2:00 AM is pretty darn early or late depending on who's counting, but in the wee hours of the day, we stood on the dock and watched as the Space Shuttle Endeavor blasted into orbit embarking on a 16 day mission carrying a large payload created by Japan as their part of the International Space Station.  It was only visible for a few seconds because there was a low (6500 foot) ceiling of clouds that it had to punch through. 

As soon as that happened, all we were able to see was a slight glow in the sky as it continued to rise - eventually fading as it got further away.  By the time we all said, "Oh well ... I guess that's it," and started walking back into the house from the dock, it had already reached a speed of over sixteen thousand miles per hour and was many hundreds of miles off the launchpad.  Even the normal rumble we feel this close was dissipated quickly by the cloud deck.

However, lest you think this is a while, this posting is more about the simply amazing nature of this whole experience.  For a few brief seconds, this whole area is lit up like the sun and as the shuttle rises, the hopes of those who watch go with it.  It is very uplifting and humbling.  It also provides breakfast table discussion for many days thereafter.  I have attached a few pictures from this morning and if you ever get a chance to be here for a launch - don't miss this modern day wonder of the world!  Ask nicely and I'll grant you a dock pass to my dock on the Indian River.

I have always loved plants and flowers.  Some of my earliest memories are ones of working with my parents in the backyard of our home, digging in the dirt doing "gardening".  I imagine that my childhood memories and the actual value of my early agricultural accomplishments are likely quite different.  I do recall one year's efforts of planting tomato seeds and growing tomatoes from tiny little sprouts.  I actually remember thinking how amazing the whole thing was and wondering what if the next year we planted a hundred plants and I sold the resulting crop in a vegetable stand in front of our house.  Even at six, I must have been a budding (no pun intended) entrepreneur.

However, I digress.  Today was indeed a good day.  My sister and brother-in-law are visiting us here in Florida.  This is their annual escape from the frozen Illinois winter weather.  After a big dinner last night at our new favorite Italian restaurant, we slept late this morning and didn't roll out until around 9:30 AM.  The weather was supposed to be a bit stormy later in the day, so after a quick breakfast, we headed out to Rockledge Gardens, a nearby plant and garden emporium that ought probably to be classified as a theme park or religious shrine.

[More]

Did you get your Valentine's Day gifts and cards done before today?   Well, as usual, I didn't, but I've discovered a new phenomenon.  I think stores are starting to cater to people (procrastinators) like me.  Maybe they are raising prices to justify it or maybe sales were just abysmal, but it seemed to me that anything I wanted was at my fingertips; nothing was out of stock and I got multiple people all taken care of in about an hours.  It was cool and uncrowded.  Welcome to retail targeted at slowpokes.  I love it! 

No, this isn't some bizarre sex article, you swine!  Get your filthy mind out of the gutter and read on.  Many months ago, I started replacing the incandescent light bulbs in my home with CFLs (compact fluorescent lights).  Now I'd love to claim that this change was solely motivated by environmental consciousness, but that was not the case.  What really motivated it was laziness. 

I get tired of changing the light bulbs all the time and when we moved into the river house, it seemed like every bulb in the place was on the rapidly increasing downside slope of planned obsolescence.  It seemed like every day or two - another one blinked out.

We had a small supply of new bulbs when we moved in, but they started running out and when I went to the big box hardware store, I went looking for long-life bulbs.  While I was there, I saw some of the new swirly looking fluorescent bulbs and they said they'd last a really, really long time and I was immediately hooked.

[More]