In Columbus for Scale Modeling's Big Show

After working 1 1/2 days early in the week, I flexed out early on Tuesday (21 July), got my rental car from the branch, and made final preparations for my trip to this year's International Plastic Modelers' Society/USA (IPMS/USA) National Convention in Columbus, Ohio. First, I opened up the fellowship hall at Calvary Presbyterian Church for the IPMS/Gateway meeting. It was a nice meeting with another great turnout of models for the monthly beauty contest (38 total), plus a car model judging seminar. Nice meeting. For more on this club, visit: http://ipms-gateway.com.

Early the next morning, I got into my rental car and hit the road for Columbus. It was about 7 hours of driving time, not counting stops for fuel and lunch when I arrived at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Columbus, near the Convention Center. I got registered for the convention, entered my four models in the contest, and began making the rounds of the vendors set up for this year's convention. I saw a few people I know from St. Louis and from elsewhere. I then checked into my hotel, located south of the Hyatt Regency, then went to dinner at Schmidt's Sausage Haus und Restaurant, a Columbus institution. It was a long wait to get a table (over an hour), but once I was seated, I had a great dinner. After a cup of potato salad, I enjoyed Sauerbraten with kraut, applesauce, small potato pancakes, and a roll. All washed down with a glass of good German beer. To top that off, I had a chocolate creme puff. One of the best dinners I have ever had anywhere (outside home, of course). Definitely check out Schmidt's when your in Columbus. Their website is: http://www.schmidthaus.com.

This morning, after a light complementary breakfast at the hotel, I drove to the Hyatt Regency for the big tour today. I joined with others aboard two motor coaches for a trip west to the National Museum of the US Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton. Our group first went to the Presidential and Research & Development hangars, which are separate from the museum complex, to see the aircraft and other artifacts there. After about an hour, we went back on the buses to the museum itself, and spent nearly 5 hours going through the three display hangars full of aircraft and other artifacts. I snapped away with my cellphone camera, taking over 900 images at the museum. Good thing I had a larger in my phone, plus a generous battery pack to recharge my phone. I also took up an offer and signed up as a Friend of the museum, and got discounts on merchandise in the souvenir shop and a snack in the cafe. A great time. I had last visited this museum 39 years ago, on a family trip, but this museum has changed beyond all recognition. A must see for aerospace fans. The museum's website is: http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/.

We got back on the coaches for the trip back to the Hyatt Regency in Columbus--tired, but very happy. Back at the convention site, I visited a few more vendors that had set up after I had left yesterday, plus spent time in the contest room. It was filling up with more contest models. I also volunteered to be an On the Job Trainee (OJT) judge for the contest, when judging occurs tomorrow (Friday) night. I'm working as a vendor room checkpoint in the morning, then can attend the OJT seminar. I may take in other seminars that afternoon. More info on the convention here: http://ipmsusa2015.com/.

Later.

Hot Days and Nights in Town

It now really feels like summer in St. Louis. Daytime temperatures this past week have gotten to about 96 degrees F (36 degrees C), while heat indices (temperatures combined with relative humidity) have reached 105 degrees F (41 degrees C). It's been quite a challenge anytime I've been outside, be it for work or pleasure. At least my co-workers have been understanding and making sure my colleagues and I get well hydrated and stay inside as much as possible.

Plenty of work going on at the car rental branch, with summer vacation season in full swing. We're all working hard and yet our morale is very good. We truly enjoy our colleagues and that helps make the work day go better.

I've been finishing a model the past few days for taking with me to Columbus, Ohio later this week for the International Plastic Modelers' Society/USA (IPMS/USA) National Convention. Just a last bit of finishing to do and I can get that all done tomorrow night. I'm looking forward to this trip and will give you plenty of info in my upcoming posts. The website for the convention is: http://www.ipmsusa2015.com.

On my off day last Thursday (16 May), I had a blood test done at the request of the doctor who examined me the week before. The nurse called me the next day to say it was good news overall, with nothing that a little adjustment in diet and exercise could not help. I then got my haircut, which needed it.

I was at Creve Coeur Airport that night for the Missouri Aviation Historical Society's meeting. We had one of two air traffic controllers who helped talked down a US Navy aircraft who had a fuel emergency to Lambert-St. Louis International Airport in 2012. He talked of his experience that day and on being in air traffic control (ATC) work. We also had a presentation on the history of ATC and a local pioneer in this field. More on this meeting and the organization here: http://moavhist.org/.

