The Annual Hurdle

Whew! It's a challenge every year, but we did it. The family Christmas picture is done. Hooray!

October Vacation: Charleston

Ah, yes. I know what you're thinking. It is November and I am still rambling on about our 8-day family vacation way back in the first part of October. But things move slower the father south you go and Charleston, South Carolina, is about culturally Southern as you can get.

After our first day of driving back from Florida, we checked in to a brand-spanking new Springhill Suites hotel in North Charleston. It was very modern in its decor and really sleek. Q was going to use some saved-up points to pay for the room, but they offered to let him have it for $40 instead so he agreed. I'm not sure how they made any money off us at all because we ate nearly that at the complimentary breakfast, I think. Did I mention the free lollipops at the front desk?

In the morning, we headed downtown to the Visitors' Center. It's in a refurbished old brick train station just on the border between a nice part of town and a scary one. Q stood in line to talk to the folks there about a good walking tour while the rest of us gathered too many brochures from the displays. There were no fewer than thirteen art galleries or museums listed and I was intrigued.

Our walk was indeed lovely, winding past shops, churches, galleries, restaurants, and boutique hotels. It led through the old City Market which was full of local baskets, trinkets, imported jewelry from Eastern Europe, cheap hand-decorated sweatshirts, beautiful carved wooden bowls, pashmina scarves, and more jewelry. We paused at the waterfront, which the children enjoyed very much, before meandering back. We passed an artist waiting for his painting to dry. There were horse-drawn carriages (tours, with guides) and way too many interesting gated alleys to peer down.

The city has done an admirable job restoring many old buildings and the Greek Revival, Classic Revival and Georgian styles are everywhere. Apparently, the whole downtown is a National Historic Landmark and more than 3,000 buildings there are labeled as "historic". One could spend days just looking at the architecture and then weeks getting to know the local art scene.

There's a very chic shopping street- the main shopping avenue of years ago- and we took that way back. Rejuvenated by Five Guys, we arrived at the Visitors' Center ready. Ready for the last day of vacation before the clock struck midnight, so to speak, and we all turned into pumpkins.

It was a wonderful October vacation.

See flickr for all the images.

October Vacation: Space Legacy

I am the granddaughter of one of America's first rocket scientists, though I hardly ever act like it. My grandfather was a pioneer in the field of radar guidance systems, rockets, satellites, interplanetary exploration and other things I don't really understand. He was a great man.

A partial quote from his obituary printed in the Washington Post on July 11, 2006:

"Mr. Cummings earned his bachelor's degree in physics at CalTech in 1944 and did his advanced studies at Harvard and MIT Radar Schools. He married Jean McDonald, his high-school sweetheart, in 1944 in Boston while on military assignment. He served as a Radar Officer, 1st Lieutenant, in the U.S. Army Signal Corps from 1944-1946.... Born and raised in Southern California, Mr. Cummings returned to Pasadena and joined the fledgling Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1946. He was responsible for the development of the Corporal Guided Missile telemetry and radio guidance systems. From 1954-1957, he served as the Corporal Technical Coordinator, Jupiter Project Director, and Chief of the Systems Engineering Division. In advance of the 1958 launching of Explorer I, the first U.S. satellite, Mr. Cummings was sent to Washington, D.C., on special assignment to the Department of Defense and served as JPL's first representative to the newly-created NASA.

Returning to Pasadena as the Lunar Project Director for JPL, Mr. Cummings was responsible for Project Ranger [which he named after the family camper], our nation's first unmanned lunar spacecrafts. Under his leadership, the launches of the initial Ranger crafts provided important feedback needed to ultimately reach and travel beyond the moon in interplanetary exploration."

He did a stint with Electro-Optical Systems of Xerox and some assisting in the Department of Defense before rejoining JPL in 1983 as the Manager of East Coast Technologies and Applications Programs Office. He retired from JPL in 1991 at the age of 68. He loved fishing, had a hearty appreciation for puns, and wore a pearl tie tack for as long as I can remember. I miss his laugh.

••••••••••••••••••••••

While down in Florida, we had the opportunity to visit NASA's Kennedy Space Center twice. It was really great and all of us found something to ooooh and aaaah about. The first day we went was my third child's third birthday. Upon entering the gate there was a real space shuttle and it's enormous solid rocket boosters on display and he exclaimed, "WOW- THAT IS THE BIGGEST ROCKET I HAVE EVER SEEN!" We all concurred and it was certainly enough to get us pretty excited.

