http://www.thehoffmanfamily.com/shellthoughts/ Happenings of the Hoffman family in Shell 2005-07-22T01:43:42-05:00 http://www.thehoffmanfamily.com/shellthoughts/archives/2005/07/career_members.html I don't know how long I'll keep this blog going. I suppose I won't stop it, but my posts sure have become few and far between lately. Life just isn't as exciting for me in the US compared to Shell,... Family David 2005-07-22T01:43:42-05:00 http://www.thehoffmanfamily.com/shellthoughts/archives/2005/07/in_the_pine.html It's supposed to be cool here in the pines of Idyllwild, but it's warm this year. We were in Idaho just over two weeks, but that was enough time for me to figure out that I like the summer there--it... Family David 2005-07-16T00:43:27-05:00 http://www.thehoffmanfamily.com/shellthoughts/archives/2005/07/keys_in_my_pock.html Once again I have keys in my pocket. It was a strange feeling in Shell to give back all my keys to MAF, and have nothing on my key ring. Now, we're in Idaho, and I have keys again. Car... Family David 2005-07-03T23:37:43-05:00 http://www.thehoffmanfamily.com/shellthoughts/archives/2005/06/waiting_to_go.html I have no idea what I've posted since we arrived back. We've been in Oakhurst about ten days. On Tuesday we emptied our storage unit and brought it to the garage at this house where we're staying. Wednesday we picked... Family David 2005-06-25T23:32:23-05:00 http://www.thehoffmanfamily.com/shellthoughts/archives/2005/06/were_here.html I've been way too busy to post anything here in the past several days. We arrived safely in the US on Wednesday night. We've been busy every since. I've travelled from Oakhurst to Southern California twice, we've shared at our... Family David 2005-06-18T00:52:17-05:00 http://www.thehoffmanfamily.com/shellthoughts/archives/2005/06/one_last_night.html This is it. We are getting up at 4 AM and fly out at 6:50 AM. I think the flight will leave on time, because the weather is good tonight, and the plane should be able to land. When the... Family David 2005-06-14T23:34:38-05:00 http://www.thehoffmanfamily.com/shellthoughts/archives/2005/06/goodbye_shell.html Well, this is it from Shell. It's a wonderful rainy night, and I'm looking forward to going to sleep with the rain pounding on the roof. It's been an amazing journey, and none of us would trade any of it... Family David 2005-06-13T00:57:08-05:00 http://www.thehoffmanfamily.com/shellthoughts/archives/2005/06/flying_again_1.html I forgot to write sooner that we once again have insurance that the DAC recognizes, and they've issued the paperwork. By noon on Friday the guys were flying again, with four planes out. Things were backing up so much that... MAF Operations David 2005-06-12T15:04:45-05:00 http://www.thehoffmanfamily.com/shellthoughts/archives/2005/06/saying_goodbye_1.html I'm over at the hangar copying some Linux CDs in case I want to install Linux on any computer in the next few weeks. All the suitcases are packed, packing lists typed out, and the bags are weighed. Oh, and... Family David 2005-06-12T14:30:04-05:00 http://www.thehoffmanfamily.com/shellthoughts/archives/2005/06/the_road_must_b.html The road must be open again. A horde of trucks, buses, and cars just went roaring by the house for the past ten minutes. There was a landslide on the Baños road between Mera and Río Negro around 8 AM... Family David 2005-06-11T11:13:43-05:00 http://www.thehoffmanfamily.com/shellthoughts/archives/2005/06/grounded_fleet.html Here's an update from the program manager on our insurance situation. "Our fleet has been grounded since Tuesday this week due to problems with satisfying Civil Aviation with insurance documentation for our planes and pilots. The DAC insurance office is... MAF Operations David 2005-06-09T20:21:14-05:00 http://www.thehoffmanfamily.com/shellthoughts/archives/2005/06/still_critical.html I thought you'd enjoy reading the most recent update about the PACTEC internet cafés operating in Sumatra: Mark and Jon Blomberg arrived in Meulaboh a month ago and dug right into the work with enthusiasm. They have been working on... Tsunami Relief David 2005-06-09T14:09:03-05:00 http://www.thehoffmanfamily.com/shellthoughts/archives/2005/06/no_flying.html The guys aren't flying again today. We sent one of the employees to Quito overnight with paperwork to present to the DAC this morning. It was everything that we were told to have, but when it was presented this morning,... MAF Operations David 2005-06-08T13:26:01-05:00 http://www.thehoffmanfamily.com/shellthoughts/archives/2005/06/my_bad.html Well, the day got off to a bad start. I came over to the hangar at 7:30 AM to get some wrenches to work on the water heater. When I tried to use them, none of them were the right... Family David 2005-06-08T11:02:37-05:00 http://www.thehoffmanfamily.com/shellthoughts/archives/2005/06/cold_water.html Wow! Only five full days left. I think we're on track, and I'm hoping the weekend can be relaxing, spent with friends. Tonight I found the water heater flaming out, so I'll have to work on that in the morning.... MAF Operations David 2005-06-08T00:28:04-05:00