Tourists and Colorado

This picture was taken in the West Elk Wilderness close to Gunnison Colorado. 

The summer is over and its time to get back to the important things in life like posting on a blog. 

Back to the picture.  The West Elk Wilderness is spectacular, especially with fall color.  During the drive over one of the mountain passes to get into West Elk you frequently see people stopping in the middle of road to snap a picture.  Sometimes they leave there car doors open, the kids are piling out and the dogs run loose.  At times it can be tough to get around them.  One of my passengers on this trip could not believe how inconsiderate these people where.  I have different take on it. 

The way I see it most some of these folks have never seen wilderness like this on such a grand scale. Maybe they are factory workers from back east who just retired and decided to travel, foreign tourists who are getting a first look at the scale of a national park, or just folks who recently moved here getting out of the big city for the first time.  I explained to my passenger that these people are not rude, or stupid, they are in awe, they are having an epiphany.  There brains are short circuiting. This is amazing, why would you not just stop dead in your tracks and whip out the camera.  Road be damned, this is amazing.  Nowadays I just think its cute and it makes me proud that the scenery in our state will inspire people to forget about life for a little while, park in the middle of  road and soak it in. 

Understanding and patience can go a long way in our business dealings.  If you understand what a customer is going through during the moving process its much easier to be forgiving for what we perceive as bad behaviour.  Knowing that the customer is usually not like this can help lower our stress level.  For the life of me though, I cannot understand why you could be stressed out about moving to Colorado.

Spiderman Found Alive and Well in Colorado!



Jeremy and Spidey




Jeremy and Spider Man.  Not sure of the value of Spider Man Statue, but, could not have been inexpensive based on the detailed costume design and life like appearance.  One year SMS was storing a lifelike cutout of Cosmo Kramer of the Seinfeld Tv series.  It was fun to have around and was quite the conversation piece when people saw it for the first time.  Alas, we eventually had to ship that out.  When it comes to artwork, beauty is truly in the eyes of the beholder. 



Testing the Fit

After we test fit Spidey the guys will line the crate with cardboard, foam and inserts to secure it in place.

Spidey arrived at his new home safely and ready to go. 

Electron Microscopes and Ruska's Prototype

Wow, I think this was SMS's second Electron Microscope.  You just don't run into these often.
The biggest obstacle to handling these is the sheer weight of the unit and fact that most of the weight is located on top tube, about 700 pounds of lead.  This unit although old, about 30 years, it still  maintains its value, up to $150,000.  The pallet was engineered to handle the bulk of the weight on one side. 

The prototype for the first one was back in 1931 and here is a picture of it. 

Ernst Ruska's Prototype

The design and size look close to the newer models.  Although contemporary microscopes are capable of two million-power magnification, as scientific instruments, they remain based upon Ruska's prototype. Ken and Peter and crew did a fine job being patient with busy engineers, logistics in and out of the building and timing the construction and delivery schedules for a demanding customer on seldom seen equipment.

Happy Easter!

Wow,  this winter just flew by.  Easter marks for us the beginning of spring, the busy season and yet another Easter party at the non palatial Ray estate.  We have traditionally have always had an open house on this upcoming special day. We pray for good weather.  There are no formal invitations, just stop by if you can.
The Bloody Marys flow like water.  One year one of our dear male friends donned my wife's faux rabbit fur coat and was teaching some of the ladies a dance in my living room to an artist formally known as prince song.  It can get a little out of hand sometimes and then you have to take into account the home depreciation with 20 or so little kids running around, none of which belong to me.   My kids are all grown up so to speak and above egg hunting.  Which leads me into my next segue.  

This week I was digging up a raspberry patch that had taken over a part of the back yard.  If it likes the area, it is more like a weed.  I was just finishing up and noticed a shiny blue patch in the dirt.  I dug it out and guess what, a plastic Easter egg from an Easter egg hunt past.  It must have been there for at least 10 years.  I am no paleontologist but, you could tell it had been sitting there getting covered up for quite some time.  I opened it and found a still shiny quarter.  We still hide eggs for other people kids, but I miss the hectic scrambling and have not forgotten the  excitement of my own kids finding those eggs and shiny quarters.  One of my kids saw what I was holding and he said, "cool, is that an Easter Egg"!?  I could tell by the look in his eyes that he had not forgotten either.  Happy Easter all.

The Quiet Man

War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.
--John Stewart Mill--
With that said one of the most common traits of wounded warriors is their tendency remain silent regarding thier experiences in war.  My father never talked openly about his experiences the south Pacific during World War II.  Most of what I learned was gleaned through talking to his freinds and relatives, letters, and an article in the Stars and Stripes. 

SMS hired Chris Friedrichsen over four years ago.  On his employment application he listed only that he has served in the military.  My guess was at that time that he was a rear echelon pencil pusher working in a supply depot.  Not so.  I received a call from the Veterans Administration trying to locate Chris regarding an appointment he had with them.  Sometimes the guys use our main number as a contact number as they working in the field all day.  It sparked my interest. 

I had a chance to sit down with Chris recently and after some brow beating got the real scuttle butt.

Chris served with United States Marine Corps, 3rd Battalion, 11th Marines.  He was involved in two tours of Iraq, one in 2004 and then another in 2006.  On his second tour he was badly injured by an IED, Improvised Explosive Device during a combat operation in Ramadi Iraq in the Al Anbar Province that borders Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.  Chris's commendations include:
Purple Heart
Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Combat
Good Conduct Medal
Sea Service Ribbon with 4 stars
Combat Action Ribbon
Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal and Service Medal.

