The last several weeks have been a reminder of what this job actually looks like in real life—less theory, more airports, and a lot of time standing next to machines waiting for them to either cooperate or expose the next problem.
It started with a full week in Tucson, deep into commissioning work. This was one of those trips where progress came in inches, not miles. Long days, lots of troubleshooting, and the familiar feeling that you’re close—but not quite there yet.
From there, a hard pivot. A quick escape to Cancún with Mollie. I’ll be honest—I was reluctant to go given how busy things were at work and how many moving pieces were still in play. Walking away, even briefly, didn’t feel easy.
In hindsight, it was absolutely the right call. I enjoyed it far more than I expected and can already say I can’t wait to do it again. I did still spend a fair amount of time putting out fires remotely—some things just don’t pause—but I kept it to a minimum and was able to actually unplug more than I anticipated. A few days in the sun, with some real mental distance from the day-to-day, made a noticeable difference heading into the next stretch.
That break doesn’t happen without help. A sincere thank-you to the Namos, Aunt Amy, and especially Aunt Jean for taking such great care of the kids and Tucker while we were gone. Knowing everything at home was handled made it possible to actually unplug and enjoy the time away. That support is not taken lightly, and it made all the difference.
Then it was right back to Tucson for another full week. Same project, same system, but this time things finally started to turn. After working through the bugs, rechecking assumptions, and addressing a handful of issues that only show up once steel is powered and moving, we finally got the first machine running properly. That moment—when the system does exactly what it’s supposed to do—is always worth the grind that comes before it.
After that, home for Christmas. A much-needed pause before the next stretch.
Next up is a startup in Montpelier, followed immediately by another in Carbondale. After Carbondale, I’ll be heading to Milwaukee for another startup before circling back west.
Then it’s back to Tucson—this time for machine number two. The expectation is that this one goes smoother. System 1 did its job by exposing the weak points, the edge cases, and the things that don’t show up on drawings. That’s how it usually works. You earn the lessons on the first machine so the second one can benefit.
It’s a lot of travel. A lot of problem-solving. A lot of time away from home. But this is also the part of the work where everything becomes real—where design turns into motion, and plans either hold up or get rewritten on the fly.
On to the next startup.