Geek Weekend!
It’s never easy to find a time where every member of an international team is able to make themselves available for several days. We have been planning this weekend since late February; an ever growing list of questions needed us to put our heads together. 
Since it was Job’s first trip to Norway and considering that Holland is as flat as a pancake we decided to spend some of the time sightseeing. After all it is absolutely possible to discuss technical issues in the car or enjoying a cup of coffee bundled with a large (and rare) dose of fresh air.
The first day was spent in the office discussing how we can improve and streamline our DC in Breda. Every item that arrive from our suppliers is visually inspected and tested before (if necessary) the latest firmware is installed. Several improvements, some suggested by our customers, was prepared for implementation.
The next day gave us a rare feeling of summer. Beautiful sunshine and 20+ degrees was good enough reason to transfer the venue out of the office. Preparing the car for a daytrip to Oystese in Hardanger we first took the scenic route via Os and Samnanger.
Tall mountains to the left and the fjord deep below us to the right make it easy to forget problems and responsibilities. 
Or at least almost forget, the discussion between Job, Bruce and myself never stopped. New features for the firmware was suggested, complicated issues addressed. Online backup, G729 implementation, TFTP server, phone provisioning, online early warning system and a bunch of other features was addressed.
Most of the fruits grown in Norway originate in Oystese, Hardanger. Known for it’s mild winters and (relatively) stable weather it is one of the few places along the west coast of Norway where it is possible to do some serious farming.
We found a small beach along the fjord and prepared the grill; bratwurst, chilli and bacon sausages together with potato-salad have never tasted better. While we did the grilling (and talking), my youngest son John Alexander experienced the beach for the very first time.
The fact that the water was below 15 degrees apparently didn’t matter, he obviously loved every minute!
Back in the office a few hours later we prepared the lab for Videocalls. The initial testing was done using softphones, next step is to acquire some Video phones for further testing. The result was absolutely satisfactory, and this feature will be implemented in a future release of the firmware. Saturday ended around midnight with a mutual feeling of being on track in the right direction.
Sunday was every bit as beautiful as the day before, but there was simply no way that we could escape from the office.
Most of the day was spent in the conference room hammering out the details in what had been discussed during the last two days. A new roadmap was created, all the new features was analyzed. And a deadline was set, every feature should be ready by August. I finally went home around 2:30 in the morning, convinced that VoIPtel CE and SE would be everything that we have been dreaming about.
Job’s scheduled flight back to Breda was around 4 in the afternoon, 
plenty of time to nail the last few details. Or at least that is what we thought. It is surprising how fast time passes when you are busy doing what you like, and this was really no exception. Way too early we had to bring him to the airport, trying to make sure that every minute counted.
This weekend is probably one of the toughest in my life, but it was fun, real fun! And we achieved great things during those few short days, I am sure you will agree with me when they are all revealed ;o)