https://thelightoftheroad.com/2016/06/25/an-afternoon-on-the-porch/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/rl.jpgRL2016-06-25T19:44:30+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2016/06/19/kings-of-the-court/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/hoops3.jpgHoops32016-06-20T04:35:29+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2016/06/18/the-intersections-of-sixth-street/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/sixth-street-preaching.jpgSixth Street preaching2016-06-19T19:20:12+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2016/06/17/ugly-betty-reunion/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/michael-urie.jpgDSC083382016-06-18T04:52:36+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2016/06/17/into-the-night/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/eyes.jpgEyes2016-06-18T01:13:50+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2016/06/15/just-another-day/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/rebecca.jpgDSC082802016-06-16T04:01:47+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2016/06/14/somewhere-else/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/dsc08961.jpgDSC089612016-06-15T03:39:18+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2016/06/13/the-noise-of-the-night/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/dsc08897.jpgDSC088972016-06-14T18:48:23+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2016/06/12/muscles-and-chrome/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/dsc08811.jpgDSC088112016-06-12T18:46:13+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2016/06/07/passing-time/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/dsc07849.jpgDSC078492016-06-11T03:23:37+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2016/06/10/when-eyes-meet/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/dsc07468-2.jpgDSC07468-22016-06-11T03:20:23+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/contact/2016-05-24T22:43:44+00:00weekly0.6https://thelightoftheroad.com/2016/04/02/fighting-back-against-parkinsons/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/stephanie-combs-miller-pic.jpgStephanie Combs-Miller picStephanie Combs-Millerhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/boxing1.jpgBoxing1Coach Kristi Richards completed Rock Steady Boxing coaching certification training in September 2015 as one of the final steps toward her dream job: coach and founder of Rock Steady Boxing Austin, which held its first class on Nov. 4, 2015. Richards scans the gym during classes, watching for the first signs of those who need help. She’s quick to offer a steadying hand, help someone glove up between workout stations — Meridith Devine, left, in this instance — or plant herself beside boxers, reminding them of punching sequences: “Jab, hook, uppercut. Jab, hook, uppercut ...” Described as “electric and positive” by one of her boxers, Richards draws upon the Rock Steady Boxing curriculum and her background as a senior fitness group instructor to offer diverse workouts. “Just going to a regular gym, sure it’s great for them, but it’s a whole lot more fun to hit stuff,” she says of her boxers, all of whom have Parkinson’s disease.2016-04-02T16:01:16+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2016/02/27/cornered/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/street-corner18.jpgStreet corner182016-02-27T23:38:43+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2016/02/26/man-vs-city/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/david1.jpgDavid12016-02-26T22:23:51+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2016/02/20/wood-duck-by-land-and-water/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/wood-duck-on-land-wm.jpgWood Duck on land wm2016-02-20T05:58:32+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2016/02/16/astronaut-candidate-deadline-feb-18/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/orion-spacecraft-e1455655426418.jpgOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAPhoto credit: NASA/Radislav Sinyak Orion, NASA’s deep-space exploration vehicle, is being prepared at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for a 2018 test flight called Exploration Mission-1. Orion, with no humans aboard, will be thrust into space atop the Space Launch System rocket and then travel roughly 40,000 miles beyond the moon over the course of a three-week mission. https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/arnold-spacewalk3.jpgArnold spacewalk3Photo credit: NASA After a March 19, 2009, spacewalk outside the International Space Station, astronauts Ricky Arnold, left, and Steve Swanson shed their Extravehicular Mobility Unit spacesuits with help from Expedition 18 commander Michael Fincke, top center, and Tony Antonelli, STS-119 pilot for the 28th space shuttle mission to the space station.