I’m reviving this post because it is what started The Light Within Me.  It’s funny how things start out as an idea and then come full circle…

 

Sometimes life gives you an experience that leaves you…fill in the blank.  Awed.  Breathless.  Excited.  Interested.

I had the pleasure of recently having one of those experiences.  I have to say, it was four steps beyond complete awesomeness.

As you know, I live in Arizona.  And if you didn’t know, now you do.

We recently took a family vacation down to Tucson, and stayed at the Westward Look Resort.  If you ever get the opportunity to stay there, take it.  The place is beautiful.  Situated in the desert, you are surrounded by cacti, wildlife, and mountains.  It is also a very family friendly place, and there is always another family who has a kid that has worse behavior than yours.  Not that MY kid has bad behavior, and I am sure yours doesn’t either, but you get the picture.  The place loves families. 🙂

While down there, we visited a missile silo left over from the cold war.  We went because our son is six and we thought he would enjoy it.  Honestly, upon arrival, I was far more excited than he was.

This place was amazing.  Totally amazing.  The tour was given by one of the guys that actually worked there for umpteen years, showing up every day wondering if he was going to get the order to blow the world to smithereens.  Not a nice thought to go to work with everyday, if you ask me.  But you didn’t, so onward…

Our son also got to “turn the key” when they had a pretend run of launching the missile.  They  had almost all of the original computers in there.  I have to tell you, it looked liked the William Shatner version of Star Trek.  If you watch those shows now, you look at the sets and a whole lotta WTF starts flying around your brain.  It looks like something a first grader would come up with while playing with a marker and a bunch of boxes.

They could probably hold all the technology that this wall of computers held in something similar to an ipod.  Probably something even smaller.  Hey, I’m not a techie.  I’m just guessing.

To infinity and beyond! Oh, wait. Wrong movie...

 

As a writer I am always observing things around me.  When we completed the tour, I had a big fat smile on my face.  Seeing the silo had my brain working in overdrive.

Of course, my brain working on overdrive lead to a new series of books.  I am really, really excited by it, and hope you will be as well.

For now, I leave you with a picture of the bad ass missile sitting in its silo.

Totally bad ass. Let's hope we never have to launch anything even similar to this

Here is to experiences in life that leave you…

Carly