What have you done since High School?

" well, not much...just walked on the moon!"  That's a response that Neil Armstrong could've given at a high school reunion, but after reading his authorized biography, First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong by James R. Hansen, it's a safe bet that he wouldn't. 

Neil being a much private person, didn't care for publicity or the lime light and even fought off paparazzi. Yes, those flashbulb popping, rag reporters even went after astronauts. Given his propensity for privacy, it's astonishing that he'd authorize a biography of himself at all. But thankfully he did.

We learned quite alot about this man, this pioneer, this brave American from reading this book back in January 2010.  Can you imagine standing on the moon and looking back at earth? (Wondering, how in the heck am I going to get back there?!).  One can only imagine the feeling of taking that first step, that first step not on a country foreign to us all, but an entirely different planet!!!

How many of us remember the actual date of this legendary moon walk?

Did you know there are very few photos of Neil on the moon? For no apparent reason, his time spent strolling the moon surface wasn't photographed  as much as we think. Why? Well he was holding the camera most of the time. And one of the most famous photos of all isn't actually him. It's Buzz Aldrin. 

James R. Hansen, finely detailed 700 + page book, teaches us less about the final frontier and more about the man who 'cared more about flying to the moon, then walking on it'.

With the passing of Mr. Armstrong on Saturday, many tributes and rememberances have poured in, however here's one that tops them all... - - - on a clear night when you see the moon smiling back at you, think of Neil and give him a wink.

http://www.winkatthemoonnight.com/