Greetings from the close-to-frozen north!

[Krusen]

  Waiting patiently for the long version, Noemi!

Sitting around with Covid, anything entertaining is a welcome change.

KRUSE'N

[Norm L.]

It's time to bring back the Conestoga wagon pulled by oxen. The etas may be longer but they are pretty well assured. As long as you stay out of cities. Anyway, the valet parking at the Four Seasons or Ritz Carelton may be thrown into confusion.

You'd be better off at a Motel 6, as long as you shoveled off the parking lot.

I picked the last oranges off the tree and now to tent it for the next few days of sub 32 weather. 

[Spot]

It was 0 degrees F here this morning. After being -10 F this feels appreciably warmer.  We are heading to 30 F in a couple days.

[Wayne Howard]

We were at 18F this morning and heading to 71F tomorrow afternoon. I've been to the hardware store watching the run on plumbing supplies cuz Texas ain't supposed to get this cold. LOL

[Noemi - Ensenada 20]

OK, here goes.

I flew to Lincoln NE last week to close out a project.  All the installers are supposed to write letters stating they will be "substantially complete" before my trip.  That means all the systems are in and working, though not every element must be 100%.  This project has two identical high school theatres.  To close out the first one, I had to make two trip$$$, because they were so far from substantially complete on the first one that I couldn't supervise training.  So the construction manager was much more careful this time about confirming with everyone that they would be ready for me...

Only, they weren't.  Three big towers were not yet assembled; they all have to be up to conduct training on how to set them up and take them down.  The owner did some finagling with another company to get that done, and we finished the training on that trip.  I was supposed to fly home on Friday afternoon... 

Only I didn't.  First the flight was postponed, then it was canceled.  Luckily, rebooking via phone has gotten a lot easier.  I extended the hotel stay and my car rental, and planned to fly out on Saturday morning at 7:30.  Oops, postponed until 9:30 - I could still make my connection...

Only I couldn't.  And here is where the story gets really long.  Turned out, the Friday plane had a part that needed to be replaced.  United sent out a guy with the part, but he got stuck in the snow.  Did I mention that was the height of that huge storm?  So they sent another guy on a plane from Chicago, my hoped-for destination, with the needed part.  He arrived, but had to hang out for nearly an hour because that airport required someone to "escort" him onto the plane, and nobody was available.  In the meantime, the pilot wanted to get the plane started and the heat going so the tech could work and we wouldn't board a freezing cold plane.  But maintenance had to come remove the snow from the engine intakes.  So more waiting for maintenance.  Eventually, the tech gained access and replaced the part.  We might be able to board...

Which we did!  This was after boarding was postponed from 7:30 am to 9:30 am to 3:00 pm to 6 pm to 7 pm...but we were finally on the plane!  We might even take off....

Only we couldn't.  The plane had been running long enough that the fuel was getting low.  It needed more.  The fuel truck was called, but the fuel hose was froze.  They had to call another, but all the phone numbers had been disconnected!  After about an hour, the plane was all fueled up, pushed back from the gate, and all it needed was de-icing.  Almost time to fly....

Only we didn't.  The de-icing truck hadn't been kept warm, and in that crazy weather, it couldn't get up to temp to do its job.  We taxied back to the gate, and everyone disembarked to try to find solutions to their travel problems.

I accepted the airline's offer of a room and meal tickets.  There were no flights available on Sunday, so I was scheduled to fly out on Monday morning.  I spent Sunday catching up on email, doing laundry, and actually watching television.  I did get to hang out with our pilot and three others who were also stranded in Lincoln, so that was fun.

On Monday morning, I arrived at the airport bright and early.  Then my flight was delayed....and then it was canceled again. 

I walked across the lobby, rented a car, and drove home from Lincoln.  The trip wasn't too bad, but it did take 12 hours instead of 9.  I was very careful, seeing the results of all the cars and semi trucks that had been caught in the weather.  I must have seen 30 or 40 trucks stuck in the snow, overturned, crashed.  But the roads had been cleared by then, and I had no trouble. 

Ah, home.

[Krusen]

  Thank you Noemi, I now feel much better about all that I have been prevented from doing, due to Covid.

I came off quarantine this morning, Shirley tomorrow morning, so free at last.

