The Launch!!

Getting up at 3am proved to be a bigger challenge than I was expecting. Since I normally go to bed around 3am, I tried to alter my sleeping habits a few nights in a row to be ready for the 3am wake up call, but I failed miserably. I only got about 3 hours sleep.

No matter, I got up, gathered together the people who were riding with me and we managed to arrive on time at the Sheriff's office on Merritt Island a few hours later.

Why the Sheriff's office?  Because a friend of mine got us included in a launch party that this particular office hosts for each shuttle launch.  We met at the office then we proceeded to be a part of a Police escort all the way to our special viewing area.

The photo above shows the view we had.  The actual launch pad was off to the left, out of frame.

The line up :)

The clouds rolled in and we were afraid it might make it impossible for the launch to take place.  Thankfully that wasn't the case.

The six of us from the transplant community that attended the event.  We left a gap so that the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) was visible in the background.  I think we may need to blow this photo up to poster size to actually see the building!

In case your eyesight isn't that good, here's the building.

At 8:56am the shuttle launched!  You had to pay attention because we were about 3 miles away so the sound didn't reach us right away. 

I'm so happy that I my camera because I couldn't actually see the shuttle with my naked eye.  It wasn't until I looked at my photos that I saw it. 

Still no sound.
A bird flew up and I remember thanking him for being in the photo. 

The shuttle has turned and is building speed.  Less than 30 seconds has gone by so far.

It was at this point that the first hint of the launch sounds started coming our way.  I was really hoping that the booster rockets would peel off at this point (although I knew it was too soon) because the clouds were so low and we wouldn't get to see any more.

and I was right.  This was all we were able to see.  The birds have flown up out of the grasses due to the loud roaring sound of the fuel rockets and the subsequent rumbling of the Earth.

It was truly a remarkable experience.  It was worth the sleepless night, the two and a half hour drive each way, the low cloud cover,  and the pretty much worthless rest of the day!

There is one more shuttle launch, the Atlantis in July.  Maybe another administration will bring back the shuttle or maybe it will evolve into something new.  Whatever happens, I'm so grateful to have been a part of this launch.

Thanks so much to the Shook family for inviting us to attend this event and to the Brevard County Sheriff's Office for taking good care of us and showing us a really great time.

Enjoy!
Kristin

POTD - Water Bottle

POTD - Water Bottle

©2011 Kristin Corlett

My husband and I went to dinner at Bistro Aix in the San Marco area of Jacksonville, FL. The water was brought to our table in this bottle. I think it's just filtered Jacksonville water as I asked for regular tap and our waiter nodded and poured us a glass. It's a real nice presentation and we had a really great dinner.

Enjoy!
Kristin

Space Shuttle Endeavour

 Source

Date: May 16
Mission: STS-134
Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle Endeavour
Launch Site: Kennedy Space Center - Launch Pad 39A
Launch Time: 8:56 a.m. EDT
STS-134 Description: Space shuttle Endeavour will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) and the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-2) to the International Space Station.


I'm leaving the house at 3:45am with 4 others in my car and we are headed to Cape Canaveral to watch the second to last shuttle launch.

All the years I've lived in Florida, I've never had a big desire to go just because I didn't want to be a part of the crowd or stuck in traffic getting out, but this time it's different. A friend of ours has an in with law enforcement so we will be guests of the Volusia Sheriff Dept and we will be escorted to a special location close to the launch site. It's pretty exciting!

Here it is, barely 8pm and I have to go to bed.

Nighty night folks!
This beauty needs her sleep :)

Let's hope the shuttle goes up and that I can get some photos.

Kristin

Be back soon

I'll be back soon!

Didn't want anyone to think something was wrong.

I just don't seem to have a moment to gather my thoughts.

I was available the whole day that Blogger was down - ironic, huh?

See you tomorrow!
Kristin

I turned off comments on this post.

POTD - Tendril

POTD - Tendril

©2011 Kristin Corlett

This little tendril will soon become one of the many vines that get tangled up in the trees and fences in the Florida landscape.  This plant, I believe, is called Muscadine Grape and if it is then the fruit can be made into wines, jellies, preserves, just like those fancy cultivated grapes.  It's amazing what a tiny little tendril can do. 

Enjoy!
Kristin

POTD - White fence with roses

POTD - White fence with roses

©2011 Kristin Corlett

I took this photo a month or so ago but I never thought it was fabulous enough to be the photo of the day, so I kept passing over it.  Today I looked at it again and it made me smile for the umpteenth time.  That's it!  It's the POTD.  What do I love about this shot?  The roses on the white fence reminds me of a cottage with roses growing every-which-way.  I like that the white fence posts on the right are not straight - another cottagey feeling.  The tree trunks against the house that are crooked and I really like the little cherub on the terracotta planter on the patio, too.

