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Wednesday, June 30, 2010

star wars tuxedo shirt

smooth.


get your very own here!

spotted at dark roasted blend.

Werb Suggests Ending Socialism in Space!

The word "socialism" has been bandied about a lot during the last year and applied to many situations that are a long way from the traditional understanding of the word: vesting full control over the means of production in government. It has been used to describe proposed and enacted changes to laws about health care, cap and trade, corporate bailouts, financial regulation, education and even middle-class tax cuts, writes The Space Fronteir Foundation board chairman Bob Web in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. The Guest Commentary is worthy of passing along to conservatives members of Congress and their staff this month.

sixty symbols: testing the jabulani

there has been a bit of fuss about the official world cup ball, the jabulani, developed by adidas especially for the world cup. so for sixty symbols, brady decided to let scientists tackle the controversy behind the jabulani in a couple fun videos.

WARNING: these videos show scientists playing football! we actually play five-a-side once a week, but that might not be evident from the highlights shown here ;)



i was pretty excited to play with the jabulani and overall i was impressed by the quality. i lack the ability to purposely spin the ball in all sorts of directions so i cant comment about that aspect of the jabulani's performance, but one thing i noticed is that it bounces a lot higher than the one i'm used to playing with. maybe its a similar thing to tennis - when you use new balls they are really bouncy! brady got annoyed that we kept asking him about the air pressure and whether he filled the ball too much! ha!

the jabulani also makes an incredibly awesome echo sound when you strike it!

in addition to the fabulous football footage shown in the video above, brady put together a bonus video of our highly-competitive penalty shoot-out! i missed my penalty, but got to try out a vuvuzela!! i have no idea how people can blow those things for 90 minutes. previous experience playing brass instruments is a big plus!

a pet AT-AT

too cute! my favorite part is around 00:40 after he has to go outside!

AT-AT day afternoon from Patrick Boivin on Vimeo.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

The Social Network | "The Facebook Story"

The Upcoming Movie From Colombia Pictures, The Social Network, Or “The Facebook Movie”, Is Based In Part On The Book "The Accidental Billionaires".

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playful astrophotography

today's APOD features a wonderfully playful image taken by luc perrot.


inspect the full-size image to find many unexpected subtleties!

Monday, June 28, 2010

Jack Kennedy Honored for Service in Virginia

The Southwestern Virginia Technology Council presented the Presidential Award to Jack Kennedy at the group's annual gala held at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon in June. The award was for his "driven determination and steadfast leadership in advancing Energy and Space exploration in Southwestern Virginia and across the Commonwealth" and it was presented by Virginia Technology Alliance Chairman Donald Purdie and Apollo 17 lunar astronaut Harrison H. Schmitt.

Kennedy is a co-founder of the Energy Technology Summit, held annually in April on the campus of the University of Virginia's College at Wise, brings experts and firms to the coal-producing region to review space-based solar power, solar power utilities, wind turbine technology, electric and hydrogen-powered automobiles, fusion, and a host of other cutting-edge energy technologies for possible investment. Hundreds of business, academic and government leaders have attended the summit the past three years for the technology council-sponsored event.

A civil, commercial, and military space enthusiast, Kennedy serves as a gubernatorial appointee on the 13-member Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority board of directors governing the state's commercial spaceport at Wallops Island, VA. From the 'Space Island' location the first commercial cargo launches will take flight to the International Space Station next year.

Kennedy's advocacy of the spaceport has manifested in many forms ranging from organizing ZeroGravity flights for Virginia school teachers; organizing enactment of Virginia laws favorable to commercial space launch opportunities; writing space-related commentaries for daily newspapers; editing a space-related blog read by hundreds from around the world; and, organizing college and university student earth science and observational astronomy programs.

The Space Frontier Foundation presented Kennedy with the prestigious "2009 In-Service to the Frontier Award" at ceremonies held at NASA Ames in Silicon Valley, California for his work in advancing first of its kind commercial space launch state law in Virginia. President Obama honored him with inclusion in the space policy conference last April at the Kennedy Space Center.

A Virginia licensed attorney, Kennedy is the Clerk of the Circuit Court for Wise County and Norton and resides in Wise, Va. He holds six degrees in business, management, judicial administration, political science, space science and law.

