Godspeed Discovery

February 24th

Discovery finally launched

almost 4 months after we were sitting in a car at 5 AM

waiting for the launch

I really wanted to be there.

But....in the world of ordinary people...

life gets in the way and.....

I wouldn't change my life.

As the time approached for the launch that afternoon

I got John to show me the direction of the launch.

I got a chair and sat in the yard and watched the sky.

I know.........

you are chuckling to yourself.

That's okay....I do a lot of things that make people laugh!

John was watching the launch in the kitchen.

He stuck his head out the back door and said it had launched.

In a few minutes a plume of smoke appeared in the sky....

I have no idea what it was.

It could have been an airplane but.....

it didn't look like an airplane plume of smoke.

When an airplane flies over, out here where we have wide open spaces of sky,

you can usually make out the plane and the plume of smoke is a tight trail.

This was a wide fluffy trail that just abruptly ended and there

wasn't anything visible to go with it.

Now.....I am sure that there are people out there who will look at

this picture and know immediately what it is.

But this ole girl.....who wanted to be at The Kennedy Space Center

to see Discovery launch for the last time.....

has decided to say that this plume of smoke

came from Discovery!

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

Discovery landed safely back home for the last time.

WELCOME HOME DISCOVERY

"And Houston, Discovery. for the last time,

wheelstop,"

Commander Lindsey said when the

orbiter stopped on the runway.

I am making plans for a trip to the Smithsonian

to see the Discovery.