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/arnold-spacewalk2.jpgArnold spacewalk2Photo credit: NASA In March 2009, Astronaut Ricky Arnold spent nearly 13 days aboard the International Space Station, conducting two spacewalks to help install power-generating solar array wings and a truss segment for the football field-sized spacecraft. Arnold, selected as one of three Mission Specialist-Educators in NASA’s 2004 astronaut candidate class, mirrors the path NASA continues to follow as it seeks a new class of astronauts to explore deeper in space than any human has gone before. NASA is accepting astronaut candidate applications from qualified U.S. citizens at www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/423817000 through Thursday, Feb. 18.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/arnold-neemo3.jpgArnold NEEMO3Photo credit: NASA In 2007, two years before he flew to the International Space Station, astronaut Ricky Arnold spent 10 days on an undersea mission with NEEMO: the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations project located in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in which astronauts, engineers, and scientists live in Aquarius, the world’s only undersea research station. During undersea “moon walks,” Arnold and his NEEMO 13 crew members performed a series of tasks and experiments, including the investigation of future spacesuit design research related to the physiology and human behavior aspects of living in extreme environments. https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/arnold-neemo2.jpgArnold NEEMO2Photo credit: NASA In 2007, two years before he flew to the International Space Station, astronaut Ricky Arnold spent 10 days on an undersea mission with NEEMO: the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations project in which astronauts, engineers, and scientists live in Aquarius, the world’s only undersea research station. Aquarius, operated by Florida International University, is located in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Pictured from left to right are NEEMO 13 crewmembers: astronaut/aquanaut Satoshi Furukawa of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency; astronaut/aquanaut Arnold; Constellation program aerospace engineer/aquanaut Christopher Gerty; and astronaut/aquanaut Nicholas J. M. Patrick, the crew leader. 2016-02-17T04:24:34+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2016/02/13/whoooo-goes-there-2/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/great-horned-owl1-wm.jpgGreat Horned Owl1 wm2016-02-14T05:12:19+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2016/02/07/urban-beauties/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/peacock31.jpgPeacock3https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/peacock2.jpgPeacock2https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/peacock1.jpgPeacock12016-02-07T05:09:15+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2016/02/05/wednesdays-headlines-5/2016-02-06T04:37:02+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2016/01/23/northern-harrier/2016-01-23T17:19:46+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2016/01/21/boots-on-the-ground-reporting/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/dungan.jpgDunganCliff Dungan, a printer, photographer, and fix-it man for The Rockdale Reporter, carries a tub of just-labeled newspapers to the newspaper’s van. Next stop: the post office next door.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/rockdale-tx-usa-jan-20-2016-by-camille-wheeler-6.jpgRockdale, TX-USA-Jan-20-2016-by-Camille-Wheeler 6The Rockdale Reporter, established in 1893 and owned by the Cooke family since 1911, is one of Texas’ most successful community newspapers.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/rockdale-tx-usa-jan-20-2016-by-camille-wheeler-5.jpgRockdale, TX-USA-Jan-20-2016-by-Camille-Wheeler 5Eugene Lane, an 82-year-old Rockdale resident who has been reading The Rockdale Reporter for 40 years, grabs a newspaper hot off the press.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/rockdale-tx-usa-jan-20-2016-by-camille-wheeler-4-e1453399071663.jpgRockdale, TX-USA-Jan-20-2016-by-Camille-Wheeler 4The Rockdale Reporter is prepared for mailing with the help of this Dispensa-Matic “U-45” labeler.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/rockdale-tx-usa-jan-20-2016-by-camille-wheeler-3.jpgRockdale, TX-USA-Jan-20-2016-by-Camille-Wheeler 3Production Manager Shannon Whorton whips through stacks of soon-to-be-mailed newspapers with the aid of an electric label dispenser.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/rockdale-tx-usa-jan-20-2016-by-camille-wheeler-2.jpgRockdale, TX-USA-Jan-20-2016-by-Camille-Wheeler 2Route drivers deliver The Rockdale Reporter every Wednesday within a 30-mile radius of the Central Texas town.