National Space Policy Released by President

The National Space Policy of the United States has been released by President Barack Obama today calling for greater international cooperation in space exploration and to address debris and other hazards in space, and the possibility of a treaty to limit space-based weapons. The President called for a "burgeoning commercial space industry."

Obama reiterated his plans from April to send Americans to visit an asteroid by 2025 - a key destination for a pathway to Mars by 2035. This plan has drawn Congressional critics but key legislation appears to be advancing.

The new White House space policy abandons some of the doctrine put forth by President George W. Bush and resumes space policies adopted by Presidents Bill Clinton George H.W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan. The G.W. Bush space policy was criticized by some as being aggressive.

"No longer are we racing against an adversary," President Obama said in a statement. "In fact, one of our central goals is to promote peaceful cooperation and collaboration in space, which not only will ward off conflict, but will help to expand our capacity to operate in orbit and beyond."

"Above all, this policy is about the boundless possibilities of the future,” Obama said. “That is why we seek to spur a burgeoning commercial space industry, to rapidly increase our capabilities in space while bolstering America’s competitive edge in the global economy,” building on his April 15, 2010 comments at the Kennedy Space Center.

White House officials did say they are talking with the Chinese government about including them in U.S. space efforts — such as the International Space Station — but there is nothing concrete yet, [more from The Christian Science Monitor, MSNBC, UPI and AFP].

ICBM Test Set June 30 at 'Vandy'


A Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile [ICBM] opeartional test flight is scheduled to launch from North Vandenberg Wednesday, June 30, 2010 between 3:01 a.m. to 9:01 a.m. PDT to determine the weapon system's reliability and accuracy.

The USAF 576th Flight Test Squadron, which will direct the missile launch, installed tracking, telemetry and command destruct systems on the missile to collect data and meet safety requirements. Maintenance and operations task force personnel from the USAF 341st Missile Wing, Malmstrom AFB, Montana, are conducting operational tasks supporting the launch.

Virginia Spaceport Readies for Launch to ISS


Laurie Naismith, Director Government Relations & Public Affairs for the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority [VCSFA] notes that new liquid oxygen tank slowly made it's way on 56 wheels to the Wallops Island, Va. launch facility to support the Taurus 2 launch to the International Space Station next year. The VCSFA board governs the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport and seeks commercial space launch investment by commercial space launch firms.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Randa Milliron: A Spaceport of Her Own

Setting up a private rocket site in the remote Tropics of Tonga sounds like a movie supervillain plan, but Randa Milliron of the Mojave, Calif.-based InterOrbital Systems (IOS) explains why it's the best way to get us to orbit and beyond in the recent Podcast interview by Podcaster Dr. Alex "Sandy" Antunes for the 365 Days of Astronomy series [click link for audio].

"We like the idea of also having a spaceport in a resort [Tonga], and for us something exotic in the South Pacific is very very exciting. Our kind of a tag line on that is, "from paradise to outer space". We're strictly interested in orbital launch, I mentioned that you before, there are suborbital programs and orbital programs. We are strictly orbital and interplanetary," Milliron told Dr. Antunes in the short Podcast interview.

Whether or not InterOrbital Systems is successful in achieving orbital velocity and a sustainable Earth orbit in 2011 or thereafter remains to be seen but the dedication to a dream of expanding to a private spaceport in Tonga is interesting.

Russia to Resume Buran Space Shuttle?


In an unusual report from Space Daily, Russia is said to be returning to its program of building the space shuttles and super-heavy carrier rockets after 2018, citing an Interfax news agency report from Moscow on Friday. The Buran flew to space once over 20 years ago.

New carrier rockets will have a workload over 24 tons, director of Moscow's Central Machine-building Institute, Gennady Raikunov, reportedly said during the Strong Russia business conference with tests of the rocket to start in 2015 and its commercial exploitation will commence in 2018.

Russian space engineers also are working on building the rocket capable of delivering to the orbit a workload over 100 ton per launch, he said adding that in the more distant future, Raikunov's institute plans to work out a new manned spaceship and non-disposable boosters.

