Did you see the eclipse?
The NY Times acrostic last week had this sentence from Tyler Nordgren's book, Sun, Moon, Earth;
Suddenly the sun's sickle of light breaks apart into brilliant specks that dance along the moon's jet-black rim. They are called Bailys beads, the last rays of the vanishing sun streaming along the curved lunar surface.
I didn't see that. I went up to our roof with my neighbors and it was very cool, but only partial.
My brother Rob lives in Burlington, VT, right in the path of totality, and he's a terrific photographer so I knew he'd record the whole thing.
He did not disappoint! Well, he never does.
He was a press photographer for many years and says he's never had what I think may be a struggle for photographers--do I concentrate on getting the shot or do I enjoy the moment? I think he managed to do both.
What he told me about it sounds amazing and other worldly; all the bugs came out--especially mosquitos! Coyotes were heard howling and as the sun re-emerged roosters crowed. I wish I could have been there.
I think this is the South Hero Fire Department.
Apparently everybody actually went there- Vermont had 160,000 visitors just for that three minutes and they all left at once, so that all highways out of the area turned into parking lots.
I'm grateful for the special glasses that enabled us all to gaze safely, provided by the Simons Foundation.
You can read more and see a video at https://www.inthepathoftotality.org
the Sunday before the big day we sang a new hymn at church with these lines;
"the Moon sustains the blessing
The Sun sustains the cheer."
I don't know what it means either, but I like it.
Here's what's on my drawing table today; a giraffe for two Ginny's.
