Night Launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour

We went to Titusville to see the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavor for mission STS-126. It was the last scheduled night launch before the space shuttle program is retired in 2010.

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The moon rose behind the launch pad area early in the evening. We were across the Indian River about 12 miles away. Launch pad LC-39B is on the left and LC-39A is near the right edge of the photo. LC-39A has shuttle Endeavour on it ready for launch and is illuminated by spotlights .


The moon was orange and looked huge (magnified by moisture in the Earth's atmosphere at the horizon). Its size appeared smaller as it rose higher and the color brightened to white.


The launch lit the sky like the rising sun. We couldn't see the spacecraft. It looked like a big ball of white light that momentarily turned night into day.


After lift-off we saw a long amber flame as it passed by the moon. It wasn't until then that we heard the sound which started as a crackle and built into a loud rumble. The light from the moon cast a shadow behind the cloud trail. It was a beautiful sight.





The exhaust cloud over our hotel, backlit by the moon, takes on a zig-zag shape as it's torn up by the wind.


Given the political climate in the world today, I wonder when we'll be going back to the moon.

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Travel Recommendation
We opted to stay the night in Titusville rather than sit in traffic. If you go to see a space shuttle launch I highly recommend avoiding State Route 528 (the Beeline) towards Orlando. It can take 4 hours just to get to the first tollbooth.

YouTube Videos - turn your speakers on

See you later, buddy 2:43
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLpGib8Zzxs

Big Rumble 1:29
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC8eHhLIDqs

Moonlight and shuttle launch over water 1:50
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mivWhGq_4ig

NASA Video 10:01
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sKsDswXVhE

Guavaween 2008 in Ybor City

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We had a blast at the Guavaween celebration in Ybor City.


There were several sound stages.


Beads were thrown from parade floats and balconies. I love the wrought iron balconies. This is in the historic district of Ybor City in Tampa, Florida.


There were some amazing costumes. I can't figure out how this guy was able fit in the cart. Then he had to drive it backwards.


Our friend had a creative spider costume.


A ghoul on stilts walks through the crowd passing an elaborate wrought iron gate.


See more photos from Guavaween 2008
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The Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City

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We went to the original Columbia Restaurant for lunch. It was founded in 1905 in the historic district of Ybor City in Tampa, Florida. It is the oldest restaurant in Florida.

The menu features Spanish and Cuban cuisine. Their signature dish is paella. It was awesome!

There are several dining rooms with unique decor.

The exterior of the building is surrounded by an architectural arcade with twisted pillars.


The exterior walls are covered with painted tiles.

I highly recommend a visit if you are in Tampa.

See more of my photos taken in Ybor City.

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Weedon Island Preserve in St. Petersburg

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It was an hour before sunset when we got to Weedon Island Preserve. It is supposed to be a great place for bird watching. I thought we might be able to see birds coming in to roost for the evening. Some of the features in the preserve are boardwalks through mangrove marshes, canoe trails, hiking trails, and a large observation tower. We parked by the Center, and wandered around looking for a map of the trails. We found a map and a visitor guide. There were several trail heads, but it was a guess as to where any of them led. After studying the map we saw that the walking trails were all less than a mile long, and we would probably be able to get back to the car by sunset no matter which direction we roamed. So, we set out to find the observation tower to look the place over.

We walked along what seemed like endless boardwalks. The place was very quiet and I started to get the creeps. It's almost Halloween and the boardwalks seemed like a good setting for an episode of "The Twilight Zone." I didn't want to get lost in the dark along neverending boardwalks. I felt relieved to see other people and started asking passers by where the tower was. No one seemed to know and the usual response was "I think it's somewhere over there." We continued on and found some observation platforms off the main path.


Here's a photo of what we saw at one of the observation platforms. There was a large open area of water. White herons were wading through shallow water. A flock of big white birds flew into the mangrove marsh. We watched fish in the water and enjoyed the quiet setting.


Back on the boardwalk we saw creepy little things scurrying around. I brust out, "Eeeioo, what are those things?" They were crabs. It was hard to get a photo, because they were quick about getting away from people with cameras. We stopped, listened, and moved very slowly to get this photo. We continued to walk quietly and listen. That's when we started to see other wildlife in the tangled mangrove roots. There were birds, a racoon, a rabbit, and gaudy spiders that looked like they were decked out for Halloween.


This spider looks like it's wearing a tiki mask. Alfonze put his camera in macro mode and got so close to the spider that I was afraid it would jump out and bite him. The spider never moved at all.


A picnic area at the end of the Bay Boardwalk trail.


Open flatwoods area. I was surprised to learn that cabbage palms are more closely related to grass than trees. This open area is full of cabbage palm fronds growing low on the ground.

We never did find the observation tower, because the boardwalk to the tower is closed for repairs. Once it ceased to be the object of our search we were able to discover the beauty of the landscape and experience seeing wildlife up close.

More photos of our visit to Weeden Island Preserve.

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Directions from Tampa
Drive across the Gandy Bridge and turn left at San Martin Blvd. Keep a close eye out for it as soon as you're on the St. Petersburg side of the bridge. We missed it and had to turn around.

Preserve Hours: Daily, 7am - Sunset
Center Hours: Wednesday - Sunday 10am-4pm (closed Monday, Tuesday, and holidays)

Birds at Fort DeSoto Park in October

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We went to the beach at Fort Desoto Park late in the afternoon. There weren't many people, but there were a lot of birds. I like the natural setting here. There's always something new to discover.


