There are moments that don’t just happen…
they echo.
Watching Artemis II rise—fire, thunder, defiance—did something to me. Not just awe. Memory.
The kind that sneaks up quietly, like morning light across still water.
Suddenly, I wasn’t watching a rocket.
I was a kid again… standing on the observation deck at T. F. Green Airport—
or as everyone who knew better in the 60’s called it… Hillsgrove.
No security lines.
No shoes in bins.
No suspicious looks because you brought snacks (Mom always brought snacks).
Just park the car. Walk up. Climb the stairs. Look out.
And wait.
Back then, watching planes take off wasn’t a delay—it was the event.
For my sisters and me, it might as well have been Disneyland…
minus the admission fee, the lines, the overpriced hot dogs, and the stuffed animals you didn’t need but absolutely needed.
Just sky.
Sound.
Anticipation.
And maybe that’s where it started—
this quiet fascination with things that take flight.
So this morning, like any completely rational, not-at-all-obsessed photographer, I set out with a mission:
Capture liftoff.
No rockets available.
No boarding passes.
Just Canonchet Lake … and a very unsuspecting participant.
Enter:
The Canada Goose.
Big.
Bulky.
Opinionated.
Basically, Artemis with feathers.
T-minus 10 seconds
He turns into the wind.
You can almost see the calculations. Aerodynamics. Intent. Mild annoyance.
T-minus 5 seconds
Quick scan—branches, sky traffic, water clearance.
This is not amateur hour.
Ignition
And then—chaos.
A full-throttle sprint across the water like he just remembered he left the stove on.
Wings flailing with the urgency of a man being chased by something large and deeply motivated.
Splashing.
Flapping.
Honking like a horn section that missed rehearsal.
Graceful?
Not exactly.
Effective?
Oh, absolutely.
Because in a matter of seconds—
against all appearances of improbability—
he lifts.
And just like that…
Hillsgrove.
Mom’s snacks.
Observation decks.
Rocket launches.
Goose takeoffs.
All part of the same story.
The quiet thrill of watching something
refuse to stay grounded.
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