ECLIPSE Then & Now
Ptownpapa
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It's July 20 1963 - I and my college friends are in a small town in Maine. We drove up from Brooklyn College to see the eclipse.
On a farm with the old farmer and his pre teen grandson, he was the picture of hospitality, we had landed very early after sunrise and
he let us nap in his home. As H hour approached he, the farmer, came out of his house with a hand full of over exposed X-Rays
he had from his surgery. Sweet, sweet man. I know his grandson will take after him, sharp kid, he hinted that his job was to keep and eye on Grandpa. The eclipse was, as advertised, amazing, I can still close my eyes and see it. What came after though is what changed my view of the world. I was born in Brooklyn and my first few years were housed in a third floor walk up under the EL on
Brighton Beach Avenue. We moved to a street with 3 trees in Coney Island. ECLIPSE As the moon moved on the sun came out and it was dawn. Something I had never heard about or heard physically happened - the Dawn Chorus - as every bird in the world woke up and said good morning. I burst into tears. Where did all these birds come from? I saw a few flying around, but there were at least a million singing. 'nuff said. I and MJ moved to a small town to put down roots and raise a family - our children and grannys call this HOME.
Comments
Blackbird,first thing in the morning.Nothing like it.1963.If I can remember,I seemed to spend a lot of my time in pubs.Memories.Take dare
Sorry.........care
@Ptownpapa Thank you for sharing your touching description of 1963 eclipse.
Ptownpapa, what a great memory. Thank You for sharing
. I hope you have been writing all these magical memories down for your grandkids and their kids and so on. I gave my mother (1919 - 2003) some notebooks so she could write about growing up for my son. When my grandson is born in June, I will be writing down memories for him. I wish my Grandma (1884 - 1973) and Grandpa (1885 - 1967) had done that. Memories are too precious to lose and, I hope, the future generations will appreciate our memories of events, feelings, and thoughts.
April 8th 2024 -- All clouds.. very very dark..very very cool!
I was fortunate enough to see my first totality in 2017 as it began on US soil in Lincoln City, OR. To describe the event is beyond me other than that it was spiritually surreal. It felt like it was outside of time for me. I had planned to travel to the area of totality this time but I badly broke my ankle (margaritas at 3 am and dancing on the slippery kitchen floor in wool socks...not a good combination and ends up with your foot on literally sideways and off the end of your leg) and still can't walk. We had to cancel our plans to go. Now I won't get the opportunity to see another one until 2044 when I'm 80. Hopefully I'll live that long. LOL
I quote "Margaritas at 3 am and dancing on the slippery kitchen floor in wool socks...not a good combination" AND add "at the tender age of 60" - never stop dancing @AnniePanny - Enjoy every day - Xmas 2005 my grand ladies signed the cast on my right leg - well one was old enough to sign the little one scribbled - the cast was in red and white candy stripes, saved the signed section, and a good time was had by all. This was my second total eclipse and if I'm 81 after my debauched, merry, joyful, and sometimes not so pleasant time on this earth I think you can make it too. Yes, an eclipse makes you wonder - how have we Homo not so Sapiens managed to almost wreck this clockwork planet - and Mother Earth keeps on ticking. Gaea doesn't need us. Keep smiling and playing Greenfelt.
My second eclipse; I too traveled to totality in 2017. This time to Indianapolis, where we are fortunate to have friends living in the 2024 path. We ambled out to the driveway to see it. The attachment is my best shot (iPhone handheld). That's Venus to the lower right of the sun / moon during totality. Also saw Jupiter, but not the comet, through high thin clouds.
@Ptownpapa — in 1963 I was living in MD. Did my darnedest to convince my mother that we needed to take a week in Maine. My plan was to watch it unfold from the top of Cadillac Mountain in Bar Harbor. We didn't get to Maine, though.
@Ptownpapa I'm also 60. It's not a good look for us, no? LOL I've been cut out of my cast now and am in a walking boot although I'm not allowed to actually walk yet. Maybe early next month. I have enough hardware in my ankle and leg to open a Home Depot and can just about pick up AM radio. The worst part about this is that I broke the same ankle exactly 10 years ago this year. I shudder to think what will happen to it in another 10 years. LOL
@zudensternen - TNX for the shot. Nice memory
@AnniePanny - the best fun is TSA - play on