The big birds with the orange and black beaks were an unusual sight. They're called black skimmers. Florida is their winter habitat. The smaller birds with the black crest on their heads are sandwich terns. They develop lighter feathers on their heads in the winter. They look funny, as if they're balding.


Here are some black skimmers doing their thing - skimming across the water. It was interesting watching them in flight. I approached the flock slowly to get a closer look at the birds without startling them into flying away. If I got too close to one of the black skimmers it would open up its wings and glide sideways while keeping an eye on me.


It was a windy day and sand was drifting around. This sand dollar is on sand that looks like fluffy popcorn. The fluffy areas are dry windblown sand stuck to wet sand near the shore.



Rays of light and long shadows just before sunset. I set out to go for a walk.


Pelican and sea gull silhouettes. The pelican is about to dive into the water.

More photos of Fort DeSoto Park in October.

Two Space Shuttles on Launch Pads

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We went to Kennedy Space Center with friends and went to the LC-39 Observation Gantry. Both lauch pads had space shuttles on them. Space Shuttle Endeavor is on the left and Atlantis is on the right.

Space Shuttle Atlantis will be the next space shuttle launched in October. Mission STS-125 will be the last time a space shuttle will service the Hubble Space Telescope. It is a dangerous mission, because of the high orbit of the Hubble Space Telescope. It is almost twice as high as the usual space shuttle missions in Low Earth Orbit.


Space Shuttle Endeavor is being readied on Launch Pad LC-39B. It is a safety precaution in case a rescue is needed for the crew of shuttle Atlantis. It is the 18th time since the space shuttle program started in 1981 that both launch pads have space shuttles on them.


Shuttle Atlantis is on Launch Pad LC-39A.


An inflatable model of the Orion capsule. Orion is part of the Constellation Program that will carry on after the space shuttle program ends in 2010. The Constellation Program will take people back to the moon.


This is the T-38 training jet. It is so small compared to the space shuttle that it's hard to imagine that this aircraft is used for space shuttle pilot training. Right before a launch or landing you can see these birds in the air making passes at the runway. They check to see if the weather conditions are alright for landing the space shuttle.


Retired Shuttle Explorer near the Shuttle Launch Experience ride. The wait wasn't too long, and it was a fun ride. There are cooling stations along the line and videos of astronauts talking about their experiences. You enter the building to watch a multimedia presentation on about 5 screens about what goes into preparing the crew and the space shuttle for a launch. Then you go into another room where you line up to get on the ride. There is an option to bail out of going on the ride and watching it as a movie instead. Then the doors pop open and you get into what looks like a space shuttle payload bay full of seats. Everything tilts back, so that you're lying on your back, like the astronauts before launch. After that...well, I don't want to spoil it. You'll have to go experience it for yourself.

More photos of our visit to Kennedy Space Center.

Related Links:
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Kennedy Space Center
Latest Hubble Space Telescope Pictures
NASA: Constellation Program
NASA: Shuttle Operations

UPDATE: The launch of Shuttle Atlantis for mission STS-125 to the Hubble Space Telescope has been delayed. Here's more info:

"Hubble Trouble" by Mchawk at NowPublic.com, Sept. 29, 2008
"Mission to Hubble: Servicing Mission 4 Essentials" latest news from NASA, Sept. 30, 2008

St. Pete Beach after Hurricane Ike

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We went to St. Pete Beach a few days after Hurricane Ike brushed past the Gulf Coast. The storm's center did not make landfall here, but there was a storm surge from the wind. The tide was out and you could see that the beach had eroded. There was a slight step down into the water where it used to be a gradual slope.


The concession stand and seawall at Pass-A-Grille in St. Pete Beach. A lot of the sand that used to be by the seawall was washed away or piled up in odd places.


Sand and sea shells covered the steps.


This is what the beach looked like on July 2nd this year.


There were piles of shells here and there. We found a lot of cool sea shells. I think this is the most uninhabited conch shells that we've found in one day at the beach.

More photos of St. Pete Beach after Hurricane Ike

Near the Sunset Grill in Ruskin

Tide Out at Anna Maria Island

What a beautiful day at the beach. There were only a few people here today. We think it's because kids are back in school. We had no problem finding parking.

Sweet Spot of the Florida Summer

August is the sweet spot of summer on the Gulf coast. We were at Anna Maria Island riding waves today. The water at the beach is cooling slightly, making it feel so refreshing. There aren't as many tourists, and it's easier to find parking. I think I was in the water for an hour before I got out. Later on my arms and legs felt heavy from all the water play. I'll be sleeping good tonight.

Shelling at Sunshine Skyway Bridge Rest Area

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These photos were taken at the Sunshine Skyway Bridge south rest area. The tide was out and people were walking through the shallow mud flats looking for sea shells.


Here's a closer view of people shelling. They are the dots in the distance of the first photo.


A live conch in the water slowly strolls around on a cinder block.


Take a look over the rail and you might see a stingray.

This scenic rest area is a fun place to explore. It's a great spot to have your picture taken with the Sunshine Skyway Bridge as a backdrop. Exit at the South Skyway Fishing Pier and go to the rest area. It is accessible from both sides of I-275.

Ideas for Decorating with Sea Shells

We saw these sea shell displays at the Don Cesar hotel.