GRB 2007 Conference

The GRB 2007 Conference was held at the Santa Fe Hilton (Marker A on this interactive Google map) in New Mexico from November 5^th through November 9^th. This page chronicles some of my after-hours activities.

Note -- click on the thumbnails below to see larger images.
Note -- markers below can be found on this interactive Google map.

Monday, November 5^th, 2007

I flew on United Airlines from BWI to Albuquerque with a change of planes in Denver. The leg from Denver to Albuquerque provided an opportunity to enjoy the wild landscape of Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico looking east from the airplane. Much of the flight path followed the Rio Grande River. Cripple Creek (above left photo; Marker G on Google map) was the site of a huge gold rush starting in 1891 that produced 700 tons of gold. The original mines are long since exhausted, but the open pit mine near the center of the photo has been operating since 1994. The Great Sand Dunes National Park (above, middle left photo; Marker B) includes the tallest (750') sand dunes in North America. They were formed from the sand left behind after Lake Alamosa either dried up or breached the southern end of the San Luis Valley and drained down the Rio Grande River. Prevailing winds push the sand to this corner of the valley. Ute Mountain (above, middle right photo; Marker C) (topo map) is an extinct volcano just south of the Colorado-New Mexico border that recently became protected public land. With an altitude of 10,093 feet, it towers over the surrounding area including the gorge cut in its western flank by the Rio Grande River. The final picture shows part of the enormous Black Mesa (above, right photo; Marker D) just north of Española, NM. The mesa extends off the picture for a total length of ~25 km. The top of the mesa has an altitude of ~6900' with a drop at the edge of ~1000' (topo map). The Rio Grande River is just beyond (east of) the mesa, and US Highway 285 follows the west side.

Food

Lunches at the hotel were included in the registration fee, but evenings provided opportunities to sample the interesting bars/restaurants in Santa Fe. After the welcoming reception on Monday, AF (an ex-local) lead about a dozen of us a few blocks south to (Marker E) the Cowgirl Hall of Fame BBQ and Western Grill. The friendly waitresses dressed as cowgirls, and the walls were covered with cowgirl photos. We did not sample the food, but there was a large selection of good, inexpensive beers. Tuesday I enjoyed Gabriel's, a good Mexican restaurant about 10 miles north of town (Marker F). On the way back, we make like astronomers, and drove a bit off the main highway to get a glimpse of Comet Holmes. The sky was very dark, but the comet was just a small fuzz ball. The conference banquet was Wednesday at the local Scottish Rite Masonic Center (left photo; Marker G), which is only a short walk from the hotel. Strangely, the currently very pink building seems to have been brown (Flickr photo) a couple of years ago. The center includes an ornate theater (center photo), and we were invited backstage to examine the fancy costumes (right photos). They must have very elaborate ceremonies in the theater. Finally on Thursday, a large group of us tried to have dinner at the Shed, but the wait was way too long. Instead we returned to Cowgirl, which managed to squeeze us in.

Halloween 2007

Halloween remains a popular event in our neighborhood. Thomas the Tank Engine, a holdover from Twin Day at Atholton High School, was the popular costume.

People of the GSFC Village

With their customary élan, the people of the ASD enthusiastically support the Director's new initiative to make GSFC a village.

Atholton Homecoming 2007

Atholton High School lost its homecoming football game to Marriotts Ridge 12 to 7 even though our star running back K. Odocha ran for 204 yards on 27 carries and was featured in a nice article in the Washington Post two days later. My daughter was more interested in the parties associated with her first homecoming. They started with a pizza dinner at a friend's house, which began with a photo opportunity in which the party goers played the parts of celebrities and the parents played the paparazzi. The homecoming dance followed, and then there was a post-dance party in our basement for a few dozen teenagers. Since the girls had an early soccer game in Virginia the next day, the party was over around 1 am.

Daytime Iridium Flare

Eleven denizens of GSFC's Building 2 gathered after work on September 27, 2007, to watch a flare from an Iridium satellite. The flares are caused by reflected sunlight, are predictable (using, for example, the web site Heavens Above), and for a few seconds are the brightest thing in the night sky except the Moon. Conditions were nearly ideal for a daytime flare -- a clear sky, a bright flare (-8 magnitude), and an elevation of 64°. Unfortunately, we discovered the flares are not as nearly impressive in daylight, even when the Sun is only 1° above the horizon. Only about half of the observers saw anything, and it was not very exciting for those of us who did.

Engagement Party

I spent the weekend of September 8th, 2007, in Asheville to meet my brother's fiancee. He popped the question at a delightful dinner party at his home (above photo). Unfortunately his fiancee was not familiar with certain customs involving cakes and weddings, but she should get another chance. It was also an opportunity to look through his collection of family momentos including a black-and-white picture of me from 1954. There was also an extensive Marshall family tree going back to the 1700s that I had never seen. It included an uncle, who is still alive, that neither my brother or I had ever heard of. Ironically, he had been excluded from our part of the family because he married a foreigner.

Tulip Tree in Dorsey Search

This tulip tree (more details about liriodendron tulipifera) in the Village of Dorsey Search must be one of the largest trees in Columbia, Maryland. Its circumference is 20 feet, and its height is about 175 feet. It is located just off the bicycle path about 150 feet NW of the intersection of Columbia Rd. and Ram's Horn Row. The insert in the lower right corner shows a typical leaf. Does anyone know of a bigger tree in Columbia?