Every T&D Expo I visit the folks at S&C just to see what they have added to their floor space. It always amazes me. They get bigger each time. This year they have added the InteliTeam SG and a whole lot of super technology. I can spend hours with them.

I get to play with the new hardware. They show me new software. I see how the whole package works as one. S&C is helping wind farms now. It is an education and their engineers really know how to explain it, so even I understand what is taking place.

Animals and electrical equipment just don’t mix! It’s not good for the equipment and it can be fatal to the animals. I have known Mike Lynch of Eco Electrical Systems for years. He was involved with a lot of the working groups in the T&D Committee when I was the Chairman of that committee. Mike showed me new animal barriers at his booth. It is amazing what is available now. We have come a long way from plastic owls.

My first stop of the day was the Pike Engineering booth to see some old friends. None of them were there. It seems there was a meeting going on somewhere. Does that sound familiar? So, I made a new friend, Paul Smith. We talked about the show and the size of the place. I wondered how far I walk each day. Well, Pike solves problems. Paul pulled out a pedometer. He set it up for me and told me to get walking (nicely of course). At the end of the day, I had logged over 3 miles! If I do that each day, I will have walked over 9 miles (not counting the trips back and forth to the hotel). I am staying at one of the walking hotels. You better be in good shape for these hotels, by the way.

Ever notice how your friends spice up things when they are around. Chris Hickman is one of those people in my life. He was a summer intern when I hired him. A few years later he became my boss’s boss! A few years after that he was VP of a company that hired me as a consultant. Through out that whole period, no matter what title he had; he was, is, and will always be my friend. What else matters? So, when I ran into him, at the Expo, it was time for some catching up and sharing. I just love this place!

Here is the final result from the Siemens smartchopper photo session. If you want to see yourself in the saddle, get over to Siemens and have some fun with the green screen.

The folks at Osmose have great digital tech toys on display. I’m are real sucker for the digital lines, structures, and all the other things found on distribution lines. If you can take that data, show pole heights, wire configurations, and measurements well I’m hooked. I love to play with these programs and see how they can make life easier in the engineering department. Lauren Glass kept a smile with all my crazy questions.

I stopped by the MacLean Power Supply booth again. I think they have the best booth toy. How can you beat money? They have been picking people to go into the phone booth and grab money! It appears several folks have grabbed over a hundred bucks. Pretty neat! You better go by and get in on the fun.

Thanks to Burns & McDonnell you too can have your picture taken riding on a Mardi Gras float. I was lucky, I got to do the real thing at the reception. Go over to the good folks at B&M and ask them for a photo. This is a great booth toy!

Neil Kirby and I played with the Areva HVDC valve model. Lucky for me, he had a tube of super glue handy. He is pretty good with the glue too. Go ask him about why he needed the super glue!

ABB has developed a new ABB. They are opening internal divisions to form a one stop shopping experience for the utility. Mark Wells & Bill Rose took me around the booth showing off all their new technology. They explained how this new approach will help them and the industry too. Go see it.

From shear booth size you have to see this place. They have full scale equipment on the floor. I would have loved to have watched the set up, but it started last week - they worked very hard and long.