And We Have Lift-Off

At 7:38 p.m. Derrol, my cousin MJ and her husband Dan stood in our back yard with me to watch history in the making. We live about 60 miles from Merritt Island, Florida, home of NASA and the Kennedy Space Center and the site of today's Shuttle Atlantis launch.

MJ and Dan have traveled the United States, ridden through mining tunnels in Arizona, walked the streets of the French Quarter in New Orleans, felt the power of the ocean at Big Sur, and soaked in the simplicity of the Amish lifestyle in Pennsylvania, Indiana and Ohio.... There isn't much that surprises them any more.

But the shuttle launch was a new high for them.

Knowing that the bright flash, streaking across the sky was a space craft filled with courageous Americans headed for the space lab and a piece of the universe we can only imagine about -- left us all a bit breathless.

You must realize that we are the children of parents who were born about the time that the Titanic was sinking. They traveled in horse-drawn wagons and carriages, drove Henry Ford's first automobiles when they were a new invention, and knew hunger and deprivation during the Great Depression.

We were born in the midst of the nuclear bomb scare, the Cold War, talks of end times, and the early years of television. Now we stand in our backyard and watch a streak that will transport us all into the future.

Pretty heady stuff for four people from West Central Ohio who were just getting together for a little pizza and conversation.

God speed to the astronauts. And God help us with the future....

For more of my writing about growing up in the space race. Please check out my essay

Dancing Horses, Who Knew?

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Do horses like music? I can’t imagine such a beautiful, perfect animal not also appreciating a catchy tune. Thanks to YouTube, here is a video of Anky van Grunsven, the queen of Kur, giving a gold medal performance. I think the horse is into the music, don’t you?

I’m hearing from owners and horse lovers that, yes, horses are natural music lovers. From a horse in Indianapolis who dances to Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” to Kur (Dressage set to music,) and equestrian ballet, horses have been jamming.

Anotoine de Pluvinel choreographed and Robert Ballard provided the score for “Le Carrousel du Roi,” an equestrian ballet in 1610, which was part of the engagement celebration for Louis XII of France and Ann of Austria.

In 2000, crowds appreciated a re-enactment of Le Carrousel du Roi sponsored by Kate van Orden, assistant professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

In a more modern interpretation than Le Carrousel du Roi, JoAnna Mendl Shaw put together dancers, horses and riders for her Equus Project. On their website, the concept is described as “a unique form of choreographic investigation that partners dancers with horses and their riders." It "merges the artistry of dance with the athletics of equestrianism.” They are teaching two clinics in June: A June 9-10th clinic for Equestrians and June 18-22nd, a Dancers' Intensive that introduces dancers to the artistry of dancing with a four-legged (equine) partner. Find out more on their website.

Janet Marlow's Relaxation Music for Horses: seems to be the recording of choice in many horse barns. Feel free to add your opinion to whether horses like music or not.

P.S. Note the addition of cinnamon roll recipes on the previous blog for Wednesday, May 9, matey.