Dec. 30th, 2003
Yesterday I was pretty down after a couple of emails... and Pat's siblings were still dithering about how to spend the day at 2pm. Rather than watch me sit and mope, ![[profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
patgreene suggested a beach trip. It was just what I needed... warm sunshine, sugary-white sand, seabirds, the kids splashing in the surf. I felt much better afterwards :-). 80F and I have a slight sunburn.
This morning we went to the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, http://www.seabirdsanctuary.org/ , a nonprofit which provides emergency vet care to hooked or otherwise-injured seabirds (pelicans, cranes, herons, smaller wading birds) as well as some land birds. The injured birds are treated, rehabilitated if possible and released. Those too injured for release are maintained there on donations. It's an excellent charity, and a place for the kids to see these birds up close. Kevin narrowly missed being pecked by a brown pelican as large as he was... James thought this was highly amusing.
This afternoon... perhaps a movie withpatgreene's siblings and her mom. Then packing, and then tomorrow morning back up I-75 to Atlanta.
patgreene suggested a beach trip. It was just what I needed... warm sunshine, sugary-white sand, seabirds, the kids splashing in the surf. I felt much better afterwards :-). 80F and I have a slight sunburn. This morning we went to the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, http://www.seabirdsanctuary.org/ , a nonprofit which provides emergency vet care to hooked or otherwise-injured seabirds (pelicans, cranes, herons, smaller wading birds) as well as some land birds. The injured birds are treated, rehabilitated if possible and released. Those too injured for release are maintained there on donations. It's an excellent charity, and a place for the kids to see these birds up close. Kevin narrowly missed being pecked by a brown pelican as large as he was... James thought this was highly amusing.
This afternoon... perhaps a movie with
patgreene's siblings and her mom. Then packing, and then tomorrow morning back up I-75 to Atlanta.Look, ma...
Dec. 30th, 2003 11:39 pmIt's still a slightly weird feeling to walk into a room, glance at a TV set and see one's colleagues or equipment there... complete with hushed narration, dramatic background orchestration and a slighly reddish tint.
"Bridges to Mars" was shown tonight at 8pm on the local PBS affiliate, preceding Nova. It is the Discovery Channel-Canada production of our Mars-analog test site work on Devon Island... still only shows the Mars Society participants, but much less of Zubrin than in the US-DC program last year. Pascal, Oz and Darlene come off quite well.
[Note: Discovery Channel had a contract with the Mars Society, not with NASA, so only MS members can have speaking appearances. That's why I only appear a couple of times (look for a blue jacket) as a cameo, among with other similar NASA folks...]
I walked in with four pizzas (we were feeding the whole family gathering, 7 adults and 3 kids), saw Pascal on the screen and commented topatgreene. Who then showed in everyone else. Funniest bit was that our comms lead, Steve Braham, talks with a thick Yorkshire accent. Sometimes I can only understand half of what he says, even when I'm in the same tent, three feet away. The producers used... subtitles whenever he spoke. ROFL... heh. Just think of the practical joke potential, next summer...
hopeforyou should note that the HORSE ATV pops up in the background, a couple of times...
Reminds me, Pascal is now in Hong Kong, trying to set up a production of "Mars on Earth" (tm) action figures... literally.
"Bridges to Mars" was shown tonight at 8pm on the local PBS affiliate, preceding Nova. It is the Discovery Channel-Canada production of our Mars-analog test site work on Devon Island... still only shows the Mars Society participants, but much less of Zubrin than in the US-DC program last year. Pascal, Oz and Darlene come off quite well.
[Note: Discovery Channel had a contract with the Mars Society, not with NASA, so only MS members can have speaking appearances. That's why I only appear a couple of times (look for a blue jacket) as a cameo, among with other similar NASA folks...]
I walked in with four pizzas (we were feeding the whole family gathering, 7 adults and 3 kids), saw Pascal on the screen and commented to
patgreene. Who then showed in everyone else. Funniest bit was that our comms lead, Steve Braham, talks with a thick Yorkshire accent. Sometimes I can only understand half of what he says, even when I'm in the same tent, three feet away. The producers used... subtitles whenever he spoke. ROFL... heh. Just think of the practical joke potential, next summer...hopeforyou should note that the HORSE ATV pops up in the background, a couple of times...Reminds me, Pascal is now in Hong Kong, trying to set up a production of "Mars on Earth" (tm) action figures... literally.
