Day 4887

My editor liked my article about the Viasat-3 launch and sent me a press proof of how it will appear in the July issue of SpaceFlight. I'm getting to be a regular contributor to this magazine. Will I be able to make it to the AX-2 launch several weeks from now? We'll see. I paid my credit card bills from the previous launch today and it's not looking promising. Everything is getting way too expensive. Being a space journalist is not a lucrative endeavor. Most of the other rocket photographers I've met down at the space center get paid virtually nothing for their efforts. We all seem to think it's worth it though. Not many people get inside access to view launches like this.

I continue to worry about the weather for the roof replacement next week. I was going to call the roofers today and try to postpone things, but I think I'll wait until Monday. The weather forecast changes daily. If the weather improves we might as well go ahead and get this done. I still don't want to deal with rain while half the roof is pulled off though. I'd kind of rather wait till July when we can go for weeks without any sort of moisture. With my luck, the best time for the roof replacement will probably be when I want to go to Florida for the AX-2 launch.

Today was a typical Friday. Janet did her grocery shopping. Dawn got impatient waiting for her to return. And I took another long walk. It was a good day for walking. The sky was overcast and it was relatively cool with very little wind. I like days like this. Dawn wasn't so sure about her own morning walk. She's scared of the neighbor's cat and won't go down into the park if the cat is outside in the neighbor's yard. We had to take a different route this morning but it all worked out fine. Dawn actually seemed excited to be doing something new.

I did nothing new at all on my long walk later in the morning. I followed my familiar route. Made sure all the resident ducks were accounted for. And tried to keep up a decent pace. I'm hopelessly slow compared to some people I see walking. Fitbit thinks I'm doing a good job though. Walking six miles a day still seems like a better alternative than going to the gym.

My supplemental health insurance went up in price again. I think the cable bill went up too. Everything keeps getting more expensive, while no additional money is coming in. This sucks. It's too bad I am no longer an in demand web designer. I could use a little extra income these days. I hear jobs are plentiful, but I don't think I'd want the type of job seniors tend to get these days. I'm not cut out to be a greeter at Walmart. I'll just have to learn to be more frugal. I was never very good at being frugal.

This week has gone quickly. I need to make a grocery list because my own grocery run is tomorrow. I'm trying to avoid outdoor chores, but the grass will need to be mowed very soon. Can it wait another week? We'll see.

Dixie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4886

I finally got out the star tracker and began testing it again. This thing is so frustrating. It works perfectly ocassionally, but mostly it randomly crashes in unpredicctable ways. I've spend hours and hours trying to identify and isolate the problem. I always come up with nothing. Is it a bad cable that causes the camera to disconnect? Why does the app often fail to stitch together panorama shots? I can't tell whether it's the camera, the iPhone app, the Polaris itself, or the connecting cables that are causing all the problems. It doesn't help that there never was an instruction manual for this thing. There is an online user group, but almost evereyone is using a different type of camera to connect to the tracker, so useful advice is limited. I gave up trying to communicate with the Chinese manufacturer a long time ago. The marketing people speak English but most of the engineers don't. When this thing works it produces spectacular results, but it only works for me about 20% of the time. I certainly didn't accomplish much today, so the Polaris will go back in the box for another month or so.

The rest of the day was about what you'd expect. Dawn got a nice early morning walk. I ate my breakfast of shredded wheat and fruit while watching the world disintegrate on cable news. I checked my messages and once again found nothing but spam. Then I got ready for my long walk.

My feet haven't been bothering me as much lately. I have no idea why. I can't be bothered to walk in a different direction, so I keep following the same path over and over again. I've walked this route so many times that I notice the smallest details. A piece of gum on the pavement becomes a mileage marker. A missing duck becomes a cause for concern. I'm surprised at how many people follow the same predictable routines as I do. I pass some of the same people walking in the opposite direction every single day. There are a lot of dog walkers I recognize now. There is even one guy who walks his cat on a leash. The park department spent a lot of money putting up fancy barriers to prevent vehicular traffic on the wider trails. Less than three months later most of the barriers are down. I suspect  the park maintenance people complained that they couldn't get their mowers, trash trucks, and other equipment through the barriers. One more example of a bureaucracy at work. Often the left hand isn't talking to the right hand.

My long walk took most of the morning and my experiments with the star tracker took most of the afternoon. There are lots of chores I could do around the house, but chores were the last thing I wanted to do today. I also wasn't interested in mowing the grass, even though it has been growing very quickly with all the rain we've been having. I guess I'd rather just go back to Florida and watch another launch. There is an opportunity to get press credentials at the end of the month for the AX-2 launch, but they'll probably wait until the last minute to notify me again. Who knows if I'll end up going. A lot depends on when the roofers decide to replace the roof.

It looks like tomorrow will be a nice day and then there is rain in the forecast for a solid week. This has been such a rainy Spring. It's has been hard to plan for anything. One way or another I'm sure we'll have a new roof by Summer. I'll probably see another launch or two as well. By July I'm sure I'll regret complaining about the rain. We get all our rain at once and it can be extremely dry later in the Summer. At least some things are predictable. I took this week's trash to the curb like I always do on Thursday evening. The trash truck always arrives while we are walking Dawn on Friday morning. The garbage man is very predictable.

Dodger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4885

I spent the day trying to avoid the rain and it never actually rained. I think I pay too much attention to the weather. Its going to do what its going to do anyway. Everything did get done. Dawn got walked and I stayed dry on my daily long walk. It just would have been a little easier if I wasn't constantly checking the weather radar.

