You think I'm interesting like the apocalypse

[sovay]

At our local maximum moment, I was standing on the corner beside a postal worker who had a cyber-stack of sunglasses but not eclipse glasses proper, so we passed my ISO-certified pair back and forth to watch the sun fine itself down to a rind of hot hunter's moon and commiserated on the celestial mechanics that would keep us out of the path of another solar eclipse for thirty-five years unless we traveled for it. 93% moon-shadowed sun produced the strange smoked light I remembered from seven years ago, the chorus of confused birds twittering including the dawn-notes of mourning doves. The quad behind us was filled with Tufts students eclipse-bathing. I wore my garum T-shirt for the immemorial occasion.



I had meant to photograph this tree since I walk past it on a regular basis and the slightly thickened light of the oncoming eclipse seemed a better time than most.



I wish I could have gotten a picture of the slivered sun through my glasses, but my camera was not up to the nuance. It is more important that I stood and saw it myself.

I returned home to find my secondhand first edition of Theodore Strauss' Moonrise (1946) had arrived in library-worthy condition, illustrated endpapers and all. I had never seen a picture of the author. He looked like he could have been modeling for his own protagonist. Hestia immediately did her best to assume ownership of the new object on my desk by lying down on it. I have heard from both my father and rushthatspeaks that their northward quests after the corona were successful.

Comments

[asakiyume]

My son got to totality, too, and said it was very moving <3

I loved our 93.8 percent occlusion. The local school kids jumped off the bus, whipped out their glasses, and looked at the sun. The college kids across the way had out a colander. My neighbor walking her dog had no glasses, so I lent her mine. "HOLY MOLY!!" she exclaimed. It was very satisfying ^__^ My other neighbor was wearing an eclipse sweatshirt that said "Hello darkness my old friend."

Eclipse bathing is a feat given that the temperature went down quite a bit. It was chilly!

And the sky reminded me of the sky when Canada's in wildfire--in terms of cast and eeriness.

[sovay]

My son got to totality, too, and said it was very moving

I'm so glad. It has always sounded gorgeous and uncanny. I would like to see a total eclipse in my life, but this was not a week I could road-trip.

The local school kids jumped off the bus, whipped out their glasses, and looked at the sun. The college kids across the way had out a colander. My neighbor walking her dog had no glasses, so I lent her mine. "HOLY MOLY!!" she exclaimed. It was very satisfying

I loved how our neighborhood was suddenly full of people wandering, collecting, looking up. Sharing eclipse glasses with strangers or neighbors feels like the way to do it. My niece's school kept everyone late as a field trip and provided glasses.

My other neighbor was wearing an eclipse sweatshirt that said "Hello darkness my old friend."

Oh, please, the next time you see them, tell them how much I approve.

And the sky reminded me of the sky when Canada's in wildfire--in terms of cast and eeriness.

Yes. Snuffed, smoky, dimmed in a clear sky. Nothing more than the movements of shadow and gravity. I love it.