2011 Field Day

No hiking this weekend.  Once again, it's Field Day, the weekend that we break out the big radios.  As in year's past, I've done the cooking for our amateur radio group and it's a big job since we usually have about 40 people show up.

 

So even though I didn't hike this weekend, there was a lot of running around, and otherwise being on my feet all weekend.

 

This year, I only camped out on Saturday night.  Friday night, after helping to set up all of the equipment and get dinner, I departed our Field Day site to attend the San Jose Giants game with Duane and our son, who was having a Cub Scout night at the Giants.  Loads of fun, I always enjoy going to the local game.  They are always so much more interesting than the major leagues, with lots for the kids to do and see in between innings.  When we walked into the stadium, we had a bit of a start since instead of their usual orange jerseys, the Giants were wearing pink jerseys.  Apparently it was breast cancer night (with fundraising as well).  A good time was had by all, but there was no joy in Mudville that night.  The Stockton Ports won.

 

Saturday was spent cooking, attending a class on packet radio, and after dinner was over, getting a chance to work the HF phone station.  So much fun, but a lot of work and very tired!

One More Day...

I had difficulty sleeping last night. Every once in a while, I just can't get to sleep. Apparently, this is one of perimenopause's symptoms. So I worked on Field Day plans through half the night, and then went back to bed and slept for a few hours. It wasn't great, but I grabbed a nap later in the afternoon.

For breakfast, I ate 3 oz. of ham steak. After dropping the kiddo off at science camp, I headed for the dentist and a teeth cleaning. Then back home to prepare for Field Day grocery shopping. I need to get supplies for about 40 people. Off to Costco! Lunch was a Muscle Milk Light Chocolate Shake. Yum! It was nice to have something sweet in my mouth after all of this meat. Dinner was some herb roasted turkey.

Tomorrow is the end of the first week. My next appointment and the day of reckoning! I think my weight loss has been pretty good, but tomorrow morning I face the scale!

Calories In: 615

Protein: 72.09%
Carbohydrates: 12.1%
Fats: 15.79%

Field Day Preparations & Arctic Anniversary

Today was an all amateur radio day. After Mass, I readied my house for a Field Day planning meeting and BBQ dinner. Field Day is a lot of fun, but it's also a lot of work and a lot of planning goes into it. Shift schedules need to be organized, operators signed up, equipment and material needs to be at the right place at the right time for set up and, of course, it all needs to be working by Saturday morning at 11:00 am.

A few hours later on the same day, I had a bunch of hams over to our home for a presentation for the twentieth anniversary of the only joint United States - Soviet DXpedition to the Soviet Arctic. (For the uninitiated, a "DX" is a "distant station", so a DXpedition is an expedition to a distant station, usually somewhere quite remote and difficult to contact via radio.)

Fortunately, after our hike yesterday, I managed to find a local Russian/Georgian bakery on the internet. Off I rushed to see if I could find some Russian goodies for today's presentation. I found some piroshki (chicken and beef), some kachapuri (a Georgian cheese pastry), some Russian braided poppy seed bread, and some kind of chocolate covered meringue confection with hazelnuts. Although I intended to get some Russian vodka (Stolichnaya is the only brand I know of) for the presentation, I forgot this, so we had some good California wine instead.


The presentation was fascinating! Both the American (Tony, AB6Q) and Russian (Valeri, UA0KK) counterparts were here to talk about their experiences. Fortunately for me, our Russian guest liked the piroshki. (I figured that he would be the only one who would know if it was bad!)

We also got to see footage that they shot on location. The DXpedition was to the town of Pevek which is on an island in the Siberian Arctic, where there is snow 11 months out of the year. Pevek is a very small town whose main industry is herding reindeer, although it is rich in minerals and there has been uranium mining as well. Because of Pevek's close proximity to the international border, special permission was (and perhaps still is) needed to go there. Pevek's history is also intimately tied to the gulag era, when 11,000 people were sent to its four camps to work in the mines until they died.

The Russians, many of whom had never met a foreigner let alone an American, welcomed their American guests with open arms. Much of their hospitality was captured on tape and I was glad that I could return some of that hospitality for this evening's Russian guest. We all had a great time, and enjoyed both a little bit of history and Russian culture.

Boy Scouts and Field Day

Today I finally had a chance to slow down a little and catch up with myself. I always enjoy these days because it means I get some housework done, the paperwork piles are reduced, and I get ready for whatever happens to be coming next.

I didn't get any training in today, because I had promised to give a presentation to the local Boy Scout council about the American Radio Relay League's 2009 Field Day exercise. That took up all of my time after dinner. The meeting went well. I made my presentation, explaining that Field Day is a combined emergency preparedness exercise and contest. Contestants have a few hours to set up their equipment followed by 24 hours to make as many contacts as they can. It is the biggest amateur radio event of the year in North America. This is usually a good time for hams to show their stuff to the public, who are allowed to operate under an amateur radio operator's supervision.

Tomorrow is a rest day, so I suppose I will get a double rest before taking on Mission Peak for a second time.