Enjoy!
Kristin

POTD - Animal Crackers

POTD - Animal Crackers

©2011 Kristin Corlett

I remember as a child, going through the grocery store, in this case Meijer Thrifty Acres in Lansing Mi, sitting in the cart and asking for a box of animal crackers.  Usually they were in a large round wire bin at the end of an isle.  I didn't get the crackers very often because my Mom didn't buy snacks as a rule, but I did get them sometimes.  I can still recall holding the box, playing with the string, which I almost always tore off of one side, and showing my Mom each animal.  Meijer Thrifty Acres is now just called Meijer but the animal crackers box looks and feels a lot like my childhood memories.  The box even still has the string. 

Enjoy!
Kristin

Monday funnies

I know the funnies are considered a Sunday kind of thing, but I'm always a day late it seems!  

I didn't take the photo below, it came from Failblog.org, but I would have done everything possible to have gotten a photo of this had I seen it while on the road. Too funny!

Do you see the toy truck tied down on the trailer?!!  What a hoot!


One of my Facebook friends is Swedish so all of his status updates are in his native language. If I want to know what he's saying I copy the update into Google translate.  Sometimes it translates into something I completely understand and other times the results are so funny!!

Here is a recent funny -

He wrote, "I eftermiddags blev det en premiärtur med Wingen, nytvättad och fin!!"

Google Translate gave me, "This afternoon there was a maiden with Wingen, freshly washed and nice!"

I have no idea what this is supposed to mean but it made me laugh so hard!  I couldn't keep it to myself.  Aren't you glad the maiden was freshly washed and nice?!

I took this photo because of the little tag line "Garnish your piano with parsley!"

Ha!!  That is just a little too goofy for me.

However, I'll never forget it. 



I hope you enjoyed this little dose of funny.
Have a great week!
Kristin

POTD - Art?

POTD - Art?

©2011 Kristin Corlett

A few months ago this humorous stenciled graffiti appeared on a utility box near my home. I finally had the opportunity to stop and get the photo. Have you seen Art?

POTD - Kitty Hat

POTD - Kitty Hat

©2011 Kristin Corlett

My youngest niece modeling the kitty hat that I bought for the middle niece.   She's such a toddler now, no longer a baby.  When I was taking care of the girls I noticed that the two older girls no longer called her Baby.  They had called her Baby so often that I was afraid it might stick, but she's far from a baby now.

Enjoy!
Kristin

Mom's Kitchen

Awhile back I my photos of the day were the little stools and the next day I had the wooden crate that said bull dog on it next to this green cabinet.  I was asked if I could show off the rest of the kitchen.

My Mom remodeled the kitchen two years ago and these are the photos that she took. 

The storage and counter tops are minimal, but after using the kitchen for a few events and when I come visit, I find it easy to use.  My mom has it all figured out and she loves the way it works for her, so that's the only thing that really matters.

The kitchen was designed around that custom table.  It's a great piece.  There's now a big red and black rug underneath the table. I guess it hadn't arrived yet when she took this photo. 

The kitty knows that heater vent is under the sink cabinet.  She loves this spot.

The large windows are lovely. It makes the kitchen a bright place where you can look out over the back yard. This area has been constantly changing since this photo had been taken.  Several different chairs have been put to the longevity test but now a part of a sectional couch is in here, replacing the rocking chair.  The cafe table has been taken out and a small rectangle table has been brought in.  The cat sits on that table, too!  The rug has stayed though.  It's a great rug.

This is the stove area.  Not sure if you can see it, but there's a pot filler on the wall.   It's a very cool fixture and so handy to fill up a large pot.

So that's my Mom's kitchen.

Happy Mother's Day to all those that celebrate the day!
Kristin

POTD - Hi

POTD - Hi

©2011 Kristin Corlett

New haircut, smudged mascara, sitting in my mother's kitchen, trying to get both eyes in the photo and not both chins.  This is the third self portrait I've taken for my 365 photography project.  You can see all of the photos I've taken so far on my Shuttercal photo calendar.

Enjoy!
Kristin

POTD - Caregiver Tattoos

My friends Albert and Patti got tattoos recently to honor the gift of life that someone gave to their spouses, who each needed a liver transplant. Albert's tattoo says "Give Life" and shows a cross with the green ribbon for organ donation. The three doves represent the three transplant friends that have died in the past year from various causes.   The dates on the ribbon signify the dates of Julie's two transplants. The first liver that she received on January 2nd never woke up from the procurement procedure. She needed a second transplant and received it two weeks later.

Patti's tattoo is a butterfly with the green ribbon as the body and Matt's transplant date hovering above. His transplant wasn't an easy one either, but 4 months later he is recovering beautifully.

These two have often referred to the tattoos as "Caregiver Tattoos" but I'm not falling for it.  I was the caregiver and I'm not getting a tattoo.  I blog. That's my way of spreading the message.

