Seeking Mangos and Camelas

The kids had the day off school last Tuesday so I took the day off too and we zipped down to St. Louis to see the zoo. It was wild.

It was also free, which makes me very happy. Of course, if you want to ride the zoo train or see the children's section or any of the extra attractions you have to pay a small fee, so they get you there, but the package tickets weren't too bad. We took advantage of the train ride right away to get the lay of the land. Paxton was on the lookout for some "mangos" and "camelas." It took us a while to figure out what he meant.

Toot, toot!

Andrea was in charge of the camera and took lots of pictures. I picked out a few notables, including this fine looking rhino.

And a hippo, happily bobbing about in his pond.

We did a lot of this. I wish I'd had a pedometer on me - it felt like we walked to Chicago a back.

The elephants are always neat to watch. That trunk is fascinating.

At the children's section, there was a place where the kids could go into the goat pen and pet the, well, kids.

Anthony brushes the coat of one of the friendly critters.

Anya had to chase down each one, but then would only poke at it tentatively before running off to look for the next.

The butterfly house was packed with colorful flutteries, including this one which, ironically, is black and white.  

The bears are always a favorite. I think it's because they always look so soft and cuddly, like this sun bear. The claws look neither soft nor cuddly, however.

We about froze in the penguin house. These Emperors looked pretty comfy.

Ah yes, one of the attractions that the Safari Adventure package included was a ride on the carousel. Paxton rode a cheetah, Anya a flying hippo, and I tried not to get dizzy.

"Mangos, mangos, pink fuhmangos!" Now where are the camelas?

Here's a chimp."Kenrick, do you think he looks a little like Uncle Sam?"

The Littles get up and personal with Mr. Orangutan. More than one person commented on similarity between the color of his fur and Paxton's hair. Turns out the orangutan's name was Rob.

The sea lion tunnel is new to the zoo. We held our breath, but it didn't break.

A couple of the gorillas were feeling frisky. Either that or the little brother was pestering his bigger sibling. Against teeth like that I think I'd be a little more respectful.

Finally, the "camelas!" Paxton was quite happy to see them; I'm not exactly sure why.

Anya spotted the "zeebas" in the next pen over. I'd much rather look at zeebas than at camelas.

The big cats were next to the zeebas, but not too close. This big boy looks soft, but definitely not cuddly.

The 'King of the Jungle', chewing on a T-bone.

One of the last stops for the day included a swing through the reptile house. I don't know if anyone has read the kid's book, "Verdi" about a little tree python who doesn't want to grow up, but this relaxing snake reminded us of him.

Time to go home to our own little zoo.

MINExpo 2012

As I said in my previous post, the reason that Andrea and I went to Las Vegas last week was because I wanted to go to the big mining show that's held there every four years. It's called MINExpo, and attracts all the players in the surface and underground mining industry from every corner of the world. Caterpillar puts a huge effort into putting together a world-class exhibit, uses the expo to introduce new products and services, and hosts activities with dealers and customers during and surrounding the three-day event. I was there to enjoy the show.

MINExpo is held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, a sprawling collection of massive halls, meeting rooms, and secret underground tunnels. Well, I don't know about the tunnels, but I do know that it took me two full days to walk the exhibit. I'm sure there were areas that I didn't even catch sight of.

Anyway, did I mention that Cat had a big display? This is what you saw as you entered one of the main entrances to the central exhibit hall. Big. Huger than huge to be more preciser. And very impressive.

The Caterpillar display took up 54,000 square feet - that's about 1.2 acres for you farmers out there - the largest display ever for any exhibitor at a MINExpo. Part of the reason for the large display this year was Cat's recent acquisition of another large mining company, Bucyrus International, which drove a big emphasis on our new line of underground equipment and expanded range of surface mining machines.

This is the line of machines that I work on. The 797F Large Mining Truck below can carry 400 tons of dirt, rock, ore, sand, or jello. At 42 miles an hour. It has lots of other mind-boggling specs - if you are interested, take a look at the brochure on http://mining.cat.com.

The 994H Large Wheel Loader is our largest wheel loader, but not the largest loader in the world. Still impressive to see.

One of the things we gained by the acquisition was a line of hydraulic mining shovels. This is a relatively small one, but significant because it represents the ability Caterpillar has now to match loading tools with our trucks. This machine also causes some mixed feelings because it's the type of machine I would have been working on in Aurora had Caterpillar not acquired Bucyrus.

As large as the Las Vegas Convention Center is, it still can't contain the really, really big stuff. This is a bucket from one of our cable operated shovels. You kind of have to just imagine the rest.

