Which one of these things does not belong?

Druekes in Virginia!

The Miami Druekes were with us for the Independence Day weekend, and it was great having them. They've been here enough times (3 times) to be all done with the usual historic tourist stuff, so we hung around the house and drank wine and beer, played cribbage, grilled bratwurst, and had general merriment. Aunt Mary Kay and Uncle Carl were with us from Michigan, but they had not enjoyed all the Ye-Olde-Colonial fair, so they did that stuff during the day and joined us in the evenings. It was fantastic! Mary Kay took plenty of pictures, so I need to get a hold of those to add to the blog. We did all head to Duke of Gloucester street to enjoy the fireworks which is the one thing in Colonial Williamsburg I have never done. It was a really great display. Of course, for an hour before the fireworks, there was a team of preachers standing on step stools enjoying their rights to free speech and making those around them uncomfortable. I'm pretty sure the framers intended everyone to have the right to make others uncomfortable. Isn't that what "inalienable" means?Here you can see us enjoying the sermon before the fireworks show. Look at how moved my dad is by the power of preachers in Birkenstocks! This weekend also proved a rare occasion for my dad to bond with our not-so-brave dog, Jake. He has become much more social with strangers, yet he is still terrified of having his picture taken. Jake has the uncanny ability to recognize and fear all devices with picture-taking capabilities. Here is an example of Jake's reaction to cameras:
Look at his smile! Ramona loves cameras and people.
I almost forgot this picture. I simply will not explain it!

Lisa's Proof

My sister-in-law always says that I'm a Rocket Scientist or an Astronaut. Here's her proof. I wish they would have let me keep that swell jump suit, but I'm pretty sure I can get one from Cintas.

You down wit' NTSB? ...

I'm starting to learn a little more about my duties at NASA. I'm working on a joint project with the Environmental Protection Agency studying the health of the Chesapeake Bay. We're going to be outfitting a Cessna with some sensors to detect Chlorophyll using direct and reflected light, so my boss handed me the manual for the sensors and said, "try to familiarize yourself." I've been studying the manual, and I think I have a grasp on it. Tomorrow we'll be meeting the National Transportation Safety Board to review the necessary modifications to the Cessna. Happily, they don't just drill a few holes in a plane and let 'er fly without doing a little engineering. This little run-in with the NTSB makes my internship a whole lot more valuable. I'll have to defend the value of my internship in the fall, and work that actaully involves engineering is clearly a plus. I'm pretty sure the Statistics class I'm taking right now will pay big dividends before I'm even done with the class. It looks like I'll be analyzing data pretty soom; I'm suprisingly excited about it!

Free Time, Schmee Time

The next week is the only week this summer I'll have two classes and my internship all together. My orientation with NASA on Monday is an all-day affair, so I will be attempting to sandwich in time to study for the three tests I have this week. Of course there is also a bunch of regular classwork to finish. Summer semesters are great for getting things done rapidly, but I think I prefer a marathon to a sprint. Thankfully, there will only be another three weeks after this week with Statistics and the internship, and then I'll be left with nothing but NASA through August. Sonya and I can't wait for the Miami Druekes to arrive, for the visit was well-planned around the Independence Day break. Somehow I'd like to get them a little tour of Langley. There has been 97 years worth of Aerospace research and innovation coming out of there, and I really want a chance to show it of to the family. We will also be visited by a small segment of the Michigan Drueke Clan in the form of Aunt Mary Kay and Carl. I love being the summer-vacation destination.

Well, that was quick.

Here's the big news. I have been offered and accepted a summer internship with NASA. I'm participating in LARSS (Langley Aerospace Research Summer Scholars) and will be working on a joint project with the EPA. I'd love to say that I earned this based on merit alone, but I must give credit to my lovely wife. A professor Sonya works with at William & Mary is married to an engineer with the EPA, and he pulled some strings to make this thing happen. I have to hope that he would not have done so had I not shown significant promise. Needless to say, I am ecstatic! They're working around my school schedule since my summer classes overlap the first couple weeks of LARSS. Also noteworthy, this is my first paid engineering gig. It should cover tuition and books for the fall, and it also counts as a credit toward graduation. Yehaaaa!

...why I have been posting infrequently.

I finally have all my grades for this semester, and I'm pretty pleased. I earned four As and one B. My GPA is now sitting at 3.710, and I'm pretty happy with it. I feel I must say that the two Bs I've earned at VCU have come from the same dang professor. I'd blame him, but I'm not 20. It must be some learning style conflict. Still, I'm pretty happy. Now that I have a little free time, I'm sure I will get some work done at the house. I'll post at Sonya's blog with photos. I'm waiting on confirmation about my truly exciting news, so stayed tuned for my next update!!!