On the move again

It's been six months since our last move and here we are moving yet again. After some rough calculations, I've realized that I've moved about sixteen times in the past fifteen years with the most time spent in one location being just under three years. I suppose I can't really call this blog, Museum Trekker if I don't keep on trekking. I'm hoping this will be my last move for a while because now I'm very tired! It's not easy to constantly pack up and start over in a new place, find a new job, a new place to live and make new friends. Plus, for the first time ever, we finally own this dwelling. An actual house; not a one-bedroom rent-inflated shoebox. We bought a foreclosure which I was really excited about because I love getting my hands dirty and I love fixing things and it had quite a lot of fixing that needed to be done. The picture below is the room I decided to make my art studio. I was probably the first prospective buyer to ever get excited that the flooring had been ripped out. Our realtor looked at me like I was totally insane. I thought it would make the perfect studio because I wouldn't have to worry about making a mess on the floor. 

This closet also has a lot of shelves to hold all of my art supplies.

The previous owner added this tiny office in the living room. It blocked all of the light coming into the house and it also made the room quite small. 

We tore out the office and recycled all of the 2x4's to build a large desk/workbench in my studio as well as shelves in the garage to hold all of my tools and hardware.

We also saved all of the moldings to replace in the areas of the house where the previous owner had ripped them out.

This is a picture of my husband and mom removing the walls.

Taking this room out made a huge difference. 

This is what it looks like now. We now have a large open dining area with lots of sunlight. 

My husband and I made this chandelier for the new dining area. 

My grandfather was a lamp maker and I think he would be very proud.

The color on the walls of my studio was very dark so I picked out some orange paint and my niece and nephew volunteered to help paint. Orange is my favorite color and it also promotes creativity!

We had to buy some extra cans of paint when we realized that the kids were only tall enough to paint the bottom half of the wall!

This is the room with the finished paint job. I added some cheap rubber tile flooring which makes it much more comfortable to work on than the bare concrete floor.

Here's where those 2x4 beams got put to good use from the office we tore down. We even saved and re-used all of the screws. The bench had to be built in two pieces so that it could fit down the hallway and be maneuvered into the room.

Instead of using plywood, I bought masonite for the tabletop so I could have a smooth work surface.

We painted the table white using the left-over paint that we used to touch up the molding in the room.

I was a bit nervous that it wouldn't fit right but the measurements were perfect and it even fit right under the windowsill. Whew! We cut holes behind the computers and printer so that the cords could run neatly underneath the bench to the power supply.

This Anco drafting table in the picture below was a fantastic flea market find. I bought it for a 1/4 of its actual value and it even came with the original drafting machine and lamp. 

Here's a picture of the finished space. I added shelves under the printer to hold all of my paper and envelopes for shipping my prints. I'm surrounded by some of my own art, the art I've collected from my travels and the art of my friends and family which keeps me inspired.

I have to give all the credit to my husband for this one. 

He paved the entire patio with recycled bricks.

I only work with oil paint outside because of the chemicals so now I also have an

 outdoor workspace which I love to use on cool days.

 

Now that I've got my new art studio, shelving for my tools, a workbench in the garage and a beautiful outdoor painting area, I can get back to making art. This truly is an artist's dream come true!

Kennedy Space Center

                                

Kennedy Space Center is a major central Florida tourist destination and is approximately one hour's drive from the Orlando area. Located on Merritt Island, the space center is north-northwest of Cape Canaveral on the Atlantic Ocean, on what's referred to as Florida's Space Coast.

The admission cost per person was $50, which in my personal opinion was not worth it. In addition to that, you have to pay a $10 parking fee to park your car on their dirt lot. 

The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex offers public tours of the center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. What they don't tell you is that this is not included with your $50 admission fee. You have to pay extra to take the tour. 

What you do get to see for $50 are these rockets in this photo on the left. Then there are several separate buildings that house various space-related exhibits. Much of it is sitting in dark rooms and watching movies. For example, in one building we sat in a dark room and watched a video about being able to live on Mars one day. There were a few interactive components in that building as well but most of the exhibit was centered around the film which repeated over and over until the point where we couldn't stand it anymore and had to leave without seeing the entire exhibit.

To get from one building to the other you need to walk outdoors. On our way to the next building, a bird pooped on my head. I will admit that having bird poop in my hair, plus the overpriced admission fee, and then the torrential downpour which left us unable to get from one building to another without getting completely soaked, possibly added to my negative review of the space center. 

