Last Weekend

After returning from Florida, the rest of the weekend was spent with Chris, Courtney and Greyson. Steph got to spend quite a bit of time with her favorite nephew. On Friday we went over there for a while. Greyson was sleeping, but that didn't last long. We dropped Steph off and did some shopping and he was up when we returned.

Look at me, how cute am I.........
The family......
Satruday we celebrated Steph's birthday a few weeks early. We also started a new family tradition. When I turned forty, everyone thought it would be fun to rub it in. I have decided to continue that tradition. As I recall, Steph got me a troll doll that said "Forty is not old if you are a tree", so we returned the favor, and the troll. In addition, I contributed the "Over the Hill" t-shirt I received.

We also decided to grill up a rack of ribs for the celebration.

Playing outside........
Steph sending Greyson's alligator back........
Greyson at the other end......
Steph, Chris and Courtney decided to take Greyson over to the park to play. Luckily, Chris came back to get the car keys and drive over rather than walk. They got caught in a downpour.

A little damp on their return....
Of course, the grill master had to tend the ribs in the middle of that rain, and one heavy period just as the ribs needed to be turned.......
After dinner, we had cake for Steph's birthday.

Greyson helped blow out the candles......
The start of a family tradition......
This t-shirt is almost twenty three years old......

James and Chris are the next in line for these ancient artifacts.

Steph left on Sunday, so we stopped by Chris and Courtney's for a final visit. A great end to a great week.

Vacation

Warning, this is a long post, I mean a really long post.

Our trip actually started on Saturday. We decided to rent a car for the drive to Orlando, so we went to the airport to pick it up. That night we packed and got ready for our 5:00 AM wake up. All went well and we were on the road by 6:15 AM.

Day One - Fifteen hour drive to Orlando.

Our drive took fifteen hours. We didn't get to the condo we were staying at until around 9:00 PM. When we got there, there was a note on the office door that it had been moved, and the directions were unclear. We drove around and found what we thought was the office, but the code for the lock box to pick up the keys didn't work. Needless to say, it was the wrong place. A short phone call, followed by a short hike got us to the right office. After that, it was a quick dinner and bed. We had another 5:00 AM wake up.

Condo....... Dining room / family room...........
Living room....................
Master bedroom...............
The Boss at the wheel..................

Day Two - another long day to be sure.....

We were up at 5 AM to catch the tour bus at 6 AM. The pick up point was about two blocks from the condo. There were a quite a few people there when we arrived, so we took our proper places in line and waited. Ofcourse, the bus didn't arrive until 6:30. By that time, the line was long and people were still arriving. The bus proceeded to pull up the the tail end of the line, and people started boarding. Imagine how that pissed off the people who had been waiting at the front of the line (yes, ME included). Turns out, they were working off a passenger list and our names were on it so we boarded and got seats together. Then we settled in for the ride to Kennedy. The trip to Kennedy was uneventful but the trip back was another story (more to follow).

Boss on the bus to Kennedy.........
Steph on the bus to Kennedy..........
Heading into Security at Kennedy, just like the airport......

After clearing security, we rushed over to the Kennedy Space Center bus tour, since our tour guide said that the last bus would be leaving at 8:15 AM and it was now almost 8:00. What he didn't tell us was that only two stops were open and the one we really wanted to get to was the one that was closed, the Observation Gantry. This is the one that gets you the closest view of the launch pads. We found that out on the bus as we headed to the Saturn V exhibit.

Saturn V display.........
Steph checking out the Saturn V.........
After walking through the Saturn V exhibit and checking it out, it was about 9:30 and we had to be back to board our bus to the viewing area at 10:45, so we headed to the bus that was returning to the Visitor's Center. Rolled in there about 10:00 and decided to hit the Gift Shop. What a mistake! LOOONG lines everywhere, but t-shirts and hats were going fast, soooo. On a quick check of the bus boarding area Steph found an extremely long line. She and Gail went to get in that line while I waited in the check out line. Then I joined them in the bus line. We got on the bus about 11:20. The bus finally left for the viewing area at about noon.

Here's where we were.......
Quite a large crowd.........
Gail and Steph waiting for the launch......
Then it was time...

Reference shot from Observation Gantry of Endeavor on the pad ready for rescue mission if necessary......
STS 125 Atlantis, Final Countdown started........
We have ignition.......
Liftoff.....................
STS 125 airborne....all Systems GO.........
Heading for space.......
Totally awesome and then some.

