Kennedy Space Center

Thursday - Saturday.  Thursday morning we picked up the RV from Doug and Barbara's and began the loading process.  Since Tyler abandoned us, Joe and I had to do it all by ourselves, which requires several trips in and out of the house, up and down the stairs.  But we got it done, and left about 4:30 to hook up with Bridgette and Tyler at a truck stop on I-4.  They got there about 5:50 and we ate a quick meal in the RV, then took off to the East Coast.  We saw one alligator in a pond alongside the road, and just as we arrived at Cape Canaveral, Joe pointed out a dolphin in a bay right beside the road.  We took I-4 over to Kissimmee, then took toll roads over to the coast, trying to get there as early as we could.   But the tolls were $2.25 and $3.25, and I think we hit 4 of them, one about every 8-10 miles, so Joe said we would not be coming home this way.  It was 144 miles over there.  We got to the RV park about 8:30, and our campsite was along the back fence, just over the wooden walkway from the ocean.  We got the RV set up, AND THEN we walked over to walk on the beach.  It was just about dusk, but we could see well enough to walk the beach.  And it was a beautiful sight.

There was a dead sea turtle that had washed up on the beach, and it was huge.  It was gone the next morning, and they were cleaning the beach with a tractor, so we don't know if it was picked up, or washed back out with the tide.  Bridgette got up early to run 4 miles on the beach, so I walked over with her and enjoyed a short walk by myself.  She ran down to Cocoa Beach and back, and loved every minute of it (yes, we know she's nuts).

We went back to the RV and got the rest of our crew out of bed, then headed to Kennedy Space Center.  Along the way, we saw another alligator -- I got a picture of the pond it was in, but I think I missed the gator.

Throughout the day at the space center, we saw a few more alligators in ponds.  The space center is in a wildlife refuge area so the gators cannot be hunted (it is also a bird sanctuary, and there were all kinds of sea birds around). 

We bought tickets for a bus tour, but we had a little time so we joined a tour guide at the Rocket Garden.

The bus tour took us past several of the buildings and we could see some of the launch pads in the distance, but we did not get to actually walk into the buildings or onto the launch pads.  Here's one of the launch pads in the distance, and Tyler wearing his new cap and sunglasses.  He decided on a University of Tampa cap instead of one from Tillie's since he thinks he will be a student here in a couple of years.

On our way to to another stop, we crossed the runway used by the crawler transporter to move the rocket from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to the launch pad.

The crawler, on its return from the launch pad when it was empty, moves at 0.9 mph, but none of us remember what its speed was when it was loaded with the rocket (something like 0.5). 

From the bus and also from one of our stops, we could see the Atlantis already on the launch pad for the July 8 launch.  It was quite a sight.  All of the spectator positions are at least 3.4 miles away from the launch pads because of the force of the lift-off.  So when the astronauts are out there for the final countdown, they are truly all by themselves, with not another single person within the 3.4 miles radius.

Joe loves this space stuff, so I knew he would like to be in a photo with the rocket in the background.  I'm not sure we won't have to come back here for the July 8 launch, if that date holds and if we can find a campsite (the one we stayed at this time is already full).  That campground, Jetty Park, was really nice, and I think it is the closest campground, at least the closest beach campground, to the Space Center.

The VAB is where the rockets are assembled.  When Joe and I were here, in 1974 or 1975, we actually got to walk inside this building, but this time we could only see it from a distance.  The dark gray panels on the right side are actually seven doors that roll up so they can bring the fully-assembled rocket out.

After the bus tour, we took in a couple of video presentations, including one really neat one about landing on the moon, then Joe and Tyler got in line for the Shuttle Launch Experience, a ride that simulates the last 8 minutes of pre-launch.  Bridgette and I opted out of this adventure, but the boys survived.  We walked through some of the exhibits and, of course, the gift shop.  This is the Command Module from Apollo 14.

