Moon Walker's Memories...

   July 24th, 1969...For those who were around back then, what were you doing when U.S. astronauts first set foot on the moon?  It was a different time, and family protocols were quite different from today.  That summer of '69, I was living at home with my parents and commuting to Kent State.  I was taking my first photography class during summer session and was quite thrilled to be getting on with what would eventually become a bachelor of science in photography. We photo students were the first ones who would be receiving the newly created Photo-Illustration degree at Kent State.  It was a summer of firsts that year. Oddly enough, it was the same kind of a weekend, though not quite so hot.  I was supposed to be shooting specific assignments in black and white film which I would have ready to develop and print in my Monday photo lab class.  Sounds simple enough, but as usual Murphy's Law is always in effect at Johnson House.  My mother's cousin came up from southern Ohio for the family reunion.  He with his wife and 4 children stayed at our house.  We only had one bathroom, so the logistics for so many people was a bit tough, but we all managed.  I surrendered my bedroom for the sleepover to a few of the girls, and the boys slept in our finished recreation room downstairs.  Their parents slept in the guestroom.  Seems to me that somebody slept on the couch, too.  I remember going to stay with a friend for the weekend.  After all the family visiting and the reunion was over my mother's cousin was still wanting to see the astronauts land on the moon.  We waited and waited, then finally they landed.  So, the cousin rounded up all his sleeping children and they headed back to southern Ohio.  So much for that, but I still had an assignment to shoot.  My mother was adamant that I was not to do homework until our guests left.  The photo assignment I was to have ready for my Monday class was that of a time exposure night shot with no flash for lighting.  It was well after 1AM by that point.  Mom helped me out by going down to Lake Anna in the center of my hometown of Barberton where I could photograph her walking our dog by the lights around the lake.  It was an eerie scene when we arrived at the lake.  Being summer, all windows were open in the homes that encircled the lake.  An unearthly blue glow eminated from each home from all the televisions, and you could hear the continued broadcast of the moon landing all over town.  Everyone was glued to their television sets watching history being made.  Everyone except for one guy who was sitting at the lake fishing.  He couldn't have cared less about the moon landing.  My mother and I found that incredibly funny and could hardly stop laughing for the pure craziness of it all.  So, I got my shot of mom and the dog, then we hopped into the car to head for home.  Mission accomplished.  Men on the moon, check...cousins visited and sent home, check...photo assignment for Monday photo lab done, check.   The astronauts did a much better job with their photo assignment than I did with mine, but hey, I got better as time went on.  I've often wondered if the fisherman at the lake actually caught anything that night.  So, here's to the curmudgeons out there.  Catch one for me, and we'll keep you posted on any late breaking news events!