The Great American Eclipse - Tuesday, August 22, 2017

What a difference a mattress makes! Wonderful sleep after an exciting day.  Up this morning at 6:00, joined Dick and the dogs for some coffee and packed up the car.  Around 8:30 I said my goodbyes and thank you to Beth and Dick, bid farewell to Karen and Dell, and headed out of Kearney (actually Riverdale) and headed back towards Omaha.

Once again I started up the Donna Leon audio book and cruised down the highway.  I took a detour in Lincoln and found the Backyard Farmer Garden.  My initial impression is that it is much smaller than it appears on TV.  The All American Selection (AAS) area was very interesting, showing all the wonderful selections that grow well in the area.  The vegetable plot is small and includes a lot of produce in a very small area.

I then wandered around East Campus a bit and headed back to my car.  As this was the second day of classes, parking was impossible.  I ended up parking across Holdredge Street and walking from the pizza restaurant.

Back on the road, I spent the last hour of my trip listening to the novel and watching out for trucks.  A pleasant day with nice weather.  I was home shortly after 1:00 for a lovely trip to see the great eclipse. 

My overall impression was that it was well worth the time and trouble, it was great to meet new people and it is something I will never see again in my lifetime.  My only regret is that Deb was not able to join me. 

The Great American Eclipse - Monday August 21, 2017

Well, Today is the day!   Camping is different from what I remember, or perhaps it is the body changes and memory lapses I have experienced since my halcyon camping days.  Slept like a rock the first two hours, tossed and turned for the next three hours, then dozed fitfully, changing sides and readjusting my makeshift pillow each 30 minutes for the next three hours.  At 6:00 I deemed that I had experienced enough, not to mention the call of nature that was frantically demanding my attention.  There is nothing elegant about a stiff old man crawling out of a one-person tent and trying to stand up on dew soaked grass!

Once upright and relieved, I strolled to the house and started the coffee.   Caffeine deprivation relief in sight, I enjoyed the sunrise over the plains.  There is nothing like a clear sky over the open fields of corn and beans to stimulate a morning sunrise.  Coffee made, the household is beginning to stir.  The three resident dogs, Markey, Henry and Denali "Dolly" are all old, or blind, or deaf, or lame, or all of the above but adorable and demanding of attention.  Markey particularly reminds me of our own Harry in his need to be right next to someone and finely attuned to any activity in the kitchen, staring up at you waiting for something to drop, ever hopeful of human "error."

As both Dick and Beth have to work today (it really isn't a holiday) Karen, Dell and I are left to mind the dogs and fend for ourselves.  I prepare some poached eggs and toast as we chatter over the plans for the day.  Dell and I head out for a walk after breakfast, walking a couple of miles on the gravel roads, marveling at the height of the corn, the greenness of the beans, and the terrifying speed of the occasional vehicle (almost always a pick-up) speeding down the road past us.  It is warm already and we quickly work up a sweat.

Returning, we set up the gazebo tent to be used for viewing the day's event.  Grandson Logan arrived around 10:00 and daughter Amy pulled in around 10:30.  Research revealed that we would begin to see some eclipse activity in front of the sun around 11:30. Dick returned around 11:00 and Beth retuned about 11:30.  It seems all local businesses were closing for the eclipse, and traffic on the highways was increasing as sun tourists were streaming north to gain some time headed to the prime line of the eclipse. Those viewers on the main line would have about 10 seconds more totality than we at our location.

Much talk this morning about clouds, but they were wispy and clearing as time approached.  We spent the next hour checking on the sun through our eclipse safe eyewear and greeting various relatives who arrived and congregated for the event.  Food was brought in, roast pork for sandwiches, beef and noodles, more pasta salad, chips, etc.  A feast.  At 12:57 CDT, the sun disappeared, darkening the landscape and we all whipped off our glasses.  I dialed Deb on FaceTime and shared my view with her while she sat at breakfast in Alaska.

During the 3 minutes of totality there was so much ongoing change.  Sunset of 360 degrees around the horizon, stars shining brightly, exclamations of wonder, the sun's corona like a bright diamond - and then the bright spot showing as we quickly slip our glasses back on.  We toast the event with what ever is at hand - Dell opted for Glenfiddich, Karen a glass of sweet white wine, I opted for a fizzy Redd's Blueberry Ale.  Some picked beer, some a Jameson's, but all enjoyed the once in lifetime (for most of us) event. 

In the afternoon, Dell, Karen, Amy, Logan and I traveled to CottonMill City park with a pair of kayak and we floated around the lake for a bit.  Very hot out on the water, but we made it with no spills into the drink. 

Back at the house, George and then I, showered and cleaned up. The two of us traveled back into town and did some grocery shopping, stopping on the way and  ordering 4 extra-large pizzas from Papa John's. We journeyed on to HyVee for additional provisions and returned for the hot pizza.  We arrived back at the house, loaded with provisions and Karen made a salad from our supplies; the family again began converging for the end of the day's festivities with the the all American pizza, salad and beer (or wine) to end the Great American Eclipse event.

As heavy rain was threatening, I made the executive decision to break camp and opt for a real mattress and bedding that Beth thoughtfully made up for me in the basement.  As I laid back in the darkness, I looked at my watch - 9:12 PM and I was promptly out like the lights.

The Great American Eclipse - Sunday, August 20, 2017

Deb has headed off to Alaska in order to avoid the darkness of the great American eclipse.  I, on the other hand, am going to embrace it by heading out into the great expanse that is Nebraska, traveling to Kearney to see what I can see.

Since today is Sunday, I slept in until almost 7:00 AM.  Up to feed my housemates Sushi and Harry P. Covert and then to leisurely read the paper.  Not to be.  Abby called to give me a play by play of the wonderful Lady Gaga concert she attended last night.  From all reports, it was an amazing show.  Then Jake checked in to give me an update on his family adventures.  Ed then called to report on Avery's first days of college at Towson and to confirm that he is arriving for Thanksgiving this year.  Ed also announced he intends to bring Avery and Spenser to Omaha for Christmas - looks like a busy time at 6208 this fall.

Although I intended to be out of town around 9:00, I finally filled the tank and pulled away from 60th & Center at 10:45, headed onto I-80 to join all the other 500,000 estimated eclipse watchers flooding into the state.

I checked out an audible book for the first time in my life and listened to a Donna Leon mystery, one of the Brunetti series, all the way into Kearney.  It was so engrossing that I pulled into the shopping center once I arrived in order to get to the end of a chapter.  This looks like a new way to travel.

I arrived at Beth and Dick Loeffelholz' home around 1:15 in the afternoon.  Beth is the daughter of Dell and Karen Sennentz; they have built a lovely new home about 10 miles north of Kearney on a rise from which you can see almost 20 miles in all directions.  They have agreed to allow me to pitch my tent in their backyard.  Dell and Karen flew in on Friday and are staying in the guest room.  Dick's grandson is celebrating his first birthday so great grandma and grandpa had to celebrate!

Since I didn't exercise this morning, I erected the tent and then set out for a  3-mile walk in the 90 F heat (I am not too bright in my old age). Dell got nervous when I was gone over an hour so he struck out searching for me.  I did get my 10,000 steps in.

Dick's parents and uncle came over for dinner, along with a nephew and his girlfriend in from Omaha, and Dick's son, daughter in law and baby Braxton all arrived for hamburgers, brats and sundry other items on the grill.  Wine and beer was available and we enjoyed the evening. 

I crawled into the tent around 10:30 for my attempt at a great camp-out.