The Great American Eclipse of 2017

What did you think of the Eclipse?solar eclipse

What were you doing and where were you when the Great American Eclipse took place Monday? It was billed as a once in a lifetime event but that’s not really true. America was treated to a solar eclipse 38 years ago on February 26, 1979. The difference between then and now is that the path of totality in 1979 was the Pacific Northwest. This one is called The Great American Eclipse because it can only be seen in the US. It started over Oregon and ended near Charleston, SC.

Path of Totality

Starting around 10 am local time in Oregon it traveled across the US at an amazing 1700 mph. The whole thing was over in about 1.5 hours. Kentucky experienced most of the action with the sun blocked out for around two minutes and 41 seconds. We only got a partial eclipse here in Massachusetts but it was still very interesting. In fact I found I was much more excited when I actually saw it than in thinking about it.

partial eclipseI wish I Could Have a “Do Over”

I didn’t get excited about the eclipse until about the week before. After a mad scramble I got my hands on some glasses. But it was on the whale watch Sunday that I really figured out how I messed up. I was in the office hard at work through the whole eclipse. Well most of it anyway. I did step out for part of it. But the office is surrounded by trees so the viewing area is a bit obscured. Lots of people from other offices were watching.  I should have taken the day off and gone out on a boat trip. Talk about a wide open view!

Amazing World of Technology

I made sure that I wasn’t too left out even if I was stuck in the office. NASA, Facebook, U Tube were just a few of the online sources for viewing. I could watch the moon taking a bite out of the sun in Oregon! Isn’t technology amazing?

Next Time

The next solar eclipse that is going to cover America is April 8, 2024. April can be cloudy and chilly. No guarantee I’ll be able to get any better views then. Best to make the most of this one. I would love to see a Total eclipse now that I’ve gotten a taste of a partial. What about you?

A Mix of Sun and Laundry

On the ride back from Holiday Park the sky opened up again. The rain that had been holding off came down in buckets. By the time we pulled up in front of the resort it was raining so hard that I was once again soaked to the skin before I could cross the street. This was starting to get habit forming!

Once again I arrived dripping wet at the Purple Penguin. It was raining so hard that they had closed the patio and meals were being served in the combination lobby restaurant. I didn’t care. The staff was starting to recognize me, at least when I was wet. I’m not sure they would if I was dry and put together.

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My afternoon was quiet just hanging out in my room with a book.

But finally Wednesday dawned sunny and warm! By 9 am it was already in the 80’s.

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This is what I’ve been waiting for. I’m hoping some lazy sun on the beach will toast out my cold.

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One other housekeeping item that I took care of mid day was my laundry. Now you may wonder what was news worthy about doing laundry but I assure you it was the most interesting laundry experience I’ve ever had.

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The public laundromat was several blocks away from the resort so I took a cab over. The facility was the usual except it looked like it had just suffered a roof leak as water stains were evident on the ceilings and walls. As you can imagine it was all local folks and Spanish was the dominant language.  I located a machine, tossed in my things and located a chair to wait out the wash cycle.

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As I was sitting there minding my own business a tall, attractive woman came in. She found a machine, added her bundle of clothing but then she started stripping. Off came her shirt, then her pants, she was down to her undies and clearly debating if she could take those off. As she stood there fingering the waistband of her panties one of the attendants came over and sprayed her with Lysol! Instead of being offended, the woman just ignored it. I don’t know what was being said because it was all in Spanish.

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Apparently whatever was said convinced the woman not to strip further and she took a seat a couple of chairs away from me. Soon after another attendant brought over some shorts and a T shirt. Apparently from the lost and found/abandoned clothing bin. She handed them over and the woman put them on.

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If she was embarrassed she didn’t give any sign of it. It was like it was the most natural thing in the world to sit there in her underwear! I suppose it was no worse than a bikini on the beach but I admit, I was surprised.

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I am guessing that she was one of the homeless people that seem to be everywhere. It’s quite the contrast with the high class “beautiful people” parading up and down Ocean Drive and the homeless sitting on benches and napping in the park.