Miles O'Brien Reports: This Week in Space

2010 Lunar Conference Set for Moffett Field

The NASA Lunar Science Institute is pleased to announce the 3rd annual NASA Lunar Science Forum, to be held July 20-22, 2010, at the NASA Ames Conference Center, Moffett Field, California. This year's forum will feature sessions on scientific results from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, as well as the presentation of the annual Shoemaker medal and associated keynote lecture. As in past years, science sessions are structured to report on both recent results and future opportunities for lunar science, education and outreach. The event has an agenda and registration page.

Among the many highlights of the forum will be a musical and visual display by Jose Francisco Salgado, PhD entitled "Communicating Science through Art." Space journalist Andrew Chaikin will lecture about how recent lunar missions have revolutionized our thinking about our closest neighbor - "The New Moon," advises Clive R. Neal, PhD from the University of Notre Dame.

a goat bridge

this goat bridge is pretty great.



via tywkiwdbi.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Cosmonaut Museum for 50th Year of Gagarin


A visit to Moscow this year and next would be incomplete without touring the Cosmonaut Space Museum and giving a hat tip to the first human in space, Yuri Gagarin [narrated video inside the museum]. It will be fifty (50) years ago on April 12, 2011 that Gagarin rocketed into orbital space and into the history books.

And while in Moscow, one may also want to take a trek to Korolev to visit the Russian ISS Mission Control Center and Star City for look-see into the cosmonaut training center [video]. Following the early 2011 retirement of the American space shuttle, Star City will be the only avenue to space for the West at least for three or four years.

But if you are a brave human being but one who can not expend $30-million and six months training for a Russian orbital spaceflight sometime in 2012, you could also take flight on the MiG 29 OVT. The Russians will provide a commercial flight on this spectacular bird for just the right price. Yes, exceedingly cheaper than a commercial orbital spaceflight and pulls up to a ballistic 8Gs in flight!

FINALLY: Ariane 5 Roars from Kourou


A second video provides poor view but the distant sound of the Ariane climbing to orbit.

3rd Attempt: Ariane 5 Launch Today!

UPDATE! The new launch time is slated for today between 5:41 pm and 6:52 PM EDT. This is the third launch attempt for Ariane Flight 195.
Arianespace will orbit the Arabsat 5A communications satellite for operator Arabsat, and the COMS multi-mission satellite for the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) with the launch scheduled from the the Ariane launch complex N° 3 (ELA3), in Kourou, French Guiana. LIVE WEBCAST COVERAGE beginning at 5:20 PM today.

Overview of Orbital's DARPA 6 Satellite

2010 New Space Set July 23-25 in Sunnyvale

NewSpace 2010 Conference, July 23-25: The annual conference held by the Space Frontier Foundation will take place at the Domain Hotel in Sunnyvale, California, at the center of Silicon Valley and near the NASA Ames Research Center. For some 20 years the Foundation’s members and Advocates have been the chief actors assailing old ideas and assumptions in quest of a “NewSpace” Era. Book your seat at the conference now.

With the suddenly ramped-up “mainstream” attention, a new and often far more intense phase of the battle has been joined. Hear from and meet those in the front lines of both the private and public fronts, [The Lurio Report].

Terrier-Orion Rock-On with Student Experiments from Wallops Island, VA

The Terrier-Orion suborbital sounding rocket launched Thursday morning [July 24, 2010] from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The rocket carried 11 experiments that were developed in part with a week long Rock-On workshop on how to build small experiments for launch aboard suborbital rockets. The rocket was estimated to be traveling more than 2,650 miles per hour less than a minute into the launch [video].

According to project documentation, the following universities had payloads on this mission: Temple University, West Virginia University, University of Louisiana University of Minnesota, University of Wyoming, University of Puerto Rico, University of Colorado at Boulder, Virginia Tech, University of Northern Colorado, and Colorado State University, notes NASA Watch.

