After Six Tries, It Finally Flew!!!!

It took six tries, but Endeavour is finally on the way to the International Space Station. The launch was originally scheduled for June 13, but a leak in the hydrogen fuel tank area scrubbed that one. The first fix didn't work, so it also was the cause for cancellation number two.

ON THE WAY

I believe it was lightning that caused the third delay. Four and five were due to bad weather down range and in the area of the landing facility. They say they must have at least a 20 mile clearance in the landing area in case the shuttle needs to make an emergency return shortly after launch. Since our house is less than 12 miles from the landing strip, I can attest that we had some "Lightning in the area" as they say.

I had about given up hope for a Wednesday launch as well. It started raining around noon and continued throughout the afternoon. Finally, around 4:30 P.M., it started clearing out. I watched one of the backup astronauts practicing landings in the shuttle landing trainer for a while. He must have decided that they had enough visibility. The flame lit and the bird flew at 6:03 P.M. for a 16 day mission.

ALL THAT'S LEFT

FOLLOWED UP WITH A GREAT (or near great) WEEK

Becky's brother and sister-in-law were coming down from Ft. Walton Beach for a visit and we had lots of fun things planned. We had tickets for the space center, a tee time for a round of golf, plans to tour Patrick Air Force Base, and reservations at the Chart House on July 4 for an anniversary celebration. The trip to the emergency room had not been included in our plans.

Ron and Jennifer were to arrive on Wednesday evening. I was washing dishes (yes, I am rather domesticated) after lunch Wednesday when a glass decided to break in the dishwater. I did not notice it until after I ran my hand down inside it. Unfortunately, my whole hand would not fit and the broken part of the glass wound up between my little finger and ring finger on my right hand. The five stitches that followed required cancellation of the tee time, but the rest of the long holiday weekend was great.

We live about seven miles from the space center but had not visited in several years. We found that there had been many changes since we were there last. The biggest and best of those changes was the addition of the "Shuttle Launch Experience."

A T-38 trainer sits in front of the Shuttle Launch Experience

The simulator is designed to give you the feeling of actually riding along on a shuttle launch. Passengers experience all the different stages of a launch, from ignition to yaw, launch, roll, power up, and separation. When the simulator arrives in orbit, the roof opens and you find yourself in the open cargo bay of the shuttle staring at an incredible view.

Jennifer, Becky, and Ron being tourists

Retired Air Force Master Chief Ron took us on a tour of Patrick Air Force Base on Friday. I could tell by the look on his face that he really missed active duty....NOT!! By the time the week end was over, I got the feeling that Ron and Jennifer had enjoyed the visit almost as much as Becky and I. But sadly for the three of them, Monday morning rolled around. They hooked up their Airstream and headed for home about the same time Becky headed back to work. I guess me and the boys will just hang out here at the house until the stitches come out.

Quick Trip to Fort Lauderdale

Me, Becky and the boys left Friday for what was supposed to be a three-hour drive to Ft. Lauderdale. We left home around 11 A.M. We arrived at our motel at approximately 5:45 P.M. You do the math.

First, a tractor laid his trailer down in the middle of Interstate 95. That caused about a two-hour delay. We got off I-95 at Fort Pierce and jumped on Florida's Turnpike. We made it to West Palm Beach before coming to a screeching halt again. We were able to get to an exit and cut back across to I-95. We didn't lose near as much time, but it still cost us extra miles.

Then came the good part. It more than made up for the drive. We arrived at the Bank America Center at 7 P.M. for a concert by "Il Divo". For those of you who are not familiar with this group, it is comprised of one pop singer and three classical singers, one each from the United States, France, Switzerland and Spain. They sing popular music in what can only be described as a classical style. Some of their songs are in English, some Spanish, some French, and a little in German. Whether you understand the words or not, most of the tunes are very recognizable.

You have never heard Amazing Grace sound so sweet!!! The also did themselves proud on an old Simon and Garfunkel tune, Bridge Over Troubled Water. Well, correct that. They did themselves proud on a lot of tunes, and boy, can they belt them out.

The trip home was a little different. We had a great breakfast at the motel Saturday morning, then headed north. We played tourist, getting off the Turnpike and cutting over to A1A. We drove it from Ft. Pierce through Vero Beach to near Sebastian, where we cut back across the Indian River to U.S. 1, where we found ourselves to be back in familiar territory. We made it home for lunch and had time to rest before watching the Delta IV launch from the house. It had been scheduled to go the previous evening, but had been delayed due to thunderstorms in the area. All in all, not a bad weekend.

OFF FOR A VISIT TO THE MAN IN THE MOON

You can't keep a good man....or rocket...down. After two delays of shuttle launches in the past week, we finally had a lift-off.

This Atlas V took off on Thursday evening around 5:30 P.M. (a much more sensible time for a spectacular viewing) Aboard were two satellites. One is to be placed in orbit around the moon while the second is targeted for a moon landing. Well, it will be more of a crash than a landing, but it is hoped that it will still be able to transmit a little date from the surface.