No real mention of food, except for one free meal by the airline.  Does that mean there was no problem obtaining reasonable food while those delays were taking place?

When there are flight delays, I become a 'pilot watcher'  Where they go, I go too.  One such time, the desk just kept saying "We do not know at this time how long the delay will be".  I returned with the information that the flight crew had walked to the sit down restaurant, and ordered a full meal.  Shirley and I decided it was time for us to eat too.  We finished our somewhat lighter repast, and watched as the crew relaxed with pie and coffee for about a quarter hour.  A cell phone message, they got up, and returned to the gate, with us a short distance behind them.

So a contractor builds the equipment, and you train the school people how to take it apart, re assemble it, and make use of the associated lighting and or speaker equipment that is attached?  Is one of the incentives for the contractor to call you early that he must have one of his crew present, in case you find a defect or piece missing?  So your early presence is on your dime, not his?

At the power company, I was in the Substation Test Department, and that was a common issue.  Sometimes, the union electricians doing the construction did not understand what the equipment was supposed to do, and the contractor called us early, on his dime, to make sure they did not make big mistakes that would have to be undone, and rebuilt.

Who actually pays for your trip and training?  Is the messed up flying, and rent a car home out of your profits, or reimbursed by someone else?

KRUSE'N

[Noemi - Ensenada 20]

Thank you Noemi, I now feel much better about all that I have been prevented from doing, due to Covid.

I came off quarantine this morning, Shirley tomorrow morning, so free at last.

No real mention of food, except for one free meal by the airline.  Does that mean there was no problem obtaining reasonable food while those delays were taking place?

When there are flight delays, I become a 'pilot watcher'  Where they go, I go too.  One such time, the desk just kept saying "We do not know at this time how long the delay will be".  I returned with the information that the flight crew had walked to the sit down restaurant, and ordered a full meal.  Shirley and I decided it was time for us to eat too.  We finished our somewhat lighter repast, and watched as the crew relaxed with pie and coffee for about a quarter hour.  A cell phone message, they got up, and returned to the gate, with us a short distance behind them.

So a contractor builds the equipment, and you train the school people how to take it apart, re assemble it, and make use of the associated lighting and or speaker equipment that is attached?  Is one of the incentives for the contractor to call you early that he must have one of his crew present, in case you find a defect or piece missing?  So your early presence is on your dime, not his?

At the power company, I was in the Substation Test Department, and that was a common issue.  Sometimes, the union electricians doing the construction did not understand what the equipment was supposed to do, and the contractor called us early, on his dime, to make sure they did not make big mistakes that would have to be undone, and rebuilt.

Who actually pays for your trip and training?  Is the messed up flying, and rent a car home out of your profits, or reimbursed by someone else?

KRUSE'N

Sorry to hear you two had it, and glad to hear you're free!

The Lincoln airport only has 6 gates, so everything is close.  They have a nice little restaurant right in the middle of them.  "Reasonable" doesn't include price, though, when you're talking about airport amenities.

Several contractors install equipment - dimming system, theatrical lights, stage floor, orchestra shell, seating, rigging above the stage, drapery.  We DO try to make sure they install it right by answering questions.  At these two projects, we were asked very few of those, with the installers figuring out for themselves how to put things together.  Some of it was really wrong.

We write into our specifications that we must do a final inspection, and be present for training of the users.  We don't do that training ourselves; the people who manufacture the systems conduct the training.  We have to be there to make sure they don't leave things out, and we ask the questions the users might not know to ask.  The cost of the trip is included in our fees, but second trips get charged to the installer who said they'd be ready but aren't.

In this case, the project was WAY behind in schedule.  The owner wanted it DONE, and pushed the construction company to finish.  The construction company did ask all the installers to verify that they'd be ready, but one didn't check that they had all the parts they needed to put the last things together.  And they didn't go to any extra effort to get it done when they figured out they didn't have those parts. 

So we get paid for the first trip by the architects who have hired us.  The second trip, if needed, gets paid for by the company that wasn't ready when they said they would be.  They aren't responsible for my delayed attempts to get home, though.  I'm going to try to get money out of the airline because the delays were really due to the plane needing parts and dumb stuff happening at the airport.  Not sure how much of that I can get out of them, though, and their online site for claims is clunky.  At the very least, they should reimburse me for the flights home I couldn't take.

