tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353499322024-03-13T05:04:42.766-04:00Dixie HighwayLife is a highway. This blog shares some of my travels, mostly in Florida. You'll find a lot of travel info for the Tampa Bay area.DixieHwyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814315456434052408noreply@blogger.comBlogger173125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35349932.post-76327472953609522782013-10-10T09:30:00.000-04:002013-12-06T17:58:10.799-05:00Exploring Ruby Falls Caverns<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We started the day near Chattanooga, Tennessee touring the caverns under Lookout Mountain. The mountain covers about 80 square miles across 3 states in Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama. The area is rich in history including American Indian legends, the Revolutionary War, and the Civil War.<br />
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View of Chattanooga from the parking lot at Ruby Falls.<br />
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Access to the Ruby Falls Caverns is on the Tennessee side of Lookout Mountain. We entered a building where we took a ride down an elevator with about 30 people and our tour guide Doug. </div>
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It would take about 1/2 an hour for us to walk to the Ruby Falls cavern. Most of the time we walked single file through narrow passages. We were organized into groups to signal the guide at intervals to make sure we were all together. There were nicknames for the front, middle and rear of the tour group. A large family from Columbia brought up the rear. We knew we were all together when the guide called out for rollcall and we heard them shout, "Columbia!" <br />
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Leos Passage shows the size of the passages that explorer Leo Lambert crawled along on his belly when he discovered Ruby Falls in the 1920's. The paths that we walked along were excavated for tours. Most were paved.<br />
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Cave formations had nicknames, like Steak and Potatoes. The glossy formations felt waxy to touch.<br />
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Crystal Chandelier is a formation of stalagtites on the ceiling. Leaning Tower is a fat column that looks like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Parts of the path were wet from water dripping from the stalagtites. <br />
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Donkey formation looks like, um, what it looks like. A donkey's rear end!<br />
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There were a lot of drapey looking formations in the Onyx Jungle. Sometimes it was hard to keep up, because there was so much to see.<br />
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Blue lighting in the Onyx Jungle.<br />
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A pool of water from an underground stream. Indian legends told of underground streams and a waterfall inside the mountain. <br />
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Several times along the way Doug would tell us, "Watch your head!" The rock walls can be narrow and uneven. <br />
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Looking up at a fault line, it seemed like the ceiling went on forever.<br />
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Ruby Falls is inside a large cavern with a high ceiling. The amount of rocky mountain above the cavern is as tall as the Empire State Building. That was hard for me to imagine, until we saw the views from Rock City on top of Lookout Mountain.<br />
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We stayed in the Ruby Falls cavern for about 15 minutes while music played and colored lights filled the cave. Then we started the trek back through passages back to the elevator. Parts of the path took us through areas we hadn't seen yet. <br />
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It took us another 1/2 hour to walk back, which may seem like a lot of time, but there was still a lot to see on along the way. If you enjoy photography and like to play with manual settings, the best spot in a tour group is at the rear. You're not as pressured to move on. There were 2 photographers at the rear of our group with tripods. One of the photographers told us about special photographic tours of Ruby Falls Caverns. They are done seasonally, and allow for 3 hours in the caves.<br />
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After the tour we had lunch and rested, then continued on to the top of the mountain to visit Rock City in Lookout Mountain, Georgia.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dixiehwy/sets/72157638398793375/" target="_blank">More photos of Ruby Falls Caverns are posted at my album on Flickr.com. </a><br />
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Related Links:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.etowahhistory.com/cave.htm" target="_blank">Etowah Historical Society: Mysterious and Legendary Caves at Lookout Mountain</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.aboutnorthgeorgia.com/ang/Natural_North_Georgia" target="_blank">Natural North Georgia</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.rubyfalls.com/" target="_blank">RubyFalls.com</a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null"> </a></li>
</ul>
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DixieHwyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814315456434052408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35349932.post-73512275019111323912011-05-18T22:23:00.007-04:002011-11-06T10:27:34.054-05:00The canal at night<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz1AyqntR3qj38v9NJqgTy-t-nrsKlkm5SvHXiklACOmlmN4WlrHA7WRVBKaQoyf90cLHqHvwGlBoy3aSX7yON8b6HAGOQUIyWSA0oSnwZZMYe29FGPKDDR63Q1MYuYlCNcufn6A/s1600/5209_canal-night.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz1AyqntR3qj38v9NJqgTy-t-nrsKlkm5SvHXiklACOmlmN4WlrHA7WRVBKaQoyf90cLHqHvwGlBoy3aSX7yON8b6HAGOQUIyWSA0oSnwZZMYe29FGPKDDR63Q1MYuYlCNcufn6A/s400/5209_canal-night.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Playing with long exposures with a Canon PowerShot SX120ISDixieHwyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814315456434052408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35349932.post-22951540519686418152011-04-24T10:23:00.000-04:002011-04-24T10:23:31.371-04:00Easter Sunrise Service at Fort DeSoto Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQxVGi1Mq_YMrxlghe_CjLV_bRE-wqZXkqieWFdsP6VrNTLpBCMIePL2W2XEZklhCRhcPWRlZvoecRPUN0g4NDehtnVkYsONSj9NpRJOsKa2m36B-J-mziJWmbYh2n6Wa2yCJRQQ/s1600/5149_easter-sunrise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQxVGi1Mq_YMrxlghe_CjLV_bRE-wqZXkqieWFdsP6VrNTLpBCMIePL2W2XEZklhCRhcPWRlZvoecRPUN0g4NDehtnVkYsONSj9NpRJOsKa2m36B-J-mziJWmbYh2n6Wa2yCJRQQ/s320/5149_easter-sunrise.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>We arrived at the park at dawn. There was music and singing as we carried our beach chairs towards a large group of people.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu26FeCxzH7sq8-PTo0pRWgoXcVdVNUfoAewJd2chrxvSeQJe-aHYJAtKWaTWdCvuJBRH57cYndph27oW6uscnWGuip2mH0U5XfQ-NHC1fFwIWeWcBL75Gpyo_6efuoegPvtkO7A/s1600/5156_easter-sunrise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu26FeCxzH7sq8-PTo0pRWgoXcVdVNUfoAewJd2chrxvSeQJe-aHYJAtKWaTWdCvuJBRH57cYndph27oW6uscnWGuip2mH0U5XfQ-NHC1fFwIWeWcBL75Gpyo_6efuoegPvtkO7A/s320/5156_easter-sunrise.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The preacher asked us, "Why are you here? What does Easter mean to you?," and then continued a short sermon as the sun rose above the horizon.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-JnWYwsHnHU0XqDa29ULdnpwMW0gMy2sh3l38HWhPRdqoGPu8VOGPGvvNyqvHwyctXmYTdnr87CLjQB5zu2jJwX5KGa0PHF-JTg-4dzdK44ZjA1YcNsZu_WkyASXVEqobzQEBw/s1600/5140_easter-sunrise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-JnWYwsHnHU0XqDa29ULdnpwMW0gMy2sh3l38HWhPRdqoGPu8VOGPGvvNyqvHwyctXmYTdnr87CLjQB5zu2jJwX5KGa0PHF-JTg-4dzdK44ZjA1YcNsZu_WkyASXVEqobzQEBw/s320/5140_easter-sunrise.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Easter means a lot to me, because...He came back for me (and you, too). Happy Easter! Enjoy the day knowing you are loved no matter what.DixieHwyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814315456434052408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35349932.post-14368505528460617112011-02-24T23:00:00.095-05:002011-02-27T18:48:53.687-05:00Last Flight of Space Shuttle Discovery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4NkLBrugDqdJUsj88PtCnBzAybiAIJDp4VOaO682YeBxXPFdFq6JYIh_TeyUQg8-vBB1dKuTG7CyvA5XW44b-MzUow3qEalGG-jeM0uyMboxuwaeJokfz3wIZV2aRRRA4YHEtrA/s1600/4379_sts133-discovery-launch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4NkLBrugDqdJUsj88PtCnBzAybiAIJDp4VOaO682YeBxXPFdFq6JYIh_TeyUQg8-vBB1dKuTG7CyvA5XW44b-MzUow3qEalGG-jeM0uyMboxuwaeJokfz3wIZV2aRRRA4YHEtrA/s400/4379_sts133-discovery-launch.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Mission number STS-133 is to be the last flight of Space Shuttle Discovery. They're taking supplies and crewmembers to the International Space Station. We were concerned about a delay, due to a computer reboot. From 10 miles away it was hard to tell when the countdown ended. We couldn't hear the sound of ignition. It was a hazy day and things looked distorted. At first we saw smoke, then a bright light from a flame.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKPz-f3g8bmpjiwxlJBbHA5nwRr61upSG_UtqWq3mPsmKTw1zdaxA49zpvVU4lY6Y0CuuLnXWUVNdj2-L3II9HUQAXhqpwod97uNIjaaTBlpSYHLYykKsGSbNW8h0F9np-qvUF3Q/s1600/4000_sts133-discovery-launch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKPz-f3g8bmpjiwxlJBbHA5nwRr61upSG_UtqWq3mPsmKTw1zdaxA49zpvVU4lY6Y0CuuLnXWUVNdj2-L3II9HUQAXhqpwod97uNIjaaTBlpSYHLYykKsGSbNW8h0F9np-qvUF3Q/s400/4000_sts133-discovery-launch.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>It was a thrill to see the space shuttle emerge from the smoke and fire. Space Shuttle Discovery rose silently.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkSY5IOlsOouZ-1GwQIc88g8zngiKw0dVrSxjkGlmUbMOWg0WHMhMimvyR70PW-o98n0nsbtUuUNNAgRP7HEftPB4ya6kW9MmcOGkItWY1F06n-RI8T3W1Gu_pMdXwWUuxhZthyw/s1600/4003_sts133-space-shuttle-discovery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkSY5IOlsOouZ-1GwQIc88g8zngiKw0dVrSxjkGlmUbMOWg0WHMhMimvyR70PW-o98n0nsbtUuUNNAgRP7HEftPB4ya6kW9MmcOGkItWY1F06n-RI8T3W1Gu_pMdXwWUuxhZthyw/s400/4003_sts133-space-shuttle-discovery.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We heard the sound of wind about half a minute after lift off. It sounded like an approaching subway. There was a low rumble in the background.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYt0qFe95YCJodoMGMfvMu5_kx_rVTOHPfqNunAI0nIEt9c0Z04Kb7eVW044iXDgIVJ44cerDQn24Shm6gw8C52N4kFRb_v5vEzwta2ZlvczAf-Ze_29MFZ0pLhRYkWItvPO53ag/s1600/4005_sts133-discovery-launch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYt0qFe95YCJodoMGMfvMu5_kx_rVTOHPfqNunAI0nIEt9c0Z04Kb7eVW044iXDgIVJ44cerDQn24Shm6gw8C52N4kFRb_v5vEzwta2ZlvczAf-Ze_29MFZ0pLhRYkWItvPO53ag/s400/4005_sts133-discovery-launch.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The rumble built up to a loud roar. I could feel it. The ground shook. The length of the flame looked incredible.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLFWmSt-Akt9qgXWXevJDaCA0JpotEeHpGpiQOfvrqc_8kJ-NkY1vqsHtY4GjhLxC9T4OwTuvicLsZ7QS8FCmgrn1J2AjwN4eH13feekvQm-0fAgOQrG24UZAZbdln1iXvd_9_tQ/s1600/4383_sts133-discovery-launch-vab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLFWmSt-Akt9qgXWXevJDaCA0JpotEeHpGpiQOfvrqc_8kJ-NkY1vqsHtY4GjhLxC9T4OwTuvicLsZ7QS8FCmgrn1J2AjwN4eH13feekvQm-0fAgOQrG24UZAZbdln1iXvd_9_tQ/s400/4383_sts133-discovery-launch-vab.jpg" width="301" /></a></div>Discovery ascended like a brilliant diamond into the sky. It was hard to take your eyes off of it long enough to shoot photos.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79-0pMsKq6voE4Ra26-sAX3LrRDKs6xLQfMjYAqOqU3wRcn13YgOwO7ZHChOBejuEnzbiCOQ5DHF6MkbHH9rf9F6Z23ckO6XprqDINHmc8_DaUdacCXANBX-L9oV7ORH4YiHl_A/s1600/4008_sts133-discovery-booster-sep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79-0pMsKq6voE4Ra26-sAX3LrRDKs6xLQfMjYAqOqU3wRcn13YgOwO7ZHChOBejuEnzbiCOQ5DHF6MkbHH9rf9F6Z23ckO6XprqDINHmc8_DaUdacCXANBX-L9oV7ORH4YiHl_A/s400/4008_sts133-discovery-booster-sep.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>There was a puff of smoke and flames as the solid rocket boosters seperated from the space shuttle. It looked like a distorted flower in the hazy atmosphere. Then three points of light were visible. Two points dropped away from the brighter light of the space shuttle engines. We watched until the lights disappeared.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5s-ERhpFrD0cegOJYE8CH94d_kxS8ZqNQ9ol5uJUHOGLbTduimvMRgB2EZ16lRXSqWBj4JTa4PGpXE_0qZVlTHGJyYE0Dbe5xuivDJIPKPguiKk5C4CGDaRUOy3NAm0zKs5Cdnw/s1600/3941_launch-camp-on-us1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5s-ERhpFrD0cegOJYE8CH94d_kxS8ZqNQ9ol5uJUHOGLbTduimvMRgB2EZ16lRXSqWBj4JTa4PGpXE_0qZVlTHGJyYE0Dbe5xuivDJIPKPguiKk5C4CGDaRUOy3NAm0zKs5Cdnw/s400/3941_launch-camp-on-us1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Here's where we camped along US 1 in Titusville. A young mother we met near our camp said that she had her kids write down the names of the states they saw on license plates. They counted 33 different US states and Canadian provinces.