What do you look like on a Sunday morning?

Well, how good are you to your mirror?
First thing in the morning, my wife took this picture of me. I'd run away if I were her!

--Dan

Dads and Kids

What is a Dad? My Dad's car reminded me of him...his shoes were also him. Even his telephone was...my Dad.

What am I to my kids? Dad's are important. I am, whether I like it or not. That's fine. I like it.

Last week, my daughter was in concert at a very special event. One of the University music directors conducted a one day workshop for the high school "honor" band students. Marion, my daughter, played trumpet. It was jam packed. It was very beautiful. The orchestra picture is on the left. An earlier marching performance (several weeks ago) is shown on the right. Marion is the trumpeter on the left.

It is truly amazing to see what working in unison can do. These kids did not know each other, yet the music was complete. Awesome.

--Dan

The Moon...we have been there.

I love space exploration. I am proud to be an American. This is a fantastic image. Click on it, and it will become larger for you.

Enjoy!

--Dan

A Story for Pete

For Pete Townshend, and the whale(s) of the river Thames:

I turned on the news today, and I witnessed a whale (or two?) swimming in the Thames (intially thought to be a "pilot" whale).

Now, I don't know if that's an omen of any kind, but don't you think it's strange that whales in the Thames seems to mainly occur when your novella approaches its final month?

What do they want? Why are they there? So many questions!

=========================

There once was a whale that swam up stream
He was a bit lost...maybe followed the bream

The trouble that started was really not normal
For as he approached the Queen's castle, he was not dressed in formal

The Queen took notice, in great fascination
And commented duly on said whale's destination

"Why do you come, my friend, little whale?
Are you on your way....on a new found trail?”

"No", said the benthic body of blue
"I enjoin this journey, though not dressed for you"

"I have not arrived to perturb nor portend"
"It's just that Pete's story is soon to end"

The Queen had to marvel at the whale's dedication
She sensed indeed, the whole predication

"My friend, sweet whale, my fin flicking friend"...
"You are most noble, so brave, to seek Mr. Townshend"

So together they journeyed to the island of Pie
An unusual couple, (no need to say why)

Gracious words, stories abundant were told
Those moments among them were precious as gold

"Well, the time now has now come, for you to return to the sea"
Said Pete, “I'll remember always, you looking for me.”

Just as Pete and the Lady had begun ending their visit
The whale started in with a question…he began to inquisit

Before heading to azure, the marine depths of the ocean
The whale turned his head, as if with a notion

“When your story does end, and we look back on the joy
Will we still hear from the musical boy?”

With a long wave and a smile…wiping a tear from his eye
“I’ll always be here, my friend.” Said Pete, “Peace and goodbye!”


© 2006 Dan L. and the Whale Friends of Ahab

--Dan L.

Marta Bohn-Meyer: Always Our Friend

It is a very long story. I will not be able to tell it here, in it's totality.

Simply put...

We met Marta one night (Me, my wife and kids) at a very small and informal NASA lecture gathering. After the gathering, we spoke with her. Subsequently, we remained in contact, and this led to my family becoming witness to one of the very last flights of the storied SR-71 Blackbird. On a blistering July morning, the magnificent aircraft performed it's mission. Thanks to Marta, we were some of the ONLY people there to see.

Marta has recently passed on. She was a very special person. A brief biography is available below, courtesy of the NASA website. Included are the events of her loss...to us, and those many others that she touched.

The following is an excerpt from the NASA website:

Birthplace:Long Island, New York
Occupation:Chief Engineer, Dryden Flight Research Center
Quote:"Waste not your days, trying to prolong them; use your time."--Ian Fleming (writing in a James Bond novel)
Favorite Space Fact:Astronauts are people too! They have just had different experiences.
Father:Engineer
Mother:Teacher
Education:BS Aeronautical Engineering, EMBA
The Right StuffEditor's note: this feature was first published on April 26, 2004. Unfortunate new information is available here.