I'm also a big chicken.
No way I'm getting one.

But anyway, back to the subject at hand...the tattoos are on their forearms so that hopefully people will ask about the images. This will be an easy way to talk about being an organ donor to the curious and to tell their story about how grateful they are to the donor and the donor family for the gift of life.

Albert & Julie and Matt & Patti will no doubt be wonderful spokespeople for organ donation.

Have a great day!
Kristin

For more information on organ donation please visit...
http://donatelife.net/

Magnolia blooms

I found a pretty good life cycle of a magnolia blossom today on a single Magnolia tree.

The tight bud is in the far background, left.  The foreground shows the protective covering split and the flower starting to emerge.

The Magnolia bud is now ready to start opening.

The bud has just opened and the Magnolia flower looks more like a tulip at this point.

This Magnolia flower is past it's truly beautiful, open stage and has started to go into decline.  The newly opened flowers were a little too high up in the tree for me to photograph.

The end of the Magnolia flower.  All that's left is the very center.  I'd have explained all of the parts and pieces to the flower, but I couldn't find a diagram and I didn't want to mislead anyone into thinking I knew what I was talking about! 

My knowledge of Magnolia trees and their flowers come from having a tree in my backyard in Michigan, seeing them everywhere here in Florida and observing and photographing them when they are in bloom. 

I welcome all comments, even those on parts identification :)

Enjoy!
Kristin

POTD - Missing

POTD - Missing

©2010 Kristin Corlett

A year ago my friend and her daughter helped me with a photography assignment.  My word was bubbles, so I decided to take it literally.  The girls were lightheaded blowing so many bubbles, but we got a lot of fun shots.  I'm so very grateful that I took a few photos of my helpers because sadly, in January of this year we lost Deb.  Our bubble blowing day was so much fun and it was the first and only time that the three of us were alone together.  Deb's daughter had a birthday the other day, her first one without her Momma.  It's no accident that I thought about this day and realized it was year ago.  

Enjoy the photo and go blow some bubbles!
Kristin

Towers of Power

I talked about the Towers of Power the other day in my Photo of the Day (POTD) but I took so many photos, I couldn't just stop there.   It's unusual to have two different tower types running side by side.   From my experience if there are two towers they are usually the same shape with a little variation, but these are very different.  I bet they were constructed many years apart - but that's just a guess.

My favorite towers are the ones that look like people with their arms holding onto the lines.   I could probably imagine this as being a person, but there's no singular top that I could pretend to be his head.  He's got a lot of arms, though.  I could use this guy to help me clean the house!

Weathered numbers.  A favorite find of mine!  I might have to come back with a zoom lens to get a larger shot.

I am thinking that the nest on top of this tower is an Osprey nest.  I am not very familiar with Osprey but I do know they build rather large nests very high up.  That's not a lot of fact for this particular observation, but I'm just going to go with it!

I like the shapes and lines in this photo.

Can you imagine climbing up the side of this by stopping on those bolts?  I think I'd probably hyperventilate after just a step or two. 

I'd never make a very good daredevil.

Debby, from Just Breathe,  asked if I heard any noise from these.  I've very aware of the buzzing sound that power lines can make, but these were surprisingly silent. 

Have a great day!
Kristin

POTD - Dancing Goat

POTD - Dancing Goat

©2011 Kristin Corlett

This is one of two Dancing Goat signs that hung on the exterior of the coffeehouse in downtown Lansing, Mi.  It now holds an honored spot in my Mom's garage.   For a business that only lasted four years it sure has stayed in our hearts and minds for a very long time.    We closed the Dancing Goat coffeehouse in November of 1998.   The Goat, the blog, will celebrate five years on August 30th of this year.  Good Times.  Real Good Times.

Enjoy!
Kristin

Recipes

About 20 years ago I received my Grandmother's recipes.  I was living with my boyfriend at the time and I remember going through the recipe box, the envelope of clippings and a little book with cards and clippings.  I know I was delighted about having them, but I didn't have a clue what to do with them.

At some point they ended up in the basement of the boyfriend's house and when I moved out, they stayed behind.  Fast forward 20 years.  Former boyfriend and his wife are cleaning out the basement of the same house where I lived with him and they find all of the recipes.  Since they knew I'd be crushed if they tossed them, they made sure that they got back to my Mother who lives nearby.

Because of that wonderful gesture, I am able to once again enjoy my grandmother's recipes and this time I know what to do with them!  I am scanning them and sharing them with friends and family.  I won't post everything on my blog as I'm only teeny bit into the process and I've already scanned about 250 pieces.

One of the interesting things I found was this jar opener in it's original packaging.  I don't think she ever used it.

I love the name of it - The Mystic Grip Disc.  I like the added uses!  It never occurred to me to use it to anchor objects on board ship or to put it between ice cub trays to keep them from sticking together.  Opens jars and keeps your hairbrush from falling off the vanity counter in your cabin.

