Gus, my old friend, took a seriuous spill the other day. This 97 year old pal broke his hip. Not a real good thing, if you are any age! So, knowing Gus as well as I do, I signed up for duty in the Hospital, to protect the Nurses and their assistants from him!
High Water in Paradise
Ikaika loved his job as a park ranger for the Hawaiian State Park system. Being native born, his parents taught him the traditional ways of the Hawaiian peoples, and how to integrate it with the modern era, which included a stint in the Navy, where he had been a Seal. So in his role as… Continue reading High Water in Paradise
Why Do You Think They Called Them SUICIDE Doors For?
In my childhood, my parents drove us kids around in Lady B. Originally a classic and stately 1935 Buick, she sported running boards, and a spare mounted on the back. The back seat was enormous, with wide forward facing rear doors. But in 1953, old Lady B was a sad relic of her former glory days. … Continue reading Why Do You Think They Called Them SUICIDE Doors For?
Wanting the Moon
YOU REMEMBER watching the Moon Landing with utter fascination. At 17 years old, since you could read fluently by 7, you had read every space opera the science fiction book of the month club sent you! You saw a “2001, Space Odyssey” 10 times! But now, the impossible was unfolding. That night as you watched, as Richard C. Hoagland of JPL explained all of the details to Walter Cronkite on TV, you made up your mind. America landed a spaceship on the Moon, and picked some rocks to bring home! Something told you there was more than rocks up there, so you came up with a plan.
After joining the Air Force, you were accepted into NASA, to work with the Astronauts on the Space Shuttle missions. NASA was not going back to the Moon and you weren’t real disappointed not to have been selected to just hang around in low earth orbit. This was not your purpose. When the entire Shuttle fleet was mothballed, and with nothing to replace it, you started drinking. Utter and complete depression ensued. Your wife and kids abandoned you. It seemed everyone had abandoned you. You wanted to die.
Until.
A friend of yours called. He said he met a guy who had built a rocket from his own wealth, and needed a courageous Astronaut with your experience. Upon meeting you, he designated you to be the first commercial astronaut to land his rocket on the Moon. So here you were, unbelievably counting down to your lifelong dream!
The liftoff and launch were perfect. You felt intoxicated flying through space like you had always dreamed! But wait, what’s this unplanned message on the emergency frequency? Ice formed in your spine. The doctors had found an anomaly in your blood unrecognized at first. On second look, it was a mutant virus; no symptoms; sudden death. You have a little less than one day to live.
Unless.
Return to Earth immediately, for the antidote which is ready for you. You are about 22 hours from the Moon at your current velocity and trajectory.
No Way.
You cut the radio and continue. You know what you have to do.
Perfect safe landing. Your spacesuit is working well. You have one hour to live. Leaving the capsule, you see the junk scattered around the landing site you insisted on in planning. Nestled back in your lander, you fiddle with the controller of the very ancient Space Station Moon in your hands, which is exactly as you remember it. And as you leave your body, the spaceship, and the Moon behind; you face the threshold of your future, as the Infinite Universe beckons you forth into forever.
After joining the Air Force, you were accepted into NASA, to work with the Astronauts on the Space Shuttle missions. NASA was not going back to the Moon and you weren’t real disappointed not to have been selected to just hang around in low earth orbit. This was not your purpose. When the entire Shuttle fleet was mothballed, and with nothing to replace it, you started drinking. Utter and complete depression ensued. Your wife and kids abandoned you. It seemed everyone had abandoned you. You wanted to die.
Until.
A friend of yours called. He said he met a guy who had built a rocket from his own wealth, and needed a courageous Astronaut with your experience. Upon meeting you, he designated you to be the first commercial astronaut to land his rocket on the Moon. So here you were, unbelievably counting down to your lifelong dream!
The liftoff and launch were perfect. You felt intoxicated flying through space like you had always dreamed! But wait, what’s this unplanned message on the emergency frequency? Ice formed in your spine. The doctors had found an anomaly in your blood unrecognized at first. On second look, it was a mutant virus; no symptoms; sudden death. You have a little less than one day to live.
Unless.
Return to Earth immediately, for the antidote which is ready for you. You are about 22 hours from the Moon at your current velocity and trajectory.
No Way.
You cut the radio and continue. You know what you have to do.
Perfect safe landing. Your spacesuit is working well. You have one hour to live. Leaving the capsule, you see the junk scattered around the landing site you insisted on in planning. Nestled back in your lander, you fiddle with the controller of the very ancient Space Station Moon in your hands, which is exactly as you remember it. And as you leave your body, the spaceship, and the Moon behind; you face the threshold of your future, as the Infinite Universe beckons you forth into forever.
From Where I Sprang
H When the Orange groves were planted in Southern California, they knew that citrus needed protection from the climatic peculiarities of the area. One of these is what the Indians call the Devil Winds; the Spanish called them Santa Anas. These hot Sirocco like winds are gusty; like up eighty miles an hour. So to… Continue reading From Where I Sprang
Happy New Year
The progression of our Planet has once again past the Solstice in it’s yearly sojourn around our lovely little Star. My NASCAR theory of the Universe clearly states that when an object in motion, be it a race car or a planet, comes into a curve, said object undergoes more lateral G stress than in… Continue reading Happy New Year