I'm starting to see lots of baby ducks in the park. It's that time of year. I rarely see young squirrels although squirrels are everywhere. I sometime hear coyote cubs howling, but I've never seen them. They stay well hidden. Maybe the baby owls near us have grown old enough to fly. I never see photographers around their tree anymore. With all this activity you'd think the resident eagles would be making a nest as well. They abandoned an earlier nest and don't appear to have built another one. I'm curious about these things, but not curious enough to become a birder myself. The animals in the park are just something to occupy my mind during my daily walks.

For the past several weeks I've seen lots of birders taking pictures of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers. This seems curious to me, since the birds are not rare or hard to photograph. I've taken many pictures of these birds over the years. They often perch on top of yucca flowers and look quite striking. Maybe people are interested now because the birds are migratory and are just now arriving for the summer. Of maybe the birders can't find the eagles and are just looking for something to photograph.

I didn't end up doing much today. After my long walk I was planning on practicing using the star tracker again, but never got around to it. I did do a minor update to the Dalmatian Rescue website because I got one of the dogs names wrong when I was doing updates yesterday. I got an e-mail from Southwest Airlines advertising discount flights to Florida this month. This made me rethink returning to the Space Center this Spring. I haven't heard anything yet, but I think I will end up getting credentialed for the upcoming AX-2 launch. It's always tempting to go back to Florida. Especially when I can't think of anything to do here.

There seem to be a lot of homes for sale in our neighborhood now. I wonder why? When we first moved here people would live in the same homes until they died. There are still a lot of permanent residents, but the neighborhood seems more transient now. People will stay for five or six years and then disappear. Almost all the houses on our street have changed hands since we initially moved here. Things change I guess. In the beginning we were one of the youngest people on the street. Now we're one of the oldest.

Yesterday the weather forecast looked good for next week's roof replacement. Today there's a chance of rain on the day the roofers planned to begin. I definitely don't want the roof being replaced on a rainy day, so we may need to change the schedule. I probably should have just waited until July to do this. We get very little rain in the Summer here. One way or another, this job will get done. I'm just not looking forward to it.

Chief is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4884

Another slow day. It's a good thing I handle boredom well because every day is virtually the same. We get up and take Dawn on an early walk. I make the bed when we return and then I eat my breakfast. Breakfast is the only time I watch TV and I often wonder why I even bother. We have a new dishwasher but I always wash the breakfast dishes by hand. It's just a habit. I turn on the computer and check my messages after breakfast. They are mostly all spam. If it looks like it's going to be a hot day, I take my long walk right away. If it's cold, I wait for things to warm up. The long walk is completely predictable. I take the same route every day. The park is huge and I could take many different routes, but like I mentioned earlier, I'm a creature of habit.

There seems to be an unusual number of wildflowers this year. This is probably because we had a very wet Spring. I photograph these flowers and have learned to identify most of them, but this isn't really necessary. I've photographed almost every variety of native plants many times over the years. It's actually been quite a while since I've seen anything new in the park. I always look for the Muscovy Ducks and count the small gaggle of geese to see if anyone is missing. I used to see coyotes frequently but I haven't seen any this year. There are also bobcats in the park but I've only seen two in the past ten years. I'm glad these birds and animals are still abundant. When we first moved here the park was wild and largely abandoned. Now it is full of people and has a huge staff of caretakers. The place has become a destination for all forms of outdoor recreation. I can't even remember why we ended up living here, but it ended up being a good choice.

I thought about practicing using the star tracker today, but it was easy to talk myself out of it. I'm never going to spend a lot of time pursuing astrophotography unless I go out to McDonald Observatory again. I think I've already proved that the star tracker works. I just haven't proved that I'm seriously interested in astronomy. I wish the observatory was closer. It is a very peaceful place to visit. It might be a while until I get out there again though. It is much easier to fly to Florida for a launch than to drive to West Texas.

I wonder how Facebook chooses things for me to see? It makes sense that I would see a lot of posts about Dalmatians. It probably makes sense that I see lots of things about guitars and astrophotography as well. Why do I constantly get posts about WWII Battle Tanks though? And why do I need to know about the giant trees of Ohio. I used to get posts about Elvis Presley every day and then they went away. Facebook seems to think I'm real interested in ships at sea and alcoholic beverages. I think they are just grasping at straws. I delete the cookies on my computer every evening and erase my browser history as well. I don't want to make it easy for these guys, but they keep trying. 

The weather forecast says it's going to be raining when we wake up in the morning. I hope the forecast is wrong. Dawn always needs a walk in the morning and I need my long walk as well. I know we need the rain, but the rainy season is always a big nuisance. If it didn't rain so much, we wouldn't need a new roof at all.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4883

I got surprised by the weather again today. There was an unexpected thunderstorm on my long walk and I ended up sitting under a picnic shelter in the park for almost an hour waiting for the storm to pass. At least I didn't get wet. You could kind of pick your weather today. It was cool and partly cloudy when we took Dawn on her early walk. For a couple of hours there were dark clouds and lots of rain. Later in the day it cleared off and it was hot and muggy. You never know what to expect at this time of year.

After breakfast this morning I sent my article about the Viasat-3 launch off to SpaceFlight Magazine. I also edited a selection of pictures to accompany the article. My editor responded favorably a few hours later, so this launch visit is officially over. There are several other interesting launches coming up soon, but I don't know when I'll be back at Kennedy Space Center. I'm feeling poor right now.

The roofing company called today to set a date for the roof installation. They want to begin work next week. After making sure we could change the date in case of bad weather, I agreed to the timetable. I'm not looking forward to this and will be glad when the new roof is completed so I can forget about this again. Since the roof hasn't leaked during the past two heavy rains, I'm beginning to wonder whether this is a big waste of money. I guess it is necessary. I've had problems with this roof for a long, long time. I don't think I really have a choice.

