1977-01-01 - Westminster, CA - Disk

There were two ships, saucer shaped, silver grey..like pewter, soundless, drifting over our neighborhood like silent boats on the water

My mother and I were returning from grocery shopping one evening. It wasn't too late, being a school night.

From a distance, my mother and I thought that it was a blimp preparing for an emergency landing. When we drove closer, we realized it was actually two ships. They were larger than cars, maybe 15 or 20 feet radius. They looked like what you would see in a Hollywood movie: disk-like or saucer shaped. The center seemed more spherical. They reminded me of pewter or stainless steel - a dull shine. There were lights going around the outer edge, although now, we can not agree on the color. The lights did not shine down on anything. I didn't see any seams, doors or windows. I remember getting out of the car and thinking that it was all true...all the reports that had been made at that time of sightings in our city.

The two ships were just above the two-story homes in the neighborhood. They made no sound. I remember only hearing the strange buzz of our street lamp. It seemed like one ship was following the other, just above our street, just above roof level.

At first, I got the impression that they were trying to hide from us...they went down one street, them came back into our view...maybe they knew we saw them and came for a closer look at us.

I had run into the house and got my father, then the three of us were now out standing on our front lawn with our dog. The two ships slowly rotated, or maybe the lights were revolving around their perimeter. I took a step forward, thinking I would be one of the first humans to meet these visitors...but my father said, "Stay right where you are." And being only 13, I did. I wasn't afraid, but the tone in my father's voice scared me.

We watched as the ships slowly went down the street, one following the other. They were over the elementary school I had attended, and for a moment I thought that perhaps they would land there. But the leader seemed to move forward - like a slight pull or jerk - and then shot off to the right with a streak! of white light. The the second one did the same thing. They were gone.

We went into the house with our groceries, and I wanted to call the newspaper, or maybe the police...My mother looked very concerned and my father just said no. He didn't want anyone to think that we were a bunch of nuts.

The next day, at school, I told my science teacher what I had seen. He listened respectfully, since I wasn't the type of kid to be speaking up and never known to lie. After a few minutes I kept asking him what could fly like that, without sound or air movement or anything...just gliding along like a boat on water. Of course he said there wasn't anything and then I could tell he didn't believe me and some of my friends were looking at me kind of funny....so, I knew what my father meant..."Some kind of nut."
But it really happened and it certainly peaked my interest in science, especially astronomy.

I now teach Math and Science courses at the high school level. I tell my story to my students....but only on Halloween and April Fool's Day....after all, I don't want them or my principal thinking I'm some kind of nut.


((NUFORC Note: Witness indicates that date is approximate. PD))