“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
Arthur C. Clarke
We’ve all grown accustomed to the magic of the internet. But, that magic depends on a whole lot of old-fashioned hard work, like digging trenches and burying cables. And that brings us to this month’s status update from Tim Furlong, the Area Supervisor for GDS Communications and the man heading the HDTV/Internet project at both Silveridge and The Resort.
Here’s his overall assessment: “It’s business as usual. We’re still kicking it, still getting the work done. And the good news is
that it can’t get much hotter than it already is.”
The heat has meant Tim and his crew start early and then return to work into the night. In last month’s update Tim asked us to alert year-round residents that they’d be seeing workers at night with “a light and a ladder.” We asked if there had been problems.
Months back, when he first started at the parks, Tim encountered a skeptical resident who didn’t want to believe that he really was authorized to be there working at nine o’clock on a Friday night. However, no issues since. He added, “If it’s us working, there will be plenty of light. We don’t go creeping around.”
As for progress…
At Silveridge, most of the digging is finished and the new pedestals installed, although there are still places where they are using the “missile” to install cable beneath street.
At The Resort, there is still more replacing of pedestals to be done, but that’s work is waiting on the next shipment of new equipment.
For both parks, Tim said this:
“Our goal is to be finished by the end of August. It’s going to be close, but we’re going to make it. Till then, we will have intermittent interruptions to service. We’ll put out fliers and we’ll post them at the park offices, letting everyone know when these are coming.”
As we chatted, Tim added that the residents have been a pleasure to work around. “Not only do they bring us water and Popsicles and other treats, but I like being in the parks. They’ve got me looking forward to retirement and I’m not even thirty.”
RESORT RESIDENT CELEBRATED
On July 10th, the same day that the big storm moved through The Resort, Larry and Pamela Krautkremer (Space 332) were in Minnesota, where Larry was being honored at a Willmar Stingers baseball game.
Larry and Pamela provided us with the following background on Larry and the game:
Larry was born and graduated in New Prague, MN. In 1971 Larry enlisted in the USAF. He attended basic training at Lackland Airforce Base in San Antonio, Texas. After Basic, Larry was assigned to Charleston AFB in South Carolina where he worked as a driver in a motor pool. Larry says this was actually very good duty, but as a 19 year-old, he found it to be quite boring. He heard about a school at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado for training in explosives. This was not a boring job at all and was then sent to Southeast Asia at a B-52 base along with all the support aircraft. Larry worked on munitions in the bomb dump. Larry got to see a Bob Hope Christmas show while he was there. To this day Larry’s mother thinks she spotted him in the crowd!
At the B-52 Base, one of the fully loaded B-52s went down immediately after takeoff. The tail gunner was the only survivor of the crew. Larry always talked to the crew and sent them off with a salute and “see you later.” Very hard for a 20 year-old to cope with and continue to do the same thing day after day. After a couple of months at the U-Tapao Airforce Base, Larry was sent to Korat Air Base which was a fighter base in Thailand. It was during this time that the U.S. started the heavy bombing in Hanoi. It was nonstop action with planes coming in, getting patched up, refueled and reloaded and sent back out for another mission. Some planes made it back, some didn’t. The end result of this nonstop bombing led to the release of 335 American POWs, John McCain being one of them. Larry is very proud to have been a part of that mission. He was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor twice. He returned to the U.S. and was sent to the Grand Forks AFB in North Dakota for his final year of service with the rank of SGT.
After the military, Larry worked as a professional firefighter and EMT in East Grand Forks. Many interesting stories in that field of work.
Larry and Pamela have been married for 16 years. Combined they have 8 children and 18 grandchildren. They love to travel and enjoy motorcycling side by side in the beautiful places they come across in Arizona. You can find Larry always helping someone with their projects or at coffee in the mornings at the post office. Pamela is involved with the cards and bingo and traveling once or twice to see the grandchildren in Minnesota. Very busy couple and always ready to help. Pamela was a teacher and after the death of her husband Roger she took up a daycare center to stay home with her four children and ran 28 kids through her care daily 24/7. She met Larry in April of 2000 and can’t ask for a better life he has given her, and Pamela given Larry.
This past July 10th Larry was honored at the Stingers baseball game in Willmar, Minnesota. He signed over 250 baseball cards with his picture and info on back of card.
Pamela of course was chasing Barry the Stingers’ mascot and they had a couple close encounters… just ask Dave.
Dave and Deb Kasel from The Resort surprised Larry coming to the game and sat and enjoyed the win and great entertainment by Larry and Pamela’s grandchildren on the field.
After the game the Stingers had a grand fireworks display for all the veterans – what a night!
SPECIAL EDITION…
In case you missed it, in mid-July we sent out an online Special Edition of The Resorter with photos of the big summer storm and an update on repairs. You can see that edition by clicking below.
