Scattered Leaves

It's finally here. We've been watching forecasts all weekend long and it's been a rollercoaster. Right now it's mostly sunny here. The forecasts through the time of the eclipse say partly cloudy. I sure Credit: NASA hope they hold up. As long as heavy cloud cover doesn't roll in, we'll be golden. It doesn't seem like the town is crazy busy...yet. There's still 3 hours and some change to go before totality, so anything can happen before then. We'll probably end up finding a grassy spot with a shade tree or two to view the eclipse. We didn't do a very good job of looking for a viewing party, which may have been fun but I don't mind the experience being a little private to our family. I plan to setup my phone on a tripod to capture our reactions. I doubt I'll bother trying to capture the actual totality happening--I just want to experience it. There will be plenty of much better videos/photos taken of the event than I'll ever be abl...

The common Poor Man's Eclipse Well, Saturday was interesting! We started the day by heading to the Old Courthouse in STL to get some tickets to ride to the top of the Arch. Along the way we noticed a cool phenomenon. Something I dubbed a "Poor Man's Eclipse", where the sun was being blocked by the Arch. It looked pretty cool and with the weather forecast calling for clouds and possible thunderstorms...it may be the closest to an actual eclipse that we get to see (we hope not). The Arch was quite the specimen and if you're ever in the area, you should definitely check it out. We watched a video documenting the construction and design of the Arch and it was really something to see. Those men and women who worked on the Arch must have been made of steel themselves. Many were 600 feet above the ground walking around without any safety harnesses (it was the 60s after all, where either they didn't give a damn or they didn't have time to be scared). We rode t...

We'll have to drive around 9-10 hours to see the total eclipse. We've decided to leave early on Friday in hopes of beating the major traffic rush that will likely occur from Saturday through Monday. Naturally, I have a pretty big checklist of things we're gonna need for this trip. I tend to stress myself out over planning for as many different situations as I can figure, especially now that we have children in tow. Back when it was only my wife and me, it wasn't such a big deal. The kids alone have their own set of things that must be prepared: iPads/Fire tablets/laptops/miscellaneous digital devices Travel Bingo cards Books Snacks. Lots and lots of snacks. No less than 30 charging cables and bricks Many sets of headphones/ear buds (for my sanity and theirs) Since we'll be traveling through areas with no cell coverage I have to download some of the kids' favorite YouTube videos to keep them happy. I don't like them burying their heads constant...

In a little more than a week, a major astronomical event will be coming to America. I've never experienced a solar eclipse before. I'm not entirely sure what to expect. Based on the words and experiences of others, it's something that cannot be accurately described--a monumental, life-impacting thing to witness. Totality My family and I will be heading south to Missouri, a state I've only ever driven through briefly, in order to witness the totality. I can only imagine the emotions I will feel as the moon blocks out the sun for a brief moment, altering and confusing the world around us. I cannot wait to see the reactions of my children as they witness the event alongside us. I imagine this event will feel to me like the first time I managed to find Saturn in my telescope. The raw emotion of looking upon something so profound with my own eyes, millions of miles away, was indescribable. My hope is that this eclipse ignites the wonder in all of us, reminds us that ...