Dazzling Day

 
#YEARINSPACE:  Lots of chatter on the Internet about tomorrow's launch, which will take two cosmonauts and one NASA astronaut to the International Space Station. Two of the three men, Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko, will spend nearly a year on board, the longest continual time any humans have ever spent off planet. 

Here's a short video about the Human Research Program.


Launch coverage will start at 11:30 a.m., and the Soyuz is set to lift off at 12:42 p.m., Pacific time, on NASA TV. 

SHOREBIRDS:  The sun shone brightly from the get-go this morning. The kids each had a class to attend this morning, and at lunchtime, we manned a booth for the social issues club they're a part of, but after that, got out into the wonderful weather.

A walk from 'downtown' Magnolia to the shoreline at the end of 32nd Avenue West.   

It was absolutely amazing. The sound was smooth and there wasn't a wisp of wind. Believe it or not, before too long the kids complained about being hot! It was 70 degrees out, but it's all relative, isn't it?

Annabelle walked many a log, and CJ ran around on the rocky beach. 

 We watched boats go by - everything from small yachts to ferries to cargo ships. 

At one point I even noticed multiple jets from a fire fighting boat in the distance.  You can see them just beyond all the masts.

Back home, we did some math, cleaned the fish tank, tended to our veggie starts, and worked on an art project.  We also took time out to measure the magnificent daffodils that continue to delight us in the garden.

After dinner, it was so darn nice out, we went to yet another beach in Magnolia, a pocket park along Perkins Lane.

Annabelle waded and jumped waves.  (Just think - weather so nice you can wave jump in MARCH. In SEATTLE!)

We also inspected many a rock, and wished we had geologist Uncle Jim on speed dial, so he could tell us what we were looking at.

It was a lovely visit, with one downer. ...

Why in the world don't the people living in the mansion on the sound find the money to replace the flag on this pole? Or at the very least, take this tattered mess down?

Terrible.