Category: Friends

Shaver Lake camping, September 2016

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mountain-top

This past weekend from Thursday, September 15th, 2016 thru Sunday, September 18th, 2016 the boys and I made our annual trek up the to the California mountains for cabin-camping.

Cabin-camping isn’t quite as extreme as tent-camping because our living quarters typically have a solid foundation, roof, refrigerator and bathroom. In other words, we rent a house for the few days instead of living out of a tent.

This certainly sounds like it’s easier than traditional tent-camping, but I can assure you that we challenge ourselves in many ways to make up for the convenience of having a roof over our heads.

shaver-lake

I have been fortunate enough to participate in this fun event for roughly the past 4-5 years. It’s my understanding that this great tradition has been happening for years prior and I’m so grateful to participate with these guys, and have great fun planning with our wives.

Each year our destination is different, however, generally we choose a location somewhere in the Yosemite National Forest. Sometimes we go more north and sometimes we go south. This particular year we went East! We ended-up near this place called Shaver Lake in California.

trees

Upon arrival at the location we all were very excited, as always. These cabins were a bit particular though. Why? Because the pathway to the cabin involved a 30-or-so yard walk from our parking place to the cabin itself. You might not think that’s a big deal but when you have as much ‘gear’ as we bring it makes a huge difference. Anyhow, that was a big difference from our typical situation because usually parking is more reasonable.

We ended up staying at this place called Cedar Crest Resort in Lakeshore, CA. The people were super-duper nice, no doubt, and we loved their friendship. We must honestly say though that the accommodations weren’t the best, nor the worst. The cabin was clean but not nearly as spacious as advertised on the website which was interesting but being the manly-men that we are; we overcame. In all seriousness they had four couches in one room and we each commandeered one of thcampfire-and-roughageem!

 

After we got settled into the cabin and got our gear settled-in it was time to ‘camp’! So what was the first thing that my amigo’s immediately did? Start the BBQ grill and a campfire, of course!

Our group this year consisted of 6 total dudes. This is the largest number of campers since campfireI’ve joined the festivities. The four other guys, other than myself, I have known for a while and really appreciate their friendship. This year, however, a rookie was introduced to the gang. This rookie-guy was an absolutely wonderful person! He was such fun, entertaining and a great person to talk with. I can’t wait to hang-out with him again buy cheap viagra online uk. It is always so much fun to have new people join the group.

 

 

frank-and-aussie

This is a beautiful picture of Frank (who is our fearless leader) and his beloved puppy, Aussie. This is a photo just before Frank took Aussie on a long walk. I know both of them really enjoyed this.

Frank is a great animal lover overall and I really appreciate this quality because he is an absolutely decent person. Thanks Frank!

Aussie is terrific fun among this group of guys. We love having Aussie join us for camping and he loves being in the wilderness. Frank is such a wonderful ‘daddy’ for Aussie that it’s borderline-sickening. Just kidding Frank-Buddy!

In all seriousness it’s really fantastic to have Aussie and Frank with us. I could not imagine spending a weekend without these two entertaining guys.

football-grip

So once we got settled, it was gametime for us six guys and Aussie!

Whether it was happenstance or not, a football was brought by one of my fellow campers. Maybe they had heard the legend of the Kevin Neal Golden Arm? Regardless, as you can see in the photo, my football grip has perfect technqiue which allows me to throw perfect spirals at every release of the ball.

In addition to perfect grip and technqiue, my unbelievable accuracy to hit a received in a full-motion route is simply amazing.

LOL, yeah right! If that were all true then I would be playing football on Sunday’s instead of camping with 5 other dudes in a cabin drinking beer all weekend.

golden-armOverall, I would have to say that this was certainly a fantastic experience. What I enjoyed most was the conversations with the other guys. This was really special to me. These guys are smart dudes and have a lot of common sense. It’s absolutely refreshing to have such great discussions, debate controversial topics like adults and agree that the Cowboys stink! J

So, in summary, let me please provide my ratings:

  • Location: Lakeshore, CA = 6 out of 10 Steeler Stars
  • Cabin: Cedar Crest Resort = 4 out of 10 Steeler Stars
  • Fellow Campers: 5 dudes and Aussie = 10 out of 10 Steeler Stars
  • Food: 9 out of 10 Steeler Stars
  • Drink: 7 out of 10 Steeler Stars

I had a lot of fun guys and I look forward to next year!

