KENNEDY SPACE CENTER

by Robin

Each year, KSC has an appreciation day for those of us who live in the county. The boys and I love to attend this. Some years, we get to have friends join us, but this year, it was just us.

This year, our focus was taking the bus tour out to the observation tower and the Apollo/Saturn V center. That takes approximately 3 hrs if you attend many of the movies, presentations and read some of the placards.

Here we are at the Launch Complex 39 Observation gantry, the first stop on the tour.




Launch Pad B is totally gone. So sad. At least we still have A.


There is an amazing 360 deg view of the entire area, including launch pads, crawlerway, Vehicle Assemble Building and the National Wildlife Refuge.



On the way down the steps, I made sure I got a picture of me with my engineer wanna-be son. I hope that one day, this hangs in his fancy corner office. (I have no idea why I'm sporting a Hunchback of Notre Dame look. It's Jack's coat.)



From there, we went to our 2nd stop, the Apollo/ Saturn V Center. This is also where the VIP viewing area is. It sits approx 3 miles from Launch Pad 39A & B.



Don't miss this. You will want to see the 363 ft moon rocket and how it is broken down into sections. Can you believe, I had to wait in line to get this photo!! It's definitely a photo hot spot.



Here is the Firing Room Theater, which recreates the Apollo launch!! These are the actual desks, chairs, screens that were used in back in 1968.



When the rocket launches, the whole room shakes and the windows behind you glow and rattle. It's like they're going to break!



It is definitely Andrew's favorite part of the tour.

Then, the final movie to catch is in the Lunar Theater, which depicts the first moon landing. Lots of original footage, which is great for history buffs. I have to say, I shed a tear. Call me sentimental.

I took a couple pictures but you will have to experience it for yourself.

Wait.... what?? How did those ghosts get in there?


What?? a comet? How did that happen?


Goodness gracious!! Is that the light at the end of the tunnel or the Hallmark angel appearing....



I guess it was the Hallmark angel. It decided to decorate the moon for Thanksgiving. Whew! At least the ghosts are gone.



Hope you enjoyed my little series of pictures. I am so blessed to be near so many smart people who have blessed our country. They inspire me. And I think they have inspired my kids to reach for the stars.

God bless America!
Robin

WEEK IN REVIEW

by Robin

I'm not sure there is any theme in these pictures, except to say that life is full, busy and ever-changing.



I started off the week with getting a mammogram. It seemed like everywhere I turned there were little pink ribbons everywhere. They were even on my eggs, so I took a picture of them. I am so blessed to say that I am free from any suspicious cells & masses. Yeah.



We had been practicing hard for our bluegrass band. First, our main practice was cancelled. So, we were suppose to have an informal practice with 2 friends who were still in town. Sadly, their home was broken into that morning. I can't imagine how their world turned upside-down in a matter of hours.



By Friday, it was Brevard Co resident's "Appreciation Day" at Kennedy Space Center. Donating canned goods and showing a resident driver's license will get you in the door. We try to take advantage of this every year. The past couple years, I purposely don't even bring a wallet. (It prevents begging.) We head out in the morning after a big breakfast and go until our stomachs can't last any longer.

This year, we opted to do the 3 hr bus tour. LOVE IT! I learn something new every time I'm there.



My boys have truly gotten into reading all the placards. I will have more pictures next week, but for now, here are some teasers.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that tears came to my eyes a couple times as I'd watch the old video feed about the shuttle. I am still sad about the whole program closing down. And a touch of my sadness is the losing of many friends that I have known & loved for many years. I found out that another home school family (friends) are moving to AZ. We had just gotten together a couple months ago and I thought they were safe from the pink slips. It just goes to show you how nobody was safe from the proverbial axe.

Have a blessed weekend.
Robin

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - OCT garden

by Robin

BEAUTIFUL SUNSET

by Robin

Last night, Jack was look at some leak on my car and I came out to join him. In seconds, the sky seemed to glow orange. I looked up and WOW.... magnificient!!! I jumped out of my chair to run into the house & grab my camera.

