Monday, January 30, 2023

T Stands for Blasting Off

 Hi everyone. 

I was missing from T last week because my husband and I took a "quick" trip down to Florida for a few days. Our flights to Florida and back home were each  under 3 hours and non-stop, which makes a "quick"  trip easy to do, at least compared to traveling places where it might take more of the day, if not a whole day, when you have layovers. And a "quick" trip was all my husband's work schedule allowed at this time.

We had a fun trip even though it wasn't relax-on-the-beach weather. The hubby doesn't do very well with relaxing on the beach anyhow, so even though a little warmer weather would have been nice, we still managed to have fun.  We squeezed in some science, art, nature, history, treasure hunting and even some beach walking. That was a whole lot of fun for a "quick" trip. And it was nice to get out of the house for a few days too. 

One of the first things we did was visit the Kennedy Space Center. Hubby is an engineer and a fan of space things, and it is interesting,  so we spent the entire day visiting the Space Center.


The Kennedy Space Center has been on the hubby's bucket list for a long time, and he was like a 10 year old there. I didn't know the space center is built in the middle of a wildlife sanctuary, and on the bus trip that you can take as part of  your visit, we saw 8 alligators and a whole slew of various birds. I was as excited as the boy in the seat in front of me (on the bus) counting the sunbathing gators as we drove by them-smile.

The bus trip shows you some sights you'd probably recognize from TV if you ever watch anything about NASA or space flights. Then it takes you to the Apollo program history center.

One of the things you can see  at the Apollo Center is this actual Apollo 14 spacecraft. It is brown and scared from returning from its trip into space. Other Apollo mission spacecrafts can be seen in  museums in other places in the world, but I wanted to include this photo today because it goes along with my T day drink.


For T over at Bleubeard's and Elizabeth's blog let me show you my  new Apollo spacecraft mug.  I bought it at the end of the day after seeing it in 3 gift shops at the Space Center. (And I was thinking about it after first seeing it all day too-grin.)


The angle of this photo shows you the mug but doesn't really show the shape accurately because the mug is definitely  shaped more like the actual Apollo spacecraft than this view shows. It is  wider on the bottom than at the top. 

In these photos my new mug is filled with some hot cocoa with whipped cream that I had the first night we were home.


I also want to share Elle's Christmas card that finally arrived the week we were gone.


Thank you Elle. It is really lovely, and it was a lot of fun to come home to some happy mail.😀

Now that I'm home it is back to winter.  We have a lot of crusty snow.


I'm hoping for a bit of melt before the bitter cold we're supposed to get arrives at the end of the week. 

Wishing you a happy T day. And thank you for stopping by my blog.















21 comments:

kathyinozarks said...

Hi Erika, a day at the space museum sounds really fun and interesting. and I Loveee your new mug! perfect for hot cocoa and marshmallows it has been very very cold here today so I just finished up a mug of hot cocoa too.
Gorgeous card from Elle! since it is still winter I am enjoying the card she sent me on the mantel.
Happy T hugs Kathy

Angie's Recipes said...

This is better than relaxing on the beach! I wish we had something like that here.

Iris Flavia said...

Wow, Ingo (and I!) would love to visit, too!!!! SO cool!
And in a sanctuary, too, double cool.
Now I really want to go to Florida, must show Ingo!
Cool mug!!! What a thought, though, to be in that tiny spacecraft... I am too chicken for such adventures... (and, sorry, I had to laugh it was scared... I know what you mean but this makes it much better!)

Oh, you have a deer today, too. LOL.

"Igitt" to the snow.
But to a happy T-Day anyways, hugs

Amila said...

It sounds exciting. I'd love to visit this space museum one day if I get a chance. The mug is really worth buying and it looks perfect with hot cocoa. This Christmas card is beautiful too.
Have a nice week and happy T day!

Anne (cornucopia) said...

It sounds like you had a great trip, and I love that mug. Brrr on coming back to all of that crusty snow. (And I know exactly what you mean by that type of snow.) NOAA has now issued a hazardous weather outlook for my area, for that bitter cold Friday and Saturday, so you probably have the same warning. :-( Is it Spring yet?

