A Testimony

Nasal infections.
Sinus surgery was good.
Breathing Nirvana.

Apollo

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the start of a journey that marked the end of one. Apollo 11 lifted off on its way to the moon, signaling the culmination of years of effort to land human beings on the lunar surface.

When President Kennedy presented this challenge in 1961, I was in the ninth grade. We lived in Las Cruces, New Mexico at the time, and, in the mid-1960's, NASA built a test facility near town. Needless to say, our community involved in part of the process to make Apollo successful. Knowing people who were working on the project brought it closer to us.

All the progress toward manned spaceflight were indeed in their infancy during the early parts of the program. Each step along the way was followed eagerly by everyone. From Mercury to Gemini to Apollo, we were all engaged. Much of that had to do with the times as much as excitement of the challenge.

We feared the Russians. The Cold War was ever present. Nuclear war was not in the forefront of everyones thoughts, but it lurked in the background. Early on, the Russians had tended to be one step ahead in space, and I suppose our fears coupled with a desire to win the space race influenced us all.

The sixties was a particularly tumultuous time for us. The Viet Nam war was ever widening and consuming. Social unrest and upheaval showed up in changing mores, racial tensions, and challenging of authority. By the end of the decade, we were a lot different than we were at the start. But Apollo 11 was a glorious bright spot. When the small spacecraft, perched atop the giant Saturn V rocket, started its journey, the entire nation was galvanized at the moment. I think everyone felt a part of a positive part of American history and accomplishment.

Four days later, as the lunar module began its descent toward the moon's surface, my Dad and I were watching on the television. My father kept a journal for most of his life, and I read his entries for these days in July, 1969. He marveled at being able to watch this event as it happened. Dad, ever the keeper of details, kept a play-by-play as the module descended toward the surface, recording the altitude and time data and snippets of mission control conversation. As it got closer, his words were "Damn-this is awful! Can't write!!" His handwriting was impeccable, but when he wrote " -they're on at 18 min after 2 p.m. My God! It's done! My God! Isn't it wonderful-", his penmanship broke down a little. My father was born eleven years after the Wright brothers made the first powered flight, and he witnessed this.

To me, the space program that began with the charge to put a man on the moon demostrated something else . Usually, technological advances are made under times of great duress, such as wartime. But this was one human effort that produced much that didn't require the precursor of human suffering.

Backyard Nature

Every once in a while, something emerges in the yard that makes one realize that nature has hidden surprises. Janell happened to be looking in the right spot this afternoon and spotted a large walking stick. These things are so weird looking and camoflaged that if it hadn't been in a place to get water, she probably wouldn't have seen it. We have a wire around our pool landscaping to keep the dog out, and the bug was haning from it, getting water from the sprinkler. I guess with all our dry weather, it came out of hiding to rehydrate. The thing looks just like a multipronged twig, and if it was on the ground or a tree, I doubt you could see it. I was pretty impressed with its size; it must be about 8" long. As of this writing, it's gone back to wherever walking sticks hang out down here.

Want to know more (I'm sure you do), then go to http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bugs/stick-insect.html.

A Great June

The past month was a big one for us. We started off by getting Janell's mother's house ready to put on the market. Then, during the latter half, we were blessed to have Stacy, Hutch, and Elsa visit. Putting icing on the cake, Sean and Tara spent Father's Day weekend with us. It was so wonderful having everyone here except Alex (he had to stay in Charlottesville to oversee the packing and loading of their household in preparation for moving to Montana). We had a good time swimming and hanging out.

The weather here has been toasty. As Waylon Jennings put it, "... hotter than nine kinds of Hell...". The one way we have at our disposal to beat the heat, other than central air conditioning, is our swimming pool. I would never build one, but ours was part of the house when we bought it, and it was a big hit with the grandkinder. Hutch talked Sean into doing cannonballs off the diving board, and was impressed with the fallout. Elsa was a bit more circumspect. She's a tough, but cute, sell on things like this.

Hutch and Elsa were happy to do whatever they wanted and have doting adults to help them. Elsa is on the verge of walking, and is a crawling machine. She is a pistol when it comes personality. A happy, active, almost one year old, charmer. She was happy exploring everything. We got a real kick out of her when we went out to eat. She loves people watching and is engaged in what is going on around her. No shrinking violet she.

Hutch had a list of things to do when he got here, and I think he managed to do them all. After a couple of false starts, we finally found the floaties combination that let him have a great time in the pool. We sat on the lawn tractors at Lowe's, rode mine in the driveway, and played endlessly with cars and trucks.

We cherish our time with our children and their families. It's not often that we are able to get everyone together, so Father's Day was special. Getting to strengthen bonds with our grandchildren is important to us, so this visit was a great joy. We can only thank God for the blessings of our wonderful children, spouses, and their children.