Friday, July 22, 2011

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.



















The 22,000 lb. Orion/MPCV test article does make a big splash... on Twitpic
Courtesy of NASA Langley OPA

Thursday, July 21, 2011

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

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

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.

OK HW

Monday, July 18, 2011

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?

OK HW

Saturday, July 16, 2011

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.

OK HW

Image for 7-15-11 - Playing Hooky

Sometimes you just gotta break out of the routine and reclaim your life. I took the day off from work today. It was necessary to recharge the batteries. I decided to devote some of the day to reconnecting with my creative life. I've been feeling guilty about not working on my book project to collect my old underground comic, so today was the day to get back on track. I also finished my first wood carving, the fish I posted about not long ago. All he lacked was a sealing coat of polyurethane. Good night my son.

OK HW