Allen promptly paid the deposit, applied for DCTAG, started planning a ski trip over Owen's five week winter break, and figured out how to write SMCM OWEN in nautical flags. I just breathed a sigh of relief that Owen will be close to home as he starts the next chapter of what I think will be a very good book.
With High School graduation rapidly approaching Owen's SWS class got together for a reunion. They were the first class to graduate from SWS after it expanded to a full elementary school, so it was a little special for them all to see their old teachers and tour the newly renovated school. After the tour they all went over to the Rubin's house where Owen proved to be quite the pool shark, while Elaine chatted with the other parents, and Allen went to pick up Noa after a birthday party at the Black Cat.
To celebrate Earth Day Owen and I joined some of my old CEB colleagues and about 700 other EPA folks to see the EPA Administrator throw out the first pitch, Chief of Staff Dan Utecht say 'Play Ball' and the Nats take on the Dodgers. Jim, Shaun, Morgan, Aksay, and David Lopez, plus more folks from across OAP all had a group of seats together. We had a great time catching up even got to see Shohei Ohtani's first home run at Nats Park – a 118.7 mph exit velocity laser beam into the second deck. The Nats were stayed in it the whole game and even had a chance to walk it off with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, but couldn't quite pull out the win. We all had a great time though, and Owen even gave some advice about high school to Jim's son who is a rising ninth grader.
Back in 2017 Noa and I went to Columbia, South Carolina for the total solar eclipse. It was Owen's first day of middle school, and we decided that was too important for him to miss, so Owen and Elaine missed out. Fortunately the eclipse cycle was going to bring another total solar eclipse to the U.S. seven years later in April of 2024.
With a path of totality sweeping from Austin to Maine it was tempting to make a trip to Texas for this eclipse, but school schedules meant that we were better off sticking somewhere closer to home. We decided to visit Joe & Cate in Pittsburgh for the weekend, then drive up to a field in Greenville, PA for the main event.
Sunday in Pittsburgh was a stunningly gorgeous day. We went for a walk in the park by the river, roasted marshmallows by the fire, and played a late night game of hide & seek in the Mettenburg woods. The forecast for Monday though had been trending cloudy, and when we woke up to rain falling on the skylights, I'll admit I was nervous. We pressed ahead though and drove up to the path of totality, stopping to pick up lunch in Hermitage. The rain stopped and we started to see the sun peaking through the clouds on the drive. By the time we reached our field there was enough blue sky to feel cautiously optimistic.
When we reached C1 – first contact – the clouds were thin enough that you could generally make out the moon taking the first bight out of the sun with our eclipse glasses on. Everyone's excitement built as we gradually moved towards totality. The light felt strange, darker than it should be, and the shadows became eerily sharp. The temperature began to fall, and the clouds began to clear. Owen, Noa, Gigi, Hugh, and the Mettenburg's French exchange student Nya paused their game of ultimate frisbee to give their full attention to the eclipse as we approached C2 and totality. Bailey's beads and then the diamond ring appeared and we took off our eclipse glasses to behold in awe the inky black hole in the sky surrounded the by the gossamer white tendrils of the corona. Unlike the last eclipse we saw, this time there was a red glow on the limb of the sun – a giant solar flare tens of times larger than the earth itself leaping out from behind the moon. For our one minute and thirty seven seconds of totality we stood in wonder – awed by an experience that has inspired humanity since time immemorial.
After totality ended we shared stories with the others in our field and texted with friends that saw the eclipse from other places along the path of totality. Steve and Megan sent a picture from Indiana where their friends set up a telescope and saw the solar flare in all its glory. We quickly hit the road, weary of eclipse traffic, and headed home so the kids could be back in school on Tuesday. The next eclipse that will be easily reachable in the U.S. won't come until 2045 – though if we really can't wait the next total solar eclipse will sweep through Iceland and Spain just two years from now...
Hard to believe it, but this year was the last Opening Day before Owen goes off to college. It's not quite the same buzz as it was back when the Nats were perennial playoff contenders, but Owen, Mom Mom and I made it down to ballpark to see the Nats take on the Pirates. We got take in the new scoreboard and LED field lights, cheer for Michale A. Taylor's first game back at Nats Park with fans since the World Series, high five for Riley Adams game tying home run in the bottom of the 7th, and hang our heads as the bullpen let the game slip away. Above all though, it was just great to be back at a baseball game together!
Posts
All Comments
