Back and Forth Across the Pond

Thirty years ago today, the shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after lift-off. I've seen posts on social media asking us if we remembered what we were doing when we heard the news. And that got me thinking about that awful day. I grew up in the space program. My Dad began working at "The Cape" in 1958, several years before I was even born. He began with General Dynamics, working on the Atlas Centaur rocket. When the shuttle program began, he moved to Rockwell and became a part of the team that put the orbiters together. By the time he retired in the mid-1990s, he was the supervisor of the KATS lab, which was responsible for the onboard computer systems used on the orbiter. The hallway in my parents' home was covered in photos of astronauts, launches, and landings. I had the pleasure and privilege of seeing launches from the Space Center. The space program was in my blood, so when the Challenger exploded on that cold January day thirty years ago, I took the loss p...

I put a video together of our Christmas decorations to show my Mom what we did. I figured I'd share it here. It's a little over six minutes long, so maybe grab a cup of coffee. :-) http://youtu.be/QjZgR3w-whA

One of Atlanta's Christmas spectacles is Garden Lights at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Now in its fifth year, Garden Lights bedecks the garden in hundreds of thousands of lights. We spent about 90 minutes there. Here is what I was able to capture: The globes changed color and "danced" to the music. Here's a short video I shot of the performance (try to ignore the loud children):  Garden Globes A panoramic shot of the globes and their surrounding. The dragonflies' wings moved up and down. The old gears loudly wheezed and creaked. It was amusing. Corn stalks made of light. Andrea and I thought it was a rather strange thing to see, but it was also rather pretty. A huge moss dog. He was easily seven feet tall. Lights adorned the ceiling of the tunnel. The Ice Goddess They do a lovely job with the lights, but it was painfully crowded. I was thinking that the attraction wouldn't be as popular after Christmas,...

We visited The Center for Puppetry Arts during our weekend visit with Andrea in Atlanta. The Center offers a small puppet museum, shows, and puppetry workshops. We were there to see the new Jim Henson exhibit. It did not disappoint. We spent about an hour happily traveling down Memory Lane as we visited a slew of Muppet vehicles, including Sesame Street , Dark Crystal , Fraggle Rock , and Labyrinth . Andrea and I were both squealing with delight as we recognized favorite characters. Familiar Faces from The Muppet Show : Rowlf the Dog I don't know this penguin's name, but it's a penguin. That's all that matters. Fozzie! This isn't Gonzo's girlfriend, Camilla. I can't remember what her name is. Doctor Teeth. But no Electric Mayhem. :-( Scooter, the adorable Robin, and the musician who bops the cute fuzz balls on the head. Now let's head down to Fraggle Rock!: Andrea watched this show when she was little. I'...

Mom and I traveled to Atlanta on Boxing Day (December 26) to celebrate a belated Christmas with Andrea. The two-day trip afforded us a chance to visit with Andrea and see her stomping grounds, and it also saved Andrea the grueling Christmas travel she's endured for the last few years. Photos from the actual visit will follow in subsequent blogs. The photos I'm sharing here I took on the flight up and the flight home. It's rare for me to have a window seat. I often travel alone, so I'm usually in an aisle seat. But since Mom wanted the aisle (and we were traveling First Class - ooooo), I had the pleasure of a view for the short flights. We flew out of Daytona Beach. The runway travels behind the Daytona International Speedway, offering a good look at the massive new grandstand. The seats are all different colors, so it looks like the grandstand is packed even when it's completely empty. Somewhere over north Florida/south Georgia. Although we dodged the...