Claudius
Well-Known Member
Hi everyone,
It is rapidly approaching the end of my second week of work in Forest, VA. I have not posted for a couple of weeks because of my relocation to Lynchburg, VA to take a new job.
It was just over 17 months without a job and for anyone interested in the previous history, please see the postings and responses at this link:
http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=103490
I had a very pleasant drive of 5 days to get here. The weather got very hot and rainy in the last couple of days but the entire drive allowed me to see new portions of the US that I had not encountered in the past. I can now claim to have been on the ground in 26 of 50 US states.
For anyone who is an airplane fan, I hope to make you jealous by saying how amazing it was to walk through the US Air Force museum in Dayton, OH. It is hard to describe just how stunning a facility this is and the care taken to restore and preserve these aircraft has been extensive. Although I had known it was there, I was surprised to make a final turn in the WW2 section and come face to face with "Bock's Car", the B-29 that dropped the bomb on Nagasaki to end the conflict. ("Enola Gay" is at the Smithsonian in D.C.)
This "southern hospitality" is suiting me very well. The moment I arrived, people were coming up to me and introducing themselves. It has continued nearly every day because the HR manager posted my picture and a bit of background in different locations throughout the facility. The manner in which people seem to treat each other, both in the office and in the community at large, reflects a lot of courtesy and respect. This is why the community is deemed a good place to raise a family.
On the personal front, I did not get to see my kids before I moved. My wife and the children came home the same day I left and it is now >2 months since I last saw them. My wife and I are talking by e-mail, suggesting that there is still hope for our marriage. There are so many accumulated hurts within both of us that it will take a long time and professional counselling. For my part, I am continuing with the counselling and am feeling a lot better. She has good Christian women around her who will support and encourage her. I am very pleased to find that Lynchburg is a strong Christian community where the different faiths live in peace. I am not one who makes friends easily but a new attitude is allowing me to be accepting and be accepted by those around me.
For those of you who have offered prayers for my family, I thank you and request that you please continue. There seems to be a good chance that I will get to go back to see the children for the August 7-8 weekend.
For now, the work is positive and stimulating. I am finding my adjustment to the higher heat and humidity quite challenging. As a fan of Civil War history, I made the required 25 mile trip to Appomattox Court House last weekend, despite heat well above 90F. It was different than I had expected, given that previous experience had been at Gettysburg and Antietam, both bloody and extensive battles. The significance was not the engagement, of course, but the surrender and dignified conduct of the Union soldiers during the laying down of arms that left the Confederates feeling like they had been treated with respect.
It is rapidly approaching the end of my second week of work in Forest, VA. I have not posted for a couple of weeks because of my relocation to Lynchburg, VA to take a new job.
It was just over 17 months without a job and for anyone interested in the previous history, please see the postings and responses at this link:
http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=103490
I had a very pleasant drive of 5 days to get here. The weather got very hot and rainy in the last couple of days but the entire drive allowed me to see new portions of the US that I had not encountered in the past. I can now claim to have been on the ground in 26 of 50 US states.
For anyone who is an airplane fan, I hope to make you jealous by saying how amazing it was to walk through the US Air Force museum in Dayton, OH. It is hard to describe just how stunning a facility this is and the care taken to restore and preserve these aircraft has been extensive. Although I had known it was there, I was surprised to make a final turn in the WW2 section and come face to face with "Bock's Car", the B-29 that dropped the bomb on Nagasaki to end the conflict. ("Enola Gay" is at the Smithsonian in D.C.)
This "southern hospitality" is suiting me very well. The moment I arrived, people were coming up to me and introducing themselves. It has continued nearly every day because the HR manager posted my picture and a bit of background in different locations throughout the facility. The manner in which people seem to treat each other, both in the office and in the community at large, reflects a lot of courtesy and respect. This is why the community is deemed a good place to raise a family.
On the personal front, I did not get to see my kids before I moved. My wife and the children came home the same day I left and it is now >2 months since I last saw them. My wife and I are talking by e-mail, suggesting that there is still hope for our marriage. There are so many accumulated hurts within both of us that it will take a long time and professional counselling. For my part, I am continuing with the counselling and am feeling a lot better. She has good Christian women around her who will support and encourage her. I am very pleased to find that Lynchburg is a strong Christian community where the different faiths live in peace. I am not one who makes friends easily but a new attitude is allowing me to be accepting and be accepted by those around me.
For those of you who have offered prayers for my family, I thank you and request that you please continue. There seems to be a good chance that I will get to go back to see the children for the August 7-8 weekend.
For now, the work is positive and stimulating. I am finding my adjustment to the higher heat and humidity quite challenging. As a fan of Civil War history, I made the required 25 mile trip to Appomattox Court House last weekend, despite heat well above 90F. It was different than I had expected, given that previous experience had been at Gettysburg and Antietam, both bloody and extensive battles. The significance was not the engagement, of course, but the surrender and dignified conduct of the Union soldiers during the laying down of arms that left the Confederates feeling like they had been treated with respect.