I ran into a couple of people I hadn't seen in a long time on my walk today. They told me that a mutual friend had died recently. This seems to happen far too often as I grow older. Sometimes my Facebook timeline seems like an obituary page. I'm still feeling pretty healthy, but it is sobering to realize that quite a few high school classmates and coworkers from the ad agency days are already gone. Not much you can do about growing older, but I'm definitely going to keep walking.

My second Kickstarter project appears to be getting ready to ship. I got a letter today wanting to confirm my shipping address and asking whether I wanted to pay for expedited shipping. This project is a new kind of self leveling camera tripod. In theory it will make it easier to align and use my star tracker. I had an option of getting a small travel version of the tripod or a larger heavy duty model. The smaller tripod would have been more useful since I always carry a tripod with me on launch trips, but of course I got the big heavy duty model that I will probably never use. I'm well prepared for astrophotography now. It's too bad I'm scared to go outside at night in Dallas.

Janet was gone for much of the day and Dawn seemed disgusted that she had to spend the day with me. This dog would be so much happier if she could just come to terms with the fact that she and I are going to be spending a lot of time together. Other than my infrequent launch trips, I just don't have that much desire to leave the house.

Daisy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4882

We got quite a bit of rain last night, but I think I slept through most of the storm. An app on my phone said there had been a power outage, but I slept through that as well. The ground was surprisingly dry when we took Dawn on her early walk, although there was a lot of water on the roof, judging by how long it took the pumps to clear the standing water away. I thought there would be leaks with this much water, but so far there hasn't been a problem. Any rain without a roof leak is fine by me.

Janet had to leave right after we walked Dawn this morning, so I had my shredded wheat and fruit instead of our usual weekend breakfast. I checked my messages and then headed for the mall. Very little had changed since last week. One new store had opened, but most of the window displays were the same. I've walked past these stores so many times now that I've got my favorites. John Varvatos has the best looking men's clothing and Scanlan Theodore has the best looking women's clothes. Gucci seems to have the ugliest clothes. If the stores were actually open when I walked, I would probably enjoy visiting Williams Sonoma the most. I'm not much of a cook, but I do enjoy nice cooking utensils.

Dawn was ready for the Sunday outing when I returned from the mall. As usual she was excited when we got ready to go and immediately panicked as soon as the car started. This Sunday walk is about the same distance as our regular sunrise walk, but we complete it two minutes faster. This is probably because Dawn spends more time smelling things on our early morning walks. I tried my best to keep up with Dawn and Janet today. I need to work on elevating my heart rate on these walks. Elevating my heart rate is probably a lost cause though because the Carvedilol I take slows down my heart.

Dawn doesn't really calm down on her Sunday outing until we go to the ice cream store. Dawn loves ice cream. The ice cream is good, but it is certainly no bargain. They've raised their prices twice since we started getting cones on Sunday and they don't even bother to fill the bottom of the cone. They basically just put a big scoop of ice cream on top on an empty cone. I can't really complain though. Ice cream is an indulgence, not a necessity.

I updated the Dalmatian Rescue website this afternoon. I'm not very involved with website design and maintenance anymore, so I'm getting a little rusty. The updates to the Dalmatian site are very easy, but sometimes it takes me a while to remember how to modify the code. Part of the problem I'm having lately is that I use a browser based design tool and my Safari browser is woefully out of date. Apple won't update Safari unless the operating system is updated as well. I can't update the OS any more because my computer is too old. The old computer does everything I need though, so I'll probably be using Sierra forever. I can use High Sierra on the laptop, but that's still a very old operating system.

It was a busy day in the park, but I missed most of the activities. There was a charity dog walk that the vet we used with Dot and Dash was involved with. We probably would have taken Dot and Dash on something like this, but Dawn is unpredictable around other dogs. There was also an annual car show in the park that I like to go to, but I forgot the date and it was already over by the time we got back from our Sunday outing with Dawn. I could have gone to the car show instead of mall walking this morning, but it never even occurred to me. I'm a creature of habit.

I guess I'll send my article about the Viasat-3 launch to SpaceFlight Magazine tomorrow. I still can't decide whether to go to the AX-2 launch at the end of the month. I'll probably get credentials for this one, but these trips are getting way too expensive. 

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4881

It was a typical Saturday. I walked and went to the grocery store. That was about it. I didn't have any problems finding things today. My list wasn't long though. I knew Janet was going to be gone tonight and I didn't feel like cooking, so I just got some chicken salad for dinner.

The day started as usual with an early walk with Dawn. We hit an all time record high temperature today, so this early walk was the only time when it actually felt nice outside. Dawn enjoyed her sunrise walk, but later in the day she didn't even want to go outside. I can't blame her. I did go out for my long walk later in the morning, but I think Dawn had the right idea. This was the first day this year that I regretted walking in the park instead of going to the gym. It was just too hot.

How am I going to make it through another hot summer? Last year I wet down my clothes and hat on hot days before I started walking. I'll probably have to start doing that again soon. The clothes were always dry again by the time I returned home, but this did cool me down for a while. Today's walk was uneventful. The meadows are green and full of wildflowers, but I have no desire to take pictures. I think I already have good pictures of almost everything in the park.

There has been rain in the forecast all day, but so far nothing had materialized. I stayed dry on my walk, but I wouldn't have minded getting rained on. It was unusually  and humid today and my clothes were quickly covered in sweat. There was some sort of native prairie appreciation day going on at the park while I was out walking. I was surprised at how many people were attending. There were numerous booths set up and several groups were taking tours of the grasslands. I guess I just take the park for granted since I live here, but it is a special place.