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/rockdale-tx-usa-jan-20-2016-by-camille-wheeler-1.jpgRockdale, TX-USA-Jan-20-2016-by-Camille-Wheeler 1The Rockdale Reporter — technically a Thursday publication for those subscribers who receive it by mail — is delivered for same-day readership every Wednesday in Central Texas.2016-01-21T18:28:39+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2016/01/21/wednesdays-headlines-3-small-is-beautiful/2016-01-21T17:36:12+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2016/01/18/kayaking-is-for-the-birds/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/snowy-egret1.jpgSnowy EgretThis high-stepping egret deftly navigated the same shallow-water muck I was trying to avoid.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/bufflehead1.jpgBuffleheadThe beautiful Bufflehead duck winters on Lady Bird Lake.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wood-ducks.jpgWood DucksFor me, Wood Ducks — male Wood Ducks, that is, as seen at left — are the Painted Buntings of the water. They’re stunningly gorgeous.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/turtle.jpgTurtleRed-eared Slider turtles ignore the bumping of my kayak into shoreline bramble.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/lesser-scaup.jpgLesser ScaupA pair of Lesser Scaups accompanied me for a short stretch on Lady Bird Lake.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/fishermen-e1453093599879.jpgFishermenI’ve always wondered what kind of fish live in Lady Bird Lake. These two fishermen happily told me of one species: bass.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/female-wood-duck.jpgFemale Wood DuckSuddenly, I had come much too close in my kayak for this female Wood Duck’s comfort.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/cormorant1.jpgCormorant1I thanked this cormorant for giving me several different views.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/cormorant.jpgCormorantAgainst the backdrop of downtown Austin, a Double-crested Cormorant tolerates my presence at Lou Neff Point on Lady Bird Lake.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/cormorant-swimming.jpgCormorant swimmingWeary of my close-up photography, this Lou Neff Point cormorant finally took to the water.2016-01-19T23:24:06+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2016/01/15/wednesdays-headlines-2/2016-01-15T05:35:28+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2016/01/07/wednesdays-headlines-1-3/2016-01-07T17:41:16+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/about-me/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/african-dung-beetle-cropped.jpgSAMSUNG DIGITAL MOVIEPhoto credit: Emily Baird, Lund University, Sweden https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/blog-screech-owl-about-me2.jpgBLOG screech owl about me2https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/blog-about-me-screech-owl1.jpgBLOG about me screech owl1https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/blog-about-me-screech-owl-e1437450338598.jpgBLOG about me screech owlhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/marathon.jpgMarathonPhoto credit: Woody Welch In my living room hang two framed photographs from far West Texas, both taken by professional photographer Woody Welch. This photo captures a fleeting moment of twilight in the tiny town of Marathon, the main gateway to Big Bend National Park. To see Welch's work, go to http://woodywelchphotography.com.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/camille-closed-canyon3.jpgCamille-Closed Canyon2015-12-17T22:01:44+00:00weekly0.6https://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/08/06/the-eyes-nonvisual-system/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/iss-757950.jpgInternational Space StationPhoto courtesy of NASA Identifier: 420686main_4 Researchers around the world are following the rocket science of lighting technology: the astronaut-friendly LED lighting being developed and tested for the International Space Station. “If it’s good enough for the space station,” says circadian neuroscientist Steven W. Lockley, “it’s good enough for your house.” 2015-12-17T15:12:38+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/12/16/danceability-street-parade-in-austin/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/teaching-class24.jpgTeaching class24https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/teaching-class23.jpgTeaching class23https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/teaching-class22.jpgTeaching class22https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/teaching-class19.jpgTeaching class19https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/teaching-class13.jpgTeaching class13https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/teaching-class28.jpgTeaching class28The DanceAbility Teacher Certification Course being held in The University of Texas’ Anna Hiss Gym offers teachers in training the opportunity to lead classes in the DanceAbility improvisational dance and movement method. The course will culminate with a DanceAbility Street Parade this Friday, Dec. 18, as graduates dance through downtown Austin.