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkXnHrRdSP5FVKe_V_MOZJqXhhyphenhyphenbEGbTwJg3TMyvGAAvK8kDS3efRTVmAqnEsq2-bWZYLywwTbbvC_CrInXNcXpwNH-nXGjdHCY5B1RbLWipq5R7NU-NwAy6R4u2c7F43jj4Fq9w/s1600/4016_space-shuttle-discovery-contrail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkXnHrRdSP5FVKe_V_MOZJqXhhyphenhyphenbEGbTwJg3TMyvGAAvK8kDS3efRTVmAqnEsq2-bWZYLywwTbbvC_CrInXNcXpwNH-nXGjdHCY5B1RbLWipq5R7NU-NwAy6R4u2c7F43jj4Fq9w/s400/4016_space-shuttle-discovery-contrail.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>We continued shooting photos of the contrail as we struck camp to leave town. The wind quickly tore the cloud of smoke apart into a zig zag pattern.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhygCnMb7rCslPLYqAK2JdmsbwSyeo1A6wuaqhSjcedVhvCIGViWDg1L0tHYs_Kh2-DZX33UE-phIK4BsFWLPl4F5Eq0a15llI7c0v8Ghvus7TBhhVU6V-6q8DN1Dke99dERViInQ/s1600/4405_post-launch-traffic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhygCnMb7rCslPLYqAK2JdmsbwSyeo1A6wuaqhSjcedVhvCIGViWDg1L0tHYs_Kh2-DZX33UE-phIK4BsFWLPl4F5Eq0a15llI7c0v8Ghvus7TBhhVU6V-6q8DN1Dke99dERViInQ/s400/4405_post-launch-traffic.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>It was bumper to bumper traffic leaving the scene. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42192471@N00/sets/72157626013979497/with/5477615763/" target="new"><b>More photos of the last flight of space shuttle Discovery for mission STS-133</b></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWUa50mD2M8" target="new"><b>Our video of the launch of Shuttle Discovery</b> </a>DixieHwyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814315456434052408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35349932.post-88491990068452694962010-10-17T23:07:00.181-04:002011-02-14T22:29:08.424-05:00Sawgrass Lake Park in St. Petersburg<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc5VX2O_bUfd-hzMwXJPgaYGcjYNBb456wGMF5jN6pM4rNsDZQ-mYc9w4fTfh19l38uF8Il620GM-KEiCYKzCx4rJ2X-On9cbxa7me2G539xpA-jQkSA3ms4vyofHNlWrYBxOsGA/s1600/2943_sawgrass-park-gator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc5VX2O_bUfd-hzMwXJPgaYGcjYNBb456wGMF5jN6pM4rNsDZQ-mYc9w4fTfh19l38uF8Il620GM-KEiCYKzCx4rJ2X-On9cbxa7me2G539xpA-jQkSA3ms4vyofHNlWrYBxOsGA/s400/2943_sawgrass-park-gator.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Sawgrass Lake Park is in the middle of a city. It's near highway I-275, a gun firing range, and neighborhoods of single family homes. We weren't sure how big the park was or what to expect. After parking the car in an area shaded by large oak trees we followed a sidewalk along a creek. A large alligator quietly swam by.<br />
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"Did you see that?"<br />
"What?"<br />
"A big gator."<br />
"No kidding. Look. There it is!"<br />
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I double checked the edge of the creek to see if there were any more lurking around. People idly walked by with dogs on leashes.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07NrLsBt8_PkNUdwYlsl97Ub8FtTYkWZFSXL2vorKk1WaF-7BYV76EHTB7eb7iRB__F1TCdw0P4evCuWCWwWHjoOV081lLIfnxUOb4t0ElhiOOkZqTxV46wxrdqKupL332TyhjA/s1600/3890_sawgrass-lk-park-bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07NrLsBt8_PkNUdwYlsl97Ub8FtTYkWZFSXL2vorKk1WaF-7BYV76EHTB7eb7iRB__F1TCdw0P4evCuWCWwWHjoOV081lLIfnxUOb4t0ElhiOOkZqTxV46wxrdqKupL332TyhjA/s400/3890_sawgrass-lk-park-bridge.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We followed the path to a bridge that went across the creek and looked in the water. A man walked up to me and asked me about my camera. He said he was looking for a camera to take wildlife photos around the park. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiADk-AR8gEszLQ83ydVyzRokJdCswFXOXfbdhd0NJ7E5kEpRwRoPKEfPYaZl73jmXvDyIBxQ6T6MkXLPN66vN8cFfFGzgRWHe-LfvRaW4AP9xv6ojghdD2xQijOST_f6MD5uvFcw/s1600/2950_anhinga-1200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiADk-AR8gEszLQ83ydVyzRokJdCswFXOXfbdhd0NJ7E5kEpRwRoPKEfPYaZl73jmXvDyIBxQ6T6MkXLPN66vN8cFfFGzgRWHe-LfvRaW4AP9xv6ojghdD2xQijOST_f6MD5uvFcw/s400/2950_anhinga-1200.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I showed him some of the photos I had just taken of an anhinga in the creek. He was impressed. I showed him the model number of the camera. Then he told me about the big alligator that lives under the bridge. I said that I just saw a big gator swim by, and he said that it was probably the one. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipqUc2MsLkx4F3V2g97m2AgnZ1lIXWbtg5VPmse06TdXFatLcqDuy1FqTi7fuk7hPgPeJu45nQ50-hRly9FSR5qKW7rjFmRL9uXjS3UKAKihpussw0mF0rlNM_G-uofX30v1L7bg/s1600/3411_bridge-gator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipqUc2MsLkx4F3V2g97m2AgnZ1lIXWbtg5VPmse06TdXFatLcqDuy1FqTi7fuk7hPgPeJu45nQ50-hRly9FSR5qKW7rjFmRL9uXjS3UKAKihpussw0mF0rlNM_G-uofX30v1L7bg/s400/3411_bridge-gator.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I saw the gator swimming back to the bridge and take up position directly underneath us. Then the man told me about snakes under the bridge, the mama alligator with babies, and all the cool trails in the woods. We talked for a little bit about different nature preserves in the area. After talking about snakes and gators I wasn't sure if I really wanted to go across the bridge. I saw ladies with strollers and squealing little kids running across the bridge and decided that it couldn't be that bad. I shouldn't be a sissy. So I went down the trail to where the mama alligator was.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-sXtem9SxVzS6PCLN_ayc2lxUesDg_zfEIUotqDYEbTcHGskEwP2tHQ5V2Q-l1zU3MzyndLs-dMkRlT47hQX8sNy75-ZLaO9cgWsFLTm-ypTqD8kn0JOXkzySZblPjD3TgaWRg/s1600/2975_sawgrass-park-boardwalk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-sXtem9SxVzS6PCLN_ayc2lxUesDg_zfEIUotqDYEbTcHGskEwP2tHQ5V2Q-l1zU3MzyndLs-dMkRlT47hQX8sNy75-ZLaO9cgWsFLTm-ypTqD8kn0JOXkzySZblPjD3TgaWRg/s400/2975_sawgrass-park-boardwalk.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The wetland areas have elevated boardwalks over the alligator habitats. It was like walking through a fantasy land of giant ferns.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyLf2JFPx3FytiheEi_oRugpt-IwkYhBz-Qg8KbFJ83yxaBk2veZ2KU2BGwfTBd1lKJA24aIjhnrJGSpw-LCsvey7o1Y26OQJRQ6qkr9tADQLmjREX5ILWsjb5mHnGBmA2_ZUMxg/s1600/2976_giant-fern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyLf2JFPx3FytiheEi_oRugpt-IwkYhBz-Qg8KbFJ83yxaBk2veZ2KU2BGwfTBd1lKJA24aIjhnrJGSpw-LCsvey7o1Y26OQJRQ6qkr9tADQLmjREX5ILWsjb5mHnGBmA2_ZUMxg/s400/2976_giant-fern.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdaOGqZiU2igmCq2GiFGpOLezvIg9TfLA8eXIdxt7haBGZTFbCnYRpw6GmJeHWvyOj1Ahj4dxHsb1W2p7fK-ep4GF2TxlChfT2J38jD3k8RRtHCLh9u3GtPH_cQT3Z0cIqYceYsQ/s1600/2963_mama-gator-n-hatchlings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdaOGqZiU2igmCq2GiFGpOLezvIg9TfLA8eXIdxt7haBGZTFbCnYRpw6GmJeHWvyOj1Ahj4dxHsb1W2p7fK-ep4GF2TxlChfT2J38jD3k8RRtHCLh9u3GtPH_cQT3Z0cIqYceYsQ/s400/2963_mama-gator-n-hatchlings.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The female alligator with hatchlings is near an observation deck.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg7sP-e4MwL1m2-GWK0qGM-Nh3OpQ6bYSIozrQhDFj8ZkIITQTSIO4ncxM5TPYR74eSKqEMDOVZaqHZzVGsKKFFUDnz6Ox6aBq2y56GNTOSs4U3IldfOvHqtXzvdxObZ-Bl5PRbA/s1600/2960_alligator-hatchling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg7sP-e4MwL1m2-GWK0qGM-Nh3OpQ6bYSIozrQhDFj8ZkIITQTSIO4ncxM5TPYR74eSKqEMDOVZaqHZzVGsKKFFUDnz6Ox6aBq2y56GNTOSs4U3IldfOvHqtXzvdxObZ-Bl5PRbA/s400/2960_alligator-hatchling.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Hatchling alligator.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKaObeMf-wpKmbSBUxPRz2c0bhKCn7zMynw7tosdEYxoWAfzfC19jJSjriJ5gHCsJCRoNMBVdzMqqexl5LFhna3ECj9GonrY-NxEuYtzc6KpsQIWTLQePgcRUryDcQoAR-3mBWJQ/s1600/3918_sawgrass-lake-tower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKaObeMf-wpKmbSBUxPRz2c0bhKCn7zMynw7tosdEYxoWAfzfC19jJSjriJ5gHCsJCRoNMBVdzMqqexl5LFhna3ECj9GonrY-NxEuYtzc6KpsQIWTLQePgcRUryDcQoAR-3mBWJQ/s400/3918_sawgrass-lake-tower.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>There's an observation tower by Sawgrass Lake. The water is clear. You can see turtles, fish, birds, and yes, there are alligators of various sizes. It looks so peaceful, but you can hear the sounds of the city around us. There was the wooshing sound of the highway and pops from the firing range. The wildlife didn't seem to mind.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmsWTRfsB0oPsxSTKjuTXllVeRaOZ8N5tw24A-XfF5adgaD_as3ntq1GxkGrpdo1aBbcWi_EJQx0ENjO9ZDAx6LjENIdnF47N3HE0Wbc6tr-qde9jd64QgFQsPYAcIcij3yefWFg/s1600/3402_florida-softshell-turtle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmsWTRfsB0oPsxSTKjuTXllVeRaOZ8N5tw24A-XfF5adgaD_as3ntq1GxkGrpdo1aBbcWi_EJQx0ENjO9ZDAx6LjENIdnF47N3HE0Wbc6tr-qde9jd64QgFQsPYAcIcij3yefWFg/s400/3402_florida-softshell-turtle.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>There were huge Florida softshell turtles in the lake and creeks.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHDXPS3sO1W0xklMt-xkY2sisQd7eP0l1-dFKyAcE8EyFTFcv-u3gbC0HjmH5kpXDzRwst9Tde_p-ypgkVK5EV2Wgu_vnc7pQvqvmcMOoRj_mL3Bvh33DGh6His5sfJTLFHovHMw/s1600/3910_hammock-trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHDXPS3sO1W0xklMt-xkY2sisQd7eP0l1-dFKyAcE8EyFTFcv-u3gbC0HjmH5kpXDzRwst9Tde_p-ypgkVK5EV2Wgu_vnc7pQvqvmcMOoRj_mL3Bvh33DGh6His5sfJTLFHovHMw/s400/3910_hammock-trail.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>The Hammock Trail is wide enough that I felt comfortable walking through the woods. Parts of the trail are dirt, boardwalk, and bricked.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsazH-RdRr2eu1ISuusiQBxUUyj4hxUCdPqP591v8mYH56RFE_RKX6LEfeWNGPvoT-TYSKgZ69N4-RqHRRdMgJcf-eXxsc1zv5zveYZg9BPitt8o7Ku5D7iIvFqZFFLgSpWj-nRA/s1600/3895_armadillo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsazH-RdRr2eu1ISuusiQBxUUyj4hxUCdPqP591v8mYH56RFE_RKX6LEfeWNGPvoT-TYSKgZ69N4-RqHRRdMgJcf-eXxsc1zv5zveYZg9BPitt8o7Ku5D7iIvFqZFFLgSpWj-nRA/s400/3895_armadillo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We saw an armadillo.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaY8vUqxgzBD97h2dLBuGTcIZVjd-8PimPSX9Fs4x4vSzRBgrvyYTTvNHy9yZkRZ2MbQqvJuKJR2zV9wCN7xLEO4xbI7F3AX9sMFBz6A9508qlxXoJxSMQvVbXZR8b9nGdwOducw/s1600/2978_oak-hammock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaY8vUqxgzBD97h2dLBuGTcIZVjd-8PimPSX9Fs4x4vSzRBgrvyYTTvNHy9yZkRZ2MbQqvJuKJR2zV9wCN7xLEO4xbI7F3AX9sMFBz6A9508qlxXoJxSMQvVbXZR8b9nGdwOducw/s400/2978_oak-hammock.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The Hammock Trail was beautiful. In some places it almost looked as if someone had arranged the oak trees and palmettos.<br />
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There were more trails than we had time to explore. Sawgrass Lake Park is 400 acres in size. It is one of the largest maple swamps on Florida's Gulf Coast.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42192471@N00/sets/72157625927274139/" target="new"><b>More pictures of Sawgrass Lake Park</b></a><br />
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Address: Sawgrass Lake Park<br />
7400 25th St. N.,<br />
St. Petersburg, FL 33702<br />
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Hours: 7am - sunset<br />
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Admission: freeDixieHwyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814315456434052408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35349932.post-30946608371714854722010-10-09T23:05:00.044-04:002010-11-21T23:19:37.967-05:00Alderman's Ford Park on the Alafia River<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKI1tsR-ae7yUSOlQM718KGGnzvtVSAWVhz-1dUQEdGMjk4zBEsfAZrQVfAOg_Ne0M0wFlOBjGtOeX-HvSQuIs5z8gwhTy9tn-BlcPuybTdUXX1EzSxZ7XssK9XLTI9g2_ZeG_Ew/s1600/2714_Aldermans-Ford-Bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKI1tsR-ae7yUSOlQM718KGGnzvtVSAWVhz-1dUQEdGMjk4zBEsfAZrQVfAOg_Ne0M0wFlOBjGtOeX-HvSQuIs5z8gwhTy9tn-BlcPuybTdUXX1EzSxZ7XssK9XLTI9g2_ZeG_Ew/s320/2714_Aldermans-Ford-Bridge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Alderman's Ford Park is near the headwaters of the Alafia River. This scenic bridge goes over the north and south prongs of the Alafia. There are creeks and springs that flow into the river all around the park.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQloWkym8kvC1WPoksw2jlzsZU9GCsCG1uZvd1ew6rHhLNQjEUs01jDiefuez16V_TeP68S5qgFH89tlnxh2bKBPMDi-LingMN2NDN53XD-0rFeXBqJDYIIpb2BYnwp5YfQgsG0w/s1600/2716_Alafia-river-aldermans-ford.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQloWkym8kvC1WPoksw2jlzsZU9GCsCG1uZvd1ew6rHhLNQjEUs01jDiefuez16V_TeP68S5qgFH89tlnxh2bKBPMDi-LingMN2NDN53XD-0rFeXBqJDYIIpb2BYnwp5YfQgsG0w/s320/2716_Alafia-river-aldermans-ford.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Here's the view from the bridge. Most of the Alafia River water is brown. In some places it is clear enough to see the bottom of the river and appears orange.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgecXRzHD_7oi2wyaWEBG_KMaDXkbZMEMMt07crnbhcJ0ji91ClCfKm_WLTyDOYNYI5VVxb_g0X_NjNDvSazvsXkVxqQCh9j6T6bJlb5GUyuQao-l3sNsJMOjn_z9i5BjFfHn1z1A/s1600/2683_Aldermans-Ford-Trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgecXRzHD_7oi2wyaWEBG_KMaDXkbZMEMMt07crnbhcJ0ji91ClCfKm_WLTyDOYNYI5VVxb_g0X_NjNDvSazvsXkVxqQCh9j6T6bJlb5GUyuQao-l3sNsJMOjn_z9i5BjFfHn1z1A/s320/2683_Aldermans-Ford-Trail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>There's a paved jogging trail that is part of a loop. It smells woodsy and spicey along the trails, but every so often there's the sweet smell of spring water. I looked around, but couldn't find a spring.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuyMbzRHq8LYULyF34-tGlQRarCIigq3pM8nTupmqSUPnfH2cyyPUAaiu7Tjj9ihWtR1KNhQ6JngJg7TdvtElNmtSb4KO05JLp9EBMSxz5v_C-vu3HqrfrFbV4TfswxGwpymlkzQ/s1600/2685_AldermansFord-playground.