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We learned early that 1000 miles separated us from the Path of Totality, and so, catching Eclipse Fever came slow. In fact we sort of ignored all the hype. I only saw one display for the Special Viewing Glasses, at Lowe's Home Improvement of all places, and it stood empty. Fail to plan, plan to fail, says the old adage. "$14.98" read the tag. "No way!" said I. Before I gave in to prescription lenses, I wouldn't pay more than $10 bucks for sunglasses. $14.98 for a one time two minute event? 

But then, the day of came, and it was hard not to at least give it a try. You friends in Oregon and Nebraska and South Carolina. You who made pilgrimages. You who hosted Eclipse Viewing Parties. You who bought Moon Pies and Sun Drop soda and Eclipse gum. Your excitement was contagious. Suddenly I couldn't NOT at least give it a try. 

We don't have any welding masks lying around. The girls laughed at my suggestions of the Box Over the Head viewer, and we didn't have any cardboard around anyway. I read mixed review of the Selfie View of the Sun. I wasn't even sure we had plain white paper. And so I begged a short stack of leftover paper food trays from a friend, and carried them home. We found a safety pin and poked holes in the middle and hoped for the best.

15 minutes or so before peak, we went out and laid down in the middle of the street, holding the trays up to the sky, trying to get the sun shadow to show. And amazingly, it did! That turned out to be a pretty good thing, because about a minute later, a storm cloud moved past and settled right in front of the sun. Apparently the clouds, who have rarely made an appearance for months, didn't get the Cloud Parking Restriction- Big Event Solar Eclipse Today memo. 

Look at that itsy-bitsy tiny little crescent. We geeked out. 
Can you imagine what we would have been doing with a total eclipse?

I confess, I watched the news guys as the sun bisected the nation. I saw the sky darken in Wyoming and heard the crowds scream. I saw the photos of the Diamond Ring and Bailey's Beads. I found myself jealous of nifty crescent shadows across cement driveways. I even performed the requisite chorus of "Total Eclipse of the Heart." In all honesty, I don't think it was quite the same awe inspiring experience.

In her essay recounting an earlier event, "Total Eclipse," Annie Dillard wrote, "A partial eclipse is very interesting. It bears almost no relation to a total eclipse. Seeing a partial eclipse bears the same relation to seeing a total eclipse as kissing a man does to marrying him, or as flying in an airplane does to falling out of an airplane."

But when it's all you've got...