2010, Quite a year....

It's New Years Eve and I have finally sit down to recount the past 365 days.  2010 began with the formation of a business partnership with Scott Sallis and the formation of Dalrymple Sallis Architecture, a venture, that's idea was formed several years ago and whose time had finally come.
Every business partnership takes a few months to get situated and DSA was no different. In April, soon after we got most of the bugs worked out, the BP Oil Spill occurred. This event caused a crawling construction/design industry to sit still and me to think about possible interim options....
Near the end of summer an opportunity to work as a construction manager on a couple of National Park Service projects in Kentucky was made available.  That story is croniciled in greater detail in my previous blogs.....
During my working sabbatical, my wife Tami has held down the homefront and helped to maintain the operations of DSA. Her efforts helped make this year the rewarding experience it has been. Can't imagine how we could have done anything without her. Thank you.
Now that I'm back, the work seems to be picking back up and Scott and I think 2011 will be filled with more opportunities for success in both work and our personal lives. I can't wait another day....
Look for all future posts to be on a new blog titled " beautiful, useful and necessary ".

I'm back...Part 1

Today is Friday and I'm back in Pensacola, but this time I don't head back to Kentucky. I visited my boat that is serving time at the local repair shop for the last six weeks. Still not ready, the employee stating that one of the four carburetors was a bit more difficult to repair and it would be later this afternoon before the boat would be released into my custody. It's 3:30 and I'm getting concerned

The family is hoping to take the boat out this weekend to watch the Blue Angels from a strategic postion in the Bay. crossing my fingers....
The last week in Kentucky was uneventful except for repouring the wide circular concrete sidewalk that was removed last week at Mammoth Cave and the semi-final inspection of the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace Memorial. We did perform a glorified puff test the week before last to determine the air circulation within the air cavity between the stone veneer and the masonry structure. The test proved the need to seal a plenum access door. I did go into the attic on Monday and verify the dimensions and construction of the access door.  It was determined to be a non-contributing historic element of the building so there will be no need to be concerned about the method of sealing.  I will be designing a method to seal the door this week. woohoo...

Okay..4:00 and no phone call about the boat.....I'm having thoughts of a jailbreak tonight...that barbed wire fence doesn't look that tall......

Next to last week.

Church near the Hall Place

Well, as this next to my last week comes to an end, the weather has decided to become "Fall" in a big way. The Park has lost a little of it's charm as it has lost a lot of it's foliage (leaves) and what was once red, yellow, and orange has become brown, tan, and grey.

The deer, that have been camouflaged by the leaves, now stand naked on the edge of the road. Not always the best place to be when it's night. I saw 15 on the way home just the other night, so I'm driving a little slower with both eyes on the road.

The Hall Place continues to be my "old Kentucky home" until the 12th of November when my contract ends. I'm looking forward to heading South to Florida, especially since the forecast is for tomorrow is a low of 25 and a high of 47.

Construction is basically a made-by-man process to create shelter from nature, but sometimes nature can mess up even the best laid plans. Such was the case this week when the concrete for a wide, circular, sloped sidewalk was poured. The forecast for early morning rain to end by 9am did not happen and the rain kept on till the early evening, this caused unacceptable conditions when the finishing was completed the next day. So, up came the concrete 24 hours after the contractor had poured 28 yards with rebar mesh. Ouch.

The next day everyone is back on site ready to do it again and make sure it turns out perfect. That stick to it attitude is impressive and much appreciated by those involved on the project.

The funny thing is, the day after it rained the Governor of Kentucky issued a state of emergency for farmers due to the drought.........

"Patches" the painted pony

Every other weekend, I have a day completely to my own. I try to explore more of South Central Kentucky every chance I get, especially since fall has set in and the leaves have begun to fall.

Yesterday, I worked for about half a day at Mammoth Cave and decided to take a different way back to Glasgow, over the river and through the woods. One of the routes out of the park is road that leads to a ferry that takes you across the Green River. The ferry has been slated for a bottom inspection and paint job but the river has been to low to even pull the ferry out.

