What a year ...

     Training classes, staff meetings and conference calls have dominated my life this year. Two career moves (luckily within the company I have worked with for years) but still career moves. New things to learn, new things to do ... I've hardly had time to hear my own thoughts about anything besides work all year.

       

     Painting ... photography ... learning to play my guitar ... are all things that I've had to place on the back burner and reading and writing here in J-Land has become something I seldom have time to do.

           

     I am starting to get settled in now and I think the largest part of the learning curb is behind me now (at least the most stressful part anyway). I expect to start having more time to myself again within the next two or three weeks. I can't wait.

         

     I took these photos last weekend. My friend Karen (you know ... the clown) just bought a new camera so we went on a field trip so I could help her break it in.

         

     Plan on doing a lot more of that with her in the near future. It's great to be out and about alone camera in hand, but ... it's always more fun with a friend.

         

     Hope all is well here in J-Land, I have 325 unread alerts in my in box. I hate that.

                                          

Arizona

                        

   My Arizona trip was short and sweet, it was the perfect blend of business and pleasure considering time restraints. Not sure why my training was only 4 days as opposed to the usual 2 weeks that everyone else gets, but lucky for me Lisa was really detailed in her instruction.

     The Phoenix office was great, very organized and in compliance. They actually service both Phoenix and Las Vegas from there, it was a great environment to learn in.

     Also lucky for me ... Lisa's husband made himself quite available to us at lunch time and after work he made sure I got to at least see a cactus or two as well as a casino and dinner most nights.

     Every now and then along our journey, people cross our path and instantly we know that they are our friends, our people, you know ... those that become like family. That happened to me in Arizona.  Thanks Lisa and Robert, I look forward to sharing my beaches with you if ever you are in South Florida and ... I will make sure you get to see the alligators and iguanas!

     I got home on Friday night, would like to have stayed another week to finish training but with so much to do in our office, it is probably best that I'm there on Monday morning. Plus ... this way I didn't really have to adjust to the 3 hour time difference and the very, very dry weather at 102 + degrees in late September.

      BTW ... I did not get to take very many photos while I was away. The few that I did take, I was not all that pleased with so ... the graphic above is a watercolor I painted of a sunset I watched just out side of Phoenix on Wednesday. Pretty colors there!