We had our coffee before going to the gym!
The day got underway with a quick walk through the garden. As I was turning the corner, I heard a p-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-t p-s-s-s-s-s-s-t. I looked around and saw Lizzy sitting on the fence. Lizzy is like our very own superhero lizard, using her magnificent appetite to keep those pesky bugs under control!
“Hey, put down the camera! I am sunbathing!”
Today’s stroll revealed that our grapes are ripening just in time for our vacation. Now, we just need to train the housesitters to be grape pickers before the grapes turn into raisins on the vine!
I tried one, and they are delicious!
As tomatoes grow, the leaves begin to wilt, and it is essential to pick the dead diseased material as bugs like dead leaves and stems. Once cleaned out, one can see all the tomatoes on the vines. We are loaded this year! These are hanging six feet in the air.
Pick the harvest!
After our leisurely walk, we bravely decided to grace the gym with our presence. The enthusiastic trainers ensured that every little muscle in our bodies received loads of attention, ensuring that we felt the burn for days to come.
Barely making it out of the gym alive, we went three doors down to the Ralphs market and shopped for the 4th (again). We filled the car with goodies.
We stopped by Jan’s and brought her some pinwheels and Cape Cod chips. She agreed to come over and join the party tomorrow, so I will pick her up at 11:45 am so she can visit with old friends.
The Silver Fox has a full tummy!
We put away the cold/frozen items and then gathered up Scout, the Wonder Dog, and headed to the groomer; he wanted to be pretty for the party!!
Since most of the groceries were stashed away before we left, we opted for lunch at the Orange City Elks Lodge at the traffic circle. We are associate members, which means we have a door key and are considered members.
The entrance is quite lovely. The Orange Elks Lodge #1475 was established on November 26, 1923, and has occupied its current building since 1935. The building was initially constructed in 1925 for the International Order of Odd Fellows.
Welcome!
Their lunch is delicious. I had a Chili Size, and it was terrific. It was loaded with onions, and the fries were perfectly done. Mary did a half-sandwich and salad which was also excellent.
Yummy!
We sat with several very interesting people who we had just met. We talked about the lodge, weather, and other topics of interest!
We were still dressed for the gym!
Mary was about to open the door when I wanted to show the other side of the entranceway! She could easily get the greeters job at the lodge!
“Come on, Paul. We must put away the groceries and prepare the patio for the party!”
I suggested she wear her beach outfit. She could explain what the Elks are all about!
Eek! I had to make an executive decision; I would fix the sprinkler system if Mary stored the groceries. Our gardener accidentally damaged the lawn mower’s sprinkler head and control mechanism.
We could feed an army!!
I went outside and got the BBQ Grille ready to go after several months in storage. I had to turn it on making the heat even more and then scrub the grille with a steel brush!
It was 88 degrees outside already, so I decided to wear my birthday suit!
I was minding my own business when Dr. Sneaky captured me cleaning the grill. Oh dear! I need to get a rear view mirror to keep and eye on her.
BBS and TLB: You have to ask Mary!
The Rain Bird had two adjustments for the pattern and spray distance.
I read it repeatedly, and they had the arrows going in the wrong direction.
It took me about fifteen minutes to figure it out, mainly because I had to bend way over our wall that divides the yard and ready the instructions upside down. Finally, I got the darned thing to work, and suddenly, I was ambushed. Shot in the rear with cold water by The Masked Doctor.
Can you imagine what I thought after baking in the sun for fifteen minutes, bent over and trying hard to return to the vertical position, and then, WAM, hit by a stream of ice water where normally the sun does not shine?
I screamed a few select words, got vertical, and whirled around to see what was happening. I was held at gunpoint! She should have worn a mask and demanded my money, but seeing my gardening uniform, she just giggled and ran back into the house!
CAUGHT IN THE ACT! She thought it was quite funny!
The patio is now 80% ready to go!
The BBQ was fired up, and the grill was cleaned and greased.
Feeling sorry for how she got me with her pistol, Mary made some of her delicious fruit salad. We had that for dinner, along with a PB&J toasted sandwich.
We called Jeff to see if he wanted company, and he said, “Come on over and sit on the porch. There is a Vandenberg launch in a few minutes!” We grabbed a glass of wine and headed across the street (I changed from my gardening outfit).
After visiting for a few minutes, the sky lit up, and the rocket launched. Vandenberg is 3 hr 14 min (196.1 mi) away via US-101 N from our location.
Firefly launched eight CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI), which provides satellite developers at U.S. educational institutions and nonprofits with low-cost access to conduct scientific research and technology demonstrations in space. The complement of CSLI CubeSats on a given flight is referred to as an Educational Launch of Nanosatellites or ELaNa. The Alpha FLTA005 Noise of Summer mission will carry NASA ELaNa 43 payloads.
Get ready, set set, go!
The first stage was brilliant.
Look carefully; you will see the first stage drop off and the second stage fire up. It was helped along by Jeff making various rocket sounds in the background. At the start of the second stage, there was a distinct Taco Bell sound.
We have separation!
Alpha FLTA005, a mission called Noise of Summer, supports Firefly’s Venture-Class Launch Services Demo 2 contract with NASA to validate the capabilities of launch vehicles that support a new launch class and provide more access to space for small satellites and spacecraft. Firefly will conduct Alpha FLTA005 as another responsive space operation, which includes transporting the payload fairing to the launch pad and mating it to Firefly’s Alpha rocket within hours of the scheduled liftoff, compared to weeks in a typical operation.
The flight path is explained!
It was spectacular.
Have a safe journey!
Returning home, Mary made potato salad, and I puttered around before bed at midnight.