Before you get to the river a one way gravel travels along the ridge of the foothills of the park.

Turn left and upwards I went on the road less traveled. The hardwood trees are shedding their leaves with wild abandon with every little breeze that blows by and moves their spiney limbs. Leaves of gold, red, and orange are everywhere tempting me to jump out and make leaf angels on the ground. But, you have to be careful because some of these leaves can be poison ivy.

I continued further until I once again hit pavement and headed to another park attraction, Cedar Sink. Located about 3/4 of a mile off the road, Cedar Sink is where one of the underground rivers that flows through the cave actually surfaces in an area that has sunk. A crushed stone walkway leads to a set of stairs down to the sink. The lack of rain this summer made the sink a little disapointing but still a nice walk in the woods. On the way back I made a stack of stones and will always wonder how long that stack will last.

Now, I'm sure you are starting to wonder what the title of this blog has to do with my nature musings about leaves and walks through the woods. For the last few weeks I have been passing by a barn on Highway 31E with an interesting painting above the entrance. 31E is also known as Dixie highway and was first built as the Louisville and Nashville Turnpike in the 1830's. Many barns along this road have some type of emblem or symbol painted above the entrance. Sometimes they are quilt type patterns of triangles and squares, or stars, or a logo representing the farm. I assume these paintings are for good luck or to ward off bad luck.

This one particular painting has been the objective of my day and I decided to make a pilgramage to the barn.  Therefore the title of today's blog.

21 Years

The days since my last post have been filled with work, travel, music, cars, caves, and a little time with Tami; my wife of 21 years.
I made my bi-weekly pilgramige to Pensacola at the end of September to spend time with family, friends, and take the boat in for maintenance  My return home corresponded with my son, Dylan's first cross-country race with the Pensacola High School Team.  We were all proud of his time and the performance of the whole PHS team.
My daughter is in the middle of applying to colleges and taking the SAT. A whole lotta pressure for a seventeen year old and her parents. Why these colleges can't all use the same form is beyond me.

I was finally able to convince my wife to visit me in the land of Lincoln to celebrate our 21st wedding anniversary. This took considerable more coordination than anyone could have predicted. We had to schedule plane flights, work days, school schedules and driver's license test dates that needed to correspond with my bi-monthly visits with the smaller car. whew.....
Tami arrived at the Louisville International Airport Thursday afternoon and was greeted by her very grateful flower bearing husband (that would be me). We were both famished and ready for an early dinner. Tami had met a Lousville native on the plane that recommended the famous "Pat's Steak House", an old world Irish restaurant that was seeped in history and tradition. A green jacketed young waiter served us steaks, green beans, mushrooms, and yeast rolls that filled our overly abitious stomachs.
After diiner we headed South to Glasgow and the Hall Place B&B where I have been staying the past few weeks. The innkeepers, Karin and Gary, greeted Tami with their typical openess and she too became a member of the family. A good night's sleep was followed in the morning with a great breakfast of eggs, bacon, super french toast and a history lesson about the Hall Place House. The inn keeper, Karin, does something special with the french toast and coffee creamer.I'd tell ya but,she has sworn me to scerecy.

Tami and I drove to Mammoth Cave, passing several deer and the three turkeys that always hang out at the curve. Tami donned a yellow hard hat and I gave her a tour of the Visitor Center and the grounds surrounding the project.
We had decided to take a tour of the Cave that day, and joined about a hundred others to walk the two hour journey. The tour is very impressive and a bit of a exercise. There are large cavernous areas and areas were you are bent over to walk under or turned sideways to walk through, properly named "tall man's agony" and "fat man's misery". After the cave tour, we had lunch at the retro coffee shop diner located at the Mammoth Cave Hotel and took a drive through the park, stopping to visit a birdhouse shop in the front yard of someone's house.

