One reason I appreciate LaGuardia Airport

 I sit at a window seat on the left side of each flight between Indianapolis (IND) and LaGuardia Airport (LGA) whenever I can.   

The view allows me to follow along I-70 until about Dayton, Ohio so I can see the glacial landscape looking northward (easy to see when the sun is behind me).  Then from eastern Ohio it's easy to recognize the eastern edge of the Appalachian Plateau Province. Spot Pittsburgh and eventually fly over the Allegany Mountains.  

But the descent into New York City is my favorite part of the flight.  The landing pattern is generally the same each time I fly this route, flying along the eastern edge of the Hudson River watching the shipping docks pass, and then seeing Manhattan up close and personal, finishing with the large circular path back around to LaGuardia Airport landing on Runway 22 (224 degrees N).  I still don't understand how it's named Runway 22 when they're only 2 runways at LaGuardia.  :-)

PLUS, ONE OF MY FAVORITE BREWERIES ANYWHERE!

(Thank you, Manny!)

East Coast GeoServices, LLC and Nelson + Pope, LLP Expertise

Mastery of soil, geology, and the subsurface of Long Island, New York came shining through in July during the classroom intensive, TAKING THE MYSTERY OUT OF THE SUBSURFACE.  

The team from East Coast GeoServices, LLC and their collaborative business partner, Nelson + Pope, LLP exhibited not only their technical mastery, but their positive corporate culture making the training a fun and fruitful experience.

Among my favorite moments of the training was the discussion about local geology of Long Island.  Staff were exceptionally aware of the subtle variabilities of landforms and subsurface conditions along with the drilling and sampling conditions of the areas.   It was a learning experience for me since my limited experience with sampling on Long Island is only in the middle of the island.  

Thank you to the entire team who participated that day.   Thank you too for your generous lunch and especially for the welcome to their "ice cream afternoon extravaganza".  Five stars!

What a day in Delaware! Peaks and Valleys of every kind

The staff from the DELAWARE NATURAL RESOURCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL exhibited not only kind professionalism, but a technical mastery of subsurface characterization and the geology of Delaware during the recent training, Taking the Mystery Out of the Subsurface in July.

There are some very special people that work for the DNREC and I can relate to their regulatory work that mixes environmental stewardship of the precious State of Delaware.  

Their engagement and discussions throughout the day demonstrated the pride and mastery in their work, which is personally inspiring to me.  The questions asked, the discussions led, and the examples illustrated by DNREC staff show without a doubt are both willing and capable professionals.  I tip my hat to each person at the training.

On another personal note, I'm also grateful for the compassion shown to me during the moments where I wasn't feeling well.   Your kindness and concern was obvious; and it helped me get through the day.  A special thank you to Amber who visited me the following day and conveyed each person's care.  It became a memorable visit to Dover for that reason too.

I look forward to visiting New Castle later this year.  Until then, keep rockin and keep up the great work! 

Geologic Resources, Inc. ROCKS the Sedimentary Sequences

Applying geologic principles in the field can be daunting.   It's challenging for lots of reasons: (1) we don't get this experience taught to us in school, (2) uncertain standards to apply, and/or (3) lack of willingness or capability.  

None of these common challenges are a problem for the staff at Geological Resources, Inc. in Monroe, North Carolina.   The team of professionals who completed the training TAKING THE MYSTERY OUT OF THE SUBSURFACE were willing and capable from the beginning.  And as the training progressed, it became apparent their field experience gave them a big advantage for identifying soil classifications and unraveling sedimentary complexities.  

And despite our industry description for "Cohesiveness" with fine-grained sediments, this team was particularly cohesive.  I witnessed them work as a team through the soil classification exercise and encourage one another during discussions throughout the training. It was an absolute pleasure to meet each participant and help contribute to their success.