Forty years ago today, mankind accomplished the amazing feat of landing on the moon, and the equally amazing feat of coming back!!! Of course I would be in total awe of this accomplishment no matter what, but I’ve always had a little extra feeling towards this event since I actually got to watch the whole thing, thanks to my strange father. Knowing that this was a once in history chance, he cleverly kept his sleepy 4 month old baby awake by putting ice in my diaper through the whole landing!! Although I would guess that I did not fully appreciate it at the time, I am really thankful that my dad was persistent enough to do this : ) Thanks Dad!!!Update - see the comments for an update on this story : )
There have been many good pieces lately about the significance of the moon landing. Here’s a really good bittersweet one from Tom Wolfe:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/19/opinion/19wolfe.html?pagewanted=3&_r=1
It makes me want to see The Right Stuff again!!
I think the whole thing can definitely be seen as marvel or folly; as a great culmination, or as a sad end of an era, but I would just like to honor all of the amazing women and men (including my grandfather!!) who contributed to an unquestionably historic endeavor. Where to next?
10 comments:
Awwww...what a beautiful post!
It's always good to hear of your dad's strange side. Growing up he was pretty much the only functional father any of my friends or myself had, and it's good to be reminded that one can be responsible and yet still a diaper-freezing weirdo.
This explains why you would always turn fetal when I would pour ice down your pants under a full moon.
(I started writing a lot more about the space program, but it was getting longer and longer, so I figured I'd just do my own blog post about it. Coming soon.)
Aw. I was just thinking about your Dad and the ice, although I always thought he put the ice on your feet. Maybe he tried to soften the story over the years, ha! I also remember your dad saying that he was so certain you were going to stop breathing that he spent many nights sleeping on the floor of your room when you were a baby. I always thought that was very touching.
Anyway, hugs to you and your Dad. And lots of amazement and congratulations to both of our grandpas who really did shoot for the stars.
Patrick, I know you were young so the memory can be a little sketchy, so, to set the record straight, it was the feet, not the diaper. I agree with Eric that putting ice down a diaper (at least for young babies, you can do this for old people) would be cruel and highly unusual. I'm also glad this didn't give you cold feet for the rest of your life; especially when it came to marrying Em.
PS What is Eric's blog site; I would like to follow him as well?
Functional Dad
Oh, I forgot to mention one other things about your moon photo. If you notice the footprints on the moon, they are of the shoe that your great grandfather, Grandpa Reeves, invented. He had a signed photo from Neal Armstrong thanking him for the shoes.
You have many connections to this event.
Hi Mike,
This is my blog:
http://assassinateyourpenguin.blogspot.com/
Perhaps a bit more self-centered than Patrick's but it keeps me off the streets.
Hope you're doing well!
Hey Dad -
Sorry about getting the story mixed up!! I guess I wanted it to sound more dramatic - the whole thing has honestly slipped my mind! I still appreciate your keeping me awake for the landing though! I had forgotten about the shoe thing with Grandpa Reeves - that's a great addition to the story! Remember in Northern Exposure when Maurice says that when he looks at the moon he thinks of footprints? Such a good show! Glad you got Eric's blog address - it's really good & has more moon stuff. Peace & Love to all!!
I'm so glad I have a better memory of Patrick's babyhood than he does. He will hear about that for a long time to come, I'm sure. Mike, I LOVE the story about Neil Armstrong's moon boots. I knew that both Hank and my grandpa worked on the first shuttle that went to the moon, but I didn't know about the shoes. Eric's blog is amazing, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Patrick, thank you for the Northern Exposure nod. I had forgotten about that, but it's really true. Who knew Maurice had words of wisdom in him?
This is all news to me. Where have I been?! I knew about Patrick being shown the moon landing but didn't know the extent of the paternal cruelty! ha. Dad, you definitely brought a certain creativity to parenting that I'm only now appreciating. Very cool about the shoes. I wonder how G.G. Ray felt about the landing. Probably bossy if family legend is true.
Love to you all,
Amy
Well, I liked to story about the ice in the pants. I will continue to believe that version! :)
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