Friday evening was perfect to enjoy a little of the outdoors and we did, sipping and sitting at a sidewalk table on Main St. in Bowling Green. Life is good.....The dinner at the adjacent restaurant was great with crab cakes and bourbon glazed pork tenderloins. mmmmm, good.......

Saturday's weather was Kentucky perfect and we headed to the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace Memorial.  I finally was able to enjoy the Park as a visitor instead of as a worker at a jobsite. We also chose to visit the Maker's Mark Distillery for a tour. What an interesting place, filled with history, barrels of bourbon, and the aroma of sour mash. After the tour, we were lead to a tasting room to learn how to properly taste and enjoy the bourbon.  the trademark of Maker's Mark is the hand-dipped red wax topping on each bottle and I did try my hand at this task.  Needless to say, I will keep the day job.

Once we got back to Glasgow, it was time to get ready for the "show". Last month, I had purchased tickets to see Mary Chapin Carpenter at the Plaza theatre here in Glasgow and was fotunate enough to get seats in about the third row.  woohoo.....The Plaza is a hundred plus year old theater that has been renovated within the last few years. the side walls of the theater have a facade remeniscent of an Italian town with windows, storefronts, and balconies.

Well, it seemed like the whole town turned out as we walked up to the box office and will called our tickets. About 800 people showed up and just about filled the little theater to capacity. MCC walked on stage promptly at 7:00 and began the show solo with her bandmates joining her one by one after each 12 bar segment of the song with each member adding their touch to the song. The concert lasted about an hour and 45 minutes with MCC playing many of her Grammy winning hits and new material from her most recent album.

No visit to South Central Kentucky is complete without a visit to the National Corvette Museum. So, Sunday came and off we went to Bowling Green to learn a little history of America's only true sportscar.  Tami and I had a great time looking at the cars and going head to head in a virtual pitstop competition.  I will be practicing for the rematch!

Bounty of Barren County

Awesome day here in Kentucky, clear, cooler, and cloudless.  Perfect for the open air market occurring just three blocks down the street from the B&B where I'm staying the rest of my time here.
Breakfast was waffles, eggs, bacon, and fruit served in the large dining room on the first floor. The B&B owner Karin, makes a tasty breakfast and comfortable setting for all her guests. I read the Louisville paper (remembering my friend Randy Hammer, the previous VP of the paper) and chatted with the other guests, a woman with her daughter and sister, who are here to attend a wedding.

The market is called the Bounty of the Barrens Market and has dozens of vendors with crafts and food produced locally. The market is similar to the one in downtown Pensacola every Saturday, but about twice as large.  I thought this to be a great opportunity to do a little gift shopping.  There were many booths with seasonal gifts, jewelry, clothing, and food. The market is setup to surround the central park, much like the festivals in Seville Square in Pensacola, terraced up the sloped sidewalks that surround the County Courthouse located in the center of the park.

I found a booth that had these really cool designs set in soap created by a local woman that are most unique I had ever seen. Another woman had a table full of interesting jellies, with flavors like banana here were also hand woven baskets made by the Yoder family that were very much like the Longaberger baskets.

Last night I visited a local joint, called George J's on the Square, to listen to some local pickers play and sing. The songlist included CDB, Merle, John Prine, and some originals. George J's is a old time corner drugstore building with soda counter, booths, and a black/white checked tile floor.  

I know I'm probably sounding like the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce President but, this is a cool and friendly place. I can't even count the times I've been called "hon.."

d

The nomadic life

Well, got back to Kentucky after a fun four day weekend in Pensacola. I had a great time Friday night at the downtown Gallery Night and Canstruction Event. Much thanks to my business partner, Scott Sallis and the team of Nick and CarrieBeth of Dalrymple/Sallis for their hard work. I am also very proud of my wife and son for their efforts to construct "Canzo the clown" for Canstruction.
"Canzo" was displayed in the lobby of the Saenger Theatre and was one of several displays created by local architectural firms. These creations help raise awareness and food donations for Manna Food Bank. DalSal's clown was created with over 400 cans of food ranging from ravioli to raisins.

