Day 4893

The mountain of construction materials in the front yard is now mostly up on the roof. Quite a lot got done today. The main roof is finished except for the metal flashing that goes around the fascia. The roofers still need to finish the carport, but they assure me that they can do this tomorrow morning. The translucent fiberglass covering over the atrium will be replaced as well. Our new roof may get it's first test tonight. It was supposed to remain clear all week, but a surprise thunderstorm has cropped up over Amarillo and it appears to be headed our way. I wish the roof was completely finished before it is tested by weather, but I learned long ago that I have no control over the weather. Actually we've been pretty lucky to have had two warm sunny days in  row.

I went up on the roof to inspect things for the first time this evening and everything looks a lot better. There are no low spots I can see that would cause ponding. The TPO Membrane seems tough and resilient. With any luck, this roof should drain normally now. I'm going to be real disappointed if there is still standing water after the first big rain. We'll see what happens. There's no way to determine how well the roof is going to perform until it gets wet.

I like to think of myself as a low key person who doesn't get bothered by anything. I'll have to admit though that this roof replacement has stressed me out. I didn't sleep well last night. Usually I fall asleep instantly. The work has been extremely noisy and there have been times when I though the house was falling apart. I think replacing all the rotted wood has given the house a lot more structural stability, but it won't reverse the interior damage that has already been done. There are still cracks and stains in the ceiling all over the place. One thing at a time I guess. Once we are confident that the roof no longer leaks, we can start repairing the damaged sheetrock and give the house a new coat of paint. 

We took Dawn on her early walk at the normal time. The roofers start working early, but Janet and I start our day even earlier. When the roofers arrived this morning, I was already eating my breakfast of shredded wheat and fruit. I stayed around the house longer than usual today because Janet wasn't going to return home until about 2 PM. I still didn't feel comfortable leaving Dawn alone with the roofers making so much noise on the roof. Today was even noisier than usual because the roofers were running a large portable generator right outside my office window. The electric welding  machine that fused the TPO segments together must have required 240 volts because they used our outdoor electric outlets for all their other tools.

When Janet returned home I took my long walk. Since it was mid-afternoon by this time, I almost immediately began to feel hot. I have a feeling that our mild Spring is just about over. It's been way too wet this Spring, but I think I prefer the rain to a long string of 100 degree days. Today I passed a group of photographers surrounding a tree. I asked what was going on and one guy said there were baby eagles in the tree. The nest looked too small for eagles, but what do I know. Eventually a guy on a bicycle showed up and told everyone that we were actually looking at baby Red Shouldered Hawks.

Tomorrow is going to be busy. The roofers are supposed to finish their work in the morning. I bet it's going to take them all day. I have an appointment to get a haircut tomorrow. I always like to get a haircut before I take a trip. I'll spend part of the day packing. I haven't even started yet. The weather doesn't look great for Sunday's launch, but I'm going to try to remain optimistic. It's got to be better than my last trip to Florida.

Skippy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4869

I should have been packed by now, but as usual I am way behind. Guess what I'll be doing after I finish this blog post. I'll be fine since I've done this many times before, but I do wish I was a little more organized. So far, the weather doesn't look great for the Wednesday launch attempt. I hate to turn down an opportunity though, especially when I already have press credentials. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and I'll get to see something.

Dawn had a nice early walk this morning. I'm glad she is back to normal again. It's going to be hard to keep her from jumping on and off the bed, but we're working on it. We no longer use a leash around her neck and she doesn't do the jumping exercises at training class anymore, but otherwise her life is just the same as it has always been. 

It took me longer than expected to sync my laptop with this morning. I like everything to be exactly the same when I travel. I meant to only transfer the launch related e-mail messages, but I did something wrong and ended up transferring thousands of unwanted messages instead. Oops. Usually I erase old messages from the server before I sync the two computers, but I guess I forgot today. At any rate, all the batteries on my devices have been charged. Now I just need to throw a few clothes in my suitcase and I'm ready to go.

I made good time on my long walk today. It's a mystery to me why some days are better than others. I didn't feel particularly energetic this morning, but I was definitely faster. I passed a crew pouring concrete for a new sidewalk this morning. The park department seems unusually active this year. I haven't seen this much activity for a long time. Maybe they're trying to use up their budget before the fiscal year is over. It's hard to request an increase when you still have money left over from the previous year.

We don't see photographers around the tree with the baby owls anymore. Have the owls already flown away? They didn't look old enough the last time I looked, but I don't know that much about owls. I need to go down and inspect the tree myself, but that will have to wait until I return from my trip. I'm curious about the baby owls, but not that curious. I still look for the bald eagles whenever I walk, but other than a chance encounter on one of our early walks with Dawn, I haven't seen either of them in ages. I'll probably see eagles in Florida. There are a ton of bald eagles at Kennedy Space Center.

I hope there are no flight delays or heavy rain tomorrow. Driving from Orlando to Titusville at night in heavy rain is not fun. Southwest Airlines has certainly had its share of problems recently, but hopefully tomorrow will be a good day. I really wish I'd gone ahead and filled out my application for TSA Pre. I should have taken care of this by now. Oh, well. All it means is that I'll be standing in a long line again for my return trip.

I guess I'd better post this and go back to packing. I need to remember to pack a small travel umbrella. I know it's going to be raining on Wednesday.

