I'm with space journalist friends in Florida today, preparing for the final launch of the Space Shuttle, scheduled for this Friday. We ate at Dixie Crossroads in Titusville last night, a local spot famous for rock shrimp. It is legit Southern: cheese grits are a side dish choice, and hush puppies arrive at your table hot, covered in powdered sugar.
The food was excellent, but the massive space/nature-themed murals covering the building were the best part of the evening. The artist is Al Rao, and he has a Flickr stream here with better photographs of his spectacular artwork.
I apologize for the quality of this snapshot, it was dusk, all I had was my iPhone, and the light was low. Here are some detail shots I found elsewhere of the mural, and of Mr. Rao in the process of painting it. He looks like a happy guy, and his art really reflects this.
