Frusturated at the eclipse

[phantasm]

I bought a pair of good eclipse glasses several days ago. So, I went to a park not far from my apartment complex with a chair and a couple of mochas from Starbucks. Staked out a decent spot at the park. But I was almost completely alone. What few people were there, took off eventually. I wore a baseball cap and a light jacket for extra protection. I just kinda chilled for a while, at first. I got there really, really early. I drank my mochas in anticipation. I would look up extremely at the sky once in a while, briefly, to find the sun, only to find the eclipse hadn't quite hit yet. 

One of these times I saw that it was just beginning. I cast my eyes down, whipped off my glasses and put on my eclipse glasses. Found the sun, nodded my head, thinking, "Cool." Then I just stared off at the landscape around for for a few minutes. Every few minutes I'd look up and look for the sun again. Sometimes I could find it. But other times I couldn't. It was overcast as fuck here where I live in PA. My town was not in the path of totality. We're too close to the Mason-Dixon line. We caught approx. 90%. 

It might have been overcast at the critical moments when the eclipse was as good as it was going to get. But I can't be certain. It did get cool there for a brief moment. I think so, anyway.

I packed it all up, put on my glasses so I could walk home (the park is well within walking distance of my place.) My back was to the sun, walking home. Saw a few people outside or on their porch with eclipse glasses. Turned around a couple of times, took off my glasses, put on my eclipse glasses, and turned to find the sun. I think at that point the event was wrapping up.

There were a handful of good moments, but that's the best I got in the location I chose.

Wound up watching the eclipse on YouTube. Watched from the beginning at 2X speed. That turned out decently well.

That's the best I could do from where I am, with the decisions I made. I really didn't seek out any astronomy clubs to watch it with, I didn't quite think that far ahead. I didn't even know where I was going to watch it from until I decided late last night.

At least I tried.

[anirbas]

We sat outside, on our balcony. Being as our flat is located on the north side of the complex, we couldn't see the sun, anyway. But, we didn't need, too. We saw it grow dark, darker and darkest. The birds grew quiet, quieter and then quietest. The only noise, were the giggles of our granddaughters, running across the sheet of bubble wrap I had laid out on the living room floor. It did grow cooler. Then, it began to brighten back up and the birds began to sing, again. And that, was that. Mine and David's eclipse watching party at home.