Image for July 26, 2011 - Pink Cadillac

I actually took this Sunday, not today, but it's too good not to share. I spent part of that day rolling around in fine retro style in the back of this limping pimp wagon on a tour of Virginia's wine country. It was all to celebrate a friend's 40th birthday (who's name will remain a secret in case he wants to pass younger). There were six of us crammed into the well-worn cabin of this relic from a Barry White fever dream. There was a bar and phone and even a cassette deck in the back there! All was great until the brake light came on and the tour company thought better then to risk a limo full of paying customers on the mountain roads, and sent out a replacement mini-van. It was fun while it lasted.

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Thai-Mex in the Mountains of Virginia

I shot this weird little shrine in a Thai-Mex Restaurant in the mountains of Virginia off 151. Was just in for a quick beer while waiting for some carry-out pizza. The menu in this place was intriguing with smells from the kitchen to match. Next time...

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Image for July 21, 2011 - Orion Splash Down!

Today I got to exercise one of the very cool fringe benefits of my job. I got to witness first hand a splash test of the next generation space vehicle, the Orion. It looks very similar to the Apollo capsule and would have a water landing, so today they were testing that aspect of the design. It was stupid hot out by the Gantry where they drop stuff to see what happens and the test was a bit late, but well worth the wait. I missed the moment of impact, so have included a shot that the Langley Office of Public Affairs posted on Twitter of the splash. Here's my shots.

Courtesy of NASA Langley OPA

Image for July 20, 2011 - What the Hell is it?

I don't know, but whatever it is, it appeared overnight after a heavy rain. My guess is it's some kinda mushroom, but let's have some fun and pretend that it's an invading alien of some kind. Not a silver disk full of classic big-headed greys, or some giant senseless freak crashing about or legions of murderous robots, just some weird, simple thing that appears one day and just starts to grow and cover everything. Hmmmm.....

OK HW

Image for July 18, 2011 - Dirty Mini-Van Star Wars

I have started to leave my camera out for my commute to and from work so I can capture the random weirdness that I see so often. It's yielded a few gems and I have missed even more, but today I hit the jackpot. Two key moments from "Star Wars: A New Hope" drawn into the dirt on the back window of a mini-van. On the left there is a light saber duo; hard to tell if it's Darth and Obi-Wan, but I think it could be. The figure on the left clearly has a larger head, hence Darth's helmet. On the right side of the glass is the rebel run on the Death Star. I am amazed that such simple drawings can conjure up such a huge chunk of pop culture. It was nice to see someone do something different with a dirty vehicle window then the usual "Wash Me!" and a smiley face.

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Image for July 17, 2011 - Portable God

I rarely see open displays of religion, christian or otherwise,  on dashboards these days, so was blown away when I stumbled across this magnificent shrine beautifully installed in a mini-van in the parking lot of a convenience store in Hampton, Va. I'm not sure which deity this is intended for, maybe Hindu god? I love the mystery and ornate quality of this piece. And what's in the bag?

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Image for 7-16-11 - Now & Zen

Lorraine & Janet

My wife is exhibiting some of her large scale multimedia drawings at The ODU Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Gallery in joint show with her  friend, Lorraine Fink called "Now & Zen". The opening was last night and the crowd was large and enthusiastic. It was wonderful to see so many old friends and also meet a some new ones. The Baron and Ellin Art Gallery is a splendid setting for viewing art and showcased this show's over-sized paintings and drawings perfectly. If you missed the opening last night, but still would like to see the art, no worries as it's on through September fourth.  Do yourself a favor and get some culture.

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Goodbye Atlantis - July 8, 2011

I watched the Shuttle launch for the last time today. It was a flawless launch, though there was a brief delay at the :31 second mark for one last bit of reflection. I work at NASA Langley, so this milestone means a lot to me. I've always been a fan of the space program and it's been a true honor to get to work with the people who make the Shuttle possible. To share this historic moment with my such a good group of people is an honor. There are two theaters here on center and the main viewing event was set-up at the Pearl Young Theater, I opted for the back-up location as it is across the street from my office and it was also not as packed. There was no cheering when the spacecraft cleared the launch pad, we all have learned the hard way to wait a bit now until that brilliant sliver of light reaches high enough to be safely in orbit. It was a somber, sad affair for the people watching in the room many of whom have spent their entire career working on the Shuttle. The USA will officially have no way to put humans into space after this mission. NASA's limited budget ($19 Billion this year, less then one sixteenth of one percent of the overall budget, less then two months worth of what we spend just on the Afghanistan war) forces the choice between maintaining a fleet of low orbit vehicles like the Shuttle or going for deep space goals like the Moon, Mars and beyond. They are choosing the later leaving the low orbit work to the private sector and Elon Musk's Space X Falcon System which is scheduled to have it's first manned launch in 2014. That seems like a long way off. Godspeed Atlantis!

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Image for 7-6-11 - The Speed of Life

Time is going by too fast for me right now. Once we get past the Fourth of July, it feels like a quick jump from Labor Day to Halloween and Christmas. I've been spending a lot of time on the road lately between the trips to Mississippi and Nags Head, not to mention my daily commute to work of fifty-four miles (roundtrip). Life becomes a blur at times, my own version of "Groundhog Day", wake-up-work-home-sleep-repeat. All we can do is make the time we have count for something.