We finally left the space center AND THEN headed to Cocoa Beach -- her co-workers had told her to check out the pier and Ron Jon's Surf Shop, so we did that.  The pier has shops and restaurants (one with live music), then ends with a fishing pier. 

The beach right here was very busy, looked like a fun place for the younger crowd.  And a Disney cruise ship passed by on its way to wonderful places -- it really made me wish I saw another cruise in my future.  The campground we are at is just past the cruise terminal, so we are seeing lots of cruise ships.

 

We left the pier and drove over to the Ron Jon Surf Shop, which encompasses about 2 blocks.  Joe and I were getting tired by then, but we walked into one of the buildings and waited for Tyler to make his purchases.  Then we headed back to camp to fix some dinner.  AND THEN (we've learned that the day is not over when we think it is, there always seems to be an "AND THEN") we walked back over to the beach for a while.  There were a lot of "man of war" type jellyfish on this beach this morning so we had decided not to get in, although at the campground office we were told that these sea jellies were supposed to be moving north.  There didn't seem to be as many washed up on the beach this evening, but we still decided to play it safe and stay out of the water.  Finally, we called it a night.

Saturday morning, we went out for breakfast at a restaurant right on the bay, then checked out of our campsite and headed back to Tampa.  There was a hot rod show just down from the campground, so we got to drive among some of the hot rods on our way to and from breakfast. We saw some pretty cool wheels.  And a Carnival cruise ship was in port this morning.

We stayed off the interstate and avoided the toll roads, but it was 12 miles further coming home and it took us probably an extra half-hour.  Joe did spot a "huge" alligator in a stream along the road, but the rest of us were looking at a convention of big black birds along the highway, so we missed it.  He "said" it was probably 9 foot long and had its mouth open, but we have no way of verifying that.

As soon as we got home, we unloaded the RV and had lunch.  But our day was not over!  We dropped the RV off again at Doug and Barbara's AND THEN headed to Dade City, about 25 miles north of Tampa, to the weekly motocross races (by now, it's about 4:15).  I thought my days of watching motocross races were long over, but I did learn that it was much easier to watch them when I didn't have a son out there racing.  This was a very nice track, and John certainly never got to race on one with such nice, soft dirt to land on, but he has never gotten over his love of the sport, and he and Bridgette come up here pretty often to watch.  

On the way to Dade City, we had to go by John's office to get his computer cord since he is out of town all next week.  This was his second trip to his office today; he drove in this morning to get that cord but forgot to take his office keys with him, so that trip was unsuccessful.  Joe used the travel time to and from to continue educating Tyler in the ways of the world.  He covered English (enunciation), biology (big breasted girls), history (all the wisdom of his years), geography (Arabs and Arabian horses) and social studies (he kept encouraging Tyler to introduce himself to the girls walking by in front of our seats in the bleachers).  (I'm sure Tyler's mother will be waiting on our  doorstep when we get back to Phoenix!)  Since we have a grandson Tyler's age, Joe just knows he is right in tune with the world of a 15-year-old boy.  

We stayed at the races until the big sponsorship race was over, about 10:15, and finally got to come home and crawl into bed.  Although pro-racer Chad Reed lives here in Dade City, he did not show up at the race track, much to Bridgette's disappointment.  

We had put in a lot of miles and hours today.  John has to leave in the morning for Key West for his Gulf Council meetings all week, but I don't imagine Bridgette will let up on us any.  I'm thinking we will need a vacation from this vacation!

Barbeque at Doug and Barbara's House

Wednesday, June 1 - Today we had our first Florida rainstorm -- I think this is the first rain we've seen since we left Indiana.  It hit about 2:00 p.m., and surprisingly, drizzled off and on for a few hours.  We took Tyler to get his sunglasses this morning, then he and Joe went back home to wait for the pest control guy to make his quarterly stop, so I got to venture off on my own to go shopping!  I found my way to the store, and I even got a haircut, but I missed most of the thunderstorm because I was inside a big store.  I did hear one big clap of thunder, but by the time I paid my way out, it was barely raining.  I would have liked to see this once, since there were no tornado warnings attached.