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/teaching-class25.jpgTeaching class25https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/teaching-class4.jpgTeaching class4Alito Alessi dances with Amy Elizabeth Litzinger https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/danceability-1.jpgDanceAbility 1Part two of an Austin-based DanceAbility Teacher Certification Course got under way on Sunday, Dec. 6, with an opening orientation and improvisational group dance at The University of Texas’ Anna Hiss Gym. Alito Alessi, the artistic director of DanceAbility International and co-founder of the DanceAbility method, joins the group (center right). Olivia O’Hare, project coordinator for Austin's Body Shift dance program, dances 2015-12-17T18:36:44+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/11/30/cotton-harvest/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/cotton-stripper-wm.jpgcotton stripper wm2015-11-30T16:40:22+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/11/08/sierra-del-carmen-clouds/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/way-to-marathon-wm.jpgway to marathon wmOctober 30, 2015: Clouds over the Sierra del Carmen Mountain range2015-11-08T18:08:47+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/11/08/a-flight-of-integrity/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ocotillo-hawk-wm.jpgocotillo hawk wmNovember 1, 2015: Red-tailed hawk in ocotillo, Big Bend National Parkhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ocotillo-flight-wm.jpgocotillo flight wmNovember 1, 2015: Red-tailed hawk in flight, Big Bend National Park2015-11-08T06:14:48+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/11/07/the-light-through-the-window/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/the-window-watermark.jpgThe Window watermarkOctober 31, 2015: The Window, Big Bend National Park2015-11-07T05:38:16+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/11/04/a-young-girls-path-to-the-milky-way/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/mcdonald-milky-way.jpgMcDonald Milky WayPhoto credit: Ethan Tweedie Photography With the Milky Way clearly visible in a dark night sky over McDonald Observatory, a program leader points to constellations from the Frank N. Bash Visitors Center's outdoor amphitheater.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/bendick.jpgBendickThe University of Texas Perry-Castañeda Library has a copy of Jeanne Bendick’s “The First Book of Space Travel.” The book was originally published in 1953 and reprinted in 1960 and 1963.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/planet-lights.jpgPlanet lightsImage courtesy of NASA Earth Observatory This new global view and animation of Earth’s city lights is a composite assembled from data acquired by the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite. The data was acquired over nine days in April 2012 and thirteen days in October 2012. It took satellite 312 orbits and 2.5 terabytes of data to get a clear shot of every parcel of Earth’s land surface and islands. This new data was then mapped over existing Blue Marble imagery to provide a realistic view of the planet.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/uma-1-e1446608510940.jpgUma-1Photo courtesy of Uma Krishnaswami In “Bright Sky, Starry City,” author Uma Krishnaswami builds a narrative bridge strong enough to support the delicate relationships between heaven and Earth.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/bright-sky-page2.jpgBRIGHT SKY page2Bright Sky, Starry City © 2015 by Uma Krishnaswami, illustrations © 2015 by Aimée Sicuro. Reproduced with permission of Groundwood Books Limited (www.groundwoodbooks.com)https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/bright-sky-page1.jpgBRIGHT SKY page1Bright Sky, Starry City © 2015 by Uma Krishnaswami, illustrations © 2015 by Aimée Sicuro. Reproduced with permission of Groundwood Books Limited (www.groundwoodbooks.com)2015-11-06T00:19:15+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/10/25/driving-with-clouds-3/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/south-austin-clouds-watermark.jpgSouth Austin clouds watermark2015-10-25T05:37:37+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/10/23/raindrops/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/raindrops-watermark.jpgRaindrops watermark2015-10-24T03:35:22+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/10/19/dancing-drumming-and-more-recess/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/arms-to-the-sky-watermark.jpgArms to the sky watermarkSome children, suddenly inspired and curious, couldn't help but wander into the dance space of Body Shift’s Sept. 27 ECHO performance. From back right, counterclockwise, Peggy Lamb and Ashley Card (with arms raised), Tanya Winters, Susie Angel (obscured, in wheelchair), and Juan Muñoz perform.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/trio-motion-watermark.jpgTrio motion watermarkOne crutch, two walking sticks, and three Body Shift dancers — from right, clockwise, Silva Laukkanen, Donna Woods, and Peggy Lamb — equals tremendous motion during the Sept. 27 ECHO performance.