Total Eclipse

The total solar eclipse was the most spectacular thing I think I have ever witnessed. It definitely surpassed my expectations! We tried out the eclipse glasses and box viewer as it was starting, and pretty much threw the box away. The glasses were way better!

Then we headed to a friend's house close by for an eclipse BBQ. What a cool thing to experience with friends! A crafty mom made these plate headbands to keep glasses on the kids. Kinda funny looking, but they worked!

 Everyone was counting down the final minutes until totality.

And the grown-ups had a local, special brew to celebrate the occasion, too.

I only had my iPhone, so I couldn't get any really great pictures of the eclipse itself, but this one gives you an idea of darkness settling in for two minutes just before noon. It was so eerily quiet that we could hear other neighbors cheering as the lights dimmed and stars came out. I didn't expect it to get so cold either (I had to get a blanket from the car in August!), but it definitely gave me a new appreciation for the sun and its light and warmth! So grateful we had a clear day, too. If you look closely, you can see the dark spot in the middle of the sun, which is the moon. During totality, we had to take off our glasses to actually see the eclipse, and it was like something out of a sci-fi movie. So indescribably beautiful!

This shot was taken by a friend with a fancy camera and lens filter. Isn't it incredible? You can even see solar flares at 1 and 3 o'clock. What an amazing world we live in! Watch out 2024, we might just travel for another one.