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuyMbzRHq8LYULyF34-tGlQRarCIigq3pM8nTupmqSUPnfH2cyyPUAaiu7Tjj9ihWtR1KNhQ6JngJg7TdvtElNmtSb4KO05JLp9EBMSxz5v_C-vu3HqrfrFbV4TfswxGwpymlkzQ/s320/2685_AldermansFord-playground.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>A large playground and picnic area is near the main entrance.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTj5xlwYnqsSIgog8SaXnrUAeynU8uznw0hqq61aIHlCll4wd30j2XnCwyYX6HM2DZcMonWItnlpRfg-HgJzT5f5jEikn3OrKWtgUy0oYuOxt3l__JTsCH1c9hKdQ6c48sR-UYNg/s1600/2704_Alafia-rainbow-reflections.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTj5xlwYnqsSIgog8SaXnrUAeynU8uznw0hqq61aIHlCll4wd30j2XnCwyYX6HM2DZcMonWItnlpRfg-HgJzT5f5jEikn3OrKWtgUy0oYuOxt3l__JTsCH1c9hKdQ6c48sR-UYNg/s320/2704_Alafia-rainbow-reflections.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>The light reflected like rainbows in the river.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb8bZxee3gshepBvzvkBZ5ojiCKYlz0CIvgFP6V2-Ky3W77x65ATvkgBZPSjHMDgOowKTsGkVmA73Pw3UIJnVvgn4wV9pRZNptW_3FXYjVU6hWhp1-hty3f323AS8-cF0T3LhZxg/s1600/2738_alafia-river-aldermans-ford.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb8bZxee3gshepBvzvkBZ5ojiCKYlz0CIvgFP6V2-Ky3W77x65ATvkgBZPSjHMDgOowKTsGkVmA73Pw3UIJnVvgn4wV9pRZNptW_3FXYjVU6hWhp1-hty3f323AS8-cF0T3LhZxg/s320/2738_alafia-river-aldermans-ford.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I walked along a dried up creek bed to get down to the river. It's an interesting park to explore.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42192471@N00/sets/72157625442862874/with/5196818329/" target="new">More photos of Alderman's Ford Park in Lithia, Florida.</a>DixieHwyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814315456434052408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35349932.post-20175687410593031282010-09-26T23:03:00.039-04:002010-11-17T21:22:33.444-05:00Sunshine Skyway Bridge Picnic Area<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGUS13cZ6U3pai8BoQz99la5x8vkpq3o7DG7ytpB_4McToLHsQ0ToJTlNOKI55B8KgzGZ1-h9fDBSB3D47CmQ-f0FTqbHQt7SKTh_pKVmNbc4Kn70k_i1ZmRCNd0J-xWwiKPERjw/s1600/2471_sunshine-skyway-picnic-cooler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGUS13cZ6U3pai8BoQz99la5x8vkpq3o7DG7ytpB_4McToLHsQ0ToJTlNOKI55B8KgzGZ1-h9fDBSB3D47CmQ-f0FTqbHQt7SKTh_pKVmNbc4Kn70k_i1ZmRCNd0J-xWwiKPERjw/s320/2471_sunshine-skyway-picnic-cooler.jpg" width="254" /></a></div>This is the picnic area at the Sunshine Skyway Bridge south rest area. We pulled in to have a picnic lunch on our way to St. Pete Beach. A large lawn with shaded picnic benches is past the rest area building. There is a lot more seating space here than on the entrance side of the rest area.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPia95lwKkqMaqfHricLyArkdV6wL3kLrhr7vs3V_4GmHyfLYGF7hp__s4Lco-n3KULX0wTNe1sZE3mDLDo3ZtbW3c739g74C_ITcRp8ATkuyZkdcK0csbjZxfbp9izC5WVq64xA/s1600/2483_sunshine-skyway-picnic-area.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPia95lwKkqMaqfHricLyArkdV6wL3kLrhr7vs3V_4GmHyfLYGF7hp__s4Lco-n3KULX0wTNe1sZE3mDLDo3ZtbW3c739g74C_ITcRp8ATkuyZkdcK0csbjZxfbp9izC5WVq64xA/s320/2483_sunshine-skyway-picnic-area.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The scenic views are great! You can see St. Petersburg and Tampa on a clear day.DixieHwyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814315456434052408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35349932.post-69370115500498563202010-08-13T15:22:00.046-04:002010-11-06T09:26:04.254-04:00Swimming at Lithia Springs, Florida<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil242UOtdZPcGu-ODSCHtaZqOIVZt22gdf0VQHOGgwGlBhKMi8X3ui3Ie5iA-QzWkCKHV-o5E5RoQnrwUYzHt5l8wqGFXyX8ftxrJ-jiRwbjnAtS9x-YMEDbeCnWnxaWgufJl9GQ/s1600/4972_Lithia-springs-swimming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil242UOtdZPcGu-ODSCHtaZqOIVZt22gdf0VQHOGgwGlBhKMi8X3ui3Ie5iA-QzWkCKHV-o5E5RoQnrwUYzHt5l8wqGFXyX8ftxrJ-jiRwbjnAtS9x-YMEDbeCnWnxaWgufJl9GQ/s400/4972_Lithia-springs-swimming.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
There were a lot of people at the park. The water was pale blue with a white sand floor. The setting around the water looks like a beach, but walk a few paces and you're in the woods.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaytP0K6yxhg29Pw04B3RtFNiv2EtwjAgvdhphgx_bHyGXesMTGZOqZGFHr0Z3nat6d5SnYNkI857630681bH8c3anbEk8EXrezgGCbIWioeljwpO0lWXvbXyoaLAItQlGvkjzg/s1600/4966_Lithia-Springs-Florida.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaytP0K6yxhg29Pw04B3RtFNiv2EtwjAgvdhphgx_bHyGXesMTGZOqZGFHr0Z3nat6d5SnYNkI857630681bH8c3anbEk8EXrezgGCbIWioeljwpO0lWXvbXyoaLAItQlGvkjzg/s400/4966_Lithia-Springs-Florida.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>Blue spring water peeking through the woods.<br />
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I put on my mask and snorkel, quickly got in the water, and jumped back up just as fast. Brrr! The spring water was really cold. I was determined to snorkel in the clear water, but it took a while to acclimate to the cool temperature. The first three tries I went under I found my body involuntarily coming back up. So, I took off the mask and swam around to get used to the temperature.<br />
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When I got back underwater the visibility was great. Despite all the screaming kids splashing around there were schools of fish by outcroppings of rocks. They weren't concerned about sharing space with people unless they were chased. The sand was full of small snail shells. I had heard that this was a good place to look for shark teeth, but after sifting through the sand with my hands for a while I gave up. I looked around the rocks for life and swam with the fish. It was quiet underwater. As soon as I came up I heard the noises of kids at play.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-wrGADisufPbB6RrJGv6X4W3xfSpFITWExeyX0uO0lXMLsEHUyfeuwgXcMAcyFgDoiEnggVwjg0TE8XaeX-0uyz3uZ-1SJM0KCz4Aosew9zF2yTIho5f45T99Mai9Bo6ylAMvSA/s1600/473_lithia-springs-major-flow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-wrGADisufPbB6RrJGv6X4W3xfSpFITWExeyX0uO0lXMLsEHUyfeuwgXcMAcyFgDoiEnggVwjg0TE8XaeX-0uyz3uZ-1SJM0KCz4Aosew9zF2yTIho5f45T99Mai9Bo6ylAMvSA/s400/473_lithia-springs-major-flow.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>Water flowing from Lithia Springs major to the Alafia River.<br />
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The big spring is a 2nd magnitude spring, which means that a lot of water can flow from the aquifer. The flow from Lithia Springs major can go up to 50 cubic feet per second. There's a cave with a grate over it in the deep end where the water comes out of the ground. As I swam closer to the source the water got colder and the current became stronger. It felt like swimming in place. I tried to get as close as I could to the cave and got a look at it, but the current was too strong to touch the grate.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSN71i7gp3klWfLEN744ybK1iwEB47lGzkl2_FBD9iTihQcnuRYRwqjqYHL_Awhzoer8GPhWk2zxEFu1fk61-1l7dRQQof89dMl9uDZxIaP2hdz3e3d2ZKQg-fk1CUj6CfH640rw/s1600/457_lithia-sp-sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSN71i7gp3klWfLEN744ybK1iwEB47lGzkl2_FBD9iTihQcnuRYRwqjqYHL_Awhzoer8GPhWk2zxEFu1fk61-1l7dRQQof89dMl9uDZxIaP2hdz3e3d2ZKQg-fk1CUj6CfH640rw/s400/457_lithia-sp-sign.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><br />
If I get a chance to take scuba lessons, a Florida spring would be a good place. The water is sweet and doesn't sting your eyes. Getting a mouthful isn't as unpleasant as a mouthful of seawater. Scuba diving isn't permitted at Lithia Springs, but there are plenty of first magnitude springs in Florida for scuba diving. Weeki Wachee is closest to where I live. Ginnie Springs may be another good spot for learning how to scuba.<br />
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Florida springs are beautiful, fascinating settings. The water is a refreshing break from the summer heat.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42192471@N00/sets/72157605420715934/" target="new">More photos of Lithia Springs, Florida.</a><br />
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Related links:<br />
<a href="http://www.thiswaytothe.net/springs/" target="new">Florida Springs Database</a><br />
<a href="http://ginniespringsoutdoors.com/" target="new">Ginnie Springs</a><br />
<a href="http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/parks/parkservices/regionalsites.cfm?facilitydetailid=525" target="new">Lithia Springs</a><br />
<a href="http://www.weekiwachee.com/" target="new">Weeki Wachee Springs</a>DixieHwyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814315456434052408noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35349932.post-66764075824322152672010-07-04T21:42:00.032-04:002010-11-04T23:45:15.312-04:00Lighting a cannon on the 4th of July<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJqOdlFmxLPiJ1WwqMW8RqgpYN8Owp03FFf12553OIjRSnRosNFd5GfeqqcrfY7YjUSW0AEKcIB2v1xL7RRYuUDyl8IC8JuaM3kgyD0dnZ9BzkY9k0egkUwM5G5bzcbb2oq7bftA/s1600/3843-iron-cannon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJqOdlFmxLPiJ1WwqMW8RqgpYN8Owp03FFf12553OIjRSnRosNFd5GfeqqcrfY7YjUSW0AEKcIB2v1xL7RRYuUDyl8IC8JuaM3kgyD0dnZ9BzkY9k0egkUwM5G5bzcbb2oq7bftA/s400/3843-iron-cannon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>It's really hard to keep your hand on the cannon after the sizzling starts. It's the anticipation of the BOOM that gets ya. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhADYwFmbWsmYPsuIOrZVd4GPhqIRbAMogKr98MjBVDEPgOB9KXxxL3B9hozjg48z3c33vNCXQBS1jQqiUJ0LeWbcKXZswGJNaTjApwhFROgFIWKZsdszcaD4Y1eD38E2V3twddA/s1600/1814a_ae-cannon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhADYwFmbWsmYPsuIOrZVd4GPhqIRbAMogKr98MjBVDEPgOB9KXxxL3B9hozjg48z3c33vNCXQBS1jQqiUJ0LeWbcKXZswGJNaTjApwhFROgFIWKZsdszcaD4Y1eD38E2V3twddA/s400/1814a_ae-cannon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Alfonze is ready to take pictures, and Ehrin is about to pack the cannon.<br />
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No, we didn't shoot cannon balls. Everybody asks me that. I don't think the neighbors would have appreciated holes in their houses. The cannon was packed with a wad of foil containing gun powder. The dog ran into the house after the second BOOM.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEya-lpS178SxSUiB4YDqMuKpzxbyQ8UVXuVjGyck-yDSB3EfKzQuoTZFtE-eUVkdJlRbpc2HYoYbraX79bEztpcOiEuA_Xp5hVL_s7khTyz0Hdhk4wqX_NvLzF3tGQAQq_CIXg/s1600/1958-2_night-cannon-fire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEya-lpS178SxSUiB4YDqMuKpzxbyQ8UVXuVjGyck-yDSB3EfKzQuoTZFtE-eUVkdJlRbpc2HYoYbraX79bEztpcOiEuA_Xp5hVL_s7khTyz0Hdhk4wqX_NvLzF3tGQAQq_CIXg/s320/1958-2_night-cannon-fire.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Who needs fireworks when you have a cannon? We answered the neighorhood fireworks with BOOMs from the cannon. Baking soda was added to the gun powder mixture after dark to make sparks.DixieHwyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814315456434052408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35349932.post-65546255457030354352010-06-27T21:14:00.037-04:002010-11-04T23:43:52.300-04:00The view from The Hurricane restaurant<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKi-Gwtkf1dhk1guiHDvfE0Gjo1wn49waP7TwXYOTiDE3Z9qQGcVxAjV0sDgdrjn-DvD2QmhwYydmwykzLpjllGWm4G4SZ6yq79KwElQykly306LcMJT5eA2M29iveKcltS7_F9A/s1600/1906_hurricane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKi-Gwtkf1dhk1guiHDvfE0Gjo1wn49waP7TwXYOTiDE3Z9qQGcVxAjV0sDgdrjn-DvD2QmhwYydmwykzLpjllGWm4G4SZ6yq79KwElQykly306LcMJT5eA2M29iveKcltS7_F9A/s320/1906_hurricane.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>After a great day at the beach, we went up to the roof of The Hurricane to enjoy the view.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjid9XTII1IQ7hgQASDS1Cewm8qkdGFsgDTJpHoXhJmRd9FS40vDZKLeytB2Y3g_PrEM2V3FG_VNGeFU-O4jny3goeLU_JdGzwDKi6c9QdS5dr8joV_Evq_XK0qdZSW8PnHn9Y_yA/s1600/1889_pag-from-hurricane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjid9XTII1IQ7hgQASDS1Cewm8qkdGFsgDTJpHoXhJmRd9FS40vDZKLeytB2Y3g_PrEM2V3FG_VNGeFU-O4jny3goeLU_JdGzwDKi6c9QdS5dr8joV_Evq_XK0qdZSW8PnHn9Y_yA/s320/1889_pag-from-hurricane.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Pass A Grille beach with Egmont Key in the distance.<br />
