Ok, I'm weird like that.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
ENDEAVOUR'S LAUNCH!!!!
by Robin
I'm so excited because it all worked out so beautifully this morning. If you've never been to a shuttle launch before, you need to get here in July for the last one - EVER!!!! It is amazing, patriotic, an engineering marvel and bittersweet, since it is all ending.
Like I was saying before though, I couldn't hardly sleep all night for all the excitement of getting up this morning (6am). We were blessed to be out the door quickly and didn't fight traffic like I feared. People were beginning to line the streets of US 1 and the Bee-line, but it didn't slow us down.
We arrived at the Marina at 7 sharp and was the first boat (not a crowd though) of boaters to be dunked in the water.
We headed under the bridge that takes tourists to the big cruise ships and then waited our turn going through the locks. In short order, we could see all the boats lined up, anchored and waiting for the launch time.
I entertained myself with photography of all the law enforcement. At least I didn't see any machine guns on these boats.
These "naughty" kayakers were escorted over to the crowds. I'm assuming they launched north of the "viewing line" and were greeted by blue lights.
I had momentarily thought about financial gain for taking viewers on our boat for the viewing, but these people actually did it. LOL
We looked at all the love bugs that died on our boat (& still continued to swarm around it).
We took family pics to record this historic day.
And then finally, we were off of the long hold and down to the T-Minus 9 minutes.
We all stood and waited for the count down.
And then Endeavour went up and everybody cheered!!!
And three seconds later, it went into the clouds and everybody collectively sighed, "Ohhh" from their boats.
Then, the rumble and sound hit us. That was FUN! Seconds later, people were pulling anchor and we filed down the channel back to the locks and our perspective 'homes'. All that preparation and positioning for 3 seconds of viewing. I'm not complaining though. I saw more than many folks who couldn't see it at all. It is always an honor to see a launch.
When we got back to the marina, there was a little excitement.
I saw lots of smiles so I was relieved that somebody wasn't injured. It was rumored that something electrical shorted in a person's car, starting a minor fire and the heat from that broke out the windshield. Poor person.
So, I hope you enjoyed our pictures and hearing about our day. My youngest didn't want to wake up early today but I'm sure than when he looks back on his childhood, he'll be very blessed to have these memories.
Take care!
Robin
I'm so excited because it all worked out so beautifully this morning. If you've never been to a shuttle launch before, you need to get here in July for the last one - EVER!!!! It is amazing, patriotic, an engineering marvel and bittersweet, since it is all ending.
Like I was saying before though, I couldn't hardly sleep all night for all the excitement of getting up this morning (6am). We were blessed to be out the door quickly and didn't fight traffic like I feared. People were beginning to line the streets of US 1 and the Bee-line, but it didn't slow us down.
We arrived at the Marina at 7 sharp and was the first boat (not a crowd though) of boaters to be dunked in the water.
We headed under the bridge that takes tourists to the big cruise ships and then waited our turn going through the locks. In short order, we could see all the boats lined up, anchored and waiting for the launch time.
I entertained myself with photography of all the law enforcement. At least I didn't see any machine guns on these boats.
These "naughty" kayakers were escorted over to the crowds. I'm assuming they launched north of the "viewing line" and were greeted by blue lights.
I had momentarily thought about financial gain for taking viewers on our boat for the viewing, but these people actually did it. LOL
We looked at all the love bugs that died on our boat (& still continued to swarm around it).
We took family pics to record this historic day.
And then finally, we were off of the long hold and down to the T-Minus 9 minutes.
We all stood and waited for the count down.
And then Endeavour went up and everybody cheered!!!
And three seconds later, it went into the clouds and everybody collectively sighed, "Ohhh" from their boats.
Then, the rumble and sound hit us. That was FUN! Seconds later, people were pulling anchor and we filed down the channel back to the locks and our perspective 'homes'. All that preparation and positioning for 3 seconds of viewing. I'm not complaining though. I saw more than many folks who couldn't see it at all. It is always an honor to see a launch.
When we got back to the marina, there was a little excitement.
I saw lots of smiles so I was relieved that somebody wasn't injured. It was rumored that something electrical shorted in a person's car, starting a minor fire and the heat from that broke out the windshield. Poor person.
So, I hope you enjoyed our pictures and hearing about our day. My youngest didn't want to wake up early today but I'm sure than when he looks back on his childhood, he'll be very blessed to have these memories.
Take care!
Robin
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
MOTHER'S DAY PHOTO
by Robin
Jack was sweet enough to take this one of me & the boys while we were waiting for the locks to open. I have been very blessed to be their mother and watch over them, teach them about God, love them and be loved by them.
Prov 6:20-23
The Message
Good friend, follow your father's good advice;
don't wander off from your mother's teachings.