This is what I captured on film ....er....digital memory.

This first one has no touch-ups on it AT ALL!!! Simply downsized & framed.



This one had a small adjustment because the orange glow between the trees gave my computer a fit. It really had no idea how to translate all that orange-pink-yellow.



I hope to see a million more like this when I'm in heaven.

Blessings,
Robin

GRIMALDI'S CANDIES TOUR

by Robin

Our homeschool group has been organizing small field trips to the candy shop. I absolutely loved it the minute I walked in the door and smelled sugar in the air. First thing, we all had to wear hats. With my wild & crazy hair, I figured it was best to braid it all and tuck it into a ball cap. I do not want anybody getting a chocolate with 2 ft+ of hair in it. LOL.



Here are the warming vats.


The product they were making today were the chocolate-covered citrus rinds. We were explained the process, which I found fascinating. Nothing goes to waste. Unused parts of the fruit go to the local zoo for the animals to eat.





Who wouldn't want an industrial-size kitchen with large mixers? Renee, I thought of your family when in here. WOW, it was super organized.



These are the big bins filled with the ingredients they were using that day/week. I don't know why this makes me happy. Maybe I'm a baker at heart.




Instead of measuring things out in cups, it is measured in pounds. I love this old Toledo scale.






Here was another favorite - HUGE copper kettle. It catches your eye first amongst everything else in the room.


I'm trying to figure out how in the world I could put something like this in my non-industrial size kitchen. Very clever.


After the tour, there is the gift shop where you can buy all sorts of goodies. Who wouldn't want a chocolate shuttle?


Yum!!



This is their biggest seller.... and don't think one of them didn't come home with me!



Here is what I loved most of ALL the things I heard there. 100% of the profits go to Viera Water Network, which is a missionary project to 'bring clean water for life and living water for eternal life.' I did not know that when we got there, but it welled up my eyes to see the greater vision. VWN is in several countries right now. Coincidentally, they partner with another missions group that I have partnered with in Zambia. What a small world!!!!

If you're interested in supporting http://www.vierawaternetwork.com/ , please feel free to use this link.

If you're interested in ordering Grimaldi Candies, http://www.grimaldicandies.com/, for yourself or as a gift for the holidays, please use this other link. They ship anywhere. Their chocolate is very, very smooth - not waxy at all.

Happy Weekend everyone!! Enjoy a piece of chocolate.
Robin

DRIP IRRIGATION

by Robin

Today, the boys and I started installing the new drip irrigation system. I can already tell you, "I LOVE IT!!"



I knew I would before I found a kit at my local superstore. A friend of mine has been working on drip irrigation systems to take over to Mali (Africa). Mali is one of the poorest countries around the world and they get very little rainfall there. It was the Rayner's brainstorm that lead me down this path. Please feel free to watch Andy's video on drip irrigation in Mali & Canada. While you're at it, if God leads your heart this way, feel free to donate to his project. They are headed back to Mali at the end of the month.



They've been teasing me with pictures through the months on how their beans were growing faster, healthier and producing more beans with less water (40L drip irrigation vs 450L traditional watering). Here are some statistics on Andy's garden: 90% less water, 30% boost in production, 300% boost in the growing year AND less weeding!! I am hoping to do the same with my garden.

While Florida gets a lot of rain in the summer, we get very dry in the spring months until those rains hit. This is going to be such a blessing to me and my seedlings. I will keep you updated as the months pass.

Happy Gardening!
Robin

Going Steady

by Robin

Jack and I have been together for over 19 years. Our anniversary is coming up soon. We fell hard and fast for each other and couldn't wait to be married. However, one thing we wished we always had was a chance to meet in our youth. It's not that we aren't thankful that God's will put us together when we did meet. I guess it is more of a longing to have been with each other from the very beginning. We would have loved to skip the heartache of divorce and/or broken relationships.

However, God is the God of second chances. We did meet, albeit later. We did fall in love. We did struggle to make marriage work for better or worse, in health and sickness and so forth. We had beautiful babies together. We came all this way and God is still blessing.

