Blue Skies - Blue Seas

Saturday morning we took off from home and drove down the coast. We stopped for lunch in Anglesea, then after lunch drove up to Belle's beach to watch the surfer's, then Tourquay the home of Rip Curl.

Pretty day.

Makes us want to learn to surf - .... just maybe

Belle's is spectacular:

More photos here

https://plus.google.com/photos/118421207849482976791/albums/5790986224106782593

Old friends – Marathons - Life

Having traveled for many years all over the world I have made many new friends and unfortunately, lost contact with many other great friends.

Recently I succumbed to the repeated requests on LinkedIN to scour my email account and dig out lost friends.

It has turned out to be a wonderful event as many folks I had long ago lost have been dropping notes to say hello.

A dear old friend I lost contact with for 18 years due to relocation to the west coast recently wrote me. Much has happened in the 30 years since we first met. Many fun memories still flood in today as I think back in time to Fenn Tower and East 24^th street.

The human brain is an amazing thing to store so many tid bits of life, that only get unlocked with a special key. Yesterday that key arrived. Pretty cool.

Lately, my running motivation has been in the basement this winter. I am not a great runner – just usually persistent and can say I have completed some 14 marathons and a 50 Km trail race, though not always fast, and in the case of the trail race I finished on a broken ankle that took months to heal.

Running and Windsurfing are passions, and in China I have neglected both to focus hard on work. Perhaps the lesson is simple. Work is for today, friends are forever, if you don't loose contact.

In different worlds once connected, my friend is also a marathon runner – though since 2006 struggles to recover from an ankle injury.

The Cleveland Marathon is in MAY – so perhaps I'll read about a nice return to the finish line soon.

The simple words of encouragement about running, from the email were more than enough to push out a run this afternoon south down the china coast. I didn't run with purpose, just thinking until over an hour had past by. It was quite fun to leave work and China all behind and travel back in time. While running I saw things I never knew were there, but they have always been so close to home, just had forgotten how wonderful it is to run through the Chinese neighborhoods and experience wearing different color glasses.

Today was for my friend – and when you read this – I thank you.

Having both run so many marathons and all the miles before hand to prepare, but never have run once together seems odd.

Perhaps someday that will change.

Life you see is funny that way.

Chinese New Year – Bucket List – Check!

Honestly – the Chinese New Year was not on my bucket list of things to do before I kick the bucket, but it should have been.

Today the crescendo of fireworks began this morning at dawn and continues to increase as we roll towards midnight.

Being stationed in Dalian China has its unique opportunities', one of which is to experience the New Year first hand – Chinese Style.

Today began like many with an early trip to the market to prepare for a few days with most shops closed for the holiday. The major stores

Like Wal-Mart and Metro were still open, and quite busy. At Wal-Mart we bought food, but did not think the fresh squid looked so healthy, so we passed on that.

Metro is like a Sam's club in the US – Members only – whole sale store. We picked up some party items for Friday when folks are coming

To watch the official fireworks on Xing Hai square form our apartment. Considering Dalian just blew off more fireworks than exist in the State of Ohio, I cannot imagine

What is in store for Friday. Size wise I ran close to the fireworks launch site behind the open book (foot ball field size book open to the sky next to the sea). If the number of tarps and motor systems being built is any indication, this will be a monster show.

Running tonight was incredible. The constant concussions reflecting off the mountains and sky scrappers, coupled with a solid dose of sea fog, and gun powder smoke makes for one

Intense running motivational moment.

It was good to run – the broken toes ar healing, so I can start to ramp up more next week. The swimming has conditioned the upper body more, (not enough) and that helped. I did get a crap in my right calf, and felt like I pulled something in the ham string area – hopefully those were just lack of training whining from my body and nothing real.

Will not sleep tonight – the roar continues as folks blow off fireworks to chase the ghosts away from the new year, so it is free and happy.

Amazing Thunder for hours –

Bucket list – Check!

Celebrating Dalian

We are here in Dalian for about 10 months – maybe longer. What a wonderful energetic place to live and get to know my children better.

Stepping back for a few years has been worth it, and the time to focus and see children grow on all fronts has been a welcome addition. The Dalian city is so full of life, I think about 6 million total in Dalian, but with 3.5 being in the city itself.

Last weekend I spoke at a wonderful event in Dalian to a small elite group of individuals, and their wives and friends. It was fun to speak and talk a little about the journey that has led to a new book being published on Business Performance Management. The talk I kept short as I was speaking ahead of dinner, and people looked quite hungry J

Dalian is getting cold as winter approaches. The wind is up most every day, but we lack windsurf gear so we must patiently wait for next summer to enjoy windsurfing. In the mean time we have made many wonderful Chinese friends. Dalian is a wonderful place.

 

Back to writing for a while longer then some sleep – work work work is a hectic pace, but small opportunities' to relax are were needed.

Move to China

Well today we did it!. Matt, Sam and I moved to China for 10 months while I go to work for my company.

The flight was not too eventful. Sam enjoyed the meal as did Matt.


Matt had a more reserved look after deciding what to do, donning his faded Hermosa Beach Lifeguard shirt.

Day 3 0f 30 – Last day in Germany

Hanau Germany is near Frankfort and quite a nice place to visit. This morning's run (3 of 3) in Germany was a fast tempo run at 5K pace with brief breaks to recover, along the bike path along the river.

It is quite a lot of fun to run in Europe, as there are some many historic places to see, that can only be truly appreciated on foot. As I ran along the battlement walls of a castle, I wondered it years ago, an attacking force had run as was I close to the wall, concealed from above. After a moment I thought, well no, I'd be full of arrows by now. It is quite neat to see these old areas restored and maintained.

Yesterday I ran in town, along the cobblestone roads and tight alleys that were not built for automobiles. When required driving up on the sidewalk seems to be the norm.

On the way back as the sun was trying to break above the horizon, a cruising barge went down river with sleeper cabins full of resting passengers about to awake for another day somewhere new in Germany.

Work has been a true pleasure, Both Ralf and Holger are true experts and they shared freely. The real challenge will be with others who don't yet understand the power of what a Center of Excellence can develop and adopt those methods as standards. Tonight I fly to China, and that will be yet another long flight, but I am getting electronic things charged so that I can read and listen to music while I work into the night to prepare for my next round of meetings.

Beijing – Smog – Zero Visibility - Sadness

Left Dalian this morning. I was sad. So much of life is in Dalian.

It is so hard to leave.

In Beijing, the smog and humidity is so thick you cannot see the end of the run way.

Amazing that this is the future of industrialized nations.

Yuck.

13 hours to Chicago