Once again we woke to beautiful weather. We spent a leisurely morning chatting and reviewing our time at the Kennedy Space Center. The hall of fame didn’t open until noon so no rushing to get out the door. The first order of business was to take Jewel for her morning walk, so while I showered and dressed Ron did just that. Of course a walk with Jewel can become an event as this one did. They arrived back at the MH with Jewel all wet and Ron a little excited. They were walking around the lake when Ron spotted an alligator on the other side. Yes. there was an alligator in that lake. YIKES!!! From what we have been told , if there is a body of water you will find an alligator or two in it!!!! Well, Jewel was walking along the edge and sniffing, and she who does not like water fell into the lake. OOPHS! Alligator snack. Ron pulled her out right away not knowing if there were other alligators in the lake. Nice job Ron!!!! Once we got Jewel wiped down and settled it we were on our way for the day. Disaster averted!!!! LOL
We arrived at the Astronaut Hall of Fame around 12:30 pm. The place was virtually empty so now I understand why they are only open 5 hours a day.
Ron likes to carry a bottle of water in his back pocket and I’ve often wondered how he manages to sit down without removing the bottle and have it remain intact.?????? He didn’t think it was a big deal when I mentioned it to him so he kept it in his back pocket! More on this subject later.
We were not given a map or directions on the best way to proceed through the museum so we struck out on our own. Our first stop was a room with a large sphere hanging in the center. It is called the Science on a Sphere and was totally amazing. The presentation was of all of the planets in our solar system how they look, the number of moons and a plethora of statistics to numerous to mention. It was like sitting looking at the planets up close in 3-D.
The room was dark so all of the images on the sphere appeared alive. You almost wanted to touch it as each planet was introduced. Oh, remember the water bottle in Ron’s back pocket????? Wellllllll, he did sit on it one too many times and it broke. Needless to say Ron’s pants were soaked. Good thing it was dark in the entire museum with very few people. Otherwise they may have thought he had an accident!!!! LOL
These were just several of the planets that we experienced and it was truly amazing how the science of the planets was presented. We spent well over one hour listening to the presentation and enjoying every minute.
As we toured the museum we were surprised at the number of astronauts who had flown 5 or 6 missions that we did not know. Of course we were familiar with names like Shepard and Armstrong , Glenn and the first female astronaut Sally Ride, but were less familiar with those that flew the most recent missions. I guess because astronaut Shepard and Armstrong were pioneers there names are emblazed in our heads.
During the history of the space program there were three tragic events taking a total of 17 military astronauts and one civilian astronaut. The one incident that could have stopped the program in its tracks was the tragic loss of three of our earlier astronauts who died on the ground during a training when there capsule filled with 100% oxygen caught on fire. All astronauts understood the dangers and the ultimate sacrifice they may have to make to the program. Sometimes I wonder if certain people have premonitions about their demise. Before embarking on the first trial run of the Apollo 1 with Roger Chaffe and Ed White, Gus Grissom is quoted as saying, “ If we die we want people to accept it. We are in a risky business…. The conquest of Space is worth the risk of life.” Unfortunately, he was right it is a risky business and he and his two fellow astronauts died in a space capsule that never got off the ground.
Outside was a mock-up of space shuttle called the Inspiration. We were not able to go inside because of a mold issue. Apparently it was decided to close it to tourists because they could not get the mold out. At least, that is what we were told.
Back at the CG we decided to check out the clubhouse and grounds. The clubhouse was very nice with a huge dance hall. kitchen, and rec room with exercise equipment and a regulation sized pool table. Ron and I played a game of pool, something we haven’t done in 25 years. He was always a hot shot pool player and I only mediocre at best. He was a little rusty but still good and I was getting shots in that surprised even me. There was a Memorial Garden with a very pretty fountain adjacent to the clubhouse.
We went out to dinner again at Louie’s and we both got their mouth watering baby back ribs. Back at the CG we decided to take the computer up to the clubhouse for a stronger Wi Fi connection. We had been unable to post the blog for a couple of days so decided to give it a try. While we were waiting for the blog to post we played three more games of pool . We really enjoyed playing pool again – brought us back to our youth.
Ron didn’t have his camera with him – not like him at all. He was disappointed because I was on the Elliptical Exercise Machine and he sooooo wanted to get a picture. I was going at full speed but when I looked down at the monitor I had only burned 2 cal. Ouch!!! Needless to say I stopped and we went back to the MH for the night. It was another very good day that we thoroughly enjoyed. We will be moving on to Lantana, Florida for a stopover to see our friends Carolyn and Jack who have a condo in Boynton Beach.
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