July 6, 2011

There were 2 posts published on July 6, 2011 (this is page 1 of 1).

Area 51

I’m reading a good book about Area 51 from Annie Jacobsen. Called Area 51: An Uncensored History of America’s Top Secret Military Base, the book peeks into the secret and bizarre activities that have taken place there.

One thing I find fascinating is the accounts of how the base dealt with the multiple nuclear detonations that took place near the base over the years. One of the key environmental elements which helped maintain Area 51’s secrecy also put the base and it’s staff in jeopardy on a regular basis. There were many blown-out windows, warped steel hangar doors, and other frightening damage. I’m not sure exactly what goes on at Area 51 but being that close to ground zero would be my least favorite part of the job.

I’ll write a fuller review once I’ve plowed through it, but needless to say the book is eye-opening.

Update 11 Jul: Review posted!

Fourth away

We spent the Fourth of July at Kelly’s parents’ home, taking the backroads to avoid the holiday traffic. There, we spent Saturday on a geocaching hunt around Sky Meadows State Park. We also spent time at the pool, built hula-hoops, and watched the kids put on puppet shows.

Another highlight was visiting our friends from high school. We had dinner at the home of Jamie and Jim Neel along with Leigh Taylor. Kelly was friends with both Leigh and Jamie in high school and I was friends with Jamie, eating lunch together many days. It was good to catch up with them and to meet Jamie’s husband Jim, with whom I have a lot in common.

Sunday night as we were driving back from dinner, a strong storm passed through, breaking tree branches in the neighborhood and briefly knocking out power.

We enjoyed our visit. It’s tough getting back to work after that kind of fun!