The underground equipment is always strange and fascinating. This is the business end of a continuous miner - essentially a mobile conveyor belt with teeth that can slip along a narrow seam of coal and hog out vast quantities of the stuff.

One of the most interesting and unique pieces of equipment on the Cat floor was a new heavy hauler locomotive from Electro-Motive Diesel, a subsidiary of our wholly-owned subsidiary Progress Rail. Almost as fascinating as seeing a locomotive inside the expo is the video on YouTube of how it got there.

The main reason I wanted to go to MINExpo was to see our competitor's equipment and I definitely wasn't disappointed. I took lots of pictures. One of the most intriguing rigs at the show was the monster Hitachi hydraulic shovel. They had it opened up so you could walk around inside the engine bays and poke at the unimaginably tangled mess of pumps and valves and hoses that all work together to make this beast breathe.

The majority of exhibitors at the show were vendors of some type of support services or equipment for the innumerable 'small' jobs in mining. Ever wonder how you change one of those monster tires on our large trucks? Here's one way.

I thought this slurry pump was interesting. See the guy standing next to the outlet? I'm not sure what kind of motor would be needed to drive a pump this size.

There were lots of manufacturers of odd-looking machines for specialty underground work. This is a dual head roof bolter machine - for attaching stabilizing bolts to the roof of a tunnel. The thing that looks like a roof over the length of the machine is just that; protection to keep loose rocks from falling on the operators. Scary.

Speaking of scary, I also saw the world's largest rototiller. No, really it's a terrain leveler. I guess to make the ground flat. Or maybe to chew up competitive equipment.

You can't build big machines without big bearings. Everybody claimed to have the best.

One more picture. The track links below are similar to what's on the big Hitachi shovel. The pinion gear on the left, maybe one of the two or three needed to swing the top half of that shovel or a drag line around from dig to dump. The guy in the background? Worn out from three days of shopping or selling or schmoozing.

Quite an experience.

Eye Strain in Las Vegas

Andrea and I took a little trip last week to Las Vegas. All by ourselves. We had a wonderful time.

 

I went to attend a big mining show that is held there every four years and Andrea went to get a break from the kids and to sit in the sun and to shop. We both returned home exhausted.

We stayed at the Venetian , seen the in the background of the picture below next to its sister hotel the Palazzo, right in the middle of the Las Vegas Strip and an eye-boggling cacophony of shops and restaurants and shows and, of course, casinos.

The entrance to the Venetian lobby.

Our view.

The front of the Venetian with its silly little canal and gondolas that go nowhere.

 

The inside of the shopping mall on the second floor of the Venetian with its mind-bending big canal and the gondolas that drift back and forth between luxury goods and gourmet foods. (The sky is fake)

During the two days we were there I was pretty much occupied at the mining show at the Las Vegas Convention Center and Andrea pretty much slept, but we got a chance to explore a bit on Tuesday evening. We found ourselves in the Forum Shops in Caesars Palace for a little window shopping. At the Breitling watch store all we could do was stand outside and look in because it was "Temporarily Closed for a Private Viewing." The sales lady was wearing white gloves. The prospective client was wearing a Cat hat and jeans.

We thought this fountain might look nice in our front yard. It wasn't for sale.

The real target of our wanderings on Tuesday evening was the highly acclaimed buffet at Caesars, pretentiously named the "Bacchanal Buffet." The sign says it all.

One of the nine kitchens / buffet counters; this one specializing in seafood.

Our table was right next to the dessert island. Andrea couldn't resist the cute little mousse.

The Epic Feast collage.

After the feast we needed to walk a bit. Say, doesn't that tower look familiar?

The aptly-named Chandelier restaurant in the Cosmopolitan Resort.

The view down Las Vegas Boulevard.

We saw a fountain to end all fountains, a dazzling array of lights and signs and sounds, and an endless parade of every type of person imaginable in states of dress you might not be able to imagine. And, naturally, a volcano.

My eyeballs are about worn out.

Illinois Football

Yesterday Kenrick and I took in our first Illinois football game. It was a beautiful sunny day, very relaxing. Illinois played a small school from Charleston South Carolina and beat them handily - small consolation for the drubbing received at Arizona State last week, but a win and a confidence booster none the less.

Everyone seems to be wearing orange except for us.

Overloaded

I had to get one of the rear wheel bearings on the van replaced this week. I guess they weren't made to haul heavy freight halfway across the country three or four times a year. We've got to learn how to pack a little lighter.

Bag Lady

The other day when we were getting ready to go into town Anya disappeared into her room and came back out with a backpack over her shoulders, her blanket in one hand, and four purses in the other. I guess she didn't want to take any chances...