They Got Me Twice

NASA, that is. I am an early riser, and it is usually because of a Rocket. A little four-legged black and white Rocket of a miniature Schnauzer. He and I usually get up around 6 A.M., take our medicine, put the coffee on, and then stroll through the neighborhood. Most mornings he chases the squirrels in the park or hunts the alligator in the lake.

On the morning of June 13, shuttle Endeavour was scheduled for a 5:40A.M. launch. Youngest son Keith and his wife had extended their visit for an extra day so they could watch the launch. Since this would be their first, we decided to watch from the banks of the Indian River. They would leave immediately after the launch for the trip home.

It was a beautiful morning, even if it was a little early. We got up around five and headed out to wait on the river bank.

The sunrise was the only show we got to see that morning. We discovered soon after arriving at the marina that the launch had been scrubbed due to a hydrogen leak. Well, at least Keith and Wendy were able to get an early start on the trip home.

A few days later, believing that the leaking fuel problem had been solved, NASA scheduled another attempt. This one was also to be an early morning launch, so I decided I would watch it from home. Good decision. Scrubbed again.

THE BOYS WENT ON VACATION....

...and took us with them. Somebody had to drive. We left home in a driving rain storm with winds gusting to 35 m.p.h. We had to wait for mom to get home from work so it was around 6:00 p.m. before we pulled out.

We stopped in south Georgia and filled the fuel tank, then mom and Stormy went to bed. Rocket kept me company until we stopped for the night. Since I was determined to get through Atlanta before we stopped, it was almost 3 a.m. before Rocket and I crawled in the bed.

We were back on the road by 7 a.m. By 11 a.m., the boys were playing in the back yard with cousin Katie.



I got to play golf with one of the best friends a guy could ever have. Becky got to visit with her mom, sister Becky, and her two younger brothers. On Saturday evening, the boys got to meet cousin Lady. She is a miniature of cousin Katie. That is Lady's mother, Julie, refereeing.

When it came time to leave for home, we had two more passengers. The two daughters of the eldest son made the trip back to Florida with us. Of course, the trip home was more of the same.

We got on the road around 8 a.m., and before 10 a.m., all the bed space had been staked out. Mom and Stormy got the master bedroom, of course. Kristin sacked out in the top bunk and Kaitlin took the couch. It was just me and Li'l Rock again.

Driving through downtown Atlanta in a motor home is not tough enough. The sky opened up on us just as we passed the beltway approaching downtown. We still managed to make pretty good time and around 6:30 p.m. we dropped off the granddaughters with the youngest daughter in Jacksonville.

Around 8:45 p.m., we pulled into the golf resort where we live. Guess what. It was raining again. The boys said they didn't give a hoot about the rain, they were just glad to get home so they could rest up for their next vacation!

ANOTHER PERFECT SHOT

Look out, Hubbell, here we come. After a long delay, Atlantis flew on May 11 toward a rendezvous with the Hubbell telescope to make some repairs and add a little package that will make it a little more powerful. Kind of hard to believe after seeing some of the images it has captured that it could be improved upon.

BEST VIEWED AT FULL SCREEN

DISCOVERY FLEW AFTER A LONG DELAY

TURN UP YOUR SPEAKERS

All the visiting kids, kids-in-law, and grand kids got an unexpected treat on Sunday evening. Shuttle Discovery had been scheduled to launch in February but several postponements put the launch right in the middle of their spring break visit. Ignition was just a few minutes after sunset. This made the always breathtaking sight a little more spectacular. The shuttle reentered the sunlight after it had been launched in the dusky light of sunset. The sun shining on the rockets as they fell away made them highly visible even to the naked eye.

YOU HAVE HEARD OF GOOD 'N PLENTY

We had a great time with all the grand kids who made it down to the land of sunshine during spring break. Kevin, Julie and the girls stayed with us from March 13 until around March 19. Patti, Beth and Mikey flew down and stayed with Angie and her family. Daughter-in-law Kathy flew down with Kristin and Kaitlin and spent a few nights at Disney and went to Angie's for the rest of the week.

On Sunday, March 15, we all gathered at Acquatica, Sea World's water park, in time to help them open. Since there was a shuttle launch scheduled for that evening, I knew we would have to leave early to make it home. We avoided the Beach Line going home so we had plenty of time to spare. The rest of the crew (Patti, Kathy, and Angie and their troop) must have closed the place down. They were trying to make it to our house for the launch but wound up turning off State Highway 46 and watching from Loughman's Lake Lodge on Hatbill Road. They still had a great view.

SHAME ON ME

I have neglected this thing so long that I don't where to start to try and catch up. There has been a lot going on here for the past couple of months. We have had company - lots of it, I am happy to say - seen shuttle launches, gone out to play, stayed home to play, (I get to play a lot, now), and just had a good time in general.