Janet is at a rescue event tonight, so Dawn has reverted to her fearful mode. I got her to come out and eat her dinner, but she will probably just sit on the bed and shake until Janet returns. It's a shame that Dawn doesn't feel comfortable when Janet is gone. I'm around the house a lot more than Janet is and Dawn would be a lot happier if she could just get used to this. 

Home is definitely the best place to be today. I turned on the TV while I was eating dinner and discovered that there had been a mass shooting at a large outlet mall north of town that Janet and I have shopped at a number of times. This is the last place I would have expected something like this to happen. Sadly, no place is safe anymore. We live in a dystopian world that appears to be crumbling around us.

The mall shooting won't stop me from mall walking tomorrow. Plane crashes don't stop me from flying and seeing accidents on the road doesn't stop me from driving. I am more cautious as I grow older though. I don't feel comfortable being out late at night these days. I guess I'm not the same person who used to play in bands at clubs at all hours of the night. It's a shame that the world doesn't feel safe anymore. I'm glad that Janet and I did our traveling when we were younger. I have no desire to visit New York City or San Francisco anymore.

There's a storm headed our way, but hopefully it won't rain long and we'll still be able to take Dawn on her Sunday outing tomorrow. I don't know when we'll be able to start the roof replacement. I see rain in the forecast for the rest of the month.

Patches is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4880

I finished my SpaceFlight Magazine article today. I won't send it in until Monday though. Maybe I can think of some improvements over the weekend. This wasn't the best article I've ever written, but it wasn't the best trip to Kennedy Space Center either. I think the story would have been a little more interesting if I had actually seen the launch.

It seemed unusually hot today for early May. By mid-afternoon the temperature was over 90 degrees. It was still nice outside when we took Dawn on her early morning walk, but even then I could tell that I wouldn't be needing a coat. Dawn didn't seem particularly eager to walk this morning. There was nothing wrong. She just seemed lazy. I could certainly relate. I haven't been all that eager to go on my long walks lately either.

After finishing breakfast I worked on my article for a while before getting ready for my long walk. It's hard to believe now that I used to write copiously every single day. Although I was trained as an architect, I spent most of my career as an advertising copywriter. Writing is actually a fairly pleasant way to spend the day. It certainly seemed less stressful than the time I spent as a commercial photographer.

Today felt more like Summer than Spring. I was hot on my walk, even though I only wore a t-shirt and shorts. If anything drives me back to the gym, it will be the temperature. The small indoor track at the gym looks a lot more appealing when it is 100 degrees outside. Today I passed a group of photographers with their cameras all pointed at an apparently empty field. I think they were birders looking for Scissor Tailed Flycatchers. I often see these birds in this particular field and have photographed them many times. It seems strange to photograph something as a group, but I guess that's exactly what I do when I go down to Kennedy Space Center. Are rocket photographers any different than bird photographers? Probably not.

I'm surprised that the roofers haven't called to schedule a start date for the roof replacement. I haven't called them because I'm still not sure when I'd like to start. I've looked at the long range weather and there seems to be rain in the forecast every single week. I'm convinced that once the work begins, it will start raining and the only thing protecting us will be a big blue tarp over the roof. The roof replacement is supposed to take three days, but that means it will probably take a week. I'm dreading this. Loud noises scare Dawn and I know the roofers trucks will end up blocking the driveway when I need to get out. We do need a new roof though. Maybe by mid-Summer this whole experience will be in the rear view mirror.

This week really went quickly. It's already time to make a grocery list again. I think I'll get the lawnmower batteries replaced tomorrow. Replacing the 24 volt batteries is certainly cheaper than buying a new mower.   I've replaced these batteries several times already, but I still prefer an electric mower to a gas powered one. Strangely, I don't feel the same way about electric cars. I have very little interest in buying an electric car. Taking a road trip in an electric car still seems like a giant hassle.

I wonder how many stores I will have to visit tomorrow? Grocery shopping seems more complicated than it used to be. Truthfully, everything seems more complicated than it used to be.

Dolly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4879

I got started on my SpaceFlight Magazine article today. I'm not really happy with it yet, but at least I'm making progress. As usual I lost a paragraph and had to start over when Microsoft Word froze on me and I had to restart the computer. I really need to remember to save my work more often. No harm done though. I didn't like that paragraph anyway.

It was another slow and largely uneventful day. We got up and walked Dawn earlier than usual because Janet had an early appointment. Dawn continues to seem strong and no longer shows any signs of weakness in her front legs. She hasn't fallen in quite a while now. I haven't fallen either, but I do show signs of weakness from time to time. There's nothing wrong. I'm just getting older.

After my usual breakfast I checked my messages and got ready for my long walk. Most of my messages are spam these days. There doesn't seem to be any way to avoid these unsolicited messages. I get them on my land line, my cell phone, and on my computer. I've gotten where I never answer the phone unless caller ID shows a number that I clearly recognize. Most of the e-mail spam is painfully obvious. How stupid do these guys thing I am? Spam and telemarketers are still irritating though. I uses every spam blocker in creation and still a lot gets through.

I made pretty good time on my walk today, but my feet are hurting again. These walks are starting to seem like Ground Hog Day. The same things happen over and over again. I pass the same people, see the same animals, and end up complaining about the same aches and pains. Long walks are still the best way to kill time that I can think of. If I didn't take these walks I would just stay at home and eat snacks. A two hour walk adds structure to an otherwise amorphous day. I'd consider walking three hours a day, but I don't think I could make it. Two hours is pretty tiring as it is.

