BROADSIDED in BALI has a New Cover

I plan to write a more lengthy                                                                   post about how I produced a 

a new book cover using Word. For now, I will just attach said cover.

Look for my upcoming book giveaway on Goodreads.

Total Eclipse 2017....Cancelled by the Fog

It is Total Eclipse Day all across the USA. I’m about 12 hours south of the Path of Totality, but 75% blockage seemed reasonable enough for me. Except there was always the threat of fog. And the fog ruined the day.

No matter what the weather folks had been saying for the past week, I knew their predictions for a clear day would be wrong. Here in the San Francisco area, right along the bay, we haven’t seen the sun for most of August. Or if there is any sunlight, it’s after 2:00PM. And the past several days have been socked in and cold with no hint of our solar friend. When the fog went out last night, I thought there might be a slight chance of fair skies. But by 6:00AM this morning, it was nothing but grey.

Lunar Eclipse 2011

Maybe there would be a chance for odd shadows, as I had accidently caught during the last eclipse in May of 2012. It was much less coverage than today’s, but I sat out on the deck hoping to catch something odd and taking pictures of the sun. (Yes, without looking at it.) At one point, I noticed these strange shadows on the wall inside the house. I took a few shots and forgot about it. Only later did I realize that I had caught the reflection of the eclipse off the bird’s water dish. Had I realized it at the time, that is where I would have aimed my lens.

Shadows, Solar Eclipse 2012

And then there was the lunar eclipse in December of 2011. It was colder than ever when I went outside to try and capture images. I quickly realized I had no idea what settings to use on my camera, so sat down at the laptop to search. I then realized one really did need a tripod. But I was able to set the camera on a ledge and get a few decent shots before I got frostbite.

Honestly, this is not the area in which to live if you are interested in things celestial. I wasn’t terribly upset that I could not experience today’s eclipse. Or at least nothing like the Disaster that was Halley’s Comet in 1986. Intrigued about Mr. Halley’s namesake since I first heard of it in elementary school, I counted the years until it would appear. At the time, it was so far in the future it was hard to believe I would ever get the chance to witness its race across the sky. And when that day finally came, I happened to be back in the Bay Area. I jumped in the car and headed up the hill along with a whole lot of other enthusiasts, only to participate in our collective groan when we realized the fog would not be lifting.

Mama Squirrel at the height of the eclipse

If I ever want to really experience a total solar eclipse, there are others to be had around the world. Not so with my mythical comet which is set to reappear in 2061. I don’t plan to wait around for that one.

Meanwhile, I will continue to stay bundled in sweaters and gloves in the middle of the summer the foggy San Francisco Bay Area, waiting for the sun, sans eclipse, to appear.