I am working at learning their vision system for quality inspection applications and to use for guiding an ABB Robot that we shall display in Munich, Germany in October.




















Logan is working for the summer as an Assistant Nutritionist at a local retirement community. He likes the job and plans to continue working there this fall and commute to MSU from home rather than live on campus again.

Linden is a Senior in high school this year and starts back at school in just a couple weeks. She recently quit her job at McDonalds and is trying to get into a local Pet Store which has promised her a position but not yet called her to start.

Lori has been bumped up the foodchain at work in a couple ways over the past six months; with the retirement of the department director last winter she has been called upon to take on more and more responsibility by their acting director. Lori has of course stepped up to the new responsibilities with her customary enthusiasm and dedication, and feels the new duties will give her the skills and value to her department that may insulate her from future cutbacks. She is working outside the traditional area of OYC child related issues now and has more general scope and relivancy in her position that makes her valuable to the entire Health Dept., not just OYC.

Frank, our "German son", came for a wonderful visit in July and just went home last week. It was wonderful to see him and to witness his growth as a person since his 2005 visit. He is starting at University this fall and plans to continue playing soccer and playing Bass Guitar in a band as soon as he can locate a team and a band in his new city. I hope to see him in Munich this October when I go there to work.

We went to the first ever Saltman family reunion last week, held north of Chicago Ill. Despite the long drive on my first day off work in 25 days from work I enjoyed seeing Lori's family, though a few members couldn't make it and were missed. The event was planned by Lori's cousin Julie Dickie (nee Saltman) who did a great job of getting people to Chicago.

My mom Shirley, my Step-Dad John, my niece Heather, and my grand-niece Lela have moved in with us for awhile until they get their new place set up on our property. We are carving off three acres at the front of our property for them to put a house and they purchased a 28' x 70' doublewide that will be moved there in a few weeks. Living costs were simply too high for them up north in their old farm house and this new plan allowed them to live without a mortgage and with much lower utility bills. All twelve of their horses have been relocated to our unused pastures and barns, and we are working on making some new pastures so the two stallions can enjoy the brasic Farms grass and clover. We are hopeful that they will be moved into their own house in September, and until then we are having some very nice family dinners together which is a tradition I hope we continue frequently after they have their house.

Tomorrow is the day that Feng Fan (Fan) arrives from her home in Beijing to live with us for a year. It is almost too much to hope for that she will enjoy being a member of our family as much as Frank does, but we hope thus anyway. Fan and her parents seem to be great people and all of us want this experience to mean as much to Fan as it meant to Frank. I have corresponded many times with Fan's father Feng Jun and found him to be a great guy, dedicated to his family, hard working, friendly and smart. Lori and I hope to visit Feng Jun, his wife and Feng Fan next year after she flies home to Beijung in July 2007.

Lori and I travelled to Hawaii during June for our 20th wedding anniversary. The trip was awesome with stops on Oahu, the Big Island, Kauai and Maui. A seperate photo page will be published here for that trip.

- Linden turns 17 this October 13nd, 2006! Linden, you are a lovely young woman and mom and I love you very much!

- IBA 2006 Tradeshow in Munich Germany during the latter part of September and early October 2006. I hope to meet a distant cousin there who lives in Munich and comes from Pribic Croatia as my ancestors did. I will write about this if it happens.

Peace and health to all!

Greg