The Montana Hot Springs & Platies

I believe it was Uncle Andy that told me about the hot springs. Along the highway outside Missoula there was a pond along the side of the road. At least some of the water that fed into the pond was from hot springs, because the water was warm, but not hot. What was really fascinating was that someone had dumped some platies (Xiphophorus Variatus) in the pond and they survived. Perhaps I should say thrived as the hot springs were just loaded with them, even close to the shore.

There was a man swimming in the water. He said that the platies were up to four inches long in the deeper water.

We caught some platies and put them in a gallon coffee can with water. Amazingly, the platies survived the trip back to Bremerton in the back of the station wagon. These platies and their offspring lived for several years in my aquarium.

This story is almost magical to me when I think back upon it.

Islands in the Sun

In elementary school, I had a friend named Kerry. He had red hair like me. His mother was an elementary school teacher. One summer he invited me to their summer cabin for a couple of days. It was on a lake.

We had a great time. We went swimming, we rowed the boat on the lake, and we went exploring. Once during our exploring we came across something very interesting. It was a little island just off the shore. It was about two feet in diameter and just a couple of feet off shore. There were even plants growing on this little island.

This was the neatest thing I had ever seen. I decided that I would run, jump off the shore and claim my little island. Well I ran, jumped, and then went right through the island. I found myself standing armpit deep in water. This was no island at all. It was only a clump of floating peat moss. My clothes were soaked and I was covered in peat moss from head to foot!   

The Infamous Cherry Tomato Story

Around the time I started Kindergarten, I usually played with my friends Jeri and Darren. One day, however, I ended up playing with the kids across the street. After playing for a while, these new friends had a great idea. They suggested that we go to their next door neighbors' house (the one across the street from Darren) and pick their cherry tomatoes.

This was great fun and what was even better was that I got to take home what I had picked. I was so excited to show my mom the cherry tomatoes. Soon, however, I learned that I was not supposed to pick the neighbors' cherry tomatoes unless I had their permission. Therefore, Mom patiently but firmly explained, I needed to take the cherry tomatoes back.

It was a long walk across the street and up the stairs to the neighbors' front door. I knocked on the door and the man answered. I explained that I had picked his cherry tomatoes without his permission and therefore I was returning them. Much to my surprise and consternation, he told me that I should keep them. (“Yeah, but Mom told me to give them back to you.”) He finally convinced me that it would be OK to take them back to my mother. Mother understood and I learned a valuable lesson about honesty. (I like to think of it as my own mini version of the famous scene in Les Misérables.)

Funny, that’s the only time I ever remember playing with the kids across the street.

Mike vs. the Gopher

When I was a teenager, it was my job to fill in the holes that gophers made digging in our front yard. One time, my mother reminded me that I needed to fill in the latest batch of gopher holes before my father got home from work. He would be home soon, so time was of the essence.

Before I completed this assignment, I wanted to show my displeasure at having to fill in the gopher holes. I put my plan together. First I pulled aside my sister Janet. Janet was known for her ability to express great emotion. This ability was key to the success of the project. I instructed her to stand by the window in the dining room. From this position, she was close to Mom in the kitchen and could, simultaneously, see me outside. I told her that when I gave her the signal, she was to scream to Mom that something was attacking me. She readily agreed.

Next I put the other pieces of my plan together. My sisters each had a furry brown hat that would tie with cords that ended with what looked like round balls of fur. I grabbed one such hat and then went outside and secured a shovel. I tied the furry hat to my left ankle and positioned myself, shovel in hand, directly behind one of the gopher holes.

Janet was now watching from the dining room window. I gave Janet the cue to begin to scream. Simultaneously I started yelling, jumping up and down, and swinging the shovel wildly at the furry hat attached to my ankle.

Mom came running to the window to see what the commotion was about. She took the bait – hook, line and sinker. I looked up and saw that Mom had a look of complete horror upon her face. Once I saw her, I immediately stopped. I could not, in good conscience, continue. She clearly believed that I was in a life and death struggle with a man-eating gopher!

Luckily I still had time to fill in all the gopher holes before Dad came home.