It was a relatively slow day for the Center; the parking lot was only a quarter full. Our first stop inside was the shuttle Discovery. The little ones and I walked up the ramp and got a great view of the inside of the payload area and control panel, while my husband and the oldest child went on the launch simulation ride which consisted of lots of shaking and loud noises.

Next was the tour bus which took us to a launch pad viewing tower, then on to the spectacular Apollo/Saturn V exhibit. This one had a couple of short movies about some early NASA crafts. After a thrilling short history, we entered a huge room filled with a real Saturn V rocket. It was beautiful. This facility also housed some gallery rooms, a real (tiny) moon rock you can touch, a moon buggy, a Ranger craft, a cafe and a gift shop.

On our way back to the main visitors' complex, we saw two very rare and seemingly unrelated items. First, as we passed by the main vehicle assembly building (the world's tallest one-story building), it's doors were just closing. Inside we could clearly see the shuttle Atlantis, which was going to roll out to its launch pad later that night, and the brand-new Ares I-X rocket right next to it. If I understood correctly, the significance here is that this will be the last space shuttle launch, after which the new Ares and Orion rockets will form a new mission in human space exploration called Constellation which will expand from Low Earth Orbit to the Moon and finally to Mars. There they were, the present and the future side by side. The other rare sight was an enormous nest of a bald eagle in the trees along the road. They put some real effort into making the area a friendly place for all sorts of native wild creatures. Perhaps those two things are not as unrelated as they might seem at first glance.

We had melting kids at this point, so we headed home after making sure to get our tickets validated for a return trip within 7 days. We came back two days later to see the Moon Walk IMAX movie in 3D (awesome), visit the kids' playground, the gift shop, the Robot Scouts exhibit (disappointing- I was hoping for more), and the great rocket garden.

I don't know if I will ever get back there again so it was a great pleasure to be able to see the place where some of my grandfather's work launched. I was inspired again to care about places beyond my own life, to wonder at the technologies mankind has developed, to grieve at the failures and human losses, to stand in awe of the gains, and to hope for amazing discoveries and adventures in the future.

October Vacation: Beachy Keen

Our accommodations were right on the beach: Cocoa Beach. It's the great stretch of sand just south of Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Our condo resort included an outdoor pool, exercise room, children's play and craft area, game room, small movie theater, and a shady path right out to the seashore. We took advantage of many of those amenities, but the beach was king, of course. The pool was a close second. In general, the weather was gorgeous, warm, and humid; just right for the end of summer.

On the first morning there I awoke uncharacteristicly early- at 5:30. I went to find milk and juice for the sleeping crowd, then took my camera to the beach where I watched the stars fade and the sky magically move through all the long wavelength colors till it was light and the people started to come. I also brought my camera with me for low tide at noon the next day and high tide on our last evening there... magical light.

There was plenty of sand-digging, some boogie-boarding, frisbee, shells to find, and even a washed-up jelly fish to step over. Everyone loved the beach.

Oh, yes, and Happy Birthday to my favorite three-year-old. I love you.

October Vacation: The First 2 Days

Savannah. The name itself evokes myriad associations and colors for me: a favorite Erasure song (blue), hot African grasslands (orange), a Spanish moss-strewn seaside Southern city (green) and home of one famous design school (light yellow). It was already beautiful in my mind before I visited for the first time last week.

We drove the first leg of our Southern family vacation on Saturday night (Oct. 10), passing places and ghosts from my past at highway speed. We arrived in Florence, South Carolina near midnight and slept like like logs at our hotel. In the morning, we headed down to Savannah for a mid-day break. Parking right next to the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), I knew we were in a friendly place. SCAD was one of the places I might have gone if the stars had been aligned slightly differently, which would have been fine except that I think I prefer my current life.

Q went ahead into the visitor's center and mapped out a route for us through lovely Savannah. And the downtown was everything one might expect: charming, graceful, historical, slightly quirky, hip, and dripping with Spanish moss. We walked through lovely squares, down grand avenues, and along the waterfront where locals and tourists basked in the beautiful sunshine. A stately riverboat awaited passengers at the dock while friendly, sunburnt, tattooed folk peddled roses and crosses made from palm grass. We strolled back across town and enjoyed the interesting doorways, old cemeteries, and Southern architecture.

Piling the six of us back into the van, we continued on for many more hours. The girls logged all the distinct license plates they could find and (by the end of the trip) found 43 states and 3 foreign countries or provinces. Not bad at all.

