The weekend was unusual even before it started. We'd had plans to go camping with all the church friends for months now, and in fact we just got back earlier tonight from camping. But for a while it didn't look like I was going to make it. Last Thursday I was away from my desk, talking to someone in the hallway downstairs when the fire alarm went off. Everyone headed outside just like in the drills, but I heard some people from facilities saying it was the real thing. After waiting outside in the parking lot for a while I could see and smell acrid smoke coming from somewhere in the middle of the building. It turned out that there had been a dust explosion in one of the manufacturing cells and the fire was still going on. After about an hour and a half it was out, but nobody was being allowed back in and I didn't have my keys. Beth eventually picked me up after they announced that we should all go home because nobody was getting in any time soon, and there may not be work Friday. I came back around 8pm (after Renee's surprise birthday party at the church) to get my keys, and from the doors to my desk and back I didn't see another soul except the other guy who had also come back for his keys. I got a call later in the evening that work was cancelled Friday, then another call that I needed to come in at 7am Friday to assist with evaluation and disposition of all materials throughout the plant. A couple hundred people were in on Friday morning, and spent all day taking full inventory of all product, calibrated gages, manufacturing materials, etc., and whether it was covered or not, and what zone it was in, etc. The talks at the opening meeting made me think that I was going to be at work all day, every day, for the entire Labor Day weekend. So I spent all day Friday working in polymer molding, receiving inspection, and metrology, and by lunch I had called Beth to tell her that she would need to find someone to help her fold up and hitch up the camper without me if she still wanted to go camping, because I wasn't going to be able to make it at all for the whole weekend. I still thought I'd be there all weekend by dinnertime, when Beth called to tell me that she had had help with the camper, she was on the road, but the camper had popped off the hitch when she went over some railroad tracks and been dragged for several feet. Some nice folks behind her helper he get it back on and secured. It was only a few minutes after that call that I was informed I wasn't needed for the rest of the day or weekend, and thank you for your help, I could go home. So I dashed off to meet Beth and the kids (they were still at a restaurant). Yep the camper tongue jack was pretty bent. We quickly grabbed all my stuff and hit the road again, and made it to the campsite before dark. We got everything all set up and had plenty of time to sit around the fire. I was dreading another phone call all weekend but one never came. Saturday the McCoys came up to visit for the day and the kids all had a great time playing together. Almost all the kids, Travis, Brian, and I all went on a bike ride that must have been at least a few miles long...and Alex continues to ride his bike with no training wheels like a champ. Sunday the Myers and we went to the Blueberry Festival down in Plymouth, in which we were all pretty disappointed. Huge crowds for not much good stuff. We ate lunch in there, which was a mistake...you can really burn through money at that place as if it were a county fair. All we really wanted was camper signs for Judy & Neill and Mom & Dad, like the one we have. We found them, but the quality of the sign was not nearly as good as ours. Younger guy making it. Monday afternoon was checked out and headed home. Camping overall was great. Whatever mosquito control program they have at Potato Creek, it works... they have been savage this year but were hardly noticeable at the campground. It was never warm enough to swim, and we never went to the lake, but the kids had plenty of friends to play with so they left us alone. I think I'll want to get the heater in the camper fixed soon though (Keith took a good long look at it and couldn't find the problem), because the ceramic heater doesn't dry the camper out well enough.