Sadie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4767

Today was very busy. Dawn got a bath. I went out and got ink for both printers and got them working again. All the batteries for my devices have been charged. The laundry has been done. I've answered my e-mail and caught up on all my messages. Of course Dawn got her early morning walk and I took a longer walk later in the morning. I still haven't finished packing, but there's still time. Hey, I've got to save something for the last possible minute.

I was surprised at how cold it was this morning. It was over 80 degrees yesterday, so I expected that it would be warm today as well. Nope. Texas weather is never predictable. The temperature was in the low 40's and there was a stiff wind. I was chilly on our early walk, but Dawn seemed to love the brisk weather.

Everything I did today seemed to take twice as long as I expected. The shower drain was clogged when I took a shower. Every towel we own seemed to be in the laundry. I wanted to switch to using Firefox on my laptop, but I had trouble importing my desktop settings. I still can't decide what clothes to take to Florida. Right now it's colder down there than it is here.

I felt like skipping my long walk today, but I went ahead and got my steps. I was reasonably fast today. I had to be. I doubt that I'll have time to take a long walk tomorrow, but Dawn will still get her early morning walk. Today I walked my regular route, counted all the ducks, and made it home in time to help Janet get Dawn ready for her bath. We go to a self bathe place in the neighborhood and Dawn always gets her nails clipped and her anal glands expressed while she's there. Needless to say, bath time is not one of Dawn's favorite activities. She looks so much better though. Her coat is actually white again. It's hard to keep Dawn clean after a bath because she loves to roll in the grass. Oh, well. She'll look good for a couple of days anyway.

I guess I'll finish packing after I complete this blog post. I hate packing. No matter how hard I try, I always forget something. Sometimes it's reading glasses and toothpaste. Other times it's a raincoat, or a sweater for cool mornings. At least I'm pretty good at getting the computers and cameras ready. I can spend hours transferring information from the desktop to the laptop and then just spend a few minutes throwing some clothes into the suitcase. True luxury would be having a Titusville apartment stocked with a full complement of everything I need. That's never going to happen, but it's something to daydream about on my long walks.

I've got my writing assignments now. The article the magazine wants isn't going to be as easy as some I've written in the past, but I'm pretty sure I can deliver what is needed. I've downloaded my boarding pass on my phone, so I guess I'm ready to go. Oops. My suitcase is still empty. I guess I've still got some work to do.

Suzie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4766

Another unseasonably warm day. It got up to 80 degrees again and the air conditioner kicked in during the afternoon. This is very strange for January. It was a pleasant day though. The sky was clear and there was very little wind. Dawn definitely enjoyed her walk this morning.

I've finally managed to catch up with almost everybody I've been trying to reach. SpaceFlight is sending me author copies of the issues with my Falcon Heavy and Artemis articles. My editor has contacted me with article suggestions and I now have all the info I need from Space X for the upcoming Falcon Heavy launch. I still haven't heard back from the contractor I'm trying to reach about fixing the house, but that's an entirely separate matter.

I think the older I get the stupider I get. I had real problems today transferring information from my desktop computer to the laptop. I always do this before I travel. I recently updated all my passwords on the desktop computer to more secure versions, but I forgot that I hadn't updated the laptop. Initially, I couldn't check mail on the laptop or open several websites. I can never remember these new passwords because they are long and complex. Some passwords were easy to retrieve, but others were maddeningly frustrating. All I could see in the password field was a series of dots. Janet says I should write these things down, but I never do. I just depend on password managers. I eventually got everything on the laptop to work, but I ended up having to change a few passwords. I miss the old days when you could just use one simple password for everything.

When I was trying to print out all my travel information I discovered that both of our printers were out of ink. I hate it when the printer won't work just because your Cyan cartridge is low. Printers ought to have a black and white mode where you can just bypass the low colors. Now I've got to go out and buy more printer ink in the morning because I have to have all my contact and reservation information printed out so I can put it in a little manilla envelope that I carry with me everywhere. Just a quirk. I could probably find most of this information on my phone, but I prefer paper.

I was actually hot on my long walk this afternoon. I just wore shorts and a t-shirt and it felt like summer. We might have set another record today. I think it's colder in Titusville than it is in Dallas right now. I shouldn't complain though. 80 degrees is very pleasant even if it happens to be January. At least we aren't having torrential rain and flooding like they are in California now.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. I need to pack, go get the printer ink I need, make sure all my photo equipment is working properly, wash the clothes I will be taking with me, and take my long walk. I'm sure I will forget something important on this trip. I always do. I don't think Dawn will miss me while I'm gone, but hopefully she will be glad to see me when I return.

Pepper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4708

We found out what was wrong with the furnace today. Unfortunately it needs a special order part to fix the problem. The furnace is still not working, although it does come on occasionally. The technician tried to explain why the fan motor was making strange clunking noises and wouldn't always engage the fan, but I didn't really understand. I bet if the furnace has a simple single speed electric motor instead of this sophisticated variable speed gizmo, it would still be working. 

 I keep waiting for someone to call off the Artemis launch at the last minute. With my luck they won't postpone the launch until after I get down there. The countdown has already started, but some engineers are still worried about a piece of insulation that got blown off by Hurricane Nicole. Time is running out, but I don't think everyone is in agreement yet. Oh, well. At least the weather looks favorable. I'm going to go ahead and go to the launch, but if this thing gets scrubbed one more time I'm about ready to give up on Artemis. It's already too late to cancel reservations without a penalty. I guess we'll just see what happens. This is a historic launch, but it could also be a huge waste of money. I don't even know what the furnace repairs are going to cost yet. One way or the other, I'm pretty sure that this will be my last launch trip of the year.