First Cross Country Meet

Kenrick ran in his first Cross Country meet as a Monticello Sage last Saturday, an eight-team invitational just south of Clinton.

It brought back memories to see the rush of feet and jostling bodies jockeying for position at the start of the two-mile race. Kenrick's in there somewhere.

As the kids spread out a bit Kenrick got himself established about mid-pack. He was the lone sixth grader running for the Monticello varsity team, and the first race was certainly a learning experience.

The Clinton course is laid out so that the spectators can only really see the start and the finish of the race, so we made our way over to the final downhill slope to watch for purple uniforms. Kenrick finished well. Tired, but able to hold off a last minute effort by one of the competition to pass him on the bridge.

New time to beat: 15 minutes 4 seconds. Exhausted. Good job Kenrick!

Next meet is tomorrow. They aren't going to get much of a break this year! I'll try to keep up.

End of Summer Catch-Up

Wait, did I just say that out loud? Are we really at the end?

Well, when the big yellow bus starts making its morning rounds that's usually a pretty good indication that the fun is over for another year. Today was the day at the Pandemonium Household.

The last month has been a blur. I'll try to summarize (pun intended).

Andrea just got back from Salt Lake City last night. She drove out to attend the annual Usana International Convention and returned fired up with renewed determination to keep the Pandemonium Clan healthy, wealthy, and wise. She took three of the four Chaos Makers with her and dropped them off at Grandpa and Grandma's on her way there. Sounds like they had a blast. Kenrick and I stayed home, juggling work and cross country practice and 6th grade orientation and groceries and generally enjoying the quiet.

Andrea and the kids left for Salt Lake directly from our annual church convention up by Chicago. We were able to be there for the full four days - a much needed break and an always-refreshing reminder of Things Most Important.

Did I mention Kenrick started cross country? Well, he did. He's running with the Middle School team, made up of about 34 enthusiastic 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. They've been practicing for about three weeks now; first meet is this Saturday. Kenrick just missed a spot on the varsity group of seven after their first inter-squad race, but I have a feeling he'll be up there soon enough.

Four weeks ago Kenrick and Anthony finished up their swimming season at the conference swim meet. Anthony qualified for one event and Kenrick in three. They both did well - Kenrick even came home with some hardware - and their team won for the first time in many years. Go Marlins!

Five weeks ago (has it been that long since my last post?) I finally finished a project that I'd had in the garage for a while and in my head for even longer than that.  I built a compost barrel. Not just any wimpy bucket-size compost barrel, mind you, but a BIG one. One that I can shovel piles of leaves into in the fall and grass in the summer and scraps from the table on the rare occasion that there are some. The barrel ended up being about four feet in diameter by four feet long and is mounted on rollers so that I can agitate the organics inside and let it sift through the chicken wire sides. I'm not sure yet if it works. To make compost, I mean. It definitely holds lots of stuff, and is fun to spin around, but I'll have to provide an update after we try to make use of the end result.

Before that we took a trip to Idaho. See my last post. 

In addition to our activities and adventures, this summer was memorable because of the weather. Or rather, the lack of it. No rain to speak of in June or July. Not much in May and hot all the way through. It was as dry as I've ever seen it in the Midwest. Our area wasn't the worst, but the crops suffered none the less. The corn especially is stunted, fragile, and dry already - the harvest expected to be slim. The beans enjoyed a respite last week with some much needed rain, but I think the farmers still have their fingers crossed. Tough.

Anyway, I think that pretty well covers the summer. Next up: new adventures in school, new adventures in Wrecking Havoc While Mom Isn't Looking, and a visit from Grandpa and Grandma! I'll try to keep you posted.

Summer Road Trip, Part 4: Heading for Home

We left Boise on Thursday afternoon and headed east again, stopping briefly at Andrea's folks place before making the marathon trip back home. It was good to see them again.

Grandpa's tractor gets big points with Paxton

A couple of summers ago Steve made a coaster cart for the kids out of scrap lumber and some old wheelchair wheels. The kids love it, dragging it out every time we visit and spending hours pushing each other to the top of the driveway and zipping back down or rolling down the grass hill in front of the house.

Anya gives her brothers a push.

Kenrick and Anthony picked a few raspberries for Grandma. Yum!

Paxton picked for a while too, but petered out after half a bowl. I think most of the berries got eaten.

There's nothing like the summer sunset in Idaho Falls. 

A Pandemonium Sandwich!

Grandma enjoys a little quiet time with Miss Pincushion.

Well, the stay was too short as usual, but sweet as always. It was time to head home, so we piled the crew back into the van and hit the familiar road once again.

If the success of a vacation is measured by how tuckered out the kids are on the return trip home, then this one certainly ranked towards the top.