THE ECLIPSE of 2017

August 21, 2017

A moment like this happens once in a blue moon...

 Our home was to be in totality for the eclipse. We were so excited and I read so much about what to expect. We had friends over, made homemade t-shirts and had a fabulous party. The whole experience was very special to me! 

Safety eyewear ready to go! Pictured: Four of our kids and five friends!

I had no idea that the colors and contrast, the detail and structure of the eclipse, well, that image is beyond reproduction. When you see it on TV or in pictures, it's NOT the same thing. I was shocked that there is not really a true representation of it as it is seen in person. It was truly shocking! It was jaw dropping. I felt amazed and it was truly spectacular. I had read previously from eclipse chasers that once you see your first full eclipse you immediately want to know how you can do it again. Where, when, and how...

This was proven true for everyone in our group. What surprised also was how unlike dusk it got. As the replication of evening unfolded all around me, it did indeed become dusky. There is a sunset that spans 360 degrees. But it was a weird Sci-fi type of dusk. A glowing dimming experience that can't really be explained. Another descriptor I had read was that it is a "Sci-fi like" experience, but I failed to fully understand that too, until it was me standing under the enormous sky looking around in awe. 

Birds did fly off weirdly like 'they' said they would. Our ducks came all at once to the exact place where they bed down to at night. They sensed an urgency to bed down quickly as it became not only darker much earlier but also at a faster pace than they were accustomed too. Shadows of the disappearing moon appeared on everything.

Shadows of the crescent moon danced up the walkway to our home

Each hole in my colander was a tiny crescent moon reflected onto the paper! So beautiful! 

It was spectacular. I will see it again. I will do this again. I must. When the moon covered the sun it was breathtaking. I for sure thought three minutes of totality would seem much, much longer than it did. It doesn't look like any of the high quality pictures or videos that are available. And.... it was over faster than I expected.

The kids and Ricky loved it as well. Everyone did, and it was so much fun! We have video of our crowds reactions and that is really cool. I had read not to waste much (if any) time recording or photographing it. It would be hard to get a very good image unless you really knew what you were doing, and it would not look the same anyway even if you had the experience. Some of the best advice we got from a scientist online was that if you do anything then video people's reactions. That's where the special moments will really be captured. It was so true! We have a great video of oohing and ahhing and excitement! There is also a clip of me as the moon breaks away from the sun thus ending its totality. I'm stunned at how fast it happens. Immediately you need your glasses again. Immediately everything brightens. It's like slow but fast. It's weird. So, I'm totally geeking out on the video. I even choke up with tears a little because it's so dang beautiful and its such an amazing thing. Lastly, I have a video clip of Sebastian (9)  immediately inquiring in a dumb founded way as he literally trips over words in wonder and amazement, "Mom... Hey, Mom...um, how often does, I mean when can I see this again?"   Immediately the words repeat in my head that I had read three says ago:

             Once you see totality you want to know how you can possibly see it again. 

This is picture is totally how hard of a dork I actually am!