At the next exhibit, we had to wait on a long line. Then we were corralled into a room where we had to watch another movie before we could enter the exhibit area. There was a lot of build-up to this grand entrance that I felt was a letdown. After the movie ended two large doors opened up to a room housing the Space Shuttle Atlantis. Yes, this part was very cool but I just felt that the whole movie watching and build up to it was a bit over-dramatic. This exhibit area was full of interesting interactive components. You could go inside a mock-cockpit of the space shuttle. There was another video of what it's like for the astronauts to eat, sleep, and use the bathroom in zero gravity. 

Much of this section was geared toward children, such as this giant slide in the photo below. There wasn't much information about what the slide was supposed to represent but then I finally figured out (when viewed far away from the side) that it was supposed to represent the angle at which the space shuttle descends when it lands back on Earth. I'm pretty sure this information was lost on the children but the slide was pretty fun anyway. Wheeeeee!

There was also a clear maze-like tube hanging from the ceiling that the children could crawl through, somewhat like a giant gerbil tube. It was too small for adults to fit and I'm not sure what the message was about there either. Depending on the child, this could either be terrifying or really cool. 

We also wanted to go in the simulator which replicates what it feels like during the shuttle take-off. This was a bit of a process. You had to rent a locker to store all of your personal items. I'm not really sure why. Then there was a long wait in line. To break up the monotony they placed video screens along the way showing - you guessed it! - more videos. Then before entering the simulator we had to watch yet another movie which made it seem like the simulator was going to be a big deal and pretty scary so I started to change my mind about going in. However, I had gone in the simulator at the Houston Space Center so I figured it would be the same thing. It was probably the best part of the whole exhibit but again the whole dramatic build-up towards it was anti-climatic. The wait in line and the movie were longer than the actual simulation which I think was about three minutes. 

Maybe I'm a bit of a Space Center snob because I had already been to the Houston Space Center which I think is a lot better than Kennedy Space Center but what I was disappointed about the most was the tribute to the Astronauts of the Space Shuttle Challenger.

                                 

I was in 2nd grade when the Challenger exploded off the coast of Cape Canaveral on January 28, 1986, yet I remember it so clearly. My teacher had arranged for a television to be set up in our classroom so that we could watch this momentous event. Christa McCauliffe was the lucky teacher who was going to get to go into outer space. In 1984 President Reagan announced the Teacher in Space Project. NASA wanted to find the first civilian, an educator, to fly into space. They wanted to find an "ordinary person," a teacher who could communicate with students while in orbit. McAuliffe was chosen out of more than 11,000 applicants including my 2nd-grade teacher. After all those months of training and the constant chatter on the news, they barely made it off the ground. In 73 seconds seven people were dead. Our whole class watched it live on the television and it's something that even at that age I could never forget. When I think about that day this image below is the exact picture that still remains in my mind. I don't think I really understood the magnitude of what had happened until my teacher collapsed in her chair and cried.

                                                    

NASA hoped that sending a teacher into space would increase public interest in the Space Shuttle program, and also demonstrate the reliability of space flight at at time when the agency was under continuous pressure to find financial support but it wound up being a big fat tragic fail. That's why I wanted to make sure there was a big tribute to the seven people who lost their lives or at least a mention of it but I had to search the entire exhibit hall. Finally, there it was, hidden away and covered up like a scar they wanted to hide, tucked into a dark corner where no one would notice unless they were trying very hard to find it. 

Sharon Christa McAuliffe; payload specialist Gregory Jarvis; and astronauts Judith A. Resnik, mission specialist; Francis R. (Dick) Scobee, mission commander; Ronald E. McNair, mission specialist; Mike J. Smith, pilot; and Ellison S. Onizuka, mission specialist.

I'm not positive but I think you can purchase some sort of all-in-one pass to Universal Studios, Disney World, the Space Center and other Orlando attractions. In this case, I would say it's worth a visit as long as you bring some sunscreen and an umbrella to protect you from sudden downpours and random bird droppings!

Arizona

Little K&D searching for waves in Arizona

I started writing this post about a month ago and I'm just finally finishing it now due to a complete system failure!! This will be a quick one just to let you know that, YES, I am still here!

In February I mentioned that my laptop had to be sent in for repair twice so I was missing in action for a little while. Well, "third time's a charm" as they say (knock on wood!). I had to send my Macbook pro back to Apple once again.

If your screen looks like this it is very bad

The logic board that was replaced four weeks earlier had to be replaced again, as well as the hard drive, the optical drive, the optical drive cables, and a bunch of other cables. My misfortune at least timed itself conveniently enough that I had two weeks left on my AppleCare warranty so my completely rebuilt computer cost me nothing to repair.

