Debra and I were driving up to the little town of Salado to spend our 12th anniversary wandering around the shops and just enjoying each other’s company.  Turning on the local NPR station, as we often do on Saturday mornings, we heard them talking about some kind of accident.  A few minutes later we just stared at each other, unbelieving.  Initial reports had debris landing near the town of Athens, about 2-1/2 hours from here where we had visited a friend about 18 months ago.  And we were heading that way.

We listened to the reports on our way to Salado, and then tried to put it out of our minds as we browsed the antiques stores and tourist shops, enjoying the fine weather and spending time together.  Periodically we’d walk into a store that had the report on, but mostly we tried to ignore it for the day.  Plenty of time to think of those things later.

Our prayers are with the families and friends of the astronauts.  Please know that Debra and I share in your grief for the loss of your loved ones.