Walking along the ocean this morning Francine and I were treated to the most wonderful and unexpected sight. The space shuttle Endeavor, atop a giant 747, appeared in the distance, circled around us at low altitude, and then flew south over Monterey bay. I could almost count the heat shield tiles as they went by.

I was surprised by how truly moved and inspired I was at the sight. Perhaps the chills I felt as they cruised by so close to us came from a feeling of pride in the achievements of my species (allowing me to forget for a moment my usual, less complimentary view of humanity). I was so moved I could barely handle my phone to get a picture. Although I wound up with mostly images of the sidewalk and the empty sky, I did get one of the shuttle approaching in the distance, which I cropped and enlarged to have a reminder of this amazing, unexpected experience.