The MV Kalakala and Reinventing Your Business (blog.inphonite.com)

(Created for Inphonite, LLC on May 18, 2010.)

Growing up in Bremerton, Washington in the 1960’s, I often saw the green and white Washington State ferries sailing to and from Seattle. One ferry, however, stood out from among the rest due to its silver color and aerodynamic, Art Deco design. It was the MV Kalakala. “Kalakala” is a Chinook word meaning “flying bird.”

I only recently learned that the Kalakala has a fascinating history. Thanks to Kalakala.org, here is a partial time line:

•    Launched as the steam ship Peralta in 1926.
•    Burned to the main deck in an arson fire in 1933.
•    Launched in 1935 as the Kalakala, the world’s first streamlined vessel.
•    Welcomed to the Washington State Ferry fleet in 1951.
•    Retired from service in 1967.
•    Converted to a crab-processing vessel for Dutch Harbor, Alaska.
•    Converted to process shrimp and floated onto a pre-made bed of sand at Gibson Cove, Kodiak Alaska.
•    Repaired, refloated and returned to Elliot Bay in 1998 after a 32 year absence.

Today the Kalakala is moored in Tacoma, Washington and is sadly in need of repair. Steve Rodrigues, president of the Kalakala Alliance Foundation is walking across America in hopes of visiting President Obama, U.S. Interior Secretary Salazar and Director Jarvis later this month to nominate the Kalakala as a National Landmark.

The lesson I take away from the Kalakala is the need to constantly reinvent our products and services, our businesses, and even ourselves. I wish Mr. Rodrigues and the Kalakala Alliance Foundation much success in their efforts to reinvent the Kalakala. Much like the mythical Phoenix, the Kalakala literally rose from the ashes 75 years ago. It has figuratively risen from the ashes several times since. I hope to see this “flying bird” do so yet again.

Social Networking – The Virtual Stammtisch (blog.inphonite.com)

(I created this blog for Inphonite, LLC on April 2, 2010)

Stammtisch is a German term referring to a table at a restaurant or tavern where people meet at a set time, usually weekly, to discuss topics of common interest such as hobbies, local politics, or philosophy. I have never attended a real Stammtisch, but I have always been a big fan of eating food and talking with friends.

It occurs to me that social networking sites such as Facebook or LinkedIn allow you to establish a 24 X 7, virtual Stammtisch with friends, family, customers, and business associates. You can share ideas, photos, and web links – a Stammtisch without the calories! For example, Facebook helps me keep in touch with friends in places as diverse as the UK, the Czech Republic, Chile and the Philippines.

Closer to home, we recently created a Facebook Fan Page for Inphonite. I welcome you to become a Fan (and join our Stammtisch)!

If you have thoughts on social media, please share them with us.

Superior Customer Service: ServiceArizona.com (blog.inphonite.com)

(I created this post for Inphonite, LCC on April 15, 2010)

As today is Tax Day, it seems only appropriate that I should write about the government and customer service. I would like to share an example of how the government is providing excellent service.

As a citizen of Arizona, I am pleased to tell you about the great customer service provided by the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) with its ServiceArizona.com website.

Without trying to sound like this is a MVD commercial, let me tell you that this website saves Arizona residents time, money and frustration. Here are some of the things you can accomplish online with ServiceArizona.com:

• Register to vote
• Update your address
• Order and pay for a duplicate drivers license and even express delivery
• Renew your car registration
• Request a Restricted Use 3-Day Permit online and print it on your home computer. (A Restricted Use 3-Day Permit allows the operation of an unregistered vehicle for purposes such as vehicle inspection or emissions testing.)

The homepage is clearly laid out to help you get to the exact service you need. And you can access all of this from the comfort of your Wi-Fi connection. (Now this IS starting to sound like a commercial.)

While MVD may have borrowed this line from American Airlines, I like it: “Online means no line.”

This is my third blog post regarding a government entity that provided excellent customer service. The other two posts were about Kartchner Caverns and Zion National Park. If you have examples of excellent customer service (in either the public or private sector), please share them with us.