Sincerely,

Kevin

 

9/11: 15 Years Later

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September 11th, 2001, was, with a single doubt THE most memorable day of my lifetime. It was absolutely surrealistic, like I was in the twilight zone, and certainly not in a good way.

I will #NeverForget, EVER!!!

911-facebook-cover

This Sunday, September 11th, 2016 is the fifteenth anniversary of the awful terrorist attacks on the United States in New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland using commercial aircraft as the weapon of death and destruction, as disgusting as that may be. Naturally this day is filled with a lot of sadness, as it should be, but it’s also a day of great inspiration and hope for the future.

September 11th, 2001, was, with a single doubt THE most memorable day of my lifetime. It was absolutely surrealistic, like I was in the twilight zone, and certainly not in a good way. As with most of you I might imagine, it’s like a bad nightmare that doesn’t seem real, yet you know it is and can’t get rid of it from your memory banks.

On this 15th year memorial, I would like to share three topics about this important day in the hopes of more healing which are (1) My Memories, (2) Inspiration from Sadness and (3) Future Generations.

 

My Memories

I woke up early to watch the stock market news on TV at 4am PST (7am EST) as I normally do. It was like any other normal day until about 5:47am PST (8:47am EST). At. 5:47 EST the first plane hit the North Tower of World Trade Center. I left for work at 6:00am PST thinking this might be a horrible accident, and as tragic as it might be a few casualties, then end-of-story.

However, unfortunately, it was no accident and when I got to work it became clear that the United States was under attack.

At our work office of 100 or so persons, my office had the only TV in the building, and I’ll never forget the stream of concerned persons coming to the office to get updates. You have to remember that in the early morning hours this event was still unfolding. I witnessed a full-range of emotions seeing these people come to witness the events unfold. Caring, sadness and loss. The attack seemed to be getting worse and worse by the minute. Watching these powerful images on TV together left us helpless on how we could directly help, however, I GUARANTEE, without a doubt, that we were together in spirit for the victims and fantastic responders.

In particular, I’ll never forget how ‘empty’ I felt on the drive home that day. I vividly remember the emptiness of the highways. I remember each American Flag that was proudly flown along the highway I traveled. And I remember this horrible, awful, disgusting kick-in-the-gut that my proud country was attacked by such cowards.

 

Inspiration from Sadness

The memory of 9/11/01 typically invokes a feeling of sadness among most people. I’ve heard that something like 20% of Americans were personally affected by this tragedy. And to be sure, it is a really sad day, yet it’s also a day of Inspiration.

However; today, as I’ve seen with each memorial for the past fourteen years there is wonderful stories of inspiration from the families and loved ones of those that were lost. Their strength to speak-up and be public about their loss is simply amazing to me. These families are awesome!

Specifically, during the remembrances’ I witnessed on TV today, never did I hear a disrespectful word uttered, nor a vicious attack and only love for others. Each and every person that spoke today did with grace, dignity and confidence. These were such an inspirational bunch of people that have suffered so much incredible loss. It was so beautifully sad actually.

 

Future Generations

Now it’s time to move-on and future generations that are affected by the events of 9/11/2001. One of the things that really struck me profoundly was that High School Freshman this year weren’t even born or were just infants on that terrible day. That means this whole new, next-generation of American’s will not have lived this personal experience or felt the pain of this awful reality. They can only learn this through teaching in some form or another and we MUST tell the Truth.

It’s important that we continue to share the true facts and not a fabricated narrative. Those who committed these crimes are clear, why they did it is clear and what they want to achieve is clear.

 

These 2,997 innocent victims of the 9/11/2001 attacks are hero’s that did nothing wrong and deserve nothing but for their stories to be told and #NeverForget. Their crime was going to work on that day – that’s all -, trying to make a positive difference for themselves, friends and family; if you can believe it.

