Pigeon Hunter

Pigeon Hunter
Originally uploaded by Rob Wooldridge.

And so begins the slide show from our vacation...
This is one of the first photos that I took during the trip. (I took 490 total... gotta love a 1GB flash card)
Here, Hunter was chasing some of the thousands of pigeons in St Mark's square in Venice. As you know, he had just started walking on his own about 10 days before the trip started. Now he's walking all over the place and the little guy (mostly) has no fear. He'll jump right off a bed, storm after animals, and walk right up to any person. Not a smidge of fear.
If his mother walks out of the room, though, he gets a bit agitated... and will let you know it.

Bye Bye Barcelona

I just put Sarema and Hunter on a plane to San Francisco via Munich. I have enjoyed our 4 reunions throughout this deployment, but I'm a little sick of these hard goodbyes. Thank goodness that was the last one for awhile. The next time I see them, I won't have to say goodbye for a long time.
Now I'm relaxing in the Barcelona airport, waiting for a flight to Frankfurt. I'll spend the night there and fly back to Kuwait tomorrow afternoon. I'm looking forward to getting some more German beer before finally returning to the dry dry desert.

Starting off with the best

The Best Photo Of Hunter So Far
Originally uploaded by Rob Wooldridge.

I figured it would be appropriate to kick off the first of the cruise photos with the best photo of Hunter so far (In my opinion). Sarema took this great photo of Hunter enjoying the ride in a water taxi in Venice. It really captures something very rare these days. Pure joy on someone's face. He's really a very happy kid.
It's our last night in Barcelona and I secured a wireless connection to upload photos and download iTunes movies before returning to Kuwait. Sarema and Hunter fly home to CA tomorrow. I'll fly back to Kuwait a day later. It's been a great R&R... I wish I didn't have to say goodbye again, even if it's only for two months.

Last Stop - Barcelona

I'm here at a Chinese-run internet cafe (all the settings on this computer are in Chinese, so it's hard to type) in Barcelona.
It's our last day together on the trip, so this'll be short. Rome and Pisa were great. Marseille was so-so.
Barcelona has been terrfic so far: lot's of wide-open, tree-lined streets and plenty to eat, see, and do.
Being a dad again has been the best part of it all.
back to Kuwait in a few days. :-(

Buongiorno

Here in Sorrento, Italy, in an internet cafe with Hunter in the backpack. Gorgeous coastline and fun Italian city. Since I blogged last, we visited:
Istanbul - The Blue Mosque and St. Sophia... very grand and very beautiful.
Delos, Greece - Birthplace of Apollo, the Sun God, and a very well-preserved 2000-year-old Greek seaport.
Mykonos, Greece - just like the postcards... a little town with whitewashed buildings and blue stairs everywhere.
Having a ball with Sarema and Hunter. Was resting on the railing of the ship with a beer in my hand the other day and realized I had not thought about Kuwait in days. That's a blessing in and of itself.
Tomorrow, Rome. Then Piza, Marseille, and Barcelona.
Hunter is growing restless in the backpack. Time to go! Ciao!

Athens

Just a quick post from an internet cafe in Athens. Everything's going great on the cruise. Venice was very interesting. Spent three days there and all yesterday at sea.
The best part of the trip so far is watching my son smile at me.
Turkey tomorrow. Haven't checked email, nor do i intend to.

Posting from 30,000 feet

This was so cool, I just had to do it...
I bought an hour of wireless service here on the Luftansa flight to Frankfurt. I'm surfing along at a respectable 84 kbps, over twice the average of the internet cafe back at my camp (which is good, because the price is twice as much, too)
This is my first post from a moving aircraft; Too cool an opportunity to pass up. Wish I was jumping out of it instead, but that'll have to wait a few more months.
I'll be landing in Germany in about an hour. I hope to see Sarema and Hunter about three hours after that.
Prost!
update: Everything went as planned in Frankfurt, including meeting up with Sarema and Hunter. I was even able to get a beer at 7 am. Gosh, I LOVE Germany.

Holy Bandwidth, Batman

I'm camped out in the Starbucks here at Kuwait International, waiting for my 1 am flight to Frankfurt. I saw a couple locals with their laptops and figured that I might get to blog or check my mail, so I grabbed a seat. After connecting, and seeing how quickly pages popped up, I decided to see what the max bandwidth of this place was. A couple weeks ago, I bought some TV shows from iTunes (Battlestar Gallactica and Season 2 of Lost), but then the wi-fi in the barracks crapped out and I didn't feel like paying $5/hour at the internet cafe to finish the download.
If anything was going to max out these folks' bandwidth, it was going to be downloading video from iTunes.
So, back in the barracks, the best speed I ever saw was 22 kbps with average around 3 to 5. In the internet cafe, the best I've seen was 45 kbps with the average at about 15.
Right now, in the KCIA starbucks, I'm pulling 428 kbps. There's practically smoke coming out of my Apple laptop's wireless card. I've already downloaded more from iTunes in the last 10 minutes that I have been typing than I did in the last week that the barracks wi-fi was working. It's good to be back in civilization. Yes, i equate bandwidth with civilization; doesn't everyone?
Bandwidth and beer. Germany should have beer in the airport.
mmm, beer.
civilization, here I come!