I am going to try and get caught up on these great happenings in some kind of order. I should have marked them down on the calendar to help keep them straight.

WE'RE OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD....

Starry, starry night
....or whatever else we can find. This was a new version of Friday Night Lights. A Delta II carried a new telescope into orbit that was designed to search out other as yet unidentified planets. They hope to discover earth-like planets in other solar systems by measuring light flicker caused by planets passing in front of other stars. Some scientists say that it is kind of like looking for a flea on a car headlight. Rather them than me. I have too many other itches to scratch.

Wish I Was There

You have received those postcards from your friends on vacation. The ones with the beautiful scenes on them and the words, "Wish You Were Here". Well, after seeing these photos, all I could think of was I wish I was there. I told Becky before that if NASA called me and said we have a shuttle going up in about an hour and have a vacant seat, I would be out the door before she could blink. I thought I would share a few of these and let you join me in wondering what it would be like to be along for the ride.

Oh, yeah, NASA just announced that the launch set for February 12 has been postponed until at least February 19. If it goes then, it will be scheduled for 4:40 A.M. That is awful early to get up but I am sure it will be a sight well worth losing sleep for.

SHOULD HAVE SEEN IT COMING !

Well, yes, we should have seen it coming. We put all that work into the new flower beds just in time for the record cold wave. We covered most of the new flowers that were out in the open. We hoped the trees and existing overhang would take care of the rest.

We lost some "Impatiens", I lost my patience, and my lips turned the color of this text. But what the heck, it was 79 yesterday, supposed to be 81 today. I can put up with a day or two of the cold if it will always come back to this.

Our Christmas Present....to Each Other

We had decided that we were not going to exchange gifts this year. We thought taking care of the kids and grands plus the cost of the trip to Tennessee for Christmas would be enough. She changed our minds.

Shortly before time for us to travel, Ms. Becky saw some decorative curbing around one of our neighbor's flower gardens. It really caught her attention. She mentioned that it would certainly look nicer than the stones and blocks, etc. that we had around all of our flower beds.

I found out that the people that own Tree Frogs and take such good care of our lawns also own Creative Curbs and Concrete Designs. I saw one of the owners when they were here with the mowers and inquired about the cost of the curbing. She measured off the area we talked about and gave us an excellent price. I passed this information along to Ms. Becky and left it up to her. Her first response was that we didn't need to spend the money for that right now. Remember, she is a female. Two days later she changed her mind.

Creative Curbs promised that could get it done before we left for our Christmas trip, and they did. Of course, by then, the project had grown to include curbing around two more trees. Here are some pictures of the results.
Around the Northeast Corner of the Driveway

This Section Starts at the Front Steps and Goes to the Northwest Corner of the House

The Ficus is in the back yard. The Palm is in the front yard next to the driveway.

He Travels Well

Wake me in a couple of hours and I will drive.

Just give him his pillow and blankie and he will go anywhere! The only problem is, sometimes he wants to drive. After our trip to Lake Okeechobee I had to disappoint him by informing him that he was not quite ready to get his license.

Okeechobee was nice. We did a little exploring of the neighborhood with our friends, learned a lot about the lake and the "Rim Canal" that circles it, and found some good places to eat. The Brahma Bull was especially nice. If you are ever in the neighborhood, you can find it on Highway 441 just a couple of miles south of the intersection with Highway 78. They have nightly specials including Snow Crab Legs and Prime Rib. We were just there for lunch but it was good home-style cooking. It is time to go back on the diet now. The holidays killed me. Time to get back into the routine.

After the Party

Well, the trip back to see all the folks was mostly enjoyable. We left for the south on Sunday morning. I thought if we got through Atlanta before noon on Sunday traffic would not be too bad. I wasn't smart enough to check the football schedule. Atlanta had a 1:00 P.M. kickoff. Traffic was too bad!!!

Interstate 75 south of Atlanta was bumper-to-bumper, stop and go. We elected to take I-16 East from Macon to Savannah. Another mistake on my part. Interstate 16 was not crowded at all and we had a scenic and leisurely trip until we got to I-95. With the combination of traffic and road construction, there were many miles travelled at less than 10 miles per hour. By the time we got to St. Augustine, it was 10:00 P.M. A trip that should have taken less than 11 hours had taken nearly 14 hours.

We didn't miss the furnace that night. When Camping World opened, I visited the service desk and told them I realized that our appointment was not until 10:00 A.M. but that we would be in the parking lot as soon as they got ready for us. They finally took us in about 12:45 P.M. after Miss Becky had some choice words with them. Then they decided that the furnace needed a new switch that they did not have in stock. That means another 200 mile trip when they get it in to have it installed. We finally made it home around 5:00 P.M. We were cutting it pretty short since we planned to leave by 11:00 A.M. the next morning for a trip to Lake Okeechobee with some friends.