I was ready for bed, in my jammies and going to grab my Kindle, when I remembered hearing Brian Williams talk about the annual Perseid Meteor Shower and that tonight was going to be the best, last view for the year. I asked Gerry if he wanted to hop in the car and get away from the bright city lights (okay as it turns out, it is actually pretty darn dark where we live - especially after midnight - and we could probably have seen them from our backyard). Always one to indulge my whims, he said sure.
Surprisingly (actually shockingly), Chris, our resident 27-year-old "usually unmotivated and generally one to opt out of anything that remotely smacks of "family" time", said sure, he'd go to. Everyone started grabbing things: binoculars (check), blankets? (check), snacks? (okay - definitely way past dinner but you never know how long we might enjoy this event), chairs (Gerry grabbed some old camping/stadium seating things while Chris went right for a folding chair). And we were off (like a can of bug spray, as Gerry would say).
Now the tough part - where to go? There were certain requirements: 1) away from the "halo" of Seattle and surrounding metropolitan area; 2) a rather open field; and 3) less than 30 miles away (since I only had ~60 miles of gas in my car). Again, this pretty much describes our house but we were in search of an adventure.
We found a place ~15 miles away that seemed ideal. The stars were definitely out tonight - and not a cloud to be seen (although we did have to get a bit higher since the fog was misting over the river and surrounding area). We didn't have to wait long to see the celestial firework show begin!
We were a bit early for the "true" show (where apparently the meteors are zooming very frequently) but I think I enjoyed this better. We had to each be searching the sky, pointing any viewing to the others, and had ample time for amiably chatting - about the stars in specific and nothing in general. It's not something Gerry and I have really had much opportunity to do with Chris and after my initial shock that he'd agreed to come, I was aware that this was a memory not likely to be repeated any time soon and one I'm determined not to take for granted.
A magical night!
~later, tw
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