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The water was a clear turquoise blue. I like this beach in the summer, because you can park close to the beach, set up camp, and the water is right there. That makes a big difference when you're walking in the blazing Florida sun. There are no buildings directly on the beach and it's a beautiful setting.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_6gBR5dWitkGZEfjW9qkeJzmmpCSxWHF7Vgu4V7Jw5ncTB6pjvOILT_dNaUbgVZpjUUrKR81OXSdQxZFtBmLJ-3cqHyOEsFLdApMAa815gOfF0KujgVr1iaygNI3zCJRCOpZvNA/s1600/1895_don-cesar-from-hurricane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_6gBR5dWitkGZEfjW9qkeJzmmpCSxWHF7Vgu4V7Jw5ncTB6pjvOILT_dNaUbgVZpjUUrKR81OXSdQxZFtBmLJ-3cqHyOEsFLdApMAa815gOfF0KujgVr1iaygNI3zCJRCOpZvNA/s320/1895_don-cesar-from-hurricane.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The pink palace on the right on the horizon is the historic Don Cesar hotel at St. Pete Beach. To get to Pass A Grille, keep driving south past the Don Cesar along Gulf Boulevard.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JOjuOiRsdCZKMZ72YdRM_V3z7Rh71Wb_VrDkQeA_XvVVOVoWdHaitHaMn8b4wxVvpAeJ_UpS6tt8F7sVYWmk4fBe8UQsKDffhcheWQir0KSRYAgBd_rF9RvoDlwI2tIzp9u_Dw/s1600/1903_passagrille-after-sunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JOjuOiRsdCZKMZ72YdRM_V3z7Rh71Wb_VrDkQeA_XvVVOVoWdHaitHaMn8b4wxVvpAeJ_UpS6tt8F7sVYWmk4fBe8UQsKDffhcheWQir0KSRYAgBd_rF9RvoDlwI2tIzp9u_Dw/s320/1903_passagrille-after-sunset.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>After taking in the scenery from the third floor roof we went down for a walk on the beach. The colors in the clouds became more vibrant after sundown.DixieHwyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814315456434052408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35349932.post-27533174865202676962010-06-05T09:44:00.015-04:002010-08-15T09:53:47.638-04:00Boogie Boarding at Madeira Beach<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3j5MN0ItC4fniLxNeF8daOprOSxSVESAttLuEen9z385RC5m87NDHC5rELZqj-kLLiGFx6rWpfL0Wf83V_pGZqe1WmEeS3oPYuc8-yhONL5KX-sLIPgYzZmYYaOQ6D534KdxgXA/s1600/1527_body-surfing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3j5MN0ItC4fniLxNeF8daOprOSxSVESAttLuEen9z385RC5m87NDHC5rELZqj-kLLiGFx6rWpfL0Wf83V_pGZqe1WmEeS3oPYuc8-yhONL5KX-sLIPgYzZmYYaOQ6D534KdxgXA/s400/1527_body-surfing.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>It was great to get up in the morning and go for a walk on the beach. The wind was still whipping up waves. After we left the hotel in St. Pete Beach we went out for breakfast and went to Madeira Beach. The waves were even bigger than the night before.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBqoek4MvHSoBuS9q-oGNuVQFU93Y9UXbvCuTYl3LKBuYJJfP8E5TclJToU4srKxRCtvmgN6dQLnsa2_FSxZiap6-_S3w6_X3F3GKG95OChD_ii6fa3Ykz4scaUxj0bFUvu0UjA/s1600/1503_mad-beach-fishing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBqoek4MvHSoBuS9q-oGNuVQFU93Y9UXbvCuTYl3LKBuYJJfP8E5TclJToU4srKxRCtvmgN6dQLnsa2_FSxZiap6-_S3w6_X3F3GKG95OChD_ii6fa3Ykz4scaUxj0bFUvu0UjA/s400/1503_mad-beach-fishing.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>This man was fighting the fish and the waves.<br />
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We had so much fun that we stayed most of the afternoon.DixieHwyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814315456434052408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35349932.post-52211910797296650862010-06-04T22:16:00.055-04:002010-08-15T09:44:15.750-04:00Staycation at St. Pete Beach<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJX_m_6anQySS7YK9btUstdHyN0mbS834nia0wAaxREZlqOepG1n1K1Xq_RN4QCGtAGbQ-uYbeYkcj99xUlYz0BylsLsW0aJufzT43-Qd9KCtAS7XX_42yJDYPsJZRyvi01LqNwQ/s1600/1472_st-pete-beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJX_m_6anQySS7YK9btUstdHyN0mbS834nia0wAaxREZlqOepG1n1K1Xq_RN4QCGtAGbQ-uYbeYkcj99xUlYz0BylsLsW0aJufzT43-Qd9KCtAS7XX_42yJDYPsJZRyvi01LqNwQ/s400/1472_st-pete-beach.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I needed to get away from it all and booked a hotel on the beach for one night. The Rainy Season has just begun and off season rates are in effect. The day before going to the hotel I checked the weather and it was supposed to rain all weekend. Drats!<br />
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It's very unusual for us to have non-stop rain all weekend. Usually small thunderstorms blow around the area. They can dump torrential rain in 15-20 minutes and then the sun comes out again.<br />
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When we got to the beach it was overcast and windy. The waves were perfect for body boarding! We had a great time.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRemPe556hCl5-dELhDrfM7BH26qT4FObsew7EWQDY2cdKoHcO5Xq4ZrW_5iggQjQy0PvG7AljmOQoRYdTkMuD8o7FVwWtL0FavCPywby7c70gQsvisLsV0lTQfO1ZqqOF39KTiQ/s1600/2621_sitting-on-steps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRemPe556hCl5-dELhDrfM7BH26qT4FObsew7EWQDY2cdKoHcO5Xq4ZrW_5iggQjQy0PvG7AljmOQoRYdTkMuD8o7FVwWtL0FavCPywby7c70gQsvisLsV0lTQfO1ZqqOF39KTiQ/s400/2621_sitting-on-steps.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We watched the sun go down over the Gulf of Mexico from the steps of the hotel.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSmdeY5t6QNgHc9t-oGZaqtt33pD91Vxkp3Q5b2KewRfNCANQkkoyjv8EMU4dqpFS-T1XqVfJqcEinyIDNbIM02sgLaBQVXQNLr-xpHkQCL5S579YV87qA25UZ-ySS1qXaIeTWOA/s1600/1453_sunset-from-porch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSmdeY5t6QNgHc9t-oGZaqtt33pD91Vxkp3Q5b2KewRfNCANQkkoyjv8EMU4dqpFS-T1XqVfJqcEinyIDNbIM02sgLaBQVXQNLr-xpHkQCL5S579YV87qA25UZ-ySS1qXaIeTWOA/s400/1453_sunset-from-porch.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Here's my view from the porch. The sunset was beautiful. I think I have about 100 pictures of these palm trees with the sunset.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NCQZObUoD3_Xl6bVEjGmOC6S-CHWb1OBrE3JXhnRYtu74iAMGgqrcUuAqHH1k35CvFxvakI6zSmi3Cczgj5pii-dCivzJWIwQGXrqndheLHIu3N-JdJOjI9C5NxT3rt2cxeluA/s1600/1463_sunset-pass-a-grille.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NCQZObUoD3_Xl6bVEjGmOC6S-CHWb1OBrE3JXhnRYtu74iAMGgqrcUuAqHH1k35CvFxvakI6zSmi3Cczgj5pii-dCivzJWIwQGXrqndheLHIu3N-JdJOjI9C5NxT3rt2cxeluA/s400/1463_sunset-pass-a-grille.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The colors became even more brilliant after the sun dipped below the horizon. We went for a walk on the beach after sunset. I felt like I was far away, even though I was less than an hour away from home.DixieHwyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814315456434052408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35349932.post-57331998211045424452010-05-14T18:54:00.131-04:002010-05-17T00:02:26.351-04:00Blue Sky for Last Launch of Shuttle Atlantis for STS-132<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyhCXjpHtKApu-KhdDbG4EUkm3xVvJx7vt6Qi220utVv_hsZvYMAhOrltOGiQHglC3x2brrv4XLFseliksmvTsTfob-mwYT47TljNlBJGFTt9oGWVyDUmkFJo_dDrDRUAxf_YdaA/s1600/1-STS132_shuttle-on-launchpad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyhCXjpHtKApu-KhdDbG4EUkm3xVvJx7vt6Qi220utVv_hsZvYMAhOrltOGiQHglC3x2brrv4XLFseliksmvTsTfob-mwYT47TljNlBJGFTt9oGWVyDUmkFJo_dDrDRUAxf_YdaA/s400/1-STS132_shuttle-on-launchpad.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We got lucky and were able to get tickets to the NASA Causeway to view the shuttle launch from about 6 miles away. The sky was blue and it was a beautiful day for a launch. This was to be the last launch for Shuttle Atlantis. The crew of mission STS-132 is delivering a Russian module for the International Space Station.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUbcHXd0SAJvIp4qW0L19n3tdFjEuxYnerUYvMKjkZEqxBe2G5VBH1YABJ3Xd1GpLtwfalQi6epJ5Dm14h0Pbl8say3-GgKALARpYLimTZf1RMNCOZLfFnD6VNh2rX4nExkdHdiA/s1600/2-STS132_crowd-at-nasa-causeway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUbcHXd0SAJvIp4qW0L19n3tdFjEuxYnerUYvMKjkZEqxBe2G5VBH1YABJ3Xd1GpLtwfalQi6epJ5Dm14h0Pbl8say3-GgKALARpYLimTZf1RMNCOZLfFnD6VNh2rX4nExkdHdiA/s400/2-STS132_crowd-at-nasa-causeway.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>People at the NASA Causeway before launch. The Vehicle Assembly Building is on the horizon.<br />
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Everything was go for launch until the last meeting before launch called the 9 Minute Hold. A small 1/8" ball bearing was discovered in the payload bay. The bearing had come loose from a camera. They were discussing whether or not it created a "No Go" constraint for launch. When it came time for rollcall, everyone responded, "Go." The flight director wished the crew of Atlantis godspeed, and the commander made a short speech. We saw the access arm and fuel tank beanie retracting.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNHB7ScK6ivT2Hm6_7R5D_avfOn3yD7XWePSMdTus3kzy44SGHVhbxz7GqY8UvmYPcQZx3ltaquYVXYGkheqTpLoGpKEmNlYjelrj3xHB3HfieoxP_K9ylAPxU6DJNEHPtzrFSvA/s1600/3-STS132_Atlantis-liftoff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNHB7ScK6ivT2Hm6_7R5D_avfOn3yD7XWePSMdTus3kzy44SGHVhbxz7GqY8UvmYPcQZx3ltaquYVXYGkheqTpLoGpKEmNlYjelrj3xHB3HfieoxP_K9ylAPxU6DJNEHPtzrFSvA/s400/3-STS132_Atlantis-liftoff.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>There were sparks from main engine ignition, and smoke began to rise around the launchpad.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYFZqvEx6HcVPtRC9Ltymbk5UPkgFy3GnxULT5zuJjgWTs0t8iebk28_6sBypPc186O9rgRuVBHRB2WujyEXY4RKkl_2tkquppcpXkbOJNYWM_tPUcSgO2HXNOYVZoX_D4uWTnbQ/s1600/4-STS132_shuttle-Atlantis-launch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYFZqvEx6HcVPtRC9Ltymbk5UPkgFy3GnxULT5zuJjgWTs0t8iebk28_6sBypPc186O9rgRuVBHRB2WujyEXY4RKkl_2tkquppcpXkbOJNYWM_tPUcSgO2HXNOYVZoX_D4uWTnbQ/s400/4-STS132_shuttle-Atlantis-launch.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Shuttle Atlantis silently rose above the launch tower.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw0oaXF-_zaz27iE5MaBZfQdSbFAEScA4nAZjjsS8zfIX7CEetyXqFQhZfo1Ha2QsSrO69LhbgxV0wvgodiMZ7ksU3t-hdQu3ZeJjJQv6DVItwZ0W1I1_Vs2aqRAUapsen6zob0Q/s1600/5-STS132_shuttle-Atlantis-launch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw0oaXF-_zaz27iE5MaBZfQdSbFAEScA4nAZjjsS8zfIX7CEetyXqFQhZfo1Ha2QsSrO69LhbgxV0wvgodiMZ7ksU3t-hdQu3ZeJjJQv6DVItwZ0W1I1_Vs2aqRAUapsen6zob0Q/s400/5-STS132_shuttle-Atlantis-launch.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>The space shuttle ascended into the sky on a long orange flame. It was beautiful. We heard a rumbling sound about 30 seconds after liftoff.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT7FpSImBKVKmEu__6-8AeMXu2Ghy-XHjEwJsXqHbKeKPVzGUxAlIVMT2BhYKGksaEW6vQK7_DHTeZ2vj7W7K-_3L6EbOx098BM1dNsAb84sRpDIv3EhIGY_0Sonp2taV6lva2jQ/s1600/6-STS132_Atlantis-launch-NASA-Causeway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT7FpSImBKVKmEu__6-8AeMXu2Ghy-XHjEwJsXqHbKeKPVzGUxAlIVMT2BhYKGksaEW6vQK7_DHTeZ2vj7W7K-_3L6EbOx098BM1dNsAb84sRpDIv3EhIGY_0Sonp2taV6lva2jQ/s400/6-STS132_Atlantis-launch-NASA-Causeway.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>The rumbling sound built up to a loud roar accented by pops, bangs, and claps.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAt1X2mJqDg3r-jPz5uVwD9cIdw59PTgWjoso3j0OjPx03FidKjB30NKalc0-dy3Zasb-DBmdv7zBH22VSj7HSt7My3b-fpKmmVIESwp3nLc-I4nEfwFWy8G4cH1kyCM1YZoE4zA/s1600/7-STS132_Atlantis-rocket-seperation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAt1X2mJqDg3r-jPz5uVwD9cIdw59PTgWjoso3j0OjPx03FidKjB30NKalc0-dy3Zasb-DBmdv7zBH22VSj7HSt7My3b-fpKmmVIESwp3nLc-I4nEfwFWy8G4cH1kyCM1YZoE4zA/s400/7-STS132_Atlantis-rocket-seperation.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Three pinpoints of light show Solid Rocket Booster separation.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisZk2ikLWOhFAULXrEDv60cO9SkGHtlAypHNMbMrQ65JeomFInsy5WbuSrRs_rd5Fdf52G0TEJlc9nLgCt1dcavfA01ycy6Ezis7DFwgPF8EsXh3O7G51vj7u979YHt0SFfUO38Q/s1600/8-STS132_Atlantis-launch-contrail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisZk2ikLWOhFAULXrEDv60cO9SkGHtlAypHNMbMrQ65JeomFInsy5WbuSrRs_rd5Fdf52G0TEJlc9nLgCt1dcavfA01ycy6Ezis7DFwgPF8EsXh3O7G51vj7u979YHt0SFfUO38Q/s400/8-STS132_Atlantis-launch-contrail.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>The wind started to blow apart the contrail very quickly. The top part of the cloud formed into a loop.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlgZ0tE4fYI5Kap_uKZ0KylOOes5LxPXARp91F-kG4lYASQ9RSke35GTdrVqcmd95BOl6aR-RvrIdND8MkeI4vFj6Ksp4g7k9w2mlDCmch1USHdG2haJ0NeA8BO5ZT8WpDwRLtpA/s1600/9-STS132_Atlantis-launch-contrail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlgZ0tE4fYI5Kap_uKZ0KylOOes5LxPXARp91F-kG4lYASQ9RSke35GTdrVqcmd95BOl6aR-RvrIdND8MkeI4vFj6Ksp4g7k9w2mlDCmch1USHdG2haJ0NeA8BO5ZT8WpDwRLtpA/s400/9-STS132_Atlantis-launch-contrail.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>Here we are with the dissipating contrail on the left side of the photo.<br />
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This could be our last time at the NASA Causeway. There are only two more space shuttle missions left.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42192471@N00/sets/72157623952114371/">More photos of the launch of shuttle Atlantis for STS-132</a>DixieHwyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814315456434052408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35349932.post-68805298995206983482010-04-29T23:16:00.153-04:002010-07-12T20:34:37.995-04:00Full Moon Tide at Fort DeSoto Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfzwq88Ty5CiRxROX6xSKXMx6HnCpgDWVlDwGc_NNIt3EOexn1aVx3I-N3-ACOmZD56b5tG1bFYcphFoE-621CV7XhN38I4lWMAX_ufukof5_oYQMHh2UAA6tAnGavCfFAeTY8rQ/s1600/01_ankle-deep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfzwq88Ty5CiRxROX6xSKXMx6HnCpgDWVlDwGc_NNIt3EOexn1aVx3I-N3-ACOmZD56b5tG1bFYcphFoE-621CV7XhN38I4lWMAX_ufukof5_oYQMHh2UAA6tAnGavCfFAeTY8rQ/s400/01_ankle-deep.jpg" width="400" /><span id="goog_1573351309"></span><span id="goog_1573351310"></span></a></div>The tide was so far out that the water was only ankle to knee deep. The water was clear and there was a lot of sea life to see. It was like snorkeling without having to swim in the water.<br />