It rained most of the day and the HVAC technician took a while to diagnose the furnace problem, so I didn't end up taking my long walk until late in the afternoon. As soon as I got my 10,000 steps I headed home. It was a miserable day and I felt cold and wet after only two miles. Dawn had a good walk this morning though. We managed to take our sunrise walk before the rain started.

I haven't packed yet, but there's nothing new about that. I always seem to wait until the last possible minute. The cameras and computers are charged though, so all is good. It probably won't take me very long to finish things up. I wish there were more direct flights to Orlando. I usually have to leave very early in the morning because this is the only flight that works. I hope the flight isn't late. I have only a few hours to pick up my credentials. For some unexplained reason, the Press Accreditation Office isn't open all day tomorrow.

I hope that the furnace is an easy fix and that the weather stays warmer until the part arrives. I hope the Artemis launch succeeds. Third time's the charm, or so they say. I'm already tired and I haven't even left Dallas yet. It would be embarrassing if I fell asleep at the Press Site waiting for the rocket to get off the ground. It could happen. I'm not much of a night owl anymore.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4692

I voted this morning. I doubt that my vote will curtail inflation, bring crime under control, or end the woke insanity, but maybe there are other people who agree with me. We'll see. I always vote these days even though at times I feel it's pointless. When I was in my 20's and 30's I never voted. I jokingly told friends that I preferred a monarchy as long as I was a member of the aristocracy. My Mom always implored me to vote, but it was Janet who finally turned me into a voter. I'm convinced that the true believers in either party are a small but very vocal minority. They mostly just want to control things. I think they've forgotten that it is the ambivalent people like me who really control elections. For the most part we just want to be left alone and are more than willing to live and let live. If you political types make us mad enough to actually come out and vote, you're toast.

I was supposed to be packing for my trip today, but as usual I'm way behind schedule. I spent most of the day just doing my regular Saturday stuff. We walked Dawn a bit later this morning because we were waiting for the rain to stop. Dawn was fine with us having breakfast before her walk because she smelled bacon cooking. We always have a big traditional breakfast on weekends. Shredded wheat and fruit is only for weekdays. We eventually had a nice morning walk with Dawn and then I did my grocery shopping.

I continue to be amazed at today's prices. Inflation is real. I've bought the same things over and over again for many years and almost everything costs double what it did a few years ago. Something is very wrong here. They say we are dealing with 8% inflation but food prices are up way more than 8%. It's not just food either. The cost of everything has gone up dramatically. 

I thought about going back to the gym today, but decided to take advantage of the cool weather and walk in the park instead. I was actually a little cold on today's walk and I probably should have worn a jacket. The birds must have liked today's weather. Hundreds of White Pelicans were soaring overhead while the very vocal Monk Parakeets were flying from tree to tree at a much lower altitude. There were a group of artists making large wood block prints using a steam roller as a press. The spectacle attracted a large audience, but I didn't stop walking. I had ducks to count and was well on my way toward a 20,000 step day.

Although I haven't packed my suitcase yet, I did finish some of my pre-trip planning. I did a load of wash so I'll have clean clothes. I printed all the documents I'll need and put them in my familiar manilla envelope. I charged the batteries on all my devices. Now I just need to pack my bags while trying not to forget anything important.

I'm still having second thoughts about attending this launch. Are rocket launches really this important? Probably the important thing is that I continue to stay busy and active. Being a space journalist gives me something to do. I don't enjoy traveling that much, but I do enjoy my time at Kennedy Space Center. There will still be time to take Dawn on her Sunday outing tomorrow. I won't have time to go mall walking, but I'll get my steps by walking up and down the concourse while waiting for my flight.

Dakota is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4506

I'm making progress. I picked up my rental car and I'm almost finished packing. I don't know why it takes me so long to get ready, but it does. There always seem to be surprises. I decided to take the star tracker with me, but I had trouble getting it to work today. I think I set up everything the same way I did the previous time, but I must have done something wrong. It took me forever to get the tracker working properly. 

The rental car was an even bigger surprise. There are usually dozens of cars to choose from. This time there were only three. The entire lot was almost empty. This was an airport facility that usually has hundreds of cars. None of the available cars had GPS, so I will have to use my phone again. The car was smaller than what I wanted as well. Oh, well. It is what it is. I thought that travel would become easier when Covid restrictions were lifted. It actually seems more difficult now.

I always have trouble packing when I go to West Texas. Is it going to be hot or cold?  Usually it's a bit of both. It can be quite warm during the day, but freezing cold at night. I'll take my winter coats again, because I'll be helping at star parties and I remember being pretty chilly during these events. Do I need to take sweaters too? I probably just need to get a bigger suitcase. This time my things don't need to fit in an overhead bin on a plane. They just have to fit in the trunk.

I wore my new boots on my long walk today. I wanted to make sure I wasn't going to regret wearing them on the trip. So far, so good. I've only put about 10 miles on the boots so far, but they seem comfortable. I don't think I'm going to get blisters or anything. I'll take my dependable Bondi-7 shoes as a backup. I really don't want to let foot pain ruin this trip.

