Three days we have been planning, anticipating this big
launch. After all, when would we be this close to the launching pads of the Kennedy
Space Centre? Our day started out as a foggy morning, but Jim and I were on a
mission. Task one, get those replacement grills for our BBQ (the little one is
getting quite annoying) and task two, make our way to the banana river area to
watch this momentous occasion. We hopped on the dinghy at 0830hrs and set off
to the town dock; which we could not see in the fog; to find the nearest Home Depot.
We achieved this easily, but as we were taking the 20min walk, Jim said
"shut (ok maybe something else) I forgot the measurements of the grills.
Well no worries, it should be standard size right?" Wrong. We bought a set
of grills that were ½ inch too wide. After we realized this, it was already
past our time to leave and the fog was starting to lift, so we weighted anchor
and set off for our little jaunt up river.
We decided to stay at a marina for
the night, so we called Harbor Town Marina and they had some space available
for us. When we arrived, Jim asked for directions to the slip and wound up
going down the wrong dockside in a very narrow area. The lady told him to go
straight, but apparently her idea of straight is to turn slightly left! Anyway
we made it to our slip with no troubles after that. Jeff and Sue were already
here, so after we tied up and paid up, we went over to visit them.
By this time
Derek and Christy had already arrived and we were waiting for Dave and Michele.
Once the gang was together, I realized I did not have my camera, so back to the
boat for Camera and
hors d'œuvres. Jeff was the faithful
captain, who brought us to the launch on their boat. A few drinks meant of
course that I needed the little girl's room. Susan also came down from their
top deck and ever the hostess, was busily checking out who needed drinks. Then
we heard the boys calling out "we can't believe the girls are missing this!"
There it was, gone! All we saw was the puff of smoke left behind. It was an
impressive puff of smoke too! You'll have to believe me because of course, I
also had no camera. When we arrived back at Jeff and Sue's boat, my camera
would not turn on. I thought maybe the battery was not charged, but alas this
was not the issue. What the issue really is, I cannot tell you at the moment,
but I do know that my poor video camera no longer works. So for today, no pics. Jeff got a few shots,
so he tells me he will share. When I get them, I will post them.
So although I
did not get to see the launch of a new GPS satellite, I did get to spend a glorious
day with some friends, got to take a swim in the afternoon and had a lovely
evening to boot. So all was not lost. See you all tomorrow
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