Disney and Shuttle STS-127

Just arrived home from a trip of about a week and a half to Disneyworld and the eastern beaches of Florida. Had a blast... including several firsts... first plane rides for Katie & Jay, first surfing for all 3 kiddies, first time to Florida (in memory) for all 3. We had had Donna there when she was about 18 mos. old but of course she doesn't remember that trip. Hopefully all 3 will remember this one!

The first (if I do say so myself) bright thing we did was to rent a house instead of staying right on Disney property. Yes, we had to forgo the ability to buy the Disney meal plan (at like $70/day/person), but it was quite a good trade off. Rented the house through Vacation Rentals By Owners (http://www.vrbo.com/2205), and the whole experience was absolutely awesome. Huge and spotlessly clean 4 BR home on a corner lot complete with plenty of bathrooms for everyone, 3-car garage, swimming pool, hot tub, TV's in every room. Kate & Jay each could've had their own room, but they both wanted the top bunk in the room with the bunk beds, so they alternated bunks each day.

The home was absolutely the way to go... after a day of walking 50 miles at Disney, it was a total joy to jump into that pool! We even took a day and did much of nothing... just stayed home and read and swam.

Got out to Cocoa Beach, where Donna took a surfing lesson and did quite well! I'm sure her focus was sharpened by the fact that her instructor was Sam the Surfer Dude... kolij kid on summer vacation teaching surfing (tough life, that). The next day we went to Cocoa again, and Donna taught Kate & Jay how to surf... so they all managed to get up & stay up... Woo Hoo!

One of the reasons for all the trips to Cocoa Beach area was that STS-127, the Endeavour shuttle was set to go off, and Cocoa is just a half hour or so south of NASA. So we went to the beach, then at the end of the day (liftoffs were scheduled for 7 p.m. ish, and moving earlier each day of no go) headed up to Titusville for the scheduled launch. Trip #1... no go due to weather. Trip #2... no go due to weather. Trip #3... a SPECTACULAR liftoff! We were at Spaceview Park in Titusville, about 12 miles away from launch pad 39A, and right across the causeway so we had a perfect, if distant, view of the shuttle from the get-go. No trees, buildings, or anything else but haze blocking the view of the launch pad.

At 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 LIFTOFF... the sound (delayed) was not as loud as I'd hoped (didn't have to plug our ears or anything) but there was, once it arrived once the shuttle was well up in the sky, a nice satisfying subwoofer feel to it. The thing that surprised me most was the BRIGHTness of the launch. Like a welding torch headed up and up... you couldn't look straight at it for more than a second or two. And of course the speed... that baby is 365 miles downrange before you know it, just incredible. Fortunately, our friends recorded the liftoff from HDNet so we'll be able to see it from that angle, too, the next time we get over there.

Back to Disney...

Had to totally marvel (as a sales/marketing-oriented geek myself) at the extreme skill and precision Disney uses to lift you by the ankles and shake every possible nickle out of your pockets. Every ride... gift shop at the end of the ride. Walk down the street... gift shop to the left of me, gift shop to the right of me. Disney pins for trading. Want a hot dog? That'll be $6.95.

Yes, they have to make a living, and make a living they do!

So we're back home now, much more tired than when we left. But isn't that what vacations are for?