After spending the last 6 weeks in and out of hotels, I have decided a more comfortable housing situation is needed.  I did a little Internet research and could only find weekly vacation rentals or 6 month lease apartments. The requirement to be furnished was very limiting.
When you're looking for real estate, the word "location" is extremely important.  I left work and headed to downtown Glasgow to search for a garage apartment or room for let.  During a stop for a red light, I looked to my right and noticed a bed and breakfast.  I quickly rounded the block and parking thinking I would ask the owner if they knew of any available rentals nearby.  While reading the 'we'll be right back" sign taped to the door, a hand appeared and removed the sign, pushed opened the door and invited me in. Karin, the owner, welcomed me with a smile and asked how she could help me.  After explaining my situation, she told me that a room was available for the dates I needed.  Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.
This bed and breakfast, Hall Place, was built in 1852 by Judge Tompkins for his daughter and son in law, Theodosia and Dr. James Hall.  Thursday night I will move in to Hall Place and spend the next 8 days in the Dr. Hall room.  This room is filled with doctor collectibles, ranging from stethoscopes to bed pans. A large poster bed, amoire, and desk complete the late 1800's decor.

You can check out the place at www.hallplacebedandbreakfast.com
I think that being located in the heart of Glasgow will give me the opportunity to engage in more of the local activities and visit the restaurants and shops in the area. I already have tickets for the Mary Chapin Carpenter www.marychapincarpenter.com concert that will happen in Oct. at the groovy Plaza theatre located just two blocks away from Hall Place. www.plaza.org/events/plaza_events.html



Work continues to keep me busy with my time still being split between Mammoth Cave Visitor Center and the finishing touches to the Abe Lincoln Memorial Building.  On a sidebar; apparently, the Judge's wife's nephew was Lincoln's law partner.
In this part of Kentucky everything or everyone is somehow related to Lincoln or a cave. (smile)
Time to pack........

Corvettes and more Corvettes...

Wow, this has got to be the most spectacular day I have ever seen in Kentucky. It is clear blue sky, like the perfect color blue that you would paint if you could paint the perfect color blue. The breeze blowing for the first time since the beginning of June lifting the american flag on the pole in front of the hotel, proudly raised to full mast after yesterday.

I'm ready to hit the highway and drive to the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky.  The museum is only about 20 miles south of the hotel where I'm staying and right off interstate 65.  The building itself is very cool with it's curved footprint, metal facing, and concial yellow tower. The parking lot has corvette only parking spaces and a "no burnout" sign.

The interior lobby has a parade of new corvettes parked on a stain concrete street in various color schemes The exhibition area of the museum focuses on several vignettes that show the character of the various periods of corvette history. Each are very well done and filled with the appropriate aged cars in mint condition with the surrounding artifacts really giving you the sense of how it was then. Cutaways of motors, cars, and chassis let you see into the guts of car design and mechanics. The route of exhibits serpentined through the building toward the conical portion of the structure that housed about 30 unique cars, Indy 500 pace cars, special editions, and prototypes. way cool.. This area lead to another display area of private custom corvettes of every style and taste. I was very interested in the process of design and creation of the corvette. You really get a great education about car design and production with this tour of the corvette museum. Afterwards, I was ready to purchase a 2011 vette but decided that a raffle ticket was closer to my price range. Wish me luck since the raffle is two days after my birthdate.

Let us never forget

Saturday and I had the opportunity to work on a couple of issues that need to be resolved before the end of fiscal year. Most government agencies have an Oct. to Sept fiscal year and the NPS is no exception. There is a big push to complete the required forms for allocation of funds for the receovery act during the current fiscal year.
After I finished my work, I took the time to visit a cemetary along my route to work everyday.  I have driven by many times and always wanted to walk through and look at the grave markers.
I parked in a gravel parking area across the road from the cemetary, careful not to disturb the small herd of butterflies enjoying a cool drink of dew captured by the voids in the gravel.

