The good and the bad of mankind ...

This may be a little philosophical for a vacation blog but consider the following. When we were in Springfield, IL (Tuesday if your keeping track) we were in a Harley dealership (so what's new) and a fellow Harley driver heard David telling the manager that we were on the way to the West coast, he was writing in the afternoon, blah blah-blah, blah blah-blah. In telling them what we were doing David mentioned that he liked to write listening to music. So, this guy goes to the repair shop and asked them to lower his bike off the lift and he gets out three CDs of the best blues and jazz music. He gives them to David to listen to while writing. Don't know his name and will never see him again but enjoy his music every time we write or to go to sleep. That is the good we have seen. Today, however, is the example of the bad. Today we went to the Memorial Museum for the Murry Building that was blown apart on April 19, 1995 at 9:02 a.m. It may be one of the most sobering moments of our lives walking through this interactive memorial. From the time you walk off the elevator on the third floor of the museum to the field of chairs just south of the reflecting pool, it was a gut wrenching tour. On that day the evilness of man was on full display. But, right behind it, the spirit and good will of all men came to the rescue. You could not attend such a moving place without tears. But you could not leave the place without seeing the goodness of man overcome his lessor evil counterpart. Let Freedom Ring ... but, it rings at a high price. (We are enjoying our day. Today was just for the above visit and completing a new chapter in the book. Another one down and 8 to go. The good news is the publisher we stopped to see yesterday sent an email back and had finished the latest manuscript asking when David was ready to accept an offer on publishing the book!! What a great vacation.)