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/jubilation1-watermark.jpgJubilation1 watermarkThere's great depth to the dance of Body Shift, and there's great fun — an infectious playfulness that inspires confidence. From back left, clockwise, Ashley Card, Silva Laukkanen, Susie Angel, Peggy Lamb (holding crutch), Tanya Winters (sitting in front of Angel on wheelchair), Donna Woods (on ground), and Juan Muñoz celebrate their work in ECHO, a performance piece delivered as part of the Sept. 27 Community Art Sunday at the Center for Creative Action in East Austin.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/drummer-girl-watermark.jpgdrummer girl watermarkSix-year-old Jeriah Hill plays a bass drum with confidence as she follows the lead of African drum circle leader Tonya Lyles during the Sept. 27 Community Art Center at the Center for Creative Action in East Austin.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/drummer-boy-watermark.jpgdrummer boy watermarkDrum faster! With palms raised, and eyes trained on African drum circle leader Tonya Lyles, 5-year-old Alexander Strong controls the tempo of one particularly upbeat number during the Sept. 27 Community Art Sunday at the Center for Creative Action in East Austin. 2015-10-20T03:36:16+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/10/18/driving-with-clouds-texas-capitol/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/capitol1-watermark.jpgCapitol1 watermarkOctober 8, 2015: The Goddess of Liberty replica atop the Texas Capitol holds her gilded star high against a bank of soft clouds.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/capitol-watermark.jpgCapitol watermarkOctober 6, 2015: Twenty-nine years after she was lowered into place, this Goddess of Liberty replica still watches over Austin from her perch atop the Texas Capitol dome.2015-10-19T03:14:04+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/10/12/body-shift-dance-the-body-beautiful/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/tanya-and-laura-watermark1.jpgTanya and Laura watermarkTanya Winters, left, and Laura Burns incorporated the use of walking sticks, or crutches, and an oxygen tank into their Body Shift Choreography Lab duet on Aug. 22, 2015.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/juan-crossing-street-watermark1.jpgJuan crossing street watermarkWith an enthusiastic crowd cheering them on, Body Shift dancers Kelly Hasandras and Juan Munoz cross a downtown Austin intersection in dramatic fashion during the 2014 Crippin’ the Streets performance.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/shaniqua-solo-watermark-e1444611886768.jpgShaniqua solo watermarkBody Shift dancer Shaniqua Ezparza, foreground, and Tanya Winters perform during the April 2014 Crippin’ the Streets performance that ended in front of Austin's City Hall.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/silva-motion-watermark.jpgSilva motion watermarkBody Shift dancing generates tremendous motion, as Kate Cleary, Silva Laukkanen, Yoshimi Masuo, and Marnie Paul illustrate, from left to right, during the April 2014 Crippin’ the Streets performance in downtown Austin. Body Shift dancer Juan Munoz, in red shirt, is pictured at back.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/donna-street-watermark.jpgDonna street watermarkDonna Woods, left, and Alison Kafer head west through the intersection of Second and Lavaca streets during Body Shift's April 2014 Crippin' the Streets performance. Crowds gathered on each corner of Second and Lavaca to watch the Body Shift dancers move through the four intersections in exhilarating fashion.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/crippin-crowd-watermark.jpgcrippin crowd watermarkBody Shift creates community in a variety of performance venues, including the streets of downtown Austin, as seen above. This April 2014 performance, called Crippin’ the Streets, kept Body Shift dancers and onlookers in close proximity.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/group-shot-cm.jpggroup shot cmPhoto by Carol Moczygemba From left: Silva Laukkanen, Juan Munoz, Melissa Grogan, Shaniqua Ezparza (crouching, orange hat), Elvira Junuzovic, and Marnie Paul create a sculpture during Body Shift's October 2013 Bridging the Gap performance on the Lady Bird Lake pedestrian bridge in Central Austin.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/ninetet-entrance-watermark.jpgNinetet entrance watermarkBody Shift dancers Kathey Ferland, Peggy Lamb, Tanya Winters (left to right), and Julie Nathanielsz (back, in gold top) enter the light-splashed atrium of the Town Lake YMCA as a flock to open the Ninetet performance.