GRAND RAPIDS, MI

Greetings from MI. So far the Blueberry conference is going well. It is beautiful back here. The leaves have begun to change color. I was talking to a couple of local folks and they said that they get between 80 - 120 inches of snow. WOW!

Across the street there is museum and in the front are several art pieces. I took a couple of pictures. The first is a replica of one of the Apollo capsules that was used for the moon. The second is not a backgun, but an art sculpture of a frog watching TV.

Tomorrow, we go on a blueberry tour. Until next time,

God Bless,

Ottster

CHICAGO - DAY 1

In Chicago again for the yearly crop estimate. In the meantime, I had some downtime...of course I had to swing by the American Girl Store...unbelievable. They have a pet store, hospital and salon for the dolls. Not to mention every doll and girl matching outfit.

Then it was a walk down the mag mile where I passed by the famous water tower. This tower is just one block from where we are staying. Tonight, we will catch a Cub game and then off to meetings tomorrow.

Until then, God Bless,

Ottster!

Washington DC - Day 1 & 2

It was a very busy day. We got in late yesterday and today was a meeting with lots of congressman. In this picture, I am standing in front of the Capitol building. Behind me is the President's limo and several of the vehicles used in his protection detail.

Tomorrow, I will be discussing several trade issues and then back to the "Hill" on Thursday.

Till next time:

God Bless,

Ottster

Guadalajara, Mexico - Day 4

Just finished our tour of the wholesale markets and walked the trade show. Lots of educational and exciting things to see!


Here are some pictures that we took during our trade show visit. Lots of mascots roaming the floor. The first two pictures are of the dogs we saw. A purple one and a giant one getting ready for a groom. The last picture is me and a giant "5"... It makes me think of the Subway song...

Enjoy!

Will be home tomorrow. Hugs and kisses,

God Bless,

Ottster

Guadalajara, Mexico

Just finished up dinner. We had a trade reception and it was a great turnout. I met a lot of our buyers in Mexico. The place we held the reception was fantastic and interesting...

To begin, the decore was Asian. There were paintings all over the cealing. In fact, I felt like I was dinning in China or Laos. However, all of the food was Mexican. It was a great spot. Lots of water falls, and the restaurant was half outside half inside. We even had a classic Mexican band play for the reception. Very nice.

Tomorrow, we will be traveling to the wholesale markets and then to the ANTAD trade show.

Until next time,

God Bless,

Ottster

Guadalarjara, Mexico

Greetings from south of the border!

We arrived Monday. It was a smooth and uneventfull flight...that's a good thing. The weather has been beautiful. Yesterday, I played in a golf tourney. I almost won the long drive contest. However, my golf ball was 1 inch outside of the fairway...thus it did not qualify. However, I did outdrive the longest hitter by three yards...NUTS!


Today, we toured a few of the markets where Mexico sells our fruit. I toured a Costco and a Super Wal-Mart...everything is the same...

After the tour, we had lunch where the restaurant holds the Guiness Book of World Record for the fastest fast food place. They served our table with food in under 13 seconds...very fast!

We will be hosting a reception tonight and tour the trade show todqay and tomorrow.

Give Mom and J Hugs and Kisses...


God Bless,


Ottster!