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

Wow. Nice that you got to visit Kennedy Space Center. I see you got a photo of the NASA ball. Did you get a photo of the Rocket Garden? They had just updated it and brought the Saturn V inside the new building when I was there in the late 1990s. I am sure much has changed since then. Much of what is at Kennedy is also at Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, KS. But for me, there was a different feel. Almost electric feel I didn't get in Hutchinson. I'm delighted you and your husband had a chance to visit.

Your new mug is adorable. I know that when you use it, it will remind you of the trip you took. Thanks for sharing your trip to NASA, your new mug, and your hot chocolate with whipped cream with us for T this Tuesday, dear Erika.

roughterrain crane said...

Hello. The cup is full of adventurous spirit!

Empire of the Cat said...

Oh wow I would love to go to the space centre too! And I love your Apollo mug, I like that it's actually a shaped mug rather than just a regular mug with a design slapped on. You can keep that snow though, I really would panic if we got that much. Thank goodness the xmas card finally arrived lol and I see you are using your tartan coaster too! I forgot to add what was in my juice but I have added it to the post now - it was celery, cucumber, kale, apple, ginger and lemon - it's a bit of a challenge to drink cold things on cold days. Happy T Day! Elle/EOTC xx

Barbara said...

A wonderful trip! Savor the FL memories in this cold winter. Not so cold here, not one flake of snow this year so far, amazing!

DVArtist said...

What a great museum. I would love to visit it. Hmmmm the hot chocolate looks so good. Glad you finally got the lovely card from Elle. Have a truly wonderful day.

Mae Travels said...

On our trip to that area of Florida, we spent a lot of time viewing the wildlife in the neighborhood of the Space Center but we didn’t go to the Center. You really make it look like fun! Next time we should do both.

best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com

Divers and Sundry said...

Fun trip. What a great mug! Our city is paralyzed by the ice, and a second wave is due later today. I'd rather have your pretty snow. Happy T Tuesday

CJ Kennedy said...

That quick jaunt sounds like a fun trip, and the Space Center would be a cool place to visit. Your new mug is awesome. I loved how the Universe gave you some hints that you should get it as your souvenir. 😺So sorry you had to come back to all the snow. The sun is out today and temps are above freezing so I hope you get some melt in. Happy T Day

Aimeslee Winans said...

I'm already shivering down here and that snow scene's not helping but it sure is pretty. LOVE your coffee mug, great souvenir! Okay, have to tell you this: so yesterday Honey goes to store and I needed some bread flour for my machine. He calls and tells me he cannot find any but they do have some King Arthur A-P flour. Hmmm. I Google can I use it in breadmaker. And yes, KA recipe pops up and explains it's high protein content. So today I put some on and it smells so good and it's rising up high! Can't wait for it to be done and taste test, XOX

Valerie-Jael said...

Great to have a quick getaway, and you chose a great museum to visit. Love the mugs you bought, a lovely keepsake. Stay warm in spite of the snow! Hugs, Valerie

Kate Yetter said...

Looks like such a fun trip, Erika. I bet the Kennedy Space Center would be enjoyed by my family. Sounds very interesting. And I LOVE your mug, but I am especially jealous of that whipped cream. Looks SO good!
Happy Tea Day,
Kate

Christine said...

Glad you had a fun trip to Fla. I visited the Kennedy Space Centre a long time ago.

one irrational bean said...

Looks like a fun trip. The mug is super cute. Stay warm.

Jeanie said...

I've never been that into space but I think the NASA museum could be really interesting. Nice photos. And you have a good bit of snow. How do the bees do with this?

pearshapedcrafting said...

Ooh! Kennedy Centre and wildlife sounds like a good day out. I love your mug - we've had hot chocolate this afternoon after waiting in the car for our friend, who we took to the health centre for an appointment. We were very naughty and added marshmallows. Sorry you came back to snow. Belated Happy T Day, Chrisx

Darla said...

Your trip sounds like a lot of fun. Something for everyone. I really like the mug, not one you see everywhere.