Moonday

Image credit - NASA/JPL-Caltech/MIT 

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  Our moon has two new craters tonight. After completing a mission of 15 months and a handful of days, twin satellites Ebb and Flow smashed into the moon's surface. Together, they have mapped the moon's surface to provide us with a better understanding of how Earth (and other rocky planets in our solar system) formed and evolved.

Image credit- NASA/JPL-Caltech/IPCP

On Sept. 10, 2011 a Delta II rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center carrying a pair of satellites heading for orbit around Earth's one and only moon. They reached orbit on New Year's Day 2012.

Photo: NASA, et al, of course

Their final resting spot was a mountain near the moon's north pole. Tonight, it was announced that the impact spot of the satellites was named for pioneering NASA astronaut Sally Ride, the first U.S. woman in space and a member of the probe's mission team.

I'd like to think GRAIL was paving the way for us to return to the moon some day. With real live humans. Like we did 40 plus years ago. A girl can dream, right?

TINSEL TOWN: Since there's only like a WEEK (eep!) until Christmas, it's pretty much time we get our tree decorated, right.

This year we hauled our ol' standby out of storage - "The Sparkler Pom-Pom," our epic, retro-rific aluminum tree by Starband Co., Inc. of Portsmouth, VA. It's got to be at least 60 years old but still glistens like brand new..

After the kids got the boughs all in place, it was time to decorate. Only lightweight ornaments go on this tree.

PANTO AT THE PALLADIUM: Saturday afternoon we were darn near first in line to get in the doors to Hale's Palladium in Ballard for one of our favorite holiday traditions, a British Panto by The Fremont Players.  This year's bill was a mash up of Sleeping Beauty and The Princess and the Pea. Good fun!

What a wonderful, wonderful way to spend a couple of hours. We were transported to a farcical kingdom full of cross dressing, song and dance and British humor. What's not to like? BTW, I've got to the show's costumers a hat tip. The get ups were top rate, and the live orchestra accompanying the show was A+ as well. Bravo!