There's nothing like flying in an SR-71. Well, almost. "That is, without a doubt, on the Top 10 list," said NASA flight engineer, Marta Bohn Meyer, about her first flight aboard the sleek SR. "At risk of having to balance my personal life against my professional life, it's right up there at one or two. "And I won't tell you which is one and which is two." Oct. 3, 1991, was a day to remember for Bohn Meyer: She became the first female crew member to fly in the SR-71, and the second woman to fly in a triple-sonic aircraft. "To my dying day, it will always bring a smile to my face," she said. "That was the most invigorating, stressful, enjoyable, toughest thing I've ever done in my life - and it was also the most successful." Smiles abounded that day. As Bohn Meyer, now chief engineer at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, was doused with water by the project team in the traditional first flight ceremony, there were scores of NASA coworkers present, rallying in support of her historic moment.

Marta Bohn Meyer was the first female crew member to fly in the SR-71.
"There were people who came out to the ramp to congratulate me," she recalled. "It wasn't just the maintenance crew. Just people. And many of them were women." The moment remains indelibly etched in her mind. "It was an eye-opening experience to realize that to a lot of women here, I do represent something important." She takes that responsibility seriously. With the solid support of her parents, she has been an avid flyer since her teens. Nowadays, Bohn Meyer often speaks to young people, encouraging them to cultivate their interest in becoming pilots. "If I can affect just one person's life because I talked to them or I talked to their parents and encouraged them, then I'm happy," she said. "I'm a firm believer that if you don't have a hobby by the time you're 13 or 14 years old, you're lost," she said. "You've got to be special in your own mind and in other people's minds." Over the years, Bohn Meyer has discovered that there aren't many girls who believe they can actually become pilots. "And that's something we have to work to change." Bohn Meyer's success has been the result of what she calls the "Four Rights" - the right training, the right time, the right place and the right attitude. She has been at NASA Dryden since she graduated Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., in 1979, and negotiated for a position as an operations engineer that involved some flying. Since then, she has worked on a variety of research projects, specializing in flight test operations, developing test techniques and laminar flow research. She also served as the F-16XL project manager, as well as acting deputy director of aerospace projects. Her flight test training was primarily on-the-job and through NASA. "OJT brings it home real fast," she said. "You have to keep your eyes and ears open all the time, and that's not necessarily the easiest thing." As Dryden's chief engineer, she is responsible for assisting the engineering and management talent at the in their efforts to conduct safe, effective and efficient flight related research and test. She works with technical experts and leaders from Dryden as well as other NASA Centers, other government agencies, and industry to try to find ways to accomplish the techncial objectives while also remaining cognizant of her obligation to the American taxpayer - to spend their dollars wisely. "Sometimes it is a difficult challenge as often the cost of making revolutionary leaps in aeronautics and aerospace technology - which I believe is expected of us - is far greater than the expectations of those who authorize funding for our research and test endeavors," she says. "We are constantly asking ourselves, 'How can we do more, with even less?' Creativity and innovation - being able to use mature techologies in unique ways; and being able to develop unique and new technolgies which later may be matured by other entities - are key ingredients to our continued success." She credits much of her success to the support she received from mentors during her years at Rensselaer (through which she was a cooperative student at NASA Langley Research Center, Virginia) and in the years following. "All of my mentors have a very special place in my heart, because they made a big difference to me," she said. Because there were so few women involved in the field at the time, all her mentors were men. "They were all very supportive, cooperative and helpful." At the time, she was concerned with how she could ever repay their support. "I was smart enough to see what was going on, that these people were helping me. I always worried about what I was ever going to do for them. "The resolution basically was, just do it for someone else - some other young person who's struggling their way through," she said. "Give them a chance. Help them see what's possible for them."

Posted by: Dan L. & Family

THE ATOMIC CANNON

Note: DO NOT leave this site without watching this gun go off. It was only a test fire, and it is impressive. The link is at the very bottom of this article, the one that ends with "cannon". Turn your sound on (this is not a trick, just part of history).

