Snow Pictures!

Check out this link/story...
http://www.kansascw.com/kscw/news/kwch-news-dmh-crews-clear-runways-at-midcontinent-airport-20110209,0,6895925.story

AND: Compliments of my co-worker, Ty, he caught a few cool pics I would like to share. This is a great picture of a few pieces of equipment we have:

(From Left to Right: broom, snowplow, broom, snow-blower)




THIS is just GORGEOUS! It is the snow-blower:



Again, photo credit: my co-worker, Ty!!

Snow-Boss 101

Plow on the left, and a Broom on the right:
Plows move the snow when it gets "thick" (usually anything more than 1/4 to 1/2 inches...they have to plow it then follow the plow with a broom to sweep the surface clean. Think of it like this (This example is compliment of my supervisor) If you took a broom out to your driveway first, it wouldn't do much good. If you took a snow shovel out, then came behind it with a broom, now that's effective)



Snow Blower:
(we pull the snow away from the lights, then "launch" it into the air over the lights and it goes into the grass...mainly it just looks cool, but serves a good purpose)



Close Up of a snow-blower:




Well, today was an interesting day at work. We had a BIG snow for the Wichita area, which meant our snow crews were out working hard all day and night. By the time the sun came up (FINALLY!) they were still hard at work. I got the privilege to work with them and help clean off part of the East side of the airfield. I can proudly say that the airfield is looking great.

It was a good experience. This morning we had an individual who wanted to get out of one of the taxiways. Unfortunately, there were large drifts-so I went to see who I could find to help out. Luckily, I found one awake soul to help. This individual jumped into the snowplow and we worked through the intersection to assist getting the aircraft out for the flight. After feeling a slight bit of accomplishment, and noticing all other individuals were busy, I got it approved to keep this snowplow to work on the rest of the taxiway. It was great. We worked North and South and I directed (to the best of my inexperienced ability) and he moved the snow. I felt like a conductor with a mini orchestra. After making a few mistakes-but learning quickly, I got to see a snowblower in action! We would pull the snow away from the lights, and the snowblower would come and “eat” the snow and blow it over the lights. It was cool. Yeah, I may be nerdy, but it was sure a good time. We finished up the taxiway and it was time for a break for the overworked and under-rested crew. With some help from the “Snow-Boss”, we were able to get the last part of the taxiway cleared off. I watched as the Snow-Boss finished up directing the clearing of the small mountain that I accidentally created. It was very educational.

I am extremely appreciative of all those involved in snow removal, and could not be happier to work with such a wonderful group of individuals. Cheers to their hard work and patience as I learn to become a “Snow-Man” (well, actually Snow-Woman to be correct). Despite the mild mistakes, I feel like I am getting the hang of this whole snow thing…and getting a chance to “conduct” a plow this morning was quite fun. I bet the “big” airports really have a blast!

January Update

Well, another month has snuck by! I am not sure how long I will have to type, so I will probably make this a quick post. Theodore is napping, so we shall see how much I get written...since it's almost dinner time for him!

This past month has been so busy! Between a few house projects (picture frames getting hung up), some cleaning, and overall finishing the holiday season, we have been very busy.

I felt very accomplished the other day. Theodore started holding his bottle on his own (the daycare taught him that...!! way to go daycare!!), so I was doing some cleaning and it was time for his bottle....so...I got it warmed up and he fed himself while I finished cleaning the bathrooms, floors, etc. He is getting so big! (yes, I'm sure every mother says that!) He even helped supervise my cleaning and vacuuming. He was not such a fan of the vacuuming...that could be because I had him sitting in his "bumbo" chair (we call it the captain's chair) and the vacuum was coming close to him. He let out a little whine, and so I picked him up, and put him in one of those pouches that you hook to yourself-so you look like you have a baby in a backpack-only ours goes on our front (like a kangaroo kind of). Anywho, after putting him in the kangaroo carrier thing, he was much more content to help mama vacuum! He even helped me clean the kitchen. He watched me as I swept and swiffered the floors. It's amazing how just a LITTLE cleaning makes the biggest difference.

So why all the cleaning? Well, I guess when my "weekend" is consolidated into one day the super-mom in me comes out. I got all the laundry, diapers, etc done and folded (not completely put away, but folded none the less!) so I felt like I should clean a little more, since I never quite seem to get the vacuuming done...! It sure is nice to have a clean floor again! Now, if I could only entertain Theodore long enough to get the organizing done...!

That is a question I have: WHY does organizing take so long?
For me, it's probably because I just "do" most things, then the "things" become cluttery...then I can't stand it, so then I figure out how to make things more efficient for my use...but this trial and error bit is sure a long process. Why can't I just know what will work and how I will use things? I guess that's the fun of the game, right?!

Oh, so January...what did we do?!
We went to Atlanta, Georgia for a delayed holiday with the Laws family. We took Theodore, so that was an adventure. This was his 2nd airplane trip and he did very well. We only spent 3 days recoving this time, so I guess it works out. Theodore didn't sleep as well the 1st and 3rd night we were there, so that made for long days. But we had a good time. We went to one of those Medieval Dinner show things. It was pretty cool and I think Theodore even enjoyed the horses and jousting! We even got to go to IKEA...I wish I had an "IKEA" line item in our budget! (oh...maybe I should make one?!) Theodore liked shopping...probably because there was lots to look at--but he liked it regardless.

Other than that, I've been working lots lately. Today I got to try my hand at driving the snowplow at work. IT WAS SURPRISINGLY FUN! A bit timid, I'm not ready to "solo" yet, but I had a good lesson today: Intro to Snowplowing 101. Basics: How to turn, not run into stuff, and overall-move snow effectively. Pretty good first lesson. I don't know that they will let me drive them often, but it was a fun experience! (not sure I would say that if I'd have been up all night driving them, eh?!)

Well, surprisingly Theodore is still asleep...maybe I should venture over to see if he is ready for dinner.

All the best everyone.
Robin