The commercial Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport [MARS] is co-located on the NASA Wallops Flight Facility at Wallops Island, Virginia. Orbital Sciences Corporation will commence launching the new Taurus-2 to provide commercial resupply the International Space Station from 'Space Island' next year.

mr T takes on MIT


via julia segal

Friday, June 25, 2010

No Invitation Issued to Chinese to Join ISS

NASA says the International Space Station partner countries have not invited China to join the orbiting lab complex, dismissing a Russian news story proclaiming the Russian space agency contacted the rising space power about signing on to the project, reports SpaceflightNow.

But leaders of the Russian space program and the European Space Agency have been open to Chinese participation in the international project. Over a year ago presidential science advisor John Holdren had suggested the possibility that US astronauts could fly aboard a Chinese spacecraft in the future.

A commercial path to enable a Chinese citizen to visit the ISS and a second mission to a Chinese space station in 2012/2013 has been suggested here in months past. Such a two mission international profile could lead to a diplomatic breakthrough at some subsequent date among human spacefaring nations, as has been suggested here in months past. [Hat tip to Doug Messier.]

President Space Policy Directive Coming June 28, 2010 White House Announcement

President Barack Obama's space policy is coming to light on Monday, June 28, 2010 reports Space News in a document obtained by the space news outlet. The President seems to place special emphasis on international space cooperation, commercial space launch development and "innovative entrepreneurship."

an underwater star

divaholic on flickr shares some amazing photos of underwater creatures. the colors and patterns of this starfish are fascinating!

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Its Football Time | Search Story

Watch This New Video From Google Team. "Search Story": Ole

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abbreviations


via married to the sea.

i've also always thought that "lisp" is the worst possible word to describe what it means.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Museum Gift Shop Photos

To continue the blog tour of the museum, I've included pictures of the gift shop below.









perspective

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

NASA Shuttle Retirement Slowing to 2011

NASA managers now have under active consideration delaying the last two space shuttle flights to the International Space Station to allow the payloads to be modified. If the plan is adopted, the launch of Discovery (STS-133) would be delayed by about six weeks - from September 16 to October 29, 2010. The launch of Endeavour (STS-134) would be stalled by over three months - from November to February 28, 2011. A decision is decision is expected next week. More details from Florida Today and Space.com.

Continuing in the background noise is the ongoing discussion of an Atlantis (STS-135) four member crew mission June 24, 2011 to ferry more supplies and cargo to the ISS. A decision on the proposed mission may come July 1, 2010 as well. The extension of the ISS to 2020 may help drive a favorable decision enabling to two commercial cargo carriers - SpaceX and Orbital Sciences Corporation - to demonstrate payload delivery capability on-orbit.

Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 to Fly in 2013

NASA has selected Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., to launch the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) mission. The spacecraft will fly in February 2013 aboard a Taurus XL 3110 rocket launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

OCO-2 is NASA's first mission dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earth's climate. OCO-2 will provide the first complete picture of human and natural carbon dioxide sources and "sinks," the places where the gas is pulled out of the atmosphere and stored. It will map the global geographic distribution of these sources and sinks and study their changes over time. The OCO-2 spacecraft will replace OCO-1, lost during a launch vehicle failure in 2009, [OCO Sci Video].

The total cost of the OCO-2 launch services is approximately $70 million, according to NASA JPL. More from The Christian Science Monitor.

Obama Space Policy Directive Coming Soon

The Obama administration is expected to release its National Space Policy sometime in the next few weeks. This public summary of the administration’s main principles and goals for using space will supersede the Bush administration’s policy, which was issued in 2006.

Press attention likely will focus on the National Space Policy’s implications for changes at NASA and the future of the piloted spacecraft program, but experts point out that the document language also will indicate how the Obama administration will approach space security, which is more important internationally. If the administration’s public statements are any indication, the new policy likely will represent a return to a more international approach to space; a more balanced view of civil, commercial and military uses of space; and a greater openness to arms control and cooperative solutions to international space security issues.

The Space Development Committee, a group that includes Apollo 11 astronaut Dr. Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 14 astronaut Dr. Edgar Mitchell, and members from NASA, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Defense says the president's space policy should include space-based solar power.

"The answer is eight minutes above Mr. Obama's head. Solar power harvested in space means jobs, economic recovery, power to the global poor, and a new American century. Space solar power can turn America from a billion dollar a day oil importer to a net energy exporter. Space solar power can be harvested 24/7 and transmitted directly to the cities and villages that need it, from America, Europe, India, and China to the electricity-deprived corners of Africa and Asia. Drill up, not down, Mr. Obama. Space solar power," says Howard Bloom.

