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Sweet Home Alabama

         Well, I'm spending a week here in Decatur, Alabama.  I find it a little humorous though, because I lived in Decatur, Illinois before going to Chicago to take this job with Motorola.  I flew in to Huntsville on Sunday, and couldn't believe that I'd forgotten that Space Camp is there!  I'm hoping I can spend a couple of hours there on Friday once class is done, and snap a few pictures.

         I was anticipating "having to eat" down home Southern Fried food this week, but I couldn't have been more wrong.  I passed through this state in 2011 (it was during this time that I was promoted to Moderator!  ), and spent the night in Spanish Fort near Mobile.  I had dinner at a nice place there, and was that restaurant less than 2 miles from my hotel!  It is Wintzell's Oyster House, a place that serves very good seafood.  It's not much on looks, with tables that seem more suited in a camping environment than a restaurant, but that's never bothered me.  I had some Oysters Monterey, and a delicious Mahi and Shrimp Cobb Salad.  So I'm not having as much fried food as I'd feared, and am doing fine this week.

         Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be many "Photo-Ops" around here, so I may not take any shots this week.  Unless I can find some in Huntsville on Friday when class is done.  I wonder if they'd let a 59 y/o man in Space Camp?  What?  It's for kids?  Maybe I could be a Camp Counselor then.  On second thought, I've been alone so long, do I even remember how to relate to kids?  Maybe I should find a cave somewhere and crawl inside.  As long as it has Wi-Fi, I'd be fine.    Til next time, from Fort Gordon in Augusta Georgia (Two weeks away!).  Take care, and stay cool in the summer heat.

         UPDATE:  After class was done Friday, I drove to Huntsville for the flight back to Chicago.  I had a lot of time before my flight, so I visited the Space & Rocket Center, home of "Space Camp".  I had a nice time exploring the area and seeing the history of the United Space Program.  There are too many things I saw to mention them all here, but one of the most unique ones was the capsule that Felix Baumgartner used in October 2012 in his historic jump.  If you remember, he rode a balloon to an altitude of 127,000 feet, then jumped from the capsule.  He passed the speed of sound and achieved a maximum speed of 843 mph.  Of course he was wearing a type of spacesuit for this jump, but breaking the speed of sound with no 'vehicle' surrounding you?  Wow!  But for me, one of the biggest attractions was the mockup of a Space Shuttle.  This was used to check clearances for moving 'real shuttles' to ensure it would fit past buildings and such when it came time to move the real thing.

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Next week will find me in Augusta, Georgia.  I wonder if I'll find time to hang with Phil and Tiger on the course?  Wait, I don't even attempt to play that game!!