A Relaxing Birthday

Slept in a bit this morning.  Got dressed (could fit into a size smaller jeans today - not eating as much).  Gathered the pages of my memoirs and assembled 2 copies.  Sent one to Kenosha, WI to my Aunt and Cousin to read and comment to.  Late lunch at local Chili's.  Had a bowl of chili and a side salad.  Washed down with water - will have craft beer Saturday evening with Cousin Don. Then a nap.

Bitter Cold Morning

It was a bitter cold Saturday morning.  I got to the park at 3:30 and the thermometer in the vehicle shows 34 deg.  Of course, it at least even colder as waiting for the sun to rise.  Seems evencolder in the tent..

Only 3 of us working the shift.  Had time to get out to take a couple photos during Mass Ascension.  Steady flow of visitor to talk about Ham Radio.  Hungry, so after the shift I stopped by Freddies at Alameda & Coors for a lunch.

That was my last shift for the year!

Balloon Fiesta - Wednesday

Wednesday's Mass Ascension.  Took a couple photos of Dawn Patrol, but not as good as I had hoped.  More photos will be posted on my web site.  Several have been posted on the on the High Desert ARC Facebook page.

Full crew, including a net control.  I could have been out to shoot photos, but have taken many over the 4 years I have woeked at Balloon Fiesta.

Son of a Sharecropper

  Here's a teaser - the Preface of my book.  We have finished editing, now a publisher

What a time to grow up on a farm. World War II was over. My Dad and Mom ran a 240 acre farm in Kenosha County, Wisconsin. My paternal grandfather owned the farm. I arrived on the scene in 1947 during the baby boom.

We didn’t have much money so finances were a bit tight. But, being farmers, we always had sufficient, good food. Not fancy food, but good, hearty food. I was educated in a one-room school house about two miles from the family farm. Growing up, I saw how neighbor kids were working the farm with their Dads. Eventually they would take over the family farm. I thought that was my lot in life, too.

My Dad had other plans. I don’t remember how many times he told me that I was going to get off the farm. While he would have loved to have me work the farm with him, he felt that I could do better. Thankfully, I had the intelligence to excel in school.

I had an interest in engineering, especially electrical engineering. My parents supported me in getting into one of the best electrical engineering colleges in the country. There, I made good and bad decisions. When I dropped out of school, first semester of senior year, the draft came after me.

My military ”career” worked out pretty well for me. The army taught me one thing: “I really wanted to be an electrical engineer.” I buckled up and finished my studies, but my dream job in the space industry was not to be.

I was fortunate to land a job with General Motors, Electro-Motive Division. For years I excelled in my profession. But, I was not the 3-piece suit type of guy. I preferred getting my hands dirty if it meant solving problems. I am sure that restricted my rise in the company.

When the opportunity to retire early presented itself, I jumped at the chance. I had sufficient funds and a retirement pension. The excitement and rewards of the job were gone. I was fortunate to retire at age 54-½, with a bridge to 62 when Social Security would kick in. I relished my retirement because I had so many things I could do now.

Retirement has not been a bed of roses. I’ve had to weather health issues. On the other hand, I rekindled my love for bicycle riding. Eventually, I moved to the warmer, drier climate of New Mexico. A cousin lives 15 miles away from me. We gather for food and craft beers regularly. Often during out conversations, I remark that the two of us did prettywell growing up poor farm boys from southeast Wisconsin!

This book attempts to tell the story of my life, from its humble beginnings as a sharecropper’s son.

Balloon Fiesta - Day 2

Up, up, and away on day 2 of the 2019 Balloon
Fiesta.  I had a couple opportunities to get out of the tent to view and shoot the boon  mass ascension.  We were short on staff today, only 3 of us to greet visitors and operating the special event station..

I knew it was going to be a zoo today.  Balloons not flying the first day, there was a pent desire to see the balloons.  At the gate where I enter the park, there were already about 50 people waiting for the gates to open.

By time I got the my vehicle, I was exhausted.  At home, I just crashed into bed.

Balloon Fiesta 2019 - Day One

The first Saturday of Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta was a bust as for balloon flying.  Fog was intermittent, too much for the balloons to fly.  Gave us the time to cut the kinks out of put equipment and out set-up.

We did log 70 FT8 digital contacts.  We are using special events call W5B

Set-up, Balloon Fiesta 2019

After breakfast on Oct 3th, we headed out for Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta Park to set up our equipment and display for Balloon Fiesta,

Here, Gerry and Terry set up the vertical antenna.

He have 3 operating locations in out display.  There ate HF transceivers and antennas for 40M and 20M.  The third position is for 2M net controls.

We are planning to operate 20M SSB,  40M FT8, and 2M nets.  Also have equipment for SSTV slow scan if and when he have sufficient operators.  Great photo ops being a roving reported on the launch field transmitting back to the tent photos via SSTV.