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A spring tide happens every month at the full and new moon and has nothing to do with seasonality. That's when the tides are at their highest and lowest levels. This evening's tide is about the season. It's a springtime low tide and sea creatures have gathered to mate. Walking at Fort DeSoto Park tonight was like walking through an aquarium.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTsfUSumAlVJ_8nJuTzjjtKfSs8PrzGFRS22ykzAAefrq290AigY7rRma0spdDgDpVW8Wv3ylTuu8_ritmFm-BIybmgh1_0c9zwACzumoq6e5RxbfvTQoRFT6Q1qWzZCnfl2gACg/s1600/02_tulip-snail-trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTsfUSumAlVJ_8nJuTzjjtKfSs8PrzGFRS22ykzAAefrq290AigY7rRma0spdDgDpVW8Wv3ylTuu8_ritmFm-BIybmgh1_0c9zwACzumoq6e5RxbfvTQoRFT6Q1qWzZCnfl2gACg/s400/02_tulip-snail-trail.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>The trail of a tulip snail was easy to follow through the clear water. Once springtime is over we'll only find remnants of their striped shells.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2fktN3DkAFocAC7lVvJmDi9BvkGC2GeV1seGTpo_pfU4CXui62d5WHQLuqf8LW8QNbhOUQsh9jdsJNc3CqhNqLBB4Xk_PUK6_vDIXLjLyCJj_nO_ixYWE0JU_7TKtmqyrXvj-TA/s1600/03_gulf-starfish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2fktN3DkAFocAC7lVvJmDi9BvkGC2GeV1seGTpo_pfU4CXui62d5WHQLuqf8LW8QNbhOUQsh9jdsJNc3CqhNqLBB4Xk_PUK6_vDIXLjLyCJj_nO_ixYWE0JU_7TKtmqyrXvj-TA/s400/03_gulf-starfish.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We found all sorts of starfish.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNM9OX1B8_HOam9Xh3tB7CADi3m4tAjNfR4YlxF0qpg-FLWJX7ZcNXbytDsmC4AcpF-NI87iD7zB3_Qahf5Hg34uvF8bXNnwa21sR66r7HHZpHGNv-NEl4ON-27MAxIdjUS5onDA/s1600/04_crown-conch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNM9OX1B8_HOam9Xh3tB7CADi3m4tAjNfR4YlxF0qpg-FLWJX7ZcNXbytDsmC4AcpF-NI87iD7zB3_Qahf5Hg34uvF8bXNnwa21sR66r7HHZpHGNv-NEl4ON-27MAxIdjUS5onDA/s400/04_crown-conch.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>There were crown conchs everywhere. At low tide the smaller animals gather to find their own kind.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPg1K2u7jGeX6gtSAlQL2KxUC9S5JFRRANlTiFdcDBB8Zj0GI-zj5vV9pNkwrC-julgeKozPzbgFxRnBwg7gT5mW5CeE6gDjw0PjBK2P6m9KH-hMgpiDHkXyj9z45qQIMLs-XIjA/s1600/05_florida-octopus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPg1K2u7jGeX6gtSAlQL2KxUC9S5JFRRANlTiFdcDBB8Zj0GI-zj5vV9pNkwrC-julgeKozPzbgFxRnBwg7gT5mW5CeE6gDjw0PjBK2P6m9KH-hMgpiDHkXyj9z45qQIMLs-XIjA/s400/05_florida-octopus.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>At high tide the predators come out to feast. We found a small octopus clinging to a pen shell.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjklqKaFYJn56ASKV_0hZm9-0xdPp5iCbA4-JUV9t_jwliA37pVfyp2aHte24MMKi6lw6Ic1913wNslSH4wbUjMo2EpSWyn-kquL5pGVdWsxrXCnxrzjwYGIPlDY0oYEo6Gcs89vQ/s1600/05_octopus-tidal-habitat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjklqKaFYJn56ASKV_0hZm9-0xdPp5iCbA4-JUV9t_jwliA37pVfyp2aHte24MMKi6lw6Ic1913wNslSH4wbUjMo2EpSWyn-kquL5pGVdWsxrXCnxrzjwYGIPlDY0oYEo6Gcs89vQ/s400/05_octopus-tidal-habitat.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The octopus was in a pool of water around an old stump. It must have been left behind when the tide waters receded, because we rarely find them at the beach. There were a lot of other creatures around tree roots in the water such as sea urchins, fish, conchs, and tulip snails. We nicknamed this area the habitat. It was teeming with life.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbNMjwOnc-8gTIBahhohP1c3rlzHVEbqOISOkXl07x032TjcJ36OnQEpD2fXxnFJfqsyfwi5IvedC5MaEzRXU61gR7ki1jv10s1BmQZWkQGcqI8jbv1GWBEHPUZJU_R1FL2d1Fgw/s1600/06_white-crab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbNMjwOnc-8gTIBahhohP1c3rlzHVEbqOISOkXl07x032TjcJ36OnQEpD2fXxnFJfqsyfwi5IvedC5MaEzRXU61gR7ki1jv10s1BmQZWkQGcqI8jbv1GWBEHPUZJU_R1FL2d1Fgw/s400/06_white-crab.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>A nearby crab was hunting for munchies.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEld4oTLZJ0fUmnGPzQ0YV-5Wr5VfaYG-2N9XPNWDumExiQhYKX553KN3mi0X5NzZtFgRfKUfkOyJB-uYwGC84MNWTPByRikAQBv6Q3BUQ5TA-0gS0vkNwZx5EPnBXvRLQ-7k4A/s1600/07_tulip-egg-casing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEld4oTLZJ0fUmnGPzQ0YV-5Wr5VfaYG-2N9XPNWDumExiQhYKX553KN3mi0X5NzZtFgRfKUfkOyJB-uYwGC84MNWTPByRikAQBv6Q3BUQ5TA-0gS0vkNwZx5EPnBXvRLQ-7k4A/s400/07_tulip-egg-casing.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The pink ruffles on the pen shell are tulip egg casings. The little pink spots are embryos.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLz8xqkCwijY-r0-hp0SlYCeEUprAgZcNrHyCr5ARfqb77kUgWyI6eZDZU3SuDM6AX2IRkG0bTB-yCEDrEws9du98SlUYLjvQh2T6wQ0Y1H8HP-cMT_uAqfRhprSo-4Y0gc9-6w/s1600/08_psychedelic-sunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLz8xqkCwijY-r0-hp0SlYCeEUprAgZcNrHyCr5ARfqb77kUgWyI6eZDZU3SuDM6AX2IRkG0bTB-yCEDrEws9du98SlUYLjvQh2T6wQ0Y1H8HP-cMT_uAqfRhprSo-4Y0gc9-6w/s400/08_psychedelic-sunset.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Sunset colors reflected on the water in tiny waves and ripples. The ultraviolet light reflected as deep blues and purples. Yellow, amber, orange, and red contrasted against the blues. The colors flickered in the water like a psychedelic festival.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8c5xI2tQ2orMXnouilS9D8T53dbCO6sz84OHtb-CnaP9gKALjTXRver9VTq_0hnjSHVebq3dO3S-wIRwasptxhrB7IzxYtmhmvEI16Iy-7tJUM7Wkx9-VGmKI7Vway6fLEQOaSA/s1600/09_fort-desoto-shelling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8c5xI2tQ2orMXnouilS9D8T53dbCO6sz84OHtb-CnaP9gKALjTXRver9VTq_0hnjSHVebq3dO3S-wIRwasptxhrB7IzxYtmhmvEI16Iy-7tJUM7Wkx9-VGmKI7Vway6fLEQOaSA/s400/09_fort-desoto-shelling.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>People continued shelling after sunset. We laughed when a woman screamed when a fighting conch suddenly emerged from a shell she was carrying. As we drove home we saw people shelling in shallow areas with blue flashlights. It looked like blue fireflies hovering over the dark water against a sky still dimly lit with sunset colors.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42192471@N00/sets/72157624345946407/" target="new">More photos of April 2010 Full Moon Tides</a><br />
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<a href="http://dixiehwy.blogspot.com/2008/05/how-to-clean-sea-shells.html" target="new">How to Clean Sea Shells</a></span>DixieHwyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814315456434052408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35349932.post-62320060376990632632010-04-05T21:59:00.170-04:002010-06-30T23:52:54.408-04:00Predawn Launch of Space Shuttle Discovery STS-131<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2fvqkpTrgcBdLhgTck2V776l7jsp20oI2LntSmQuNQT8631r-4A4y5v6Syi9h79My7h9LXc4cxa9c8Bu6V08v7yYKdupwwdB_MdNyn3jX9uIkAAvaaCTefNkY4lS20FIrdxyEQ/s1600/sts131-discovery-launch-lights-up-titusville.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2fvqkpTrgcBdLhgTck2V776l7jsp20oI2LntSmQuNQT8631r-4A4y5v6Syi9h79My7h9LXc4cxa9c8Bu6V08v7yYKdupwwdB_MdNyn3jX9uIkAAvaaCTefNkY4lS20FIrdxyEQ/s400/sts131-discovery-launch-lights-up-titusville.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Space Shuttle Discovery lights up a dark sky just before dawn on Monday morning at 6:22am. The seven member crew of Mission STS-131 is set to resupply the International Space Station and complete 3 space walks.<br />
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I arrived around 4am. The temperature was 59 degrees F, little wind, some fog in low lying areas, and not a single cloud in the sky.<br />
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Closer to launch time, people were pressing together, sort of like at a rock concert (except without the booze, drugs and foul language). They were all trying to get as close to the fence as possible, which is at the edge of the Indian River.<br />
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At about half an hour prior to launch, a technical glitch created a NO GO situation. They were working feverishly to fix it, and had less than 30 minutes to do so. It sounded something like, the flux capacitor wasn't communicating with the disgronificator, so the converginator was disabled. Who knew?!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHdczux8RPhry7Fyk8Z8TALv0gTU1x5eohA_H0yCe-4lXbCJ_Z1BM6SO0gGajRo2_QHQkDDb8wlDvJh-zlOoJJgy9dcod7DrmwY-2imod-tg3xHFJTwya8hZSAPbl4mJL7AWKbwQ/s1600/sts131-moon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHdczux8RPhry7Fyk8Z8TALv0gTU1x5eohA_H0yCe-4lXbCJ_Z1BM6SO0gGajRo2_QHQkDDb8wlDvJh-zlOoJJgy9dcod7DrmwY-2imod-tg3xHFJTwya8hZSAPbl4mJL7AWKbwQ/s400/sts131-moon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>About 20 minutes prior to launch, under a totally clear, constellation filled sky complete with waning moon, something happened that has not happened in the prior five night launches. The International Space Station passed overhead! Oh Yeah!!! It eclipsed the moon. It was one of those times when you truly had to be there.<br />
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All of the people that pressed around me had never seen a Space Shuttle launch before. Most of them had heard that there was a launch attempt this morning and they changed their plans and came over to witness the event<br />
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At nine minutes before launch the countdown clock stopped for the Nine Minute Hold. NASA personnel at Mission Control in Houston and at Launch Control at Kennedy Space Center in Florida have one more meeting before launch to work out last minute details. The technical glitch was resolved. Everyone responded "GO!" during roll call, and the Flight Director wished the crew Godspeed. The countdown continued.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhaiEGjmt4pKFz-FFxuHBHYkZ4nn6TS349AVfvedMQebsp6XPXLhgjbog7xpxRYUb9IzggoNWmxNMKYdSnLpq65VLeUVXOVbGT7DPQ1OYgMcyJwRSrQxrXtSA72KF1QpKK1r9AQ/s1600/STS131_Shuttle-Discovery-clears-launch-tower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhaiEGjmt4pKFz-FFxuHBHYkZ4nn6TS349AVfvedMQebsp6XPXLhgjbog7xpxRYUb9IzggoNWmxNMKYdSnLpq65VLeUVXOVbGT7DPQ1OYgMcyJwRSrQxrXtSA72KF1QpKK1r9AQ/s400/STS131_Shuttle-Discovery-clears-launch-tower.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Liftoff is silent from 9 miles away. The entire area is overwhelmed by light and then the sound builds. It was so loud that the ground shook. Car alarms went off. All sorts of sea creatures surfaced out of the water in surprise. There were turtles, dolphins, and alligators, to name a few.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHXBbhhegYCbcscR_t-FHkn-iqmlvqXPyAKqLm3XqnnpG6U7ooipg1OGwv179DQHeiS_NKlntFCKX4E1MGyoh44d9fmPIte9eHMhLRtbveRJLcgpzpuQABcoMcJ-z40yzKllSwcQ/s1600/STS131-shuttle-discovery-launch-srb-sep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHXBbhhegYCbcscR_t-FHkn-iqmlvqXPyAKqLm3XqnnpG6U7ooipg1OGwv179DQHeiS_NKlntFCKX4E1MGyoh44d9fmPIte9eHMhLRtbveRJLcgpzpuQABcoMcJ-z40yzKllSwcQ/s400/STS131-shuttle-discovery-launch-srb-sep.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>As the Space Shuttle sped down range, there was a separation in the contrail. I've never seen that before. There was a huge gap as if the engines had stopped for 15-20 seconds and then came back on. After the gap, there was a trail behind the Space Shuttle that looked just like a huge comet! It looked like a picture of a comet that you would see in a schoolbook; something like the ancients would have painted. It was phenominal! My pictures do not do it justice. One day, perhaps I'll be cool enough to capture a moment like that!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzkLM6-TX556mFQcguR1TvkbuUTTcy9yJrWme1Cl-I_sQvDbbIQr1pGLkRC2migYenTDQVA81SV0JzVfW_mARuuymI8widSrypSmu0bOfV1LHpX6XgazpChHQc_AtxV1URSZ09oA/s1600/sts131-shuttle-launch-contrail-at-dawn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzkLM6-TX556mFQcguR1TvkbuUTTcy9yJrWme1Cl-I_sQvDbbIQr1pGLkRC2migYenTDQVA81SV0JzVfW_mARuuymI8widSrypSmu0bOfV1LHpX6XgazpChHQc_AtxV1URSZ09oA/s400/sts131-shuttle-launch-contrail-at-dawn.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>As the dawn painted a rainbow on the horizon, the top of the contrail was brightly illuminated by the sun. We packed up our camp and headed to the car taking glances at the sky as the sun rose.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirOk_v40h8qbgoDlLVIDq3J-vrBBQAKxFDfCywU6KplbohC5Dz8aEe_LZzd9ZfI4aiYK-AMkjUefxRGRJ7-8pavQUD6J7f_ICJpKWyJMl2jbllyMNrkIMBzcoSZogTfxtdYdn9OA/s1600/sts131-discovery-launch-colorful-cloud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirOk_v40h8qbgoDlLVIDq3J-vrBBQAKxFDfCywU6KplbohC5Dz8aEe_LZzd9ZfI4aiYK-AMkjUefxRGRJ7-8pavQUD6J7f_ICJpKWyJMl2jbllyMNrkIMBzcoSZogTfxtdYdn9OA/s400/sts131-discovery-launch-colorful-cloud.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>As we sat in post launch traffic, we continued to watch the remnants of the contrail change colors in the sunrise. I've never seen anything like it.DixieHwyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814315456434052408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35349932.post-1627859628788700382010-02-14T14:00:00.000-05:002010-02-28T09:57:14.960-05:00Plant Hall at the University of Tampa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaIl9zRYP4J0TLbBaIP9hghtnXxBOrUc47Mh6XCMMb0E8YmKISxWigQWQF2obLBpx7wzXT6zQN9XuTC70AOrHinwwZlddfGL-vr_lx_fyKGU1dxUuAv6YQa65egDL-p5GI3HMeig/s1600-h/Plant-Hall-Tampa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaIl9zRYP4J0TLbBaIP9hghtnXxBOrUc47Mh6XCMMb0E8YmKISxWigQWQF2obLBpx7wzXT6zQN9XuTC70AOrHinwwZlddfGL-vr_lx_fyKGU1dxUuAv6YQa65egDL-p5GI3HMeig/s320/Plant-Hall-Tampa.jpg" /></a></div>The domes and minarets of Plant Hall are the iconic architectural symbol of Tampa. The building was completed in 1891 as The Tampa Bay Hotel. I've only gotten glimpses of the place when driving by, and wanted to visit. <br />
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The hotel was built by railroad tycoon Henry Plant when there wasn't much else in Tampa. It was at the terminus of the western Florida railroad line. There weren't many passable roads through the swamps of Florida in the 1880's. The railroads would have been the first Dixie Highway in Florida. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7hwW2U77ihPSAQpqtz-RXWfeNy31_Fb2wemb-TqxY9zDGiRCpTjep_WRJbQIjFiBNVmllxFw9uxZ0lHOZgyYlF-8oRMgqAHWEtjqT6AKgPx1il0pDpt1pupK-bdRftwVucd0yVw/s1600-h/PlantHall-portico.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7hwW2U77ihPSAQpqtz-RXWfeNy31_Fb2wemb-TqxY9zDGiRCpTjep_WRJbQIjFiBNVmllxFw9uxZ0lHOZgyYlF-8oRMgqAHWEtjqT6AKgPx1il0pDpt1pupK-bdRftwVucd0yVw/s320/PlantHall-portico.jpg" /></a></div>The Victorian facade and portico are awe inspiring. The Tampa Bay Hotel was open seasonally from December - April. Famous people such as Sandra Berhardt, Clara Barton, Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders, and Babe Ruth visited the hotel. It was the beginning of Florida's tourism industry.<br />
