Whee – flat tire and I need to be at the airport in 90 minutes. Who told me to not get run-flats again? 😉
Tried the “combo” tees at the Wilderness and got my butt kicked. Struggled to stay in double digits
Kid two sure likes the pool at Fortune Bay
Tower Depot Days, then spending the rest of the day on Lake Vermilion with Schuster and Friends
Ran out of time for s’mores tonight, but got to really check out Ely (and Tower in the dark)
Dinner tonight with the family at the Chocolate Moose, then s’mores by the lake with the McKee’s
Kids almost here – can’t wait. Sitting on the balcony and watching for them – http://twitpic.com/27yyo7
Was standing by to join Jake’s foursome at The Wilderness this morning, but alas, all the other guys showed up
Looks like one of my first business trips for the new gig will be to Vegas. Oh, darn
The fitness center was very nice – building and equipment room have windows out towards the lake and a nice assortment of machines
Ran 4.1 miles tonight – first run since Grandma’s and first run at Fortune Bay. Also stopped at the fitness center that I can use for free
It’s been almost a week and a half since I started working at Fortune Bay and so far things have been wonderful. The people on staff here are great to work with, it’s been interesting learning all the new technologies in use and I love the overall excitement of working in a casino. They assigned me a nice office just off the casino floor and I’m slowly getting used to where everything resides and how to get access to all of the tools I need to do the job.
There have been a few issues to deal with: we had a big storm last week that included a lighting strike behind one of the buildings that knocked out all of the cash registers and one of my staff members quit this week before I even got to meet him. I also still haven’t figured out what I’m going to do about housing next month, but I’m starting to find some leads.
The evenings last week were fun. A friend from the Twin Cities called me late Monday afternoon and said he was a half hour away. We played 18 holes at The Wilderness in two hours and 35 minutes, then had a nice dinner at the Grill. I played another post-work round on Thursday night – the course is spectacular and it’s hard to stay away when it’s right outside the door.
The other nights I spent scouting some of the nearby cities: Tower, Ely and Virginia. I looked at a few houses, drove by the schools and basically just checked out the overall vibe of each place. Based on the people I’ve talked to, Virginia and Ely probably have the best schools. My favorite house was in Tower, but I liked the general feel of Ely and Virginia has some nice bigger city amenities (Target, movie theater, McDonald’s).
I’d still love to find some lakeshore and build new, but prices on Vermilion don’t seem to be impacted much by the recession. This week I drove along the south shore and saw some amazing properties, but they were all way out of my price range. I’ll probably just rent for now and see what happens. The family comes up this weekend to check things out, so their input will help firm up plans too.
Tonight I ran for the first time since Grandma’s and I stopped in at the wellness center, which is located about a mile from the resort. Employees can use the facility for free and I spoke with the manager for a bit. She said the building is five years old and doesn’t get used much. All of the equipment is top of the line and the workout room overlooks the lake. I’m really excited to get trained on all of the machines and start getting back on track for TCM in October.
The rest of this week brings a bunch of meetings, the visit by the family (and maybe a few other friends), then one last consulting trip for 318 in Phoenix. I also found out today that my first business trip for Fortune Bay might be a September conference at the Palms in Las Vegas. Could this job get any better?
Dinner here tonight – http://bayviewlodge.com/. John’s place is right across the bay
“There is no such thing as luck. It is all mathematics.”
Feeling lucky – my room this week is in the new wing and I got here in time for True Blood on HBO
Arrived safely back in God’s Country. Wish that nurse could re-take my blood pressure now
Think I just passed the accident scene on 35 – scary
Back on the road – hope the accident on 35 clears soon
Walked 18 holes at The Summit and shot a pretty poor 94 from the whites
Heavy traffic on northbound I-35
The chicken wild rice soup at the Wilderness Grill is superb. Made with this – http://nettlakewildrice.com/
Walked 18 holes after work at The Wilderness. Got soaked on 3 holes, then the sun came out and I finished with a 90 from the whites
International Falls has DOCSIS 3.0, but Tower doesn’t? Come on, providers, help me out here
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at rainbows the same again – http://twitpic.com/25by6y
I know the snow and cold is coming in a few short months, but I just can’t get over how pretty it is in northeast Minnesota. More on the first week coming soon…