Shuttle lift off.....up up & away......

We left Margaret's home and 11:15am, arrived at our viewing site 13 miles from the launch pad (adjacent to the cruise line terminal) at 1:30, watched the shuttle launch at 7:43, and were back at Margaret's at 11:30pm. It was a 12+ hour trip to watch the shuttle for 7 minutes. It was very interesting as the sun set 15 minutes before lift off. The shuttle started with a very bright light, the smoke was gray. When it was about 2 miles up the sun was shinning on it and the smoke was yellow. When it was several mile high the color changed to bright white. We could see the solid rocket boosters separate and fall back to earth. If we go to another I want to be closer. After a minute or two we could hear and feel the lift off. On Monday we returned to Gulf Shores with Don & Zola.

St Augustine

We stayed with Margart waiting for the shuttle launch and spent 2 days touring St Augustine on the trolly. We visited the fort, the old city, a couple churches, the ladies favorite.....big David at Riply's Believe It or Not. Also spent an afternoon on the beach. Kim & Tom invited all of us, Judy & I, Don & Zola, Margaret & Jean over one evening for a cookout.

Shuttle launch.....tonights the night!! edit:HA HA HA

Well, it's been awhile but we have been busy doing retired folk stuff, if only I could remember what we did. Judy was sick for a week with a sinus infection, Gary & Suzanne made a quick departure back to Michigan when Gary learned he had a detached retina (he's now recuperating for several months after a safe trip back and an operation...good news), the weather has been great, taxes are done & in the mail. We travelled with Don & Zola yesterday to St Augustine to see Margaret and the shuttle launch tonight. Jean is also here visiting Margaret so we to visit with her too.

Isn't this a great picture of the shuttle taken this morning before sunrise with the moon in the background?

RATS....we were almost there this afternoon when the launch was scrubbed due to a fuel leak. The problem is somewhere in the plumbing mess picture on the left. NASA will not be looking at the problem until tomorrow afternoon and the earliest it will depart is Sunday. We were here in February to see it blast off and it was cancelled then too. Bummer. The only ones more concerned about this shuttle mission must be the astronauts, would you like to be strapped to the top of that thing with all these problems & delays? The seven guys must sure have a lot of faith in NASA!!

Another Mardi Gras parade & the USS Hawes

Another interesting day. Our plan was to check out the Mobile Museum, one of their attractions is a display on pirates. After that we were going to tour the USS Hawes, a frigate in town for the Mardi Gras festivities. We have seen the captain, a woman, in two parades as a guest or grand marshal. Some of the sailors were on a float in yesterdays parade and today many of them were marching in a parade. Well, the museum was closed due to the holiday, many schools and government offices close for Mardi Gras. We went to plan B, there was a parade starting in a few minutes so we watched it and increased our booty of moon pies, candy, and of course....beads. Check Judy out in one of the pictures in the new shades she scored from one float. After the parade we walked to the USS Hawes and spent an hour and a half taking a great tour. The Hawes is based on Norfork and was commissioned in 1985. She has 5 female officers and rest of the crew of 150 are men, officers and enlisted. She can house 2 helicopters and their air crews. We all enjoyed the tour and the crew were very nice and informative.

Mobile Mardi Gras

Today we went with Gary & Suzanne and Jody & Bruce to two Mobile Mardi Gras parades, one at 2:30 and another (on the same route) at 5pm. These parades lasted 45 and 30 minutes. Some floats even had a porta potties on their back ends, I think there was some booze on these floats. There were beads in the trees and utility lines. Some floats were two stories tall. Ya want beads, they had them, poor Bruce was smacked in the face by a box of candy canes that drew blood, too bad it wasn't a stuffed animal he was hit with. As you can see the streets were lined with thousands of people wanting "throws" (as they are called) from the "maskers". At the end of the parade we saw more street sweepers than I thought ever existed, they were a parade all by themselves. Tuesday is fat Tuesday and there are several parades in Mobile (and LOTS more in the local cities). I'm just now getting some hearing back in my right ear, the lady next to me was screaming like a fire truck.

Gary & Suzanne

Gary & Suzanne arrives from Florida a couple days ago as they head west. They are hanging around here for a week so we have a chance to visit with them and do some exploring. We had lunch at DeSoto's, walked along the boardwalk, visited a local gater and then another beach. We all went to Foley for our first Mardi Gras parade and collected a few beads. We also stopped and introduced them to Don & Zola.

Our heirlooms are finished!

Thursday at 4pm we gathered with our neighbors for a block party. There were 30+ and all had a good time at our second block gathering, I suspect there will be more. Friday we went to Robertsdale and had some routine maintenance done on the truck while we had breakfast. In the afternoon Judy & I finished our new family heirlooms. Our first and possibly last paintings. Can ya figure out who did each and who will get which one? Tonight we went out with Don & Zola for supper and then played euchre, Judy and I each lost a nickel.