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/ninetet-linked-watermark.jpgNinetet linked watermarkhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/ninetet-donna-watermark.jpgNinetet Donna watermarkBody Shift dancers Peggy Lamb, Susie Angel, Tanya Winters, Juan Munoz, and Donna Woods (left to right, front row) and Silva Laukkanen and Kathey Ferland (beside window) perform during Ninetet in the light-splashed atrium of the Town Lake YMCA.2015-10-24T03:01:45+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/10/11/driving-with-clouds-2/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/contrail-cloud-watermark.jpgContrail cloud watermark2015-10-11T17:52:17+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/10/04/driving-with-clouds/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/trippy-clouds-watermark.jpgTrippy clouds watermarkMay 14, 2015: Moody South Austin clouds segueing into night.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/driving-with-clouds-watermark.jpgDriving with clouds watermarkSeptember 24, 2015: Open road and dreamy, twilight sky on U.S. 290 between Fredericksburg and Austin in the Texas Hill Country.2015-10-08T16:14:24+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/09/26/twilight-moon/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/black-and-white-moon.jpgblack and white moonhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/twilight-moon.jpgtwilight moon2015-09-27T03:49:43+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/09/24/ambassadors-for-the-journey-to-mars/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/spaced-group.jpg#spacED groupPhoto by Robert Markowitz (NASA_JSC_Photo) The #spacED education media workshop lunch with astronaut Ricky Arnold on Sept. 15, 2015, at Johnson Space Center.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/orion-splashdown.jpgOrion splashdownImage courtesy of NASA’s Johnson Space Center NASA engineer Kelly Smith describes the Orion spacecraft, shown here after Exploration Flight Test 1 splashdown, as looking like an “iron gumdrop.”https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/movie-star-watermark.jpgmovie star watermarkFrom left, astronaut Michael Hopkins, actors Mackenzie Davis and Sebastian Stan, Johnson Space Center Director Ellen Ochoa, and International Space Station flight controller Pooja Jesrani get a red-carpet welcome before a special screening of “The Martian.”https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/ricky-arnold-watermark.jpgRicky Arnold watermark“My path here is not standard,” Astronaut Ricky Arnold says of a wonderfully diverse career that brought him to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/musgrove-watermark.jpgMusgrove watermarkBob Musgrove, director of Johnson Space Center’s Office of Education, implored the 12 members of the #spacED group to become “NASA ambassadors.”https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/sanchez-watermark.jpgSanchez watermarkArturo Sanchez III, Integration Manager to the International Space Station in Johnson Space Center’s External Relations Office, encouraged the #spacED group “to help connect the dots for people in the classroom,” for teachers who are encouraging students to think about science and math. https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/john-charles-watermark.jpgJohn Charles watermarkJohn Charles, chief of NASA’s Human Research Program International Science Office, is the main researcher working with astronaut Scott Kelly as part of the International Space Station’s One-Year Mission.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/kelly-smith-watermark.jpgKelly Smith watermarkNASA engineer Kelly Smith tells the #spacED group about the success of Orion’s first test flight and what the future holds for this remarkable spacecraft that he says resembles an “iron gumdrop.”https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/downlink-family-watermark.jpgDownlink family watermarkTuesday, Sept. 15 was a special day for NASA astronaut Scott Kelly (left in second screen from left), who marked the halfway point of his historic one-year stay on the International Space Station. Adding to the festivities in Johnson Space Center’s International Space Station Flight Control Room was the presence (from left, far-left screen) of JSC Director Ellen Ochoa, “The Martian” movie actors Sebastian Stan and MacKenzie Davis, and family members on hand to say hello to Kelly and fellow astronaut Kjell Lindgren. Stan and Davis asked the astronauts questions in a live downlink conversation.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/nbl-watermark.jpgNBL watermarkThe Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory at Johnson Space Center includes submerged mockups of the International Space Station for astronaut training.2015-09-25T14:37:48+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/09/23/protecting-the-hill-countrys-resources/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/christy-muse-e1443022508427.jpgChristy MusePhoto courtesy of Hill Country Alliance The Hill Country Alliance’s outreach covers a lot of ground in a region encompassing 17 counties, 11.4 million acres, and more than 3 million people. It’s an outreach that honors the special beauty of the Hill Country — a magical, mystical place, says HCA Executive Director Christy Muse. But the preservation of this special beauty for future generations requires