Kentucky; I have never been to a place wirh more butterflies. They are everywhere! Many types, sizes, and colors and they all get along.  We could all take a lesson from nature.
The cementary plaots all faced east and were a variety of styles and sizes.  The burial dates were back as far as the early 1800's and many of those buried had been born in the 1700's.  Several familes comprised most of the plots. A few of the grave markers indicated that the person had been a soldier in the War of 1812.

My visit to the cementary was also a reminder to me of those who have given the greatest sacrifice on this day and the days before and after September 11th. I am always grateful and proud of those who serve our country and maintain our freedoms. Let us never forget.........

Left and came back

Twelve days since my last post and I've been plenty busy with working, traveling, spending time with family, and working again. Got the interior of the Abe Lincoln building complete and open to the public for the Labor Day weekend and was able to leave town(Cave City) and head South to P'cola to be with family for a few days.
What a great weekend! Fantastic to be with my wife and kids. Enjoyed a great lunch at Jackson's, pizza at Ozone's, and of course Sunday Dinner at Mom's.

Left early Tuesday and made my way back to Mammoth Cave.

Phase 2 of the project has started with the demolition of the remaining old Visitor Center. This project is to be LEED certified and therefore required to recycle or reuse 95% of all waste material. Every material shipment in or out of the project site is weighed to insure compliance. An authorized LEED agent is to be onsite to verify and direct waste material and refuse. Many of the construction mamagers and NPS personnel are LEED certified as well.
As with any project of this size, the startup required a great deal of paperwork and process to insure the correct methods and materials are selected. Many meetings take place to coordinate construction, detail safety procedures, and maintain the project scheduling.

Angel Share

This past weekend has been my only chance to visit some of the attractions surrounding this part of Kentucky. My friend R and I decided that this was the perfect weekend to take a trip on the Bourbon Trail. The trail is a route that visits six of the ten distilleries located in Kentucky. Each distillery has a unique tour of it's facilities. We chose to visit Woodford Resrve, the oldest and smallest distillery that traces it's origins to 1797 when Elijah Pepper began distilling in Woodford County. The building and ground are a national landmark and it is the official bourbon of the Kentucky Derby...

Woodford Reserve Visitor Center

The 100 mile drive from Cave City winded through farmland and pastures pocked with weathered grey barns and silos. A hint of fall was already in the air and a few of the Poplar tree leaves have begun to turn. A two lane twisty road leads along a creek to the distillery grounds with a three foot tall fence of stacked limestone flanking the pavement. The visitor center for the complex is a grey siding building with a wrap around porch furnished with blue-black painted rockers in need of occupants. The inside of the visitor center has whitewashed pine ceilings and large exposed trusses. A dozen displays describe the history of woodford reserve and the process of making bourbon. A gift shop in the corner is filled with wares of every sort and plenty of adult beverage for purchase.

Distillery Building

The facilities had been abandoned in the sixties then purchased and rehabilitated by the same company that owns Jack Daniels in 1990.  There are several limestone buildings on the property that dated back to 1812 and were painstakingly renovated. There is one warehouse onsite that stores 5000 barrels which seems quite alot but in comparison Jack Daniels distillery has 34 warehouses with up to 52,000 barrels in each, hence the wood reserve. (and the higher price). Each barrel contains 52 gallons of the 158 proof whiskey to be aged.

the 3 copper stills

We were taken to the distillery and shown the vats of sourmash and the fermenting process. The mixture of corn, malt, and rye, along with the calcium rich Kentucky water makes for a heck of a smell.  The mash is cured in 10' diameter by 15' deep vats that bubble with the co2 gas created during the fermenting. Woodford is the only distillery that uses copper stills in it's distilling process. 
The guide then led us to the warehouse that stores the barrels for aging. What a interesting aroma, the bourbon in it's charred white oak barrels, the humid Kentucky air.....the barrels are stacked clear to the ceiling in racks, a system of steam pipes runs along the warehouse floor allowing the master distiller to heat and cool the warehouse as needed. The thermal changes are necessary to let the whiskey into the charred oak as it expands and shrinks. This letting gives bourbon the amber color and select taste enjoyed by many. During this process about 40% of the whiskey evaporates, this is called the "Angel Share"

Back to Abe'sCabin

After a couple of busy days I'm back to blogging. Hopefully I can remember the last several days....

