The Eclipse

Yesterday was the solar eclipse, the celestial event that had been hyped for the past five years. And did it live up to all that hype? Yes, it did. It was amazing.

We went to watch the eclipse at Riverfront Park in North Little Rock, which was being promoted as the "Total Eclipse in the Park." We got there a few hours before totality, and were surprised to see that there weren't that many people around. Which was odd, because we had heard repeatedly that there was going to be a massive influx of visitors to Arkansas for the eclipse. The state predicted 1.5 million people would be traveling here. Grocery stores and gas stations would be overrun and empty. All the major roads and freeways would be snarled with bumper-to-bumper traffic. The governor declared a state of emergency...

And now it seems like all those dire forecasts kept a lot of people at home during the eclipse, in order to avoid all the crowds that didn't show up. But I guess I can't complain because we were able to claim a shady spot on the Riverfront Park lawn, and didn't have to deal with any traffic at all.

As it got closer to totality, you could see the changes in the light as it grew gradually dimmer. It was also at this time that our strong-willed toddler, Elliott, saw a bunch of boats in the river. Like so many small kids, he is completely obsessed with fire trucks, police cars and ambulances. And right before totality, there were a few boats from the police and sheriff's office in the water. This must have been a mind-blowing experience for him. He wanted me to hold him, so that he could better see the boats in the river. He didn't want to be held by any of three other adults there, just me. Which made for setting up the camera a bit tricky.

I held him in one arm, and then tried to make sure the camera was set correctly with the other hand. It was getting so close to totality. Street lights turned on. The sky turned a darker blue, like at dusk. The temperature dropped a few degrees. A sheriff's office boat headed downriver playing "Total Eclipse of the Heart," much to Elliott's enjoyment. And then it happened - totality. The sun was obscured by the moon, and it was a truly amazing thing to see in person. I can totally understand now why people travel across the country to see this. People around us clapped and cheered, all of us sharing the communal experience of the "cosmic ballet" together.

So here is my picture of the total solar eclipse over the downtown Little Rock skyline, taken during totality. It was also taken while holding a squirming toddler, who kept saying "police boat Dada!" in my ear.