I was in Alburquerque, New Mexico, a few years ago, and I saw this gun. I have been reading Pete Townshend's novella on his blog, and the story referenced the Hiroshima bomb. The idea came to me to share knowledge of an unusual device with bloggers...

THE ATOMIC CANNON

Operation: Upshot Knothole
Shot Name: Grable
Shot number: 10
Date: May 25, 1953
Detonation: Airburst
Yield: 15 kt
Height of Blast: 524 ft
Location: Frenchman Flat - Nevada Test Site
Mark 9 Gun Weapon Sponser: Los Alamos Nuclear Laboratory

The Atomic Cannon, at 280 mm, was the largest nuclear capable mobile artillery piece manufactured by the United States. On May 25, 1953, a 280 mm cannon fired an atomic projectile a distance of 7 miles at the Nevada Test Site. Twenty 280 mm cannons were manufactured. None were used in battle.

ref. www.vce.com

Wanna see it work...the cannon FIRE? Click here: http://www.vce.com/AtomicGallery/movies/cannon.html

--Dan

My First (and probably last) Gig

Here I am, on a stage at our company Christmas party about two years ago. I was "singing" a doctored version of "Big John" as a big spoof. I wrote the words. I also altered much of the music with a friend of mine and his recording equipment. It's even on a CD. It was fun.

It was a talent show, I have not performed since...not that there were no inquiries, just have not unleashed my true potential yet. Um, OK.

My Dad wrote a book!

Well, my Dad, who's picture on this blog is in a few places, has written a book. It was originally written to provide an important historical record for our family and friends. I see it has moved on to bigger things. This is not an ad to sell the book, I am just a very proud son. I know nothing of any financial or advertising arrangements my Dad has made with anybody. As I said, I am just proud to place it here, on my blog.


--Dan

My family will let not let just anybody drive our van, but there are exceptions!

This is just too funny! Mr. Pete Townshend and I, undisclosed brothers of a sort, occasionally take a spin together. We do enjoy the company. I talk his ears off, he tries to change the station on the radio. What do you suppose I always try to hear on that radio?

My sincere thanks to Justin Kreutzmann for putting that great picture together. I must also thank Pete. It is a given that when you place your image "out there", it is gone to the masses. I do trust Pete can forgive us. I suspect he will.

Remember, buckle up those seat belts...we do!

--Dan

Where were you on Sunday?

This is me. I was with my wife and two of my daughters at Lytle Creek, in the San Bernardino National Forest, California. It was around 70 degrees. On Friday, it was 90 degrees! Where IS winter?

My Vacation?

This is the picture I sent via phone camera to my fellow workers while I was on vacation in December, 2005. I had to cheer them up you know...afterall, THEY were at work, I was NOT!

It's called "a tall cold one"...the drink, not me!

Thanks to Cruz, my wife, for taking the picture. We had meatball sanwhiches, salad and fries, by the way.







This is me, on a day that that I WAS at work, but later at night...at home. What? I look happier on the working day???

--Dan

Would you like to see something man-made in space with JUST YOUR EYES?

This (image) is a sample graphic to show the tracking of the ISS (International Space Station)

This is what the website has to offer:

Welcome to the new-look Heavens-Above!
If you're interested in satellites or astronomy, you've come to the right place! Our aim is to provide you with all the information you need to observe satellites such as the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle, spectacular events such as the dazzlingly bright flares from Iridium satellites as well as a wealth of other spaceflight and astronomical information.
We not only provide the times of visibility, but also detailed star charts showing the satellite's track through the heavens. All our pages, including the graphics, are generated in real-time and customized for your location and time zone. Frequent visitors will notice we have changed the appearance of the site somewhat and added the option of user registration. This has been done to open the door to a host of new, customisable features which will be appearing over the coming months. "

ref. http://www.heavens-above.com/


We, my family and a number of friends, have seen the ISS travel overhead, BRIGHT and easily seen, on a number of occasions. Try it out. If you would like help, I am here. Also, try reading the information provided. It includes star charts.

--Dan L.

This is Funny!

A friend sent this picture to me. I have no clue what is transpiring, but it is funny!

--Dan