Happy Mother's Day

I'm off for the civilian airport in a couple minutes.
Mom, I tried to call several times to wish you a Happy Mother's Day, but it appears that other people at this base have mothers, too, and tied up all the lines! Sorry I didn't get through. :-(
Thanks for being a great mom and a super grandma!

On the way outta here

I'm up at the military airport in Kuwait right now. (it's good that I worked here for a couple months and know everyone). This place is the first stop on the (not as long as I thought it would be) road to meeting up with Sarema in Frankfurt tomorrow morning.
Weather for Venice is looking good. A front is moving through today, but clearing by tomorrow. We'll be there until Wednesday afternoon and it's looking like partly cloudy skies and temps in the low 70s.
Let's go cruising!

Two pound bag

I'm frantically running around trying to tie up paperwork, projects, and meetings before I go on leave. I have a day and a half to stuff 10 pounds of crap into a 2 pound bag! It will all be worth it 71 hours from now when I get to see Hunter and Sarema in Frankfurt.
In case this is my last post before R&R, I'll try to post here if I can get to an internet connection in Europe. No promises, though.
I'll be sure to post lots of pictures and stuff when I return around the 1st of June.
See Ya!

Sarema's Day

This came down through channels today. I couldn't agree more. Sarema has been the most supportive wife during this deployment that I could have ever dreamed of. Throughout everything, she has put Hunter first and never taken her frustrations out on me. I am humbled and proud to call her my wife.

THE HONORABLE FRANCIS J. HARVEY, SECRETARY OF THE ARMY; GENERAL PETER J. SCHOOMAKER, CHIEF OF STAFF AND SERGEANT MAJOR KENNETH O. PRESTON, SERGEANT MAJOR OF THE ARMY SEND

1. IN 1984, PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN PROCLAIMED 23 MAY AS THE FIRST MILITARY SPOUSE DAY TO RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANT ROLE MILITARY SPOUSES PLAY IN THE READINESS AND WELL-BEING OF OUR NATION S ARMED FORCES. THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE STANDARDIZED THE DAY AS THE FRIDAY PRECEDING MOTHER S DAY IN 1985. THIS YEAR WE WILL HONOR OUR MILITARY SPOUSES ON 12 MAY 2006.

2. FOR 231 YEARS, AMERICAN SOLDIERS HAVE ANSWERED THIS NATION'S CALL TO DUTY. TODAY, OUR SOLDIERS CONTINUE TO ANSWER THIS CALL WITH THEIR BOOTS ON THE GROUND. WHAT IS DIFFERENT TODAY IS THAT OUR ALL-VOLUNTEER FORCE IS BEING TESTED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MODERN HISTORY IN A LONG WAR. OUR ARMY SPOUSES, LIKE OUR SOLDIERS, HAVE ANSWERED THIS CALL TO DUTY AND REMAIN COMMITTED TO OUR BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN AS THEY FACE THIS DANGEROUS AND COMPLEX 21ST CENTURY SECURITY ENVIRONMENT. THEIR DEDICATION, DEVOTION, AND CONTRIBUTIONS MAKE THEM INTEGRAL TO OUR ARMY OF ONE.

3. OUR ARMY SPOUSES PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE DURING THIS CHALLENGING TIME OF WAR AND ARMY TRANSFORMATION. THEY PROVIDE ENCOURAGEMENT AND MORAL SUPPORT TO OUR SOLDIERS. DURING DEPLOYMENTS, THEY REASSURE OUR SOLDIERS AND PROVIDE FAMILY STABILITY. THEY SUPPORT THE COMMUNITIES IN WHICH THEY LIVE AND THE UNITS WHERE THEIR SPOUSES ARE ASSIGNED, CONTRIBUTING TO A SENSE OF BELONGING THAT BUILDS READINESS AND COHESION. THEY PROVIDE CARE FOR THEIR SPOUSES WHO ARE WOUNDED, AND IN THE MOST DIFFICULT OF CIRCUMSTANCES, THEY CARRY THE BURDEN OF CARRYING-ON FOR THEIR SOLDIERS WHO HAVE FALLEN.

4. ON 12 MAY 2006, MILITARY SPOUSE DAY, WE PAY SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO OUR ARMY SPOUSES AND HONOR THEIR MAGNIFICENT COMMITMENT TO OUR SOLDIERS AND THE ARMY. WITHOUT THEIR PATRIOTISM, SACRIFICES, AND SUPPORT, WE COULD NOT SUSTAIN THIS HIGH-QUALITY ARMY AN ARMY THAT IS THE BEST IT HAS EVER BEEN. ALTHOUGH WE ENLIST SOLDIERS, WE RETAIN FAMILIES, AND THE ARMY SPOUSE'S SUPPORT IS A CRITICAL FACTOR IN A SOLDIERS DECISION TO REENLIST. WE RECOGNIZE THAT THE ARMY SPOUSE'S ANSWER TO HIS OR HER OWN CALL TO DUTY HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN SUSTAINING ALL COMPONENTS OF OUR ARMY ACTIVE, ARMY NATIONAL GUARD, AND ARMY RESERVE.

