How was the eclipse viewing in your neck of the woods? After weeks of warnings to be prepared with food, water, and gasoline as crowds descended on the hill country, there were a few spots of heavy traffic but nothing too terrible. Here at Casita Marron the eclipse was marred by thick clouds that obscured the view. We  stood on our back porch as darkness fell and the birds went silent. My neighbor’s security lights came on. The wind came up. Peering through our eclipse glasses we caught fleeting glimpses of the outer edge of the sun as the moment of totality arrived. 

Some people said ah well all those prep warnings, all the hype about the eclipse itself were much ado about nothing. Honestly I was disappointed not to have a better view, but these few moments when Americans across the political, religious, and economic spectrum came together in parks and parking lots and along roadsides, drawn together to witness a once in a lifetime event —was not nothing. It was a reminder of shared history.  A moment of shared humanity when we all stilled to experience together the wonders of the universe. 

It was something.