The trip back to the condo was long. We were on the 528 Toll Road when we came upon an accident involving a death and serious injuries. Traffic was stopped to allow Life Flight to land on the highway. The trip back took over four hours. Had a quick dinner and hit the rack.

Day Three - EPCOT

We actually slept in and didn't get on the road until 9:00 AM. Upon arrival, the ladies plan our strategy. As it turns out, we hit "Test Track" and "Mission to Mars" first thing. Gail doesn't like those rides and waited while Steph and I rode. Luckily, it wasn't very crowded so the wait wasn't too long.

Which way do we go George..........
Then we decided to travel the world by visiting each country exhibit.

Ahhhh Mexico, Nachos, Dos XX's and Margaritas......

Loved Norway, Vegetable Torte, Bread Pastry, and Carlsburg.....
Gail feeding a Norwegian squirrel.......
China was pretty good too, Pot Stickers and Tsing Tao.............
Ah, Florida in the Springtime. During the early afternoon, the weather started to change rapidly. It went from sunny and mild to cloudy and windy in what seemed like minutes. Ironically, we sought shelter in a closed Rain Bird Sprinkler booth.



I found this sign to be fitting................
Gail found a very safe place during the storm........

At this point, we decided to head for "Soarin", the ride that simulates a hang glider over California. We stopped briefly in Mexico to pick up another Dos XXs and flavored margaritas. No time for pictures, we were racing with the rain and lightning.

Waiting in line for "Soarin". they have an interactive game to play to make the wait seem shorter. Steph REALLY got into it....



We did manage to tour some of the other exhibits just to get out of the rain. Our timing was near perfect. While we were going between exhibits there was light rain. When we came out, we saw soaked people coming in, but the rain had just let up.

By this time it was nearing dinner time and the storm was not really letting up. We had planned to have dinner in Japan, so we headed that way. When we got to the restaurant there was a forty minute wait, so Steph waited while Gail and I headed for Morocco for more refreshments. We got a "Morocco-rita" (vodka, triple sec, and lime juice) and two Casa beers.

International stars.......
Waiting for dinner..............
Dinner was great, Gail had Tempura and Steph and I had Sushi. It was by far some of the freshest/best Sushi I have ever had. Oh, let's not forget the Kirin. too busy eating to get a picture.

After dinner, we watched the fireworks and then left. We didn't make it all the countries., had to save something for the next trip.

Day Four - Back to Kennedy

We decided to go back to Kennedy since we didn't get to see much of anything or ride the rides on launch day. This time we drove. Much better trip.

Made it to the Observation Platform.

Gail & Steph was the launch platform in the background. If this had been on Monday, STS 125 would have been on the pad.
Endeavor on the pad ready for a rescue mission, if needed...................
At the International Space Station Assembly Building, I had an "Armageddon Moment". You know the part where Bruce Willis says "You guys are NASA, you think shit up, is this the best you can do?" Notice the cable running over the roof. It's being held down by sandbags. Really Hi-Tech.
International Space Station Assembly Clean Room......
Steph and I rode on the Shuttle Launch Experience. This is supposed to be a close simulation of an actual shuttle launch. It was way cool, but I think the real thing would be better.

Of course I had to add to the hat collection.....

Day Five - Return to Virginia Beach

The return trip took about fourteen hours. We only had one rough time. Apparently, my driving was not up to par, so........

Got home and relaxed for the remainder of the evening.

All in all it was a great trip.

Remainder of the weekend to follow. This post is long enough.

Check This Out

Caught a quick video of Greyson's excited face. Look quick at the beginning.

We're Off

Steph arrived last night. We picked her up at the airport and went over to see Chris and Greyson. That little guy is so cute, and developing quite a personality. He has developed what I can only call an excited face. Quite the expression. Hopefully we can get a video posted, either here or on his blog. It is really quite hilarious.

The ladies are out shopping. Yup, left me all on my own. Of course I am expected to get some things done before we leave. Gail wants to leave at Oh-Dark-Thirty. We'll see. Tomorrow we leave for Orlando for the Space Shuttle Launch on Monday. Should be a blast (no pun intended). Don't exactly know what else we will be doing. You know me, I just pack and carry the bags and go where I'm told. If we do make it to Disney World, I am taking my new POV (helmet) cam to test on one of the rides. The Boss won't go on them, but maybe she can share the experience.

