Bigfrog Weblog

News story:

PHOENIX -- A helicopter tour company said a man took off his seat belt, opened a door and intentionally fell to his death during a sightseeing flight over the Grand Canyon National Park Thursday.

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The man fell about 4,000 feet.

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Authorities say the cause of death won't be determined until the body is recovered from White's Butte.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the cause of death was sudden impact. Now, he could have had a heart attack mid air, but I really think smacking the ground at terminal velocity did him in.

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Posted by Steven Spencer at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's 12:45 am, and Suzy just called with an update. They're still on their way to the Reagan library. It's just 20 miles and they've been on the freeway for hours. Thousands have been lining up to see the former President in repose and there's no signs of it letting up at this late hour. Last I heard, there was a three hour wait to pay your respects.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 12:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Suzy, Tricia and Jen ran up the street this morning to catch a look at the motorcade as it sped its way to Simi Valley. They just caught it too, with minutes to spare.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 12:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Of course, one of the best ways to remember Ronald Reagan is his speeches. Whether it was remembering the veterans of Pointe du Hoc on the 40th anniversary of D-Day or the astronauts of the Space Shuttle Challenger, challenging the Soviet Union to tear down this wall or notifying America of his Alzheimer's, Reagan's words and legacy will live on.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 12:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wow. Vocabulary is a funny thing. I haven't thought of so many of these words in over a decade. Let's recount some popular words and phrases from the 1980's lest we forget the past:

• Ash heap of history (Reagan's prediction of where the Soviet Union would end up)
• Anti-nuclear protest
• Brandenburg Gate
• Cold War
• Détente
• East Germany
• Eastern Europe
• Iron Curtain
• Krelim
• Nuclear Armageddon
• Peacemaker (MX Missile)
• Perestroika
• Pershing (Short Range Nuclear Missile)
• Pravada (Soviet Newspaper meaning "Truth")
• Reichstag
• Solidarity (Polish Workers Movement)
• Soviet Union
• SS-20 (Soviet Nuclear Missiles)
• Star Wars (SDI - Strategic Defense Initiative)
• The Wall (Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!)
• Western Europe
• West Germany

Posted by Steven Spencer at 12:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Living just miles from Simi Valley and driving to Santa Monica on my daily commute, I was privileged to see this spontaneous tribute to Ronald Reagan and the motorcade that followed. Suzy and her siblings are in fact out in Simi Valley right now, lining up for the repose.

Reagan's presidency is the first I truly remember from my childhood. In the early years, nightmares of nuclear armageddon and Soviet invasion weren't uncommon for me. But Reagan was bold and steadfast in his belief that the Soviet Union was an evil empire and would not prevail. While others urged détente, Reagan went farther. It wasn't enough to get along, he wanted to win the Cold War. And because of the courage of his convictions, we all live in a safer world and hundreds of millions of people are free from the tyranny of Soviet domination and the Iron Curtain.

Thank you, Ronald Reagan. May you rest in peace.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 12:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Vincent turned two on Saturday, May 29th. His favorite word is "pizza", and his longest sentence is "daddy, I want cookie." He fears sprinklers but has no problem jumping off the edge into the swimming pool or watering the garden. He loves to laugh though he still screams at the top of his lungs when ignored. Tools and musical instruments are his passions. Barney and Elmo his favorite characters. He calls Katherine "Sissy" because Katherine is hard to say when you're two. When Katherine leaves the table, he finishes her plate. He offers food, but takes it away. He's a great kid. Happy birthday, Vince.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 12:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)