I think our bad weather is behind us. It looks like clear skies for the rest of the week. I think the weather is going to be nice out at the observatory as well. At least the forecast looks good for Ft. Davis. Clear skies are fairly essential if you are having a Dark Skies Festival. It's a very long drive just to get rained out. Unfortunately, this has happened to me before. Let's just hope that everything goes as planned.

I will be getting up early tomorrow, so I was planning on getting to bed equally early tonight. I don't think that's going to happen. I've still got a lot to do after I post tonight's blog entry. This happens every single time I travel. I woke up this morning thinking that I've got plenty of time to get everything done. Where did the day go? I really didn't do that much. I took my walk. I tested the star tracker. I picked up the rent car. Oh, I tossed a few things in a suitcase too. Unfortunately, I'm not done yet. I'm not even close.

I'm still having second thoughts about this trip, but I'm definitely going. I seldom look forward to new experiences, but I always enjoy the memories afterwards. I need to remember that I love this place. I just wish it wasn't so far away.

Brady is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4505

For the second day in a row we visited some Dalmatians. The dogs at the kennel were in fine form today. This week Candy and Willie joined Julip in finding their forever homes. Dorothy has a potential adopter as well, although she and Willie were still at the kennel this afternoon. Rocket is really making progress at overcoming his fear. He would come when we called him today and was eager to take cookies from us. His skin condition continues to improve as well. Willie is very affectionate and enjoys being petted more than playing. He's a smart dog and we were able to teach him to lie down during our visit. Dorothy is the athlete of the bunch. She can catch anything and never missed when we tossed her toys. When we first met Jo Jo we didn't think he liked to play, but it turns out that he just likes to play outside. We'll spend more time outside with him now. Oliver is still a goofy clown who always makes us laugh and Charlie is starting to show a mellower side to his personality. We always spend a little more time with Charlie because he seems to enjoy our visits so much. It's nice that these dogs are finally starting to find their forever homes. We probably won't see Willie again, but we will definitely remember him.

It rained a lot last night, but it wasn't a bad storm. Dawn wasn't wild about walking this morning because the ground was still wet. She definitely doesn't like getting wet. A handful of treats kept her moving however and we were able to complete our walk. There was really no reason for Dawn to be upset this morning. The rain had stopped and the roads were already starting to dry out.

I got a press proof this morning of my article about the Axiom-1 Mission. It looked good and will run in the June edition of Spaceflight. I had thought about writing an article about the Dark Sky Festival for Sky and Telescope while I was out in West Texas, but it turns out that one of my friends at the observatory is already working on an article about this for the magazine. It's just as well. He know a lot more about the newly created Dark Sky Preserve than I do anyway.

I should have been packing today, but I can't seem to manage planning ahead. I always wait until the last possible minute and end up forgetting things. I've thought about the trip a lot, but haven't actually put anything in a suitcase yet. I have tested my cameras though and transferred the files and applications I need to my laptop. I've made my rental car reservation and checked the weather at my destination. I guess this will all come together just like it always does. I'm still not looking forward to the drive though.

I didn't take a very long walk today. It was getting late by the time we returned from the kennel and I didn't really feel like walking anyway. I always make sure that I at least make an effort though. Life is basically about making an effort. Only 14,000 steps today and a lot of that was just playing with the dogs.

At least the wind has died down for a while. It wasn't windy at all when I walked today. Hope I can get some extra sleep tonight. I'm going to need it in the days ahead.

Pogo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4502

Another very windy, unseasonably warm, and largely uneventful day. After our early walk with Dawn and my ritual breakfast of shredded wheat and berries, I puttered around the house, doing a bunch of unessential chores. I tried again to fix the perpetually running toilet. Usually cleaning all the small parts with a Q-tip gets things working again for a while. My efforts never last long though. After finishing this hopeless task, I pried open the broken sliding glass door to the atrium and swept the patio and cleaned the outside of the large glass doors. I don't know how this enclosed area gets so dirty, but dust is everywhere in this neighborhood. I swept away the avalanche of catkins that keep falling from our Oak trees on the front and back porch. Usually more catkins have fallen before I even finish sweeping. You'd think I'd learn to do something that was actually useful, but these are the things that bother me most.

I did get one pleasant surprise this morning. I found my lost sock. It was inside the arm of a light jacket I had washed with the other laundry. I discovered the sock when I was putting on the jacket for our early walk with Dawn. If it hadn't been a little chilly early this morning, the sock might have gone unnoticed for months. Jacket weather is almost over for the year.

I got a message to pick up a prescription at the pharmacy. I'm not low on anything, so once again the automated systems have run amok. I have tried to change the timing of these renewals in the past, but it's hard to argue with a computer. Once the information is entered in the system it seems to stay there forever.  Now I just pick up the pills and put them somewhere until I need them. I'm not sure what I'm picking up yet, but whatever it is, I doubt that I'll need it for months.

I put a picture I took of the Milky Way on my Facebook page recently, mostly to remind myself why I continue to travel to McDonald Observatory. I was genuinely surprised at how much attention the picture got. Maybe I ought to post more pictures. I probably won't though. Way back when Google+ was a going concern I used to post pictures every day. One day a well known national photographer suggested to his followers that that they follow me as well. All of the sudden I had a ton of Google+ followers. Over 50,000 if I remember correctly. These people always wanted new content. The attention was fun for a little while and then it became a burden. I got tired of being a prolific photographer. I wasn't sad at all when Google pulled the plug on Google+. I didn't have to keep proving my worth anymore. It's much easier to write a little blog that nobody reads.

