Goodnight, Moon...

I just got back from vacation, in time to be welcomed home by a total lunar eclipse.

The good news is that skies up here were so clear, the air so quiet, that standing outside was pure (if chilly) magic.

The bad news is that the eclipse reached totality around 3 a.m. At which time most of us have reached a different type of totality, and are not outside. You can track down some videos on the internet, but nothing really comes close to the real thing.

I kept getting up, prodded by an alarm clock that was quite good at reminding me that time was passing. I got to see it at about half, and at full, and then I called it a day. Or more accurately, a night.

What a beautiful thing to see. And what a way to welcome the winter solstice winter, the shortest day, the first day of 'official' winter. The days start to get longer now. Christmas is almost upon us... and Nature has already unwrapped a beautiful gift for all of us!