Bill Pearson

We do donations in the USA. Let me say that I am proud and grateful to all those who donate blood and/or platelets. This is a kind and selfless act that cannot be overstated in its necessity. Thank you for your lifegiving effort.

We had cloudy weather but it actually worked to our advantage. It was possible to see the eclipse without constant use of the special glasses. I even took a few pictures with my unprotected cell phone. And it got so dark that solar powered night lights switched on. And as an added bonus, it got dark enough that a star was visible in the sky. That is it on the lower right. I looked it up. It turns out the star is Sirius (AKA The Dog Star, an Easter egg for you Harry Potter fans out there.)

The good news: It is supposed to pass directly over my home. The bad news: early weather reports indicate rain Monday. This will be my third eclipse in my lifetime. As a kid in the 60's one passed over my hometown in Pennsylvania. Then I was in Nebraska in 2017 when another took place. Attached is a photo showing the area one hour before the eclipse, during, and a few minutes after, Fascinating. When the eclipse took place, everything went so quiet. Dogs, birds, insects all went silent.

From the days long ago (note the pager on my belt,) when I helped coach my son's baseball team. Not a particularly original layout as I simply followed Cassel's instructions step-by-step with the exception of a picture frame. If I used one and tried to put it inside the photo, I cut off my head. Used a quote from one of the great baseball flicks of all time.

My wife at the controls of one of the large telescopes at the McDonald's Observatory in West Texas.

Scenes from the 2022 Balloon Festival in Albuquerque, NM. To be truthful, this pic does not capture the colorful event very well.

My daughter spent two weeks at an elephant preserve in Thailand.

When my daughter spent two weeks in Thailand assisting at an elephant care facility.

I am not much of a photographer, naturalist, or gardener, but I have always found the colors of some of the plants in our neighborhood to be fascinating.

I'm on board