The other night, Jack's Mom came to dinner and on her finger was Jack's graduation ring. At some point, he gave it to her. I imagine that it was when he went into the Army and couldn't keep certain momentos with him. Jack thought it had been lost over the years. He always talked fondly of how he struggled to purchase this ring and how much it meant to him. NOW, it was back in his possession.

He no sooner took it off his Mom's finger and then he put it on my finger. He asked me to go "Steady" and I said, "Yes!" How sweet. No other girl ever got to wear his ring. Just me. I cannot express how much that meant to Jack, and me. I know that seems silly but it did mean a lot.

Thank you LORD for such a blessing in a simple, yet mysterious way.



God bless,
Robin

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - Halloween style

by Robin

WHEN YOU CAN'T FISH.....

.....smoke something!!!!

by Robin

We walked through 1" deep water, gale-force winds, and driving rain to get into the church house this morning. Good thing we were prepared with sandals instead of heels (me, not the boys). Great message on God's grace being sufficient for you (2 Cor 12:9)!

Then, we hurried home between rain clouds, changed clothes and fired up the coals.



When it is all perfectly hot, throw on the mesquite chips and watch that smoke stack billow.



Then, throw on all that meat (or tofu) to smoke.


(By the way, the coconut meat was delicious smoked!!)

Nancy and John joined us, bringing the side dishes.







I wish I could say the Tofu tasted as great as it looked. It had good flavor; however, I cannot get past tofu texture in my mouth. I feel like I'm eating something crossbred between a sponge and cheese. (This tofu was first deep-fried to remove moisture, then marinated overnight w/ teryatki sauce, then smoked for a couple hours.)

We topped everything off with a homemade apple pie. Can't believe I forgot to take a picture of it!!

Good time was had by all and nobody went home hungry. Infact, most of us needed a nap afterwards.

Have a blessed Sunday.
Robin

RIP Baby Squirrel

by Robin

Sometimes life is not fair. Sometimes baby squirrels fall out of trees when they're playing chase. I wanted so badly to rehab this little guy but he was already shutting down & in such pain from his injuries when Jack picked him up.



I cried and cried. I can only hope that he's in Squirrel Canaan - the land of nuts & honey.

Robin

MAMA N and J

by Robin

It was a welcomed surprise to find out months & months ago that Jack's Mom and J were moving here to Florida. It seemed like the day would never get here. BUT, they did finally arrive on Tuesday evening.

The first thing we did was hug their necks. The 2nd thing we did was have a fish fry with all that fresh porgy meat in the frig. Yum!!

The second night, we took them over a picnic dinner (pork tenderloin) so we could check on their new digs. I just love the area and even better, the dock and view off the main property.



I thought you may like to see the family. You'll probably be seeing a lot more of them in our pictures from here on out. Can't wait to take them offshore fishing.



Plus, the boat comes home on Sunday afternoon. We will not be able to fish this weekend due to the Nor'easterly winds & bad weather.

Have a blessed weekend.
Robin

DISTURB US, LORD.

by Sir Francis Drake

Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
with the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wilder seas
Where storms will show Your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.

We ask you to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push back the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

This we ask in the name of our Captain,
Who is Jesus Christ.



Francis Drake,an adventurer and essentially a legal pirate (What else is a second son supposed to do to make a living?), wrote this prayer as he departed Portsmouth on the Golden Hind to raid Spanish gold on the west coast of South America. He ventured at least as far north as the non-Spanish parts of California, claiming it as "New Albion" - New England- and returned to his Queen (the long way - via circumnavigation) with loot worth over a half million pounds sterling, and received his Knighthood for it.

Mim's Mullet Festival

by Robin

Be sure to check out my Robin's Report for the pictures at the festival. Click here

I took video of my boys playing bluegrass with their friends at the festival.

I thought you may enjoy listening to it. Simon Peter is on the left with the guitar and Andrew is sitting down banging on a blue case for a percussion rhythm.





Happy Jiggin'
Robin