smallstonefan

BobF
M-O-O-N that spells eclipse!

see you on the Dark Side... :)

Check also with your local fire departments. They are giving the glasses away free for the whole family out here.
Guess they figure it's cheaper than having the hospitals inundated with blind tourists.
 
Something puzzling to me about this on the math side.
The science astronomy guys have once again revised the timing and landfall for the event.
This time, landfall is 5 miles north of our town and moved from 9:20 to just after 10:15. Big shift in prediction.
I can understand variables in the weather, but what's the deal with the timing and location of the eclipse.
I always thought these things were like tide tables where you could predict with almost pinpoint accuracy.
 
The eclipse glasses are cool to play with even now. Almost like x-rays. You can see the defined round sun even behind moderate clouds.

Just testing if I can insert a Youtube link.  Will be filming the eclipse if I don't screw it up and can post a video so all can see no matter where you are.
 
If this went thru, it's the wife's slide show documentation of the crocosmia flower over this summer. Pretty species in the iris family. Prized ornamental in some places. Some kind of Greek name for the safron like smell of the dried leaves if boiled in water. Funny how supply and demand sets the value of something. Here it is looked on as an invasive weed. We long since gave up trying to control it and just let it do its thing.
 
Mozart music in the back ground. My better half is really my better half. Her music sense is way more subtle than mine. It must be true love that she can break from Ravel and tolerate my 3 chord universe.

Now take that link and put it in-between [tube][/tube] tags.  Finally, remove the "s" from "https://" to get "http://" and you're good to go!
 
Note that I always type the tags first.  If the link turns blue at any time, it won't work so delete and try again.

Thank you Craig. Will retry this shortly. Was trying to insert the video like a single image.
 
Bjorn, using a couple Nikons on a tripod. One at the ocean and one at the sun. The sun facing video may be a bust because of the extremes in exposure but hoping I can filter the artifacts out. Don't have an optical filter which would be the logical best.

Craig,
Many thanks for the instructions. It works now. With luck me and Bjorn might get some good shots of the event.
John

With the crowds pouring in and all the cheap beer gone, I had to refine my tastes for the next couple days and go with the vintage, hi end connoisseur import stuff. Found a hidden 24 pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon that had not been scarfed up. Kinda makes me feel like aristocrat nobility.
 
On another issue of temporary sobriety, anyone venturing out here for the event, please be careful. The casualties are already piling up. Started this morning with all the sirens. First, an 80 yo woman took a dive 20 feet off the cliff. Later the coast guard helicopter taking off to rescue someone down in the water. Then another aircraft mission to the south to pull someone else out of the sea. There goes the helicopter again at this moment. Crap, senseless loss of life.
 
You only survive a few minutes if you unintentionally go swimming out here. Way too cold.
Logs on the beach. They kill.
Never turn your back on the ocean.
Don't pick up the jelly fish no matter how cute and colorful they look or go barefoot in the tide pools.
There goes another helicopter...
 
Otherwise, welcome to the coast and have maximum fun... At this rate, you might have to bring your own beer.

My roommate has already taken off with his girlfriend to Silverton Oregon (a bit east of Salem).  They have reserved some spot there and are expecting to be back on Tuesday sometime...  Another friend is headed more toward Madras.
 
I'm going to sit at home and enjoy the solitude. 

I'm enjoying the nightly geo-eclipse right now. 

Update this evening before the event.
 
The place is starting to fill up now closer to what was predicted. They did import enough portable toilets to contain the bowels of half the western hemisphere.
 
This is all being freelanced through, so what wasn't anticipated was the number of dogs. Almost looks like they outnumber humans. From the constant sounds of less than cordial encounters and what happened to the bottom of my shoes, we didn't get this one right. We'll probably have to get the snow plows out after the event.
 
All for 2 minutes of blackness. Starting to not be able to figure this one out.
 
 

Weather forecast in Vancouver (WA) goes from 78 and partly cloudy (today) to 89 and clear tomorrow.  The clear part will be welcome for eclipse watchers, but I could sure do without the heat...

Just started partial a few minutes ago here.  Viewing thru my welding shield ... <yawn>.  I have my GoPro clone pointed across the property for a time lapse vid.  I'll start it about 30 minutes before max and let it run to record how dark it gets at 98.6%
 
 

I guess that 1% is a big deal.  From where I am in Vancouver, WA., we didn't get totality so it dimmed a little but nothing like it would have been at the places that got 100% totality.  The one thing that was very interesting was just how cool it got!  Something like 15 to 20 degrees cooler than it felt before.
 
So, maybe I should have gone somewhere to see it at 100%, but at least I don't have to drive home now!

Guys,
 
Don't know what it was about the eclipse, but shook me to the core, almost a spiritual experience. Went into this with a neutral to negative opinion, but when the event was upon us...
The wife almost cried. At the point of totality, experienced a communal surge of something good.
Animals, birds, humans all going nuts. Cheers and screams all over the community. Plants probably also singing if we had the ears to hear them.
Friggin' beautiful. How a couple minutes of darkness during daytime could have such an impact on everything that breathes. No idea.
 
Maybe got a few shots of the totality but dumped the camera after knowing that being part of the phenomenon was more important than documenting it.
 
Anyone else experience something mystic about this?
 
(edit).  Bob, maybe a difference in the experience being in the complete path? Got totally dark and cold here except for the corona. Makes us also realize how dependent we are on the sun's warmth. Will post some pictures.