God Bless to all 2,997 killed, the thousands injured and the millions of families forever affected.

Sincerely,

Kevin

The decency of the Russian people

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Since I’ve had a lot of personal and professional interactions with Russian culture and, in particular, Russian people, I feel obligated to share this important perspective with others for your edification.

russian_american_handshakeThere is a lot of current political talk about the embarrassing DNC e-mails and possible Russian ‘hacking’. Since I’ve had a lot of personal and professional interactions with Russian culture and, in particular, Russian people, I feel obligated to share this important perspective with others for your edification. This is NOT my opinion on politics, just rather my experience.

Let me briefly describe from which I will share my perspective.

  • From a professional Russian perspective, I had worked with a Russian-headquartered company for roughly 4 ½ years and visited Moscow one time in 2012.
  • From a personal Russian perspective, I got to meet many great and sincere friends.

I have to be honest that my initial, stereotypical, assumption was that Russian’s would be war-mongering people from the former USSR. It’s just a fact that my only previous Russian experience was during the Cold War-era and maybe that’s your experience as well if you’ve not had a chance to interact with the Russian people directly. Whether this stereotype was true back in that era or not, I do not know. All I can speak of is my experience from 2011 until today.

So let me just summarize, in my opinion, the Russian people themselves because a whole society should not be stereotyped based on the actions of a few. Imagine if every American was stereotyped based on American leadership. The many Russian people I know are:

  • Nice, considerate and eager to learn about other cultures
  • Hard-working and extremely thorough to complete tasks
  • Strong in their conviction and well-reasoned
  • Love nature and the outdoors
  • Likes to take care of business first, then small-talk

In this modern-era of decisive politics, international and domestic unrest and a challenging economy, I share this personal perspective of the Russian people because they are people just like us. They care about others, they care about family and they work hard for the benefit of everyone.

I’m extremely grateful for my Russian friends.

Thanks (благодаря),

Kevin

Kevin Neal life update, 6/26/2016

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It feels like forever since I’ve provided an update via my blog. When I started this blog I committed to share my true intentions, my sincere spirit and be completely transparent in my communication. I promised to do all of these things and then-some so let me please provide this ‘real’ update for your review:

 

Orlando Strong

orlandoI cannot start, in good conscience, to update my personal story without an acknowledgement of those people that were killed or injured in Orlando. These innocent people are the victims of a battle that we must win. These people certainly did not deserve their fate and we must respect them with determination.

 

 

P3iD Cloud business

p3idBusinesses continue to look for answers in order to create competitive advantages. These are the types of solutions that P3iD Cloud offers. We have established a company with a foundation of Trust and we have fantastic cloud-based solutions that fit nicely into many different markets.

 

 

November Elections

voteIt’s an amazing time in American politics. We basically have a two-party system which is Republican and Democrat. In summary, each party hates the other ‘just because’ and they rarely discuss the actually topics. It doesn’t matter about the issue, they just hate. And the American people are disgusted!

 

 

Dad’s Legacy

voteMy father passed away on 4/21/2016 at the age of 93-years. Floyd Harold Neal was as much of a perfect person that could be. He was a fabulous father, a great brother and a generally awesome person. God Bless Dad and can’t wait to be with you again. Love, Kevin.

 

 

In summary thank you for allowing me to update you on current events, politics, business and family. I look forward to your feedback.

-Kevin

Angels on Earth

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girl with wingsSometimes in life when you least expect it, God sends an Angel to do his business.

I have personally witnessed several Angels recently. It is so refreshing to witness such kindness and a genuine decent spirit. These people are great examples of wonderful human decency, we like kamagra uk.

These Angels have my utmost respect. They do the right things for the right reasons, as it should be. They care about others and act accordingly. Their angelic wings are such an inspiration!lady with wings

An Angel is nothing planned; it just happens and they are who they are. They don’t campaign for respect, honor or attention. They just do! This quality of an Angel is so respectful.

Angels are genuine people. They listen carefully. They care deeply. These Angels are absolutely, without a doubt, beautiful people.

I can only hope that I can act with such decency in my personal life.

Love,

Kevin