Yesterday (18 July), I went to the St. Louis Area Sippers Meetup in the Tower Grove South neighborhood of St. Louis. We were to have met at Mokabe's Coffeehouse; however, we found the place was closed for a week while the owners were on vacation. We then found a nearby Saint Louis Bread Co. location and had our Meetup there. The five of us present had a nice time talking about various things over refreshments.

That night, I went to International Tap House in the Soulard neighborhood of St. Louis to join other Saint Louis FC supporters in a watch party for their match at Toronto TC II, which was being streamed via YouTube. Saint Louis won, 1-0, thanks to a Toronto own goal late in the first half. We'll take it. I will be out of town this Saturday, but Saint Louis FC will be home Saturday night against Oklahoma City Energy. Hope you can Pack the Park! Info at: http://saintlouisfc.com. Check out the International Tap House; their website is: http://www.internationaltaphouse.com/.

After the game, during which I had two beers, I walked next door to Mission Taco Joint for a snack. Their have very nice tacos and other Mexican food, and is worth the visit. Here's their website: http://missiontacostl.com/.

Take care and I will blog again from Columbus. Later.

Brian & I on 3 July; A Garden Party on the Fourth

Last Friday night (3 July), right after work, I drove to the campus of Washington University, where I parked my car near Francis Field and walked about two blocks east to Forest Park. From the park's entrance, I made my way to the Fair Saint Louis fairgrounds, on Art Hill between the Saint Louis Art Museum and the Central Lagoon. Finding my way to a concession stand near the mainstage, while Blondie was playing its set, I got my pass and made my way backstage. There, my brother Brian and I chatted briefly before he played drums for Melissa Etheridge. She played an approximately 90 minute set and I greatly enjoyed it from my place on the Art Hill grass. Soon after the show, I got backstage again and chatted briefly with Brian. I then stepped out to enjoy the fireworks display that capped the show. Etheridge's website is: http://www.melissaetheridge.com/.

The next day, Mom and I relaxed at home. Brian came over in the afternoon to spend some time with us before he rejoined Etheridge's band for the next tour stop. That night, I was at the Maplewood home of Kurt and Beth Heidrich for a garden party they threw for friends. It was very nice, although I knew so few of the other guests, and there was much to eat and drink. After dusk, Kurt set off fireworks in the back yard. It was a wonderful night. Beth runs STL Culinary Tours, which takes guests on tours of St. Louis area restaurants. More info on this business here: http://www.stlculinarytours.com/.

I was at home Sunday (5 July) when I watched the FIFA Women's World Cup Final on TV. I was hoping for a USA win over Japan, but did not expect the 5-2 rout by the Americans. I was very happy with the result, though.

Work has been going well. Had quite a few returns on Monday from the holiday weekend, and pretty steady business during the week. Our office received a visit Tuesday morning from two young women doing marketing for Red Bull energy drink. They gave out samples of Red Bull from their backpacks, and chatted with us before going down the street in their car, decorated with a large Red Bull can.

I flexed out early Tuesday afternoon (I'm working this Saturday morning), and went to Mark Twain Hobby Center in St. Charles that night for the IPMS/St. Louis meeting. The four of us present talked about recent modeling projects and news. We had a first-time visitor among those attending, and it looks like he'll be back. The club meets on the first Tuesday of the month. Their website is: http://www.ipms-stlouis.com/; Mark Twain's site is: http://www.hobby1.com/.

On my off day from work today, I went to my doctor's office for a physical exam. Overall, he says I'm in good shape, but he did ask me to get some blood tests done soon. Tonight, I went to Faust Park in Chesterfield for a food truck festival. I got tacos, chips and salsa from a Mexican food truck, and shaved ice from another truck. It was nice, there was a good turnout for this event, and a cover band was playing.

Later.

Looking Ahead to Independence Day 2015

Last Thursday night (25 June), I performed my final volunteer shift for this season of Circus Flora. We had a great crowd under the big top for this performance of "One Summer on Second Street." I helped some customers find their seats, moving one woman with a can find a seat closer to the floor, and helping another customer find his missing cell phone. It was all good and we had another superb performance. Circus Flora's season ended last Sunday night, but I'm already looking forward to volunteering next year. For more on the circus, including making donations to them, visit http://circusflora.org/.