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The railroads created not only new winter retreats for the rich, but also created opportunities for the orange farmers to reach new markets. The Port of Tampa grew from the connection of steamship to rail transport. Local businesses flourished. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZSAYryWOXgZsc_rvtFbr8JX8pNBI_mrBU4nIGLiIKgh8o9IYMjwzYUX4uvurQLy_C2rxDncMTKKXwl2wQzRVEsOz0D01XJlc0az75tCMsyknbDbxEN2OZc8_Z1_2C2EokM9qafA/s1600-h/PlantHall-fountain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZSAYryWOXgZsc_rvtFbr8JX8pNBI_mrBU4nIGLiIKgh8o9IYMjwzYUX4uvurQLy_C2rxDncMTKKXwl2wQzRVEsOz0D01XJlc0az75tCMsyknbDbxEN2OZc8_Z1_2C2EokM9qafA/s320/PlantHall-fountain.jpg" /></a></div>This fountain inscribed with the name Henry Bradley Plant is across the street from the main entrance facade. You can see downtown Tampa in the background.<br />
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Henry Plant made his fortune in the North when as a railroad employee he saw an opportunity for express parcel service, which was nonexistent at the time. He worked his way up to becoming a high profile executive. After the Civil War he purchased bankrupt Southern railroads that were devastated by the war. The restored railroad lines went to major cities of the South and connected them to the Northeast. Florida was still a new frontier. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ByBmFpK9Jg-BnqPX62Dxf7c6tiqW8cEbyFSy46vys550AEGsMvPhaHj6IKCHXJsJZFiD1aN1j7dKN5dK5jLtCzTDVUtY2Kz5pOpLOfukC2Un_14-4h4omSTpXpuUU54sKCpY7Q/s1600-h/PlantHall-FletcherLounge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ByBmFpK9Jg-BnqPX62Dxf7c6tiqW8cEbyFSy46vys550AEGsMvPhaHj6IKCHXJsJZFiD1aN1j7dKN5dK5jLtCzTDVUtY2Kz5pOpLOfukC2Un_14-4h4omSTpXpuUU54sKCpY7Q/s320/PlantHall-FletcherLounge.jpg" /></a></div>Fletcher Lounge is a large space used today by the University of Tampa as an auditorium.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ7oVe3FSKbZyHx2TcCW9vw2dWKU3NUEVqYzbnoptd3JohtNzXOuNfR6wgjFbaYOrlSyowuEVdMNvN0B-enVvY6khp1iDSV2B_NcTId0XJ70Z1fHTT_VAiVaJKpnUbTYPoKlFJPg/s1600-h/PlantHall-FletcherDome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ7oVe3FSKbZyHx2TcCW9vw2dWKU3NUEVqYzbnoptd3JohtNzXOuNfR6wgjFbaYOrlSyowuEVdMNvN0B-enVvY6khp1iDSV2B_NcTId0XJ70Z1fHTT_VAiVaJKpnUbTYPoKlFJPg/s320/PlantHall-FletcherDome.jpg" /></a></div>Here's a detail of the dome inside Fletcher Lounge.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd5APSnZ8kVtb0S7o-fRFKYqZVa8KWiueO-HmExwx04aBZxCElv8uDNrSwoAGQEkm9vG5aOu6b3dumSSFzPziv9hUYpgXv9sFGpFmEqJlxLOdcGKoc-nX9clee0UIEPI8b63S1QQ/s1600-h/PlantHall-windows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd5APSnZ8kVtb0S7o-fRFKYqZVa8KWiueO-HmExwx04aBZxCElv8uDNrSwoAGQEkm9vG5aOu6b3dumSSFzPziv9hUYpgXv9sFGpFmEqJlxLOdcGKoc-nX9clee0UIEPI8b63S1QQ/s320/PlantHall-windows.jpg" /></a> </div>The large Victorian windows of Fletcher Lounge.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmL9YCQl2UqMy0-WbA8TI0EYYLmc-a-3mzaTIwiGG4xIV8YY2cKuICexQoXxKqZyr8m3aQ26x8GgwKs3JGmk6tXF2jwaytobdc5V7FEjRBZs6D8IyY-MosEml-6Qb_VTsg4MVxNA/s1600-h/PlantHall-curved-hallway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmL9YCQl2UqMy0-WbA8TI0EYYLmc-a-3mzaTIwiGG4xIV8YY2cKuICexQoXxKqZyr8m3aQ26x8GgwKs3JGmk6tXF2jwaytobdc5V7FEjRBZs6D8IyY-MosEml-6Qb_VTsg4MVxNA/s320/PlantHall-curved-hallway.jpg" /></a></div>I climbed a narrow spiral staircase to explore the area above Fletcher Lounge and felt a little like Alice in Wonderland. I wasn't sure what I might find around the corner. This curved hallway on the second floor runs along a rooftop. It connects the offices near Fletcher Lounge to the classrooms of the Science Department.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmZreqv9k262Ua-qiZQbnD7xPc35YdQKtMRfd29IaOGdjDfHWb8nkubjGVWrx2jXlvNfxSLhTS6BVdfCQ_fVFyHSLQoyheQTEPLc8wABq1L4Jaz17as74l_GqLL1joP9Sgnei1w/s1600-h/PlantHall-staircase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmZreqv9k262Ua-qiZQbnD7xPc35YdQKtMRfd29IaOGdjDfHWb8nkubjGVWrx2jXlvNfxSLhTS6BVdfCQ_fVFyHSLQoyheQTEPLc8wABq1L4Jaz17as74l_GqLL1joP9Sgnei1w/s320/PlantHall-staircase.jpg" /></a></div>Grandiose staircases can be found throughout the building.<br />
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There's a lot to see here, including the <a href="http://www.plantmuseum.com/" target="new">Henry B. Plant Museum</a> on the first floor, and a park along the Hillsborough River. Parking is a challenge, as it is on most college campuses. If you visit give a little extra time to find parking. It's a great place to photograph.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42192471@N00/sets/72157623523759182/" target="new">More photos of Plant Hall in Tampa</a></span></b>DixieHwyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814315456434052408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35349932.post-65687086448047509702010-02-08T04:14:00.118-05:002013-11-05T19:24:57.745-05:00STS-130 Space Shuttle Endeavour Launch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7JNj9sZRC5bswegVxvpk8i2fbaTvDs-UDo1OfekqNGqPshzpuw4Q6Ovfgb6dzaQTrmZu9CSUUubd71DPlbCqbwdx7Gh7fjRzIUr96WoakZEsVxq9gHtENDggfj94zYurQMsoxJA/s1600-h/STS130-space-shuttle-launch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7JNj9sZRC5bswegVxvpk8i2fbaTvDs-UDo1OfekqNGqPshzpuw4Q6Ovfgb6dzaQTrmZu9CSUUubd71DPlbCqbwdx7Gh7fjRzIUr96WoakZEsVxq9gHtENDggfj94zYurQMsoxJA/s320/STS130-space-shuttle-launch.jpg"></a></div><br>
It was cold and windy on the water. People were huddled together under blankets. Some were on the ground in sleeping bags. Cameras on tripods were ready to take in the last night launch of the space shuttle era. It's 3:30am and the space shuttle is scheduled to launch at 4:14:08am.<br>
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They waited in the darkness for hours listening to the radio and checking for news on cell phones. The previous night had been a disappointment when the launch was scrubbed due to a low cloud ceiling. Tonight, the weather for launch was perfect in Florida, but the emergency landing sites in Europe were all experiencing inclement weather. Less than a half-hour before launch, the weather had cleared in Zaragoza, Spain. Conditions went from red to green and everyone cheered.<br>
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Rollcall was about to be called in Mission Control during the last meeting before launch known as The Nine Minute Hold. Everyone polled replies "GO." Once the countdown restarts at T-9 minutes things happen very quickly. The people sitting in the dark stand up, drop their blankets and check camera settings. At T-5 minutes the orbiter access arm slowly swings away from the space shuttle. At T-2.5 minutes the beanie cap at the top of the orange fuel tank lifts and retracts. At T-6.6 seconds the main engines start. 3...2...1...GO!<br>
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There's a small glow of amber light at the launchpad as smoke starts streaming out the sides. The light glows dark orange as the space shuttle silently lifts off. We are about 9 miles away and the sound hasn't reached us yet. The light becomes brighter as the space shuttle ascends and suddenly overwhelms the darkness like a rising sun. The entire area is lit as if by daylight and then the rumbling begins. The sound is accompanied by crackles and pops and builds into a crescendo as what looks like a star continues to rise.<br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWKx-c3ezFJU5reKaCCFeUf1NeMmwZ3lVZcX7FcvNm2Ohs7rr_nn8ViqOk1mOP5JTfkBOdWtvLdNORN5IgQobP8_tt4y6tW3ZX7ovK2yMMLz-7QL_IvgQtw5fSDMYnL_g9yUMQ0w/s1600-h/STS130-launch-cloud-light.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWKx-c3ezFJU5reKaCCFeUf1NeMmwZ3lVZcX7FcvNm2Ohs7rr_nn8ViqOk1mOP5JTfkBOdWtvLdNORN5IgQobP8_tt4y6tW3ZX7ovK2yMMLz-7QL_IvgQtw5fSDMYnL_g9yUMQ0w/s320/STS130-launch-cloud-light.jpg"></a></div><br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSCKa2Yj7BD8aH8Sa3ICAU9J88nD2w_KZp0QzUIO4mdK0zdq56mFiLN2SyYmsOVo3tV2RSyyt5tKqqTJwjjvyp7gkYFyEgiLS5vka_7m30PGyhTDU68CDzzM572FppaZU1TNis_Q/s1600-h/STS130-OutofthisWorld.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSCKa2Yj7BD8aH8Sa3ICAU9J88nD2w_KZp0QzUIO4mdK0zdq56mFiLN2SyYmsOVo3tV2RSyyt5tKqqTJwjjvyp7gkYFyEgiLS5vka_7m30PGyhTDU68CDzzM572FppaZU1TNis_Q/s320/STS130-OutofthisWorld.jpg"></a></div>Clouds above the space shuttle are illuminated in an eerie funnel shape as if opening a door to another world.<br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGr2BoKzq6IRnHwzD4OIL-10TjjFYsdqjz1iF28HdGHSlPPb6Ye7YiVFo7vECQh5Lu9Ed6nsPfPzsJkm2lpkW8d9e0_3MATfcNJFWTogoEvtZm_n3Hnl5-lw4zlGV5jLNSTz1Lg/s1600-h/STS130-boosters-flames.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGr2BoKzq6IRnHwzD4OIL-10TjjFYsdqjz1iF28HdGHSlPPb6Ye7YiVFo7vECQh5Lu9Ed6nsPfPzsJkm2lpkW8d9e0_3MATfcNJFWTogoEvtZm_n3Hnl5-lw4zlGV5jLNSTz1Lg/s320/STS130-boosters-flames.jpg"></a></div>A long flame enters the clouds and the rumbling continues. <br>
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No one can take their eyes off of it. Some completely abandon their cameras to watch.<br>
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The white star separates from two orange flames as the solid rocket boosters drop away from the space shuttle. The people in the dark applaud and continue to watch as the sound fades and the light dims to a pinpoint. They gather their equipment and leave knowing that they will never see a sight quite like this again.<br>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42192471@N00/sets/72157623260905925/" target="new">More of our photos of STS-130 launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour.</a><br>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42192471@N00/galleries/72157623488798168/" target="new">A Gallery of Photos: The Last Night Launch</a><br>
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</span>DixieHwyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814315456434052408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35349932.post-50091896674543636822010-01-31T19:41:00.085-05:002010-02-09T20:47:17.343-05:00Manatee Faces at the TECO Plant<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvfLgyVhv6B8AOvJWmort3eeTk0kFzl4ZrPjTZAVfdw-I6N95Z8YJ2rh_R3zFrqG1qyvrxzW_YiiFz33CBmQ63S4bgmEuaWfvhZNmzvXjlb4NwQtdOj9U5fmchZ-3u7s0v-5sgQ/s1600-h/5023_manatee-viewing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvfLgyVhv6B8AOvJWmort3eeTk0kFzl4ZrPjTZAVfdw-I6N95Z8YJ2rh_R3zFrqG1qyvrxzW_YiiFz33CBmQ63S4bgmEuaWfvhZNmzvXjlb4NwQtdOj9U5fmchZ-3u7s0v-5sgQ/s320/5023_manatee-viewing.jpg" /></a></div>It was a cold and windy day in Tampa. When we got to the <a href="http://www.tampaelectric.com/manatee/" target="new">Tampa Electric Manatee Viewing Center</a> the people looked as huddled together from the cold as the manatees. Usually you see shadows of the manatees' large bodies under water. Every so often a tail or snout will emerge. Today a large number of manatees had their heads sticking out of the water.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHFgNt6mpUehkT3cdtreN1IakZfyqJECdPGYxtfgwfcwOs8EeZOWCgQzf9ykXD17GKaYcJHCkY8-ARBGwm0CENGiRJCmx-ttHlIoUyqzp5O1u2knGC1qRW_cPqokHd3DYLB1QUnQ/s1600-h/4995_manatee-faces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHFgNt6mpUehkT3cdtreN1IakZfyqJECdPGYxtfgwfcwOs8EeZOWCgQzf9ykXD17GKaYcJHCkY8-ARBGwm0CENGiRJCmx-ttHlIoUyqzp5O1u2knGC1qRW_cPqokHd3DYLB1QUnQ/s320/4995_manatee-faces.jpg" /></a></div>They were all facing the same direction like a classroom of school children facing the teacher. We have no idea what they were looking at. Their eyes are so tiny considering how huge the rest of their bodies are. I would think that the cold wind would make them want to stay under water. Maybe they were resting in the shallows. They would have been swimming in the same direction from the deeper water to the shallows and maybe they decided to stay put and rest.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJNqvxCwPCGG2_mBez075NLOcwjUB7m1-qcx4n3fQdrOX2y6lUnRWU4gUsZNWBSHW6i9JgLrSNgtcpOg64HPisRg_AidUWlqeJ4TVRxkm-pTfbJWV_cXMxZ8FZqzCpsTyDtEYLlg/s1600-h/5021_manatee-snout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJNqvxCwPCGG2_mBez075NLOcwjUB7m1-qcx4n3fQdrOX2y6lUnRWU4gUsZNWBSHW6i9JgLrSNgtcpOg64HPisRg_AidUWlqeJ4TVRxkm-pTfbJWV_cXMxZ8FZqzCpsTyDtEYLlg/s320/5021_manatee-snout.jpg" /></a></div>This area is a winter sanctuary for the manatees. They have been in distress due to the long duration of cold weather in Florida this winter. It is the coldest winter in about 20 years. Manatees are warm-blooded mammals and can't tolerate water that is colder than 68 degrees for long periods of time. The manatees gather at natural springs and in warm water around power plants to survive the cold.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42192471@N00/sets/72157623383453722/" target="new">More photos of the manatees at TECO.</a></span>DixieHwyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814315456434052408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35349932.post-81723948785668935162009-11-16T21:22:00.009-05:002010-02-09T20:49:18.356-05:00Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-129<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMx44YrxL2vi6jrwUTzlnYdlrpe9SeWAH0GERlb_INFw3F3ldsrHhMicXd8bc3reRU_yRJJcMxBzSafDimQ4IwuS2Xs7KQ4JfUkeCwa9Z-D1HY22gnlQ52mOuqLLwrDMViSJtVg/s1600-h/sts129_shuttle_launch.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435305369338712466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMx44YrxL2vi6jrwUTzlnYdlrpe9SeWAH0GERlb_INFw3F3ldsrHhMicXd8bc3reRU_yRJJcMxBzSafDimQ4IwuS2Xs7KQ4JfUkeCwa9Z-D1HY22gnlQ52mOuqLLwrDMViSJtVg/s400/sts129_shuttle_launch.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>"3...2...1...GO!"<br />