More Later.

Kayak Adventure

Sunday we decided to take the kayaks out for a spin. we decided to try the Davinci Canal, just five minutes from home. Gail was somewhat apprehensive since we had to hike through some slightly tall grass to get to the canal. She had a "snake stick" (think Parent Trap) to scare the critters away. Didn't see a single snake. I guess the stick worked. What a great paddle. We put in about eight miles in just under four hours.

Here's the Captain enjoying the start of the trip.
As you can see, she likes to lead the way (surprise)..
She even took a picture of me.....
We paddled down the canal until we came to the entrance of Lake Tecumsah. I think we found a great fishin' hole. Fish were jumping all over the place. We saw very few people on the entire trip, and only one was fishing. He said that this area was this best fishing he had found, and he had been coming back for ten years.

Lake Tecumsah (drop of water on the lens)
Standing Cypress trees on a great point....

We saw a Green Heron in the trees as we paddled through the Scopus Marsh and two Osprey nests in Lake Tecumsah.

Green Heron.....
Osprey nest # 1.........
Osprey nest # 2..............

All and all a great adventure. I will be searching for a launch point closer to Lake Tecumsah. From the launch on the Davinci canal, it is a forty five minute to one hour paddle to get there.

First Outing of the Year....

Yesterday we went to the Post Office to get our passport applications turned in. We were number three and four in line and it still took almost an hour to get done. The Post Office passport office is only open from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Saturday. At fifteen minutes per person, that means that 16 applications can be processed in four hours. There were at least twenty people waiting when we left, and they had already been open for an hour. Good Luck to those in line.

Went for a little kayak outing today at the Lesner Bridge. The tide was going out and the currents were pretty strong in a couple of places, especially at the entrance to Broad Bay. Hard paddling and very little progress. Lots of exposed sandbars.

The "Captain" heading out. Note the pretty blue paddle.

We can usually paddle across most of this.....

Parked on the sandbar after a long cross current paddle. We started at the white building, right side, directly behind Gail's kayak. Needed the rest......

Paddling through a little channel we found on our way into the Broad Bay channel.

Heading toward the Broad Bay channel.

Stayed out about two hours. The weather was great, but the water is still quite cold. We had to wade through some shallow areas. After a few minutes our feet were somewhat numb. Still, it was great to get out again.

Almost Forgot

Some time ago, we decided to try to do something special for Steph's --th birthday. We told her we wanted to take her to Disney World, since she had never been, and with this birthday she is no longer a youngster. In reality, we were secretly planning to see a space shuttle launch. Well, as we all know, Steph started checking out other things to do in Orlando and discovered that there was a launch scheduled for the time we would be there. So much for surprises !

I signed up for email notification for when tickets would go on sale. I got the email on Wednsday that said tickets would go on sale starting at 9:00 AM today, and usually sell out in minutes. Since I would be at work, I emailed the link to myself at my work address. I tried to book the tickets Wednesday night, but they were unavailable. While checking my email at work yesterday, around 10:00 AM, I decided to check the link to make sure it was working. Just for the hell of it, I tried to book the tickets again, even though it was about 24 hours before they were to be available. Much to my surprise, I was able to book three tickets. These are VIP tickets that include bus transportation from Orlando to Kennedy Space Flight Center, and viewing from the Causeway bridge, just six miles from the launch gantry. This is the closest that the "public" is allowed to the launch site. The only people that can get closer are NASA employees and dignitaries. How cool is that? STS-125 here we come. (May 12, 2009).

Just Couldn't Wait !!

As I had mentioned earlier, we got new paddles for Christmas and I have been dying to try mine. When I got home today it was about 75 degrees, but quite windy. I fired up the charcoal grill in preparation for two filets, and while waiting for the coals, decided to give it a go on the "pond". Here a couple of pics the Boss took.

Launched out the back gate......

Just cruised to the far end and back.....

New paddles are far better than the ones that came with the kayaks. More power per stroke. The weather is supposed to be nice this weekend. Maybe we will go for a paddle at the Lesner Bridge on Sunday. Of course, that depends on getting the lawn mowed on Saturday. That might be a problem since we have a lot to do Saturday. The most important is submitting our passport applications so we can go to Cabo in December. Will let you know if we decide to head out on Sunday.