We were lucky enough to be in town while this week and we got to see Sophie take part in her gymnastics class. here are a bunch of my favorite pictures that I tried to take. The blur and shake are a result of low light, long distance and a poor photographer.
I threw a few of Lucy trying to imitate the big girls.
Health is at the edge of stinky, but under control.
1. Health.
2. grandkids
3. a cat sleeping next to me.
On this date in 1969 the first men landed on the moon. The event captured the attention of the world. I didn’t watch a lot of TV today but I saw no mention of the landing on TV news or in the paper today. Google art was a tribute to Gregor Mendel on his 189th birthday.
I promised a little more about working at the Cape in my last blog so here goes. I had a conversation with Karen last week and realized how little of that experience I had talked about with my family so this is a good way to document some of it.
My apartment was only 2 blocks from the beach so I spent a lot of time on the beach that summer. My work days went like this. The ride to work was usually interesting. My route took me along A1A to Cape Canaveral AF Station. That’s where all our unmanned and Mercury and Gemini Program manned launches occurred. The traffic was pretty heavy entering the gate to the base and the guards had to check everyone's badge before they could enter. Traffic didn’t stop. The cars and motorcycles drove through holding up their badge to get waived through. The road then followed the coast for a few miles passing all the old and current launch platforms.
Many days started with a glorious golden sunrise. Between the sunrise and all the launch platforms the drive was never dull. On some days a layer of morning fog lay about 50 feet up and all the launch towers and the VAB all disappeared into the fog.
One morning I had a mechanical problem with my Yamaha. I knew what it was but I had to pull off the road to fix it. As I was doing the repair a loud rumble filled the air. I turned around and saw an Atlas rocket climbing into the sky. It was a classified Air Force satellite being launched. I would have missed it if I didn’t need to make the repair.
The Kennedy Space Center complex was connected to the Air Force Station by a long bridge. My motorcycle's top speed was OK for that bridge but at that speed the 2-cycle engine laid out a constant stream of white smoke. I know the cars behind me did not enjoy that. My route then took me past all the KSC offices and then out the 3 mile road to the VAB and LCC buildings where I worked. Since there was access to launch hardware out there another gate and badge check was required.
The ride back after work was just the reverse. Some days I wouldn’t go right home but explore a little. I’d take the long way home exploring he coastline there (it was completely undeveloped) and the dock area where the brought in rocket stages. I watched a group of Manatees in the dock area one time.
OK that’s all I’ve got on that today.
I spent most of today working on the bookshelf for C&C. All the pieces are cut out and the basic structure is now glued together.
Here’s a picture of it all clamped up with the glue drying.
I also cranked up the power washer and cleaned our back patio.
On the kitty front only Buzz stops by but he is getting quite relaxed with me. He plops down on his side just within my reach and lets me pet him while he lies there. It’s funny because Brie does this too. It seems to be a kitty thing for the cats in this neighborhood going all the way back to Mustache.
Once again it is July 16, the day we launched Apollo 11 for the first manned Lunar mission.
I worked at the Kennedy Space Center(KSC) the summer of ‘69 between my Junior and Senior years at FIT. I rented a little studio apartment in Cape Canaveral for $65/month. My transportation was my 100cc Yamaha. I worked in the Launch Vehicle Test Conductor’s Office as an engineering aide. That office ran the countdown for the Saturn 5. Each Apollo mission had a test conductor assigned to it. I was on hand to do the grunt work—getting drawings, reviewing data or checking software logic; stuff like that.
The best part of the job was accompanying the engineers on their weekly “walk-down” of the launch platform. Each week they did this inspection by going out to the launch pad, taking the elevator to the top, and then walking down the stairs, stopping at each level to inspect the hardware and talk to the platform crew.
It was quite a learning experience especially with one guy. He would quiz me at each level asking me which stage the swing-arms were servicing here and what was loaded or removed from the vehicle through the hoses and connections on the swing arm. I even got to ride on the giant crawler transporter as the Apollo 12 launch vehicle was moved out to the pad.
The office was in the Launch Control Center which also contained the firing rooms where all the consoles for conducting the countdown are located. They did enough practice countdowns that I got to sit at some of the consoles and watch the data and pictures being displayed.
The LCC was connected to the Vertical Assembly Building (VAB). That’s where the launch vehicle is assembled on the launch platform. The VAB had several enclosed walkways that provided an excellent view of the activity in the VAB from a vantage point 180 feet in the air. That’s also the building where my Aunt Celia wanted to know “Wheresa your worka-bencha?” I was given great leeway in my responsibilities. I could go to the VAB and watch whenever I wanted to. I watched them mate the 3rd stage of Apollo 12 and saw them lift and install the Lunar Module into Apollo 13. That vehicle became the “lifeboat” for the astronauts on that ill-fated mission.
Of course the most exciting day was July 16th. I arrived early and got to see the astronauts walk to the transport van. I watched the launch from the area where the big digital clock is that you see on all the shuttle launches.
I‘m blogged out for now. I’ll try to give a little more info about that summer in the next couple of days.
it’s been over 2 weeks since I’ve written. I’m going to get out of the habit if I don’t watch out.
There hasn’t been a lot to write about – or I was away from home. Where to? You may ask. Where else-Jacksonville. We went over to watch the grandkids and to help with house clean-up.
Both Penny and I got in some meaningful time with both Sophie and Lucy. Sophie is now able to express her thoughts and have a conversation ( as best a 3-year-old can). I had 3 real conversations with her and enjoyed each one. Lucy is more physical liking to give hugs and be tickled—and to dance. And she is so darn cute right now.
I finally have the design of the bookshelf I will make for C&C. Penny and I went to Lowe’s and got the lumber to build it. I’m still cleaning up the shop and won’t start on the bookshelf until that’s done. I still had some clutter I produced before C&C’s wedding in the shop. That and all the times I used the shop for overflow storage for the house. I ‘m close to having it in shape.
I used my little cordless hammer driver today for the first time and it is a neat tool. It makes a lot of noise (it sounds like a little jack hammer) It substitutes torque and mechanical shock to slowly drive in a screw or bolt. It’s almost impossible to strip a screw head or even slip off the screw as you drive. It’s also easier on my thumbs because it doesn’t cause the drill to twist as much.
The tomato crop is just about shot now. It is extremely hot now and there are only a few fruits still growing. I’m still getting cucumbers, eggplant and okra; just not as plentiful.
Penny and I had a nice breakfast this morning at Mother Earths. They have an inexpensive and good breakfast special. We had a leisurely breakfast and lingered over the coffee refills as we chatted about things we are doing or planning. It made for a great start for the day.