Much of my work on the article today was just doing research. I returned from Kennedy Space Center last Friday, but I forget things quickly. I don't know what I'd do without Google. You can quickly find the answer to virtually anything on Google these days. Doing research use to involve a trip to the central library and hours of searching through books, magazines, and newspapers. The whole process is so easy now.

I didn't finish my article, but I did finish my long walk. I need to start walking on the other side of the lake just to break the monotony. I could always go to the gym instead, but it's more enjoyable to walk outside instead of around the gym's small indoor track. I'd probably accomplish more by just going to the weight room at the gym, but I've become totally hooked on getting my Fitbit steps every day.

I've taken this weeks trash out to the curb and am waiting for the rain that has been predicted all day to finally start. Tomorrow I'll finish my article and send it off to the magazine. I'm ready for another launch trip. There is very little that interests me here in Dallas.

Crosby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4878

Little by little I'm getting things done around the house. I think it helps to mention that I'm going to do something tomorrow on the blog because it forces me to actually do it. Today I wrote a letter to my sister and took it to the post office. I got some fire ant bait at Home Depot and treated all the mounds around the house. Fire ants are terrible this year. The park is infested with them and we have at least six mounds in our own yard. I think the fire ant bait works, but often you have to treat the mounds several times before the ants disappear. I also bought some river gravel and filled in the big pothole in the driveway. The gravel has to be the right size, but it turns out to be an effective way to stabilize an old driveway.

The weather continues to be near perfect. In retrospect this would have been a good week to install the new roof. The roofers have mentioned something about wanting to start next week, but the forecast looks like rain. With unpredictable Spring weather continuing, it's going to be hard to find a week with no chance of rain. I'm trying to enjoy the nice weather while I can. Dawn loves her early morning walks these days. Even though it is warmer later in the day, my long walks aren't so bad either. I hope this pleasant weather lasts for a while because Summer in Texas can be brutal.

My walk was pleasant today although there wasn't much to look at. The Muscovy Ducks have disappeared and only four of the resident geese remain. The White Pelicans and Double Crested Cormorants all headed North for the summer several weeks ago and there are far fewer Mallards as well. I think the Coots and the Great Egrets will stick around for the summer. 

I kept up a pretty good pace today, although I always slow down quite a bit after I finish the fourth mile. I actually have no idea whether I'm in good shape or not. I did get 20,000 steps today, but I really don't have a reference point. It's obvious that there are plenty of people my age in worse shape than me, but that isn't the point. Could I be doing better? I imagine that I could be doing a lot better if I tried. Especially if I went to the gym everyday like Janet does. For now, a relatively slow six mile walk will have to do. The long walk, doing a few chores around the house, and the blog pretty effectively fill up my day.

I was hoping to write my SpaceFlight article today, but I never got around to it. Since I've written two in-depth articles about the Falcon Heavy for the magazine already, I need to think of a new angle. The previous editor of the magazine liked my first person accounts of trips to Kennedy Space Center, but the current editor prefers more factual articles about the rocket and the mission. I kind of liked the idea of being a travel writer who mostly talked about rockets and astronomy, but I've been writing professionally for over 40 years and can write something in any style you like. Hopefully I will get the article written tomorrow before I start to forget things.

Janet said that Dawn did really well at training class tonight. She doesn't do the heeling exercises as well now that she wears a harness in class, but she does everything else perfectly. Dawn is a really smart dog. It's kind of amazing to see how well she has adapted to our daily routine. If I'm late about anything, Dawn will remind me. I hear her barking for her evening snack right now.

Milo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4877

I stayed busy today although I don't think I accomplished much. I signed the contract with the roofing company and paid my early May bills. I attempted to mow the grass in the front yard, but the mower wasn't up to the job. I either need to replace the battery pack again or just get a new mower. I used to be able to mow both the front and the back yard on a single charge. Today the batteries died before I could even finish the front. I guess I could recharge the batteries and finish things up tomorrow but my heart isn't in it. I've lost all interest in household chores.

The weather continues to be really pleasant. We had a nice early walk with Dawn this morning. Nobody was photographing the baby owls this morning, but we did see a bunny. Dawn was so busy smelling things that she didn't even notice the rabbit.

I mowed the grass before taking my long walk today, which probably explains why I was so slow. Some days these walks really seem like a chore. My feet hurt and I didn't have a lot of energy, but I did manage to finish my six miles. It's weird that I continue to do this day after day even though it is not always enjoyable. I'm a big believer in discipline. If you set a goal, you need to accomplish it. I'm slow and have my share of aches and pains, but I still think I'm in better shape than many people my age.

I don't know why I'm dreading having the roof replaced so much. We definitely need a new roof, but I keep expecting all sorts of surprises when the work begins. I want to schedule the job when there is no rain in the forecast, but that won't guarantee that it won't rain. Texas weather is full of surprises. Old houses are full of surprises too. The roofers will probably discover something that will end up making the job even more expensive. Having strangers around the house making lots of noise will scare Dawn too. In theory this will all be worth it if the roof stops leaking and I no longer have to sweep the standing water away after every heavy rain. Maybe I won't even need the pumps anymore. 

My expenses on the Viasat-3 launch trip were higher than I expected. The cost of these trips has almost doubled since I started doing them about seven years ago. Airfares have increased the most, but hotels and rental cars have gone up as well. Even meals are more expensive. I really wonder how long I can continue doing this. The magazine I write for doesn't pay expenses, so the trips just end up being a weird kind of vacation. I guess it is no surprise that most of the other launch photographers are local and live near the space center. There are several other launches I'd like to attend this year, but we'll just have to see. I'm a realist and realize that it doesn't really matter if I'm down there or not. These launch trips are just an indulgence.

