Eclipse 2024 in Texas!

After the 2017 eclipse, I vowed to do whatever I could to go and see the next one. Late last year, I learned that I’d get my chance in 2024. The moon’s shadow would sweep up from Mexico through Texas and on up to parts of New York and Maine. The experts said, go to Texas, where there will be the least chance of clouds. I checked the map. Waco, deep in the center of the state, seemed to be a good choice. Between Dallas and Austin, it was closer to the center of the path of totality than those two cities. I made hotel reservations and was good to go.

But! As we got closer to the day, the weather report was predicting 90% chance of overcast and thunder storms!

To go or to cancel???

Go! Of course. Better to at least try.

In Austin, before heading to Waco, the sky was dark and grey.

Thank goodness, in Waco, the clouds shifted and opened up enough to be encouraging.

This beautiful park on Waco Lake offered a broad expanse and plenty open space.

This was a small park, only a few parking spaces and five or so picnic tables. By the time we got there, there was only one table left. We’d flown in from Portland and did not have chairs for the three or four hours we’d be there. We grabbed the last table. As we sat at one end, it was apparent we didn’t need all of it. A lovely group of people, coolers, lawn chairs and photography equipment in hand, stood by uncertain where to set up. We offered to share the table and benches with them.

Happily for us, they accepted.

Bonus! Besides friendly and generous, some were professors, scientists and tech experts from Texas A&M. Double bonus, one man was an astrophysicist!

Triple bonus, Jane is a photographer and brought her tripod, camera, filters and a giant lens.

From one edge of the table to the other, the food was spread out. Jane set up her camera.

I mean, these were the perfect people to watch an eclipse with.

The clouds teased us, they came and went.

I was doing my best to let things be and feel OK by however things turned out, dark sky or not.

The clouds would move away and the sky would open up. Then, new clouds would drift by and cover the sun, then blow away again for more open sky, back and forth, back and forth. Maybe not perfect, but way, way better than the rain and thunder storm prediction. It was starting to feel like we might be able to see the eclipse.

And then it began. The moon slowly, slowly began to cover the sun.

We covered our eyes with the special eclipse viewing glasses.

And with amazement, we watched as the moon moved between us and the sun.

Until only the tiniest sliver of sun was visible.

Then it happened, the moon completely covered the sun.

During the four minutes of totality, we all took off our special glasses and stood in awe.

Breathtaking.

There was a moment, a few clouds briefly drifted by.

I held my breath.

But only for a moment.

It was 1:30 in the afternoon in the middle of Texas, but it was dark.

Lights went on across the lake.

Magic.

Then a bright burst of light as the moon slid past. The diamond ring.

We gasped.

And put our special glasses back on.

And waited as the light came back.

A huge huge thank you to Jane Zhu who generously sent her spectacular photos to me to use for my blog. And to her friend Cindy Wang who captured the diamond ring.