A total lunar eclipse on the Winter Solstice!

We were all psyched except Glen who grumpily went to bed by 10. The rest of us peeked outside to see if it would possibly be clear enough to see anything. It was! The sky was partly clear and the clouds – from big mountains of thick cotton to merry swirling wisps – were moving fast. This only added to the suspense. Is that a shadow?! Or just a cloud?! Did you see that move?! Or has it been there a while.

Matthew had lots of questions about what an eclipse was. Inspired by Grandpa Jim’s teaching techniques, we used the kids’ heads as planets and tried to show Matthew how the Earth would come between the Moon and the Sun, casting a shadow.

The curve of road in front of our house is midway between streetlights, so we could have observed from there, but our neighbors’ front porch light was very bright so we decided to find darker viewing. We walked around the block and decided that we would walk back to the darkest part of Laurel’s playground, to the play structure closest to the creek.

We brought a blanket and a couple chairs. Some books to read. Ethan brought his telescope and managed to set it up in the dark! I told and told Matthew and Jared to bring warm clothes but, as Matthew likes to tell me, he has recently “leveled up” and can no longer feel cold. Hmmph. Guess whose coat and hat he was wearing 35 minutes later?

By 10:15 we were all set up and watching the drama unfold through Ethan’s telescope. My funniest memory is of watching Jared’s silhouette; he was wearing another coat of mine, dancing like a crazy marionette in the yellow glaring lights of the buildings. By 10:45 the boys were too sleepy to stay up, but the moon had turned a musty red except for a tiny sliver at the top (or on the bottom when viewed through the telescope).

We trooped home, shed all outer clothing in the hallway, and Ethan and Jared fell into bed. Matthew stayed up with me another 30 minutes to see the complete picture although he was so sleepy by that time I doubt he remembers.

But we won’t forget this Winter Solstice for a long time!