OK HW

Image for 6-26-11 - Hiking and the Bayou Bugaloo

I was off my hiking routine for the last week and a half or so, but made up for it this weekend by hiking Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I got up and hit a solid seven miles this morning. The heat rung me out, but still managed to get a strong pace going. I saw these weird, alien-like seed pods hanging off some trees along Shore Drive and had to get a shot. The remind me of some kind of science fiction illustration from the 1950s. Tiny, organic Sputniks.

Later that afternoon we went down to Town Point Park in Norfolk to catch some New Orleans flavor at the Bayou Bugaloo Festival. I remember back to the old days when it was free and the Neville Brothers would play every year filling the park with drunken, dancing fools. Now it costs ten dollars a head, so the crowds are smaller and less drunk and don't dance as much and it's been years since the Nevilles have been through. We caught The Savoy Cajun Family Band, Bonerama, Anders Osborne and The Funky Meters. My fav was Bonerama, always a good time. They went from "Down By the Riverside" to "The Big Chief Song" to "Helter Skeletor" without breaking a sweat (that's not true, they were all sweating like dogs, but we all were 'cause it was hot). Anders Osborne was OK, basically just played one long jam session, which got tedious after awhile. The Funky Meters fell to the jam groove too, which was too bad as their set just melted down into an indecipherable never-ending series of noises that were no fun. Some folks tried to dance to it, but gave up after awhile. The musicians looked like they were having fun, so nice for them. We left as they were still trying to find their way out of that maze of sound. Just in time for me as I was red as a crayfish and needed some shade and a big glass of ice water. Man, do I miss New Orleans.

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Image for 6/23/11 - Cat taking a picture

It reads, "Smile God Loves You", with no irony. Ever see one of these cheesy wall hangings in a thrift store and wonder, "Gee, do people actually hang this crap on their walls?". Well, yes they and do and you might be related to them, or, in this case, I am related to them. Got to admit, it is a cute picture of a cat operating a camera.

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Tennessee Fireworks

From the road heading home from Mississippi.

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Road Tiki

Found this Tiki on the side of an energy drink can
--Sent from my Virgin Mobile!
Location : lat=35.558, lng=-84.545


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Sent from my Virgin Mobile

Image for 6-19-11 - My First Haircut

I am down in Mississippi visiting my Dad and Step Mom. It's always strange for me to be down here because, despite the fact that my Father is from here, I feel no connection. The Weaver side of the family has lived in Eastern Mississippi for generations. My Dad broke that chain when he went into the Navy and left the sweltering, kudzoo-covered life down here to see the world. He eventually came back home, but none of his children have ever followed him here.

My Dad's living room is filled with pictures of his kids, grandkids and Betty, my Step Mom's children. I found this photo of my older sister and me taken when I was about one or so. My Dad told me that it was taken shortly after I had my first haircut given to me by a barber that had cut my Dad's hair, his Dad's hair and his Dad's hair. Four generations of Weaver hair had fallen under this guy's scissors. I wish I had a photo of him.

OK HW

Mountain Sky

On the road, heading to Mississippi.
--Sent from my Virgin Mobile!
Location : lat=35.658, lng=-81.993


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Sent from my Virgin Mobile

Image for June 17, 2011 - Making a Mark

This leaf is long gone, but it left it's mark on the world. It's shape endures for now etched into this strip of white crosswalk paint. Whenever I walk over to the mailbox here at work, I pass this leaf silhouette and it always brings my mind around to how brief our time is on this planet and how will anyone know we were here. Leaving one's mark has been a motivator to people in all walks of life since cave people took up a charred stick and drew on a cave wall. Some people leave their mark through their children and families, some through their creative pursuits. Some people don't care or feel it's out of their reach to make any meaningful impact on the world. Whether we chose to or not, we are all affecting the world and the people around us for good or for ill, mostly in ways that we'll never know or understand. I've been making a conscious effort to bring art into my life more, both in reality and online. I've also been trying to encourage people, friends and strangers to create art, write, make music, exercise that creative passion too. Make that mark. You never know who will eventually see it and what it will mean to their life.

OK HW

Image for 6-15-11 - Potatoes in a Bag

Do you love potatoes? I sure do and I never thought I could grow'em myself until I heard about the garbage bag method. For those of us that are "gardening challenged" or have limited space or resources, this is a great way to easily grow some yummy taters. This is my second attempt, last year was a practice run, but this year the leafy gods have smiled upon me. When I lived in Ireland, I learned that home grown taters taste mush better then store bought. I can't wait to harvest these dogs in a couple of months.

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Stuck at the tunnel again

Nothing like commuting in Tidewater to bum you out. I was sitting for thirty-five minutes waiting for a multi-car accident to be cleared. Sometimes it's easier for me to relax and let go, but tonight I had somewhere to be, so the pressure was on. I look forward to the day when I no longer have to make that drive.

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Location : lat=37.000, lng=-76.312

Image for 6-12-11 - Stormy Pattern

Lately, we have been experiencing some amazingly severe storms. They can pop-up on short notice and dump a huge amount of rain and whip up a fierce wind. We need the rain, but not the heavy action. With all the tornados and floods going on across the country, it feels like mother nature has got an attitude problem. The storms do make for some dramatic skies.

OK HW

Image for 6-11-11 - Neighborhood Parade

On my hike today, I stumbled upon the Civic League's annual parade and picnic. It wasn't very long, but it looked like a lot of fun. I had forgotten completely about it, so it was a fun surprise to come around the corner and run into festivities. Maybe next year, I'll have to enter my own float. Hmmm....

OK HW