Work has been going very well at the car rental branch in recent days. For me, that included working last Saturday morning (27 July), which went rather smoothly for a Saturday.

That night, I drove to Smugala's Pizza Pub in Sunset Hills, where I caught the Pub2Park shuttle bus to World Wide Technology Soccer Park for Saint Louis FC's match against New York Red Bulls II. There was a sold out crowd that night, but Saint Louis lost 4-1. However, I came away a winner of a cooler. My cell phone number was chosen at random early in the match and at halftime I claimed my prize. It's a very nice cooler, with the Saint Louis FC emblem on it, and I will be proud to bring beer or soda in it to some event. The club's on the road this week, but back home next Saturday; more information here: http://www.saintlouisfc.com.

I switched off with a colleague and am off today and working tomorrow, rather than the usual working Wednesday and off Thursday. After work last night, I took in the weekly staff meeting, then we went to the nearby Buffalo Wild Wings for happy hour. We had chicken wings and beer, with conversation, plus watching sporting events on the TVs there. That included the USA's 2-0 win over Germany in the FIFA Women's World Cup semifinal. The Stars and Stripes advanced to Sunday's final against the winner of tonight's England vs. Japan match. Looking forward to the final.

Before that, I'm looking forward to Independence Day this Saturday and to Fair Saint Louis in Forest Park late this week. My brother Brian will be drumming for Melissa Etheridge when she performs Friday night. I'll go see that show after work, and Brian told me by email today he may get me a VIP pass for Etheridge's show. He'll be in town until late Saturday night, so Mom and I can visit with him for a while before going on to the next tour stop. More on Fair Saint Louis here: http://www.fairsaintlouis.org/. Etheridge's official site is: http://www.melissaetheridge.com/.

Last weekend, I made my hotel reservations in Columbus, Ohio for the IPMS/USA National Convention later this month. So, all I need is to reserve a rental car, and I get an employee discount for that. Looking forward to this trip. More on the convention at: http://ipmsusa2015.com/.

Later.

One History Discussion, Two Soccer Matches, One Dinner at the Circus

One week ago tonight (18 June) found me at Creve Coeur Airport for the Missouri Aviation Historical Society's monthly meeting. This meeting was a panel discussion about Project Gemini on the 50th anniversary year of the first manned Gemini flight. Earl Mullins, curator and founder of The Space Museum in Bonne Terre, Missouri (http://www.space-mo.org/), moderated a most interesting discussion with a panel of five engineers and designers who worked on the Gemini spacecraft for McDonnell Aircraft. There was a good crowd at the meeting, including several from the St. Louis Space Frontier Meetup Group, which I am in, and was so happy to see them in attendance. More on that meeting here: http://moavhist.org/2015/06/03/moavhist-to-hold-exclusive-qa-panel-for-50th-anniversary-of-project-gemini/. (There will be video of this discussion to be posted on that website in due course.) More on the Meetup group at: http://www.meetup.com/Saint-Louis-Space-Frontier-Meetup/.

Right after work Friday, I was at World Wide Technology Soccer Park in Fenton to cheer on Saint Louis FC against Colorado Springs Switchbacks. The home side lost 1-0 in the USL match, but granted it was Saint Louis FC's third match in nine days (including a Lamar Hunt US Open Cup tie three days before), I should not be too disappointed. Anyway, Saint Louis FC returns to action this Saturday night, when they host New York Red Bulls II. Tickets available; for more info, visit http://saintlouisfc.com/landing/index. By the way, I read online this week (http://coachbailey.blog.com/2015/06/20/usl-attendance-2/) that Saint Louis FC is 5th in average attendance among USL teams to this point of the season. The team has averaged 4,573 fans per match--88 percent of Marshall Wireless Stadium's 5,200 capacity. Good going, Saint Louis FC supporters! Let's keep it up.

Late Saturday afternoon (20 June), I drove to Lutheran High School of St. Charles County in St. Peters, Missouri to watch St. Louis Lions face PDL rivals Springfield Synergy FC. (The match was moved to this artificial turf field from the Tony Glavin Complex in Cottleville, Missouri due to heavy rain this past week.) The Lions prevailed, 2-1, on a hot and muggy day. They are on the road for several games before returning home early next month. For more, visit their website: http://www.stllions.com/.