Doug and Barbara had invited us over for a barbeque tonight, so we took our swimsuits and went over there to visit and check on the RV. They have a nice little house in Appollo Beach, only about 10 minutes for JBs.

They also have 5 dogs (little yippers), which they moved from California with.  Here's part of the family.

 
I thought it was a little chilly for swimming, but not everyone was of the same mind.

We had a nice dinner, then back home to get ready for our road trip tomorrow, and for Tyler to finish his grant proposal.  Tyler is going to work with Bridgette (he knows we have to load a bunch of stuff back into the RV), and we are meeting them in Tampa when they get off work.  Our campground at Cape Canaveral (Cocoa Beach) is supposed to be on the beach, so we are hoping for a nice spot for Bridgette's first trip to the Atlantic Ocean since they moved out here.

By the way, Tyler's grant request was approved, and John is going to try to stop by Tillie's today to get him a replacement cap.  Good job, Tyler.

Back to Work for the Working Folks

Tuesday, May 31 - John left for work before the rest of us got out of bed this morning, and Bridgette left about 9:00, so Joe, Tyler and I had a day to ourselves.  John called Bridgette right before she left to tell her that an article they had jointed submitted had just gotten accepted for publication.  This is a big deal to both of them, and it was their first collaborative publication without another professor's name attached.   So, watch for "Spatio-temporal predictive habitat model for juvenile spotted seatrout in Texas estuaries using boosted regression trees," by John T. Froeschke, Ph.D., and Bridgette F. Froeschke, Ph.D., in an upcoming edition of Fisheries Research magazine.  They have a few minor edits to make, and I don't know how long the publication process takes, but I would guess it will be out in the fall.

We had a few errands to run today (Walmart, Sam's Club, fuel, Beall's), then we dropped Tyler off to swim with his Aunt Barbara (Bridgette's mother).  On our way back to the house, we saw a sign to E. G. Simmons County park, so we checked it out.  It's only about  6-7 miles from JBs, and it has a very nice campground with fishing access from the campsites.  We talked to a guy who was fishing for blue crab, then we stopped at the gate and got the scoop on fishing there from the guy working the entrance window.  It sounds very promising for a little fishing, and we could easily bring the RV over here and set it up for a weekend (or through the week while those working folks work).  He told us where there was a bait shop nearby, so we drove over there and talked to that guy about what to fish with, licenses, etc.  We will probably try to do this next weekend, since we are going to be gone this weekend (to Cape Canaveral). 

While we were getting dinner on the table, Tyler made the mistake of saying (kiddingly, I think) that he was bored, which is definitely against the rules at Bridgette's house and on her watch.  So after dinner, he got to help clean up the kitchen, then we all (except Joe) went for a walk to see the neighborhood alligator (we did not find him), then they (except me) ran two laps around the lake on what they call the "racetrack."  When we got back to the house, Bridgette got out the workout mats, and she and Tyler did a p90x workout.   I overheard him sincerely apologizing for ever saying that "b" word, and he has since completely removed it from his vocabulary.

Somehow, John managed to get to get out of this, although she did force him into running the two laps around the racetrack.  I'm thinking there just wasn't enough room for the 3 of them on the floor, since they have added Tyler's bed to the workout room. 

In the meantime, Tyler also got the privilege of writing a grant proposal.  He accidentally left his cap and sunglasses at Pizza Hut (we assume, since we can't find them), and John has always said if he ever has a child, he/she will have to write a grant proposal for anything he/she wants, so they proposed to Tyler that they would consider buying him a new cap if he wanted to submit a grant proposal for it, addressing all of the elements that go into grant writing:  statement of need, budget, goal, etc. (preferably with tables and charts).  So after he finished his P90X workout, he got on the computer, and I see the old Harbrace College Handbook is on the desk next to the computer.  We didn't see much of him the rest of the evening, so I don't know if we are taking him shopping in the morning or not, but I'm pretty sure he thought it would be much easier just to spend his own money on the cap, even though he keeps his wallet closed pretty tight (if he even brings it with him when we go someplace).

