Ants and Rockets

Yesterday we drove north along Route A1A, getting a feel for the area. We made a brief stop at Jetty Park in Port Canaveral and took a short bike ride. The day was pretty lazy after that. Forrest got in a nap, and I had a chance to spend some time browsing at the local West Marine store.

The evening was interesting. I'd complained about feeling sand when I stepped barefoot on the concrete pad outside the camper door. After showers, Forrest pointed to a crack in the concrete and said, "Here's your sand. Why don't you sweep it up?" Which I proceeded to do, in the dark. Seconds after I'd stepped back in the camper I felt a bite, then another, then another, on my feet. Ants! And probably fire ants! I managed to brush them off and squish them before they did much damage. All told, I probably got 8-10 off me, and another 8-10 off the camper floor. The stings were't bad - more like an ant bite that lasted a while - but it was quite an experience. Based on a relative's advice, I poured boiling water along the infected crack and that took care of the problem. I'm glad I had such an easy, environmentally-friendly solution!

Today was a wonderful visit to the Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral. It's probably the best-organized, most informative attraction we've visited in a long time. The main building is beautiful - pristine white with an American Flag (7,000 gal of paint!) and the NASA symbol. A bus took us to 3 major venues, with exhibits at each:

1) a viewing platform for a launching gantry - the photo shows the distant tower with the lightning rod and the brown nose-cone, ready for the next shuttle launch in March.

2) an exhibit of the Apollo program, which ended in 1972: the photo shows the rockets from stage 1 and the banner for Apollo 11. Forrest and I remember Neil Armstrong make the first moon walk 40 years ago, on our first wedding anniversary, July 20, 1969.


3) An exhibit about the International Space Station, with displays of astronaut living quarters. You can see that Forrest was sorely tempted to try out the loo!

We also watched a 3-D IMAX show about the lunar landings and one about the International Space Station. For two people who aren't space nuts, we thoroughly enjoyed the day! Tomorrow morning we pack up and head for St. Augustine. Forrest spied a Bob Evans in West Melbourne, so we can't leave before having breakfast there!