The Great American Eclipse

Spending time with family and friends was icing on the cake but the real purpose of our visit to Arkansas in April was so that we could be in an area of totality for the April 8th eclipse.  The next one visible in the USA will be in 2044 and since we will be 90 and 92 then, we decided this year was the right time.  Neither of us were in the area of totality in 2017 and even though it was amazing to be in a 90% eclipse, everyone told us that being in the totality was a different experience.  In fact someone named Annie Dillard said, "Seeing a partial eclipse bears the same relation to seeing a total eclipse as kissing a man does to marrying him.

Lucky for us, Lonoke was just barely outside the area of totality so getting to a place where it would be total was easy.

George and I studied the maps and decided that we would drive north towards Heber Springs and look for a safe place, away from the main road.  

And we found it! Dekalb Road near Tumbling Shoals, Arkansas. 

We drove down a little country road and pulled off at a wide entrance to someone's farm.  We didn't block the gate or the road so we figured that we were in a good spot.

There wasn't a cloud in the sky. In fact it was hot!  Now it was just get comfy and wait for the celestial show.

I noticed a man drive slowly by us and then come back and stop.  I thought for sure that he was going to tell us that we had to move but no, just the opposite.  He invited us to come down to his house where he was going to throw a few hot dogs on the grill.  I love Arkansas people and really wish we had taken him up on the kind offer.

We had plenty of time to relax and practice using the filters on our phones.

This is how the sun looked at first.

Then the magic started happening.  Slowly, slowly the moon made its journey.

Gradually blocking out more and more of the light.

Instead of midday light, it seemed like early evening.

The actual time was 1:53 p.m.

And finally totality!

The 'Ring of Fire'

The temperature dropped dramatically.

Automatic outside lights at a nearby house went on

In 2017, in Utah the birds quit singing, but not here in north Arkansas.

However, the nearby cows quit mooing.

The 'star' to the lower right of the moon/sun is actually the planet Venus.

It was a moment I won't ever forget. 

One friend told me that his chickens went into their coop.

Another reported that her horses left the pasture and went into the barn and got in their stalls.

Where we were, the 'totality' lasted over 4 minutes.

And you could take off the protective glasses for this part.

Finally the 'show' was over and the moon moved on.

We had a front row seat to the "Great American Eclipse of 2024!

I read this on-line about why people are so enchanted by a total eclipse 

"A eclipse is a chance to be reminded of our place in the solar system and the cosmos - something that, no matter how stark our differences, we still share."

For me it was also a moment to be in awe of a Heavenly Father who worked it all out just right.

Lyrics to a favorite song came to my mind.

It passeth all my understanding

How it all worked out just right

The distance that we live from the sun

The stars that shine at night.

We may prove that it was just an accident

But how did it begin?

It passeth all my understanding.