Total solar eclipse

My brother and sister in law were in town for the total solar eclipse! It was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. Truly awe inspiring.

We watched it from Flagpole Hill along with hundreds of other people. One of my favorite parts of the whole experience was the collective gasp and wild cheering that ensued when totality hit.

Here are videos of the descent into totality (where you can see shadow bands rippling across the grass, especially if you scrub through the video at a higher speed) as well as the “diamond ring” effect that lasted for a second or two when totality ended.

I’m not a religious person, but it is very easy to see how our ancestors might have seen eclipses as omens or a sign of demons or otherwise had religious experiences.

We got crabs

Here is a selection of Russian candy that we bought from the Euro Deli. Doc pointed out that the picture on the Crabs Candy is actually a lobster. The moo cow caramels are actually quite good. Most of the candy tastes very sweet and sort of one-dimensional to me — not something I’d necessarily seek out. My sister-in-law, who grew up in Russia and Ukraine, said that things like fruit and candy were very special and rare treats in her childhood and all of this feels very nostalgic to her.