Last year I was just waking up to go to work-I had picked up a side job-I desperately wanted to sleep in....

I had hit the snooze button on the radio and I heard the report on the radio that "we had lost the Columbia"...

I always made it a point to find out when and where the shuttle would land.....Here in California, when the shuttles would land at Edwards Air Force base north of the Los Angeles area, you hear the sonic booms as it makes it's way over the coast.....boom boom!!!!

This was one flight that I didn't pay too much attention to and I am glad....The news services had put out a story that the shuttle would be visible as it made it's approach to land in Florida...

All day you could feel the tension in air.....We did go to a hardware store to pick up some sprinkler parts and the place was very quiet, everyone spoke in whispers and there was no one making any kind of noise.....spooky, but at the same time nice to see the respect that everyone was treating the day with.....