Last Friday was a short day and work ended about noon. I had thought I would attend the nearby "newgrass" festival on Saturday to see Sam Bush and Grayton Beach's Dread Clampett.  But as much fun as that would have been, I was missing more fun with my wife and kids. I mean 550 miles doesn't seem that far....
So quickly checked out of the hotel, through dirty clothes in the suitcase, and headed South with Bowling Green classic rock blasting. The hour plus to Nashville went quickly and once out of the metro area, I got ready for the long leg of the trip. There just ain't much to look at between Guitar town and B'ham.
7 hours of driving and for the first time in my life I was wishing my family lived in Flomaton. Tired and seat sore, I opened the front door and surprised my lovely wife. Every mile and minute was soon forgotten.
I was able to spend two nights in Pensacola with family and had a great meal of BBQ shrimp. Man, do I miss running to Maria's for seafood.
The drive back to Kentucky was made easier with an audiobook from the library. "Goodnight, Texas" ,it was an interesting story of a coastal Texas town and it's citizens dealing with a dieing shrimping/fishing industry, a beached monster of the deep, tourists, and a hurricane. If i could write a book, it might read a little like this book.


Work on the Abe Lincoln, or ABLI project has been focused on finishing, since the Park will be opening the Memorial on Friday before Labor Day. A crew is completing the cleaning and polishing the "Tennessee Marble" wainscot and floor borders. This 'marble" is actually a limestone quarried from Knoxville, Tn.. I was able to put  previous experience in the stone industry to use, finally. This stone is so American in it's beauty. It's used on both the exterior, as a veneer and the interior, as a finished wall, flooring, and as surrounding trim on the front and rear doors. The stone also is the baseboard throughout the building.
Tomorrow will be an site inspection from a few NPS personnel to hopefully accept the building for beneficial occupancy. I'll let you know how things go....
d

Project Abe - Day 1

I have always said "it is always best to live East of where you work" because, typically it will keep you from driving into the sun to and from the workplace. Why don't I take my advice? Now I face a daily miniature jet lag twice a day and my iphone doesn't know what time it is anymore. Do I go to lunch now or did I already go? argh....

I made it to the jobsite shortly after 7AM with minor problems and a major amount of coffee. The contractor and  I jumped on the Lull(a hydraulic lift) and inspected the newly completed roof while it was still relatively cool (80 degrees).  The new roof is a modified bituminous on insulated panels with densglass, rolled-up the parapet with a 2 piece copper flashing (described for you roofers). sweet... In the center of the roof is a copper framed skylight that was designed to illuminate the memorial in the days before electricity.

Wow, text AND photos!!
After reviewing the roof the contractor and I went down a ventilated hatch to the skylight plenum that is between the concrete ceiling and the concrete roof. The space is about 48" tall and surrounds the shaft of the skylight. The skylight has a venting system that recirculates the air to minimize moisture all of which is monitored and tested with numerous sensors located around the plenum. Two separate fans draw air through slots located in the framework of the milk glass panels that diffuse the sunlight into the memorial space below.

 

 The skylight also has a sensor that determines the amount of sunlight and on cloudy days turns on a string of fluorescent fixtures to enhance the natural light. Yes, I agree that these should be LED, but that would be a discussion for the Architect of record not me. not yet...
The rest of the day was spent meeting the NPS staff and pushing paper. Tomorrow I'm back at Mammoth Cave and Wednesday I return to Abraham Lincoln.
Stay tuned
d