There's a laundry list of things I need to do this week. I still need to apply for TSA Pre before I travel anywhere again. I need to get some gravel to fill in a big pot hole in the driveway. It's time to write my sister again since I got a letter from her. Do I buy a new mower or just fix the old one again? I need to finish my SpaceFlight Magazine article about the Viasat-3 program. None of these things are all that important but they will nag at me if I don't get them done. 

I'm sure that tomorrow will be a lot like today, but you probably know that already.

Bogart is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4876

How can it be May already? This year has really gone quickly. We've had a health scare with Dawn and I've made two trips down to Kennedy Space Center. For the most part, life has been uneventful though. I guess that's a good thing. I'm not looking for a lot of drama at this point.

Today was a typical Monday. We took Dawn on her early morning walk. I had my breakfast of shredded wheat and fruit and then I took some things to the storage warehouse, filled the car with gas, and went to the bank. I was planning to mow the grass in the front yard today but never got around to it. Oh, well. There's always tomorrow for chores I'm trying to avoid today.

It looks like we'll be starting on the roof replacement soon. The roofers want to set a date to begin and have sent me a final contract to sign. I asked Janet to read over the contract because after a career in the title business she knows far more about this type of thing than I do. Whenever I read through any type of contract, it always seems like the other party wants to be responsible for nothing and wants me to be responsible for everything. This company comes highly recommended by people we trust, but I'm still apprehensive about dealing with contractors. Once burned, twice shy is the rule of thumb here.

The weather is still very nice, but there are increasing signs that Summer is on the way. I guess it's time to take the protective covers off the outdoor faucets and shut off the ones that were set to a slow drip during our short spell of freezing weather this Winter. I need to decide whether to buy a new lawnmower this year. I don't know whether the old mower is going to survive another season. Everyone else in the neighborhood uses a lawn service now, but I hate dealing with others for things I can still do myself. Obviously I can't put on a new roof myself, but I can probably still manage to mow the lawn.

I still need to write my article about the Viasat-3 launch and send it off to SpaceFlight Magazine. I'm disappointed that I didn't see the launch in person, but it won't affect my ability to write the article. I did get a lot of good pictures while I was down at Kennedy Space Center. I just didn't get any of the launch itself. I could probably send pictures of a previous Falcon Heavy launch and nobody would know the difference. Viasat-3 was the fourth Falcon Heavy launch I've attended and these night launches all look exactly the same.

I had a pleasant long walk this morning although I was surprisingly slow. I was actually feeling pretty good, but my pace was terrible today. I still don't understand why I'm not more consistent on these walks. My elapsed time for the entire walk can vary by up to eight minutes. We've had lots of rain this year, so the park looks unusually green this year. When we moved here over thirty years ago, I didn't realize what a special place this was. Just got lucky I guess. The neighborhood is very stable and we live near one of the largest urban parks in the entire country.

I don't have any plans for tomorrow. Not to worry. I didn't have any plans for today either and the day turned out OK. 

Betsy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4875

It was a beautiful day. When we took Dawn on her early walk, the sky was clear and there was no pollen in the air. I'm glad the allergy season appears to be over. I'm seeing FIrewheels in the park now. These are usually the last of the Spring wildflowers to appear. Like it or not, Summer is not far away.

We had another big weekend breakfast this morning and then I got ready to go to the mall. Mall walking on Sunday has become a regular part of my routine. The mall was surprisingly quiet today. For some reason there were no small children. Why would everyone decide not to bring their kids to the mall on this particular day? Maybe it was the weather. It was so nice outside that going to a playground was probably a better alternative. 

I'm still surprised to see something new almost every single week. One new store opened today and another moved to a different location. Many of the window displays have changed. Virtually everyone is featuring summer clothes now. I try to notice little changes in each window. I guess I do the same thing when I am walking in the park. I think being observant keeps the mind sharp. Some people do puzzles or play Sudoku. I try to remember the names of wildflowers I see and make inferences about the state of the world based on store window displays.

When I returned home, Dawn was ready for her Sunday outing. It was a perfect day for a walk. I was a little worried that the ground would be muddy, but everything had already dried out. We had to keep Dawn away from patches of poison ivy. This particular park is filled with poison ivy. You're pretty safe if you stick to the areas that the park department mows. We stay away from the tall prairie grass anyway because Dawn would become covered with ticks. There are also plenty of snakes. 

Dawn had lots of energy today. Janet walks her on the Sunday outing because I can't keep up with Dawn when she's having a good time. Luckily Dawn and Janet wait for me at the car when our walk is finished. As always we ended our outing with ice cream cones. Dawn loves ice cream and it tends to calm her down. She's usually pretty quiet on the way back home. As soon as we return to the house, Dawn hops on the bed and takes a nap.

I like naps too, but I actually felt like doing something useful this afternoon. I got out the vacuum and cleaned the carpets in the bedroom and office. The carpets don't look that dirty to me, but they must be filthy judging from the amount of dust the Dyson picks up. Our other dogs were scared of the vacuum cleaner but Dawn could care less. She just sits on the bed and watches me while I clean the bedroom.

It was also time to mow the yard. I really need to get new batteries for the mower, but I was able to charge them just enough to mow the back yard this afternoon. I'll do the front yard next week. Should I buy a new mower or just hire a lawn service? I'm still debating these options. I'm not a big fan of mowing the lawn, but that doesn't mean much these days. I'm not a big fan of doing any type of chore. I think Dawn has the right idea. Walks and naps are all you need.

I watched the Viasat-3 launch after dinner this evening on the Space X live feed. The launch was a success but I'm not really sorry that I missed seeing it live. I couldn't have afforded to spend almost a full week in Titusville and the launch was at night anyway, so it would have been harder for me to get good pictures. There will be other launches in the future. For now, I'm happy enough following my admittedly dull routine here at home.

