The Great American Eclipse has come and gone. Thankfully the weather both here in Dallas and back home cooperated and everyone was able to experience totality! It was touch and go. All morning it was cloudy and we could only see the sun periodically. But as time got closer, the clouds turned into just a thin layer and we got to enjoy all 3+ minutes of totality!

To experience the eclipse we went to Samuell Farm in the outskirts of Dallas. There were a lot of events scheduled for places downtown but we wanted to get closer to the center of totality as well as get away from the city. The park organizers did a great job. There were inflatables and crafts for the kids, a bunch of food trucks, a craft soda truck, merch, and other ammenities. We found a number of geocaches, the kids played, then when we got close to time we grabbed a spot on the grass with our blanket. We played euchre and then I taught the family Hearts from back in my NASA days. There were no crowds (the severe storms in the forecast probably kept most people away), the day was beautiful, and the company was great.

I’m already starting to look to the future though. In 2033 there’s an eclipse that goes through Western Alaska…in March. Then it’s a long wait until August of 2024 and then again August of 2045. The 2044 will hit the northern plains states and Canada (Banff here we come!) and then the 2045 eclipse (aka the Greatest American Eclipse) will cross from the Pacific Northwest down to Florida. The point of maximal totality is in Florida at over 6 minutes in duration. That’s insane. Time to start planning and making sure that I can stay healthy until then!