Where were you....

Where were you 40 years ago tonight? Were you as glued to your tv screen as I was, watching the most phenomenal event of a lifetime - man walking on the moon? Lots of good memories have resurfaced with respect to this anniversary.

When I was really young, I wanted to be an aeronautical engineer. Then I discovered that math and I did not get along. Science was not a close friend, either. During the winter we used to dig caves in the snow and use them as space capsules, even finding an old chair that we could recline in just like the real astronauts.

So, 40 years ago tonight I was with family and friends on Orrs Island, celebrating our country's great achievement. We had had a great cookout and we all waited anxiously for the big moment - switching between Cronkite and Huntley/Brinkley. (It all depended upon which station was coming in best at the time. No cable? That was still several years away for the Island.) I can remember being very emotional (okay, I cried!). What a great night all around.

Today I was looking over a new book about exploring the moon, "Moon Missions" by Rob Pyle. It's great. It covers not only U.S. of A.'s explorations, but it does a good job of detailing our race with the USSR. Very interesting, indeed. The book has a lot of extras in it, like maps and NASA press releases, which makes it fun, but a bit of a nightmare for a librarian to catalog and process. Anyway..... I came across a telegram the VP Humphrey sent to Mission Control Director Chris Craft. Hmm, I think today it would probably be either an IM or a Tweet. I wonder which?

Great job NASA and USA. Happy anniversary. I raise my glass of Tang in your honor.