Total Eclipse of The Sun (August 21, 2017)

August 21, 2017. Total Eclipse of the Sun. Just uttering those five words conjures up eerie images of day turning to night, stars popping out in the sky, dramatic drops in temperature, and unexplainable changes in the atmosphere. For a brief moment, birds start to roost and insects begin to chirp as they sense this odd temporal shift.  The possibility of actually witnessing this once in a lifetime occurrence was beyond thrilling! And the possibility was certainly there. Parts of the western United States were situated in the path of totality, and in the summer when skies were more likely to be clear. My sisters and I started plans to gather for this remarkable event several years in advance, and finally settled on Silverton, Oregon for our viewing location. Located 70 miles east of the coast, we were banking on no fog or overcast, and keeping our fingers crossed for no clouds or rain. We made our reservations at the Silver Spur RV Park nine months in advance, and started counting down the days.

In preparation for the gathering, I sent each of my sisters a Total Eclipse preparation kit consisting of a pair of star glasses (not to be confused with protective glasses to be worn when sun gazing), a pair of celestial themed socks, and a packet of sunflower seeds to plant in the Spring. Hopefully the seeds would sprout, grow to maturity, and produce sunflowers to bring to the event. With all the preparations made, all we could do now was wait for the time to come, and monitor the weather.

The morning of August 21^st dawned clear and bright, with only a few wispy early morning clouds that were gone shortly after sunrise. The eclipse timeline began at 9:05 a.m., with totality at 10:18, and completion by 11:37. By 8:30 a.m. me, my sisters, our husbands, and kids set ourselves up outside and awaited the Big Event. We drank mimosas, put on the theme music from The Cosmos, and dawned both our protective glasses and our fun glittery star glasses. We began gazing at the sky, first with curiosity, then with fascination, and finally, at totality, with emotions ranging from delight, to elation, to euphoria.

The totality lasted 1 minute, 54 seconds. When the sun started to emerge from totality, and the tiniest sliver of the sun emerged, there was a burst of light in my field of vision, and for a moment I couldn’t figure out what happened, or where the light was coming from. While staring at the sun in all it’s blacked out magnificence, time seemed to stand still, and I couldn’t believe almost two minutes had passed in what felt like the blink of an eye.

Dan took several pictures during the totality, and of the festivities leading up to it. This was truly a magical event, and I feel so fortunate I was able to witness this incredible celestial show. We are already talking about the next Total Eclipse of the Sun in the U.S., April 8, 2024, cutting a path from Texas to Maine.

I’ll let these pictures tell the rest of the story. 

Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

As many times as we’ve been to San Francisco, it wasn’t until August 2017 we finally got around to riding our bikes through Golden Gate Park. Created in the 1870’s from sand and shore dunes known as the Outside Lands, the park drew its name from nearby Golden Gate Strait. This large urban park covers 1,017 acres of public grounds, and is similar in shape, but 20 percent larger than Central Park in New York, to which it is often compared. It is over three miles long east to west, and about half a mile wide north to south. With 13 millions annual visitors, Golden Gate is the 5^th most-visited city park in the United States.

Aside from the natural beauty and coastal environment of the park, there is something for everyone here. Home to the De Young Museum, Academy of Sciences, Japanese Tea Garden, Conservatory of Flowers, Botanical Garden, lakes, Bison Paddock, windmills, Hippie Hill, and numerous walking paths and bike lanes. We even saw a motor home with a garden growing on it's roof! we took our time riding through the park, taking pictures, and soaking up the good vibes.