pea g.'s photostream  

Space Shuttle Atlantis left a wonderfully fluffy plume in her wake as she departed from launch pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center. The billowing cloud of exhaust drifted northerly, reaching the nearby decommissioned pad 39B just five minutes after liftoff.

Monday, May 16, 2011 - 8:56 AM EST

This morning I tumbled out of bed in my Cocoa Beach at some horrible wee hour to watch Endeavour launch for her 25th and final flight. It was totally worth it. Zack and I arrived at the press site in time to sign up for a van to the Banana Creek viewing area, which presents a beautiful wide open view across the water.

I had set up my D700 at the launch pad, which left me with the D60. Zack positioned our Mamiya RZ67 on the tripod, so I shot this handheld.

The clouds thickened quickly, threatening to scrub the launch and creating a nighttime-ish environment for the event.

Liftoff came suddenly. I kept expecting a scrub, and despite the countdown broadcast, I didn't believe the shuttle was really blasting off until a second or two after I saw the first plumes billowing from the pad. As I watched Endeavour ascend quietly, I willed her to make some noise. (It takes a few seconds to reach us.) She finally began to crackle and pop as she ripped through the air. Then the vibrations began. Watching a launch from anywhere is awesome... but when you're this close, you FEEL the roar, and it's intense.

Many folks were bummed that she disappered into the clouds so quickly. I didn't feel cheated since I'd seen Discovery launch into a clear blue sky a few months ago; today's weather created a different scene.

I'm actually kind of glad I only had the D60. Since its buffer fills pretty quickly, I took my time in between snaps to experience the launch.

More space photos here on Flickr and on my web site.

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A year ago today, Dad popped into my stream.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Today I covered softball and baseball at Menendez High School. The Menendez Falcons dominated much of the game, but St Augustine rallied for a dramatic 9-5 finish at the bottom of the 7th inning.

I snapped my fave of the day just a few minutes into the game. Menendez's Cole Piagno pitched just over six innings.

I miss the cool weather, but I'm totally digging Spring's extended daylight hours...

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One year ago today, I was feeling ducky...

Friday, February 11, 2011

One month after I covered Nease's loss at home to St Augustine, I watched them lose 41-46 to Palatka High School in tonight's district playoff game. Perhaps I'm bad luck for them... but it was a good night for me, as I landed my first freelance gig with the Palatka Daily News!

Here, Palatka's Darryl Walton guards Nease's Mike Cotton. Walton's expression makes my day. Another photo and the article are online at the St Augustine Record. (Palatka doesn't post their photos online.)

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Last year on 2/11, I photographed a beautiful church in historic St Augustine.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

I finally caught up with St Augustine High School's Lady Jackets at home tonight as they hosted Jacksonville's Andrew Jackson Tigers in the Florida Class 4A regional quarterfinal basketball game. These girls are on fire! They won 64-33.

I knelt to catch Jackson's Timari Jones (left) and St Augustine's Ajanai Edwards (right) battling for possession. More photos here and here.

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On Day 41 last year, I looked up... way up...