Mixing work and sport

Saturday, I decided to take advantage of my time here and spend a little time enjoying the Mammoth Cave Park. I rented a Trek bike from the park camp store and spent an hour riding through the woods on one of the several trails around the park. These trails are a crushed gravel type about 8 feet wide and the trail I took runs parallel to the road to the park about 8 miles one way. I went about 5 miles miles to an old stone fireplace that had been a part of the homestead to one of the families that settled in the area. Along the way I investigated an old cemetery, a limestone lake, and a scenic overlook.
After the bike ride, I proceeded to drive to Abe Lincoln and do a site visit since a couple of the people I will be working with were on site supervising the roof contractors. I did get off track on the way but thankfully the lady at "Fred's Smallmart" set me in the right direction.
Winding through two lane roads flanked with all sorts of crops and pastures, I located the Memorial park entrance and went to the NPS visitor center. The park area surrounding the memorial building is beautifully maintained with several small cabins and the staged to mimic the times of Abe's youth. I hope to spent some time with the park rangers and get a personal tour of the facility.
A short drive down the service road that lead to the back of the memorial building and I was on the jobsite. I met the contractor's superintendent and Alpha's roofing specialist in the basement of the 100 year old building. After our short introduction, we started to tour the exterior of the building. The building has some of the features of the more famous Lincoln Memorial in DC but at a much smaller scale since this building is only 40 feet by 60 feet. There are 56 steps that lead to the building and represent the 56 years of Lincoln's life.
Inside is a log cabin exactly like the one Abe grew up in, his original log cabin was dismantled and reused in a barn that was lost in a flood 100+ years ago. (I did do a little research).  The work inside the memorial has required the scaffolding and tenting of the cabin.  I did get the chance to climb the scaffolding to exam the small area on the wall that is still plagued by a mysterious moisture problem that can't seemed to be cured.
Monday I will be on site all day and have a better understanding of the project and how we can be completed by Labor Day.
More tomorrow,
d

The end of the first week

Sunday morning and I have made it through the first week. There was a lot to learn in a short amount of time, names of people, locations, methods, communication, and how to get from here to there.
The 8 hour drive to Bowling Green, Kentucky was made easier by Mile Davis, John Coltrane, and a compilation CD made by kids. It was enough time to let me contemplate why I was on this adventure to the Mamoth Cave National Park and the historical Abraham Lincoln Birthplace Memorial. It has been along time since I left my hometown Pensacola in search of adventure and fortune. It  was about 27 years ago that I left to work in Atlanta and DC as a project manager for a curtain wall contractor. (curtain wall is a type of veneer for high rise buildings that contains granite and glass panels) I always enjoyed the management aspect of construction and the monitoring of a project from beginning to end.
I've been so localized for so long in Pensacola that I have forgotten that another world is out there. My East Hill neighborhood can be such a microcosm, that we think the rest of the world is the just like it. (and we secretly wish it was) insert smile. The Lake Wobegon of the Florida Panhandle.
The opportunity to come to Kentucky to work as a construction manager began about 6 weeks ago when I realized that the Oil Spill had stagnated the very slow recovery that Pensacola was starting from the 2 year recession. I decided to send and email to my friend,who was working at the Mammoth Cave project, and ask her to see if any other positions availiable with the construction managing firm that employed her.  Soon after, I received a email request for a resume from one of the managers of Alpha Corporation.
After a series of phone conversations and emails, I accepted the prospect of a month long commitment to assist with the construction management of both the Mammoth Cave Visitor Center and Abraham Lincoln Birthplace Memorial Building Projects.  How many times does this type of opportunity come around? 

Well, here I am getting packed to leave my Bowling Green hotel for a hotel in Cave City that is located 6 miles from the Mammoth and a mere 50 miles from Abe. A long commute to Abe, especially since I cross the time zone and lose 1 hour on the hour drive to work.  I have to leave by 5 to be there by 7 and I get back to the hotel about the time I left the jobsite.
Cave City has several attractions like, Hukkleberry Hound Fun Spot, Guntown Mountain, and Kentucky Down Under (an Australian themed animal park) I'm not making this up......
Time to get packing for the move, I post photos soon...
thanks
d