Sunday was spent at home staying cool and working a little on a scale model on my workbench. That night, I was at Circus Flora right after their 5:30 p.m. show to take in their annual volunteer dinner. The circus was thanking us volunteers for all our hard work during this season's show, "One Summer on Second Street." After posing for a photo, we entered the ring where a buffet dinner--including fried chicken, salad, baked beans, and strawberries--awaited. I had some food and took in the moment before going home. I'm back there to help out at tonight's show. "One Summer on Second Street" ends its run this Sunday, but you can still take in this marvelous show. More info, including tickets, here at: http://circusflora.org/.

It's been real hot and humid here this week, but at least the rain has held off (unlike the week before). Work has been going well, although the hot and humid conditions outside (as well as inside the wash bay) makes me realize the importance of staying hydrated during the day. Things are going real well for us at the branch.

Tuesday night (23 June) I was at CRM Hobbies in south St. Louis for the IPMS/Gateway business meeting, hosted by club president Chris Merseal at his shop. Those of us board members attending planned next month's general and business meetings, and discussed a bit of other club business. I also got in a bit of shopping at the store, which was normally closed those nights. More on the club at http://www.ipms-gateway.com/. The shop's website is: http://www.crmhobbies.com/.

Later.

Wet, Warm Days

I volunteered again last Thursday night (11 June) at Circus Flora's show, "One Summer on Second Street." I was located on the opposite side of stands from where I was the two previous shows. Thus, I got to look at it from another angle. It is still such a great show, and recommend it highly. "One Summer on Second Street" runs through 28 June. Show info, including volunteering (the show still could use some volunteers) here: http://circusflora.org.

Work keeps me busy, as we got plenty of trade at our car rental branch. We said goodbye to one management trainee last week and welcomed another person to our branch staff. I was working last Saturday morning (13 June), with our manager, and we were kept most busy. However, we got through the morning fine. It's been rainy the past few days, adding much humidity to the heat of late spring here. This makes being outside working a bit more challenging, but not impossible.

After work last Tuesday (16 June), I went to Calvary Presbyterian Church for the IPMS/Gateway meeting. I brought in my completed Soviet UFO model, where it was entered into the Model of the Month Beauty Contest. It didn't win, but it did get some good comments. I found out that, due to a lack of completed entries, we won't enter our UFOs at next month's IPMS/USA National Convention, but would do so next year. A disappointment for me, after all the work I put in it. However, I do have two models I hope to have ready by the time the convention starts in Columbus, Ohio on 22 July. More on the club at http://ipms-gateway.com.

I've been paying attention to the FIFA Women's World Cup--on television and on my mobile phone--and am glad the USA made it to the Round of 16. I'm also following Saint Louis FC, who lost it's fourth round Lamar Hunt US Open Cup tie at Sporting Kansas City Tuesday night. Saint Louis FC is back home for a USL match against Colorado Springs Friday night. More here: http://saintlouisfc.com.

I'm off tonight to the Missouri Aviation Historical Society's meeting at Creve Coeur Airport. The 50th anniversary of Project Gemini will be celebrated with a panel discussion. Should be good. More on the group here: http://moavhist.org.

Later.

Getting Hot Out Here

It's definitely feeling like summer here in St. Louis, although we're still technically in spring. It is 91 degrees F (33 degrees C) as we speak now, and has been feeling that way the past couple of days. Not much fun when one has to be out in the sun as I am with work at times.

Work has been good this week. It's been busy much of the time, though we did have some welcome down time yesterday.

I finished a model today that will go to the IPMS/USA National Convention in Columbus, Ohio next month. It's part of IPMS/Gateway's chapter entry in the convention's model contest. Several of us in the club volunteered to build the same kit however we wanted to do. The kit we're using is Testors' kit of the Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) that supposedly crashed near Roswell, New Mexico in 1947. (The US Air Force claims it was a weather balloon, but a few witnesses and UFO enthusiasts claim it's real.) Anyway, I did mine as a Soviet UFO, with Soviet markings taken from spare decals I have. I'll bring it to the IPMS/Gateway meeting this Tuesday night at 7:30 pm at Calvary Presbyterian Church. More info on the club here: http://ipms-gateway.com.

I'm working again tonight at Circus Flora in midtown St. Louis. Their show "One Summer on Second Street" runs through 28 June. Check it out if you have not already. Info on this show and on volunteering to help out here: http://circusflora.org.

Later.