The Good and the Bad

So in my last blog post, I talked about crossing "Watch a shuttle launch from close enough to see the vehicle" off my bucket list.

Over 300,000 people were in the area just to watch that launch of Friday. It was very crowded, and all the hotels and restaurants in the area were jam packed; and as is the case whenever large groups of humanity is crammed into a small area, it brings out the very best . . . and the very worst in human nature.

First off, let's talk about the good. I want to tell you about an older gentleman and his wife that had a profound impact on us. They were our hosts Friday for the shuttle launch. She is a cancer survivor, and he worked at Kennedy/Canaveral for over 48 years. They've got a house right on the waterfront and have a view of the launchpads. A few years ago, they got upset at all the businesses and private individuals who would charge tourists $10 or $20 to park their cars to watch the shuttle launch and then not even let those people use their bathrooms. Their solution? Let people park in their backyard and view the launches for free AND let them use the bathroom if they needed to. They just wanted to help people. To their dismay, people just would not let them offer free parking. They insisted on paying them something. So they decided that if people were going to pay, they'd give the money to charity, and picked a charity that meant something to them.

Technically, parking WAS free. They simply asked for a donation to the American Cancer Society for Breast Cancer research. Whatever we felt like giving. We asked what the usual donation was and they said $20. We gave them $80. (My mom is a breast cancer survivor and Scott lost his dad to Lung Cancer, we're big supporters of cancer research). On top of letting people park and view the shuttle launch, they also let people use their bathrooms, provided cookies, coffee, lemonade, iced tea (sweet and unsweet) and were the NICEST people. We looked at their yard and thought they could probably fit 20 cars in. We were reservation #55! All told, they crammed over 80 cars (including a few vans, big trucks, and one RV) onto their property. Toward the end people were parked all over their front yard and everything. They were loving it! I hope they raised a LOT of cash for the American Cancer Society (I know they did, they bragged that the last two years she's been the highest fund raiser in the county.) Thank goodness we went the night before and scouted for a place to watch, or we'd never have gotten a place with them, and I'd much rather have spent our money helping them raise funds than just give it to someone who was looking to profit off of the tourists. They really put an even more positive spin on what was already a wonderful experience. They're amazing, and I wish them nothing but the best.

Here are a couple pictures:

Then, of course, there was the bad. Thankfully, as the viewing area got full, the crowd was for the most part very friendly. As one of three obviously gay couples there, Scott and I did feel like some of the people around us were (very loudly) voicing their opinions on political issues that had nothing to do with the shuttle launch strictly for our benefit. At one point, I was afraid a "Tea Party" rally was going to break out beside us. Honestly, just because I'm a gay democrat with liberal views, why can I not also be a patriot? Since when did "patriotism" come to equal "conservative republican" or even "redneck asshole"? Scott and I decided to be the bigger men. and ignored them. If they wanted a confrontation, I wasn't in the mood to give them what they wanted. Or to let them spoil something I'd waited so long to do. Overall, the crowd was great, there was just that small group that had to be assholes about it. I hope they enjoyed the launch as much as I did. I joined them in chanting U.S.A. afterward. I guess regardless of what our political views, it's hard not to be proud of our country when we see one it's greatest technological acheivements soaring into space.

Sadly, that wasn't the worst we encountered during the weekend. While at dinner the night before, we were seated near the bar of the restaurant where we were dining. There were three guys at the bar who were very loud (why is it that the most idiotic among us are the ones who feel the need to broadcast their ignorant opinions the loudest?) and after talking about being in town to view the shuttle launch, they went on to decry the number of "yankees" who were also there, and one of them went on very pointed talking about how "we'd all be better off if the yankees had lost the war" because "we'd still have slaves" and there wouldn't be a "use your imagination for the vile word he used to describe our president" in the White House. Really? In 2010? I looked at Scott to make sure I was hearing what I was hearing. I shook my head and began to chuckle to myself. He kept talking but I tuned him out. He had no concept of history, let alone the reality we live in. For one thing, if the "yankees had lost the war" there would be TWO countries instead of the one he kept talking about, and Southerners would have no care about who was in the White House. Secondly, I don't think he realized that not everybody owned slaves. Sadly, slaves were a financial asset, and given his obvious lack of mental capability, I doubt he could ever have managed to hold onto finanical assets long enough to actually aquire any. Like I said, No concept of either history or reality. The sad thing is that he probably votes.

So, we had quite the interesting time on our overnight trip to the space coast. Overall, the better part of human nature out weighed the bad. Or at least I was able to ignore the bad enough to enjoy the once in a lifetime event we were there to see.

Next up, some shuttle launch photos.