Jackprinter’s challenge for today – Unforgettable

My unforgettable moment-  I was learning to fly a small private plane in NM. We had been flying over desert during the hot afternoon. As we approached a mountain below, the “wheel” was sucked out of my hand and we went into a dive. Panicked, I yelled at my teacher to help – his hands never left his lap as he calmly instructed me to pull back on the wheel.  I pulled back and the plane leveled out.  Apparently the change of the heat rising from the desert and the cooler air over the mountain caused the thermal shift – and he knew what would happen. I learned many things in that moment about flying, self-empowerment and awe at his ability to stay so calm. 

Thanks Jake  http://jakesprinters.wordpress.com/

Friday Five Minute Writing Challenge – Join

I thanks Lisa-Jo Baker for this idea. I lost her for a while but found her again and so can you at http://lisajobaker.com/  This weeks idea word was JOIN.

My five minutes and a picture of what I made.:

 Join usually means joining a club, hobby or class of some sort. To me it reminded me of taking a stained glass   workshop. To join to pieces of glass, you line the edges of the glass with copper foil and then were melted with a heat gun and melted the copper to join the pieces together. I find it fascinating to see a solid become liquid and flow together. In my youth, I wanted to be a glassblower. Watching the amazing transformations of a bar of glass into delicate animals and all manner of things. I had a delicate merry-go-round for years. Living near Atlantic City before the casinos, the pier had two glassblower stalls that I would sit at for hours and just watch. I had forgotten that dream until now. Thanks Gypsy Mama.

Splendid -Sunday Post Weekly Challenge – Mars Rover

Last night, the car sized mars Rover, named Curiosity made a perfect landing on the surface of Mars. This is an amazing and splendid feat of engineering and now the scientific work of it’s 2 year mission begins. The image behind the men is the first picture it sent which is of it’s own wheel. Thanks to Yahoo news and Live Science.

     

Link to video of control room when it landed safely: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Vtqod7OnSQ Love watching happy people.

Curiosity carries a toolbox of 10 instruments, including a rock-zapping laser and a mobile organic chemistry lab. It also has a long robotic arm that can jackhammer into rocks and soil. It will hunt for the basic ingredients of life, including carbon-based compounds, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur and oxygen, as well as minerals that might provide clues about possible energy sources.  (I’m guessing little green men is out of the question.)

Thanks to Jakesprinters  for his weekly challenge.

New house surprises

kitchen window January

kitchen window in July

The butterfly bush covers the whole window

butterfly bush flowers and yellow lillies

Part of the fun of a new home is to see what comes up and blooms as the seasons change. This butterfly bush just grew and grew until it was above the window..now it pushing at the roof overhang. It is very popular with the bees, butterflies and even a few hummingbirds. Nature keeps me amused.