RECCWG FEMA Region VIII

I am attending the 8th meeting of the FEMA Region VIII Regional Emergency Communications Coordination Working Group (RECCWG). This meeting is being held in Billings Montana.  

I always look forward to these meetings. We just heard from Robin Finegan, the FEMA Region VIII Regional Administrator.  I think she put it best when she said "The RECCWG meetings provide opportunities for creating and improving relationships and increasing our capacity for networking."  I look forward to each of these meetings, and renewing the friendships I have with representatives from some of our nearby states.  These are friendships that I probably never would have realized without these face-to-face meetings.

For the last four years, Brian Carney has done an admirable job of obtaining funding for these meetings.  Brian is the National RECC Coordinator, and champions what we do.  With all of the negative press given to some recent expensive federal conferences, it is politically easy to simply cancel these kinds of meetings.  It takes guts to stand up and defend the continuation of these RECCWG meetings.  Brian works hard to defend these meetings.

Dennis Fisher is the FEMA REC Coordinator for Region VIII.  He and his team work diligently to get the most out of the limited funding that Brian can get his hands on.  Our meeting locations are heavily based on where we can have the least financial impact on the travel budget.  Meals, snacks, and other niceties are not provided.  We often meet in buildings where we can obtain free use of conference rooms.

If more working groups provided the ROI that the Region VIII RECCWG does, our tax dollars would be far better spent.

I'm a grandpa again!  Last week a granddaughter, this week a grandson! This is starting to become a habit.  


Joseph Michael Norris II was born at 9:47 am (Atlanta time), weighing in at 8.5 lbs and 20.5" long.  Mom and son (and dad) are healthy and doing fine.  I guess I'll have Georgia on my mind all day today.  Way to go NaTasha and Joe!


I guess birthdays will be cheap.  We only have to buy presents once every four years. (February 29)  : -)~

A New Generation

Break out the suspenders and red plaid shirts.  I'm a grandpa. Jessica just gave birth to a baby...something.  It's 2:00 am.  KaReen and I are sitting in a hotel room in Beaver, UT. Brandon's last text told us that Jessica was almost done pushing, so we are waiting to find out if it is a Calvin or an Amya. Jessica and Brandon decided not to find out what sex the baby was.  They prefer to be surprised.

Jessica was due on (or rather the baby was due on) February 13. Someone forgot to tell the baby.  Eight days later, Jessica still had to be induced. I guess if I had to go through labor (heaven forbid) I wouldn't be in a hurry either. Maybe the baby just likes twos.  02/21/2012  2:00 am.

This just in (2:12 am): it's a girl!  Happy Birthday Amya Clair Butcher! This rounds out nicely being a grandpa because NaTasha is due tomorrow, and we already know it is going to be a boy.  Double-grandpa within a couple of days.  In for a penny and all that. We're waiting to hear (er...receive text) on height/weight. Should be a good size, having been basted an extra week in the oven.  We imagine Brandon is busy cutting the cord and watching Apgar tests etc. Jessica is no doubt busy not feeling like she's being turned inside out. Soon, she will feel that common hatred of nurses who like to squeeze recently empty wombs back toward their normal size.

Having been there for the birth of all six of my kids, it feels strange not to be there in person, but this is Brandon's moment.  We'll be looking forward to returning home and meeting Amya after a few days of conference-going in Nevada.

OK, here are the stats:
Height: 20"
Weight: 7 lbs 3 oz

Gluten-Free is Spreading

I was in St. George,UT this weekend to say goodbye to a recently departed friend. I did some web surfing for restaurants that provide gluten-free items on their menu (my wife and wheat aren't on speaking terms any more). Although eating establishments are slowly getting better at catering to consumers who deal with Celiac disease, it is still quite difficult to find decent choices --even when restaurants do offer a few menu items. Then I ran across an outstanding menu of gluten-free choices!

Outback Steakhouse has a full menu dedicated to GF items. We've seen the occasional menu inserts with a half dozen or so items, but this one is refreshingly replete with dozens of outstanding choices. We have our new favorite restaurant!