Spring Forward...

We left CV early Monday morning instead of Sunday night due to the raging snow storm we were experiencing.  I believe we got another 5-6 inches of snow so we wanted to drive through the canyon pass in the daylight.  All went well and we were able to reach SL in time for Steve to catch his fight to Vegas.  He was bound for the big Con Expo,  the worldwide huge construction extravaganza held every three years.  He has attended many times but was always one of the employees working the vendor booth.  This year he was a guest.  His consulting employer paid his expenses so he could attend the show and see all of the displays.  It was also a great opportunity for him to reconnect with many friends within the industry.
His boss also purchased a ticket for me and included me in all of their activities.  I only had to pay for my airfare so I joined Steve on Tuesday afternoon after my morning Broker Network mtg.
This huge room pictured above and below was our hotel room.  It was the biggest hotel room I have ever stayed in.

Tuesday evening after I arrived, we headed out to the Brooklyn Bowl, a gigantic two story bowling alley with a stage and an arena. It was hosted by Case but the dealers spent $180 a head to bring their employees and customers.  They served slider sandwiches, chicken wings, drinks, and desserts.  Since the alcoholic beverages were included, many people were having a fabulous time. Some people bowled and there was a full blown concert featuring country singer Chris Young and 9 band and sound support members.  Most of the people in the front of the arena were singing along and knew the words.  He was very good and when I looked  him up, he has won some awards and been nominated for many awards.  He said that one of his songs hit #1 on the charts this week.

On Wednesday, we spent the entire day walking around the thousands of displays both indoors and out.  We have many more photos of us with equipment but I believe that I have included some of the more interesting photos.

The show is HUGE and we heard from someone that if one walked every aisle of the show, it would total 50 miles.  We did not walk every aisle, but we did walk a lot.

There was an entire section from China and another one from Korea.  There was also a very large area from Germany.  By the afternoon, it was pretty crowded.  We were smart to do most of our looking in the morning before the crowds arrived.

Here are a couple of the sales people who currently work with Steve at Century Equip. and their wives.  We honestly didn't sit down much.  We wanted to see as much as we could.

Fortunately Steve saw many friends from his working days.  He enjoyed catching up and hearing about the success stories of many people he helped to mentor and train.  He loved seeing them and finding out that they are doing well.

Here is Steve in the China hall.  One of Steve's friends is now VP of Kobelco.  He was so happy to see Steve that he invited us to have lunch in their private customer dining area.  The sandwiches were great and it was really appreciated.  Steve had a hamburger and soda for lunch on Monday and it cost $17.  The few food booths at the show had very expensive options.  Steve felt ripped off as the food wasn't really very good.  Vegas has gotten very expensive in recent years.

CNH is celebrating their 175th year in business.  Steve was happy to see his friends, but he didn't miss working the show at all.  In fact, I think that he enjoyed just seeing the show.  It was fun to meet his friends and view so many interesting displays and huge pieces of equipment.  Big can be fun!

This old  J. I. Case steam engine was beautifully restored.

One of the last things we saw at the show was an experimental excavator where some of the parts were made by 3-D printing.  We visited with a professor and a graduate student who were very involved in this project.  The guy demonstrating the machine was a really great friend of Steve's who kept praising Steve and thanking him for his support over the years.  This was a fun project and reminded us a lot of Jeff Case's work with 3-D printing.

That evening one of the owners of Century hosted 15 of us for dinner at his favorite Vegas restaurant.  The wait staff knew Ryan well and just kept bringing out additional side dishes besides our main course.  The waiter also brought out a couple of dessert plates with several desserts on each plate. Many of the people had the lobster following the boss's lead.  Steve had lobster and lamb chops.  He said the lamb was some of the best he has ever eaten.  I went for the salmon which was delicious.  We are certain that this was a very pricey dinner.  It was quite the fantastic dining experience!
We flew home the next morning.  Two days was enough of Vegas.  We were ready to be home.

I had a few business things to take care of Friday morning and we spent some time washing clothes and packing.  My crocus are really starting to bloom now and once again the snow has mostly melted.  Yahoo!

Friday afternoon, we drove up to CV, eager to get some work done on the rental fix-up.  We worked for a few hours Friday afternoon and about 5 hours on Saturday.  We were pretty happy with our progress.  We had a late start as we needed to purchase more paint and see a couple of potential office spaces for Adam.  He has to move out of his current office this Wednesday.  He has a temporary place but hopes to find something more long-term soon.  I think he's tired of moving his office.

We are really liking how fresh and clean the grey-toned paints are looking.  The house is feeling bigger and brighter.  Change can be a good thing.  Below is the living/dining area.  We painted the vaulted wall a darker gray to give the room depth.  It turned out fantastic!

We think this gold turned gray bedroom looks much fresher and brighter too.

The dark brown hallway is much brighter now also.

 In between rolling paint, Steve also worked on pulling up the linoleum floor in the bathroom and the carpet on the stair way.

We painted the master bedroom with a darker accent wall.  It was previously all white which had yellowed over the years.  The new paint is richer looking.

 Tonight I stepped outside to see this gorgeous moon rising over the eastern mountain.  I had to attempt taking a picture.  If I were Jackie, you could really appreciate this view.

We are tired but mostly ready for my primary lesson tomorrow and our final packing for our flight to Miami tomorrow afternoon.  Of course, daylight savings starts tomorrow so we lose an hour of sleep.  Another adventure begins soon!