That One Time I Met Indian Creek

Monday was my day off. Grandiose plans of disc golf, Wal-Mart and Panera in the sunshine. I was really looking forward to time off site. I had been to Indian Creek Park previously and saw they had a pretty sweet course but didn't get the chance to play it. I've been trying to go to a different course every weekend until I play all the courses in the Huntsville area. The weather was delightfully sunny, a bit chilly and windy.

I created a 'Disc Golf Jams' playlist for the afternoon with Rizzle Kicks, Imagine Dragons, Ed Sheeran and Example; then I snapped some pictures before I threw my first disc with the intention of making an Instagram collage. They proved to be wonderful 'before' evidence.

I set my bag down, stretched and approached the tee pad next I took my three steps and threw disc, knowing the moment it left my finger tips that it was a bad toss.

Straight into the left hand tree line.

I threw another disc and started walking to the trees to go on a hunt. I walked through bushes, ducked under branches and around stumps. After a while without any luck I had a sinking feeling that it might have gone into the creek. I slowly proceeded to the edge for fear of not knowing what the bank looked like or how steep it might be and saw a disc golfers nightmare.

The moment I saw my blue baby at the bottom of the creek I knew I needed a rescue plan. Scanning the surrounding bank and descent options I found that I could walk into the water on a nice gravel slope but then I would need to climb onto some roots that were sticking out from the side. I rolled up my pants up to my knees and started walking down. Three steps into the rescue mission things went south. I felt the mud under my Keens sliding and couldn't get grip so I did the classic banana peel fall and slipped down the slope and into the creek on my butt.

Unfortunately there isn't an adequate amount of rolling up of trousers that you can do to avoid cartoon falls.

I found my way to the first tree and root setup that was about half way to my disc. After laughing to myself for a moment I scoped out the next move of what I was now calling 'Operation Wraith Recovery.' I saw that the water was too deep for my current rolled pants situation.

It was decision time: wade through the 2 ½ feet of water and be soaking wet on the drive home or take my pants off, fetch the disc in my underoos and be able to finish my game with only muddy/damp pants.

After a period of contemplation and checking to see if there would be any witnesses either way, I went with the underoos option. I didn't want to let Indian Creek ruin my Monday of Awesome. I sat on the root, and had a park official strolled up at that moment, I would've been ticketed for 'Scarring Children for Life,' I'm pretty sure. Operation Wraith Recovery moved forward with chilling progress, I picked up my blue baby and lovingly tossed it up onto the fairway. Returning to my pants, I was glad I was able to complete the rescue and continue my game. I had many more fights with the wind, various trees and obstructions before I finished.

I only ended up playing the first nine, getting lost in the huge park and having to return home before Wal-Mart on account of a muddy butt. So even though I had half a game full of trees, creeks and wind, I'm one course closer to playing all 7 courses within the Huntsville area and that's pretty cool.

SkyLab

“We'll never stop exploring, never stop reaching out. It's hard wired into our psyche.” Ed Gibson, Explorers Ball, January 31^st 2013

The Explorers Ball was an evening which included all 8 surviving Skylab astronauts on a panel discussing their time in space. The event commemorated the 40^th anniversary of the launch of the USA's first space station as well as the permanent placement of the Skylab exhibit in the Davidson Center at the USSRC.

I was thankful to be scheduled for this event, I was posted outside and at the doors with many other crew trainers and we welcomed every guest as they arrived. It was a really special event I'm honored that it was the first thing I got to be a part of since graduating. It was also the first time I got to wear my crew trainer wings and proper name patch.

I walked into the exhibit this evening after the museum closed. The lights were most of the way off, there was a group of Boy Scouts getting a tour and it was delightfully calm. I love going into the museums in the evening, it's so peaceful and I don't get distracted by people. I feel like I can delve into the information so much better. It's cool to be able to envelop myself in the history between those walls, really imagine what it was like to be alive during those great milestones. I feel like putting myself into these stories will help me teach my trainees better.

Imagination aside, getting to walk into the SkyLab exhibit days after it was installed was really neat. It still had the new car smell. I caught a whiff of the new plastic used for the signs and plexiglass in addition to the plywood in the ramp, which had yet to be scuffed up by hundreds of daily visitors, so the black flooring was still shiny.

As I rounded the ramp to the entrance I got excited. They had been working on installing it for a few days so I had plenty of time to have a full tank of anticipation. I could hear the sound of little tennis shoes running the distance of the Saturn V rocket as I began reading the placards. An overview of the construction process, the missions and it's unfortunate demise; I appreciated that the designers of the exhibit let the display speak for itself.   

It's Still a Dream

**This was written the night before I started training, January 15 2013** 

Going through pictures that I took on my phone and uploaded to my computer, deleting some to make a bit of extra space. Starting around Christmas last year through DigiTour and birthday trip to Oregon. It was a very nice trip down memory lane with loads of friends, concerts, sunsets and disc golf but the event that makes me stop and start writing this blog is the pictures from Rocketfest. August 3^rd 2012 a couple friends and I make the trek to Huntsville for a fundraiser/concert event. I had volunteered to sell merch per an online request from the creator, Marian Call. I thought it would be a great day trip, I had planned on going whether or not anybody else wanted to come but in hindsight I'm glad I got to share it with my friends Miranda, Scott and Bryson.

Instagram Inception

As we were approaching the US Space andRocket Center on the highway there are 2 large rockets standing on end, reaching towards the sky like skyscrapers, which gave me butterflies. We arrive and meet Marian and Amee, the rep from the center and got escorted to where the event was being held, under a Saturn 5 rocket (The one that took us to the moon).

Setting for Rocketfest

Walking through the park and museum made me very happy, to be surrounded by so much knowledge and history gave me similar feelings as to when I see people enjoying my favorite bands live.

The event was successful in raising enough money for a Space Camp scholarship and creating awareness of this awesome place. I got the chance to meet Phil Plait, an astronomer who I follow on Twitter, which was cool; I wish I had the guts to tell him how I think he's awesome and super inspiring but that will have to wait. Rocketfest streamed online which was a nice touch, I thought, hopefully it happens again and grows!

At the end of the day my friends were watching Batman in the IMAX theater and I had some time to kill. Amee offered to show me around a bit so we walked around the offices, Space Camp simulators and various other places with neat things. I felt like it was a place I needed to be, it had been a while since I was that amped. After a while I met up with my friends and couldn't shut up about how amazing the whole day was. I left with the knowledge that I would be back to work at some point.

Cut to January 14 2013, sitting on my bed in a Habitat at the USSRC as a Crew Trainer for Space Camp. Training starts tomorrow and it still feels like a dream that I get to be here.  

Anywhere From Here.

Bigger on the inside.

This idea applies to TARDIS and Forts.

Thousands of rooms and just one all at the same time. Transportation to anywhere in time and space. The world seems to have a little bit more mystery, excitement and happiness when your inside.

This is the perspective in which I want to write from. Our lives are incredibly interesting if you seek out the little things that make them special.

Never let a good quote go unwritten, a hearty laugh be suppressed or an adventure be passed on.