The crowd cheers.<br />
"There she goes!"<br />
"We have liftoff!"<br />
"Oh, yeah!"<br />
"Woo-hoo!"<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNsMaHpnDw6x_6Bml_n7ZBmkvP1oNJVAHjQ5B_1l4fQwDtTgGJwa2k8sh0GceO-C3P1oTfdAddto-j8oIxcw5VmSbvxbsPtZRwVH6DxOg2XQFrnEML-mv-bkmOTgnu88ThZpKZHA/s1600-h/STS129_launch_vab.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435305363676657538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNsMaHpnDw6x_6Bml_n7ZBmkvP1oNJVAHjQ5B_1l4fQwDtTgGJwa2k8sh0GceO-C3P1oTfdAddto-j8oIxcw5VmSbvxbsPtZRwVH6DxOg2XQFrnEML-mv-bkmOTgnu88ThZpKZHA/s400/STS129_launch_vab.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>"Oh, dude."<br />
"Mom, they're going into outer space. They're going into outer space!"<br />
"That is unreal, man."<br />
<br />
Rumbles, crackles and pops build up to a roar.<br />
<br />
"Whooah..."<br />
"Ooooh..."<br />
"Look at it go into the cloud!"<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5B2luhP2jzo1LZ7EYRBqEhii5DS37OTUwSKSRkobeyK_A0FAMHeKb5sSf36bEA8L5T5xLkNBKDz5TYPPQAKA3rp-Ffs4TaFvtMzluoddAvezqM2wyfIUyvE5gSTt7RyqvO-_dEg/s1600-h/STS129_Rocket_Sep.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435305358904341618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5B2luhP2jzo1LZ7EYRBqEhii5DS37OTUwSKSRkobeyK_A0FAMHeKb5sSf36bEA8L5T5xLkNBKDz5TYPPQAKA3rp-Ffs4TaFvtMzluoddAvezqM2wyfIUyvE5gSTt7RyqvO-_dEg/s400/STS129_Rocket_Sep.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 267px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>"The boosters just split."<br />
"Where?"<br />
"There it is."<br />
"Incredible."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtuSrBVtWr5G72EiaaJhzFZF7p-iF-G0aosra5soyYdHvNCl2UjrsLMJKbeX8XY8YmnjHyOLotEohnJ8iNcBZTLHjEtnKtwAuqQA7tIztH6eFM_RntzWXllz17n6PfCe5I2PRZTg/s1600-h/STS129_contrail_vab.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435305354640191106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtuSrBVtWr5G72EiaaJhzFZF7p-iF-G0aosra5soyYdHvNCl2UjrsLMJKbeX8XY8YmnjHyOLotEohnJ8iNcBZTLHjEtnKtwAuqQA7tIztH6eFM_RntzWXllz17n6PfCe5I2PRZTg/s400/STS129_contrail_vab.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 272px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>Applause.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdkkOAOKxyrOG61feTkQnd-c9wwpkOWgD_YM1P0Z9wCG3wUWuCFF_tP576IDG0aQ_3gQg0AjdCHeLayDXQU6zpoxiO78-sLrUHNorNygZl8aJyUYqD4ZxYa7tBCRKw3QyKBVwc_g/s1600-h/STS129_launch_camp.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435305350655199858" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdkkOAOKxyrOG61feTkQnd-c9wwpkOWgD_YM1P0Z9wCG3wUWuCFF_tP576IDG0aQ_3gQg0AjdCHeLayDXQU6zpoxiO78-sLrUHNorNygZl8aJyUYqD4ZxYa7tBCRKw3QyKBVwc_g/s400/STS129_launch_camp.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a>"Dude, that was wicked insane."<br />
"Did you love that?"<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">Video of STS-129 Space Shuttle Launch<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxxhMIB0YW0jM0RU6Pv7BOLXbanUn8YexuxqytGzxkcjATK1Jk9Ctmp5i0ey1O7qWqx9I1SEfMyhg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
Seen from across the Indian River about 9.25 miles from the launch pad.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42192471@N00/sets/72157623256914541/" target="new">More photos of STS-129 Space Shuttle Launch.</a></span>DixieHwyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814315456434052408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35349932.post-29037625254382369412009-11-07T23:01:00.014-05:002009-12-27T15:28:57.689-05:00Florida Aquarium in Tampa<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0M_Rc65jzD3FNIwQUZI05uzy7rJZCRHfjo_GABu1J-Wtfdlm_oB8vlAPNec_uM4iZUU0oxW3IZgugvVOBWLehsVzGa6gUvBX0NRSg-Si9KOug6PvPz4C_0EGabggZD7W0ofWHzw/s1600-h/florida-aquarium-diver.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0M_Rc65jzD3FNIwQUZI05uzy7rJZCRHfjo_GABu1J-Wtfdlm_oB8vlAPNec_uM4iZUU0oxW3IZgugvVOBWLehsVzGa6gUvBX0NRSg-Si9KOug6PvPz4C_0EGabggZD7W0ofWHzw/s400/florida-aquarium-diver.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419986133769756226" border="0" /></a>I was looking for a distraction this weekend and decided to go to the <a href="http://www.flaquarium.org/" target="new">Florida Aquarium</a>.<br /><br /><br />Jellyfish video:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy5LI_QOxYq8lAe9iIsvSrwnxlicmZqfFsouq-utbV4sPrLyAZIw_fk40VXIrFohst6Veghv_Qnx0Y' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />The lights change colors as the jellyfish swim by.<br /><br /><br />Leafy Green Seadragon video:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzsCUfW8OCkxTNL8oh197l8kNBpIPACZvFbhM8_g6Xj9BssImVvxPJCd9s-6JzlYT4rraFRXfi8AtQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />The seadragons move so gracefully. They are seahorses with leafy camouflage that blends in with seaweed.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzbXhWtAVReX-XHR6aivaLrIBMKDOUQ6GwpO2fPNXqZnEEe3EWrA0AP6EuCg2QwceshPOseuo3IzKMmOKp4Ay1KdvL6A13H1EdThh69QkSsB5532JDpOp7HPv6MgTmCSQUsyrg3Q/s1600-h/3551_stingray-tank.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzbXhWtAVReX-XHR6aivaLrIBMKDOUQ6GwpO2fPNXqZnEEe3EWrA0AP6EuCg2QwceshPOseuo3IzKMmOKp4Ay1KdvL6A13H1EdThh69QkSsB5532JDpOp7HPv6MgTmCSQUsyrg3Q/s400/3551_stingray-tank.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419986132251027746" border="0" /></a>Here's the stingray tank. You can put your hand in to touch them.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUPTVIGd1qqtdFLu45W7wmcy3N9jAUaTnLnMtpSpbZUCIO5ej_eHFXHWvdUXSGRPgFmXNDe6JyIt7aINv6LS3fggbe4nxV-f4FOXmIXZ4o7SZQR79tc0bKL-2u0Zmz6iAzzf29A/s1600-h/3578_stingrays.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUPTVIGd1qqtdFLu45W7wmcy3N9jAUaTnLnMtpSpbZUCIO5ej_eHFXHWvdUXSGRPgFmXNDe6JyIt7aINv6LS3fggbe4nxV-f4FOXmIXZ4o7SZQR79tc0bKL-2u0Zmz6iAzzf29A/s400/3578_stingrays.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419986126500458546" border="0" /></a>Rays like to brush up against each other as they swim by. I like to learn about the creatures we swim with at the beach.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4f5Yuzx017xcOp3j2FNDp6Mmi2vJyfQBx9D_7tP98QxQCNj63XOu_2wTbCKjHfO-PGdqzkhVCsNoJEBSdVXl5knucWFYy513oK52dlNRmbQ_ybWzQflVvfNd4BddgVNdX61I3Xg/s1600-h/3579_black-necked-stilt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 252px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4f5Yuzx017xcOp3j2FNDp6Mmi2vJyfQBx9D_7tP98QxQCNj63XOu_2wTbCKjHfO-PGdqzkhVCsNoJEBSdVXl5knucWFYy513oK52dlNRmbQ_ybWzQflVvfNd4BddgVNdX61I3Xg/s400/3579_black-necked-stilt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419986122173599186" border="0" /></a>These shore birds are black-necked stilts.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOwi2xWdsOUJj0zhIfO9BP8nwn8VqOSEP-sEYwVJWK7frjVI2MuAgmZAaAblIqEUz12aRvHwbYRl2S77N-Z_ISUtLLPHjQfY-CjH7bSMKc-Zm127Xklk52griXGVrl6IpNQYexuw/s1600-h/3659_roseate-spoonbill.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 280px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOwi2xWdsOUJj0zhIfO9BP8nwn8VqOSEP-sEYwVJWK7frjVI2MuAgmZAaAblIqEUz12aRvHwbYRl2S77N-Z_ISUtLLPHjQfY-CjH7bSMKc-Zm127Xklk52griXGVrl6IpNQYexuw/s400/3659_roseate-spoonbill.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419986120189542642" border="0" /></a>A roseate spoonbill watches the people go by from the mangrove marsh habitat.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHtDGlrIJvCXxSmH0xaZZlee9nukBklzJA_w6IAwuFQIHEtZdglmL_e4NO6MVlioZoQI3xZr4CZ2Z7wgc8q7jpKOYUoNv_YTtGs8IBPpBdyPOOgesKwUGNl3JmwxsIT-XhMlVgcQ/s1600-h/3691_brown-duck.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 323px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHtDGlrIJvCXxSmH0xaZZlee9nukBklzJA_w6IAwuFQIHEtZdglmL_e4NO6MVlioZoQI3xZr4CZ2Z7wgc8q7jpKOYUoNv_YTtGs8IBPpBdyPOOgesKwUGNl3JmwxsIT-XhMlVgcQ/s400/3691_brown-duck.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419986252156310722" border="0" /></a>A brown duck in the cypress marsh habitat.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTd78s8JTeYT1RS9fBSgJ_jKRyciHt0N9tC3wxo0m5ZKad_9QIYaPcXfWcBf7DzMdJMih1oC1bcCQQhow9FQpbyQDHAYYU-CjRzKd8PViRdjF7mEwd93uYAKpa1NzK6JC-YbEPTg/s1600-h/3670_home-aquarium-history.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTd78s8JTeYT1RS9fBSgJ_jKRyciHt0N9tC3wxo0m5ZKad_9QIYaPcXfWcBf7DzMdJMih1oC1bcCQQhow9FQpbyQDHAYYU-CjRzKd8PViRdjF7mEwd93uYAKpa1NzK6JC-YbEPTg/s400/3670_home-aquarium-history.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419986246352773794" border="0" /></a>There's a new exhibit upstairs about home aquariums.<br /><br /><br />Goliath Grouper video:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy7frgH3JKos6sV7lYVjICKkg_RWEu_NvH3D4ide4rhd3sVOUhAI8Aqp7bkNZpK5h-H3aZC0EfmC0g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />These behemoths like to hang around coral reefs and under bridges.DixieHwyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814315456434052408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35349932.post-57105183175131218622009-11-01T17:06:00.007-05:002009-12-26T21:12:47.333-05:00Banana Flowers at Florida Botanical Gardens<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXEveK-HspmQixNWQrkEnube3WRMPpCbNOGmK1Huix6CF2TJevVKuhotYJj_XJbjseFm-ktZiRNy1uOLm_cSoA-kMYK9oOtuIhrtCj7MmnFt4FMeFxgv3MC61QUl1w7iCptknn0w/s1600-h/fbg_banana-path-513a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXEveK-HspmQixNWQrkEnube3WRMPpCbNOGmK1Huix6CF2TJevVKuhotYJj_XJbjseFm-ktZiRNy1uOLm_cSoA-kMYK9oOtuIhrtCj7MmnFt4FMeFxgv3MC61QUl1w7iCptknn0w/s400/fbg_banana-path-513a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419727698430325714" border="0" /></a>We went for a walk through the tropical fruit garden at Florida Botanical Gardens. The banana trees were in bloom. I never realized how many different kinds of banana plants there are.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE6QKdYW2fL7Q6glOpYFU2kvwTrgpmMOrH6p3Sfg4JAtnrGLrzagc8IAAzAiWI4xYF-wAXJi9sIW7mal8fL2fpLLWRUzrcM1zCSYE4x12GyaQFaDvdQ_rr_A4vFK_2RMFrefSyBw/s1600-h/fbg-banana-fingers_3234.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE6QKdYW2fL7Q6glOpYFU2kvwTrgpmMOrH6p3Sfg4JAtnrGLrzagc8IAAzAiWI4xYF-wAXJi9sIW7mal8fL2fpLLWRUzrcM1zCSYE4x12GyaQFaDvdQ_rr_A4vFK_2RMFrefSyBw/s400/fbg-banana-fingers_3234.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419727696301115842" border="0" /></a>Thousand fingers bananas are tiny. They're only about 2 inches long. Bananas are botanically classified as berries. The fruit does look like berries on these plants.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsN18y1E1HdUtkdPNrjOXg1A353WGlQ0g5B4noIlwMCqqYY4Azy2kYR56hqrbnjS9EhIMzLTHrt4ek-RPc63R_IxLyumako2uB2aZl1E1uLryOU0fuYlKD3eE2kDP43wIii-3b-A/s1600-h/fbg-banana-flower_3244.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsN18y1E1HdUtkdPNrjOXg1A353WGlQ0g5B4noIlwMCqqYY4Azy2kYR56hqrbnjS9EhIMzLTHrt4ek-RPc63R_IxLyumako2uB2aZl1E1uLryOU0fuYlKD3eE2kDP43wIii-3b-A/s400/fbg-banana-flower_3244.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419727688640969442" border="0" /></a>The fruit is the female part of the flower containing the seeds. The bud on the end of the stem is the male part of the flower.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXEUABZg-jZFtMUqg3e18Z8jGoM4aRooX0nleWf7q1Gx0wDA2gKNsiOgc4A9vxZYWQ9wSFyBTUkb1buEP5Q2PAgE1cPooW29JxcNTYID3qbNmL1f8uoX3SKdLQUq_vYIj9hJ1AHA/s1600-h/fbg-banana-flower_3243.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXEUABZg-jZFtMUqg3e18Z8jGoM4aRooX0nleWf7q1Gx0wDA2gKNsiOgc4A9vxZYWQ9wSFyBTUkb1buEP5Q2PAgE1cPooW29JxcNTYID3qbNmL1f8uoX3SKdLQUq_vYIj9hJ1AHA/s400/fbg-banana-flower_3243.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419727685513505506" border="0" /></a>Close up of a banana flower.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXU8k7qs81bY66rNJCzXVoQKhgR88Qx6KqtPgHr-_EWl58SQ8HrXT9xB2EQJw-zyuG7lm4TATjjbog4GqAkPX2CINHYwwo6loMAW3x4W_Z8GlwogFYTW4bRcJK_mf14wNQHnmUpA/s1600-h/fbg-rajapuri-banana-flower_3251.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXU8k7qs81bY66rNJCzXVoQKhgR88Qx6KqtPgHr-_EWl58SQ8HrXT9xB2EQJw-zyuG7lm4TATjjbog4GqAkPX2CINHYwwo6loMAW3x4W_Z8GlwogFYTW4bRcJK_mf14wNQHnmUpA/s400/fbg-rajapuri-banana-flower_3251.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419727686481133618" border="0" /></a>You can see how the fruit develops between the flower petals on the Raja Puri banana flower.<br /><br />------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42192471@N00/sets/72157611986452493/" target="new">More photos of Florida Botanical Gardens</a><br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://dixiehwy.blogspot.com/2008/12/holiday-lights-at-florida-botanical.html" target="new">Holiday Lights at Florida Botanical Gardens in December 2008</a>DixieHwyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814315456434052408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35349932.post-23558182304989252212009-10-28T21:01:00.013-04:002010-01-27T14:12:44.143-05:00Ares 1-X Rocket Test Flight<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRtcXCald7DafN06yGup5HVn-stpIaTxbnG7GV8xu-2gtr5rm1_JKmOS7DYY4v5NglpOgKGsZdlGFqevKqbT5nE07YyvS6_3z7yYZcjpMKfb9kyzVHJ8IRJ6YkqPnJ-oZ27mJntw/s1600-h/2750_ares1x-dawn.