I have no idea what to take to the observatory with me. Usually I take several Winter coats because it can get very cold at night. I hear it's a lot warmer now though. Do I really need a down jacket in May? Should I take several pairs of Hoka shoes or just the new boots? I can't even decide which camera to take. The camera that works with the star track is not the camera I usually use and am more comfortable with. I guess I could take both, but I hate to travel with a bunch of unnecessary stuff. Do I tend to overthink things. Absolutely.

My grocery list for tomorrow is already longer than usual. How did we run out of so many things at the same time? I wonder if prices are continuing to rise? That's a stupid question. Of course they are. Unfortunately the stock market is headed in the opposite direction. We had the biggest drop since 2020 today.

Mindy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4483

Another nice Spring day. We walked a little later this morning so I got to sleep in a bit. Dawn enjoyed her early walk and enjoyed getting a little bacon with our Sunday breakfast even more. It was a relaxing morning, but the tranquility didn't last long. After breakfast I was forced to start packing for my trip.

I hate packing, but I try to be methodical about it. First I make sure all my devices are fully charged. Then I transfer the documents I need from the desktop computer to the laptop. Most of these documents have been printed as well, but I like to have a backup. I did a load of laundry because some of the clothes I wanted to take were dirty. I located the cables and plugs I need and put them in a bag. I put my meds, toothpaste, razor, other toiletries in another bag, and then put some orthotics in my new Hoka shoes which I will be taking on the trip. I did this off and on during the day and I'm still not completely done. Should I take a jacket? I usually do but the forecast says it will be very warm in Titusville. I'll definitely take a light raincoat. It always rains at some point during these trips.

We had a nice Sunday outing with Dawn this afternoon. It was warm, but it still felt like Spring instead of Summer. Dawn seems to like getting two walks during the day, but she still doesn't like riding in the car. Each of these walks is a little over a mile. Dawn does pretty well, but I don't think she would want to go much further. As usual, we concluded our Sunday outing with ice cream cones. I wonder if all dogs like ice cream. All of ours certainly did.

I didn't take a long walk today because I still had packing to do. I did take a short little walk later this afternoon just to make sure I got at least 10,000 steps. It's hard to meet my step goals while I'm traveling. Sometimes I'll walk after dinner at the hotel. If I'm early at the airport, I'll walk up and down the concourse until my flight boards. Launch events are usually pretty busy though. There always seems to be some place that I need to be.

I hope the trip goes smoothly. Yesterday a ton of flights to Florida got canceled because of storms in the area. Hopefully that is over now. The Artemis-1 wet dress rehearsal got delayed because of lightning strikes and a problem with fans on the mobile launcher. Since the Axiom-1 rocket is on an adjacent launch pad, I hope this doesn't foul things up. The last thing I want at this point is to add extra days to my trip. Everything is too expensive as it is.

I wish I'd booked a later flight, but I really didn't have much choice. I need to pick up my press credentials at a place I've never been before and I wanted to allow enough time to get lost. I'll have to get up very early but I can always sleep on the plane. I always fear that I won't be able to get a car with GPS at the Orlando rental car lot. Oddly, cars with in-dash GPS are surprisingly hard to find. I can't imagine driving around in a strange city without GPS these days. How did we used to do this?

I'd better go finish packing before it gets too late. I'd really like to go to bed early and get some sleep tonight.

Lexi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4482

I'm making progress. I finally got the new Hoka shoes. The store that had the style I wanted was a little out of the way, but I made the trip part of this morning's grocery run and all was well. I asked the sales guy why this shoe never went on sale. "Because it's popular," he said. "We don't need to put this one on sale." Honest answer, I guess. I'm sure this is probably how all sales work.

The weather was just about perfect today. The sky was clear. The temperature was in the low 70's. And there wasn't much wind. I would have enjoyed walking further today if it weren't for my persistent foot problems. I did what I could though. A little over 18,000 steps today.

I think my seasonal allergies are finally going away. I don't have as much congestion at night and I can make it through the day without going through a roll of blue Scott shop towels. I hope this isn't some cruel April Fool's joke. I'm really getting tired of watering eyes and a constantly dripping nose.

It's amazing how quickly everything turned green. There are small leaves on most of the trees now and I'm starting to see some wildflowers. The pecan trees are still pretty bare, but they are always a little later than the other trees. With such nice weather, it's kind of a mystery why the wildflowers are so sparse this year. Maybe I'm just not looking in the right places.

I woke up last night remembering that I never sleep well when I travel. How quickly we forget. I need to start remembering some of the more positive aspects of traveling. There really are a lot of positive aspects, but all I can think about now is how tired I get and how glad I usually am to be back home.

I think I would enjoy rocket launches more if I actually lived in Titusville. It's a nice sleepy little town, filled with retired NASA workers. I don't think this part of Florida gets nearly as many hurricanes as the Panhandle or the Tampa area. There are still alligators though. Dallas is nice, but it's getting way too crowded. People move here because there are still lots of jobs. I moved here because of job opportunities myself, but this isn't nearly as important when you are retired. Sleepy little towns have a certain appeal when you aren't constantly looking for clients.

I could tell that Dawn was getting hot on her afternoon walk. I don't think she's going to enjoy walking as much this Summer. I don't think I'll enjoy walking this Summer either. It doesn't seem like I'm able to regulate my temperature as well as I used to. I'm always either too cold or too hot. It's very rare that the temperature seems just right. Today was one of those rare days.