Thank You, Sarema. You're the best. See you in three days.

5 Days...

Grand Princess
Originally uploaded by Rob Wooldridge.

...until we get on the boat.

Congratulations Aunt Jane

My dad's youngest sister, Jane (some of us remember when she was "Jani"), won first place in Society of Professional Journalists' Sunshine State Awards. From the Miami Herald on Sun, May. 07, 2006:

The New Vietnam, by Jane Wooldridge, originally published in July 2005 in The Miami Herald's Sunday Travel section, won first place in the Travel Writing category.

Business Lunch

I went to a morning meeting yesterday with some civilians downtown. It was nice to get out of the military setting for a change. We even stepped out for a quick business lunch at a local restaurant. We ordered a couple big plates and everyone shared lamb, chicken, (really good) fish, hummus, tebouleh, baba ghannuj. The restaurant was within view of the Persian Gulf, so it was great to have an authentic Arab meal in a nice spot.

Mmmm, Brownies

Aunt Joan sent me some brownie bites, which arrived on Monday. They're quite yummy and I enjoy them because they don't have any brownies here.
Thanks Aunt Joan!

Temp check

by the way, it's 1320 hours here and the temp is 107 degrees Fahrenheit. Bring the heat, baby!
hotter = closer to home.

Pop goes the Sacroiliac

I don't want any "getting old jokes" from anyone. I'm just glad that this didn't last through the cruise.
Turns out that I didn't need to go get another back adjustment from the D.O.. Just before I got out of bed yesterday, I just happened to cough really hard and felt my Sacroiliac joint on my left side pop. The doc had said that joint was the cause of my pain.
I'm all better now. I can do the hokey pokey and turn myself around. That's what it's all about.

T Minus Seven Days and Counting

A week from tonite, I will be on a plane headed for Germany and a reunion with Sarema and Hunter (finally). It looks like we are going to be able to meet in Germany and then the three of us will fly together to Venice. I can't wait.

From Zero to Hero

"Zero amount of walking on his own" that is. Hunter's definitely no zero.
Looks like he has started walking on his own yesterday, 4 May. I was hoping to see it first-hand on the cruise, but I'm happy that he's taken to it so quickly. Maybe I can teach him to cross country ski or do the macarena on the cruise instead.
Sarema writes:

This morning he took his first actual unassisted step, four actually, before falling down. I thought maybe I could pretend I didn't see it until we were with Rob if he didn't progress too much in the next week. Oh no! Some sort of crazy light bulb went off in his head. I stopped counting steps this afternoon when 35 was the record. Then he proceeded to walk from the hallway, through the living room to the front door. It only got worse (or better depending on who you ask) from there. He's now walking around unprompted. He stops, turns around continues on. He hasn't learned the hokey pokey yet, wait till tomorrow. I just can't believe how far he's come in only one day.

She also sends along the following two links for videos she shot that day (.mov files are best viewed with Quicktime)
Walking #1
Walking #2

On the Mend (I Hope)

Turns out that my right-hand man, MSG Nash, plays ping-pong here with a Navy Lieutenant who is a Doctor of Osteopathy. I was able to get MSG Nash to cash in some personal capital and get me seen this morning. Doc said that my hips were out of alignment due to some sort of strain. He made some adjustments to my back and hips, gave me some exercises (and some drugs) to do, and sent me on my way. I may go back tomorrow for another adjustment because this morning's treatment only lasted an hour or so. Then it was back to walking hunched over like an 80-year-old man again.

Not so fine now

I wrenched my back this morning while, of all things, sitting in my office chair. It felt like somebody stuck an ice pick in my lower back. Anyhow, I was fine for a couple hours while the muscles in my back tightened around my spine. Then, around 1300, I had had enough and went to lie down to relieve the pressure and pain.
I'm going to try and find a chiropractor here on the base. I hear there are a couple reservist chiropractors here performing other military jobs. I'll see if I can bribe one of them for an adjustment. I need to get better before the cruise.
ouch.

Hunter's Website

Sarema just update Hunter's Website with some lots of new pictures. Get your daily dose of cuteness!

Cutest Kid Ever

Cutest Kid Ever
Originally uploaded by Rob Wooldridge.

Maybe I'm a little biased, but isn't Hunter just the cutest kid ever?
Sarema sent me this picture over the weekend. She says that he's almost ready to let go of his handholds and try to walk on his own. I'm glad that I will be there with him in less than two weeks when he first gets the hang of walking without any help.