[Spot]

Noemi, what an adventure!

[Norm L.]

Noemi, UGH what a story.

I left New York in the start of a snowstorm headed to Camden, NJ. It wasn't too bad but as I entered Philidelphia traffic was backed up because they had closed the Ben Franklin bridge due to ice. I was stuck on I-95 but just before a down ramp. I exited there as no telling when things might move. Near the down ramp was a Holiday Inn. What luck. But the staff couldn't get in to work so management allowed us to cook our own meals in the restaurant kitchen.

As for driving when you have given up on flying. I arrived in Portland, ME on a Sunday and started inspecting harbor tugs. Mid morning the Port Captain for the tug company found me in the wheelhouse of one of the boats and told me some airplane ran into a building in NYC. It was 9/11. I finished in two days, although local authorities. including USCG weren't happy with a "stranger" moving around in their port. After waiting 3 days with false promises from Delta at 0730 Saturday morning I got in the rental car and headed south getting home in New Orleans in time for Sunday dinner.

[Noemi - Ensenada 20]

My 9/11 story....

I was flying out to South Carolina (I think) to close out a project.  Only I was running very late.  As I rushed through the terminal, I noticed a bunch of people in one of the sports bars.  I briefly thought that weird, but maybe they had a great breakfast special?  I thought I could make it, but got to my gate as the plane was pulling away.  Oh boy.  Was I going to be in deep stuff with my boss!

I slowly walked back to try to get another flight.  Paused by that full sports bar and saw that all the TVs showed a burning building.  It was the first of the Twin Towers.  I was aghast...though that doesn't really express the feeling.  I stayed there long enough to see the second tower get hit.  I don't remember if there was an announcement at the airport that all flights were grounded, or if I saw it on television. 

I called my boss, who said just go home.  And that's what I did.  Didn't even have to pay for parking.  That was the only time I ever missed a plane, but boy, was I glad I did on THAT day.

[Frank B.]

Well Noemi, you know everyone should get to do that once in their life.  Well maybe not.  I left Winter Park early morning on a shuttle to the Denver airport a little nervous about the conditions. About half way down everyone's cell phones went off simultaneously notifying us that Denver AP was closed due to Blizzard. The shuttle driver said he had to take us there anyway.  flight was cancelled and we got to spend a truly horrible night at the airport, food ran out, food service workers bailed. About three in the morning I got through on my laptop and managed to snag us seats on a flight noon the next day.  Waiting at the gate with a clean runway and clear skies, they announced the flight was cancelled, the crew could not get there.  A stampede to the next gate ( you would think old folks who had already been cancelled twice would get some priority, but no) while waiting in a long line, I got through to the airline and asked realistically when we would get a flight with the backup as it was.  Tuesday morning they said, this was on a Thursday afternoon. I reserved a room for the night, rented a car for the next morning, got a good night sleep and home by Saturday evening.

Since then we've driven.  We stay in nice  B & B's, visit friends along the way and enjoy it greatly.  Yes we've been caught in some snow storms but our Subaru Outback seems to relish them. One year, they closed I70 in Colorado and instead of fretting about it, we asked the lodge owner if could stay another night.  Fine, she said no one can get here to take your room anyway. Had a great day of trail snowshoeing left the next day.

Only fly now if it is the only option.

[Noemi - Ensenada 20]

Frank, I did that once out of NYC.  We had gone there around Christmas to have a fun weekend with some of my sweetheart's siblings.  Saw a couple of shows, ate a lot of food.  There was a snowstorm, which, in the city, was a lot of fun (for a person who grew up in Michigan and was prepared for actual winter).  Snowball fights in Times Square....

On the way to the airport, we got a notice that flights were being delayed.  Once there, we found ours was canceled.  I checked on my phone - next flights out the middle of the week.  So while everyone frantically queued up at the ticket counter, we headed to the car rental place.  The 12-hour drive took more like 15, but we made it.  GPS took us to the old location of the home car rental drop off, lost our car in the airport parking lot, phones running out of charge, falling asleep, hallucinating - but we made it!