I can tell Chris still is effected by his injury physically.  He can't lift as much as some of the other guys around here.  On really cold days you can tell he is gets stiff.   One thing for sure you will never hear him complain.
He endeavors to persevere and for that, we are proud to have him around here at SMS.

Towering Above the Rest

One of your long time customers buys and sells used telecommunication and radio equipment.  Local governments and municipalities sometimes upgrade their communication systems for fireman and police departments.  It appears that there is a good market for the used equipment that is being replaced.  Once it is sold,  we come into the picture, we get it to the buyer.  Above is an example of some of the commercial crating work that we do.  For those of you in the SMS family, you will recognize "Uncle Peter"  on the top of the equipment securing the top of the communication tower.  Peter always gets the job done right.

Brew Ship

Beer Fermenter

Crated and ready to ship

A couple of months ago we received a call from Del Norte Brewing company here in Englewood Colorado.
They needed to get one of their beer fermentors out to Massachusetts and we where happy to oblige.  The fermenters are heavy.  They are composed of two stainless steel tanks, one inside the other.  In between the two tanks the brewers run coolant to keep the brew at the proper temperature. We actually had to attach the skid to the fermenter and then lower the unit down flat. Long story short it was not good time to be taking pictures so we have no picture of the "logistically challenging" part of this job. 

When our crew as leaving the facility manager was generous enough to give us some 12 packs of their beer.
I tried the "Manana"  the "Orale" and the "Cinco".   All of us agreed it was some good brew.

If you want to check out Del Norte Brewing you can take a look at their web site at www.delnortebrewing.com.

East and West

Looking East



Looking West



The above photos where taken west of Denver.  At what is known as the "Hogback" the Rocky Mountains rise from the plains.  I took one picture and turned around and took the other.  In the picture of the Colorado front range plains, you can just barely make out downtown Denver in middle left.  In the picture looking west you can see Mount Evans and the Continental Divide.   It is a stark contrast to be sure. 

The wind was howling down out of the mountains and you could lean into it.  This area has many animal trails, quartzite deposits, including pink quartz.  The trail is not marked or on any map but it appears well traveled. 

Prototype Mountain Bike

It's that time of year to break out the bike, dust it off, tune it up and hit the road.  In my case it was wash all the mud off from my last winter ride, fix a front flat tire and try to find all the bike tools the boys left all over the house, garage and back yard.  The same thing the boys here at the shop do,  leave tools all over town.

The pictures above are from a shipment we did awhile back on a prototype mountain bike.  Its special because it's a belt drive not chain.  The benefits are that you don't need lubrication, stays cleaner, Quieter then chain and belt systems are lighter weight.  Cons are replacements are not readily available in shops, derailleurs cannot be used and you need an internal gear hub.  Not sure if these will ever catch on.

Cleaning House

It feels like a summer day today.  Over the weekend I noticed the gardens are starting to come to life.  We still have patches of snow on the ground around Denver so it's a stark contrast when you walk by the front of your house and see emerging plants and walk around to the backyard to a remaining snow drift. 

Spring is here.  As a kid I remember the first real day of spring occurred when my mother used to open all the windows and clean the house from top to bottom leaving no stone or dirty sock for that matter go unturned. When you went to bed that night the sheets smelled clean and fresh like the outside.

It feels like that around here today.  Peters digging through the parts room finding dusty old front load washer kits worth a bloody fortune.  We are doing some much needed work on the shop, vans and office.  All the doors are open and the last minute jobs are coming in hot and heavy today.  Summer is just around the corner.


Above are Bee, H, Jesse Boy, Barefoot Charlie

Jo Mama

One of the great things about Colorado is that you are never more then 30 minutes away from a good hike.
I was up in Roxborough Park neighborhood and our customer was not quite ready for service.  The driver was having to shuttle the customers household goods up to the residence as he could not get his big ole rig up the hill.  I told the customer I would be back in an hour or two, the truck would be empty by then.  I drove to one of my favorite trails and the lo and behold, "Jo Mama's Movers" where parked in my spot. 
I headed up the trail and ran into the driver. Nice enough guy.  He was just getting in some exercise before heading up to Telluride Colorado and nice little 7 hour drive through the Rocky Mountains. 
So if your ever in Telluride and need some moving services call Jo Mama.

Mary Williams Sculpture and Reliefs

I was sitting in my office when Mary Williams appeared at my door carrying a pair of antique ski poles in hand.  Mary was shipping some artwork she had just completed.  It looks great in my office but time to keep our end of the bargain and ship it.  Abstract and contemporary sculputures and reliefs are her specialty.  You can see some of her work at her website at marywilliamsart.com. Here is some more of her work. Thanks for your business Mary.

One of our my favorite customers is Ethan Hutchinson, Woodworker extraordinaire.

We handle his crating and shipping and it is always fun to have one of his creations in the shop.

I just can't imagine the time and dedication it takes to make such fine furniture.  You can check out his hand made furniture at www.ethanhutchinson.com. 

Snow, Sun, Wind, and Work

March is surely coming in like a lion here in Colorado.  It is snowing in the mountains right now and sunny in Denver.  This morning we had 1/2 and inch of snow outside the office and the sun just came out in full force.  Dispatch is having a heck of a time keeping up with road closures resulting in delayed deliveries and frustrated customers.  Last week most of the main roads in and out of the state where closed due to poor weather conditions and blowing snow.  Bart did a great job getting all the work moved, rescheduled and most importantly, making our customers satisfied that we would indeed be showing up.  Summer is just around the corner and we are gearing up.  We are stocking up on lumber, fl kits and employees to handle the coming wave of transferees in and out of the state.  We are all looking forward giving you some insight into our company and our third party business with our Blog.