wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the Challenger Space Shuttle explosion on January 28, 1986. Among they crew members killed was Judith Resnik of Akron, Ohio. She joins a long line of space pioneers from the Buckeye State. Ohio has a remarkable legacy as the Birthplace of Aviation with over 25 NASA astronauts. The well-known, iconic Ohio natives include John Glenn (first American to orbit the Earth and later the oldest person in space), Neil Armstrong (first man to walk on the Moon), and Judith Resnik (second American woman in space and first Jewish woman in space). 

Do you remember where you were when the Challenger exploded? I do. I was at home with my 16-month old son, watching in awe of the space shuttle talking off, the powerful rocket boosters launching it into space. And then, just a little over a minute into its ascent, the Challenger exploded. The awe turned into horror and disbelief. 

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On our drive to Cleveland, it was the same ole, same ole drive, a little snow on the ground as we headed north. It was a beautiful, sunny, cold day with no indication of the snow that was to come. An IIK Transport truck caught my eye with its Russian writing on it. I wondered if IIK Transport was a Russian company doing business in the US so to pass the time on the drive, I did a little research. Just so you know, IIK Transport is an American trucking company headquartered in Bridgeview, Illinois, and utilizes a diverse, immigrant-heavy workforce, just as many other trucking companies do. The presence of Russian text on their trucks likely reflects that their drivers, owners, or operators are from Eastern Europe or Russia, and serve a multi-lingual driver base. The things you learn while passing time on a 3-hour drive.

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Snow storm Fern was the looming topic for this past week. It came, it dumped, and now we are moving on with 20" of snow blanketing the area. Grocery store shelves have been restocked from the panic buying, the city snow plowers putting in heroic hours and effort to get the roads cleared for people to be out and about safely, the sun shines deceptively bright, not indicative of the below zero temperatures. The schools are still closed and I know parents are anxiously awaiting those doors to open again.

While in Cleveland, I did manage to get my Frozen Feet Challenge walks in. Dress warm enough and you stay warm. While trudging along, this mailbox made me do a double-take and gave me a little chuckle. What a contrast. A beach scene surrounded by snow. Only in Ohio. I took my gloves off, fumbled around in my pocket to get my phone out, dropped the phone and my fingers got colder. Anything for a photo to tell a story.