I was fortunate enough to get to watch the Ares I-X launch from the top of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), which stands 525 feet in the air. Even if the launch had been delayed again (which it wasn’t, thankfully), it would have been well worth the trip just to see Kennedy Space Center from that vantage point. The launch itself was spectacular… about as loud as a shuttle launch and powerful enough to shake the VAB. The data from that test flight will be of use to all future spacecraft launches, not just those related to Ares/Orion/Constellation, so I was very happy to see it go so well.

I just got to the Press Site at Kennedy Space Center, so I don’t have my cameras unpacked, but I got a pretty picture for you of the Ares I-X rocket on the launchpad. This was taken from my cell phone in air-conditioned comfort off one of the televisions in the press room. See the countdown clock? Pretty exciting! I’ll be explaining how to make your own solid fuel rocket over on About.com’s Chemistry site later, so get ready to play rocket scientist.

Welcome to South Carolina in October! This is Indigo Creek behind my house this morning. Beautiful rainy day.

I haven’t posted any pictures of Cricket since the day I got him, so here’s one for you. He’s soft and fluffy and insane, which is a pretty good combination for cat (less-good for my laptop and curtains).

I just got back from a trip to New York, which is where I work. This is sort of funny, since I have written for About.com since 2001, but it was the first time I’ve actually been to the city since starting with them. About.com is a New York Times Company, so I’ve included a pretty picture out one of the windows of the New York Times Building.

I drove up from Myrtle Beach, which took around 12 hours. It was a beautiful drive, but I was a little concerned about driving in Manhattan. I had always heard driving in New York was a nightmare. I expected to get cut off, honked at, hit, lost… you name it. I was also leery of leaving my car with the valet at the hotel. If you live in the Myrtle Beach area, it’s likely you’ve encountered me on Highway 17 or at the beach at the south end of Pawleys Island. I drive my car a lot and I’m a teensy bit protective of it (parked waaay out from other cars and don’t even let family members borrow it).

If you drive in Myrtle Beach, you know it can be an adventure. There are a lot of confused tourists and intoxicated drivers to contend with, plus traffic can be heavy. Manhattan had a lot of pedestrians, but they actually moved out of the way of the car (totally novel experience there). The cab drivers were extremely considerate. No one honked at me or flipped me the bird. The police officers kept traffic moving. It was actually really nice and the valet took great care of my car. Except that tolls and parking cost a mint, it’s a great place to drive. So… if you’ve considered driving in New York, but the hype had scared you off, don’t be afraid. It’s really not that bad.

This is an ibis walking on the beach.

Here’s the view under the pier in Cocoa Beach, Florida (August 2009).

This is a sand castle on the beach at Pawleys Island, SC.