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRtcXCald7DafN06yGup5HVn-stpIaTxbnG7GV8xu-2gtr5rm1_JKmOS7DYY4v5NglpOgKGsZdlGFqevKqbT5nE07YyvS6_3z7yYZcjpMKfb9kyzVHJ8IRJ6YkqPnJ-oZ27mJntw/s400/2750_ares1x-dawn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398192348904436914" border="0" /></a>The 327 foot Ares 1-X rocket on Launchpad 39B at Kennedy Space Center right before dawn. The three towers around it are for lightning protection. We were about 9 miles away from the launchpad across the Indian River.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlkKLi64ic6jSVad4UPbSA5W1zzxAqu9djUiQIO1t53bsvAltkP9P7pLZsOaXih_TFScn6LfhcP-S4-dp_DB9tgPpckxU06zVVp8b_A47m3BMVZqb-5cazuKCsuBlRx2mgooGMtw/s1600-h/2764_ares1x-dawn.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlkKLi64ic6jSVad4UPbSA5W1zzxAqu9djUiQIO1t53bsvAltkP9P7pLZsOaXih_TFScn6LfhcP-S4-dp_DB9tgPpckxU06zVVp8b_A47m3BMVZqb-5cazuKCsuBlRx2mgooGMtw/s400/2764_ares1x-dawn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398192348048655170" border="0" /></a>We arrived shortly before dawn to see the launch of the test flight of the Ares 1-X rocket. It is a prototype of the vehicle that will take the astronauts back to the moon. The Ares series of vehicles would also replace the space shuttles and play a part in resupplying the International Space Station.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJGIbeDyIPXlW97w61v6kpTUf-80B-nchUsgwovv5nVqayeW8ZWGGhZNc2h9JJBU28lQ8HzccfcaV25-BT3EapaMk5JdvyG0zrwjOviY0zKQQSbYAGM5QkbHGwmix6_Y3XP0gsgg/s1600-h/2980_ares1x-dawn.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJGIbeDyIPXlW97w61v6kpTUf-80B-nchUsgwovv5nVqayeW8ZWGGhZNc2h9JJBU28lQ8HzccfcaV25-BT3EapaMk5JdvyG0zrwjOviY0zKQQSbYAGM5QkbHGwmix6_Y3XP0gsgg/s400/2980_ares1x-dawn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399311327888880338" border="0" /></a>A lot of people already had their cameras set up for the 8am launch. The amount of upper level cloud cover caused the first delay. The launch window was open until 12 noon. It was like a tailgate party and we had a good time with the people we met there.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8wXfR5I9J5TSnsLxG3rSLZAWbMYU5-jiusFA5EW5uJyyoXfQDpTa2bDW_wI9Ob_fVxCRovxy2GyWHP6qqsbi66Fe9dzhN6w-nBQPUoNvikA5AQnfONY4N_ISQYYm3INnIvPtNNA/s1600-h/2918_mom-phone.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 314px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8wXfR5I9J5TSnsLxG3rSLZAWbMYU5-jiusFA5EW5uJyyoXfQDpTa2bDW_wI9Ob_fVxCRovxy2GyWHP6qqsbi66Fe9dzhN6w-nBQPUoNvikA5AQnfONY4N_ISQYYm3INnIvPtNNA/s400/2918_mom-phone.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399311323500781890" border="0" /></a>Jim was on the phone with his Mom, who was watching live coverage on NASA-TV. She was one of our sources for updates. "Mom says" became an inside joke after a while. After all, if Mom says the rocket's going to launch in 20 minutes it really is, isn't it? People would ask, "What does Mom say now?" We also had people in the crowd with radios, and got updates from Twitter feeds on our cell phones. The time was getting closer and closer to the cut off time of 12 noon.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHRAKKZU8ngZd-IjLJAx6tHgh0_KWphdVNUhAjPZyDrpSoJYAvBYscdSZPyPN1A3-i0LqYqNTx6aDpzEjuPe5JNlSEwtqjiG1pakX0HHJQ5avImdLhsg_M2-yO5fQfCGW76A9p7Q/s1600-h/3171_ares1x-liftoff.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHRAKKZU8ngZd-IjLJAx6tHgh0_KWphdVNUhAjPZyDrpSoJYAvBYscdSZPyPN1A3-i0LqYqNTx6aDpzEjuPe5JNlSEwtqjiG1pakX0HHJQ5avImdLhsg_M2-yO5fQfCGW76A9p7Q/s400/3171_ares1x-liftoff.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399307634812907218" border="0" /></a>The countdown resumed at 11:26am, and then 4 minutes later at 11:30am...liftoff!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpRaNY8_r25JbwEgw4VmE6fxYF8HnTL4y4htaDT_jOhatBjN0WcJIOCBC9lOnv9EfiSMpeT4qP1nK0sAFwef0mXry4jCZq64JSMEqvePfsTIDLVvkNHN0HB2y_aJM5KtMiR6Gosw/s1600-h/3175_ares1x-flame.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpRaNY8_r25JbwEgw4VmE6fxYF8HnTL4y4htaDT_jOhatBjN0WcJIOCBC9lOnv9EfiSMpeT4qP1nK0sAFwef0mXry4jCZq64JSMEqvePfsTIDLVvkNHN0HB2y_aJM5KtMiR6Gosw/s400/3175_ares1x-flame.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399307627915924946" border="0" /></a>It was incredible to see the rocket being lifted into to the sky by a long flame.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAACz-nBA7v6YRobkVxd_gNaqwtK6mQF8iL1WuOlaK5eVgzrB2N7zsLgC1SXKzc1nnW4ROBadcAu0WOdhbi3ROMYElrqZthQPRkiEhXCJbMiP77C0I_jIdL-lhfI2yucIQnS9JzA/s1600-h/3180_ares1x-contrail.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAACz-nBA7v6YRobkVxd_gNaqwtK6mQF8iL1WuOlaK5eVgzrB2N7zsLgC1SXKzc1nnW4ROBadcAu0WOdhbi3ROMYElrqZthQPRkiEhXCJbMiP77C0I_jIdL-lhfI2yucIQnS9JzA/s400/3180_ares1x-contrail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399307623016482354" border="0" /></a>The rocket moved so fast that we didn't hear the sound until it was way up in the sky. It started it's roll to the east when we heard the roar.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3uvmKNxTB_QljfwFX0znYYnWduG6M3RIpCdYzHJkXVTyQYGc9rF2ft_51ED3lPDkCoKz4jOGaZiFr7-U0W36tsoU8Crey110Rp-sNQ_RRV8PK92yUG2AbcA6718dQqKJmAzmy4g/s1600-h/3193_people-ares1x-contrail.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3uvmKNxTB_QljfwFX0znYYnWduG6M3RIpCdYzHJkXVTyQYGc9rF2ft_51ED3lPDkCoKz4jOGaZiFr7-U0W36tsoU8Crey110Rp-sNQ_RRV8PK92yUG2AbcA6718dQqKJmAzmy4g/s400/3193_people-ares1x-contrail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399307623177066258" border="0" /></a>Here's a photo of our launch party with the contrail from launch on the right side. From left to right: John, Barry, Gloria, Jim, Connie, Alan, Christine.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42192471@N00/sets/72157622589205563/" target="new">More photos of the Ares 1-X test flight.</a></span>DixieHwyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814315456434052408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35349932.post-56499439141648373002009-08-28T23:59:00.009-04:002010-02-10T10:27:27.244-05:00Midnight Ride of Space Shuttle Discovery for STS-128<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheDTWCqf5of8XW1sK_E9DGIfl0LadSn2o90oTc7hUY3tMSiYyDW6jb80wL08FcwzRnkJx0MWBAdjafZZgir8QagGXuC45rcdQZiYCx9K-1wHnL71mf4y9WLPwvKZAcazj8vmue-Q/s1600-h/Shuttle-Discovery-STS128-launch.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381928320752759282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheDTWCqf5of8XW1sK_E9DGIfl0LadSn2o90oTc7hUY3tMSiYyDW6jb80wL08FcwzRnkJx0MWBAdjafZZgir8QagGXuC45rcdQZiYCx9K-1wHnL71mf4y9WLPwvKZAcazj8vmue-Q/s400/Shuttle-Discovery-STS128-launch.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 284px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>The light was beautifully reflected in the Indian River. For a few seconds it was so bright that it was like looking at the sun. Then the space shuttle continued to roar into the sky illuminating swirls of clouds as it went. It was an awesome sight.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL2xCpvrLhL1YpT7YAXqlSWKUwNNNo33ymyF5qp3EGDj69GyMCjcBDRY8V2k4sTwj6ExuSrwdSqov2P5Y2bE8ESnWev-w6pKfqd0fykAyjPDik5kt9pAvJru3GSIUm4hn369RKUw/s1600-h/Shuttle-Discovery-n-VAB.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381928319055559618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL2xCpvrLhL1YpT7YAXqlSWKUwNNNo33ymyF5qp3EGDj69GyMCjcBDRY8V2k4sTwj6ExuSrwdSqov2P5Y2bE8ESnWev-w6pKfqd0fykAyjPDik5kt9pAvJru3GSIUm4hn369RKUw/s400/Shuttle-Discovery-n-VAB.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>This is the launch pad and the Vehicle Assembly Building earlier that night. We were a little over 9 miles away.DixieHwyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814315456434052408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35349932.post-69643973595406042222009-08-25T01:49:00.008-04:002009-08-27T13:22:38.153-04:00Space Shuttle Launch Scrubbed due to Lightning<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHiAV8xhgz4KZ6dFJ2ipvckkJ4F5_cEH3USN9UmEeQHpZ_ZgYXHtGbpn9k3Ki_pgMJEeCEhmrCPCwZlPMUGdqaRFpklJfghxT32zwCQ8-rewsCLGf8FUReKSa-QdjCepgAiXnMAw/s1600-h/Shuttle-Discovery-STS128-launchpad.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHiAV8xhgz4KZ6dFJ2ipvckkJ4F5_cEH3USN9UmEeQHpZ_ZgYXHtGbpn9k3Ki_pgMJEeCEhmrCPCwZlPMUGdqaRFpklJfghxT32zwCQ8-rewsCLGf8FUReKSa-QdjCepgAiXnMAw/s400/Shuttle-Discovery-STS128-launchpad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374454892148792306" border="0" /></a>Space Shuttle Discovery was on the launch pad for mission STS 128. We were across the Indian River, about 9.25 miles away. It is unusual to have hardly any wind when you're near the open water. It gave us the opportunity to take some photos with longer exposures.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0r9Z5zBE3P9QbFaPvW9_Lasbc232nwg_xXvFMN4jRYzD_0BeA6VBGyLCMLSnd5lftMAKlCNGCrwVlNBLzW2T4I6RsTOdiSQjZw6MpNqVrWT-XXD1MWFMWSYyKglRyLe2X6ObjkA/s1600-h/Lightning-01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0r9Z5zBE3P9QbFaPvW9_Lasbc232nwg_xXvFMN4jRYzD_0BeA6VBGyLCMLSnd5lftMAKlCNGCrwVlNBLzW2T4I6RsTOdiSQjZw6MpNqVrWT-XXD1MWFMWSYyKglRyLe2X6ObjkA/s400/Lightning-01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374456331620996274" border="0" /></a>Less than 1/2 hour later the sky opened up with rain and lightning over the launch pad. Our area was dry. This photo is a still from a video we took of the lightning. The big square on the horizon is the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The space shuttle launchpad is the light spot to the left of the VAB. At 11:43pm a lightning strike was detected 6 miles east of the launch pad.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1rE_dz9e0nW3PkhSkSshfoNJgMBO_lsozHyr2ikBTpP2lphn9UMEqyWCjBQUlKnz2CUC-p2JVwZe2Dd7AT9GiUuiEuPhqA_dUSwZDhKPaB0n6PTyxXEx0OGsHuPs_Bbbe9Zmm1g/s1600-h/Lightning-09.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1rE_dz9e0nW3PkhSkSshfoNJgMBO_lsozHyr2ikBTpP2lphn9UMEqyWCjBQUlKnz2CUC-p2JVwZe2Dd7AT9GiUuiEuPhqA_dUSwZDhKPaB0n6PTyxXEx0OGsHuPs_Bbbe9Zmm1g/s400/Lightning-09.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374456326599546370" border="0" /></a>The square building silhouetted on the horizon is the VAB. I can't imagine what this must have sounded like to the astronauts waiting inside the space shuttle.<br /><br />The countdown was too close (in the 9 Minute Hold) to let the storms pass and the launch was scrubbed due to the weather.DixieHwyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814315456434052408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35349932.post-73683841959936408832009-08-24T15:31:00.008-04:002009-08-27T09:14:06.343-04:00Fun in the Waves at Cocoa Beach<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMO7T0XDPXwtx6Ti6kNTUQrYttkhCTbUdXV7iOLKjUDcbEmb_Y6P_7BZyFG8Xu-PVAWvYvWSxjc9_oGZ_sDR6cGjFiT7TY62PRK5eyNDlkSxivJ6ZatYWKx2jVIL3qYSYqjU50w/s1600-h/Cocoa-Beach-tiki-bar-on-pier.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMO7T0XDPXwtx6Ti6kNTUQrYttkhCTbUdXV7iOLKjUDcbEmb_Y6P_7BZyFG8Xu-PVAWvYvWSxjc9_oGZ_sDR6cGjFiT7TY62PRK5eyNDlkSxivJ6ZatYWKx2jVIL3qYSYqjU50w/s400/Cocoa-Beach-tiki-bar-on-pier.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374450686393025858" border="0" /></a>Here's the famous Tiki Bar at the end of The Cocoa Beach Pier. We came to the east coast to see the launch of space shuttle Discovery and stayed at a hotel on Cocoa Beach. I had never seen waves so perfectly tubular and could hardly wait to get into the water! We used body boards and rode one wave after the other.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhemCcYu81YIg26xOiD7bj1jth06Q9-30_mqbhyphenhyphenk6Yd9YZFyVxp0hQ1nOUlLwUfmA9QFnA9t65rOza2FvDLEGVpFtBkvSKYypjx2wT9B8pYqFmcMCGM5kmvE5WOkyE0Et-ceDM4yA/s1600-h/Cocoa-Beach-waves.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhemCcYu81YIg26xOiD7bj1jth06Q9-30_mqbhyphenhyphenk6Yd9YZFyVxp0hQ1nOUlLwUfmA9QFnA9t65rOza2FvDLEGVpFtBkvSKYypjx2wT9B8pYqFmcMCGM5kmvE5WOkyE0Et-ceDM4yA/s400/Cocoa-Beach-waves.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374630928449043378" border="0" /></a>We must have hit the beach at just the right time. The waves were coming in at even intervals. There wasn't any waiting for the perfect wave. It was more a matter of getting up again to ride the next one in.<br /><br />We met a lot of nice people at the beach. There were some other Floridian couples staying at the hotel. We also met a group from Australia. The hot topic of the day was where to see the space shuttle launch.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1aGfObYJPMLxSpYTIYfOHqCjPHIiFPTuJ0jzxezHvuP3u7DyD_tO6hRg6PyhKjjErzGH2I2vaGvBA7NF88w7ZNwCkH9xGpdg6p0LuUx5a27iFg8b_AGSiPVGXDtOOXFGYC9Fz0g/s1600-h/Cape-Canaveral-rocket-towers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1aGfObYJPMLxSpYTIYfOHqCjPHIiFPTuJ0jzxezHvuP3u7DyD_tO6hRg6PyhKjjErzGH2I2vaGvBA7NF88w7ZNwCkH9xGpdg6p0LuUx5a27iFg8b_AGSiPVGXDtOOXFGYC9Fz0g/s400/Cape-Canaveral-rocket-towers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374450674793664290" border="0" /></a>The rocket launch towers at Cape Canaveral were visible from the beach.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhowy3Cj80E0vnGQnM0QyiVXSi1L_wruaYzT5iKXHectel3oTxbv8MyvsdMr17NtELCyl8Wv6Foqe6l8WGtqcMINtUE5cohQqn1lZfMbk_N920T9SCeYqT2n6wJ-O4MxpcZtQgLww/s1600-h/Cocoa-beach-sunset.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhowy3Cj80E0vnGQnM0QyiVXSi1L_wruaYzT5iKXHectel3oTxbv8MyvsdMr17NtELCyl8Wv6Foqe6l8WGtqcMINtUE5cohQqn1lZfMbk_N920T9SCeYqT2n6wJ-O4MxpcZtQgLww/s400/Cocoa-beach-sunset.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374450669530555522" border="0" /></a>We walked along the Pier and took pictures of the beach at sunset. Then we went back to the hotel to nap. The space shuttle launch was scheduled for 1:36am.DixieHwyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814315456434052408noreply@blogger.com0