Day 3905

It was raining again when we woke up this morning. This looked like a long, hard rain, so there was no point in looking for a little window on the weather radar where we could walk. Dawn would have to wait this morning. That seemed fine by her. Once again, we couldn't even get her to go out in the back yard to pee.

I went ahead and fixed my breakfast while waiting for the storm to clear. It turned out to be just as well that I stayed home because I got a call at 9 AM from the media liaison officer at Patrick Air Force Base to fill me in on the procedures for visiting Cape Canaveral. The guy was extremely nice and spent a lot of time answering all my questions. He also put me in touch with media relations people at Space X and United Launch Alliance. It took a while to get my credentials, but I'm starting to feel like part of the space coast press corps now. There's a good chance I may attend the upcoming Delta IV Heavy launch after all.

The skies finally started clearing around noon and we got a chance to walk Dawn. There was still a light drizzle when we left the house, but that was OK. Anything that makes us feel cooler is fine these days. We thought we'd turn around if the rain got worse, but it ended completely before we finished our first mile. There was a nice breeze too. These walks are a lot more enjoyable when the temperature is in the low 70's. I hope the cold front that preceded last night's rain stays around for a while. I'm enjoying these cooler temperatures.

When we returned home I wrote introductory letters to the Space X and United Launch Alliance contacts that the Air Force liaison suggested I reach out to. He told me that the more people I can establish some sort of a relationship with, the greater my chances would be of getting a good story when I return to  Cape Canaveral. Good advice. I asked the Space X folks about the possibility of scheduling a visit to Boca Chica to do a Starship story as well. We'll see what happens. I'm glad I can start making plans again. I was really getting tired of doing nothing. Having some sort of a purpose during the pandemic can make all the difference.

Dawn was absolutely fine with me today. It was almost as if yesterday never even happened. We're thinking of talking to a behaviorist. Dawn has these panic episodes from time to time and we don't really know what is causing them. It's almost like she has PTSD or something. Dawn has clearly had some troubling experiences in her past. Maybe occasionally I remind her of them. It may take a while, but we're going to work this out. I want to be Dawn's best friend, not her worst nightmare.

It looks like there is still rain in the forecast for tomorrow. We'll try our best to walk Dawn, but if I'm stuck inside at least I've got a couple of launches to watch on the computer. Space X will be launching its twelfth Starlink mission tomorrow morning and later the same day they will attempt another low altitude Starship hop down in Boca Chica. Today I watched a test of the SLS solid rocket boosters out at the Northrop Grumman facility in Promontory, Utah. Watching these things is much more enjoyable for me than watching the news. The news is extremely negative these days. Rockets are just the opposite. Reaching for the stars is very positive.

Daisy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day