I need to start packing soon. I like to travel light, so I am always forgetting things. I always remember to take my daily meds with me, but there are lots of other things in the medicine cabinet that I forget. You've got to remember to take things like Q-tips, Neosporin, Visine, bug spray, toothpaste, and much more. I usually take too many coats and not enough toiletries. Sometimes I forget to take enough socks as well.

We had Chinese take-out for dinner again. I don't know why Chinese take-out is so appealing, but it's usually our go-to meal when we don't feel like cooking. Ice cream cones sound appealing for tomorrow. It looks like it's going to be a good day for Dawn's Sunday outing. I just hope it won't be too hot.

Miracle is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4280

Today was mostly walking and packing. I'm good at walking and terrible at packing. We get up a little later on Sunday, but our sunrise walk was still nice and cool even though the sun was already over the horizon. We had a nice leisurely breakfast on our return and then I took my long walk in the park. Somehow I forgot it was time for Dawn's Sunday outing today, but Dawn and Janet were quick to remind me when I got back home. I rested for about fifteen minutes and then we went walking again. I was really pleased at how well I did today. This was easily the longest I've walked since I was hospitalized.

I wasn't nearly as pleased with the progress I've made getting ready for my trip. Did I mention that I was terrible at packing? I always forget things. Sometimes I forget important things. Every time I remembered something I'm going to need, I dumped it in an empty suitcase. I'll organize things later. I made a list of addresses I'm going to need. I should have these addresses memorized by now, since they're the same places I always go, but this kind of stuff never seems to stick in my head. I'm so old school that I always print out all my reservations and contacts instead of keeping them on my phone. I put all this information in a manila folder and always keep it nearby. My phone stays charged a long time because I hardly ever use it.

Whenever I travel to Florida I always worry that I'll get there and discover that the launch has been canceled. It's miracle when things actually go according to schedule. More than once I have had to extend my stay when a launch got postponed. Usually the delays are only 24 hours though. NASA is pretty good about sending you constant updates, but Space X is a lot more succinct. I received one short message from them that actually had all the information I need and haven't heard anything since. This terse communication makes me a little nervous but what can you do. You either make the trip or you don't.

You can't have a drink on the plane anymore. That's a shame. Having a drink was always relaxing. I guess eliminating alcohol is supposed to make the passengers less unruly. I wish the airline's would go back to keeping the center seat empty. Flying was actually kind of nice when all the center seats were empty. I'll have to remember to take plenty of masks. The space center is fanatical about masks. You have to wear them indoors and out, day or night. I wish I could wear something that would protect me from mosquitos. Florida mosquitos are horrendous on night launches. No matter what kind of bug spray I use, I always come home covered in bites.

The fur on Dawn's paws has finally grown back. So far, she has not started licking again. We still don't know if getting all the stones out of her bladder caused the licking to stop, or if it was the allergy medicine the vet prescribed. We'll probably stop the allergy medicine soon and see if the licking behavior returns. I'm guessing that the stones made her uncomfortable. They certainly made me uncomfortable.

I hope my upcoming trip is worth the effort I'm making. I do want to be a space journalist, but I'm never that wild about traveling. I'm happy enough just taking naps in the afternoon with Dawn. I'm probably happier about the naps than Dawn is. She's still not wild about sharing the bed with me.

Marcie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4155

We picked up a new dog at the vet on our way to the kennel this afternoon. Aries is a beautiful six year old female who was an owner surrender. I can't recall that we've had another dog named after a zodiac sign. I wonder is she has an Aries personality. Aries is friendly, very gentle, and will probably find her forever home almost immediately. I wouldn't be surprised if she was determined as well. That's a typical Aries trait. I took some pictures of her for the website, but I think she already have someone looking at her. A dog this nice doesn't stay at the kennel very long.

Cooper was still at the kennel, but only because the guy who wanted to adopt him still needed to fix a few things in his yard. As soon as the yard is secure, I think Cooper will have his forever home. Charlie will probably be with us a little longer, but he certainly deserves a good home as well. Charlie is one of the smartest dogs in the rescue program. He just never developed a soft mouth as a puppy, so you have to be careful where you put your hands. 

Dawn got her walk today, but I had to skip my longer excursion. I'm already way behind on packing for my trip. I did take a short walk after we returned home from the kennel, but the weather hasn't been very cooperative today. It's been on the verge of raining all day. I thought I was going to get lucky, but when I had to go out and run some errands toward the end of the day, I got soaked. I hope the weather improves later in the week, but it's not looking good right now. I have a feeling that I'm going to be driving to West Texas in the rain.

I keep hoping that the ice maker will start working again, but we haven't seen any ice for several days. It's a safe bet that the ice maker is broken and will need to be replaced. We got a big bag of ice on the way home from the kennel. Maybe that will last until I can make arrangements with the appliance repairman to get this fixed. Something always seems to be broken around here. As soon as I get one thing fixed, another thing breaks.

I'm starting to wonder why I wanted to go to the astrophotography workshop at all. I'm very disorganized this time and I'm dreading the long drive. Hopefully the weather in West Texas will be nicer than the weather in Dallas. The rain is pounding down now and there is lots of thunder. There have been several severe weather warnings on the television this evening as well. I'm really glad that Dawn is unaffected by the weather. Thunderstorms don't seem to bother her at all. I wish I could say the same.

