Steve and Judy's Travels!

We didn’t travel to watch today’s total eclipse.  We were in Oregon in 2017 and watched that one with some friends.  That was a fun celebration.

This time we watched a 92% eclipse from our yard.  It was mostly cloudy.  It got a little darker and cooler during the peak.  The birds got more active.  We got to see the crescent through the clouds a few times.  We took some cellphone snaps through the eclipse glasses, but they came out like this.

A blurry crescent.

We know now that if we look directly at the sun without eclipse glasses, the light will burn through our retinas and our brains will burst into flames, but when we were kids, when we were 10, didn’t we have contests to see who could stare at the sun the longest?  We didn’t spend any time looking at the sun today without eclipse glasses, but even so, I don’t really like the way my eyes feel afterward.  I still feel a little snow blind.  I think I like lunar eclipses better.

Long-time friend Joann.

We’ve logged a lot of hours together on the deck.

We see her here every winter.  She’s back east with her family in the summer.  Lately she’s been spending more time there than here.  Her family is here for a few days to help her pack up her things and move back there with them full-time.  There was a big farewell party for her at the park tonight.  It’s fun to meet her family and we’re enjoying them as much as we enjoy Joann, but they’re all leaving tomorrow. 

We have those different times in our lives.  Things change.  It’s time for the next phase for Joann.  We’ll still be in touch.  We can visit them if we’re along the eastern seaboard, but that doesn’t happen much.  We’ll miss seeing Joann here.

It’s Henry.

And he’s awake.

Oh.  Nevermind.

He’s old now.  He gets to do whatever he wants.  He is playful and active every morning, then spends most of the rest of the day sleeping.  He’s given up on dog food.  No more kibble.  No more Fresh Pet.  No more canned dog food.  He used to love cheese, but that’s off the menu.  No more dog treats.  He just turns up his nose.  Hot dogs, he’ll eat.  Cooked ground meat, that works.  Scrambled eggs.  We’ve always been pretty careful about not giving dogs people food, but we’ve given up on deciding what we think is best for him and just let him have whatever he wants now.  Whatever he will eat for as long as he will eat.

Of course, Jesse, she pretty much gets to do whatever she wants too. 

Except eat people food.  She can’t do that.  She’ll still eat kibble.

It’s so clear and brilliant.

And then the sunset.

…about having to get out more.  This charming scissor-tailed flycatcher was on a wire this morning right in our back yard!