A Rainy Day On The Space Coast

It started raining late Wednesday night, and it rained hard most of the night here in Titusville. By morning the rain was really coming down, and NASA postponed the space shuttle launch again. Now they are aiming for this afternoon.

The many delays may be frustrating for those who are waiting to see the space shuttle blast off, but the local merchants sure appreciate it. The stores and restaurants are all very busy.

I used to do a lot of fishing, but it’s been years since I dipped a line in the water, except for one outing a couple of years ago with our friends Wes and Jan Chilson on their boat in Aransas Pass, Texas. Lately I’ve been wanting to get back into the sport.

With yesterday’s launch canceled, we visited a couple of shops so I could look at fishing equipment. The stuff I had years ago was getting beat up in the bus bays, and never getting used, so I finally gave it to my son-in-law. I’ve been away from fishing so long that I need to reeducate myself on what kind of gear I need.

I’m pretty much a catch and release angler, because I like catching fish a lot more than I like eating fish. I don’t plan on doing any deep sea fishing, so I don’t need super heavy duty stuff, and I don’t want to spend a lot of money, because I’m cheap. I’m leaning toward a Shakespeare Ugly Stick rod and spinning reel combo I saw at WalMart. My friend Al Hesselbart from the RV Hall of Fame Museum in Elkhart is a dedicated angler who’d rather fish than eat, so I called him for his suggestions, and Al thought the Ugly Stick was a good choice for my needs.

After looking at fishing gear at a couple of places, we stopped in at a little used book store in town, because we can never pass up a book store. But, the owner was closing early because she had to get to an appointment, so we only stayed a few minutes. We’ll have to go back on another trip to this area.

It was still raining, and obviously wasn’t going to clear up anytime soon, so we decided to have an early dinner and then head back to the motorhome. Somebody had suggested Valentino’s, an Italian restaurant in the shopping mall on U.S. Highway 1 (Washington Street). The place wasn’t fancy, but Terry and I agreed that it was absolutely the best pizza we have had in more years than we can remember.  The service was fast and friendly, and our total bill for bread knots, a medium pizza, and drinks, was $20. You can’t beat a bargain like that!

The weather is supposed to clear today, and we’re scheduled to have lunch with our friends, and hosts here, Peter and Connie Bradish. If we get done in time, we’ll run back to the riverfront and try to find a parking place among the crowds. NASA says the shuttle launch is back on schedule for 3:03 this afternoon, and I really hope we get to see it this time! It’s one more thing to cross off my bucket list.

Thought For The Day – It is easier to fight for one’s principles than to live up to them.

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