 We are on our own again tomorrow, and we are going to dinner and swimming at Doug & Barbara's, so maybe Tyler will get to recuperate some today.  Our car seems to be running really well since we got it out of the shop, so that's good.  We've enjoyed some of Florida's fresh produce (watermelon, tomatoes, cantaloupe), and the weather has been great.  Tiffany shipped us our snorkels and masks that we forgot at home, so we are all set to go back to the beach.  John and Bridgette may have a hard time getting us to leave here.

Memorial Day

Monday, May 30 - Today we took a road trip about 75 miles north to Crystal River and Homosassa Springs State Park.  John had heard/read about someplace we could swim with the manatees, so that was the incentive.   We all just enjoy driving around anyhow, so it was a good trip.  Entertainment along the way was Joe pronouncing the Florida city names that came up on the GPS (Chassahowitzka gave him a little trouble).  We got to Crystal River and found the beach, but so had everybody else!

I walked along the edge of the water, but our two biologists thought there was way too much bacteria in this water!  So we left there and headed to Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park.  We couldn't swim with the manatees here either, but there was a place just down the road where we supposedly could (we did not go there).  This was a mini-zoo, and it had a large natural habitat bird area (yes, Bridgette's sandhill cranes were here, along with a couple whooping cranes), and also gators, a reptile house and a mammal area.  Here's a few pictures from this wildlife trail.

There was a black bear here too, but he was far away and sleeping, so Joe didn't take a picture of him.  They also had red wolf, Florida panther, Key deer and river otters, to name a few. Then we watched the manatees.  They fed them cabbage, and we got to see them underwater as well as from the top.  There were a lot of fish here too, several different kinds which our marine biologists identified for us (like we could ever remember those names).  The brochure says 34 varieties of fish have been identified in the spring, from which millions of gallons of fresh water "bubble" every hour.  There were several manatees and they swam right under the floating observatory we stood on, so we got to see them very well.

Just past this area was a public boating/swimming area.  It was too crowded to actually drive a boat through, but there were lots of them anchored and people swimming around in the water.  I would have had a hard time forgetting about those alligators not very far away!

Of course, the tour is never complete until after you go through the gift shop.  But I did find a manatee to add to our traveling zoo.  And it's probably pretty close proportionately!

We headed home, with a stop at Pizza Hut so we didn't have to cook and clean up.  Bridgette and Tyler were eager to get back to their boxing, and since Bridgette doesn't run on Mondays, Tyler got out of that part of the boot camp.  So far, she's left Joe and I pretty much alone, but we know any day now we are going to be expected to report in.  Not that we don't need it, but we're on vacation, remember!

Sunday at JB's - University of Tampa tour

 Sunday, May 29 - Today we did a little sightseeing.  Bridgette showed off the beautiful campus of the University of Tampa, where she has been working part-time the past year, and where she starts her full time job as a biology instructor.  It's a beautiful, old campus, and the main building, Plant Hall, the main academic and administrative building for the University, already had an extraordinary history. 

Bridgette taught microbiology and intro biology classes to pre-nurse students in this building this spring.  Formerly the Tampa Bay Hotel, the building represented, and still remains, a symbol of the city and its history.  Built between 1888 and 1891, the hotel was designed to surpass all other grand winter resorts. At a cost of $3 million, the 511-room giant rose to a flamboyant height of five stories, surrounded by ornate Victorian gingerbread and topped by Moorish minarets (defined as "tall spires with onion-shaped or conical crowns, domes and cupolas).  The campus adds a distinctive view to Tampa's skyline.

 
The position that Bridgette has here was created for her, after she proved herself invaluable to the university, with her capability of teaching microbiology and statistics and biology, as well as setting up and coordinating the biology labs. Her diverse background was both recognized and appreciated.  Her office is currently being set up for her in this building.

