Karen at Fifty Four

I'm back at Ft Campbell, seven months after doing the install, to give the training. It's a bit weird returning so late to give the training, but it went well. I was a little worried that they would have everything built and figured out and would not actually need me to teach them anything. That couldn't have been farther from the truth. They said they have not used it and only gave a minimal attempt at creating something in the time that I was gone. I was talking none stop to fit in everything they needed to know to get the sim up and running. The guys were actually a lot of fun and very excited to see the sim work. A good week :)  This is a picture from their real tower. It almost looks like the sim! They had the shades pulled down, so not a good shot, but the only picture I took during the entire week. 

Horse racing at its finest! We made a few little bets and walked away a few dollars poorer, but had a nice time. It was unseasonably cold though... I would have liked to stay longer but the weather was chilly and I had to get to Ft Campbell for work the next day. It was probably for the best or we may have been temped to make a few more bets and end up more than just a few dollars poorer.

One of my favorite things to do while in Kentucky is visit the distilleries. Unfortunately we were not able to take a tour on this day, but we were still able to get a drink and walk around the ground. Castle and Key is a beautiful place. The garden was a very peaceful place for a short stroll. 

Work brought me to Kentucky so I arranged to fly in and out of Lexington, taking the weekend before and the weekend after to visit Jen. She has the cutest pit bull-terrier mix puppy now. She seems settled in to her house and making a nice quiet life for herself. She has lots of hobbies, the newest being stained glass. She also has fabulous ideas on remaking the back garden by creating pathways and areas of interest.

I found the most beautiful trail in my neighborhood on this weekend bike ride. It was much too short, but worthy of a picture anyway. 

I got a new bike! I picked it up Friday and took a little three mile spin around my neighborhood. It's a hybrid, so it's slow and clunky, but I was looking for something with a fatter tire that I could take off road. On Saturday, I took out the road bike for my usual spin through Lake Nona, 18 miles. On Sunday, I took the hybrid to Celebration for a FFW ride. It was just me and the ride leader, Kenny. It was called a fun ride, social pace, and we crisscrossed all over Celebration, 25 miles. It feels like I'm getting back into my grove!! Loving the Lake Nona cows. I'll be sad to see them go but it would be foolish of me to think they don't have plans to develop every acre out here. Too bad cycling kits aren't more flattering. I need some better shoes and maybe 3/4 socks to to balance the outfit. Of course, it doesn't matter what I look like, as long as I'm out there having fun and staying fit!! 

Family reunion! Aunt Sandi, from NY, Uncle Jerry for NC, and Uncle Larry, from WA, all descended down for a weekend get-together. Great dinner with Mom, Donna, Gerald, and Leah joining us at Dad's place. It was great to see everyone again and I think Dad really appreciated his siblings staying close even though they all live so far away.