Bea is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4874

Life is back to normal. Dawn seems happy that I am walking her again. Only a dog could appreciate a regular routine more than me. After our early walk with Dawn, we had a big weekend breakfast and then I did my Saturday grocery shopping. I only went to one store today and managed to find everything I needed. I should do this more often. Shopping is a lot easier when you don't have to visit multiple stores. I probably won't be able to do this again next week because I didn't need shop towels, laundry detergent, orange juice or my favorite beer today. Sam's Club still has the best prices on bulk items and Central Market is the only place that sells fresh squeezed, cold press juices. Today I only went to Tom Thumb.

It didn't take long to unpack my bags and put everything away. It pays to travel light. I did all my laundry from the trip and put that away as well. Now I'm ready to go again. The only thing preventing me from taking another trip to Kennedy Space Center is the expense. I'm getting ahead of myself though. I haven't been approved yet for any future launches and I'm too tired to go anywhere anyway. I sleep better and eat a lot healthier when I'm at home. Even though I got to bed late last night, I slept better than I have all week.

The weather was nice today. It was chilly when we took Dawn on her sunrise walk, but it warmed up to the mid 60's later in the day. This is perfect walking weather. I don't need a heavy coat and I don't get hot and sweaty either. The park looks great this Spring. With all the rain we've had lately, there is an abundance of wildflowers and the native prairie grasses in the meadows are lush and green. I need to enjoy this while I can. By July or August all these areas will look parched and dry.

The baby owls must still be in their nest because all the bird photographers were back this morning. The park department has posted signs that say "do not disturb, sensitive nesting area," but nobody reads signs anymore. Photographers still surround the tree with the nest. I wish people would leave the animals alone. They are constantly feeding the ducks bread, which is very bad for them. Today I saw a little kid try to pick up a turtle. Luckily his mother told him to stop. It was a snapping turtle.

I made good time on my long walk today. It aways helps when the weather is nice. It's probably time to retire my current pair of Hoka shoes. They don't provide enough support anymore and are slowly starting to disintegrate. A good pair of hiking boots will last a lifetime. A pair of running shoes is lucky to last a year. I've already got a replacement pair of Hokas, but I'm trying to get as much use out of the old pair as possible.

It looks like the weather will be nice again tomorrow, so Dawn will get her Sunday outing. We've had a lot of rain, so hopefully the park we go to on Sunday won't be muddy. I'll go mall walking again tomorrow as well. The park is great, but it's still nice to have a change of pace every once in a while. The Falcon Heavy launch I went down to Florida to see has been rescheduled for tomorrow evening. I'll watch that on the Space X live feed. The weather down there is still iffy, so we'll see if the launch gets scrubbed again.

Parker is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4873

Should I stay or should I go? When I woke up this morning I immediately checked all the weather apps on my phone, trying to decide whether it was worth extending my trip to Kennedy Space Center even further. None of the forecasts came to exactly the same conclusion, but the general consensus was that there was about a 20% chance of favorable weather at launch time. Not good. When I checked with the front desk at the hotel they said they were fully booked for the weekend. Not good either. I would have to look elsewhere for a new place to stay if I wanted to watch tonight's launch attempt. Finally, airline prices were even higher this weekend and most flights to Dallas were already full. Things weren't looking good.

I reluctantly decided to call it quits and made plans to head for the airport after a final breakfast at the Cracker Barrel Restaruant down the street from my hotel. I second guessed my decision all the way home. As luck would have it, I ended up making the right decision after all. Tonight's launch was scrubbed with only 59 seconds left on the clock. That's three scrubs in a row for this rocket. Ironically, tonight's scrub had nothing to due with the weather. The weather was actually improving.

When I was only a few miles from the Orlando airport I got a message on my phone saying that my flight had been canceled. What? This was disconcerting to say the least. I briefly thought about going back to Titusville, but I was already at the airport. I turned in my rent car just as I got another text message saying that I'd been rebooked on a flight leaving at 8:30 this evening. Not good. I definitely wasn't looking forward to spending the entire day at the airport. When I looked at the departure board, my flight was the only one canceled. Why? I saw that there was another flight leaving for Dallas in ten minutes, so I quickly headed for the gate in hopes that I could get on board as a standby passenger. When I arrived at the gate the plane was already loading. I thought I was too late, but the gate agent managed to get me onboard. I was the last passenger to board the plane. I was very surprised that I got on this plane since it was supposedly full. I learned later that a lot of Southwest employees fly free on the airline and they get bumped if there is a paying customer who wants their seat. 

I must have brought the bad weather back with me to Dallas. The sky looked dark, but I thought I could still take my long walk. I never got a chance to get my steps at the airport, since my flight left almost immediately after I arrived. For better or worse,  I'm definitely hooked on getting at least 10,000 steps every day. It's a good thing I kept up the pace today. When I was about five minutes from home, I got another severe weather warning on my phone. I made it to the house with minutes to spare. The storm was pretty bad, but it was nothing compared to what I experienced out at the Space Center last night.

I'm not sure when I'll get back to Kennedy Space Center again. These launch trips are getting expensive. There are several other launches I'd like to see this Spring, but I definitely can't afford to see them all. Dawn was actually glad to see me when I returned home. I guess life is full of surprises.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4872

This wasn't my lucky day. The VIasat-3 launch got scrubbed again. The weather today was much worse than yesterday. It was already raining when I headed out to the press site this evening, but I went anyway since I never received a cancelation notice from Space X. This was a mistake, since the rain kept getting worse the closer I got to Kennedy Space Center. 

