What a full day… It’s only 10:30 and both Diane and I are trying to stay awake.. me to write.. her to read. We woke around 5:30 due to the time change.. then we went for a wonderful longish run down a gravel track along one of the river canals.. It was cool running through the neighborhoods around Phoenix. Many folks have cactus gardens instead of lawns.. work for me !
Around 7:30 we wandered over to breakfast and from there into the kick-off section of the CTRE conference. As always the conference stuff was superb.. Great speakers and good fun. This year the conference has about 1000 folks and is being emceed by my friend Doug. He and his team made a cool IBM video that described the reach of the company and all the countries we work in… He managed to hide an image of a SamStone in the movie. It as so cool !!1!!! I’ll get a copy of it and post it when I do ! It was so nice of him that I really got choked up.
There was a great speaker(Franz Johansen_ as well as a bunch of awards given out. Near the end of the session. Sam P.. our CEO came out and gave a short. great talk about the state of the company. He was in a really great mood… and did a wonderful job of outlining the companies good health.
After his speach. Sam introduced the new crop of IBM fellows.. There were 9 this year.. more than any other year in the companies history.. After accounting for retirements.. I think this now makes it 67 active IBM fllows.
I was asked to do a quick video interview with each of them in the spirit of an academy awards paparazzi. We even had our own red bathmat to act as a red carpet.
After the session and a brief lunch, we all broke up into a bunch of different recreation activities. Diane and I had signed up for ‘vigorous hiking’ .. We got on a bus with a bunch of friends and drove only 15 minutes t the base of a range of hills. The hike was rugged.. but not particularly steep or fast. We had a good time looking around and talking to your friends. .
We saw some great flora of the sonoran dessert. Take a look at the top of this flowering saguaro.
And this retired watermelon
Here’s the nasty jumping churros.. The common churrs had detachable seed pods that propagate when an animal get son in his/her skin n and cant get it out.
Kerrie got one of the little creatures in his leg…
I’m getting too tired to stay awake again !
We put a few SamStones in the desert with full guides permission…
We eventually wound ourselves back to the staring place. The ride back was quick. We took advantage of our early return to sneak a peek of Glen and Liesel’s new baby ‘Sam’.. sh is so adorable.. and named.. albeit indirectly… after our Sam.. It was just wonderful to meet her.
We then went back tot he quiet zone and had a up of tea.. I ran into Georg.. the Nobel Prize winner for his creation of atomic force microscopy.
Here’s Glehhhhhn..
Here’s wonderful Joan C. the boss of this whole event. . she’s retiring at the end of this event.. not sure how we’re fill her shoes !
Later that evening Glenn, Leisel , Diane and I were picked up at our hotel and dropped off at a good Indian restaurant. I was sitting there talkign to them about Ruchir’s pratha-making skills when he came in the front door. We pulled up another table and all ate together.It was truly lovely !
Here’s aanika
And here’s isha
Well folks time to sleep.. I’ve fallen asleep 5 times as I’ve tried to write.
I will do some more to flesh in details of tomorrows event… if I can stay awake !
OK.. that’s it for now.. more tomorrow.. We love you Sam !
– me