Today I had the privilege to watch the Shuttle Discovery makes its fly-over curtain call. I almost missed it because it arrived over the skies of Washington DC a wee bit early. I only had time to get to Lafayette Park across the street from the White House but I think that was a beautiful spot -- the double decker flying machines with the White House and Washington Monument in frame -- can't get much more USA than that:)
I've always had an affinity for space. I marveled at those men and women that defied gravity and actually burst out there -- I watched many of the launches, but sadly, never once in person:( When I do stop and look at the moon on a cool, clear crisp night, I am reminded that some lucky men and women actually went there...lucky! It is the end of an era and I hope our country can dream big again!
As a child, I remember pouring over books and posters about the planets, making dioramas of the solar system, and a family vacation stop at the Kennedy Center in Florida -- wow, that place seemed HUGE! Over the years I watched the various incarnations of Star Trek, Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5 (sorry Sheldon) and repeats of Lost in Space. What's your favorite?
The Air and Space Museum is a must see for visitors to this area. I've been there many, many times so now I just point my visiting friends in that general direction. Sadly, I have yet to visit the Udvar-Hazy museum out in Virginia. That the Discovery will be residing there now is a great incentive to go out and wander. I just wish that, like the Air & Space Museum, I could wander for free...that $15 parking fee is steep (and it requires a car to get there)
