Solar Eclipse in 2017

We may not have been in the path of "totality" but we felt the awe-inspiring magic of the eclipse this morning. Thanks to the Nevada County Library, we had glasses that I could use to cover my smaller camera lenses. Sunlight gradually faded. 

Chewie was quite perplexed at my wandering around the yard. He studied the shadows when I studied shadows. The pool when I studied the pool.

I looked at reflections and curving lines of light as the moon eclipsed the sun.

He probably looked at shadows and water. I wonder. How does interstellar phenomena look to puppy eyes?

I knew that my cameras wouldn't get the greatest images of the eclipse itself. I took a few of the smudgy sun going smaller and smaller. Then I challenged myself to find ways to show our experience by turning the camera towards details in our backyard. 

The sun reflecting in the pool. Scattered crescent-shaped shadows by the bushes. And crescent-curved light among shadows at the bottom of the pool. 

Ian marveled along with me. I did keep calling him to new discoveries. "Look at this, and this, and this!"

We saw about 82% coverage of the sun. So we didn't have complete darkness. We watched a gradually overcast quiet-light that became warmth again. Birds sang, tricked by the second morning.

Anika was at school so she could only glance using safety glasses between classes. 

We didn't need to go far at all to be amazed. We watched the light fall and fade. And light gathered and spilled back over the yard. We returned to our routines of dishes and birthday-clean-up. We carried a bit of that amazement though the day. What a grand and enchanting adventure...