As I was sitting in the parking lot, waiting for the rain to stop, the sky kept getting darker and darker and I began seeing lightning all around me. Then I got simultaneous warnings on my phone, my watch, and even from the rental car itself, all saying to take cover immediately because there was a tornado nearby. Jeez. Where would I go? All the nearby buildings were closed and we were miles from any available shelter. I just sat there and hoped for the best. It was pretty clear that the launch would be canceled, but I never received a notice from Space X. By this point the rain was coming down so hard that I couldn't see the rocket or even nearby buildings. I saw plenty of lightning though. There were huge lightning bolts in all directions. I heard thunder almost immediately, so the lightning was close. Some bolts appeared to land pretty close to the launch pad. At some point during the storm, other cars in the parking lot started to leave, so I knew that the launch must have been scrubbed.

I decided to head back to Titusville before it got completely dark. The roads were already covered with water and were very hard to see. I knew if I waited much longer some of the low areas might become impassible. It was a white knuckle drive back to town. About halfway back to the hotel there was a second tornado warning. There was even a little swirling image of a tornado on the car's GPS. There was so much water on the road that I felt there was a real danger of hydroplaning. Eventually I made it back to the hotel and I'm now trying to decide whether to stay another day.

I may change my mind, but I think I'll head home tomorrow. There is a 90% chance of more rain on Friday. Rain is in the forecast for Saturday and Sunday too. With those kind of odds I could be here forever, or at least until I ran out of money. Things don't begin to clear off down here until later next week. I definitely can't afford to stay that long. The day wasn't a total loss though. We got our credentials this morning and were bussed out to the launch pad to set remote cameras and take close up shots of the Falcon Heavy on the pad. It's a shame that Space X didn't go ahead and launch yesterday. The weather had actually cleared up by the original sunset launch time. 

I'm not even sure I could stay another day because the hotel is already beginning to fill up with weekend travelers. Airfares are more expensive on weekends too. If I stay Friday, I would be flying back on Saturday. Basically, I think it's a lost cause. One of the weather apps on my phone says there is a 90% chance of thunderstorms tomorrow. Oh, well. You win some, you lose some.

I enjoyed chatting with other launch photographers out at the launch pad this afternoon. The weather was really nice up until about 4 PM. It's weird how quickly things can change. I really thought we were going to have a successful launch for quite a while today. All in all, it was a good day. I definiely can't recommend sitting out in a car in an isolated parking lot, miles from anywhere while you learn you are directly in the path of an approaching tornado. That was a little spooky.

Chance is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4871

The rocket didn't go anywhere today. Space X scrubbed tonight's launch due to the potential for severe weather in the area. Since the launch was postponed early in the day, we weren't even able to get our credentials. This was a disapointment to everybody waiting for their badges at the Press Accredation Office. We were hoping that we could at least go visit the Press Site today and get some pictures. I guess Space X didn't want us wandering around unsupervised. The launch has been rescheduled for tomorrow evening. The weather looks better tomorrow, but it's still not a sure thing. Basically, it has been a very rainy week. It's even raining in Dallas today.

I think there was some severe weather near Kennedy Space Center this afternoon, but it was very localized. When I went back to my hotel in Titusville, we didn't even see any rain until very late in the day. I guess this was a good thing because I was able to get my steps. I walked back and forth between the hotel and a Cracker Barrel restaurant at the other end of the street until I got my daily 10,000 steps. My timing was good because shortly after I got 10,000 Fitbit steps and closed all three rings on my Apple Watch it started raining pretty hard.

The rain didn't last very long and I didn't want to spend the entire afternoon in my hotel room, so I drove out to Playlinda Beach. This beach is located in the Canaveral National Seashore and is a place I like to visit. There are some nice views of the launch pad in several areas as well as an abundance of wildlife. The seashore is a protected nature preserve and is the longest stretch of pristine, undeveloped beach in Florida. The area is run by the National Park Service and today I traded my annual pass for a Lifetime Senior Pass. If you save your old yearly passes, they count toward the price of a lifetime pass. I ended up getting my Lifetime Pass for half price.

I did get a few photos of the Falcon Heavy rocket from the top of one of the walkways to the beach. The park service doesn't want you to walk on the dunes surrounding the beach, so they've built wooden walkways over the dunes in selected areas. I saw several other launch photographers I know taking pictures as well. Today, Playlinda Beach was the only game in town. It was a grey day and my pictures weren't spectacular, but at least it wasn't raining. Actually the weather was nice for the entire time I was out at Playlinda Beach and it only started raining again when I returned to Titusville for dinner.

I stopped at my favorite barbecue place for dinner. If I'm in Titusville I've got to have at least one meal at Sonny's. Most of the other launch photographers seem to favor seafood restaurants, but I'm from Texas and I'll take barbecue over fish any day of the week. When I travel I realize that I'd be fat if I made a habit of eating restaurant meals. Janet is a great cook and fixes really healthy meals. I'm lucky that I get to enjoy them.

It's too bad Space X didn't go ahead and have the launch today. The storms are gone and it's clear outside right now. I'm sure they had their reasons. I did see lightning several time times during the afternoon. The weather forecast said there was a possibility of large hail, but I didn't see any. I hope there is no rain tomorrow. At one point when I was driving through a short patch of heavy rain, my rental car had an electrical problem. The headlights went out and the GPS display went dark. Everything returned to normal a few minutes later, but this would be bad news if it happened at night.

I've changed all my reservations and will be staying another day in hopes that the Viasat-3 launch will take place tomorrow evening. Lets hope the weather improves. This isn't the first launch delay I've experienced and it won't be the last. When you are chasing rockets you've just got to expect these things.

Brady is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day