She begins her full-time job on June 1, so we'll have to go back in to visit her new digs once she gets situated in her new office. 

The campus is right in downtown Tampa, and is very beautiful. It is a private, comprehensive university accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.  6,500 students attend here from all 50 states and over 100 foreign countries.  90% of the full-time professors have doctorates or the terminal degree in their field, and average class size is 21.  Amazing!  Tyler is definitely interested in going to college here in a few years (he's a high school sophomore).

We passed the Lightning Bolts Hockey Stadium as we headed toward Tampa Bay, which is only a few blocks from the school.  We drove through an old, stately, million-dollar subdivision right on the bay, where Bridgette intends to live one day.

Our last sightseeing stop was for lunch, at Hooter's.  That's all I'll say about that.  But we saw a few of her sandhill cranes scattered throughout our drive.  They are very stately-looking birds, always in pairs, like they were out for a Sunday stroll. 

After a (very) brief rest for us old folks, John barbequed steak for dinner.  Doug and Barbara came over, Bridgette fixed desserts and prepped the rest of the meal for the barbeque (corn on the cob and roasted potatoes).  Then we watched the NASCAR race, but Bridgette wasn't done for the day.  She got in a little more boxing.

Then she decided she had too much adrenaline going, so she took Tyler out for a 30-minute run, followed by Wii bowling again (I let them win the first game, but I smoked them all the second game).  Another restful day at JB's bed and breakfast. As soon as the race was over, we all headed to bed.

Monday morning as we are discussing our options for the day, John mentioned something about an interactive alligator tour!  Not sure what he has in mind, but I'm thinking it involves feeding us to the gators.

Saturday at JB's (John & Bridgette)

Saturday, May 28 - Bridgette finally gave us a break today so we didn't have to keep up with her Warp speed and endless energy.  First thing this morning, Bridgette and I walked down to a neighborhood garage sale and we found two of her sandhill cranes just down the street from the sale.  Of course, we didn't have any cameras.  We called John, but he didn't answer, so we called Joe (who was still in bed), but he wasn't interested in bringing us a camera, so we gave up on that.  But when we got back to the house, and everyone got up and most of us had breakfast, we got ready to go to the grocery store, and we found the two sandhill cranes still in the neighborhood.  They allowed us get amazingly close to them with our cameras, but we never could get these two to fly.

 Joe, John and Tyler left just before us, to stop at McDonalds and then head into Tampa to pick up our Explorer, which they had finished fixing (painfully expensive, but necessary).  Bridgette and I stopped by the Naces to get a few things out of the RV, then went to Sam's Club and the grocery store.  On our way home, we went past a church where Bridgette sometimes sees her sand cranes, and sure enough, there were two wandering around the church grounds.  So she made a u-turn, and we got some more pictures.  We harassed these two enough (I'm sure that was illegal) to get them to take off in flight which also caused them to fuss at us loudly.  They make a very different sound when they chatter.

Back at the house, we rejoined the guys and had lunch.  John and Bridgette watched some motocross races on the computer in the afternoon, then we watched the Nationwide race.  But finally Bridgette could not sit any longer, so they got out the Wii and started bowling.  After I beat them soundly, they quit that game and switched to boxing.  Now Bridgette really got into this, and I'm not sure she'll be able to move tomorrow.  I didn't get the camera out until later, but I'll have to capture her the next time because she was quite intense.  John and Tyler got in a few punches, and I even did it a couple times.

They even wore Annie out.

John made his spaghetti casserole for dinner, and I made a batch of no-bake cookies (John's favorite).  We kicked around the idea of going to the dog races, but we never put forth the effort to leave the house, and then the boxing took over.  So we had a restful day and will be ready for a new adventure tomorrow.  It's pretty warm here, and the mornings are humid but that gets better as the day goes on.  So far we haven't had any of the afternoon rains, but June usually starts the rainy season so those rains will probably start before too long.  We've settled in very comfortably here, and they are feeding us extremely well, so who knows when we'll leave.  We just need to get our grandkids down here with us.