Independent Consultant with a Hawaiian Shirt

I'm nearing the end of my fourth straight week in Minnesota. As faithful readers of this blog know, I have spent a lot of time up here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes (a.k.a. Land of 10,000 Hockey Ponds). When I spend so much time in one place I develop feelings of ownership for it as if I have become one of the natives who lives there. Here are some signs that I've "gone native" here in Minnesota: I give directions to people trying to get places. The front desk staff at the hotel recognizes me by name. I avoid freeway traffic by taking side streets. My speech is dotted with "Eh" and "You betcha!" I take the shortcut out of the parking structure at the airport. The guy at the gelato stand at the Mall of America knows my preferences. ("Mocha flavors, right?" http://www.paciugo.com ) I know who Ole and Lina are. Weather is a big topic of conversation, but the cold weather doesn't really bother me. I have used the word "spendy" cor...

After teaching a 2-day class in Fergus Falls, MN I head for home. To get to Fergus I flew into Fargo, ND on the 28th as it was closer than Minneapolis. By flying out of Flint, MI I managed to save $400 on airfare. But getting home has proven to be the bigger adventure thanks to a winter storm in the plains that made the news due to a 100-car pileup on I-94 west of Fargo. 12/30/2010 4:00pm - Left Fergus Falls, MN for home. Bad weather expected all throughout. Decided to drive to Fargo, ND (65 miles) through falling snow instead of Minneapolis, MN (195 miles) through snow and freezing rain. 4:30pm - Visibility on I-94 reduced to 1/2 mile due to drifting and blowing snow. Going about 40mph behind a Minnesota State Trooper. 4:45pm - I pass the State Trooper and pick up my speed to 60mph. I've settled in now, but in the back of my mind I don't like the driving conditions that much. I already know that I-94 is closed west of Fargo; just a matter of time before they close it east of F...

The flights home were relatively uneventful. Exit row seating gave my legs a place to stretch. I didn't get much sleep on the Anchorage-Salt Lake flight, and I used the Salt Lake-Detroit leg to fill out my paperwork for the week. Arriving at Detroit at 2:05pm Saturday, I headed over to the Starbucks for my first coffee in well over a week. My lovely wife picked me up a few minutes later and we enjoyed the ride home. I can't wait to go back to Alaska. In fact, I think that's where we'll go for a family vacation this summer. Then I'll finally get to see the "other" Alaska - green everywhere and sunlight forever.

After breakfast I packed my room, checked out and headed over to Elmendorf for the last day of class. This group of students has been an exceptionally fun bunch to be with. So I was determined to enjoy every last moment with them. At lunch Dennis drove me over to the 3rd Wing headquarters building. In front of the building was a memorial. Part of that memorial was a large aviary in which resided three injured bald eagles who are not able to return to the wild. What a treat to see the national bird up close and personal! (See the bald eagles here .) After taking a few pictures with the birds we headed over to the Base Exchange (BX) for lunch. We wrapped up class and I headed out to the city. My flight wasn't for another 10 hours and there were no seats available on earlier flights. I drove around, looking for a place to have one final dinner in Alaska before heading home. It had to be salmon; what sense would it make to come all the way up here and not have salmon? Between window sh...

The price you pay in Anchorage for a clear blue sky is plummeting temperatures. Yesterday the sun peeked out from behind the clouds. This morning on the way into the office I watched in mild amusement as the outside temperature displayed on the dashboard fell from 15 to 4 degrees Fahrenheit. The official temperature at Elmendorf: Zero. Yep, it's going to be cold. Anchorage is set between the sea and the mountains. Cloud cover serves to trap heat and keep the area warmer than when there are no clouds. And today was an absolutely clear day - not a cloud in the sky. While that made for a gorgeous sunrise (at 10:00am), the temperature never climbed above 14 degrees. After work I headed back to the hotel and rested before heading over to Dennis' house for dinner. Yes, this dear brother has taken it upon himself to be the Hospitality Committee, Welcome Wagon and the Chamber of Commerce. He welcomed me into his home and I sat down to dinner with him and Michael, a fellow believer from...