That's One Small Step for Ben

And one giant leap for birthdays!
We're back from a whirlwind adventure to the Space Coast.

Astronaut Training eXperience was a success -- another notch in SpaceBear's Orion's belt.

We were there a few days after the launch of Endeavor, just as crews were preparing for the final launch of Atlantis, ending the 30-year shuttle mission -- perfect timing for our fair astronaut's 30th birthday.

With many WWP-like Southeast Asians (and Germans with multiple cameras/sock & sandal combos), we toured Kennedy Space Center's flight decks, drove by the Vehicle Assembly Building, and glimpsed the bald eagles and alligators who patrol the Kennedy Space Center National Seashore and Wildlife Refuge.

Here's the control room used for the first manned missions to space, including the Gemini launches.

Afterward, our trusty astronaut needed a good rest before a restorative stop at the Ghirardelli Ice Cream for a chocolate malted.

You'll be glad to know we timed our trip to coincide perfectly with the spring lovebug onslaught. Oh, Florida! ;-)


We also swam near the dolphins, gulls, egrets, pelicans diving for dinner/duckweed.

We even stopped by old haunts, confirming the presence of a) fire ants and b) hicks.

And, of course, when in Rome:

You've gotta hit up some Disney action.

I think it's safe to say we're Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow folks -- sustainable fish grown and served in all the EPCOT restaurants? Tours through the hydroponic veggie plots? Friendly welcomes by our international friends in Canada, Japan, Germany, Norway? And leisurely strolls through my beloved French homeland? Oui!

Blurry adventures through space

And time.

I think we can safely proclaim: it's a magical, inifite world out there.