April 8 Eclipse

Here's the first look through our special eclipse glasses at the start of the solar eclipse today.  This was a big one, although we only got 80% coverage where we were at, much of the country got to see the spectacular event that we saw in totality back in 2017.  It started around 1:41, and the maximum coverage for us was about 3:06pm.  Maddie was at school during this time, but the school actually let all the students outside to watch, even giving them all eclipse glasses to view the event.  Meanwhile, Mom and I set up a few chairs on the back deck and put on some glasses our neighbors gave us, and just looked up.  Another thing I wanted to try was the colander trick, where you see the eclipse through the light pouring through each hole of a colander.

 Here's the colander shadow early on in the eclipse, where you can see a little bit of coverage.  But here's the colander later on, closer to 3pm:

You can really see the eclipse there, projected downwards on that 8X10 sheet of paper.  Lots of little eclipses.  Of course, that wasn't needed to see the eclipse - all you needed was a pair of those glasses.

And here's Maddie looking up at the eclipse as it was fading away.  She joined us at the back porch to look up at the retreating moon.

We took a few pictures of the event through the glasses, pretty much the only way you can see it.

And of course, while wearing the glasses, you can't see a thing other than the sun.

Here's an interesting shot of the sun without the filter.  The reflection was interesting there, a mini-eclipse reflected in the glass somehow.

Mom and I sat out there on the back deck as the skies grew darker, an eerie surreal sort of environment.  I could see the wavelengths again, vibrations in the air like something you'd see in the desert when looking at a mirage.  The neighborhood grew quiet, the birds and animals growing more silent as things got dimmer.

We didn't have total coverage where we were, but it got pretty close.  And this is the last time it will be this close for quite some time here.  We're talking decades, so it's a pretty special occurrence, although it just happened a few years ago for us in totality.  

This was taken during the eclipse.  When things were dim and quiet, a mockingbird came up for some food.  The sun is over 70% blocked by this point, so it's an interesting lighting.  The bird seems to be looking upwards, although I know he's checking us out as we share the same deck space.

It's an amazing atmosphere during the eclipse.  There's this silence that just begins to envelop the area, an eerie feeling that something is off.  It's amazing, and I'm glad we had good weather to see it again.  I'm glad Maddie got to see it especially, as I knew she was at school today.

This picture was taken at 3:06pm, so it's the max our area got here.  Again, we saw the totality back in 2017, and it was unforgettable.  I would like to see it again someday, I suppose, but we'll have to travel somewhere far off to see it.  As is, this was pretty awesome, and we did get our chance a few years back.

The rest of the day was good today - Maddie had her taekwondo practice, and that went well.  She was sparring with one of the instructors, and trying to master her form, sort of reteaching her muscle memory some new steps early on.  Afterwards, we went to the grocery store to pick up a few things, such as my prescription, key lime pie ingredients and some ice cream for later.  

Maddie had homework tonight, but we had time for the next movie in our Apefest!  We watched "Escape from the Planet of the Apes" tonight, and it's a time travel movie unlike any other.  It's wild seeing things as they were in the 70's like that, and of course the movie itself is quite different from the others.  The ending is bleak, again.  But soon the apes will start getting the upper hand again, and things are going to shift towards a brighter future.  Hopefully!  We'll see when we continue tomorrow with "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes."  

We closed the night out with reading from our book, and then saying our prayers.  Its as a good day today, with a memorable view in the sky.