the kind of long-range planning that pays extra heed to land conservation in connection to water availability. Muse explains: “In all of our water discussions, there’s very little attention being paid to the land, and everything that happens on the land has everything to do with the water.”2015-09-25T01:37:27+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/09/23/a-native-plant-paradigm-shift/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/scarecrow-watermark.jpgScarecrow watermarkThe Native American Seed farm serves as a research laboratory, with seeds harvested from off-site locations growing in fields protected by scarecrows wearing straw hats and colorful, long-sleeve shirts. https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/cover_oct15_small.jpgCover_Oct15_smallhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/american-basketflower.jpgAmerican BasketflowerPhoto credit: Native American Seedhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/painted-buntings.jpgPainted buntingsPhoto credit: Native American Seedhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/bill-neiman-watermark.jpgBill Neiman watermarkBill Neiman on native prairie restoration: “People can rebuild this,” he says. “All is not lost.”2015-09-24T01:10:46+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/08/21/the-trip-to-mars-starts-right-here/2015-08-21T17:59:52+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/08/20/august-20-2015/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/08-20-land-l1032567.jpg08-20 land L1032567.2015-08-20T20:30:45+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/08/19/august-18-2015/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/08-18-joel-l1032526.jpg08-18 Joel L10325262015-08-19T01:25:14+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/08/17/july-29-2015/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/07-29-sky-l1032031-copy.jpg07-29 Sky L1032031 copy2015-08-19T16:37:34+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/08/16/twin-studies-on-twin-astronauts/2015-08-16T22:28:46+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/08/16/lettuce-get-ready-for-mars/2015-08-16T18:29:41+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/08/06/the-rocket-science-of-better-light/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/blog-astronaut-outside-e1437497526831.jpgBLOG astronaut outsideNASA Identifier: 259129main_ISS015E18958_full As researchers have written, the development of specialized lighting for long-duration space exploration is helping to open the door for new lighting strategies that can be evolved for use on Earth. The workings of the LED lighting system being developed for the International Space Station hold tremendous implications for myriad lighting applications on Earth. https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/blog-astronaut-holding-led-e1437497337363.jpgBLOG astronaut holding LEDPhoto courtesy of NASA Electric light is coming to the astronauts’ aid in the form of a programmable LED wavelength system. U.S. Astronaut Mike Fincke holds an early prototype of an LED lighting unit that was installed on the space station during Expedition 18 about six years ago.2015-08-07T00:07:51+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/08/06/space-station-twilight-zone/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/blog-twilight-zone-e1438833749265.jpgBLOG twilight zoneNASA Identifier: iss002e5413 Night and day don’t exist on the International Space Station, where astronauts live in the equivalent of a twilight zone: Repeated exposure — or lack of exposure — to the wrong wavelengths of light at the wrong time disrupts their biological clocks and circadian rhythms. Still, the views are beautiful: This sunset view with the space station’s solar array in the frame was taken by the Expedition Two crew in 2010.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/blog-iss-colorful-lights-e1438033931831.jpgBLOG ISS colorful lightsImage courtesy of NASA This educational LED lighting model was prepared to illustrate the full-color spectrum of light that the new, programmable system will provide astronauts — a system that will allow for greater lighting control with the manipulation, or fine-tuning, of color wavelengths. 2015-08-06T23:33:57+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/08/06/a-sci-fi-esque-light-sensing-system/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/nasa-850433.jpgSunrise taken by the Expedition Two crewNASA Identifier: iss002-702-085 On Earth, we experience one sunrise and sunset in a 24-hour day. But in a flood of the full spectrum of light, International Space Station crews see about 16 sunrises and sunsets in that same time frame. This sunrise view was taken by the Expedition Two crew in 2010. 