AZ just could not get him on the ground; even on the game winning play he was scrambling and then he threw a perfect pass that was caught in the corner of the end-zone, just out of reach of the defenders. These kind of plays late in the game is what makes legends. Kurt did a magnificent job rallying his team and then Ben did what he needed to do to win. Two great quarterbacks leading their teams and neither one needs to hang their head. I love both performances. I loved the game. It was great and for the most part was competed cleanly and fairly. Next time AZ, when they get back to the Super Bowl, they will win. You heard it here first!

New Beginnings

I know it seems like I have been gone awhile. The truth is I was trying to change my blog background and lost most of my Biker information. I blogged last week but for some reason beyond my wisdom it was never recorded. Oh well, I will try and recreate that blog but my senior moments often get in the way. I wanted to talk about some new beginnings or maybe some 'start overs', or 'redos', or maybe 'wished I hads'. Any way here they are:
1) I have started over again by going to Calories King to count calories and to begin to lose some more weight. Everyone seems to be doing it and being successful so why not me?
2) It is a new quarter in the year and I have started for the 14th time in a row to read the Book of Mormon completely through within the quarter. This has help me immensely and has given me new insight into the Gospel; the Plan of Happiness. I am excited to read the book again.
3) I can't wait to start riding my bike again. Only a couple of months and I will be on the Red Racer flying down the hills and successful conquering the hills on the way back. The exercise is needed and I feel a difference when I am not riding.
4) We have a new beginning in the family. For the first time in 2 or 3 months we are ALL healthy. I have battled a cough, congestion, sore throat for at least 6 weeks. It is good that we are all stronger and have quit for the time being of sharing the colds with each other.
5) I hope that our new president will help our country. I did not vote for him but will support him and pray for him because America needs changes and Pres. Obama is our new leader and responsible to make this happen. In these trying times it is important that we rally behind our leaders. I think the greatest thing about America is that we can have a heated debate during the election process, have a peaceful election then a very peaceful transition from one leader to another. Our constitution has provided us with all this freedom and I for one thoroughly appreciate it.
6) Bryan has gotten the family to watch the mini series on John Adams. I am greatly impress with this founding father as I am with the others. But what I did not know was how influential John Adams was in helping to forge this great country. He was a man of integrity and of great personal values as was his wife and best friend, Abigail. All these men (women) had a great belief in God and gave much credit to Diety for the success of America during these troubling times.
7) Lucky number 7, This is the beginning of a lucky year and I know that our family will be bless. All we have to do is be patient in our afflictions, offer Hope to each other, work together while loving each other, and most of all remember the Lord each day and the future will be ours filled with much happiness and comfort. 2009 is it.