A Brief Reunion with Space Shuttle Endeavour

You can bet Mr. Hunter made sure to be there when Space Shuttle Endeavour flew overhead on its farewell flyover tour of California.  

Mr. Hunter and some of the many people who waited at Moffett.
That's the skeleton of Hangar One in the background.

Our first glimpses as Endeavour arrived.

Endeavour and its 747 (SCA905NA) flew about 800 feet above us at Moffett Field. 

As we recounted in this June 2011 post, Mr. Hunter and his keeper had the thrill of seeing Space Shuttle Endeavour launch on June 5, 2002.

Space Shuttle Endeavour launches on STS-111.

Two delighted shuttle launch spectators.
That's smoke from the STS-111 launch in the background.

A few years later, Mr. Hunter got to tour
one of NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.
Here's a Wikipedia article about these special 747s.

A bittersweet sight.  

Endeavour flies away to finish its farewell tour. 

Moffett Field

Mountain View, California

September 2012

Charmed by a Moulin Roty Chicken

One of Mr. Hunter's go-to shops in Great Barrington is the gift and toy shop called Matrushka.  On a recent visit, we spied a wooden basket of adorable Moulin Roty baby toys.  Mr. Hunter felt particularly charmed by the little plush Moulin Roty chicken, whose name is Felicie.  We did not adopt her, but we at least had to take a photograph to capture her cuteness.

Matrushka Toys & Gifts

Great Barrington, Massachusetts

September 2012

Official site for Matrushka - http://www.berkshiretoys.com/

Official UK site for Moulin Roty - http://moulinroty.uk.com/

Mr. Hunter Recommends: Pittsfield Rye and Specialty Breads

A few years ago, Mr. Hunter's companions were shopping at a small farmer's market in the Berkshires when they happened upon a truly decadent loaf of bread made by a local bakery, Pittsfield Rye.  The bread was called Death by Chocolate, and every person we've shared this bread with has reacted with something akin to a swoon.

Death by Chocolate is not like a cake or a quick bread; it's a loaf of bread that's made with cocoa, with chunks of semisweet chocolate to be found in each slice.  

Mr. Hunter cozies up to the chocolate bread.

Mr. Hunter also recommends the Cinnamon Burst bread
and the Apple, Cinnamon, Raisin, and Pecan bread.

If you find yourself in the Berkshires on a Friday or Saturday morning, head on over to Pittsfield Rye to taste Death by Chocolate and their other scrumptious breads.  (We quite enjoyed their Farmer's Bread, as well.)

Pittsfield Rye and Specialty Breads

Pittsfield, Massachusetts

September 2012

Official Facebook presence for Pittsfield Rye - 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pittsfield-Rye-Specialty-Breads-Co/183257608354904

Airport Layovers: Howling with the Wolves in Minneapolis

Mr. Hunter had another layover at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport, and while he was waiting to board his next flight, he took up with a wooden wolfpack outside the Northern Lights Grill.

Seeing as we were in Minnesota, these must be timber wolves.

Mr. Hunter would be howling along with them if he could.

Northern Lights Grill

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport

Minnesota

September 2012

Hall of Fame: Bill Clinton

Here's one of the all-time best Mr. Hunter moments.  

Then-Governor Bill Clinton came to our school while he was running for President in 1992, and Mr. Hunter, my best friend, and I were close to the front of the crowd when Clinton arrived.

The one thing that would have made this photo perfect would be if I'd captured the moment when Bill Clinton was shaking my friend's hand.  She was off to my right and did get to shake his hand, but she wasn't wearing bright red nail polish, so we know that's somebody else.

When we got this photo developed over at a one-hour processing place,

we laughed so hard at how it had all come together.  And then we spent a bit of time studying all the faces and patterns in the background and finding all these goofy connections.

Sublime!

October 1992