When did we get a blog?

Let me start out by apologizing for taking almost the entire summer to post something. I didn't have much going on and got lazy when something did happen. I had a pretty good thing going when Yost was posting for the two of us. So, with that said, I'll fleece it out.

Going all the way back to the beginning of June, Yost and I had been working on a competition sponsored by the Air Force to design a man-portable antenna capable of tracking a satellite while in the field. Yost left before the final product was complete so he never saw this:

The bottom part is the frame to a backpack and the top part is a rotating and pivoting platform that holds the antenna itself. Here's a closer look:

We ended up losing the competition against OSU but the trip down to Ohio wasn't a total bust. On the way back I bought a boatload of fireworks.*

After that, it was the dog days of summer. Frequent activities included swimming, playing soccer, and watching the World Cup. My uncle owns a cottage in the U.P. (Upper Peninsula) near a town called Hessel. Because I don't have cool pictures, I'm including a map.

The extended family went up there for the 4th of July weekend. Other than fireworks ;), not much happened. Came home, lazed about.

This past weekend, my father, brother, and I went back up to do a little salmon fishing. Did we have any luck? Well...
BA-BOOM

I caught a couple of fish, my dad hooked two but never brought them in, and my brother didn't catch anything. He did win $110 at the casino so no one was feeling bad for him.

That pretty much brings us to now. Look for more postings soon.
-Mike

*Fireworks, the good ones at least, are illegal to buy or use in Michigan so that is why the trip to Ohio was nice. Evidently, though, fireworks are also illegal to use in Ohio. I had to sign a paper saying I was taking them out of the state.