NASA Technologist to Host Industry Forum

NASA’s Office of the Chief Technologist will host an Industry Forum at the University of Maryland University College on July 13-14, 2010 to discuss the agency's proposed new space technology investments. The event will focus on President Obama's Fiscal Year 2011 budget request for NASA's new Space Technology Programs. Representatives from industry, academia, and the federal government are invited to discuss strategy, development, and implementation of the proposed new technology-enabled strategy for exploration.

The meeting will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 6 p.m. EDT on July 13 and from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EDT, at the University of Maryland University College, Inn and Conference Center, 3501 University Blvd. East, Adelphi, MD. The first day will also feature the announcement of three new Centennial Challenges prize competitions, [UPI].

To attend, interested parties must register for the free event. Registration is limited to 300 people and closes at 4:30 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, July 7, 2010.

skydivers view shuttle launch

saw this image via twitter, but dont know the original source. it's a great view of skydivers falling over a shuttle launch!

einstein autostereogram

yes, people are still making autostereograms:


spotted this one at fresh photons.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Welcome to Summer 2010 at Stonehenge

Music and foto stills from Stonehenge, England 2010.
"Whatever is dreamed on this night, will come to pass."
- William Shakespeare - Acknowledging the Magic of This Time
A Mid-Summernight's Dream

Largest Solar Flare of 2010 Was Sunday!


It's no secret that the sun has been acting rather strange lately, and it's very difficult to predict what it will do next. Although the likelihood of a devastating solar flare is low, damage to our infrastructure by solar activity has happened in the past and it will happen again.

In 1859 a huge solar storm burned out telegraph wires across Europe and the United States. Dr Stuart Clark has written a book, The Sun Kings, about when that happened. He says that the Carrington flare”, as it was known, “smothered two-thirds of the Earth’s skies in a blood-red aurora a night later, and crippled all of global navigation and global communication, such as it was at that time. Compasses span uselessly and the telegraph network went down as phantom electricity surged through the wire.”

The sun's 11-year peak -- or "solar maximum" -- is due in 2013. The last one in 2001 did one billion dollars [USD] infrastructure damage.

Big Bang Set for New Mexico Space Museum!

There’s going to be great big bangs and lots of bright lights for the July 4th Fireworks Extravaganza on Sunday, July 4, 2010 at the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo. “We probably have at least a third more fireworks this year than last year and our fireworks company promises a grand finale like never before!” said Museum Marketing Director Cathy Harper, a Space Frontier Foundation Advocate.

The Fireworks will begin at approximately 9:15 pm. All events are weather permitting. A back up date of July 5 has been scheduled. Music for the fireworks program will be carried live on KZZX Radio, 105.3 FM, through the support of Burt Broadcasting.

The New Mexico Museum of Space History is a division of the NM Department of Cultural Affairs. For more information on Museum related activities or on how you can become a member of the International Space Hall of Fame Foundation, call 437-2840 or 1-877-333-6589, or visit the website [video].

Japan Considering Hayabusa-2 Probe Funding

Japan's space scientists are now gaining political and funding support for a new asteroid mission named Hayabusa-2 as a follow on to the now completed return of the Hayabusa space capsule likely to contain asteroid materials brought back to Earth for the first time, according to Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan [Time].

By improving the Hayabusa probe, JAXA is planning to visit a NEO whose orbit is similar to that of Itokawa, and aiming sample-return from an asteroid of different type from Itokawa. The target body of Hayabusa-2 is a C-type asteroid, considered to contain more organic or hydrated materials than S-type asteroids like Itokawa. What types of organic materials exist in the solar system, and is there any relation to life on Earth. No date has been set for the new mission.

The Japanese also were considering participation in an asteroid mission proposed by the European Space Agency called Marco Polo. The down select by European scientists and mission planners dropped the proposed mission from the ESA/JAXA mission portfolio in January 2010.

