Touring the USA for Uncle D

Every so often, my job is awesome. When you get to take a two-week trip around the country for work, that qualifies as one of those times.

We started off in Athens, NY. Athens is about 45 minutes from Albany (the state capitol, for those of you that remember U.S. geography) and not nearly as Greek-y as the name would suggest. But we did get to spend two days at the power plant there, and we were able to take an in-depth plant tour including climbing up the stairs onto one of the "stacks".Next we drove up to Sturbridge, MA, a little tourist spot with great restaurants, including Fins & Tales, VIENNA! (emphasis and exclamation point added for inside joke effect), and Publick House. There is also a very nice power plant, with people who are just as friendly as in Athens, NY.Instead of going home to DC for the weekend, we decided to have a little fun. Elizabeth and I met up with Peter down in Nawlins for a couple nights and had ourselves a ball. We battled semi-dreary weather as we explored the city and culture and took in several ruckus parades. We also paraded ourselves down Bourbon Street on several occasions and took in some live jazz.

To finish off the trip, Uncle D sent us out to a power plant an hour outside of Phoenix, AZ. Our work conditions weren't as ritzy as in Athens or Sturbridge, but we enjoyed our little air-conditioned metal box in the dessert just fine. And we were able to take in plenty of fresh air, which I think we all appreciated. And while we were in town, I was able to meet up with my old friend Drew, a.k.a. the Giver, for dinner and conversation afterward.

The whole thing got me thinking about asking for more audits that include traveling...