Average time to probable death: five years

The title of this update was Brad's exact words on returning to the car after a solo trip to the supermarket shortly after we arrived in Florida. I'd like to give the situation the benefit of the doubt and suggest it was pension day, but I'm not sure. 

Why then did we go on to spend over a month in Florida, for the most part engaging in unremarkable activities such as reading books on hiking the Appalachian Trail (don't worry, I've got no plans to do that at this time) and all of Jane Austen's works for me and apocalypse/dimensional travel/espionage books for Brad (actually I'm not really sure what he's been reading, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't Jane Austen)?

1. It was warm;

2. The sun was out;

3. Winter had quickly descended further north; and last but certainly not least

4. The small matter of a Delta IV rocket launch scheduled for 19 January 2012 (in case you've missed it, like all good boffins, Brad likes space and stuff). 

In pictures, here are some of the slighly remarkable things we got up to in Florida.

Brad at Astronaut School

 

Christmas in the Florida Keys
(how un White Christmassy of us)

Another successful Susanna-&-Gil turkey roast
(only minor surgery from Brad was required to fit it in the oven) 

The Everglades

Just an alligator or two
(I think this bird is a touch overly ambitious)

Kayaking the crystal clear Rainbow River

Susanna meeting the second love of her life

For more of these photos click here and for video here

Brad convinced me I should give theme parks another try 
(on virtually the tamest ride at Universal Studios)

... and Brad on the wildest
(you probably can't tell from this photo, but he's in the front row seat closest to the camera)

Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), Cape Canaveral 

Inside the VAB
(the photos don't do the size justice as everything is on size a huge scale ... that's a semi)  

Endeavour

Brad and a Saturn V
(Why are there so many spaceship photos?)

Lift-off
(finally we can leave Florida, but not before one more visit to the beach)

St Joseph's Peninsula, Florida Panhandle