Wrap yourself in them from head to foot;
wear them like a scarf around your neck.
Wherever you walk, they'll guide you;
whenever you rest, they'll guard you;
when you wake up, they'll tell you what's next.
For sound advice is a beacon,
good teaching is a light,
moral discipline is a life path.
Jack was sweet enough to take this one of me & the boys while we were waiting for the locks to open. I have been very blessed to be their mother and watch over them, teach them about God, love them and be loved by them.
Prov 6:20-23
The Message
Good friend, follow your father's good advice;
don't wander off from your mother's teachings.
Wrap yourself in them from head to foot;
wear them like a scarf around your neck.
Wherever you walk, they'll guide you;
whenever you rest, they'll guard you;
when you wake up, they'll tell you what's next.
For sound advice is a beacon,
good teaching is a light,
moral discipline is a life path.
Monday, May 9, 2011
PEACE VS WAR
by Robin
Last week, I decided that I needed to make peace with my body. I've rarely liked my weight my entire life, find various ways to work out and lived on diets to control everything I eat. I'm a professional at it.
But, I really needed to make peace with the fact that I'm mid-40's and my metabolism is no longer what it once was. My muscles weaken faster than I can build them. I try to keep my mind on heavenly things and not worldly things like cellulite, muffin tops and thunder thighs.
Unfortunately, a week later, I've declared war on my body again. The battle of the bulge. My firepower will be Romaine, tomatoes, fruit and veggie straws (of course, dipped in Sabra Hummus).
I need an accountability partner.
Blessings,
Robin
Last week, I decided that I needed to make peace with my body. I've rarely liked my weight my entire life, find various ways to work out and lived on diets to control everything I eat. I'm a professional at it.
But, I really needed to make peace with the fact that I'm mid-40's and my metabolism is no longer what it once was. My muscles weaken faster than I can build them. I try to keep my mind on heavenly things and not worldly things like cellulite, muffin tops and thunder thighs.
Unfortunately, a week later, I've declared war on my body again. The battle of the bulge. My firepower will be Romaine, tomatoes, fruit and veggie straws (of course, dipped in Sabra Hummus).
I need an accountability partner.
Blessings,
Robin
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Happy Mother's Day!!!!
Mother,
You've given me two things.
One is roots
The other is wings.
(Author anonymous, photo by Robin)
Saturday, May 7, 2011
GARDEN REPORT - May Flowers!! & Vegetables
by Robin
It's amazing to me how we went from this in April....
to this in May!!!
The beans did remarkable well. Yielded many from each bush and we're going for a 2nd round now.
Cilantro is turning into Coriander seeds.
Parsley is going to seed and attracting all the Love Bugs.
Sunflowers sprouted another 2 feet and put out their blooms.
Below is a picture of green heirloom tomatoes. Notice how the ones on the left are much lighter than the ones on the right? The ones on the left became yellow and the ones on the right were "Black Prince" type, which is more like a crimson on the inside, when ripe.
Today, I picked 4 Roma tomatoes and 1 yellow 'ball' heirloom. I can see that my sweet bell peppers are developing nicely and in another couple weeks, mild jalapenos should be overrunning the garden. I did get my first regular red tomato this week, too. Those are just beginning for those and the cherry tomatoes. We had a late start (for us) on those.
I am still waiting on onions & garlic to finish growing. They look wonderful and I can wait to harvest as needed. We're also eating herbs as fast as I can find ways to throw them into dishes.
I'll try to have some recipes with those in the upcoming weeks. Summer is finally here for us and so I will have much more free time for the next couple months.
Happy Weekend!!
It's amazing to me how we went from this in April....
to this in May!!!
The beans did remarkable well. Yielded many from each bush and we're going for a 2nd round now.
Cilantro is turning into Coriander seeds.
Parsley is going to seed and attracting all the Love Bugs.
Sunflowers sprouted another 2 feet and put out their blooms.
Below is a picture of green heirloom tomatoes. Notice how the ones on the left are much lighter than the ones on the right? The ones on the left became yellow and the ones on the right were "Black Prince" type, which is more like a crimson on the inside, when ripe.
Today, I picked 4 Roma tomatoes and 1 yellow 'ball' heirloom. I can see that my sweet bell peppers are developing nicely and in another couple weeks, mild jalapenos should be overrunning the garden. I did get my first regular red tomato this week, too. Those are just beginning for those and the cherry tomatoes. We had a late start (for us) on those.
I am still waiting on onions & garlic to finish growing. They look wonderful and I can wait to harvest as needed. We're also eating herbs as fast as I can find ways to throw them into dishes.
I'll try to have some recipes with those in the upcoming weeks. Summer is finally here for us and so I will have much more free time for the next couple months.
Happy Weekend!!
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