It's been a long day and I need to get some sleep. I'll do a little more packing before I go to bed. I guess there's always tomorrow, but I am running out of time. Why didn't I get organized sooner? I certainly knew this was coming. 

Chief is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3975 - Veterans Day

Mom and Dad were both proud Navy veterans. Mom came from a military family with a father who was an Army Colonel and two brothers who were Air Force pilots. I didn't carry on this heritage of service. I never served at all. I had a low draft number during the Vietnam era, but got an exemption because of a knee injury. I'm glad I didn't get drafted. Even back then I thought the Vietnam War was needless. Today I feel that every war the United States got involved in since World War II was an unnecessary war. We certainly didn't need to get involved in the Middle East. Far too many people died or were injured for nothing. Are things any better in Iraq or Afghanistan now? I don't think so. People have been fighting in the Middle East for thousands of years. They will still be fighting long after the last American troops have returned home. We need a strong military, but we also need to learn to mind our own business.

Today was kind of stressful. I'm still not finished packing because there have been so many changes to the launch schedule. I've been on the phone and answering e-mails all day. Nobody knows where tropical storm ETA is headed. Yesterday it was traveling toward the Florida Panhandle. Today the storm has reversed course and is headed back toward the Florida mainland. I still don't know if the storm will be gone by the time I arrive or if I will land right in the middle of it.

Today's schedule changes weren't all bad. A ULA launch that was supposed to take place today got postponed until Friday evening. This means that I will get to see two rocket launches while I'm at Kennedy Space Center. I had to reschedule an interview with a Crew-1 mission specialist so I could attend the additional ULA NROL-101 launch on Friday evening, but I think I've finally got everything worked out.

The elephant in the room is still the weather. Where is this storm going to be when I wake up tomorrow? Will it strengthen to become a hurricane in the next few hours? Who knows. I guess I'll just have to wait and see. Southwest Airlines has canceled flight to Tampa but they are still flying to Orlando. I guess that's a good sign.

It's much easier to walk your dog than it is to travel to another state in the path of a hurricane. We had a great walk with Dawn this morning. The temperature was much cooler today and it was right in Dawn's comfort zone. It's amazing what a difference a few degrees can make. Dawn was frisky and full of energy this morning because the temperature was in the fifties. If it was 15 degrees warmer, you'd see a different dog. I'm glad Dawn likes the cooler temperatures, but I wish the weather was a little more consistent. It's hard to decide what to wear in the morning.

I'd better wrap this up soon so I can return to packing. Did I tell you that I hate packing? I'm always forgetting things because of my tendency to procrastinate. It's hard to remember all the details when you are doing everything at the last minute. I also still have to make a list of question for my interview with the Commercial Crew mission specialist. Jeez. Why didn't I do that earlier today? Don't worry. Everything will get done. I haven't missed a deadline yet.

Dolly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3947

It's time to get serious about packing. I really haven't started yet. I'm the absolute worst about travel planning. I wait till the last possible minute. I forget things. I can't even decide what to take. I'm still undecided about which cameras to bring with me and I have no idea where I'm going to eat breakfast. There were several restaurants that I tried to call, but nobody answers their phone anymore. I can't even get the ranch where I'm staying to answer their phone. They did send me a confirmation letter a few days ago, but I still have fears of arriving late and finding the entire place dark and locked up.

I did pick up my rental car, but even that was a little weird. When Janet dropped me off at the Enterprise office, I quickly discovered that the place was empty and locked up. What now? I wandered around aimlessly for a while, looking for an entrance and finally a maintenance guy pointed to the nearby Alamo office and told me, "You have to go in there." For reasons that were never explained to me, Alamo was renting cars for National and Enterprise too. There was a small staff that didn't know the available cars very well, but eventually I found something with in-dash GPS and blind spot warning lights on the mirrors. I never care what kind of car I get, but I always make sure it has GPS and blind spot indicators. Hopefully, this car has cruise control as well. There are very long stretches of flat uneventful roads in Texas.

We had another nice walk this morning. Dawn loves these cool Fall mornings. The temperature was in the high 50's when we left the house and didn't climb past the mid 60's for the rest of the morning. When the temperature remains low, Dawn is back to her old self. She didn't even seem that tired when we returned to the house. 

I wish ground fog was easier to photograph. There was lots of fog early this morning. It's very pretty visually, but it often seems to disappear in the camera. I did notice that all the Pelicans were back this morning. We haven't seen the female Muscovy duck in over a week though. Hopefully, we will never see the coyotes when Dawn is with us. I don't want to tangle with a pack of coyotes.

Now that I'm on the press list for both ULA and Space X, I'm starting to get lots of notices about upcoming launches. It's kind of an abundance of riches. I could never afford to go to all these launches, but it's nice to know I'm invited. I still plan to attend the Space X Crew 1 launch, but it hasn't been rescheduled yet. It was scheduled to launch on Halloween at one point. I hope the launch isn't pushed back to Thanksgiving now. Janet an I would still like to have a nice Thanksgiving dinner. It's a shame that buffets have probably disappeared forever. A lavish buffet brunch on Thanksgiving is the best.

I might not have WiFi on my trip. Yikes. The observatory is still officially closed and the astrophotography workshop is being held outdoors. There will be no fast Internet at the Astronomer's Lodge this time. The remote ranch cabin where I'll be staying probably doesn't have WiFi either. This presents a real problem for a daily blogger like me. What do I do if I can't upload a post each evening? I might have to write my entries offline and then post them retroactively to the correct day when I return. I hope it doesn't come to this. I've gone a long, long time without missing a day.

