Off to Wisconsin

wroughtn_harv · Sep 28, 2010

Doggone, it's early, got up at three forty five cst.

Tomorrow's the big day.

Our schedule today is we fly out of Dallas-Ft Worth at seven thirty this morning to Detroit. We have an hour or so lay over in Detroit and then we catch a bush plane to Appleton. We get there about twelve thirty this afternoon.

They take us to the hotel and then to a light lunch. We get a tour of some kind and then later they take us to Lambeau Field and a tour of the Packer Hall of Fame. Then it's off to Farve's Steakhouse for supper.

Tomorrow morning at nine the challenge starts. It's over at three. The winners are announced at four.

Today I get to meet the other finalists, whatcha wanna bet I'm the oldest of the crew? We get to meet the marketing bunch at Miller first thing. Think about about that. If I think I'm nervous as a cat with too long a tail imagine how they must feel. They're dealing with welders after all. We know what kinds of sick puppies they are. Careers are on the line.

I'm nervous. When I'm nervous I talk/type. Bear with me. It's been tough so far. My trusty old digital camera for the truck hasn't worked in awhile. I thought it was the rechargeable battery. I spent three hours chasing down the battery. It wasn't the battery. I have a new digital camera for the trip and truck.

The printer, only six or so years old, puked last night when asked to print out the boarding passes etc. We now have a new printer.

I don't like flying. I've been in everything from a small Piper Cub to the big commercial jets. They all have the same flaw for me. Someone else is at the controls. If they have a problem then I have a problem. I hate that.

rswyan · Sep 28, 2010

Harv,

Good luck !

:thumbsup:

lhfarm · Sep 28, 2010

Best of luck. Can't wait to hear the rest of the story. Win or not there, you are already the winner with all of us. Hope you have a lot of fun.

Egon · Sep 28, 2010

Have a good trip.:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Thomas · Sep 28, 2010

Fingers cross shall be looking forward good read..safe trip Harv.

Bird · Sep 28, 2010

Good luck, Harvey. We're looking forward to the pictures and results of the competition. I can understand you being nervous, but whether you win or not isn't as important as whether you have fun.

jayste · Sep 28, 2010

Harvey, We're behind you! Looking forward to the results and the thread with pics from that new camera. Hey, don't fret too much on being the oldest, you might just have those "grasshoppers" attempting to snatch pebbles from your hand! :thumbsup:

:laughing:

Good luck Pard.

rus_geek · Sep 28, 2010

Hopefully they'll at least put you on a CRJ into Appleton and not one of those Saab turboprop monsters. I'm just a hop and skip up the highway from Appleton so I'll be looking in that general direction and wishing you well tomorrow!
Lookin' forward to finding out how the shootout goes.

-rus-

czechsonofagun · Sep 28, 2010

Good luck!

hawkeye08 · Sep 28, 2010

Good luck, wishing you do well. We know you will do your best, remember to enjoy the experience.

wroughtn_harv · Sep 28, 2010

We're here in Appleton. The other finalists are great. Worth the trip just to meet them.

They've got a full evening planned for us. I just hope I can hold up, old man that I am......

frogfish · Sep 28, 2010

Good luck up there, just don't mention the Bears and you'll be fine

weldingisfun · Sep 28, 2010

Harv, once you get tools in your hands it will all come together. Don't sweat it. :thumbsup:
Oh, it might also be wise not to mention that Brett Farve plays for Minnesota now.

Scooby074 · Sep 28, 2010

Good luck.

wroughtn_harv · Sep 28, 2010

The tour of Lambeau Field was awesome. It was pointed out more than once that Minnesota isn't a real state by the tour guide. I mentioned son-in-law worked for the Cowboys and he brought up some silly game played back when I was nineteen years old on a Sunday in 1967, ouch.

Miller has done a great job on this. It's the first year for it to be done with the challenge so we're all feeling our away around. But so far, so good.

I am the oldest finalist, by a long long way, half of them are half my age and twice as talented and capable. I can't say enough good things about them.

The one thing besides being a little more off center than the general public that we all seem to have in common is surplus character. I haven't had so much fun in years with a group that I met on the internet, present company excepted of course.

Tomorrow is do the deed day. I'm ahead already so win or lose I win.

Window Geek · Sep 28, 2010

Good luck Harv. We're proud of you already. Show those other guys a thing or two while you're at it! :thumbsup:

Brad_Blazer · Sep 29, 2010

Congratulations and good luck!

Hope you don't mind I am attaching a link to the contest page. Your bucket looks good! To me there is a lot of beauty in anything functional.

Welding Showdown Finalist - Miller
I'll look for the streaming video.

Lambeau field and the hall of fame are pretty cool. My sister Cheryl lives about a mile from there. I heard Bart Starr just donated his championship rings to the hall.

Hope you enjoy the local food and drink. The only thing I can sort of recommend in Appleton if you want to go out with the guys - one of my high school buddies, Jess Miller, started a chain of sports bars with a location near you.
The Bar - Locations - Appleton - Lynndale

Have fun!

wroughtn_harv · Sep 29, 2010

Yesterday was a long one. It started at 3:30 AM Texas time and ended after ten Wisconsin time.

There's a Starbucks in the hotel. I was there at 5:30, alive and awake and ready. After I finish this tall bold I will be even awaker and more readier.

Over supper last night they told us our project will be a table, furniture kind of table. Hmmm, this could be interesting. We get an Arcfit welding station with mig and tig machines. We also have access to a plasma. And we get angle grinders with cutting wheels for the cuts we don't want to make with the plasma.

I have three hours to complete the project.

This could be fun.

Bird · Sep 29, 2010

The other finalists are great. Worth the trip just to meet them.

For those of you who don't know Harvey personally, it's safe bet that they think the same of him. With his personality, he'd have made friends with them no matter what they were like.