It was a glorious day and it didn't rain! Blue sky, fluffy white clouds, about 90 degrees (Fahrenheit for those of you in North Korea).
The almost bad news:
I almost slept through the eclipse.
As usual, I didn't sleep last night. I felt really crappy this morning so I crashed on my bed, for what I hoped would only be an hour. I wound up sleeping until about 1:15 in the afternoon. The eclipse was supposed to begin around 1:30 (I'm not sure exactly).
I quickly pulled on my boots, grabbed my El Cheapo camera, and ran outside (I was only wearing underwear - - boots and Fruit of the Looms).
I was very groggy and didn't know what the hell I was doing (my usual self...). So I just stood there, watching the light disappear, and snapping a few haphazard photos.
What I noticed the most was how eerie everything was. Almost spooky. Complete silence at first - no birds or animals. The temperature dropped noticeably.
As it got darker, the neighboring roosters started to crow - just like they do every morning before dawn.
Also, all of the nocturnal insects began chirping and buzzing in the woods.
There are loads of insect noises here at night - not only crickets but also lots of other mystery bugs.
The darkness didn't last long, only a few minutes - - but the eerie feeling lingered a long time.
My photos are uninteresting, really, but I'll post them anyway.
This is my back yard today before the eclipse - bright and sunny.
Just as the eclipse was starting. It was difficult taking pictures, because I never looked directly at the sun. I merely pointed the camera in the direction of the sun.
Strangely enough, my photos don't seem to reveal any blockage of the sun, even though it was dark when I took them.
....and when the eclipse was ending...
My cat Scratch (Kitzee) was unconcerned
Great photos, Jon! Very similar to what I experienced here in central Ca., but 3 hours earlier (time zones) through a pinhole projector. Took no photos but felt temperature drop to 65F. The air turned golden, like an autumn morning, and a lovely wind came up. Now it's about 6:15p.m. and overcast --this is rare!--and rain is predicted. Thanks for sending some this way!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing Jon, beautiful pictures. It looks like just another cloudy rainy day here in south Alabama. It didn't turn any darker than it usably do when it rains. Well maybe next time I will see it get dark. Oh did they say again in 2045? Ha. Take care. Jean
ReplyDeletea gallant effort, underwear and all. you captured it perfectly. we had 90% totality here. it lasted long enough for a thunderstorm to roll in and roll back out so we could see the beginning and later the ending.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Kitzee. You did get some nice pictures.
ReplyDeleteIt was cloudy here. Got darker, but I wasn't sure if it was clouds or eclipse--LOL! Uneventful for me and Annie. You did catch some eerie pictures. Was much more obvious your way. Today--sunny, of course. LOL! ;)
ReplyDeleteI wasn't about to get out of bed at 7:30 in the morning to try and peer through the clouds and rain. I'm actually not even sure how visible the eclipse would have been here in Alaska. I think its interesting how the insects and animals reacted. You did get some nice pictures but I'm with Jean - maybe in 2045.
ReplyDeleteI'd say you captured some pretty good shots of this short event. We sat on a hilltop at my friends farm and the sky turned somewhat darker, but more orange than anything else. Mars is what came to mind. Boots and fruit of the looms - hahaha, that is funny !
ReplyDeleteBoots, Fruit of the Looms and a camera ... love it! :)
ReplyDeleteYour account of the animals and insects reactions is fascinating. Wonderful images!
Jon,
ReplyDeleteI was able to see a partial eclipse just as I arrived at work. Someone had those special glasses. It was cool to look at the partial eclipse. Pat also saw the partial eclipse. He said it was still light out but a different kind of light. Like a movie set light. Light but not quite authentic light. Eeerie.
Ron
I honestly find eclipses creepy. Once there was a partial eclipse and nobody told me there was going to be one. I just noticed that although it was a bright sunny day, everything was getting darker and darker...I thought I was going blind or dying....
ReplyDelete....(managed to hit Publish before finishing this uninteresting story). Naturally I glanced at the sun and the after image had a semi circular slice out of it. I realised by then. And after that it started getting lighter again. The weird thing was I hadn't heard it would be happening, however to be fair to the media, I rarely watched the news in those days or read the papers.
ReplyDeleteI agree that eclipses are creepy and unnerving. Even thought I knew what was happening, I felt like something was going wrong with my eyesight.
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