Keeping An Appointment
This past week was crazy. The Waldo Family was in Cocoa Beach, Florida before Labor Day to catch the Atlantis Shuttle launch. However, it did not happen that week. Since two buddies are on this mission, I (Jeff) went back to Florida with Robert Creech, Randy Targhetta, David, and Mary June Byford to support Martha Tanner and family as well as Sandy Ferguson and family while their husbands Joe Tanner and Chris Ferguson were in the final preparation for launch. (I think I recall David Mitchell showing up for a few hours, too. But it was rather late and a short day that followed.)
Randy and I departed Houston on Tuesday morning after Labor Day. Tuesday late afternoon was the "not-too-night" viewing (but still a cool viewing of the shuttle) in preparation for the Wednesday launch.
As you know, the Wednesday launch did not happen. Nor did it happen on Thursday, but Friday was the big day. (There is a story about hotels and their check-out policies at Roberts blog that journals our Groundhog Day events.) We were told at the first launch attempt that Friday closed the launch window, so our hopes and anticipation were on Friday.
Friday was exciting. We were up, at KSC early, and in line to load the bus to the Saturn V Building for the launch viewing. We enjoyed the presentations
at the Saturn V Building, the weather was great and at T-9:00 minutes there was an announcement scrubbing the launch for the day. So close.After the announcement, we despondently boarded the buses back to KSC. However, there was a glimmer of hope. The launch window was extended to Saturday. The discussion was to stay or not to stay. Randy spent one more night and David came back out to witness the launch. (This made my fifth attempt to see a launch without success. I have since heard I am no longer invited to any other launches and astronaut friends are giving me bogus dates for their launches to keep me away. I have also heard I’ve surpassed Steve Lindsey as the jinx.) Robert and I headed back to Houston. I could not stay due to an appointment I made a year ago. It was an important appointment to keep.
Actually, the appointment was a reunion of sorts. Thursday was the one-year anniversary of my kidney transplant and the kidneys were having a reunion on Friday night. Jerry Wooley, my donor, was in H-town and we have a standing appointment for dinner around the time of the transplant every year. No matter how great the launch was going to be, you don’t stand up the guy who graciously donated a kidney to you.
Jerry is doing great and is in good health. After the transplant, he departed Houston to be the VBS guru for LifeWay and loves his new job. Apparently, Nashville does not have great enchiladas, so that was the request to fulfill. We spent Friday night at one of Jerry’s favorite Tex-Mex places getting caught up. He heard about the saga of my 15 prescriptions designed to suppress my immune system as well as the stories from the clinic. I hope he heard my appreciation. I heard about his journey to Nashville, adjusting to the new job, his non-destructive plumbing problems and house fire. While we ate and caught up, I was thinking that last year at this time, I was tethered to a machine and never felt like getting out. This year, other than some side effects from the meds, life is great! Thanks to Jerry and his gift to me.
Jerry and I are on again for next year. Locate TBD. In addition, who knows, maybe I’ll see a shuttle launch some time. Maybe STS-117’s April launch.
posted by Jeff Waldo @ 11:10 PM
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