Tweaking the Packing Formula

Posted on March 21, 2019 by vanbraman

Depending on the length of a trip and the nature of work I have to do I often have the make tweaks to The Packing Formula.

Empty Suitcase, Packing, packing formula, Trip, TravelOf course, I start with an empty suitcase.

For this trip I will only have five nights on the road, but they will be in four different hotels. This means that I will definitely be living out of the suitcase.

Washer, Laundry, Trip Prep, DryerThis evening I started by doing a couple loads of laundry as some of the items I need to take on the trip were worn earlier this week.

I will also be visiting some customers on the trip so what I wear is a little different than what I wear in the classroom.

So, clothes went into the laundry when I got home from work and I headed off for the next errand.

Tracy Library, Flower Gardens, Rose Gardens, NatureI had to make a trip to the library to return a few books that were due. Usually I will just renew them, but they had been requested by someone else.

Cherry Blossoms - Tokyo Cherry Blossoms - Old Cherry Trees - Cherry Blossom TimeI will also be visiting several cities. I will start out in Tokyo, but then head down to Osaka.

To-Ji - Kyoto, Japan - Five story Wooden PagodoFrom Osaka I will head to Kyoto and spend one night before heading back to Osaka for the final evening.

I will mostly be traveling by train, so it is important that the suitcase is not too heavy. Some rarely used items like workout clothes will be left behind on this trip. Just the essentials.

Now if the dryer will finish so I can make the final selections and finish packing.

Steven

 

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Pile Driving

Posted on March 20, 2019 by vanbraman

At the construction site near our office they have started the pile driving process.

Construction, Dublin, California, Pile DrivingThe pile driving machine showed up on the site about three weeks ago just before a series of storms swept through the area. You can see here that this was a very overcast and gloomy day.

Pile driller, pile driving, constructionHere you can see the pile driver getting setup and also how wet the ground was.

When you think of a pile driver you usually think of a big hammer unit that drives piles into the ground. However, they are using a drilling method at the site.

Pile driver, zeiss innovation center, Dublin, California, reflectionHere the pile driver is drilling one of the first holes. Instead of hammering piles into the ground, this process involves drilling a hole and then filling it with rebar and concrete.

I like the reflection of the pile driver in the retention basin.

Pile driver, turner construction, construction, Zeiss innovation centerHere is the pile driver in action. You can see the screw of the drill and a small pile of dirt that it is bringing up. At the left you can see the rebar bundles that will be placed in the holes once they are drilled.

I took this picture last week, but have not had a chance to visit the site this week as I have been very busy. I am still catching up with some things because of my Horrible Tuesday Commute.

Construction Site, Pile Driver, Trees Budding, SpringIn this last picture you can see that the trees are starting to bud out. It was taken about three weeks later than the first picture in the post. There is a big difference.

Today is the First Day of Spring, and with the improving weather I am sure that the construction will really start showing signs of progress.

Steven

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