A little bit prettier but still very bad

I've had a similar effect on some of my other electronics lately. My cell phone had to be replaced and I'm also on my third Epson Workforce printer in three months. I bought it new the day after Thanksgiving and have had to send it back for replacement twice already. So far, printer #3 is cooperating.

In the midst of shipping my electronics back and forth across the country, I also took a trip across the country and crossed State #28 off my list!  I have only 22 more States to go before I reach my goal of visiting all 50 of the United States!

Here are some shots of my trip to Phoenix, Arizona last month

Where's the ocean???

My adorable little Fiat rental car. Beep! Beep!

Mountains!!!

Hopefully, my technology troubles are behind me and I'll be able to post again on a more regular basis.

Please check back again soon for more Museum Trekker updates!

March News

I have two paintings in a group show this month in Sewall's Point, Florida!

Details: Art Associates of Martin County Annual Member's Art Show

The exhibit will be up for the entire month of March

The opening reception is Friday, March 7th from 5-9pm. There will be music, food, and wine

Awards Presentation is 6:30 pm

Location: Palm Room

Harbor Bay Plaza

3766 SE Ocean Blvd.

Sewall's Point, FL 34996

Big Riggin' With Large Marge

We moved from the farthest corner of the country to the other right before two major holidays. We traveled a total of 6,157 miles from Hawaii to San Diego to New York and finally Florida. We had to unpack, buy a car, and find work all over again. Then my laptop needed to be sent in for repair. Then it was returned with more damage than it started with so I had to send it for repair a second time. So here we are three months later. My laptop and I are finally sorted out and I'm finally able to write this post...

After wandering around the planet and then living on Maui for two years we decided it was time to move on again. So we packed up our things once again and just like we did when we left New York, we sold whatever couldn't fit in a suitcase. Considering we entered Hawaii with just two backpacks between us, it is amazing how much we managed to accumulate in such a short space of time–bikes, surfboards, bodyboards, snorkel gear, stand-up paddleboard, art supplies, easel, clothes, car–everything was sold and somehow we even managed to make a profit. We were especially lucky in selling our car because rather than having to rent a vehicle until we left Maui, the nice man who we sold it to allow us to keep it until the day we left. He even drove us to the airport! 

Our little "Jellybean" car loaded up with boards

We left Maui in early November and flew 2,535 miles to San Diego. We spent yet another night sleeping in the airport. I use the word "sleeping" very loosely because there wasn't very much sleep happening due to the overnight construction and blasting music in the brightly lit and overly air-conditioned airport. That is the not-so-glamorous side of traveling.

The next day at 5 a.m. we boarded our second flight and arrived in New York after a total of 18 hours and an additional 2,432 miles. Darren went to our storage locker in the Bronx to go through our belongings to see what remained after Hurricane Sandy. However, after living without any of it for two years we've learned we don't really need it and most of it can be replaced. We had planned to be away for a few months rather than two years so it was like digging up a time capsule with 44 cent stamps and boxes of winter clothes and boots that looked alien to us after living in Hawaii. 

Large Marge taking up an entire parking lot

Then we loaded up a massive yellow Penske truck which we affectionately named Large Marge. The rental company didn't have the smaller truck we had reserved so they gave us this 26' monster instead.

Goodbye snow! Hello Sunshine!

We said goodbye to New York and headed to a more tropical climate. Destination: Florida. Only 1,190 miles to go!

Little Kimmie and Little Darren like to ride in the cockpit. Here they are leaving NYC.

Of all the road trips we've taken all across this world, I have to say without a doubt that the drive on

I-95 from New York to Florida is the least scenic and most boring trip of them all. I have a lot of admiration for all of the truckers that make this trip week after week.

Since Large Marge was such a big lady, the trip took us two days. She struggled to make it up to 70 mph and Darren had to do all the driving since I could barely reach the pedals.

We took our time and stopped fairly often to smell the roses and take in the sights of the East Coast.

The last time I was at South of the Border I was 15 years old. I don't remember it being so creepy.

Maybe it was the dreary weather

...Or the carnival music playing to an abandoned carnival

...or these guys.

These two just can't resist a photo-op

This is a picture of our hotel room somewhere near the Georgia/Florida border.

"Creepy" was the ongoing theme of our trip!

Exhaustion won out over creepiness. However, this place was pure luxury compared to some of the places we stayed in Nepal and India.

The next morning we woke up to more creepiness. I'm not sure if these were vultures or crows feasting on garbage in the hotel parking lot. I just call them "creepy birds". 

We couldn't get out of there fast enough! Sunshine State here we come!

*We've been in Florida for three months now and so far so good. I'm looking forward to the next adventure!