Next stop: the beach!

Rest Stop

As part of the year 'round schedule at our school in Virginia, our kids get two weeks off in October. The school calls it "Inter-session Break" and there are cool half-day classes offered for a fee, which are well attended. However, we took the opportunity to get out of town for 8 days, see some Southern sights and relax at the beach. One last longing gaze at the summer we didn't quite get to finish.

I'm still processing the images and writing the details, but here is a brief preview. The first two days of the trip each contained at least 7 hours of driving. It was challenging, but worth it in the end. We made sure the kids took full advantage of each and every rest stop, i.e. running drills and chasing games. These were taken at the first one we stopped at in Florida (day 2).

To My Aunt Mary Kay

And to all those who are affected by breast cancer.

She had red hair and a southern accent, was fascinated by deep space, wore a rhinestone "JESUS" pin, dealt with more than one serious health challenge, and loved angels.

She will always have my love and respect.

©Pink Bike by Maren Mecham, Savannah Georgia, October 2009

O, Shenandoah

Sunday morning we took the opportunity to drive out to Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park and take a beautiful fall walk in the woods. The air was blue and crisp, the surroundings were breathtakingly beautiful, and the company was sweet.

We parked at the first visitor's center and found three caterpillars right off. We made wishes on milkweed seeds and then headed off on Fox Hollow Trail, a 1.2 mile loop. We stopped for everything, including an impromptu family photo. The girls made sure we all had forest animal aliases (a fawn named Spot, a squirrel named Nutsy, a bobcat named... Bob, you get the idea), and everyone delighted in finding interesting things along the trail.

This trail meanders past a tiny cemetery that predates the park and is the final resting place of Lemuel Fox and his daughter, Gertrue. It also goes past a field of thistle and milkweed where we saw lots of little buggy critters. The easy 1.2 miles took us- yes- one hour. It was as much my fault as any small child's, stopping to take pictures every so often and picking up beautiful leaves for a project I have in mind.

These kinds of walks are fairly common in our family life. They are one of the things that keeps us all on the same page and binds us together a little more. I look forward to every single one.

The Roosevelts, Part 2

As part of our DC education this year, I'm trying to get to all the new monuments and memorials in addition to the old ones I've never seen. We crossed Roosevelt Island off the list (and will probably return several more times) and now I can also say I've been to the FDR Memorial as well.

Franklin was a fifth cousin of President Theodore Roosevelt and Eleanor was Teddy's niece. FDR was paralyzed from the waist down due to an infection which may have been either polio or possible Guillain-Barré syndrome. He was elected to four terms as President, though he died of a stroke less than six months into his last term. He saw the country through all the crises between the years 1932 and 1945. His death came less than a month before V-E Day (May 8) which began the end of World War II.

The memorial is vast due to the commemoration of each presidential term. It was dedicated in May 1997 by President Clinton and is the only Presidential memorial to feature a tribute and statue of the First Lady. (Eleanor was also very politically active and was the first US delegate to the United Nations.) The memorial is made of beautiful rosy granite and includes water as a major theme. I quote wikipedia:

"Running water is an important physical and metaphoric component of the memorial. Each of the four "rooms" representing Roosevelt's respective terms in office contains a waterfall. As one moves from room to room, the waterfalls become larger and more complex, reflecting the increasing complexity of a presidency marked by the vast upheavals of economic depression and world war. When the memorial first opened, people were encouraged to wade into the fountains and waterfalls. Within a matter of days, the National Park Service prohibited people from entering the water because they were unable to get insurance.

Tour guides describe the symbolism of the five main water areas as:
• A single large drop- The crash of the economy that led to the Great Depression
• Multiple stairstep drops- The Tennessee Valley Authority dam-building project
• Chaotic falls at varying angles- World War II
• A still pool- Roosevelt's death
• A wide array combining the earlier waterfalls- A retrospective of Roosevelt's presidency"

Many quotes from his speeches and writings are carved on the walls and even my 9 year old had heard "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." There are also bronze sculptures depicting men in a bread line and someone listening to a "fireside chat" on the radio. Even his trusty dog, Fala is immortalized. One section contains an installation which can be seen and/or felt. At the end- just past the restrooms- there is a path down to the lovely tidal basin walkway.

Thinking back, there's plenty to dislike about the man and even his policies, but also plenty to admire. It's a beautiful memorial either way: thought-provoking, restful, well laid-out and open until 11:30pm.