Google's View Point On Getting Quality Links

SEO Changes All The Time As Search Engines Make Adjustments To Their Algorithms And User Interfaces, Users Adopt New Technologies, Etc. Still Some Things Never Change, Like Google's View On Spammy Links.Read more »

Obama plan to land on asteroid for 2025?

Millions of miles from Earth, two astronauts hover weightlessly next to a giant space rock, selecting pebbles for scientific research. The spaceship where they'll sleep floats just overhead. Beyond it, barely visible in the sky, is a glittering speck. It's Earth.

It sounds like a science-fiction movie, but this surreal scene could, if President Obama has his way, become a reality. However, unlike Hollywood depictions in such movies as Armageddon, it's going to be a lot harder to pull off, writes Traci Watson in an intriguing story for USA Today.

Museum Mineral Room Photos

Every year I try to refurbish or reorganize part of the museum. This year I completely redid the middle room that contains the mineral collection. I moved the chemistry cabinets to the middle of the room, relocated the display cabinets that were under the stairway out to the main room, and moved the black light fluorescent rock display under the stairway, which allows visitors to see the fluorescence much more dramatically. I also completely reorganized the rocks in the chemistry cabinets and added new interpretive information. To display some of the reprint photos from the new agate book that were kindly donated by Tom Shearer, I also removed Axel's driftwood collection and mounted the photos. The driftwood collection will be relocated to the theater corral, the building behind the museum. Here are some photos documenting the changes.








Sunday, June 20, 2010

Roskosmos, Arianespace Sign $500 Mil Deal

Russia's Roskosmos signed a deal on Saturday to sell more than $500 million of space rocket launchers to the France's Arianespace company for flights from French Guiana following direct talks beteen Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and French President Nicolas Sarkozy in St. Petersburg, Russia this past weekend.

The contract between Roskosmos and Arianespace provides for a delivery of additional Russian Soyuz carriers for the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana, with the sum of the contract totalling 16.6 billion roubles or over $500USD, Roskosmos head Anatoly Perminov told Itar-Tass on Sunday.

“We shall have to deliver additionally ten Soyuzes for firings from the Kourou cosmodrome in French Guiana,” Perminov said, specifying that part of carriers are to be delivered by 2014; deliveries are to be made a year before a supposed launching. According to Perminov, the duration of the contract is not pegged to years, but depends on the number of firings.

Arianespace chief Jean-Yves Le Gall told Itar-Tass that it had been planned initially to make 14 blast-offs of Soyuz ST launch vehicles, but a decision was taken later on purchasing of additional ten carriers. “All in all, we plan to make 24 launches,” Le Gall added. He confirmed that the first launch of a Russian Soyuz ST from the Kourou spaceport would be made late this year.

Mike Griffin Talks with O'Brien About SpaceX

The Aurora Australis Shot from ISS

The International Space Station Expedition 23 crew sent this photo to Earth taken of the Aurora Australis or "Southern Lights" from orbit. The limb of the Earth and some stars in the background are seen from nearly 200-miles above the planet.

The aurorae are usually between 50-to–100 miles above the Earth’s surface. This particular May 29, 2010 sight was probably caused by subatomic particles from an explosive event called a coronal mass ejection from the Sun. Previous ISS shots of the Aurora Borealis have been a delight.

SciLapse: Science Hack Day Video

thanks to carolina, here is the science hack day timelapse video... including our venture into human-letter-forming near the end ;)

SciLapse from carolune on Vimeo.

Splash In Photos

The annual Splash In took place in Grand Marais yesterday. Unfortunately I was working the museum from 12-7, so I didn't get a chance to see the competitions in which the float planes participate. I did take a few photos of the planes lined up on the bay, as well as the planes flying overhead. I was told by others that 17 planes took part in the festivities.




Saturday, June 19, 2010

More Dunes Photos

Hiking in the dunes continues as Wendy and I had another long hike. The wild roses are in bloom everywhere in the dunes. Most of the rose bushes are only a foot or so tall. However, we came across this rose vine that had curled its way up an evergreen tree. It was around seven feet tall.



Throughout the dunes there are "ghost forests" where old tree stumps mark the battle fields between trees and shifting dunes. Here are a couple of the old trees.




Here are a few more dunes photos.



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