2015-08-06T23:33:31+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/08/06/one-big-ticking-clock/2015-08-06T23:32:38+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/08/06/chasing-van-goghs-light/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/the-starry-night1.jpg472.1941Digital image © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA / Art Resource, NY 1. d00127853 ART161946 Gogh, Vincent van (1853-1890). The Starry Night. Saint Rémy, June 1889. Oil on canvas, 29 x 36 1/4" (73.7 x 92.1 cm). Acquired through the Lillie P. Bliss Bequest.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/starry-night-over-the-rhone1.jpgStarry Night Over the Rhone© RMN-Grand Palais / Art Resource, NY 1. S0163724 ART147119 Gogh, Vincent van (1853-1890). Starry night over the Rhone River, 1888. Arles. Oil on canvas, 72.5 x 92 cm. RF1975-19. Photo: Hervé Lewandowski. Musée d'Orsay, Paris Shortly after completing Terrace of a Café at Night, which portrayed a corner of a night sky, Van Gogh realized his obsession of painting a color-driven, starry night. “Next came this view of the Rhône in which he marvellously transcribed the colours he perceived in the dark,” Musée d'Orsay curators write in their online description of Starry Night over the Rhône: “Blues prevail: Prussian blue, ultramarine and cobalt. The city gas lights glimmer an intense orange and are reflected in the water. The stars sparkle like gemstones.”https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/the-cottage.jpgThe CottageThe Cottage © The Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation) Nuenen, May 1885. Oil on canvas, 65.7 cm x 79.3 cm. A recurrent theme throughout Van Gogh’s work is that of cottages as “human nests.” Hence, the Van Gogh Museum’s online description of this painting: “The cottage looks like a nest, built using whatever came to hand. … Light glows through the glass, creating a sense of warmth and safety.” https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/terrace-of-a-cafc3a9-at-night.jpgTerrace of a Café at NightTerrace of a Café at Night (Place du Forum) © Stichting Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, The Netherlands Arles, France, circa September 16, 1888. Oil on canvas, 80.7 x 65.3 cm. “On the terrace, there are little figures of people drinking. A huge yellow lantern lights the terrace, the façade, the pavement, and even projects light over the cobblestones of the street, which takes on a violet-pink tinge. The gables of the houses on a street that leads away under the blue sky studded with stars are dark blue or violet, with a green tree. Now there’s a painting of night without black. With nothing but beautiful blue, violet and green, and in these surroundings the lighted square is coloured pale sulphur, lemon green.” From Van Gogh’s September 1888 letter to his sister Willemien 2015-08-06T23:30:41+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/08/06/brand-new-look-at-an-ancient-system/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/iss-740225.jpgLopez-Alegria at work on the ISS Node 1/Unity module; Wisoff working on Node 1NASA Identifier: sts092-367-035 In the 21st century, for the first time, scientists are studying the workings of the eye’s ancient photoreceptor system, which evolved before vision. The origins of the nonvisual system possibly date back at least 500 million years. New research about the eye’s light-sensing system is driving high-precision light technology being designed for the International Space Station. 2015-08-06T23:12:25+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/07/14/the-texture-of-light-2/2015-08-03T02:07:00+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.com/2015/07/14/confronting-ancient-light/https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/roden-crater.jpgRoden CraterWatch an exquisitely made short film about James Turrell’s magnum opus, the Roden Crater, at http://vimeo.com/67926427. As commissioned by The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the film was produced in conjunction with the “James Turrell: A Retrospective” exhibition, held from spring 2013 through spring 2014 at the museum. The exhibition, held concurrently with similar ones at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, formed a comprehensive retrospective of Turrell’s art career. To learn more about Turrell’s revolutionary work with light, go to http://jamesturrell.com and http://jamesturrell.com/about/reviews. For further reading about Turrell, check out these links provided by The Los Angeles County Museum of Art at www.lacma.org/james-turrell-in-the-press.https://thelightoftheroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/james-turrell1-e1413580458202.jpgJames TurrellJames Turrell casts a long shadow in the art world, and no project is bigger than that of his Roden Crater: an ancient, non-active volcanic crater in the Arizona desert which he is converting to a naked-eye observatory. Michael Govan writes in the book James Turrell: A Retrospective, “In some parts Roden Crater is an architectonic camera obscure, rendering the image of celestial bodies like the sun or moon within spaces we inhabit—bringing outside light inside.”2015-08-03T02:04:54+00:00monthlyhttps://thelightoftheroad.comdaily1.02016-06-25T19:44:30+00:00