We'll see what happens. I wish I was more of a free spirit and wasn't so apprehensive about travel. I usually enjoy myself after I have arrived at my destination, but getting there can be a bitch. Hopefully, this trip will go smoothly.

Abby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3635

One down, two to go. I'm happy to report that our first Santa Paws event of the year went well. The animals were well behaved. The customers were happy. And none of the equipment broke. No dogs vomited or peed on the backdrop either. You really can't ask for more than that. We photographed more cats than I expected. I don't think the cats were expecting to be photographed either. Most of them clearly didn't enjoy sitting on Santa's lap. A few of the dogs enjoyed things a little too much, although nobody was really naughty. Santa was pleased.

I'm a little slower than I was last year. I stayed sitting for most of the day and my knees were thankful. It just isn't as easy to get up and down anymore. I may be falling apart, but the rest of the team has entered the modern age. We can take mobile payments now. We don't burn a CD for customers anymore. When they want all the pictures of their pet, they get their own Flash Drive. I'm amazed at how affordable Flash Drives have become. We couldn't have done this five years ago.

We'll be doing Santa photos at a different location tomorrow. Tomorrow's event is further away, so Janet and I will need to get up even earlier in the morning. It takes about an hour to set everything up and about the same amount of time to put all the equipment away again. Add another hour of driving time each way and it's going to be a long day. Our team of volunteers have become very efficient over the years. Everybody knows what to do and there are very few surprises. When the day is over, I always think that we do the best Santa photos in town.

I should go to bed early tonight but that's not going to happen. I've still got to pack for my NASA trip.   I'd like to think I've got these short trips down to a science, but it's so easy to forget things. Did I remember my passport? Did I remember to take all my meds? Can I even find my hotel? I like to travel light, so I almost always leave an important item of clothing behind. If I think I can live without a warm coat, it's almost guaranteed to be cold when I arrive. I'll do the best I can, but I'm never going to enjoy packing a suitcase.

I wonder how many more years I can do this? I'm a little slower every year, but somehow everything still works out OK. I guess it's good to stay busy, but it doesn't feel natural. Right now it feels more natural to get up at 10 AM and have a trip to the post office as your big event of the day. I'm still a little apprehensive about traveling on the same day we do one of these big photo events. Hey, I can do this. When it's all over, I'll probably be glad I tried to extend myself a little. I know I will enjoy seeing the Artemis moon rocket at the Michoud Assembly Facility. I enjoyed seeing all the dogs today as well. Some even made me laugh. I don't laugh nearly enough. Truth be known, being a pet photographer who likes to follow rocket launches isn't a bad way to spend your time. I think it would be even more fun if I was thirty again.

Humphrey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1868

I'm glad I don't live on the East Coast right now. Blizzard conditions have closed all the airports, making travel to Vandenberg Air Force Base impossible for a couple of people from New York and Boston who were planning on attending the SMAP launch this week. The weather is much better in Dallas, so my only problem will be getting up at 4 AM to go to the airport.

I'm a terrible travel planner, but I knew if I didn't get started today, I would run out of time. I always run into something unexpected when I'm packing. Today, I couldn't find a small tube of toothpaste that the TSA wouldn't confiscate. I couldn't get my laptop to boot up either. It turns out that I forgot to power the computer down several weeks ago and the battery ran out while the computer was still on. When I got this issue resolved, I had trouble setting the second time zone on a radio controlled watch I was planning to wear on the trip. The watch is supposed to set itself using a radio time signal, but somehow I screwed up and ended up with the dial showing the time in London. I probably should take a simpler watch with me. I packed some socks and then noticed that most of them had holes in them. I still can't figure out how to get the WiFi feature working on my new little point and shoot camera. If I can get the WiFi working, I'll be able to send pictures directly from the camera to Facebook and Twitter. Travel never used to involve so much technology. My boarding pass is on my phone. I sure hope this works, because sometimes it doesn't.

One way or another, everything will get done. It always does. I got all my meds packed away in one of those plastic pill containers that old people use. Oh wait, I am one of those old people. I super-glued my comfortable tennis shoes back together and packed a second nicer pair of shoes just in case I decide not to embarrass myself. I still don't know what kind of coat to take. I never get coats right and am always either too hot or too cold.

I did manage to get the camera equipment from yesterday's video shoot put away, but I haven't finished all of my website updates yet. I've got one more to go, which I should be able to finish before bedtime. I thought I'd be able to get caught up on things with time to spare, but I never dreamed that I'd waste an entire hour trying to set a weird Japanese watch and another hour simply trying to turn on my laptop. You might be wondering why I didn't finish my work first. I guess it was a matter of priorities. I'm always confident about meeting my work deadlines. Not so much with technology. Inexplicable software glitches, poorly written instructions, and the occasional catastrophic failure all drive me nuts. I depend on my high-tech tools, but I often hate them as well.

The dogs loved today's unseasonably warm weather. We took a long walk before breakfast and another toward the end of the day. In between, Dot and Dash sunned themselves in the back yard while I struggled to get organized. I wish I didn't wait until the last minute with everything I do, but it's in my blood. I've always been this way. Perhaps it's for the best. If I knew what I was doing ahead of time, I'd probably just worry more.

Jazz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day