Extraordinary Sunshine Weaver

Dierik and I wanted to see the eclipse without traveling. I hear some places were charging $900 a night. Being in large crowds or stuck in slow traffic didn’t sound appealing. We decided to forego the chance to see the full eclipse because we saw one seven years ago locally.

My brother came to visit to see the eclipse here in Mid Missouri in 2017. We were equipped with the special glasses. We went to the Gans Creek area, where there was a large open field next to the parking lot, and it was perfect. Not crowded. The total eclipse was inspiring. I watched it flat on my back. To commensurate the event, I wrote a poem.

You’re Cordially Invited

When eclipsed by the moon,
the sun didn’t cry as much as I did
for their union was bound
by the glistening ring,
& all Earth collapsed into slumber
as birds tucked into their wings
to the cicadas’ chorus
of tunes chilling the midday heat
to cloud mist:
Darkness, to the dance
of Solar & Lunar,
opened to the jewel
of another day 
& revelers praised the wonder of
this exquisite union.

©Barbara Leonhard
All Rights Reserved

Kitchen Tools Have Many Uses!

This year, Dierik and I viewed the eclipse at Eagle Bluffs, the local wetlands on the Missouri River. Our viewing tool was a colander. We had no idea where our eclipse 2017 viewers were.

We didn’t need to look at the sun. We held the colander, allowing the sun to hit it and light up the holes. The shadows cast on the ground revealed the eclipse.

These images, cast onto the gravel parking lot, take me back to the Stone Age because they look so prehistoric.

We also cast shadows on a boulder at the edge of the parking lot and made a few videos. Although we couldn’t see totality here, we experienced the dimming of the sun and the wind picking up closer to what would have been totality.

I hope you can view this video:

https://share.icloud.com/photos/054-Qi6n4ghQg1YKwhGljbrxg