Grandma Corlett had over a dozen of these Recipes of the week from her local paper.  I really enjoyed seeing the contributors photos.

This Sugar Cookie recipe is from Mom.  I'm not sure if that would be my Grandmother's Mother or my Grandfather's Mother.  I've seen lard sold in grocery stores  - the local IGA that has a decidedly Mexican population sells gallon containers of lard - but I bet shortening or butter would work in this case. 

This was the darkest, most splattered recipe that Grandma has in the recipe box.  I'm going to make this one for sure.  I've got a potluck coming up next Thursday...hmmm.

So - this piece of paper is from sometime between 1936 - 1955. Isn't it fun what can be found on the back of a recipe?!!

photo source

The 1936 Betty is kind of scary looking.  I wouldn't want to cross her!

This is the front side of the Betty Crocker page.  This must have been a great recipe for her to have kept it that long.  I'm going to have to make this one, too.

Dear Mildred -
Ellen sent me the chain letter. so I'll send you my recipe for Syrup.
1 cup White Sugar
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Cream
boil a short time and use hot on pancakes -
if this is too rich add a cup of white corn syrup.
We like this very much - perhaps you already have it.
Your friend
Esse Brown


This recipe made my mother and I laugh so hard.  I was reading it aloud to my Mom and when I got to the "...if it's too rich" part, my mom was fully expecting me to say "add water."  Instead I said what was on the page "...add a cup of white corn syrup."  I can't imagine that a cup of corn syrup would make this syrup recipe less rich!

What cool old recipes are hiding in your basement?

Have a great day!
Kristin

POTD - A real live wire

POTD - A real live wire

©2011 Kristin Corlett

I have been fascinated with power line towers for as long as I can remember.  The only problem is that there usually isn't a great place to pull over and take photos.  While I was out and about yesterday I found a wonderful line of them and a place to pull over!  

I enhanced the photo, if you couldn't tell - I didn't go to Mars or anything to get the shot!

Enjoy!
Kristin

Light a Candle

I received this candle and letter from one of my Mother's dear friends, Margaret.  It was such a lovely story that I just had to share.  I so appreciate her including me in the group of friends that have been given a candle.  I was nearly brought to tears when she told me that she wanted to show her appreciation for my work with my Mayo family of transplant patients and caregivers.  The only way she would have gotten the information would have been from my mother.  I think my Momma is proud of me :)


April 25, 2011

Dear Kristin,

This candle has become very special to our family and many of our friends. This candle came into our lives in the fall of 2007 when my daughter Judy’s husband Les was diagnosed with leukemia. At the time of his diagnosis he was told that there was “no cure, but approximately 15% of people in his age group did recover”. That began a very arduous course of treatment for Les and an all out effort on the part of family and friends to support him and Judy.

As the word went out to family and friends the response was incredible. While Judy spent most of her days and nights at the hospital friends came in and cleaned their house, did laundry, shoveled their walk and of course brought in food. People from all over, some who Les knew and some he had never met, sent cards. The messages of love and support touched him deeply. The messages had several themes based on people’s beliefs. Some said “we are praying for you”, other said “we are keeping you in our thoughts” and the Quakers said “we are holding you in the light”.

Inspired by this, our daughter Margaret suggested that we all light a candle everyday and pray for Les or hold him in our hearts. She found these candles and sent one to everyone in the family. Then we started giving them to extended family, neighbors and friends, both near and far. Over the last 3 years we have given these candles to dozens of people. In June of 2008 Les was told he is “leukemia free”.

Over time we and all who have the candles have found many reasons to “light our candles”; for friends and family who are struggling, for people all over the world who are struggling, for greater compassion in the world, for world peace.

This candle is for you in appreciation for the work you do with patients who have organ transplants and their families. I am sure there are many occasions when people need support and this is one way we can support them from a distance.

Love and Peace,

Margaret

POTD - Egg Stamp

POTD - Egg Stamp

©2011 Kristin Corlett

My mom made breakfast one morning and the egg shells just looked too wonderful for me to pass up. The pretty piece behind the eggshells is a pottery egg holder. I gave it to my mom as a gift awhile back and she just loves it. I used the framer maker from the BigHugeLabs website to make the postage stamp.

Shadows

The Shadows of East Lansing, MI.
When I woke up that morning I realized it was so sunny!
That was so very different from the day before when it was completely overcast and chilly.

I went to downtown East Lansing to run an errand or two when I noticed all the shadows.

Two men who were outside having a break from work, asked me what in the world I was doing.  I told them I was taking photos of shadows and that they made some pretty good shadows where they were standing.

So they posed for me!
What a hoot.

That's all from my city.  What about yours? 
For more Sundays in my City please visit Unknown Mami.

Have a great day!
Kristin